She had never thought that a man's chest could be so hard. The sudden collision even hurt her chest a little, and she frowned delicately.
The force behind her waist made it impossible for her to move, like a mouse caught in a field mousetrap. She could only raise her elbows and prop up her upper body to stand up slightly. She looked from top to bottom, scanning his jawline all the way to his face.
The eyes of the person in the drunken dream were still closed, and he showed no signs of waking up.
"Jiu..." Jiang Rao hesitated for a moment, but did not wake him up.
Although his face was red from the alcohol, it was not the kind of red that comes from being drunk, with red ears and red all the way to the neck, but a light red like peach blossoms.
The candlelight was warm and bright, without the coldness of the sun during the winter day. It shone on his face, making his appearance very pleasant.
She leaned in to look at it for a while, and unknowingly got closer and closer to this beautiful face. As she looked at it, she suddenly spoke as if with a sigh.
"How could she be so beautiful?" Looking at her under the light, it seemed that even the scars were not so scary anymore.
As soon as he finished muttering, the force on his waist loosened and his head sank instead.
The touch of their lips made her close her eyes immediately, their breath blended together, Jiang Rao opened her eyes in surprise, her thin face instantly burned and turned red.
She was stunned and dazed, her breath was mixed with the smell of alcohol, and she was as stiff as a piece of wood.
My body suddenly felt cold and I shivered.
He seemed to be looking at her with his eyes open.
The look was dangerous and aggressive.
Jiang Rao's scalp numbed by this intuition. She opened her eyes immediately, reached out to push his chest, and moved her body backwards.
There was a little distance between the two of them.
The lip balm on her lips was eaten away, but her lips were even redder than when she had applied lip balm, bright red like ripe cherries. Her eyes were wide open, round, and a little moist.
But as far as she could see, the person in front of her looked the same as he did just now.
He leaned against the bed, his body motionless, his eyes closed, his breathing even and shallow.
The hand that was around her was also gently placed on her waist.
Except for the real touch left on the lips, everything has returned to its original state.
Jiang Rao raised her fingers to touch her lower lips, then rubbed her head. Suddenly, she couldn't tell whether there was really a hand pressing her head down.
His body did not move, but she
It's like I pasted it on myself...
Did she really put it there herself?
Jiang Rao was stunned and raised her finger to lightly touch her lips.
Although she didn't feel disgusted, the turmoil in her heart made her open her eyes wide and scan Rong Ting's face carefully again.
His lips were much redder than before, perhaps because of the color of her lip balm.
But his brows were furrowed, and he looked a little uncomfortable.
It is indeed heartbreaking to see a beautiful woman frowning.
Maybe... she really is the one who is greedy for beauty and takes advantage of others.
She immediately raised her fingers to wipe the lip balm off his lips, as if this could help her pretend that nothing had happened.
She wanted to get up from his arms and lifted her waist, but she couldn't lift his arms. She had to turn her head and use her hands to move.
She used considerable strength but was unable to move his arm at all.
Jiang Rao frowned and paused for a moment. She had no other choice but to take a deep breath, trying to suck out the air in her stomach and make her waist thinner so that she could get out from under his arms that were holding her tightly.
She inhaled and her stomach gradually deflated.
Instead, the hand on her waist followed the curve of her lower back and sank down as well.
Still clinging.
Jiang Rao: “…” It got stuck even tighter.
She really became a mouse in a mousetrap, and her struggle only resulted in an even more difficult situation.
She raised her eyes to see if he was awakened by her series of actions.
Seeing that his expression was motionless, she suddenly stopped moving too.
It's not the first time I've been kissed.
Either he has a bad drinking habit and becomes a playboy when drunk, or... she was really bewildered by the beauty of the man in front of her.
Although she didn't want to admit it, when she saw his eyes were always closed, his head tilted slightly and he looked a little sleepy, and she was on top and he was on the bottom...
Maybe...it really is her.
He was stared at by her without blinking, but even his eyelashes did not tremble, and he really did not wake up.
It was also his fault that he slept so deeply after getting drunk. She came close to him and flirted with him, but he didn't even know how to push her away.
Jiang Rao quickly lowered her head and rested it on his chest, pretending to be dead.
The blush on her fair cheeks had not yet faded, and her skin felt a little hot.
Although no one was watching, she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.
She would never give her father the chance to get him drunk again, absolutely.
