Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Beautiful chest muscles.
Xue Yuanyin raised her hand and slowly brushed the hem of Zhang Jingxuan's clothes.
In the quiet room, the air became increasingly sticky. She lowered her head to look at the cold, pale skin in front of her. Her heartbeat quickened, and she reached out to push aside the collar on his chest.
The slightly bulging chest muscles were exposed before her eyes, the lines were smooth, the muscle barriers were clear and distinct, rising and falling with his breathing. He looked thin when dressed, and thin muscles were visible when undressed, not too exaggerated, but the slight bulge could be seen just right, it was just right.
Although only half of his hair was taken off due to his clothes, it was not difficult to tell that he must have been exercising every day, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to maintain such a beautiful figure.
Xue Yuanyin wanted to be reserved, but unfortunately she was also a person who had never seen the world. She had never even seen a fire avoidance diagram, let alone such a situation.
The beauty before her was a huge shock to her.
Her fingertips couldn't help but rest on his chest, and she squeezed it as she wished.
This reminded her of a fox she once encountered. Hmm... When she pinched it, the chest muscles felt a little firm. She pinched it a few more times, and after a while, they became soft and elastic again.
It’s amazing… I pinched it again, and my chest muscles became firmer again!
Xue Yuanyin licked her lips and pulled open the collar of the little animal's shirt, revealing the remaining blocked part.
It was as if I could glimpse the tassels on goose down, or as if I were seeing the mottled red plum blossoms falling on the snow in winter. This fox was truly alluring.
Xue Yuanyin's eyes widened!
She was so blinded by lust that she was completely focused on looking at him that she didn't notice the slightly deep look in Zhang Jingxuan's eyes.
Her heartbeat quickened slightly as she slowly slid her fingertips down the fur, then stopped and gave it a gentle twist… It felt particularly strange, as if the surrounding muscles were slightly tensed.
She pressed it again, but it didn't work.
"Wow……"
Xue Yuanyin couldn't help but let out a sigh of naivety.
Zhang Jingxuan's eyes were fixed on her motionlessly. She slowly bent down, groped clumsily, and kissed him boldly.
Is she kissing him?
But she kissed me for quite a while. A kiss wouldn't last that long, so what was she doing?
Zhang Jingxuan looked out the window. The trees in the courtyard were already withered, their bark taut. A bird landed on a branch, searching for the only two unripe, red fruits. It snatched one up and, unskillfully, wrapped it in its beak.
In such a secluded place, even tasting would take time and become slow.
He closed his eyes and didn't look at her.
There seemed to be breathing and hair brushing against his face, which reminded him of the stuffy and humid summer in Qingxi Town, the hot and itchy feeling, an experience he had never had in his life of luxury.
His body was slightly tense. It was still too hot in this season, and thin beads of sweat were on his temples.
A low voice seemed to escape from his throat, but he swallowed it back with restraint.
Zhang Jingxuan placed his palm on the girl's shoulder and slowly massaged her bones with force.
After a long while, he finally remembered the purpose of his visit. He measured the outline of her body from her shoulders to her arms with gentle and slow movements.
The last time he hugged her, he realized that she had narrow shoulders and a thin back. This careful measurement made him feel her thinness even more intuitively.
Mingming was a very healthy and lively little girl when she was young...
Has she had a hard time in recent years?
Zhang Jingxuan lowered his eyes to look at her, only to see her with her head bowed in front of his chest, her eyes slightly closed, a light blush on her fair face, obviously she liked him very much.
He actually felt somewhat fortunate in his heart. Thanks to his poor health when he was a child, he had developed the habit of getting up early to exercise in the mornings over the years and had built up some thin muscles.
Zhang Jingxuan supported her, took a step back, and fell onto the couch. Xue Yuanyin glanced up in confusion, still unsatisfied, and licked her lips. She squatted down, supported her arms on both sides of the couch, and leaned to the other side.
