Sleeping together
Zhao Youyi's gaze swept over his exposed skin without any attempt to conceal it, and finally gave him a meaningful look.
Chu Chanyin blushed with embarrassment at her teasing and turned away, refusing to look at her again.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore," Zhao Youyi said, seeing that he was really embarrassed. "Cousin, hurry up and put on your clothes, or you'll catch a cold."
After she finished speaking, she considerately waved her sleeve and left. Only after she left did Chu Chanyin calm down, go ashore, and get dressed.
Zhao Youyi, who was outside, frowned as he looked at the secret letter in his hand. Seeing him come out, he said first, "Cousin, my men just delivered a secret letter. Those men in black are Zhao Wang's men."
Chu Chanyin reached out and took the secret letter, reading it carefully. "As expected, King Zhao couldn't hold back any longer. It seems that news of my cousin's revitalization of the Zhao family army has already reached Hanzhou. Even King Zhao, that smiling tiger, couldn't resist taking action. We need to speed things up."
"It's a pity about our secret guards," she said, "they were secret guards who had been with her for many years. Now that they had sacrificed themselves to protect them, she couldn't help but feel guilty and regretful. "Later, my men went to the scene to investigate and said that no one survived."
Having experienced too many life-and-death situations, Chu Chanyin showed only a slight emotional fluctuation on his face: "I will send someone to make arrangements for their funerals and for their parents, wives, and children."
Zhao Youyi said with a sorrowful expression, "This is the only way. The King of Zhao and the Emperor are both eyeing us covetously. There are also many other vassal kings who will certainly not let this go. Not to mention the Southern Barbarians and the Liang Kingdom outside."
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of helplessness in each other's eyes. In such chaotic times, even the time for romance was pitifully short. Thinking of this, neither of them had the heart to discuss anything else. They only wanted to persuade the wealthy merchants in Jiangzhou as soon as possible and then return to the border to train the army. Every day the commander was absent, the morale of the army would weaken.
After tidying themselves up, the two were ushered into the dining hall by a servant. Soaking in the hot spring took quite a while, and now the sky was already dark. The candlelight in the room was dim and warm. Qian Gu sat on the right, leaving the two seats at the head of the table for Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin. His wife looked at them with a smile, stood up and bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness and General."
Zhao Youyi quickly helped her up, saying, "Madam, there's no need for such formalities. We came in a hurry and apologize for disturbing you."
"General, please don't say that," said Lady Qian Gu, who was also quite well-off, with a gentle smile. "Your Highness and General's presence has brought honor to my humble abode. We only have some simple home-cooked dishes, and I hope Your Highness and General will not find them offensive."
Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin naturally said no, and the dinner was a pleasant affair for both host and guests. After the meal, they chatted for a while, and seeing that it was getting late and considering that they would be traveling to other counties the next day, Zhao Youyi stood up and said, "It's getting late, please have someone from the manor lead the way. I'll be staying here tonight."
Qian Gu readily agreed and quickly ordered his servants to lead the way.
It wasn't until the two were led to a fresh and elegant room that they suddenly realized something was wrong. How could two people sleep in one room?
Although Zhao Youyi teased Chu Chanyin by saying they could share a room, it didn't mean they had to share a bed under those circumstances!
Chu Chanyin's ears turned completely red. Seeing Zhao Youyi's strange expression, he quickly said, "How about I go and tell Qian Gu to prepare another room?"
Zhao Youyi thought for a moment, and then thought that if another room was prepared, not to mention how much time it would waste, the two of them were husband and wife in front of Qian Gu. It would seem strange for a husband and wife to have two rooms.
"Wait," Zhao Youyi quickly grabbed Chu Chanyin, who was about to leave, "Cousin, putting aside the fact that we need to leave early tomorrow, considering our status in the eyes of outsiders, it's not reasonable for us to stay in two rooms, is it?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Chanyin blushed completely, becoming so nervous that he stammered, "But... this won't do! Men and women shouldn't touch each other! This is really... against reason!"
Zhao Youyi reached out and pinched his uninjured arm. "Cousin, I'm a woman, and I don't mind at all. Why are you so flustered? Besides, Qian Gu's actions are probably a test. Do you want him to find out that our marriage is fake?"
"Think about it, what is the purpose of our trip? Do you want to let this little thing affect our plans?" Zhao Youyi coaxed.
Looking into her bright and sincere eyes, Chu Chanyin couldn't bring himself to refuse. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Alright, then I'll do as my cousin says."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youyi patted his shoulder with satisfaction and pulled him into the house.
The bed inside was just the right size for two people, but it was a bit close together. When Chu Chanyin saw the soft couch by the window, he was about to say something when Zhao Youyi stopped him with a look.
Zhao Youyi knew exactly what her old-fashioned cousin was trying to say. It was nothing more than those outdated notions about men and women not touching each other, which was completely unreasonable. After all, they were cousins! Sometimes Zhao Youyi really didn't understand. When they were little, Chu Chanyin was very close to her. They had even slept in the same bed together. Back then, she would hold Chu Chanyin's arm and straddle him as she slept. Although they were both innocent children at the time, it shouldn't have been enough for Chu Chanyin to become so old-fashioned and serious in just a few years.
