Chapter 22 Drunkenness. You're touching me.
Jing Hui stared blankly for a moment, then blinked.
As the fog gradually dissipated, Lu Songyuan's appearance became clearer.
He had his eyes closed, his head tilted back, revealing his prominent Adam's apple.
Two arms stretched out and rested on the edge of the bathtub, the undulating arm muscles smooth and vigorous, water droplets sliding over the rolling Adam's apple, down the groove of the collarbone and onto the broad chest muscles.
The water in the bathtub reached just halfway up his chest, and beneath the rippling surface, his well-defined abdominal muscles were vaguely visible; below that…
Jing Hui closed his eyes.
In the future, when she is in her sensitive period, she will witness such a... erotic scene.
Lu Songyuan's figure was better than any she had seen in books. She took a few deep breaths, and the damp mist in the clean room entered her nostrils, making Jing Hui a little more awake.
This is her private room, and Lu Songyuan is soaking in her bathtub!
Jing Hui opened her eyes and instantly felt exhausted. She walked slowly over without looking to the side, staring at the glass bottle on the antique shelf behind the bathtub, and patted Lu Songyuan's shoulder, which was covered in water droplets.
My hand was cold to the touch.
How long has it been soaking?
"Wake up."
Jing Hui shook the water droplets off his hands and called out, "Lu Songyuan."
Lu Songyuan was always vigilant and would be on guard if anyone got close. But for some reason, even with Jing Hui so close, he still kept his eyes closed.
Lu Qingyue wasn't there, and Lu Zhouxue wouldn't come in to serve him either. Nobody knew how he got into the bathtub.
"land……"
Jing Hui sighed, wanting to call out again, but before she could pat her wrist, Lu Songyuan grabbed it.
Jing Hui looked down and met Lu Songyuan's slowly opening eyes, which were almost bloodshot.
Jing Hui paused for a moment, then turned her hand around and said, "You're hurting me!"
"Your Highness."
Lu Songyuan blinked, and after recognizing the person, he took a large bath towel from the side and covered the bathtub with it. Without letting go of Jing Hui, he looked up at her.
"I'm back."
Whether it was taking a bath towel or speaking, Lu Songyuan's movements were very slow. Moreover, the force with which he held her wrist was brute force, not the skillful grip he usually used.
Something was off about everything.
Jing Hui raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Um?"
Lu Songyuan and Jing Hui exchanged glances, then Lu Songyuan shook his head and said, "It's nothing."
"Hmm—nothing?"
Jing Hui gave a long reply, her peach blossom eyes filled with a sly smile, and she grinned as she moved closer to Lu Songyuan.
With her free hand, which was not bound by Lu Songyuan, she traced her fingers down his neck from his shoulder, her palm open, the base of her thumb resting on his Adam's apple, and asked, "Do you know what I'm doing right now?"
Lu Songyuan was unaware.
While dining with the princes earlier, he inadvertently took a large sip of aged wine, which is now being soaked in water and is just beginning to dissipate its effects.
All he knew was that his neck felt itchy when it was being gripped.
Lu Songyuan swallowed hard, looking at Jing Hui with a dazed expression, and said, "You're touching me."
ghost!
She clearly wanted to strangle him.
"never mind……"
Jing Hui was speechless for a moment. She let go of his hand and was about to leave when he suddenly pulled her up and she fell into the bathtub.
Water droplets splashed up, soaking half of her body. Jing Hui's one hand was held by Lu Songyuan, and with nowhere to put her other hand, she hurriedly pressed it against Lu Songyuan's right chest.
Her chest was wet. Jing Hui slid several times, her fingertips scratching at Lu Songyuan's chest, leaving messy red marks. Finally, she grabbed his shoulder and managed to steady herself.
Jing Hui gasped for breath, glared angrily at Lu Songyuan, but before she could utter a curse, he covered her mouth.
"Hmm!"
The fragrance of jasmine wafted through the air. Jing Hui glared at Lu Songyuan, mumbled a few words, and asked indistinctly, "What are you going to do!"
The beauty was angry, her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, the water droplets were cold, but the lips under her palm were warm.
Lu Songyuan felt an itch in his palm. He looked at Jing Hui for a moment, then moved his palm slightly upward and pressed his thumb between Jing Hui's lips.
"you!"
As soon as Jing Hui opened her mouth, Lu Songyuan's fingers slipped inside and pressed against her tongue.
The tongue is smooth and slippery, and the fingertips are indescribably soft.
"!"
Jing Hui's eyes widened, and she slapped Lu Songyuan's body with a loud thud, while simultaneously biting down hard with her teeth.
"Um."
Lu Songyuan groaned, the stinging pain at the base of his thumb bringing him back to his senses.
He closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again, looked at Jing Hui's mouth, wagged his finger, and said, "Let go."
"Why should I!" Jing Hui bit down even harder.
You bastard!
As he spoke, Jing Hui's saliva dripped from Lu Songyuan's fingertips and flowed into his palm.
