Chapter 42 Chapter 42 "Flesh Trade"
Xue Yuanyin paused.
This pause was particularly noticeable in the quiet palace corridor. She knew she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard it, so she secretly adjusted her expression, turned around with just the right amount of surprise and a hint of doubt, and asked:
"What is it?"
Zhang Jingxuan walked over, looked down into her eyes, and said slowly, "Miss Xue, are you willing to talk to me?"
This was at the palace gate. Although no one was watching, there were many palace maids waiting quietly everywhere. What could the meaning of what he said be?
Xue Yuanyin frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled, as if she didn't understand what he was saying:
"Shouldn't Master Zhang be back home preparing for the coming-of-age ceremony? Why are you wasting your time here with me?"
Zhang Jingxuan continued to look at her, his eyes as calm as ever, but his words were straightforward:
"Talking to you is not a waste of time."
Xue Yuanyin couldn't refuse anymore. He had said this much, so even if he was an opponent, he should show some respect and listen to what he was going to say.
She then said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me now."
She once again looked at the clear sky and the vast palace, and said with a hint of meaning, "Under the bright sun, and with the palace walls as witness, we are not alone."
This tone, which clearly disassociated her from the matter, made Zhang Jingxuan frown and slightly straighten his lips, as if he was a little unhappy. But in the end, he said nothing more. He just walked slowly towards her, took out something from his sleeve, placed it in her palm, and whispered:
"You left something with me, so I'm going to give it back to you today. You can thank me next time we meet."
After saying that, he put down his things, paused for a moment at her face with deep meaning, then brushed the corner of his robe and turned to go to the East Palace.
Xue Yuanyin looked at the green scale-patterned longevity tortoise jade pendant in her palm. She was very familiar with this thing. She often wore it around his waist. Holding it in her hand, it was warm and cool, and seemed to have been stained with the faint pine scent of his body.
At this moment, she hated her own cleverness. How could she suddenly understand what he wanted to say - give you something and return it to you on a certain day, and we will meet again.
Why couldn't she be a little slower? If she was slower, she wouldn't understand what he meant!
Now she felt stuck in the middle, as if there was a breath stuck in her chest, unable to vent or swallow it.
He actually made it sound so legitimate as to say that it was a private transaction!
This man is so nasty and domineering. When did she ever say she wanted to meet him privately?
It's just his wishful thinking!
Xue Yuanyin clenched the jade pendant tightly as if to vent her anger, as if she wanted to crush it into pieces. In the end, her finger joints hurt, so she decided to let herself go and put the jade pendant away.
Whatever he wanted to say to him privately, that was his business.
If he wants to meet, does she have to go? She has no time to respond, and no chance to respond, so how can they meet and talk?
She was very busy afterwards and had her own things to do.
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Because of the jade pendant that Zhang Jingxuan suddenly handed to her, Xue Yuanyin waited for a long time to calm down at the door of the Xue Mansion before going in.
His Royal Highness Prince Yu gave her a task, asking her to contact the descendants of the Ministry of Rites and the Guanglu Temple. She was not acquainted with either of these two families, so she instructed Uncle Wei to prepare some gifts for the visit.
A few days later, the Zhang family held a coming-of-age ceremony for Zhang Jingxuan. Many aristocratic families in the capital were invited to attend, especially many noble ladies who brought their daughters to the ceremony.
The Xue family was not invited, so Xue Yuanyin naturally did not go, but even if she locked herself in the house, she could not help but hear the lively discussions on the street.
For example, the eldest son of the Zhang family is so gentle and humble, and so handsome, that even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went to show his support in person and gave him generous gifts to show his appreciation.
There were also young ladies from various families who blushed when they saw him and gathered around him. However, the eldest son of the Zhang family had a good temper and never showed coldness to the girls.
...and so on.
Xue Yuanyin was having a small gathering with Gao Songlin, Su Mian and Guan Bai in a restaurant. While listening to the endless praises outside the window, she poked the fish in the bowl with her chopsticks with an expressionless face.
The fish pieces were originally fresh, fragrant and delicious, as smooth as tofu, but after she messed with them, they turned into fish paste.
Gao Songlin said, "Is it because the capital is too small and there's nothing else to do? Otherwise, why do they keep talking about this matter all day? It's as if Zhang Jingxuan is some kind of deity who has descended to earth, to be admired and worshipped. As if offering him sacrifices will earn you copper coins."
Xue Yuanyin was not interested: "Isn't he always like this?"
Gao Songlin looked at her hesitantly, wanting to ask about the kiss again.
Zhang Jingxuan would kiss Xue Ling, so would he kiss others?
Even if you hold his head down, he might not kiss you.
So what did it mean when he kissed Xue Ling?
Xue Yuanyin didn't know what he was thinking. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, "I'm going to do something for His Highness."