There was a knock on the door.
Seeing that Jiang Rao was still not coming out, Ming Shao called out tentatively, "Girl?"
Jiang Rao felt the arm behind him
Her arms seemed to tighten and then loosen. She lowered her eyelids and thought for a moment, then said, "Wait a little longer."
I could hear the sound of his strong heartbeat, beat by beat.
Compared to the kiss that blended their breaths just now, this hug made her feel more secure and warm.
She didn't really want to let go.
She had been feeling scared all year long...especially the dreams about her family being torn apart and her loved ones dying.
Change it when you can’t remember those dreams. Once you remember them, you dare not close your eyes or open them.
When I closed my eyes, what I saw before me were the wailing sounds and the cold light of swords in my dream, and the endless snow on the day my house was ransacked.
I keep my eyes open and think about all kinds of flashy dreams, afraid that dreams are the real thing and the peace and tranquility outside of dreams are all false.
The things that she used to find interesting - looking at flowers and fish, drinking tea and reading storybooks - she still found them interesting, but she always felt like there was a huge rock pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe and making her feel uneasy.
But now, the huge rock pressing on my heart seemed to have been removed.
She was terribly afraid that she would end up alone with no one to turn to and no way out, but he did not leave her alone.
She used to think he was bad, but now she thinks he is good no matter what.
He is like spring. It is warm as long as you are with him.
She continued to bury her head in his hand, holding it like that, forgetting to let go for a moment.
Without noticing at all, the man hugging her just moved his eyelashes a little, opened his left eye a tiny bit, and then opened both eyes completely, his gaze silently falling on her in his arms.
There was an unusual flush on her face.
Even if Rong Ting was drunk, he would not let himself get completely drunk.
Jiang Xingzhou could drink quite a lot, so he drank a lot. It was because Jiang Xingzhou was her father that he gave him the face to get him drunk, and then used his internal strength to force the wine out.
He was awake from the moment she came in.
He looked down at her. It was the first time he was so close to her as he had imagined. Seeing that she was not angry, her eyes became deep and she seemed to be thoughtful and unpredictable.
He thought about what she had just murmured.
She seemed to like his face very much.
He looked at his fingers resting on Jiang Rao's slender waist, his finger bones tensing and loosening.
The greedy desire to plunder wildly was finally restrained gently.
He gave her his deepest obsession and his only tenderness to her alone.
…
A few days later, Jiang Rao went to the palace to see Concubine Yun.
When she arrived at Shuxiang Palace, Concubine Yun was using the excuse of being unwell to dismiss the eunuch who was invited by Emperor Zhaowu to appreciate the flowers.
He said he was unwell, but he was just telling Emperor Zhaowu
He refused to see her during those days to express his dissatisfaction.
A maid was trying to persuade him, "Your Majesty has come to invite us three times. He has not stayed in another queen's palace for a single day in the past few days. Isn't it just to make you happy? Your Majesty, you have been avoiding us all the time and not giving the emperor face. This is really inappropriate..."
Concubine Yun didn't care and said leisurely, "If I don't take this opportunity to be cold, how can I have the opportunity to be petty as a matter of course?"
She didn't even bother to put on makeup because she didn't have to meet Emperor Zhaowu. She was bare-faced, but she looked like the most beautiful concubine in the six palaces. Her eyes were full of charm. She held her white cat and looked at the palace maids cutting lantern flowers. Her eyes were full of smiles, which were much more sincere than the one when she met Emperor Zhaowu.
"On ordinary days, he would only annoy others if he showed his temper too much. It's rare for him to do something wrong. Ma'am, please don't persuade me. I have made up my mind. If I ignore His Majesty for a few days, he will give more compensation to the Qin family."
Concubine Yun's eyes became cold and clear. All she cared about within the palace walls was profit.
Seeing Jiang Rao coming, she stopped talking to the old nanny and waved her hand, calling Jiang Rao to sit next to her, smiling happily, "The verdict for Zhang Liuyuan and Shen Que will come out soon. These two people will not be able to escape the charge of disrespect in the end."
"It's not a pity to sink the bird." Concubine Yun picked up a cut lantern flower and played with it in her hand, saying in a calm voice, "That Zhang Liuyuan is rare. He can actually learn your father's calligraphy and painting so well."
The maid behind echoed, "But if he learned it so well, it would be ridiculous if he was poor and was tempted by money to make a big mistake."
