Chapter 76 You... cunning old fox
"So, you weren't drunk at all that night?"
Yan Xue lowered her eyes, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally rubbing the frostbite on her knuckles. "Yes, so it wasn't a slip of the tongue while drunk, but rather I was answering your question very clearly."
Chi Ying lowered her eyes, a bittersweet feeling rising in her heart.
Looking back, he did give her many opportunities, but she was always bound by the shackles of her identity and dared not take another step toward him.
Yan Xuecui chuckled to herself, "Perhaps it's Heaven's punishment for me. You wanted to see me drunk, but you were too soft-hearted to believe me if I drank too much and hurt myself. So I lied and said I was drunk, and naturally you wouldn't believe a drunkard."
Chi Ying sighed. She was indeed too easily fooled by him!
Halfway through wrapping the gauze, she suddenly noticed something amiss. "That night you were drunk, and you kept staring at me."
Yan Xuecui: "Yes."
Chi Ying was taken aback: "You wouldn't have been able to see it back then, would you?"
Yan Xuecui said frankly, "At that time, there were indeed signs of recovery. I could vaguely see the outline of your facial features. Even earlier, it started when I accompanied you to watch the fireworks on the night of the Lunar New Year. My vision was no longer completely dark."
Chi Ying was surprised that it was so early. "So when exactly did you become fully able to see?"
Yan Xuecui chuckled, "You really want to know?"
Chi Ying: "Of course."
Yan Xuecui ran his fingertips over her slender shoulder, where there was still a faint dark mark. He whispered, "On the day you took the silver needle for me, I saw the blood on your shoulder."
Chi Ying was taken aback: "You could see it back then?"
Yan Xuecui: "Yes. But at that time, the late emperor had already become suspicious of me and intended to take back the power in my hands, so I simply pretended to be the one to go through with it, which made things easier for me."
Chi Ying could understand his actions, but...
“No wonder you offered to help me bathe those days,” she said, her cheeks flushed, her mind a jumble of thoughts. “I thought you were blind, that’s why I agreed…”
He had already seen everything!
Yan Xuecui: "So you don't need to be reserved at all, afraid that I'll see something. You've already seen everything you need to see."
Chi Ying blushed and said, "You still dare to talk!"
Yan Xuecui pursed her lips: "But it's okay to be a little reserved. I like it. I like it when you hold me and bite me down there..."
Chi Ying was filled with shame and indignation. She lost control of her strength and tightened the gauze knot with a sudden force, causing even the usually composed man to tense up.
Seeing her exasperated appearance, Yan Xuecui's smile grew even more delighted, and she reached out to pull her into her arms.
That's good.
He liked her like this, her joy and anger, her playful banter and scolding, which made them as close as an ordinary married couple. She never had to be cautious or timid in front of him.
Chi Ying recalled that after the banquet, she always felt like he was watching her. It turned out that he had been able to see her since then.
But this man not only didn't tell her, he also watched her silently for so long, watching her bathe, watching her clean up the messy bed naked. Many times, taking advantage of his inability to see, she would secretly glare at him. Often, because she was afraid of the trouble and that he would ruin her clothes, she wouldn't even wear her nightgown...
Thinking of all this, her cheeks flushed red and her whole body felt hot.
Yan Xuecui felt the warmth in her arms and chuckled softly, "What are you thinking about?"
Chi Ying complained in a low voice, "I just think you're... cunning and treacherous."
Yan Xuecui smiled, a smile she hadn't shown in a long time, so full and joyful, and hugged her even tighter.
Chi Ying was still angry, but when she saw his bloodshot eyes, her heart softened, and she pressed her cheek against his warm chest.
After thinking for a moment, she couldn't help but ask him, "So you recognized me because you saw Chi Yingyue's face?"
It must be said that Chi Yingyue played the role very convincingly. During those days at the Chi family home, she would occasionally have the illusion of looking at herself in the mirror.
