Chapter 37
"I haven't bullied you, why should I feel guilty?" As he said that, Hui Lin pinched the soft flesh on Qi Xinglan's face.
Qi Xinglan kept dodging, "Don't pinch my face!"
His coquettish tone made Hui Lin's actions even more aggressive, and soon, the two of them started making noise on the bed.
Fu Wen was standing guard outside. She was very scared when she heard the noise inside. She said to the person standing guard next to her: "Is this... okay? Your Highness has just finished his confinement and cannot have sex yet..."
"Sister Fuwen, don't worry. His Majesty and His Highness are both sensible people. Maybe it's just a love affair between husband and wife."
Fu Wen was relieved when she heard that there was no further movement inside.
**
The ceremony the day after tomorrow will be held as scheduled.
Hui Lin was wearing a black robe with a golden crown, and the nine dragons embroidered with gold and silver threads shone brightly in the sunlight.
Qi Xinglan's crown and robes were naturally the same color as Hui Lin's, and he held her hand and led her step by step to the highest step.
"Long live the emperor, and long live the empress." All the ministers knelt down. Qi Xinglan saw that everyone knelt down in a huge crowd.
He and Hui Lin exchanged glances and said in unison, "Stand up."
In this grand ceremony, the enthronement of the new emperor and the establishment of the queen are the same thing. The change of dynasty naturally requires a change of the country's name and a new yuan.
Xiyuan and Da Zhou were united, and the new emperor issued an edict: the country's name was changed to Xia, and the reign title was changed to Chengchang.
The ceremony ended in the afternoon, and Qi Xinglan was so tired that he wanted to lie down.
The heavy crown and robes were finally taken off, and Huici didn't even have time to look at them before she lay down on the imperial concubine chair. When Huilin Hou stepped in, he immediately picked Qi Xinglan up from the imperial concubine chair and gently placed her on the bed when he saw this scene. "The chair is very hard. If there's no one around, you'll fall asleep while lying there, and when you wake up, you'll complain of back pain."
Hui Lin's movements were familiar, and it was probably not the first time he had done such a thing.
Qi Xinglan thought of the previous times, and her face became hot. She said, "Oh, okay - why did someone stop you just now?"
Qi Xinglan wanted to change the subject, but the reason why he lagged behind Qi Xinglan a few steps because he was stopped by the ministers when he returned to the forest just now was indeed tempting.
Huilin sat down, and Qi Xinglan also sat up straight on the bed. He only heard him say, "Lan'er, are you good at talking?"
Qi Xinglan saw his guilty expression and knew that it was definitely not a good thing, and it was most likely related to her, so she narrowed her eyes and asked him: "You, did you take any work for me?"
After saying this, Huilin shook his head, as if he was very embarrassed, "No... it's not like that, Lan'er, the palace will hold a full-moon banquet for our Ah Ci in two days, but didn't we say that we would only set up two tables and wait until a hundred days later to hold the big banquet?"
Qi Xinglan nodded.
"But this means that we will have fewer opportunities to socialize with the old royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which will inevitably cause foreigners to suspect that the Xiyuan and Zhou tribes are at odds. Therefore, Lan'er's birthday in June is a good opportunity to hold the Xiyuan hunting tradition and promote the traditional Xiyuan riding and archery style in Shangjing."
At the end of last year, the Great Zhou Dynasty was destroyed and the Hui royal family of Xiyuan took over the Great Zhou Dynasty. Since then, Han clothing and the Great Zhou culture have become popular in Xiyuan. Shangjing is the capital, but the effect of promoting Xiyuan culture is not very obvious.
Qi Xinglan also knew about this. As a Han Chinese, she married into the Hui family, so her status was different. Now that she was in a high position, she might have some persuasive power.
Qi Xinglan nodded without hesitation, saying calmly, "What's the big deal? Hunting is common in Xiyuan. It's easy for me to deal with it."
He looked back at Lin, held his face with his hands to force him to look at him, and asked him with a smile, "What's wrong with you? Do you think I don't like this kind of utilitarian occasion?"
Without waiting for him to say anything, Qi Xinglan kissed him on the lips and snuggled into his arms again, "I'm not just your husband, I'm also the queen of Daxia. I'm bound to encounter these things..."
As she spoke, Qi Xinglan looked up at him, slapped him on the shoulder, and deliberately frowned and asked him, "From the look on your face, are you thinking of finding someone else to do these things?"
Hui Lin waved his hands and said, "It's nothing, Lan'er!"