Jiang Rao said: "That man is a gambler. My father bought his paintings and the money he left was enough for him to eat and wear for the rest of his life."
"Is there such a thing?" Concubine Yun was surprised. "Isn't this... raising a tiger to cause trouble?"
As the year draws to a close, Shuxiang Palace is also decorated with lights and colors. Jiang Rao looks at the red window paper and the snow piled up outside, but she no longer feels cold. The red and white colors look so vivid in her eyes.
"I couldn't figure out why before, but this time my father was almost framed. After finding out it was Zhang Liuyuan, he regretted it."
"What are you regretting?"
"He told me that he felt Zhang Liuyuan was talented, and it was a pity that if he only copied his paintings, he would not achieve anything great in the end." Jiang Rao lowered her head. "My father saw that he was poor, and was afraid that he copied his calligraphy and paintings because he was short of money, so he spent a lot of money to buy the paintings from Zhang Liuyuan, thinking that if he didn't have to worry about food and clothing, he might be willing to think about his own paintings."
"Good intentions go to waste. Spending a large sum of money on paintings helped him, but also hurt him. He is short-sighted and was blinded by the prosperity. However, your father cannot be blamed." Concubine Yun said coldly, "It's his fault that he sought shortcuts and got stuck in a quagmire. He failed the talent and ability that God gave him. He can imitate others to the same degree, so his ability is not low. Why doesn't he hone his own real skills?"
Jiang Rao hummed.
A few days ago, Zhang Liuyuan asked someone to go to Jiang Siye to plead for mercy, but Jiang Siye did not show up. Instead, he asked Jiang Ping to send the painting he bought to Zhang Liuyuan in prison.
Zhang Liuyuan found out that the person who bought his painting was Jiang Xingzhou. Looking at the painting that Jiang Xingzhou had re-titled with his name, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face and burst into tears.
She cried and said that he made mistakes at every step.
When I was extremely poor, I started to have evil thoughts, thinking that I would stop when I became rich.
But when his paintings were really sold for a large sum of money, he became addicted to the feeling of making easy money by relying on other people's fame.
If he studied calligraphy and painting, he would have to wait at least ten years, dozens of years or even a lifetime to become famous.
He was so deeply immersed in it, studying Jiang Xingzhou's writing style, exhausting his own spiritual energy along the way, and there was no way back.
Even if it looks real, it is still just a fake.
Concubine Yun looked at the new bun on Jiang Rao's head, which looked like a bun for a girl after she reached the age of 15. She suddenly asked, "Did your father agree?"
This question made Jiang Rao a little confused. Concubine Yun pursed her lips and signaled her, "Your marriage with the Ninth Prince..."
Jiang Rao understood.
She had already expected her aunt to ask about this, but when she was actually asked, she felt a little embarrassed and lowered her head with her eyes downcast.
Concubine Yun looked at her shy appearance in surprise.
Ming Shao, who entered the palace with Jiang Rao, spoke first, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, the Fourth Master asked the Ninth Prince to drink with him, and in exchange, the Ninth Prince stayed overnight for a day."
Concubine Yun understood the hint in the maid's words and smiled immediately, "Then it won't be long before you let go."
Satisfied, she turned her gaze towards Jiang Rao, and seeing Jiang Rao lower her head with a blush on her face, she said "Ouch". She was about to tease the girl for being too impatient to get married, but seeing that she was really shy, she changed the subject, slightly curved her eyes, smiled and said to Jiang Rao: "Nian Nian, your aunt will give you a gift."
Jiang Rao came to Shuxiang Palace today, bringing gifts.
Concubine Yun had come to Emperor Zhaowu for her family's affairs many times, but she could not accept it with peace of mind just because they were close relatives. She came here after buying some things that Concubine Yun liked but were not available in the palace.
When she heard that Concubine Yun was going to give her a gift, she was used to it because she had always been favored. She didn't feel that she couldn't afford it. She supported her cheeks with both hands, looked up at Concubine Yun with moist eyes, and asked curiously, "Aunt, what are you going to give me?"
The little girl's eyes were filled with joy, so beautiful that one could not wait to find all the good things in the world for her. Concubine Yun touched her head affectionately and said, "You will know tomorrow."
The next day, the Ning'an Earl's Mansion received the imperial edict granting the marriage.
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