Yan Xuecui sighed softly, "Aying, when you love someone and your heart and eyes are filled with her, you will notice the difference at first glance. Whether it is appearance, aura, voice, every frown and smile, even if others cannot see it, in my eyes it is worlds apart, and I cannot mistake her."
Chi Ying lowered her eyelashes. "You were very angry back then, weren't you?"
She tentatively asked him, "Do you want to arrest me right away and punish me severely?"
Yan Xuecui smiled faintly, "Yes, we'll have to settle this score with you slowly."
Chi Ying had been taken too roughly by him earlier, and upon hearing these words, that area began to ache again. She instinctively tried to hide further into the bed, but he pulled her back around the waist without saying a word.
Yan Xuecui closed her eyes, pressed her cheek against her neck, and whispered, "Sleep."
He hasn't had a good night's sleep since she left.
Chi Ying breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he stopped moving.
Unexpectedly, this person, despite his old injuries from traveling thousands of miles, still had the energy to carry out his mission, going over and over again, as if he wanted to break her bones... Fortunately, he stopped.
The night was long, and the rain outside the window continued to fall.
That night was as wondrous as a dream. Even until the moment before their reunion, she still thought that they were worlds apart, destined to never meet again in this life.
The joy and sorrow of reunion, the passionate kiss, the intertwined bodies burning with heat—everything was so real and clear.
It wasn't a dream; they met again.
She never imagined that they would ever have a moment like this, falling asleep in each other's arms, lulled by the sound of rain.
Chi Ying closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything.
Just cherish this moment.
I slept very soundly, as I hadn't had a proper rest in a long time. From Changqing to Jiangnan, I had traveled a long and tiring journey, and then I had to choose a house in Suzhou, clean the courtyard, and make all sorts of preparations. I was so busy that I was exhausted. I only had some free time in the last two days, and I didn't expect him to come again.
When Chi Ying woke up again, it was already dark; she had slept through an entire day.
"woke up?"
A deep, hoarse voice came from above, still carrying the lingering sleepiness of someone just waking up.
Chi Ying tilted her head back, but accidentally bumped into his chin with a dull thud.
Yan Xue Cui hissed softly.
Chi Ying looked apologetic and rubbed his arm a couple of times: "Did I hurt you?"
Yan Xuecui, on the contrary, felt comfortable and said lazily, "I forgive you for your innocence."
After a full day of sound sleep, Chi Ying noticed that the bloodshot in his eyes had faded considerably, and his gaze had regained its sparkle, unlike the gloomy look he had when he arrived yesterday. Only then did she feel a little relieved.
She glanced at the sky outside the window, thinking that she should hurry home. Her mother must be very worried. She had left in a hurry yesterday and was almost kidnapped by him. She hadn't had time to explain to her.
She had barely started to get up when he pressed down on her lower back again. "Where are you going?"
Chi Ying said helplessly, "I've been out for a day and a night, and my mother is still waiting for me to come home."
Yan Xuecui remained silent for a moment, a shadow seemingly hanging over her eyes. "You're in such a hurry to go back after only a day and a night away from your mother, but we've been separated for a full six months. Why didn't you rush to find me then?"
Chi Ying: "..."
Yan Xuecui looked down at her. She had cried too much yesterday, and her eyes were still a little red. He lowered his voice and asked, "You cried as soon as you saw me yesterday. Did you miss me too?"
Although Chi Ying didn't want him to be too proud, she still nodded gently.
Yan Xuecui pondered for a moment and said, "I happen to have some things to take care of in Jiangnan. Once I'm done, you will come back to the capital with me."
Chi Ying paused for a moment, wanting to ask some questions, but remained silent.
Yan Xuecui noticed that she seemed preoccupied and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chi Ying hesitated, but just then her stomach growled, so she changed the subject: "Is Your Highness hungry?"
Yan Xuecui sighed softly and replied, "I'll have someone prepare a meal so I can take advantage of our stay in Suzhou to give you a good rest."
He paused slightly, then said, "I'll send someone to tell your mother."
Chi Ying nodded and got up to change her clothes.