He immediately pushed the door open and left.
The remaining three people looked at each other in the private room.
Gao Songlin wanted to reveal something to the two people beside him, but he held back. After a while, he managed to say:
"Do you think that mortal enemies are necessarily mortal enemies?" Su Mian was eating braised pork. Upon hearing this, he dropped the meat he was picking up with his chopsticks and turned to look at him together with Guan Bai.
"Why does this sentence sound so familiar?"
Gao Songlin:?
…
After lunch, Xue Yuanyin went out with the gifts.
The residences of the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Guanglu Temple are both in the same direction, diagonally opposite to the Xue Mansion.
To be precise, most of the civil servants' residences in the capital were diagonally opposite the Xue Mansion, because Xue Chang was a military official and lived on the other side of Zhuque Street, not with them.
She didn't want the Xue family to monitor her whereabouts, so she simply didn't take the carriage and took a shortcut alone.
Who knew that after turning into Chungui Alley in the alley, they would be blocked by a low-key paulownia carriage in front of them. The alley was narrow and people could not pass through if a carriage was placed sideways.
There was no emblem on the carriage, so I couldn't tell whose carriage it was. How tactless.
She frowned, thinking it would be difficult to climb up the roof and take a detour with the gifts in her arms, so she said:
"Is there anyone in the carriage ahead? Please make way."
After waiting for a while and seeing no one coming out, Xue Yuanyin ran out of patience. She threw the gift box over from the carriage and climbed up the wall of the house next door. Before she could go around it, a pair of white jade-like, slender hands suddenly grabbed her from below and pulled her down.
Xue Yuanyin's expression changed. There was someone hiding in this house, and she had no idea?!
Before she could resist, the man pushed her against the courtyard wall, lowered his beautiful face, and cast his light brown eyes on her face, whispering:
"Qiaoqiao."
Xue Yuanyin froze, and suddenly met his gaze, her face slowly becoming tense.
"Are you blocking my way? Is this the villa under your name?"
She pretended to struggle, but Zhang Jingxuan held her arm tightly and said in a half-hearted tone:
"Maybe this is an ownerless yard? Someone might come by at any moment and see us tangling here, mistaking us for a pair of wild mandarin ducks..."
Xue Yuanyin glared at him.
It seems that this must be his private residence.
Zhang Jingxuan stopped teasing her and lowered his eyes slightly and said, "You took my things, and you don't plan to return them?"
Xue Yuanyin remembered that he had the jade pendant on him, so she took it out and was about to throw it to him, but he blocked her hand again and said:
"That's not it."
Xue Yuanyin:?
It's inexplicable, how could she have anything else of his on her!
Her arms were tightly grasped by him, and she couldn't struggle. Her face turned slightly cold, and she looked at him with suppressed anger:
"What do you mean? Didn't we agree to be strangers? Why are you trying to provoke me again?"
She looked up and met Zhang Jingxuan's slightly dark eyes. She suppressed her emotions, restrained herself for a few breaths, and said calmly:
"Yes, I admit that I once had some unfavorable thoughts about you, but we've already returned to the capital, and I've given up on you. I don't cling to you anymore. You have a good temper, so let's just pretend that nothing happened and part ways amicably, okay?"
Even though they didn't sleep together, isn't it okay for her to admit it?
Zhang Jingxuan pulled the corner of his lip slightly.
Is he good-tempered? Good-natured? Good-natured? Are these words actually used to describe him?
He said calmly, "Aren't you trying to win the support of the Ministry of Rites and the Minister of Imperial Households for His Royal Highness Prince Yu? I can hand it over to you."
Xue Yuanyin frowned slightly: "How did you know?"
Zhang Jingxuan said in a calm voice, "Is it difficult to just guess the direction you're going?"
Xue Yuanyin admitted that she was tempted by this condition. The Ministry of Rites and the Minister of Imperial Household usually did not have good relations with any faction, but if Zhang Jingxuan gave up on his own initiative on behalf of the Eastern Palace, it would be much easier for His Royal Highness Prince Yu to win them over again.
If you can make good friends with the Ministry of Rites and Guanglu Temple, you will have a better chance of competing for the position of sacrificial official.
Seeing that she didn't answer for a moment, Zhang Jingxuan looked at her and said softly:
"I can help you cheat, aren't you tempted?"
Xue Yuanyin looked at him warily:
"Are you trying to trick me with your words, to lower my guard, and to compete with me to see who can win over the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department first?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked at her calmly, but with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, he sighed softly and said:
"no."
He said, "I don't blame you for making such assumptions. It's my fault that you misunderstood me."
Zhang Jingxuan released her hands. After a while, in the quiet air, he said calmly, "How about doing a business deal?"
He said slowly, enunciating each word: "Doing... a flesh trade."
