Chapter 98 Let bygones be bygones "Let's be good to each other from now on."
Gu Xi stood inside the door and suddenly remembered that she had bitten him several times last night, and began to worry about his injuries.
She quickly rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of ointment, then flung open the door.
Xiao Heng was still outside the door when she grabbed his hand without a word, shoved the medicine bottle into it, and said, "Let Steward Zhao apply the medicine for you." Then she slammed the door shut again.
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly. Seeing that her emotions had calmed down, he stood there for a while before leaving Kunning Palace and heading to Jinluan Hall.
The morning court session was delayed today, and the ministers are still waiting in the court room.
Gu Xi heard him leave. After the footsteps disappeared, she tiptoed to open the door, peeked to the left and right, and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She thought for a moment, then went to the side hall to check on the children. They were still fast asleep, with the wet nurse watching over them.
Their children are very well-behaved and rarely cry. The mother said that the younger sister is just like her when she was little—quiet and reserved, but occasionally quite mischievous, pulling her brother's hair hard. Even when it hurts, the brother doesn't cry; he always keeps a stern face, a personality he shares with his father, and he looks just like him.
Gu Xi poked their little cheeks with her finger; they were so soft, she felt her heart melt.
After a while, Zhuyin and Huayue came to help her wash up and do her hair before she left the side hall and returned to her room.
Gu Xi sat in front of the dressing table, and Zhu Yin had already done her makeup.
Looking at her still slightly red and swollen eyes in the mirror, she recalled her embarrassing behavior the night before and felt utterly ashamed.
I must never drink recklessly again!
However, after last night, the sadness buried deep in my heart seems to have faded away quite a bit...
She stared at herself for a while, then suddenly got up, walked to the cabinet, and took out a wooden box hidden deep inside.
She turned and walked to the desk, sat down, and opened the wooden box; the contents were still there.
She took out the jade hairpin beside her, her fingertips gently stroking the smooth jade surface. The hairpin, which had once been dull and faded, seemed to have been repeatedly caressed by someone in the past, and had regained its luster.
Gu Xi looked up at Hua Yue beside her and asked softly, "Hua Yue, has anyone touched the things in my box?"
Hua Yue glanced down at the hairpin in Gu Xi's hand and nodded: "When Your Majesty is not here, His Majesty often takes out this wooden box and holds the things inside for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xi lowered her eyes and did not ask any further questions.
Hua Yue suddenly remembered something and continued, "One day, for some unknown reason, the Emperor took away all of the Empress's belongings, but that night he suddenly brought them all back." She had always been puzzled by this, because not long after, the Emperor found the Empress. She even suspected that the Emperor had listened to the Imperial Observatory and taken the Empress's things to perform a ritual, and then Heaven heard the Emperor's prayers and allowed him to find the Empress.
As Gu Xi lowered her head in thought, Zhao Fuquan suddenly arrived.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent me to convey that he is preoccupied with state affairs today and that you need not wait for him to have his meal."
Gu Xi nodded to indicate that she understood.
Zhao Fuquan glanced at the things beside Gu Xi, then hesitated to speak.
He recognized the wooden box; it was something the Emperor used to look at and reminisce about the Empress every day during the time she was away.
He truly felt sorry for his two masters. They had finally reunited, but if their grudges remained unresolved, even if they still had feelings for each other, their lives would be difficult to enjoy.
Last night's events made it clear to him that the Empress still harbored resentment towards the Emperor and dared not accept him completely again. However, if he could let her know about the Emperor's obsessive desire to go to the Yellow Springs with her, even if he couldn't completely resolve her inner conflict, he could at least let her glimpse the Emperor's deep-seated regret!
Seeing that Zhao Fuquan hadn't left after delivering his message, Gu Xi asked, "Does Steward Zhao have something to say to me?"
Zhao Fuquan composed himself, still considering whether he should speak. After all, he was just a servant, and to presume to discuss the emperor's private affairs would be an overstepping of his bounds.
"Steward Zhao, please speak freely. If he blames you, I will take responsibility for you." Seeing his hesitant appearance, Gu Xi intuitively felt that what he wanted to say was related to Xiao Heng, and perhaps also to what Hua Yue had said.
Zhao Fuquan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; with the Empress's words, he felt at ease.
Last time, when he went to see the Sixth Prince, he was prepared to die; he hadn't forgotten the Emperor's terrifying gaze. He did want the two of them to reconcile, but he didn't want to die! But with the Empress as his guarantor, things would be different.