He suppressed his heavy breathing, half-sat up, pressed her down hard with one hand, and slowly moved the other hand down.
Her legs were bent, and he remembered that he didn't know their length or girth.
She was concentrating, and he was unconsciously immersed in it.
Zhang Jingxuan wanted to do something else to distract himself, but he was always distracted by the movement in front of him.
After a while, he remembered what he needed to do. His fingertips moved slightly and he gradually took action.
Xue Yuanyin felt an itch moving up from her ankle and up her thigh inch by inch. She thought it was a bug and took a few seconds to react before she withdrew her body and turned her head to look.
After discovering what kind of insect was biting her leg, her face turned slightly red and she felt a little angry. She pushed him and glared at him.
Can you touch a girl's legs casually? What's more, he didn't know what he was doing, groping her all over, making her feel itchy, and even wanting to touch her knees...
Outside the window, the birds on the dead tree flew away.
Zhang Jingxuan calmed his breath, raised his hand to close his clothes, looked at her angry face, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:
"We've already agreed on a deal, I can't be the only one taking advantage of you for nothing."
That's true. Xue Yuanyin reluctantly accepted this statement, coughed lightly, and said calmly:
"What were you touching just now? It made me so itchy."
Zhang Jingxuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and his voice was a little low, but it sounded inexplicably ambiguous to her ears:
"So sensitive?"
Xue Yuanyin's cheeks flushed with heat from what he said, and she felt a little embarrassed. She looked at the front of his disheveled clothes, and thought of the feeling of his chest muscles just now. She felt a little itchy, so she leaned over and touched his abdominal muscles and said:
"I've given you so much to enjoy, can you let me touch you here too..."
Zhang Jingxuan grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving, and said:
"Not here. Today I can only let you touch your chest muscles."
Xue Yuanyin licked her lips, leaned forward, and asked with an unsatisfied look, "Why?"
Zhang Jingxuan straightened his disheveled robe and glanced at her.
Usually, greedy cats who are never satisfied are prone to taking more and more food. After eating, they drop their claws and run away, making them difficult to catch.
How could he satisfy her so easily?
Only when you throw the bait can the fish take the bait.
After waiting for the slight heat in his lower abdomen to finally disappear, he sat up straight and said slowly under her greedy and questioning gaze:
"I'm afraid you're too full. Let's do it next time."
Xue Yuanyin watched Zhang Jingxuan button up his clothes and return to his previous calm and composed appearance, as if the beauty just now was just her illusion.
She suddenly felt that Zhang Jingxuan was indeed a bad person. He had clearly seen through her thoughts, but he would not let her go and had her under his control.
But she just fell for his tricks.
Xue Yuanyin remembered something again and leaned closer to him, her warm breath brushing against his ears. She deliberately whispered:
"How did you feel just now? I heard your breathing was heavy."
Zhang Jingxuan looked at her face so close to him, his eyes darkening slightly. Under her curious and inquiring gaze, he slowly said:
"Keep it secret for now."
Hmm? What kind of answer is that?
Xue Yuanyin said dissatisfiedly: "Tell me."
She blinked. “How can I improve if you don’t give me feedback?”
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly reached out and grasped her half-crouching calf, stroking it slowly and whispering:
"Then can you also tell me what it feels like besides the itch?"
He slowly moved up and continued, "Has anyone touched you here? Or your thighs? Do you like it?"
Xue Yuanyin suddenly stepped back and stood up, lowering the hem of her skirt that had been accidentally lifted up halfway, her ears feeling slightly hot.
His hand felt like a burning fire when it was placed there. Why didn't I usually feel this hot when I stood next to him...
Zhang Jingxuan stood up from the couch, took a look at the scarlet silk skirt she was wearing, and said:
"Your clothes are beautiful today."
"Yeah?"
