It's good that you didn't cry.
The halberd burned out, and the glass peach tree flashed by like a fleeting shooting star, plunging the mansion back into darkness. The maids and servants rose to light the glass lamps.
While wiping away her tears, Wu Shanyun looked at the Emperor, fearing that he would blame Wu Qi for stealing the Liuge. Unexpectedly, the Emperor was sitting on the steps of their house, propping his head up and smiling at Wu Qi.
Upon hearing the Emperor's smile, He Qi felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.
Could it be that His Majesty also has feelings for Wu Qi? Yi Shen alone is troublesome enough, and now there's His Majesty as well. Who would dare to disobey an imperial decree? Even Wu Qi might have to marry him unwillingly.
As the glass lamps lit up, He Qi came to his senses and couldn't help but look up at the person beside the glass peach tree, but there was no one there. He stood there, subconsciously looking around for Yi Shen's figure. Sure enough, there was a woman beside Yi Shen, looking up at him and saying something. Yi Shen listened quietly, a very slight smile on his face.
Even though He Qi only saw the woman's back, he knew that the woman was Wu Qi.
"You scared me to death! I almost thought I was going to ruin Father's birthday!" Wu Qi danced with joy and said to Yi Shen with delight, "Luckily, the moonlight helped, otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to find the ignition point!"
The birthday celebration was a great success.
Wu Qi was so excited that a flower fell from his hair. Yi Shen reached out and the flower landed perfectly in his palm, as if it was meant to be in his palm.
Yi Shen put the flower back in her hair and said, "It's very pretty."
The elders in the family should invite His Majesty to take the seat of honor. Since there are no elders in the Ning family, Ning Chanyuan should naturally take her place.
Ning Chanyuan was unmarried and not yet a member of the Cizi Pavilion, but she was far from idle. She was in charge of all the affairs of the household, the shops and lands, and the important matters of the aristocratic family. Today was Wushan Yun's birthday, and as a junior, she had spent three whole days searching for a birthday gift.
However, she felt much better after seeing the glass peach tree tonight.
The Emperor asked, "Why isn't Yu Qu wearing a cloak today?"
Ning Chanyuan respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it is hot, there is no need to wear a robe."
"I see." After a moment, the Emperor added, "It's chilly at night, so you should bring an outer garment from now on."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
The Emperor bowed his head and said, "There's no need to stand on ceremony."
He had sneaked out today, and he didn't know if anyone had discovered him or come looking for him. He had intended to stay for a while before leaving, but after a while, and then a while more, he found himself propped up on one arm, looking dejected. Everyone who saw him, especially the children of high-ranking officials, was terrified.
His arrival at the witch's mansion today was already puzzling, and his continued refusal to leave is even more perplexing.
I have never heard of His Majesty going to celebrate anyone's birthday, not even General Wei. His Majesty never goes, only sending some rare treasures as a token of his regards.
He Qi felt a mix of emotions and thought to himself, "His Majesty is indeed fond of Wu Qi, otherwise why would he have come to Wu Qi's residence today, and why would he have stayed here so long!"
As it grew later, the Emperor still hadn't said he was leaving, so the elders could only chat with him. Wu Qi quietly hid behind Yi Shen, tugging at his sleeve to make him shield himself.
She touched Yi Shen's back with her forehead and yawned.
After yawning, she felt bored. Seeing that Yi Shen was wearing wide sleeves today, she quietly took Yi Shen's hand and, using the wide sleeves as cover, wrote and drew on the back of Yi Shen's hand with her fingers.
She wasn't just scribbling randomly.
It says Yi Shen's name and depicts plum blossoms.
Yi Shen grasped her hand in return and, mimicking her, drew a peach blossom on the back of her hand.
"Not bad, not bad." Wu Qi whispered behind him, "I'll buy this painting for ten thousand taels of gold!"
The aristocratic families did not get involved in politics, so the elders could only tell the emperor some strange and interesting stories. The emperor listened carefully and laughed from time to time, while the younger generation stood on both sides, fighting off their sleepiness and adding a few words of agreement.
Ning Chanyuan was young, and her elders felt sorry for her. They were also afraid that she would say something wrong in front of the emperor, so they would say a few words on her behalf to prevent the emperor from finding fault with her and to prevent the Ning family from losing face.
The night was chilly. Ning Chanyuan wore a polite smile, but after a while, she couldn't help but cough twice, turning her head to the side.
Ning Chanyuan's cough was very soft, at least inconspicuous among the laughter and chatter, but somehow Ning Xunxu heard it, or perhaps he saw it.