Lu Songyuan's eyes suddenly darkened as he stared at the shimmering water and swallowed hard.
He swallowed so loudly that Jing Hui heard him. She looked up and met Lu Songyuan's gaze. She saw that most of the redness in Lu Songyuan's eyes had subsided, replaced by an emotion that Jing Hui couldn't understand.
It felt as if you were being stared at by the green-glowing eyes of a ferocious beast, sending chills down your spine.
Jing Hui's heart skipped a beat, and she abruptly released Lu Songyuan's hand, taking a few steps back.
The moisture in the clean room dissipated, as if it had all reached Jing Hui's eyes. Her eyes reddened, she looked around, picked up the dirty clothes beside her, and threw them hard at Lu Songyuan's face before turning and leaving.
As soon as they stepped out of the purification room, they saw Ah Yu rushing over, with Lu Zhouxue walking slowly behind her.
When Ayu saw that Jing Hui was soaking wet, she quickly draped a thick cloak over Jing Hui's shoulders and apologized, "Princess, please forgive me. I didn't know that General Lu was inside. I only found out when I met Miss Lu."
As darkness enveloped everything, Jing Hui remained silent, only staring at the flickering lights in the corridor ahead.
The sensation of a foreign object in her mouth was intense, as if Lu Songyuan's fingers were still inside.
Jing Hui bit her tongue hard and spat several times to the side.
"Pah, pah, pah."
“Princess,” Ah Yu called out.
Lu Zhouxue glanced at Jing Huihou and asked, "Princess, are you alright?"
Jing Hui was annoyed at the sight of Lu Songyuan's people. She glanced at Lu Zhouxue and said, "I'm perfectly fine. Your general has been strangled to death by me."
He then strode forward.
Lu Zhouxue paused for a moment, then said, "Respectfully seeing off the princess."
"snort."
Jing Hui snorted and walked along the corridor toward the clean room on the other side.
As winter approaches, half of the screens along this long corridor are lowered, and every few steps there is an enamel incense burner carved with dragons and phoenixes. By the time Jing Hui reaches another clean room at the end, the moisture on his body has been dried by the sun.
Another purification room was located on the other side of the corridor. Jing Hui stopped in front of the purification room and turned to look at the courtyard.
Every landscape feature in the General's Mansion was exclusively crafted by court artisans, so even as early winter approaches, the courtyard is still lush with greenery.
"It's snowing."
Just as Ayu was about to ask Jing Hui what was wrong, she heard this sentence. She turned her head and saw that there were indeed tiny white stars falling from the night.
"The first snow came very early this year."
Seeing Jing Hui reach out to touch the snow, A Yu quickly stopped her, saying, "Princess, please go inside quickly, be careful not to catch a cold."
Jing Hui nodded, clasped his hands together in front of his chest facing the snow, and closed his eyes as if in prayer.
There is an ancient legend in Daliang that if you make a wish upon the first snow, your wish will surely come true.
May autumn pass and winter come, and may my dearest relatives be free from illness and disaster.
It seemed that heaven had heard her wish, for in an instant, a layer of white appeared on the ground.
After taking a bath, Jinghui sat on the tatami mat in the outer room, letting Ayu wring out her hair.
"Princess, this is some brown sugar ginger tea that I just brewed. Please drink it and go to bed early."
"Um."
Jing Hui nodded, rinsed his mouth after finishing his drink, yawned, and asked, "How much longer until we finish?"
"It'll be ready soon."
Jing responded and turned to look out the window. Lu Zhouxue was standing on the veranda on night duty.
She looked around and asked Ah Yu, "Where is he?"
Ah Yu paused for a moment and said, "General Lu went out this afternoon and seemed a little off when he came back. He just came out of the bathroom and is now asleep."
Jing Hui touched her slightly flushed cheeks and asked, "Who did he go to see?"
Ayu said, "The Third Prince sent an invitation this morning. He has just recovered from a serious illness and is hosting a banquet at Fugui Tower to invite all the princes and some ministers to come and offer their congratulations. Since you are not here, Princess, the General has gone."
No matter what, he is Jing Hui's brother. Since Jing Hui is not here, it is only right for Lu Songyuan to go in his place.
Jing responded lazily, "It's great to see you here. The capital city is about to become lively again."
Jingyang is the name of the third prince, just like Jingao's name, both of which were given to them by their birth mother, Consort Yue.
The intention behind this was nothing more than to make his two sons stand above others and be admired by all, but unfortunately, neither of them lived up to his potential.
Jing Hui often suppressed a laugh, thinking, "How could the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, a man of great learning, have such a brainless daughter and grandson?"
Speaking of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Jing Hui was reminded of Consort Yue's brother.
That person's name is really nice, it's called...
Jing Hui was too sleepy to remember for a moment.
"Princess, your hair is dried."
Ayu applied hair oil to Jinghui's hair and said, "You should go and rest."
"Um."