Qi Xinglan deliberately ignored his explanation, and used her skill to turn around and immediately switched positions with Hui Lin, so that Hui Lin was lying there and Qi Xinglan was sitting astride him.
"Don't think I don't know how many people want to send their girls to you!"
"I heard there are a few other men who look 50% like me?"
"Younger than me?"
"Tell me, are you interested?"
Qi Xinglan's voice was a little loud when she was "lecturing" her husband, but no sound of resistance from Hui Lin could be heard from inside. It sounded like the Queen was the only one getting angry.
Fu Wen, who was standing guard outside the door, felt uneasy and could only whisper to the eunuch who had been with Hui Lin for a long time, "Is His Majesty and His Highness not going to quarrel?"
The latter just smiled and said meaningfully: "Your Majesty is enjoying it."
Fu Wen turned around, looked at the closed door, and said nothing more.
Because the quarreling sounds in the house soon turned into the sound of kissing and Qi Xinglan's faint breathing.
Inside the house, although Qi Xinglan was in a high position, she was held down on the back of her neck and kissed by the person below, and she had no power to fight back at all.
When Hui Lin stopped moving, Qi Xinglan didn't even have the strength to raise her head. She could only lean on Hui Lin's neck, letting the man reach out and stroke her hair behind her.
Hui Lin smiled at him: "Don't be shy, Lan'er, you are much more proficient than you were at the beginning."
"...Asshole." Qi Xinglan then raised her head and hit him with a red face. Hui Lin then saw Qi Xinglan's face clearly. It was red, yes, but not only her face, but also her lips and the corners of her eyes were red.
Hui Lin's Adam's apple rolled up and down uncontrollably, and the moment Qi Xinglan looked at him again, he turned over and held her there.
"Not yet! Calm down..."
"I know my limits..." he replied without thinking.
He knew his limits, but after an afternoon, Qi Xinglan's heel was injured.
The next day, when they went to Qi Mansion to worship, Qi Xinglan even found it very difficult to walk from the gate of Qi Mansion to the ancestral hall.
The Qi family is full of loyal and brave people. Their ancestors had been generals for generations. The room was filled with statues of heroes. Candles were burning, and with the heroic spirits of their ancestors guarding the house, there was not a single gloomy atmosphere.
Even the usually crybaby little Huici became unusually quiet. She lay in her nurse's arms, looking around quietly, her chubby little hands dangling outside the cradle.
Perhaps it was due to the environment, but when Qi Xinglan walked to the door, her steps became even slower and slower.
Her heart was filled with pain, as if being cut by a knife. Qi Xinglan's eyes swept across the rows of tablets. Even breathing and swallowing hurt.
He was still watching, but Hui Lin walked up to him and stroked his back with his big hand. Qi Xinglan looked at him, Hui Lin threw his clothes aside and knelt heavily on the cushion. Seeing this, Qi Xinglan followed suit.
Hui Lin said in a loud and full voice, "Dear father and mother, and all the ancestors, I am Hui Lin, whose ancestral home is in Xiyuan. I am fortunate to have known Lan'er. Although there are no relatives around, we have already had a wedding ceremony for more than a year, and we have a son, Aci, who is legitimately born. I came here today to express my feelings to all the elders. I only have Lan'er in my life, and I will cherish her and grow old with her. Please rest assured, parents!"
After saying this, he kowtowed three times towards the tablet of Qi Xinglan's parents, which was closest to them, and then burned incense.
After Hui Lin finished speaking, Qi Xinglan didn't know what to say. She just said a few words and kowtowed and burned incense.
The incense that Huici sent was from Qixing Landai. He will come again when he grows up and understands more, so there is no need to rush.
Bu Wei and Wen Jiayu had been here before, and as for Qi Chaoting, she said she wanted to be with Yan Cheng, so Qi Xinglan let her go.
**
"Just now...what you said in front of my parents was quite heartfelt..." Qi Xinglan's tone was a little awkward.
It was no different for Hui Lin. If it weren't for this occasion, he might never have the chance to say such "corny" words in his life.
He said, "Those are the words in my heart!"
Seeing Qi Xinglan looking at him, he reiterated to Lin: "Really!"
Qi Xinglan didn't know how to reply him. Suddenly, a cold wind blew by. Qi Xinglan shuddered. She didn't need to reply him. So she just took his hand and pulled him out of the Qi Mansion. "Let's go back quickly. The wind in February is also very cold."
Hui Lin was still a little slow to react. He and Qi Xinglan rarely had the opportunity to walk hand in hand together outside.