Ning Xunxu stepped forward in front of everyone and draped an outer garment over Ning Chanyuan's shoulders.
Li Jian, who happened to be standing next to Wu Qi, tilted his head slightly and whispered, "I thought you and Weichong were bold enough to flirt in front of the Emperor, but who knew that Han Su would be even bolder, daring to go up and put a coat on his sister. Isn't that just blatantly telling the Emperor that it's too late and you should leave?"
"Be content," Wu Qi sighed. "He has already restrained himself. If it were before, he probably would have dared to just pull Sister Yuqu away."
Li Jian exclaimed in surprise, "Really!?"
Wu Qi nodded, tugged at Yi Shen's sleeve, and asked for confirmation, "Come, come, let's hear from our Third Young Master Yi, is it true?"
Yi Shen said, "Really."
Ning Xunxu didn't care whether the Emperor was present or not; he only knew that his sister had been frail since birth and couldn't tolerate the slightest cold. If his sister caught a cold and fell ill, she would have to take bitter medicine for several days, and who knows, she might even have to stay in bed for many more days.
His only family in this world is his sister.
"Alright, that's enough for today. I should be going now."
The Emperor glanced at Ning Xunxu, then at the cloak draped over Ning Chanyuan, before rising and leaving.
After seeing the Emperor off, Wu Qi leaned on Yi Shen's shoulder, too sleepy to keep his eyes open. Wen Ru gently pinched Wu Qi's ear and chuckled, "Why are you so sleepy? Did you stay up all night making a birthday gift for your father?"
Yi Shen's father, Yi Jing, said, "Xiao Qi is so sleepy he can't keep his eyes open, go to sleep."
Both sets of parents had heard about Yi Shen and Wu Qi's relationship and were extremely pleased. However, Yi Shen and Wu Qi hadn't told them about it yet, presumably because they had other plans, and they didn't want to probe further.
Wu Shanyun stared at Wu Qi, her eyes filled with heartache. Qi Kong looked at Wu Qi's sleepy appearance and smiled, "She doesn't sleep at night and doesn't wake up during the day. Every time before going to Cizi Pavilion, Wei Chong has to come and wake her up."
Wen Ru said, "That's fine, since Wei Chong is willing to get up early anyway."
Wu Qi understood the teasing tone in their parents' voices and kept her eyes closed. Yi Shen, supporting her shoulders, said to their parents, "I'll take her back to her room to sleep first."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Wu Qi kept his eyes closed, still leaning on Yi Shen's shoulder.
Yi Shen let her lean on him, supporting her shoulders, and led her slowly through the witch's mansion.
As they turned the corner, their parents could no longer see them, and with no one around, Yi Shen put his arm around her waist and lightly pecked her lips. Seeing that she had opened her eyes, he smiled and asked, "Was walking with your eyes closed fun?"
"generally."
Wu Qi tiptoed and mimicked him, giving him a light peck on the lips, and said with a smile, "Kissing you is more fun."
“You’ve been working too hard these past few days. Get some sleep,” Yi Shen said.
"oh."
Yi Shen pulled her into her room, closed the door, picked her up, tilted his head slightly to look at her, and coaxed, "Let's kiss for a while first, then I'll lull you to sleep, okay?"
Wu Qi sat on his arm, feeling a little uncomfortable with his back against the door, so he simply leaned into his arms and kissed his chin.
“Okay,” she said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Shen kissed her lips.
Wu Qi had eaten some grapes tonight, and the sweet taste of grapes lingered on her lips and teeth. The end of her hair ribbon slipped down to her shoulder. Yi Shen held the hair ribbon, stroked Wu Qi's back, and pulled her closer to him.
Aside from their first kiss, Yi Shen's kisses were all gentle and lingering.
His breath was long and deep, giving Wu Qi time to catch her breath. He loosened her hair ribbon, touched her face, and used his fingertips to wipe away the tears that remained at the corners of her eyes.
"Xiao Qi, why are you crying?" he asked.
"I didn't cry."
Wu Qi didn't cry; those were tears forced out because his aura was no match for Yi Shen's.
Wu Qi didn't reject kissing Yi Shen; on the contrary, she enjoyed it. She wasn't shy during the kisses; she took Yi Shen's kisses seriously and treated Yi Shen himself with the same respect.
However, isn't Yi Shen's breath a little too long...?
"It's good that you didn't cry."
Yi Shen kissed her again, continuing the kiss that hadn't ended.
He kissed her as he walked, effortlessly reaching Wu Qi's large bed and pinning her down. Wu Qi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, unaware that she was now completely in his embrace.
Only the hair ribbon he was holding was exposed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