The two lay on the bed, with Chu Chan sleeping on the outer side, a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Zhao Youyi, as if they could draw a Milky Way between them. When Zhao Youyi turned her head and saw him lying there so straight, that little bit of mischievousness in her heart quietly resurfaced.
She moved closer to Chu Chanyin, closing the distance between them. Because of her approach, Chu Chanyin's body suddenly stiffened.
Chu Chanyin slowly turned his head to look at her, meeting her lips so close to his. Just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, he saw her move even closer to him, her lips almost touching his.
At this critical moment, Chu Chanyin suddenly moved backward, only to find that he was already by the bedside. This movement caused him to fall to the ground along with the blanket.
Upon hearing the bang, Zhao Youyi quickly sat up to check on his condition.
The two locked eyes, and an awkward atmosphere filled the air.
Zhao Youyi looked at His Highness the Prince of Chu, who was sitting on the ground with his blanket, and was speechless for a moment.
She held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Why are you avoiding me?"
Chu Chanyin hesitated, his gaze revealing his intentions. She knew perfectly well why he was avoiding her.
Zhao Youyi, enraged and embarrassed, glared at him and said, "Is Your Highness worried that I might do something to you? Your Highness, don't flatter yourself!"
It was easy to tell from her tone that she was annoyed. Chu Chanyin stood up, placed the dusty bedding on the soft couch, and turned to get a new bedding from the cabinet.
"Cousin, don't be angry. It's my fault," Chu Chanyin said in a soft voice. "I was just too emotional. You had something to say just now, didn't you?"
The opportunity was presented to her, making it difficult for her to refuse. Zhao Youyi glanced at him discreetly and, seeing his guilty expression, couldn't help but feel a little guilty herself. "Yes, I just wanted to ask..."
Zhao Youyi couldn't find a suitable excuse for a moment. Meeting Chu Chanyin's expectant expression, she paused and said, "I just wanted to ask, are you cold?"
Chu Chanyin remained silent for a moment, embarrassed by her clumsy excuse. "I'm not cold, thank you for your concern, cousin."
Zhao Youyi gave a wooden "oh," then pulled the blanket from his hand and lay down on the bed, staring at the bed curtains. Seeing her like this, Chu Chan silently lay back down on the bed, and the atmosphere between the two of them passed the night in this awkward manner.
The next morning, when Zhao Youyi opened her eyes, she saw Chu Chanyin's handsome face so close to hers. His eyelashes were thick and long, casting shadows under his eyes like small fans. His nose was straight and prominent, and his lips were as red as blood. On his right cheek, there was a small red mole near his nose, which seemed to add a touch of brilliance to his beautiful face, making him breathtakingly beautiful.
Zhao Youyi rarely had time to carefully observe this cousin, and had to admit that the King of Chu was truly a womanizer. If she had such a perfect husband as the King of Chu, she would probably want to keep him in a golden house and spend her days and nights painting his eyebrows and embracing him with affection.
Just as Zhao Youyi was lost in thought, Chu Chanyin opened his sleepy eyes, and the two looked at each other. The awkward atmosphere from the previous night returned.
Chu Chanyin quickly cleared his throat a few times: "Cousin, it's getting late, why don't you get up and wash up?"
Zhao Youyi glanced at the sky outside. He had important matters to attend to today, and with that thought, all the romantic atmosphere vanished completely.
The two got up, washed up, and after having breakfast, bought two horses from Qian Gu and headed straight for Matsuda Prefecture.
Fortunately, Qianjiazhuang was not far from Songtian County. The two arrived at an inn in the county before dark to rest, planning to go to Master Xu's house the next day to discuss the purchase of grain and fodder.
The two dared not eat out along the way. When they arrived at the inn, Chu Chan borrowed the kitchen to make two servings of steamed egg custard for dinner. The two, exhausted from the journey, had little appetite and quickly finished their dinner before returning to their room to rest.
The next morning, Zhao Youyi got out of bed early, feeling weak all over and dizzy. Chu Chan was outside knocking on her door. Seeing that she didn't make a sound for a long time, he sounded a little anxious.
"Cousin, are you alright?" Chu Chan asked, frowning.
Zhao Youyi tried to open her mouth to speak, but to her surprise, all she could manage were incoherent words, her voice was hoarse, and her throat hurt terribly.
Chu Chanyin said something offensive, then cleverly kicked open the wooden bolt on the door. He saw Zhao Youyi sitting on the bed, still covered with a quilt, and quickly lowered his head to avoid looking at her.
“Cousin, I noticed you hadn’t said anything, so I came in because I was worried something might have happened,” Chu Chanyin explained.
Zhao Youyi coughed a few times, and before she could speak, Chu Chanyin hurriedly ran over, wrapped her tightly in the blanket, and then looked up at her.
Seeing her pale face and dry, chapped lips, Chu Chanyin subconsciously pressed his forehead against hers, feeling as if he had touched a burning hot piece of coal. "You're overheating."
Chu Chanyin frowned deeply. "It's probably because you've been traveling a lot these past few days and haven't had enough rest. Cousin, stretch out your hand, let me take your pulse."
Zhao Youyi stretched out her slender wrist and placed it in front of him. She saw his long index and middle fingers resting on her pulse. However, after a short while, Chu Chanyin's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
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