Xue Yuanyin looked at him, confirmed that he was not joking, and asked slowly:
"What does the flesh trade mean?"
Zhang Jingxuan pointed to the door and said, "Why don't you go inside and talk?"
Xue Yuanyin looked at the yard. It was obvious that he didn't come here often. Although the house was luxurious and exquisite, it was not well maintained and looked a bit deserted.
She had already drawn a clear line with him when she left Quanyang County. If it was any other topic, she would not listen to him no matter what. But Zhang Jingxuan's words touched her sore spot and successfully ignited her curiosity.
After thinking about it, she nodded and said, "Okay, let's go inside and talk."
Xue Yuanyin followed Zhang Jingxuan inside. The courtyard was not big, and there was a wing room in the front. She walked in and took a general look. There were not many furniture and other things, but the vases, calligraphy and paintings on display were all very valuable.
There was a desk, a cupboard, an unused bed and a low couch, and it was quite clean.
Zhang Jingxuan closed the door, turned around, walked up to her, and looked down at her.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but take a step back, his heels pressed against the wall.
Zhang Jingxuan lowered his head slightly, and moved closer to her, their breaths mingling faintly. He chuckled softly:
"As the name suggests, it's a business of exchanging flesh and blood. You get what you give. The same applies to me. However, considering that you covet me and my body, which should be in good condition, I will stop when I say stop. Do you agree?"
He reached out and groped for his collar, and with a light flick of his fingertips, the collar opened, revealing a large area of cold white skin and a collarbone with clear veins.
The bone lines are smooth and sexy, winding down from the collar and disappearing into the upper lapel. I wonder what the covered part looks like.
Looking at the girl's eyes that suddenly lit up and the sound of her swallowing, Zhang Jingxuan raised the corners of his lips almost imperceptibly and pressed the crow-feather collar with his fingertips to prevent it from opening any further.
He looked at her, his voice somewhat bewitching: "Qiaoqiao, aren't you moved?"
Xue Yuanyin stared with wide eyes and swallowed quietly.
My heart is beating, so beating!
It turns out that there really are men with collarbones that look this beautiful. If she hadn't still had her sanity, she would have succumbed to the handsome man on the spot.
She felt that she was overwhelmed by the man's beauty for a moment, and raised her hand to touch the dazzling collarbone.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jingxuan blocked her hand. Xue Yuanyin then realized that she had just lost her mind. She coughed lightly, restrained her expression, and defended herself:
"I admit that you are quite pretty... But I am a principled person and I won't give in easily."
Zhang Jingxuan said slowly, "I'm not doing charity. I want to collect some interest from this business."
Xue Yuanyin shamelessly asked, "What interest?"
Zhang Jingxuan looked down at her body for a moment and said softly:
"What do you think, Qiaoqiao?"
Xue Yuanyin seriously considered the price of exchanging her innocence. The reward was the ability to touch Zhang Jingxuan's body. She came to the conclusion without hesitation.
Worth it!
She showed a cold and reserved look of contemplation, looking very conflicted. After a while, she said reluctantly:
"Since you're sincere about making a deal, I might consider it. But let's make it clear first: we must be fair and just, and we can't force anything on each other."
It's not that she doesn't trust Zhang Jingxuan, but it's because such a chaste and strong man like him suddenly came to her and said he wanted to do sex with her. She didn't know what bad intentions he had, so it wouldn't hurt for her to be more cautious.
Zhang Jingxuan nodded lightly and said calmly, "That's natural."
Xue Yuanyin's eyes slowly fell on his collar.
In the room, which was not spacious to begin with, the air suddenly became thick, as if sensing what was about to happen, brewing a somewhat charming atmosphere.
Xue Yuanyin stared straight at the wide-open collar below Zhang Jingxuan's neck, looking at his collarbone and the thin chest muscles faintly visible underneath, which were immersed in the collar.
This scene was unprecedented, and it had to be said that he did have some tricks to hook her.
She raised her hand and gently placed it on his fair and sexy Adam's apple. She had bitten it before and it tasted good, but because it sometimes slid a few times, it was not easy to aim.
She passed her fingertips over his Adam's apple and slowly moved them down, stopping at the collar of his shirt.
Although she was indeed a little bit expectant in her heart, she remained unmoved on the surface and said in a reserved and cold manner:
"Since it was you who suggested it, take off your clothes and let me have a good look."
Zhang Jingxuan fiddled with his collar, his fair skin swaying in front of her, but he refused to untie it for her. He just let her look at it, keeping her eyes fixed on it, unable to take her eyes off.
His eyes, which had always been calm, dimmed slightly, and his voice became slightly hoarse. Xue Yuanyin felt as if he was trying to trick her into falling into the abyss. He said:
"Like to watch? Then take off the clothes yourself."
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The author has something to say: "The flesh trade" is the core inspiration for this article
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