But he reacted quickly, catching up with Qi Xinglan in just a few steps, and stretched out his arm to hold him and walk together.
The palace maids who were accompanying her out of the palace were watching secretly. Qi Xinglan could already imagine how long this story would spread after she returned to the palace.
The next day was the full-moon banquet for Hui Ci Bu. Although it was a little late, it was still held.
The little child was sleepy and was taken away by the nurse early, while the adults had to wait until the end before they could go back.
It was already very late. Qi Xinglanwo was returning to Lin Huaili. His eyes opened and closed, and the amount of time he could open them became smaller and smaller. After a while, he fell asleep.
But maybe because he slept uneasily, he kept holding Huilin tightly.
So how could he sleep? In the middle of the night, when he was half asleep and half awake, Qi Xinglan felt someone licking his face and neck. The itchiness made him very restless in his sleep.
"Hmm..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, his mouth was blocked and he could not make any sound. Qi Xinglan had to wake up and opened his eyes to see who else it was but Hui Lin.
But he was actually feeling uncomfortable, so he climbed onto Hui Lin's neck and intertwined his lips and teeth with his.
Not only the air around him, but also he himself became hot.
In a short while, Qi Xinglan's already loose pajamas were about to fall off, and the situation was about to get out of control.
"Go back to the forest! Not until next month..."
"...I won't go in. Lan'er, can you let me kiss you?"
男人撐在齊行蘭上方，毫無阻擋地直視他，這讓齊行蘭面紅耳赤逃無可逃。
他艱難偏過身子，總算躲避了一點視線，最後才猶猶豫豫地說：“你...你親我，什麽時候還問過我的意見？”
話音剛落，上方的男人立刻貼上去，一點間|隙也不願留。
齊行蘭眼睛半睜着，恍惚間看到男人撐在他左側的手腕上，不停晃動的平安扣——是齊行蘭曾送他的生辰禮。
而他送自己的十九歲生辰禮，那塊玉佩，繩子也被纏了兩圈在齊行蘭右手手腕上，回林時不時看上兩眼，用的力氣就更大了。
齊行蘭自然不知道那對回林來說到底有多大的沖擊力，瓷白的手腕纏着白玉佩——
玉佩是他送的，人也是他的。
兩人十指相扣，齊行蘭的手都被按紅了。
齊行蘭被洗幹淨裹着抱回床上的時候，他已經記不清有多晚了，心裏忍不住吐槽，果然男人不能忍太久麽？
這一晚上，凡是能用的手段可算都讓回林那家夥用盡了，現在緊緊抱着自己睡着，一副心滿意足的表情看的他十分生氣，但也有些慶幸就是了，萬一真讓他再忍一個月，那自己才是真完了。
至于之後的一個月，回林倒是又安分起來，沒怎麽碰過齊行蘭，頂多就是親親摸摸，并無過分舉動，讓齊行蘭怕得要死，總覺得在偷摸搞點什麽大動作。
果不其然，回林早就掐好日子等着齊行蘭能真正行房事的那一天。
齊行蘭看着回林那眼神都恨不得吃了自己才行，絞盡腦汁找遍了理由想跑，都被人掐着後脖頸拽了回來。
“我...你...回林，不然咱們先喝點酒？春天啊——人是容易犯錯誤是不是？”齊行蘭試圖循循善誘。
“哎——”人卻不由分說地被一下拉到了回林腿上，齊行蘭有些慌，看着回林盯着自己的那雙幽深的眼眸，讓他聯想到草原上被餓的一看到葷腥就眼冒金光的狼。
“蘭兒想喝嗎那我就陪你...”說着，回林還真就端起酒杯往他嘴邊送，齊行蘭不得不喝了一口，卻不小心被嗆到了。
回林并沒有把他放下，只是一邊給齊行蘭順着背，一邊又把杯子裏剩下的酒一飲而盡。
等齊行蘭緩過來了，又讓人繼續喝，當然，回林陪他一起喝。
但齊行蘭忘了，回林的酒量是在軍營裏練出來的，那裏是他能喝得過的。
等他反應過來的時候，已經又被人壓在床上了，這個場景發生過無數次，就算他喝醉了仍能感受到熟悉。
“唔...回林？”
“我在。”男人聲音啞了，眼神也晦暗。
齊行蘭面色醇紅，眼神也不清明了。
......
他再一睜眼，已經到了第二天，正是頭痛欲裂，睜眼卻只見屋頂，不見身側男人，自言自語罵道：“混蛋...”
