Seeing Jing Yan hesitate, Yue Jiang explained the reason.
"Today in the Jiaofang Palace, Her Majesty the Empress directly called me Jiang'er. I thought it sounded very nice, and I would like Your Highness to call me that as well."
She waited expectantly for Jing Yan to speak, but he remained silent for a long time. Yue Jiang's interest faded, and her disappointment was evident.
"Does Your Highness find the name 'Jiang'er' unpleasant? Or perhaps, since we are not yet married, is it inappropriate for Your Highness to even call me by my name?"
Jing Yan didn't expect Yue Jiang to still hold a grudge about what they said in the camp that day; he was just surprised.
"Jiang'er is a very nice name!"
puff!
Just as Jing Yan finished speaking, he heard Yue Jiang chuckle softly. The smile lingered for a long time, a reminder of Yue Jiang's reserved and timid demeanor before their separation.
He was in a daze for a long time, but Yue Jiang's face turned slightly flushed, like a spring flower in full bloom, perhaps because she had been laughing for too long.
Jing Yan was increasingly bewildered by her laughter, wondering what was so funny that made her so excited.
"What are you laughing at?" He couldn't stand her teasing, so he extended an index finger and lightly touched Yue Jiang's lips to stop her from laughing and trembling, his words both playful and slightly threatening.
"Is mocking the crown prince a capital offense?"
Yue Jiang stopped laughing instantly. Jing Yan's fingertips were still warm and had a rough texture. The pressure on her lips was very light, and they did not rub against her lips.
Instead, it had a slightly tingling and itchy feeling, making one feel slightly dizzy.
However, Yue Jiang laughed for too long just now; even laughing for a long time can be tiring.
At this moment, she was breathing rapidly with small, shallow breaths, her lips slightly parted, and her warm, moist breath brushed against Jing Yan's fingertips.
In an instant, as if an unstoppable heat source had appeared, it followed this opening and continuously transferred the heat from Yue Jiang's body to Jing Yan's body.
Jing Yan immediately realized something was wrong and was about to withdraw his hand when Yue Jiang spoke up and asked.
"Is this the first time Your Highness has called a woman by her maiden name?"
Jing Yan paused, as if pondering Yue Jiang's words, knowing that she must be asking about relationships other than family.
He thought that perhaps Yue Jiang had been laughing for a long time just now, and this was probably what she was laughing about. He nodded helplessly.
"Yes, Jiang'er is the first girl I've ever called. What's so funny about that that makes you unable to stop laughing!"
Before Jing Yan could remove his finger, Yue Jiang took the initiative to extend one of her index fingers, hook it around Jing Yan's index finger, and gently moved it aside.
She didn't immediately withdraw her fingers. Instead, she pondered Jing Yan's question, forgetting the ambiguous and intertwined gesture, and slowly explained Jing Yan's doubts.
"I was the first girl Your Highness called upon. I was happy, and when I was happy, I wanted to laugh. But I never thought Your Highness was funny."
"Your Highness actually wants to punish me because of my pleasure? How innocent I am!"
No one has ever called Yue Jiang by the name Jiang'er. In the Moon Kingdom, these beauties who are kept by the Moon Kingdom are called by the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, or by the five notes of the pentatonic scale, or by the four seasons.
The code name does not belong to any one person. Excellent beauties can continue to use it, while those who are not excellent will be abandoned and replaced by newcomers.
The name Yuejiang was given to her after she came of age; she was usually called "Miss" or "Miss Yu" in the past.
People without their own names strive to obtain a code name so that the nobles who keep them can see their value.
Most people undergo rigorous training that leaves them no time to think about who they really are.
Only by becoming the best can one be in charge of one's own affairs. It took Yue Jiang sixteen years to break free from this.
Yue Jiang's eyes shone brightly on the bed, as if she had just smiled with joy. But when Jing Yan spoke of punishing her, the light quickly faded.
Yingying stared at him intently, as if she had truly held a grudge. Yuejiang waited anxiously for the punishment to come.
Jing Yan jokingly said that he would not pursue the matter further: "It is only natural to be happy, I forgive you for your innocence."
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness," Yue Jiang said. Her eyes were clear, her brown pupils filled with a pool of clear water, and everything she looked at was melted into her affectionate eyes.
Jing Yan belatedly realized that he had wasted most of the day, which seemed to be like flirting with Yue Jiang.
Yue Jiang is alright, but he still needs to go and check on things in the former dynasty. As Jing Yan prepares to leave, he moves the finger that Yue Jiang has hooked around, indicating his presence.
"I still have some things to attend to. You should rest well. I will come to see you again in a few days."
Yue Jiangduan just realized what was happening. She withdrew her fingers, and as she let go, she cried out in surprise and quickly grabbed Jing Yan's hand.
She tugged at the tip of his index finger, feeling annoyed.
"Your Highness, you've smeared all my lipstick off, and you won't even say anything. You wrongly accused me of making fun of you earlier, but you laughed several times just now. Weren't you also making fun of my messed-up makeup?"
Today is the first time Yue Jiang has stepped into the palace. Her makeup is very elaborate, with a touch of bright red lipstick that Jing Yan could easily smudge.
Jing Yan looked at the tip of his index finger and indeed found a touch of bright red. He immediately thought of the rouge that Yue Jiang had smeared on his hand during the march, which was much more than what he had seen now.
He apologized: "I was rude and offended Jiang'er, but I had no intention of making fun of you. You are sick and there is no need for heavy makeup. I will have your maid remove it for you in a while so you can rest."
"It's not appropriate to bring rouge to the imperial court," Jing Yan said, his eyes finding a handkerchief. He wanted to wipe the lipstick off his fingertips.
Seeing the movement he was about to make, Yue Jiang guessed that he had handled it the same way last time, and she said softly.
"Your Highness, there is a custom in Yue Kingdom that a young woman should not easily wipe off the rouge that a man has touched on her for the first time, as it is considered unlucky."
Jing Yan paused, listening to Yue Jiang's seemingly serious words, but was puzzled: "It's just rouge, what bad luck could it have?"
Yue Jiangluo looked completely innocent: "Your Highness, would I lie to you? Think about it, how could a man so easily smudge the rouge on a young lady's body?"
Jing Yan didn't want to disappoint Yue Jiang, so he thought about it and figured that the only time she could be so easily tainted was on her wedding night.
He stared blankly at the rouge on his fingertip, then at Yue Jiang's increasingly blushing face, feeling troubled.
"The bad luck might just be a rumor, but we can't keep carrying it around forever."
Yue Jiang faced an even greater dilemma than Jing Yan: "Of course I can't keep it with me all the time, but if Your Highness carelessly wipes it clean, it means you don't respect the customs of Yue Jiang's hometown. How can you respect me then?"
"I fear I am about to encounter a heartless and unfaithful person, which would be exactly what I was looking for."
Jing Yan: "..."
"Then tell me, how do you want it wiped off?" He didn't want the two of them to quarrel over a bit of lip rouge, and it wouldn't look good if things escalated. So he asked.
Yue Jiang had already hinted at this, but Jing Yan still didn't understand. It seems that the Eastern Palace hasn't yet given him any concubines to learn about human affairs.
She deliberately made Jing Yan feel embarrassed and awkward, to see if he really didn't like any beautiful women and remained cold and unmoved.
"Your Highness, the lip rouge is made of flower petals and is edible."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