Xue Yuanyin flicked the small golden beads dangling from her temples, regaining her composure from the lustful mood. Her mind began to work as she looked up and down at his neatly dressed figure, and said suspiciously:
"Shouldn't you be holding your coming-of-age banquet in the mansion? How did you get out?"
And those young ladies who were said to be looking for him...
She muttered, "You're just going to abandon the whole mansion and leave?"
Zhang Jingxuan said with a half-smile, "Yeah, I made up an excuse to leave early, wasn't it just to see you?"
Xue Yuanyin remembered that she had agreed to draw a clear line between them, but Zhang Jingxuan hadn't taken it seriously at all. She felt a little angry, and then she remembered that he had blocked her on the road not long after she left. This anger burned even more, and her face turned cold.
"You're following me?"
"No." Zhang Jingxuan paused and explained, "I just asked Huaizhou to keep an eye on you to see when you leave. Once you leave, I will wait here."
Xue Yuanyin asked, "What if I don't take the shortcut through this alley?"
Zhang Jingxuan did not try to hide anything and calmly explained:
"I guessed you would set out alone and, considering the distance too long, would most likely take a shortcut. That's why I was confident I could wait for you."
Xue Yuanyin was speechless for a moment.
She was so upset that she wanted to ask him what he meant by this. She was confused and started to pester him again, but then she remembered that he was not pestering her, he was just saying that he wanted to make a deal.
He had something on her, so he vented his most basic desires on her.
In that case, why shouldn't she treat it as a kind of enjoyment?
Xue Yuanyin had some important matters to attend to, so she didn't stay long. Before leaving, Zhang Jingxuan handed her a key and said,
"The private courtyard under my name can be used as a place to rest for a while."
In her puzzled eyes, he did not explain further: "Don't tell anyone else."
Xue Yuanyin said "oh" and took it. When she held it in her hand, she realized something was wrong. Why did she take his key?
But she had already accepted it, and it would seem hypocritical to return it, so she put the key away, said goodbye to him, went out to pick up the gift box that had fallen on the ground, and continued to head towards the residence of the Minister of Rites and the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
When she reached the corner, she glanced sideways and saw that Zhang Jingxuan had already gotten into the carriage and was leaving in the opposite direction.
Xue Yuanyin couldn't describe her mood. She felt a little light-headed, a little excited, a little annoyed, a little upset, and a little reluctant to leave.
After meeting the legitimate son of the Minister of Rites and the eldest son of the Minister of Guanglu Temple, she completed her mission and returned to the Xue Mansion. However, she was still unable to extricate herself from the complicated emotions in her heart.
It was not until I walked into the central hall of the front yard of the Xue Mansion that I saw His Royal Highness Prince Yu sitting at the top, drinking tea with my father.
After she finished her report, His Royal Highness Prince Yu smiled a rare, satisfied smile and nodded slightly, saying, "Now I have a better chance of winning the competition for the position of Sacrifice Master. Xue Ling, you did a great job. The Xue family is lucky to have you."
Xue Yuanyin knew that this was just a hypocritical social exchange. She knew exactly what kind of person His Royal Highness the Prince of Yu was. She also knew how many innocent lives had been sacrificed in those glorious battles he had won.
It was not until she returned to the room that she could come to her senses from the complicated emotions she had after meeting Zhang Jingxuan.
When she came to her senses, she looked at the table. She didn't know how much time had passed, but she had piled the table full of paper kites.
-
Zhang Jingxuan did not return home immediately, but went to the north of the imperial city and took a walk in Zhuyue Palace.
After entering Zhuyue Palace, I realized that this is not only a place for storing books, but more like a small palace built outside the imperial city, or a private courtyard.
The late emperor loved books, so he built the Zhuyue Palace to store his collection of books. However, all the books and classics only occupied one main hall. In addition, there were side halls and side halls, one for bedroom and the other for study.
There's also a back hall, used as a small kitchen, so it's perfectly equipped, with nothing missing. No wonder the late emperor often stayed away from the palace, preferring to stay here.
