Chapter 9 Wei Zhang suddenly caught the back of her head...
Wei Zhang took deep breaths, but to no avail.
“Take it off and come in,” he said hoarsely.
He had to admit that her body was perfect.
He probably just misses the feeling of being nestled in her tenderness that night, which is why he's been acting strangely today.
This is nothing more than a man's most primal desire for a woman. What's so special about it?
Once you break free from illusions, your mind will find peace.
He tapped on the edge of the bathtub.
Xue Lanyi knew perfectly well what he was going to do in this situation.
She was his concubine; he could take her whenever he wanted, and she had to obey.
Xue Lanyi hesitated before touching the jade buttons on her collar. Under his gaze, the buttons loosened one by one, revealing a large expanse of fair skin beneath her neck.
The ravines rose and fell with her breath, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
His eyes were deep and intense, so dark they seemed unfathomable.
Her fingertips plunged into the cleavage, tugging at her undergarments.
The straps loosened and slid down her full, jade-like breasts.
As spring's beauty was briefly revealed, she suddenly crossed her arms and exclaimed, "Your Highness, I do not wish to!"
This is not what she wanted!
She didn't resist having sex with him, but she didn't want a simple release of desire like that night.
She clutched her collar and hastily knelt down to leave.
Wei Zhang had no intention of forcing him. He leaned back lazily against the bathtub as usual and slowly closed his eyes.
A barely audible chuckle mingled with his breath.
He seemed to be laughing at how fragile Xue Lanyi's professed affection was.
He didn't understand her feelings.
Xue Lanyi paused, her movement of lifting the beaded curtain froze. "Your Highness, I am referring to affection, not lust."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Wei Zhang asked casually.
The seven emotions and six desires are a universal truth; doesn't he understand? How is she supposed to explain it?
Xue Lanyi was speechless for a moment, and slowly turned back.
Before Wei Zhang could react, she bent down, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed his lips.
She had never kissed him, not even during their last sexual encounter.
Therefore, Xue Lanyi kissed him haphazardly, intermittently following the corners of his lips and kissing his cupid's bow.
Wei Zhang was clearly not expected to see this, and his lips parted slightly.
Xue Lanyi took the opportunity to pry open his teeth and tried to kiss him passionately.
She had no special skills, but touched him with her sincere heart, conveying her longing to him.
A dampness spread through Wei Zhang's mouth.
She repeatedly teased his sensitive nerves, only to withdraw again.
He teased her, then withdrew.
The cramped inner room was silent, save for the sound of her kissing him echoing in the damp air.
It's like being lost in a maze, making one's mind unclear.
An unbearable itch surged wildly from the bottom of his heart, and Wei Zhang suddenly cupped the back of her head, tilted his head back, and kissed her lower lip.
A sweet taste spread through my mouth.
The two opened their eyes at the same time, their eyes met, and their noses touched.
Xue Lanyi did not stop him. Instead, she squatted down to be level with him and put her arm around his shoulder so that he could kiss her.
He stiffly touched her lips with his own.
It was a very light and subtle movement, and she was dressed very conservatively.
But a huge chasm had formed in his heart, which required far more and more desires to fill.
Too much desire is a precipice.
A glimmer of light appeared in Wei Zhang's hazy eyes, and he released her.
Xue Lanyi sensed his fleeting loss of control just moments before.
"Your Highness understands my feelings, doesn't he?" A ray of light shone in her heart. "Your Highness still has feelings for me too..."
What is it?
Wei Zhang interrupted her, grabbed her hand, and shoved her underwater.
He was strong, and Xue Lanyi stumbled, almost falling into the bathtub.
Water splashed all over her face and messed up her hair.
Xue Lanyi felt the scalding water temperature and her legs went weak. She retreated in shame.
Wei Zhang held her captive and in control, his eyes filled with disdain. "Tell me, what's the difference?"
What does it mean to have love as deep as the sea, love as strong as gold, love that can be witnessed? In the end, doesn't it all come down to desire?
Why go to such lengths and use grand but hypocritical words to try and manipulate people's hearts?
"Just do your job."
He was cold, even his actions of venting his anger were cold and domineering.
Xue Lanyi was nothing more than a tool.
It's just a tool, why talk about feelings?
Xue Lanyi couldn't even withdraw her hand, because a tool doesn't have the right to say "no".
Her duty was no different from that of countless concubines in noble households.
What are we persisting in?
What are you fantasizing about?
He pulled Xue Lanyi along, her weak body constantly bumping against the bathtub.
The bones in my arm were repeatedly bumped against the edge of the bathtub.
She was in some pain, and her eyes were misty as she looked at Wei Zhang, but Wei Zhang's eyes were as frozen as ice, without a ripple of emotion.
The bathwater cooled down, and the air cooled down too, before Wei Zhang finally let go of her hand.
Xue Lanyi collapsed to the ground, panting intermittently.
Wei Zhang got up, put on his outer robe, and left the inner room.
When he lifted the beaded curtain, he turned around and glanced at Xue Lanyi again.
She sat listlessly, not uttering a single word, as murky water droplets dripped from her fingertips, soaking her dress, but she was too exhausted to care.
Wei Zhang opened his mouth, but what came out was: "Don't say anything nonsensical again."
"Okay." Xue Lanyi finally uttered a single word.
Wei Zhang froze in place as he tried to lift the curtain, and after a short while, there was no further conversation behind him.
He said no more and walked away from the study.
In the quiet room, only the sound of the beaded curtain rustling could be heard.
