Chapter 47 He seemed to have been "looking" at her for a long time...
The water surface shimmered, like thousands of stars scattered across the sky; cupping the water in your palm felt like holding a small sea of stars.
Chi Ying thought his hands were really beautiful.
Her hands were fair and slender, with distinct finger bones. The cool river water had revealed prominent veins on the back of her hands, and her jade-white knuckles had a faint pink tinge.
Holding his hand, Chi Ying vaguely recalled countless dark nights when this hand caressed every inch of her skin, how it relentlessly kneaded and entwined her, forcing her to let out uncontrollable moans... Thinking of this, she couldn't help but blush and her heart race.
Yan Xue noticed her sudden awkwardness and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Chi Ying stopped looking at his hand, turned around and lay down on the deck, resting her head on the sound of the waves, watching the lights on both banks and the stars in the sky.
After a long pause, she spoke softly, “What I want to say to Your Highness is that Your Highness is only temporarily blind, but these beautiful things still surround Your Highness. You can hear the sound of drums and waves, and you can feel the gentleness of the night breeze and the coolness of the lake. You may not see them with your own eyes, but as long as you calm down and feel them, the beauty of the world is always there.”
The girl's soft voice flowed over his ears like spring water, and Yan Xue's heart tightened, as if the softest part of his heart was being wrapped up, pulling him down little by little, and a delicate tingling sensation spreading silently.
Since he went blind, the entire household has kept silent, fearing to anger him. In order to suppress the turmoil and violence in his heart, he has become increasingly gloomy and cruel. Not only is he notorious outside, but even his confidants are terrified in his presence.
No one had ever dared to speak to him like that, to confront his disability, or to tell him that there was still beauty within reach in the world.
Yan Xuecui lay down beside her on the deck, their heads resting on the water.
Countless points of light flickered before his eyes, and the faint scent of orange blossoms lingered around his nose. He suddenly turned over, his palm supporting him beside her. In his hazy vision, a snow-white light and shadow were reflected. The girl's eyes were bright and dark, clearly startled by his sudden action, and they were wide open.
Thinking of Cheng Huai and the boatman still on the bow, Chi Ying dared not get close to him under the open sky. In her panic, she awkwardly changed the subject, "Um, Your Highness Prince Xuan..."
Yan Xue's smile faltered slightly. "Why bring him up?"
Chi Ying said, "I suddenly remembered that Consort Li, who was enjoying the fragrance of love at the banquet, was none other than Prince Xuan's mother."
"Yes." Yan Xue's voice was devoid of emotion.
Chi Ying was a little worried: "Won't he hold a grudge against His Highness because of this?"
Yan Xuecui remained noncommittal.
It's more than just holding a grudge.
Prince Xuan and Prince Rong were brothers, and their mothers both came from the Ning clan. From the moment he discovered that Prince Rong had murdered his brother, he harbored a deep hatred for the Ning family, who had repeatedly sent assassins to kill him in recent years.
Now that he has overthrown Consort Li and is secretly luring Prince Rong into a coup, he is determined to eliminate the Ning family, who are Prince Rong's backers, and leave no future troubles.
Between him and King Xuan, there was only one outcome: a fight to the death.
Not to mention, he also secretly harbors feelings for his princess. For this alone, Yan Xuecui will not show any mercy.
Yan Xue smiled enigmatically and said calmly, "She holds a grudge."
Chi Ying thought to herself, no wonder when they met earlier, King Xuan's expression was neither warm nor cold, and his smile was forced.
She tensed instantly, her fingers gripping his sleeve tightening slightly. "Could he secretly plot against His Highness?"
Yan Xuecui said, half-jokingly, "How could it not be? Several of the wounds on my body were inflicted by him."
Chi Ying opened her mouth in surprise, but after thinking about it, she swallowed her resentful words. In the end, she couldn't gossip about the prince in private.
She was still thinking about his injuries when the man suddenly reached out and loosened his belt. Chi Ying was startled and quickly asked, "What is Your Highness doing here?"
Yan Xuecui said calmly, "Let me see your wound."
Chi Ying: "...No need for that, it's so dark, we can't see clearly here, shall we go back and look again?"
Yan Xue glanced around and saw that there were indeed only a few lights flickering at the stern, but the cabin was brightly lit.
He suggested, "Shall we go to the cabin?"
Chi Ying looked at the cabin filled with twelve flower lamps and couldn't bring herself to say "the cabin is dark," so she resigned herself to her fate and helped him into the cabin.
Although the boat was not large, it was fully equipped. Chi Ying, trying to hide something, lowered the bamboo curtains on all four sides and explained, "I was afraid that outsiders would see His Highness."
Yan Xuecui couldn't help but laugh: "Okay."
He got up and walked to the bow of the boat, whispering a few words to Cheng Huai and the other man. Cheng Huai immediately bowed and withdrew, then boarded another boat hidden in the shadows with the boatman. This way, they could ensure the prince's safety without disturbing their masters.
There were only two people left on the boat.
Chi Ying covered her face in embarrassment.
He even chased the person away; his intentions were crystal clear.
She thought she was just here to enjoy the night view and play in the water, but unexpectedly... She was the last person she wanted her private affairs to be known, and now, well, it's all over the place.
King Zhao was not familiar with the layout of the cabin, so Chi Ying had to help him sit down at the table. Just as she was about to pour him a cup of tea to ease the awkwardness, her waist suddenly tightened, and she was caught off guard and pulled into his arms.
Their warm breaths were close to each other's. He seemed to have been "looking" at her for a long time. When she tremblingly raised her eyes, his kisses gently landed on her eyelashes, then on her nose and lips.