The steward of Zhu Yue Palace was a low-ranking, sinecure named Uncle Tan. Uncle Tan led Zhang Jingxuan through the various halls, and finally through a corridor to an iron gate. He said,
"There's a dungeon in Zhuyue Palace. During the reign of the previous emperor, it was used to hold some secret criminals. Compared to the Dali Temple or the Ministry of Justice's prison, it's more hidden and less likely to be interfered with by court officials."
Zhang Jingxuan pushed open the iron door and took a look inside. The dungeon was cold and damp, with poor lighting. There was only a small window at the top for ventilation. He needed to light candles on both sides of the corridor to see the road clearly.
Looking further ahead, the cells were hidden in the shadows and could not be clearly seen. However, since no prisoners had been imprisoned there since the death of the previous emperor, it was much cleaner than he had imagined.
He closed the iron door and asked Uncle Tan, "Who owns this dungeon now?"
Uncle Tan thought for a moment and said, "It's under the name of the Eastern Palace and is currently under the jurisdiction of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Because the Eastern Palace has a dungeon, the cells in the Zhuyue Palace are usually not used."
Zhang Jingxuan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the emperor had given him the Zhu Yue Palace as a reward.
It turned out that they were worried that it would be taken away by Prince Yu's faction, so they simply gave it to the prince in advance.
He said gently, "I understand. From now on, please clean Zhu Yue Palace's bedroom diligently. I will come over when I have nothing to do. Thank you, Uncle Tan."
Uncle Tan quickly bowed in agreement.
Zhang Jingxuan left Zhuyue Palace and took a carriage back to the Zhang family.
The coming-of-age banquet had just ended, and my father and mother were smiling as they saw the guests off.
He entered the mansion through the side door, avoiding the sight of outsiders, and returned to Zhanyun Courtyard.
Huaizhou came forward and whispered, "Master and Grandpa both came to ask about it, and I heard that you went to Zhuyue Palace and passed through smoothly."
He said "hmm" lightly and walked into the study.
There were pens, ink, paper, inkstone, and painting brushes on the desk in the study. Zhang Jingxuan locked the door and walked to the front of the bookshelf. He carefully selected the papers in the bookcase for a while, found a suitable piece of drawing paper, and slowly pulled it out.
He walked to the desk, spread the drawing paper on the table, pressed it flat with his fingertips, took a black paperweight from the corner of the table to press it down, picked out the appropriate cinnabar ink, lifted his robe and sat down.
Zhang Jingxuan slowly ground the ink, folded his sleeve with one hand, dipped the other hand in ink and picked up the brush.
After just a moment's thought, he calmly and confidently began to paint. The cinnabar color fell smoothly onto the paper, and soon the outline of a luxurious dress appeared.
A crimson cross-collared right-fronted outer shirt, a deep blue robe, a jade belt tied high around the waist, and wide sleeves.
The sleeves are embroidered with auspicious clouds, the skirt is decorated with ducks and mandarin ducks, and the phoenixes and dragons are embroidered with gold and silver threads to bring good luck.
The hairpins, ornaments and ceremonial dresses are all in red and green, and the jewels are shining.
In the quiet study, the only sound was the ticking of his pen.
After drawing these, Zhang Jingxuan paused slightly. When he recalled it, the tenderness left by measuring in his palm just now seemed to still be warm.
He clenched his fist lightly, then began to write, clearly marking the length and circumference of the shoulders, arms, and silk trousers under the skirt on the blank spaces of the scroll.
He looked at the unmarked area.
Bust, waist, and hips.
Zhang Jingxuan stared at the scroll, his pale eyes tinged with darkness. After a moment, he withdrew his thoughts and slowly put down his pen.
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The author has something to say: I was not allowed to write about the bird eating fruit with its tongue, so I deleted it.
Didn’t Baozi say in the last chapter that the male lead was too proactive?
Doesn’t this immediately reveal the reason?
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