"This servant..." Zhao Fuquan swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his eyes casually sweeping over the other people in the room.
Gu Xi understood and called Zhu Yin and Hua Yue out.
"Steward Zhao, please speak."
*
The crabapple blossoms in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom right now. As the spring breeze blows, the pink and white petals flutter down, unfolding a romantic picture amidst the lush greenery.
A woman in a light-colored palace dress ran along the stone path, lifting her skirt. Her embroidered shoes kicked up a gust of wind, swirling up fallen petals and covering her with crabapple blossoms.
Gu Xi stopped panting in front of the Qianqing Palace. Her heart was pounding from running so fast. Her hair was disheveled, but the jade hairpin in her hair was still firmly in place.
She leaned against the door frame, looking anxiously at Xiao Heng who was still discussing matters with the ministers inside the hall, not daring to go forward for fear of disturbing the important business.
He stood before the dragon throne, dressed in a black dragon robe, his fingertips resting on the imperial desk. He lowered his head slightly and was talking to three or four ministers surrounding him, his expression somewhat serious.
Just looking at him like that, Gu Xi's eyes gradually welled up with tears.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xiao Heng paused in his actions, suddenly raised his head, and his eyes lit up when he saw the person. Just as his brows were about to relax, he noticed the tiny tears in her eyes, and his heart tightened instantly.
He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "That's all for today. All of you may leave." As soon as he finished speaking, he walked around the imperial desk and headed straight for Gu Xi. The ministers all bowed their heads and took their leave.
Gu Xi watched Xiao Heng walk towards her, and no longer caring about anything else, she stepped over the threshold and threw herself into his arms, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his warm chest. Xiao Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly.
Several ministers who had just stepped out of the palace couldn't help but steal a glance back, only to stumble upon the two embracing inside. They had long heard of the emperor and empress's deep affection, but they never expected them to be so entangled.
Xiao Heng's gaze swept over them indifferently, the lingering power in his eyes causing them to shudder. They hurriedly averted their gazes, lowered their heads, and quickly left.
Zhao Fuquan, understanding perfectly, quietly summoned everyone away and closed all the doors and windows in the hall. He silently prayed that if the Empress and the Emperor were to reconcile, the Emperor would spare him punishment for his service. Unlike Lu Xiao, he was not easily punished.
Xiao Heng looked down at Gu Xi in his arms, feeling her sudden attachment to him, and his heart warmed. He gently brushed the crabapple petals clinging to her temple with his fingertips and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Gu Xi simply shook her head and said nothing.
Xiao Heng suddenly noticed the jade hairpin in her hair, the one he had given her in Jiangnan, and a thought immediately crossed his mind.
He reached behind her with one hand and grabbed Gu Xi's wrist, pulling her to sit down beside the dragon throne. With a flick of his wide sleeves, he drew her to his side, letting her sit steadily on his lap, and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.
Gu Xi stared intently at him, her arms still tightly wrapped around him, her eyes still red. After a while, she suddenly raised her hand to touch his eyebrows and eyes, her fingertips delicately tracing his brow bone, her voice still trembling with lingering fear: "How could you be so foolish?"
They almost became separated by death.
If they hadn't met that day, perhaps she would never have seen him again.
Xiao Heng stared intently at her, not yet understanding what she was saying. After a while, he recalled the flickering look in Zhao Fuquan's eyes when he closed the palace door and immediately understood.
She looked into his eyes and earnestly admonished him, "Never do such a foolish thing again..."
Xiao Heng did not respond, but simply raised his hand and covered her head with his palm, pressing her against his chest. His chest vibrated slightly, and his voice was low, hoarse, and deep: "Gu Xi, I cannot live without you."
Gu Xi buried her face in his chest, listening to the thumping of his heart, and her arms around him tightened. Her voice was muffled as she said, "We'll be good to each other from now on."
The past cannot be retrieved; let it all drift away with the wind, fall with the rain, and drift with the snow.
Now all she wants is to cherish the peace she has now and spend every year with him.
As Xiao Heng listened to her words, his palms tightened, pressing her more firmly into his arms, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
The two embraced quietly for a long time. Gu Xi found a comfortable position in Xiao Heng's arms and was about to fall asleep when she suddenly remembered something and sat up straight.