The halo of light refracted by the glass beads swayed in the room, making Xue Lanyi's face appear and disappear in the light.
She sat there blankly for a long time before silently wiping away his traces.
Granny Liu came in and draped an outer robe over Xue Lanyi's shoulders. "Miss, why don't you go to the kitchen and warm yourself by the fire? Be careful not to catch a chill at night."
Granny Liu was busy in the small kitchen just now. It was Qingyang, who was by the young master's side, who sent her to pick up the young lady.
It seems that the young master now understands how to be considerate of the young lady. And smelling the unusual scent in the room, Granny Liu naturally assumed that the two had taken a step closer to each other.
"The red beans that the girl steamed before she went inside are already cooked. Now it's just the right time to go to the kitchen to make longevity peaches."
"No need." Xue Lanyi's face was expressionless as she stood up weakly.
Granny Liu's smile froze, a sense of doubt creeping into her heart.
The young lady had suffered many setbacks in front of the prince in the past, but she always managed to resolve them on her own.
Now that they have such an inseparable relationship with the Crown Prince, how come they have lost their fighting spirit?
Xue Lanyi remained silent and walked out with stiff steps.
As I pushed open the door, a fragrant scent of lilies wafted out.
Xue Lanyi turned her head to the side; her flowers were growing stubbornly at the base of the wall.
Is it really possible to survive?
She walked over to the flowerpot and picked up the sachet containing fertilizer that was placed next to it.
Her tiger's mouth was red and swollen, and her hand was trembling.
The purse slipped from his fingertips, spilling all the fertilizer inside onto the ground.
"Oh dear, this is terrible!" Granny Liu hurriedly squatted down and scooped up the fertilizer.
She knew how much effort the girl had put into this pot of flowers. In the past three years, whenever there was a storm, the girl couldn't sleep well and would always go to check on the pot of flowers again and again.
But Xue Lanyi stopped moving at this moment, staring blankly at the busy Granny Liu. "I heard that lilies have different blooming periods, some blooming in as little as three months and others in as long as three years, is that right?"
"Yes! Won't the clouds soon part?" Granny Liu advised.
Xue Lanyi then asked, "So, if it doesn't bloom after three years, then it will never bloom again, right?"
Grandma Liu's hand trembled, and the fertilizer slipped through her fingers.
The wind blowing through the corridor carried away the powder and scattered it.
Xue Lanyi watched the dust drift past her eyes, but she didn't try to catch it. She muttered to herself, "There are still fifteen days until the start of summer, right?"
Her last spring with this pot of lilies is about to end.
She will soon see the results.
Perhaps the eldest son is right; she should give herself some time to recover.
The flowers will bloom in fifteen days, and the procedure for taking a concubine will also take fifteen days.
Let's wait and see. Why rush into giving yourself to someone?
"Mother, please help me to Shuying Hall to find the eldest young master..."
Since this matter involves interfering in Wei Zhang's private affairs, she should not openly associate with the eldest son, lest she put him in a difficult position.
She pondered for a moment, "Please trouble Mother to prepare pen and ink, and send a letter to the eldest son later."
Xue Lanyi's identity was sensitive, and she couldn't let the eldest young master help her without knowing the truth, lest she implicate him in the end.
She planned to tell the eldest son everything about her background.
Her intuition told her that Wei Xuan was not a bad person, and she could confide in him without worry.
She sat by the window, ground the ink, picked up the brush, and wrote down everything in detail.
When she awoke from amnesia, the jailer was pressing her down on the torture chair and branding her arm with a bright red dagger.
From then on, no matter where she went, she could never erase her identity as a prostitute.
Later, she was bought by a seriously ill wealthy man to bring him good luck, but the old man died on the bed during their consummation due to a moment of emotional distress.
She was then secretly taken in by the governor of Yangzhou, who made her bind her waist and enlarge her breasts according to the preferences of the general of the Northern Camp, and teach her the art of seduction in the bedroom, so that she could provide the general with pleasure in the future.
She passed through the hands of three different people before finally reaching Wei Zhang's side.
...
She briefly described her life in elegant small regular script.
Afterwards, she spent a great deal of time compiling and listing information about the officials and wealthy people related to her.
The writing is fluent and extremely detailed.
Grandma Liu recognized a few words and looked at Xue Lanyi in surprise.
In the candlelight, the girl's delicate face showed little emotion; instead, she appeared composed and calm.
Few girls can recount such a difficult experience to others without being emotional.
Perhaps it's because one has suffered too many setbacks that one's heart becomes indestructible.
Granny Liu recalled all the years she had taken care of her. No matter how Yan Chun and his ilk caused trouble every day, or how the young master treated her coldly, she had never seen the girl shed a tear.
But young lady, aren't you just a twenty-nine-year-old girl?
"In the future, there will surely be a fine young man who will cherish the girl dearly."
Grandma Liu sighed softly, but Xue Lanyi didn't hear her clearly. "What did Mom say?"
"..."
Grandma Liu choked.
She spoke without thinking, just because she was feeling emotional.
A servant's fate is in the hands of her master.
The young lady's fate is in the hands of the prince; whether he cherishes her or not is entirely up to him, and has no say in the matter.
Grandma Liu shook her head. "Is the letter finished?"
Xue Lanyi nodded, folded the letter, and handed it to Granny Liu. "Tell the eldest young master that if there are any people or things involved that might implicate him, he doesn't have to help me. I can understand."
"Don't worry, young lady."
Later that night, when everyone was quiet and there was hardly anyone in Chong'an Hall, Granny Liu quietly went to Shuying Hall.
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