強撐着身子起來，齊行蘭又忍着渾身酸痛下床走到銅鏡前，早有預想卻還是被吓了一跳，鏡子裏的自己寝衣敞着大半，凡是裸露的地方沒一處好的。
齊行蘭今天本來還想去太後那裏請安，昨日說好了的總不能反悔，于是只能翻箱倒櫃找了一套最保守的衣服來穿，湊湊和和地去了，但還是被看出不對勁，皇太後也不點破，只是掃了兩眼才勸他：“這都四月份了，穿這麽多可別熱着呀——回林疼你，但蘭兒你可不能縱着那混球！”
齊行蘭臉熱，小聲答複：“嗯，母後我知曉了。”
他心裏想的卻是：接下來的幾天都不要理他，睡覺也要背對着他。
回林或許也是知道自己昨夜做的實在過分，後來的兩三個月都十分有分寸。
但齊行蘭也算長了記性，從不敢在晚上他二人獨處的時候喝酒了。
**
六月圍獵。
因是新帝除登基外第一次舉辦如此大型的活動，無論真心與否，人總要到場的。
不過聽說是為皇後二十歲生辰所辦，倒讓他們沒那麽不情願了，畢竟說到底，皇後殿下和他們祖上沒準都有姻親，也有幾分親近。
又聽說皇後殿下善騎射，他們也就十分想見識見識，大周可是從不流行這些的，要不是興趣愛好，也很少有精通的。
齊行蘭當天一身紅色騎裝，烏黑發絲高高以金冠束起，就連胯||下騎的馬也是回林曾經送他的。
一身裝束，都讓回林會想起自己第一次和他出去的時候，那時他們才認識，齊行蘭對回林還多有防備，但回林那時候就已經對他一見鐘情了，不然不會随便把人救下又留在軍中。
如今再看，心動不減半分，哪怕他們已經有了将近半歲的阿慈。
齊行蘭騎着馬停下，跟不遠處的回林招手，回林雖然聽不清他在說什麽，但直到是讓自己過去，于是駕馬去到他身邊。
二人騎着馬并肩而立，在外人面前真是天造地設的一對。
齊行蘭聽到有人耳語，卻只顧着和回林說話，看着十分寬闊的場地，齊行蘭有了主意，“回林，我們賽馬吧，看誰先到終點。”
“但不許放水！”
想到自己第一次惹齊行蘭生氣的原因，回林心虛地摸了摸鼻梁，“好。”
別人聽不到他們說了什麽，只見新帝與他的皇後到了一條線後。
“皇上這是要和皇後殿下賽馬？”
看熱鬧的人話音剛落，兩人就以小到看不出差距的速度駕馬而出。
齊行蘭腰上纏了幾圈的紅絲線随風飄着，劃出讓人忍不住眼神追随的弧度。
齊行蘭意氣風發的模樣好像讓他們看到了幾年前齊家風光鼎盛時期張揚無雙的齊小公子。
不過也有不曾見過齊行蘭的人由衷感慨：“怪不得皇後殿下能讓當初還是西原王的皇上一眼就瞧中他，還是以漢人身份直接做的西原王後。”
“是啊，我還以為皇後殿下是那等柔弱不堪的文人形象，沒想到竟是這等人物麽？”
說話的是位高官之女，之前父親在上京任職的閨中密友與她說，皇後殿下曾經還在上京時，自己曾偷偷愛慕過他，她初聞此言時還不相信，現在才信了。
要是她早就見過齊小公子，應該也會喜歡的。
場下的人在讨論時，場上的兩人已經結束了比賽，回林沒放水，以微弱的優勢得勝，齊行蘭只比他差了兩步。
回林獻殷勤，拿過福雯手中的手帕就要為齊行蘭擦汗，彼時齊行蘭已經坐在了高位——回林的旁邊，基本上所有人都能看到的地方。
齊行蘭也不怕人看，光明正大地讓人看回林給他擦汗，在齊行蘭這裏，回林為他做什麽都是習以為常的事了，但在別人眼裏卻十分稀奇。
齊行蘭還疑惑，偏過頭和回林說：“你說他們都看我們幹嘛？我出汗的樣子醜嗎？”
回林沒往下面施舍一個眼神，只是伸手把因出汗而黏在齊行蘭白皙脖頸上的頭發放好了，語氣平靜：“他們或許是見你太好看了吧。”
“這還差不多，”齊行蘭轉而問，“那你呢？也覺得我好看嗎？”
回林這才笑了一下，又點頭，“好看，像上京城六月的花和西原的雪山一樣好看。”
“切，花言巧語。”嘴上這麽說，但齊行蘭耳根還是不作聲地紅了。
晚上，回林又幹脆直接在獵場設宴，其實主要目的還是要給齊行蘭一場生辰禮——煙花。
齊行蘭不知道，只是正喝着酒就被回林牽着手站了起來，齊行蘭不明所以，被他牽着走了幾步到提前定好的最佳視野。
“嗖”地一下——
幾道亮光閃過，接着又是煙花在空中炸開絢麗色彩的樣子。
煙花價貴，齊行蘭上次看到還是在大周皇帝整壽。
齊行蘭目不轉睛地看着空中，但回林只顧着看他眼睛，看他眼裏倒映出的煙花。
他是開心的，那就好。
“這是...我的生辰禮？”煙花結束，齊行蘭才移開眼睛問他。
“嗯，喜歡嗎？”
齊行蘭這次難得的沒有嘴硬，而是誠實地說出心中所想，“開心，明明已經二十歲了，怎麽還像個孩童一樣，對絢麗的東西移不開眼...”