Xiao Heng's heart tightened at her sudden startle. Just as he was about to ask a question, Gu Xi lifted his sleeve and examined his arm from side to side. Xiao Heng immediately understood and relaxed, letting her do as she pleased.
Gu Xi frowned as she looked at the several teeth marks of varying depths on his arm, secretly regretting that she had bitten him last night.
She gently traced the teeth marks with her fingertips, then looked up and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt."
She pursed her lips. The effects of the alcohol had worn off when she bit that arm last night, so she must have held back. But the injury on her shoulder must be quite serious.
She asked anxiously, "What about the spot on your shoulder? Has it been treated with medicine?"
Xiao Heng did not respond, presumably because he had not yet had time to deal with it.
She quickly pulled down his sleeve, shifted slightly to find a comfortable position, and reached her fingertips towards his collar. She tried to pull off his clothes with a little force, and the collar was loosened a bit. Her cool fingertips brushed against the skin of his neck. Just as she was about to lift the collar, Xiao Heng suddenly grabbed her wrist and pressed it against his chest.
He stared at her trembling eyelashes, his eyes growing increasingly dark, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily as if he were trying to suppress something. Her rubbing against him while sitting on him was already making him unbearably itchy, and now she was starting to undress him, which was tantamount to seducing him.
Gu Xi was worried about his injury and tried to pull her wrist away, but he gripped it even tighter. She said anxiously, "Let me see!" When she looked up at him, she was suddenly met with his dark eyes and was stunned for a moment.
A moment later, Gu Xi seemed to suddenly understand the meaning in his eyes. She unconsciously moved back, looked at him timidly, and bit her lower lip.
That one glance completely shattered Xiao Heng's last shred of reason.
He pulled her back to him, pressed her close, bent down and covered her lips with his, his palm on the back of her head, kissing her domineeringly and tenderly.
She always made him so irresistible.
Gu Xi gradually became immersed in the kiss. She felt their temperatures rising little by little, and she sensed their long-suppressed desire for each other.
Their lips were still passionately entwined when Xiao Heng suddenly released his hand from the back of her head, bent down and picked her up in his arms. Gu Xi instinctively hooked her arms around his neck, and he carried her straight toward the bedchamber, the kiss lingering all the way.
He gently placed her on the bed, leaned over her, and pressed down on her. His eyes were filled with lust, and their breathing became hot and disordered.
He tore off her outer garment, his hands roaming over her body through her inner clothes. The warmth of his palms made her weak all over, and she squinted her eyes and arched her back to meet his love.
His gaze was fixed on her flushed face, and the sight of her charming expression made the veins on his neck throb. His eyes were dark and dull, but the depths of his gaze were bloodshot, filled with an intense desire to possess and invade.
Just as he was about to lose control and reach into her inner garment, a flash of clarity appeared in his eyes, and his hand abruptly stopped moving.
He abruptly released her lips, forcefully suppressing his desire.
Gu Xi was slightly out of breath, her face flushed, her eyes moist as she looked at him hanging above her, her gaze somewhat lost.
She looked at his tightly pursed lips and the bulging veins on his forehead, and thought that he must still be holding back, afraid that she hadn't gotten over it...
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lower lip turned white from being bitten. After a moment, as if she had made up her mind, she suddenly reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, using the force to tilt her head back and cover his lips with hers, her tongue playfully tracing his lips.
Xiao Heng's breath hitched, and the hand that was supporting him on her side tightened unconsciously, his eyes filled with an intense, unyielding desire.
Gu Xi had already released him and landed back on the brocade quilt, her cheeks flushed even more from her bold actions.
Xiao Heng's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the corners of his eyes turned red as if they were about to burn. Her teasing ignited his almost explosive desire like a spark, and he leaned down to kiss her again.
Gu Xi slightly raised her chin to meet him, her tongue tentatively sweeping across his lips and tongue.
Her awkward probing was more alluring than any deliberate teasing, gradually eroding his reason and making him even more eager to entwine with her. Their breaths intertwined closely, and her unintentional panting intensified the restlessness in his heart.
He wished he could meld her into his body right now.
But in the end, he stopped, holding her tightly with his whole body, without making any further moves.
Gu Xi nestled in his arms, her face flushed, and suddenly felt lost.
His embrace was warm and comfortable. She had slept little the night before and hadn't even had time to think things through before she fell asleep, leaving the man feeling restless and aroused.
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