...
Jingyan had been busy all day. He had lunch in the council hall and returned to Xiande Hall before dinner. The palace servants arranged the food neatly.
Jing Yan had little appetite for the table full of delicacies.
"Have you returned the soup bowl that the Crown Princess sent today?"
He put down his chopsticks and asked the eunuch beside him.
After Jingyan finished his sweet soup in the morning, he did not instruct anyone to return the bowl immediately. His attendant hurriedly said...
"Not yet, I'll go and have the kitchen send the soup bowl back to Yichun Palace right away."
"No need, I'll return the soup bowl when I go to Yichun Palace later," Jing Yan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the bowl hadn't been returned yet, and picked up his chopsticks to eat again.
The eunuch understood the unspoken meaning: "Your Highness wishes to stay overnight at Yichun Palace tonight. Should I go there now to inform you?"
"No need, I have my own arrangements," Jing Yan said, intending to go over and see what Yue Jiang was doing and how she would react to his sudden arrival.
Would they let me stay along the way? But if the prophet leaves, everything will change.
Dinner was always just a matter of filling one's stomach. Jingyan ate until he was about three-tenths full, then put down his chopsticks. While the setting sun was still shining, he had a servant carry the soup bowl from the food box to Yichun Palace.
...
Yue Jiang had already put down her chopsticks by then. After the meal, she took a walk in the palace to digest her food, with Qingke Qingfei accompanying her behind her.
After a long while, guards led by Shan Yi passed by Yichun Palace. Shan Yi silently cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Yue Jiang.
The rustling sound of the armor rubbing together faded into the distance, as if it had stopped for a while.
As Yue Jiang walked, she turned around and gave Qing Ke a look. Qing Ke raised his head and started to talk.
"Your Highness, I told you not to pity these birds. They keep chirping and are ungrateful. I'll send someone to destroy their nest right now."
Yuejiang called out to Qingke, "Let them chirp. Autumn will come soon, and they'll fly away. It's more lively with their chatter now."
"A lively chatter?" Just as Yue Jiang finished speaking, Jing Yan appeared in front of the palace gate.
He glanced at a bird's nest hidden among the lush branches, then his gaze fell on Yue Jiang.
Yue Jiang opened her mouth slightly in surprise, but recovered after a few breaths. She smiled and walked forward to greet Jing Yan with a curtsy.
"Your Highness, why have you arrived at this hour? Have you had your dinner yet?"
“I just used it,” Jing Yan said as he walked straight into the courtyard, pointing to the food box in the hands of the eunuch behind him, explaining his purpose.
"While I was eating, I remembered that Jiang'er had brought me a sweet soup today, but the people from Xiande Palace forgot to return it. I had nothing to do, so I brought it myself."
He approached several sycamore trees nearby and found three or four bird nests on them.
It seems that it wasn't there before Jingyan went to the army; it was only built in the last few days.
Following Jing Yan's gaze to the bird's nest, Yue Jiang explained, "A couple of days ago, I was strolling in the courtyard when I found a baby bird on the ground. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I had someone put the baby bird back up and reinforce the nest."
"The others just appeared one day when I looked up. I thought that even one nest is a nest, so having more is fine too."
"They don't make noise every day, which is why we haven't chased them away."
"But Jiang'er just said they were chattering noisily?" Jing Yan still remembered what Yue Jiang had said earlier.
Yue Jiang remained silent after hearing Jing Yan's words, her eyes filled with a bright smile, and nodded earnestly.
"It's certainly lively, and watching that pair of birds up there every day, leaving early and returning late to feed their chicks, is quite interesting."
"Your Highness, didn't you see anything interesting outside?"
There were none in the army, because birds and beasts dared not build nests in places with many people, but Jing Yan sensed something else in it.
He continued to look up at the bird nests, when suddenly a fluffy head appeared out of one of the nests. A little sparrow, still covered in its fledgling feathers, stretched out its small wings and pecked at its body.
Their movements were indescribably cute and comical.
"It can groom its own feathers now, it looks like it will be able to fly soon," Yue Jiang said with great relief.
"Your Highness, the hot water is ready," said Granny Ye as she came over.
Yue Jiang withdrew her gaze, glanced lightly at Jing Yan beside her, and whispered.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. I need to bathe and rest. You..."
Jing Yan's thoughts were no longer on the fledgling preening its feathers. He clenched his right hand beneath his wide sleeves, appearing completely calm and composed.
"I will stay here tonight. Jiang'er, you go first. I will go later."
"In that case, I'll have someone bring out Your Highness's pillow and quilt."
Yue Jiang showed no excessive surprise or delight. Instead, she took Jing Yan's decision to stay seriously and made careful arrangements.
They didn't leave until everything was finished.
After Yue Jiang left, Jing Yan watched her departing figure and felt a pang of melancholy. He had clearly wanted Yue Jiang to stay with him, so why had he made the decision so hastily?
Furthermore, although Jingyan had already said he would stay, Yuejiang spent the whole day arranging his accommodations, and it seemed that apart from adding trouble for her, Jingyan did not feel any happiness from Yuejiang.
Is she really becoming distant from me?
After Yue Jiang finished washing up and returned to her room, Jing Yan went over to wash up as well. A faint mist of water still lingered in the bathroom, constantly seeping onto his body.
Jing Yan soon felt soaked all over. He never liked having someone serving him at this time, so he took off his clothes himself.
After washing up, as he was tying his belt, he glanced casually and saw a familiar object next to the screen.
It's a ginger product.
Jingyan picked up the things and went back to his room. It was already past the first seven days of their wedding, and the candles in the bedroom had been replaced with ordinary white wax instead of the festive red candles.
From within the heavy gauze curtains, Yue Jiang called out softly, "Your Highness, have you returned?"
"Hmm," Jing Yan responded, taking steps toward the bed. When he reached it, his figure was reflected on the bed curtains, casting a dark shadow.
As Jing Yan was about to lift the curtain and go in, he was suddenly reminded of his wedding night, and his hand lingered in mid-air.
From inside the curtain, Yue Jiang urged again, "Your Highness, why aren't you coming up?"
Jing Yan took a deep breath, his voice slightly hoarse: "Coming right away."
After entering, Yue Jiang sat on the bed, hugging the quilt. At this moment, her black hair was loose, she had washed away all makeup, her skin was as white as snow, her cherry lips were red, and her eyes were full of affection.
Jing Yan smelled a beautiful fragrance again, even more intense than usual. His heart warmed up little by little, and certain thoughts in his mind surged and clamored, urging him on.
Jing Yan leaned over and embraced Yue Jiang's waist, pulling her tightly into his arms. Just as their lips were about to touch, Yue Jiang pressed against Jing Yan's chest.
Because Yue Jiang's actions were not intense, but rather had a soothing quality, Jing Yan's change in attitude towards Yue Jiang over the past two days made him even more eager to know the truth.
Upon noticing this, Jing Yan pulled down Yue Jiang's hands that were bracing against him, and gently rubbed his forehead against hers, his words carrying a similarly comforting tone: "Jiang'er, are you resisting me?"
Could it be that he regained his memories without his knowledge? It doesn't seem likely; Yue Jiang's expression today, when she said she was afraid of An Chenghuan, didn't seem to be faking it.
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