Jing Hui got off the bed and walked into the room, instructing A Yu who was following behind him: "I have a vague feeling that something will happen in the capital in the next two days. Have the people in the palace keep a close eye on things and report to me immediately if anything happens."
"yes."
Inside the bedchamber, Lu Songyuan was fast asleep, lying near the outer edge of the bed.
Jing Hui stood by the bed and glanced at him. She kicked off her shoes, stepped onto the edge of the bed, stepped over Lu Songyuan who was lying on the inside, and crawled into the quilt.
They each covered themselves with a blanket, not disturbing each other.
Ah Yu turned off the light, and the room became completely dark. Jing Hui burrowed deeper into the blankets.
In early winter, just after the first snowfall, she felt extremely cold.
Jing Hui was lost in thought and was just about to fall asleep when she felt someone move beside her.
She frowned, but didn't move, wanting to see what Lu Songyuan was going to do.
Lu Songyuan lifted a corner of her blanket, turned to face her, put one hand under her neck and the other hand groped down to grasp her wrist. Then, with a slight pull, Jing Hui was caught off guard and fell into his blanket with her back to him.
"Lu Songyuan!"
The whole process took only a moment. Jing Hui didn't feel any pain, but she was really angry at his handling of her like a chick.
"what you do!"
Lu Songyuan remained calm even after being discovered. He hugged Jing Hui tightly, his nose resting against the back of her neck, and said softly, "You're not asleep yet."
How can I sleep like this!
Jing Hui got angry and said, "Let go of me."
"Don't loosen it."
Lu Songyuan's breath was very hot as he spoke, seeping through the thin collar of his clothes. Jing Hui felt a tickle on her lower back and angrily slapped Lu Songyuan's hand.
Lu Songyuan grabbed Jing Hui's hand and held it in his palm, then remained still.
Jing Hui struggled to move under the covers, but a cold draft seeped in from her feet, so she simply stopped moving.
Tilting her head, she asked Lu Songyuan, "Why do you have to hug someone when you sleep? What's wrong with you?"
"It's not about holding someone."
Lu Songyuan said calmly. Just as Jing Hui was about to explode, he heard him say, "It's holding you."
"..."
Jing Hui belatedly realized that Lu Songyuan seemed off, and she asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Lu Songyuan remained silent for a while, then raised his head slightly and looked at Jing Hui, saying, "I'm fine."
The two were only a fist's distance apart, and Jing Hui keenly smelled a hint of wine.
"Have you been drinking?"
Lu Songyuan pursed his lips. "A little."
"nonsense."
Considering Lu Songyuan's behavior just now, isn't he just like a drunkard acting crazy?
I had long heard that he was strict in military discipline and had many restrictions on his soldiers, but he himself did whatever he wanted in private.
"How much did you drink?"
Lu Songyuan slowly raised his eyelids and answered Jing Hui's question.
He said, "One."
"A jar?"
No.
"A pot?"
"no."
"That?"
"One cup."
"puff."
Jing Hui burst out laughing, her laughter so loud that even the silver bells outside the tent jingled. She propped herself up.
"You mean a cup about the size of a thumb?"
Lu Songyuan was displeased. He pulled Jing Hui back into his arms, holding her even tighter, his nose and lips pressing against the back of her neck, and mumbled, "Mmm."
Jing Hui kept laughing, and after she had laughed enough, she patted Lu Songyuan's arm that was across her waist, "Be gentle, it's hurting!"
"I don't."
Lu Songyuan said he was refusing, but he loosened his grip a little.
Jing Hui struggled for a long time, breaking out in a sweat. She couldn't break free no matter what she did, and she ended up feeling quite tired.
Lu Songyuan's embrace was very warm. Jing Hui looked at the top of the tent, pulled his hand over and covered his lower abdomen. "You are allowed to hold me, but don't move your hands."
"Um."
"What the hell!"
Jing Hui stomped hard on Lu Songyuan's instep with her foot, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Finally quiet in his arms, Lu Songyuan moved his arm, pressed his nose hard against the back of Jing Hui's neck, opened his mouth and sucked on her neck flesh, mumbling something.
-
I slept without a dream, and the next day dawned bright.
Sunlight fell on the thick snow in the courtyard, reflecting a silvery glow. The first snowfall was so heavy, indicating that next year would be a bumper harvest.
The area in front of the sleeping quarters was quiet. Lu Zhouxue flicked the snow off a tree branch. It was just a light touch, but the branch broke.
She paused for a moment, and just as she was about to pick up the branch, she saw Ayan hurrying towards her from a distance.
"Has the princess woken up?"
Not yet.
Lu Zhouxue immediately stood up straight and asked, "What happened?"
Before Ayan could answer her, she pushed open the door and entered the bedchamber, kneeling before the bed and saying, "Princess, this servant has something to report."
A moment later, there was movement inside the tent, and Jing Hui's muffled voice came through, "Speak."
"A royal decree has just been issued from the palace, saying that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon the Fifth Princess and Prince Rongxi!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