Chi Ying couldn't help but hold her breath.
As far as I can remember, he has never been so gentle.
He was always eager, passionate, and irresistible, but at this moment, he gently cupped her face and a soft, spring-like kiss slowly landed on her cheek.
Chi Ying had a strange feeling, as if she was cherished by him, her heart was enveloped in tenderness, and her heart fluttered even more than before.
An unspeakable emotion even spread through her, a desire to be held tighter and kissed more deeply by him.
This thought left her confused, and it also made her instinctively hug the man's waist tighter, getting closer to him.
Yan Xue kissed her rosy lips passionately, slowly moving her lips downwards.
In the past, all he could see was darkness, but the sweet and warm scent of orange blossom at the tip of his nose, along with the soft and smooth feel of his fingertips, allowed him to recognize her and fully experience her.
But today was different. Through the hazy light and shadow, he saw the soft pink of the gauze dress, the bright red of the lips, and the dazzling white below the collarbone, all of which matched the colors he had imagined.
He finally understood more clearly what kind of place he was kissing—was it snow-white as cream, or as beautiful as a crabapple blossom?
Thus, his kiss was no longer a groping in the dark based solely on intuition, but became a revelry of alternating sight and touch.
Like someone who has regained their sight, they eagerly admire all the beautiful scenery before them, not wanting to miss a single spot.
He made her sit on his lap, taking in every detail of her slender, graceful figure, watching her soft, snow-white hair sway with the hull of the boat, watching her long black hair cascade down like a waterfall, swirling around his waist, and watching her hairpins fall, their tips piercing his long-healed old wounds, leaving behind a pleasurable pain and itch.
As time passed, the lights on the river became sparse, and few pedestrians lined the banks. The hustle and bustle faded away, and the splendor of the past was gone. Only the lights in the center of the lake remained bright.
Chi Ying became somewhat disoriented towards the end, almost thinking she was lying on a curtain of water, unable to distinguish whether she was on a boat or in the water. It wasn't until both of them were soaked that she suddenly came to her senses, looking at the mess in front of her in a panic and helplessness.
"Your Highness, I..." She seemed to have done something wrong.
Instead of being surprised, the person actually picked up a drop of water that had splashed on their chest with their fingertip and tasted it.
Chi Ying was immediately embarrassed, "You..."
After tasting it, Yan Xuecui seemed to realize for the first time that she said, "Sorry, I didn't see what it was."
Chi Ying was filled with shame. If he weren't blind, she would have really thought he did it on purpose.
Yan Xuecui pulled out a piece of clothing from his side, which seemed to have been torn by him and was no longer wearable, so he handed it to her and said, "Use it to wipe me down."
Chi Ying looked at her pitiful little clothes. Fortunately, there were clean clothes on the ship, otherwise she wouldn't know how to go out and face people.
She bit her lower lip, steeled herself, took the small garment, and gently wiped the dirt on his front.
Knowing that he was blind, she had gradually overcome her shame about being naked in these matters and could routinely clean him without wearing any clothes.
Yan Xuecui watched as the bright white light approached, her black hair hanging down, revealing two faint plum-red spots. She would occasionally look up to make sure he really couldn't see her before continuing with peace of mind.
The small garment brushed against his firm and powerful waist and abdomen, and Chi Ying could clearly see his crisscrossing old wounds. She used to think that these were scars left from the battlefield, but little did she know that many of them came from his brothers who had harmed his own flesh and blood.
King Xuan is a hypocrite, a beast in human clothing. It seems she'd better take a detour next time they meet to avoid getting into trouble.
As for the woman behind Prince Xuan, Chi Ying wasn't sure if they were together, but the woman's figure resembled Chi Yingyue's remarkably, and she was also wearing a veil. Chi Yingyue was currently in a position where she absolutely couldn't show her face in public; if she were to go out, she would always wear a veil.
If it really is her, then the high branch she climbed up is King Xuan?
Chi Ying shook her head, realizing she was overthinking things. She hadn't even seen the person's face yet, so it was best not to make wild guesses.
Seeing her rubbing his abs back and forth for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, Yan Xuecui couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
Chi Ying snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, "No."
She quickly cleaned him up, brought him clean robes, and then began to wipe herself down.
She never expected to lose her composure like this today. Perhaps it was the alluring atmosphere in the cabin, or perhaps it was the rocking of the water that caused her to sink deeper into the water even when she wasn't moving, drifting aimlessly with the current. Just then, a gust of wind picked up, and the ship rocked violently, giving her a jolt that went straight to the top of her head...
She lowered her head and vigorously wiped the last bit of mud off her feet, but just as she changed her clothes, he pulled her back.
Chi Ying had to grit her teeth and remind him, "This is the only clean piece of clothing I have left."
Yan Xuecui laughed and said, "What do you think I'm going to do?"
He pulled her to his side, letting her rest her head on his arm. The two of them nestled together, swaying gently as they lay in the cabin, their exhaustion slowly dissipating.
Chi Ying was held in his arms and secretly looked up at his face.
Her pale skin was tinged with a soft, warm yellow by the candlelight, and her eyes, as always, had a deep gray undertone, yet under the candlelight, they shimmered with tiny, bright points of light.
She was very happy today, and there were moments when she almost forgot all her troubles.
These days are so wonderful they're almost unsettling; I wonder how long they can last.
The appearance of someone who looked a lot like Chi Yingyue reminded her.
Everything before her eyes was not hers to possess, and one day it would be returned to its rightful owner, perhaps in an even more cruel way, tearing this dreamlike beauty to shreds.
Just as she was lost in thought, a warm kiss, accompanied by soft breaths, landed on her cheek again.
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