回林抱住他，胸腔震顫似是在笑，齊行蘭聽到他說：“因為蘭兒是有人愛的，比如我。”
齊行蘭聽到實在高興的不成樣子，甚至激動地踮腳吻了他一下，“那你得一直記着你今天說的這些話，要是敢忘記，我是不會放過你的！”
回林沒來得及點頭，就聽宴席上的人齊齊開口：“賀皇後殿下生辰，皇後殿下千歲！”
**
回皇宮，已經是第二天的事了，事後齊行蘭躺在他懷裏，一下一下在他胸肌上畫圈圈，回林及時捉住他作亂的手，“蘭兒別鬧...”
齊行蘭才沒想再來一次，見好就收，回林有一下沒一下地輕拍他的背，好像在哄他睡覺。
Qi Xinglan was very sober, "Reply Lin, didn't I tell you before that when a man in the Great Zhou Dynasty comes of age at the age of 20, his father will give him a given name? Now that my father is gone, does this matter have to fall on my husband's head?"
"My dear Emperor of Daxia?" Seeing that he didn't say anything, Qi Xinglan urged him again.
Hui Lin took a long while to speak: "Why not, just call her Zhao Si."
Qi Xinglan smiled upon hearing this, and asked him with a smile that hinted at something: "Call for thought? Call for thought of whom?"
Hui Lin saw what he was thinking, raised his hand and scratched his nose, then said seriously: "Of course it is to make you think. I know you best. You are young and smart, but you are always impulsive. To make you think is to make you think deeply. Don't be too impulsive in everything."
"Since your father named you Xinglan, it means that you should behave like an orchid and have the demeanor of a gentleman when you grow up. It is essential to think carefully about everything. Do you understand?"
Qi Xinglan happily threw herself on him, and he found himself becoming more and more fond of Hui Lin. She either kissed him or poked his face, complimenting him, saying, "You've become much more cultured recently. Fortunately, I didn't treat you as a rude person from the beginning."
"Zhao Si Zhao Si, I like you very much," Qi Xinglan hugged him tightly, with her face pressed against his chest, "Thank you, husband."
But his husband held him down to prevent him from moving, "Go to sleep."
Qi Xinglan had no intention of provoking him, so she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
**
Less than a year later, the little girl Qi Chaoting had reached the age of coming of age.
When the father is not around, the eldest brother is naturally like a father.
Qi Xinglan named her Suihua and set a wedding date with the Yan family. She would be married soon.
Qi Xinglan was not in a hurry, but she saw that Yan Cheng was very anxious and wanted to run back to Lin from time to time.
Seeing that he was upset, we set the wedding date.
There were now three people attending the wedding ceremony. Although Huici was only a little over one year old, she could already speak and could even wish her aunt and uncle a happy marriage.
At this time, Huici could already walk for a distance independently and did not need to be held all the time. The child was still young, so she had to be sandwiched between Qixinglan and Huilin, with each holding one.
Hui Lin was so annoyed that he heard the little guy calling "Father" in a baby voice.
In a fit of anger, he picked up the child and used his other hand to hold Qi Xinglan.
Qi Xinglan looked funny, but the atmosphere was really warm.
"Hui Lin, I am actually very lucky to be married to you."
Hui Lin held him tighter, "I am luckier."
—End of the text—