As soon as she stepped out of the house, a young woman dressed in a light blue lotus-patterned ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) walked towards her from the corridor. She was beautiful and graceful, with a slender figure, like a lotus emerging from the water. Upon seeing her, she nodded and gave a respectful greeting.
Chi Ying stood there stunned, not having a chance to react, when Yan Xuecui came out of the house. The girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly bowed and said in a soft voice, "My daughter is Song Jinshu. My father is Song Zhen, the prefect of Suzhou. Tonight, my father has prepared a banquet and singing and dancing at Qionghua Tower. He respectfully invites Your Majesty and the young lady to come and join us."
The people of Southern Zhili only knew that Emperor Jing'an had gone south to find a woman, and did not know that Chi Ying was the former Princess Zhao, so they only referred to her as "Miss".
Yan Xue's brows furrowed with impatience, but she first turned her head and asked her, "Do you want to go?"
Chi Ying hadn't expected him to ask for her opinion in front of others. After all, it was the prefect who was hosting a welcome dinner for him, so how could she be the one to express her opinion?
Moreover, when it comes to welcoming guests, either the prefect himself or someone else is sent to invite him, and his intentions are quite obvious.
Chi Ying suppressed the inexplicable heaviness in her heart and pursed her lips, saying, "Your Majesty need not worry about me. I was originally going back to be with my mother..."
Yan Xue interrupted softly, "Would you mind if I also went to bother my mother-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, not only was Chi Ying surprised, but Song Jinshu's face also turned pale and then flushed instantly, and he almost lost his composure.
The emperor, a man of great stature, did not refer to himself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I") in front of her, but instead used the more intimate "我" (Wo, the "I"), and even called her mother-in-law "岳母" (Yuemu, the "mother-in-law"). He acted just like an ordinary married couple.
She had heard from her father that His Majesty had been sending people to search for the mother and daughter. The girl came from a humble background and lived with her mother. They had only moved to Suzhou this spring and were now living in a remote house.
It's true that Emperor Jing'an was captivated by her, and he would inevitably grant her a rank when he brought her back to the capital. However, in such a vast harem, there are always other places for others.
She was exceptionally beautiful and quite talented in Jiangnan. Her father, fearing that Emperor Jing'an would soon return to the capital, hastily arranged for her to appear before His Majesty. For tonight's banquet, she had even meticulously prepared a dance of the Goddess of the Luo River. She never expected that he would disregard her so much and even address a mere commoner as his mother-in-law in front of her. This was simply... unbelievable.
Despite the turmoil and shame churning within her, Song Jinshu clenched her fingers, barely managing to compose herself, and yielded to make way.
Chi Ying felt extremely embarrassed under her resentful gaze.
He paid no heed to her presence, holding her hand as they walked to the courtyard gate. Then, he leaped up and pulled her onto the horse's back.
The garden was not far from her small courtyard in Qingmei Lane; the wind howled in her ears, and she arrived in no time.
When they arrived, Yan Xuecui did not immediately help her off the horse. Instead, he whispered in her ear, "Next time you encounter these people, I'll teach you a way."
Chi Ying was stunned: "What?"
Yan Xuecui said, "As long as you call me husband to my face, all the demons and monsters will disappear."
Chi Ying lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time.
She hadn't dared to call him that before because of his fake princess status. Now that he was above everyone else, how he addressed her and her mother was a special honor bestowed upon them by him, a favor from heaven. They couldn't take advantage of this honor to truly consider themselves his wife and mother-in-law.
Besides, she herself doesn't even know her current identity.
Seeing that she was so embarrassed, Yan Xuecui could no longer bear it. She used her fingertips to turn her chin and make her look at her. "If I said that this is not a suggestion, but an order."
Chi Ying had no choice but to say, "Well... I'll try it next time."
Yan Xuecui was almost laughing in exasperation at her; she was still trying to dodge his questions at this point.
He suppressed his smile, his serious expression exuding the majesty of an emperor. "From this day forward, call me husband."
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