Chapter 54 Good "Aren't you willing to take responsibility for me?"
"Yaoyao..." A faint, low call came from the crook of her neck, weaker and more lingering than before. The heat of his body and the broken calls were like invisible threads, wrapping around her layer by layer, gently but firmly sealing off all her escape routes.
Meng Lingyao's body trembled slightly. She looked at her blood-stained sleeves, the dark red spots spreading, and felt the hot, dampness on her neck. In the darkness, his suppressed breathing was like the strongest liquor, making her dizzy.
Color bestows upon the soul, and the heart finds joy in its presence.
She probably won't be able to leave today.
Meng Lingyao closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently. When she opened them again, the struggling mist in her eyes had dissipated.
She slowly raised her bloodless hand, her fingers trembling, and touched Pei Xu's hot, sweat-drenched cheek. The moment their skin touched, they both shuddered for a second.
“Pei Xu…” Her voice was as soft as a sigh, echoing faintly in the small, dark stone cave, “You… don’t be afraid.”
The hand that was stroking his cheek was clearly cold, yet it felt like a spark thrown into boiling oil. Pei Xu froze abruptly, the last vestige of clarity in his eyes instantly swallowed up by an even more turbulent wave of darkness.
His scalding breath suddenly drew near, carrying an undeniable sense of predation, and he fiercely seized her lips.
“Mmm…” Meng Lingyao’s voice was blocked.
Pei Shaoqing was clearly not skilled in this art; the kiss was utterly haphazard, driven only by primal possessiveness, sweeping over all her senses like a whirlwind. Her lips were roughly crushed and sucked, the metallic taste of blood filling the air between them, indistinguishable whether it was his blood or her broken lip.
The dagger fell to the cold stone ground with a clatter, making a crisp and abrupt sound, but no one paid any attention.
Meng Lingyao's mind went blank; her soul seemed to have been ripped from her body by this scorching plunder. She instinctively tried to push it away, but all she touched were taut muscles, dripping sweat, and… the wound she had inflicted herself, still bleeding. The sticky, warm touch surged through her fingertips like an electric current, stealing all her strength.
His calloused fingertips brushed against the delicate skin of her neck, sending shivers down her spine and sending shivers through her. Meng Lingyao trembled, almost collapsing. Her last shred of reason made her turn her head away from the kiss that was about to devour her, her breath coming in short gasps, her voice trembling, "No... Pei Xu... your wound... is still bleeding."
Pei Xu seemed to pause for a moment, his burning lips pressed against her earlobe, his voice muffled and nasal, "Yaoyao...it hurts..."
He buried his face deeper into the crook of her neck, like a child seeking comfort, his lips and tongue licking and sucking on the skin of her neck, leaving several wet marks and a slight sting.
He was incredibly cunning. Meng Lingyao couldn't tell whether that "pain" was a mumbled word uttered when he was delirious or something he did on purpose.
Either one would be enough to shatter all her resistance and struggles.
Her hand, which had been pressed against his chest, slowly loosened its grip and fell to his side. Her fingertips trembled as she groped for the already loose and disheveled belt around his waist…
In the darkness, the jade belt buckle fell to the ground with a soft "ding".
"You... why aren't you ready yet?"
"Soon."
"You said the same thing just now... um..." The soft female voice contained a hint of resentment, which was then instantly drowned out by the entanglement of lips and teeth.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but Meng Lingyao was so exhausted from the kisses that her whole body felt weak and her hands trembled violently. Her mind was hazy, and she could only hear Pei Xu's low, hoarse voice in her ear, "Yaoyao, don't look at me."
She instinctively opened her eyes, and a hand tightly covered them. In the darkness, she smelled a strange scent.
His hand slowly loosened, and warm lips landed on her eyelashes. "Yaoyao, I will ask my grandfather to come and propose marriage."
Will you marry me?
Meng Lingyao was stunned and had not yet come to her senses, so she did not respond for a moment.
The silence dimmed Pei Xu's eyes. He pursed his lips and asked, "Aren't you willing to take responsibility for me?"
Meng Lingyao's lips parted slightly, just as she was about to answer—
"Miss, Miss, where are you? Are you alright?" Songlan's soft voice called from outside.
Pei Xu's eyes sharpened, and he moved swiftly, quickly straightening his clothes and regaining his usual cold and composed demeanor. He gently helped Meng Lingyao to her feet and said in a low voice, "I'll go out first, please wait a moment."
Just as he was about to disappear into the swaying light and shadow outside the cave, a very soft, subtle response came from behind him—
"good."
Pei Xu stopped and turned back to give her a deep look.
Inside the front courtyard's flower hall, the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and wine cups clinked in celebration.
Zhao Xu had been searching everywhere for Meng Lingyao, but to no avail. He walked over to Xie Chengyu, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Miss Xie, I apologize for bothering you, but have you seen Miss Meng?"
Xie Chengyu put down her white jade wine cup, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked him up and down with a half-smile. "General Zhao, why aren't you looking for your sister? What are you doing asking about Ling Yao?"
Zhao Xu blushed slightly, appearing particularly awkward under her probing gaze. He coughed lightly and finally confessed, "To be honest, I... I have long admired Miss Meng, and a few days ago I asked my mother to choose a day to propose marriage. Today I originally intended to..."
"I see." Xie Chengyu's eyes darted around, his gaze sweeping over him, before he reluctantly nodded.
"General Zhao is indeed thoughtful."
As they were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out not far away. Zhao Ruxuan pointed at a flustered palace maid and said in a shrill voice, "What are you doing in such a panic, girl? You've spilled wine all over me!"
The palace maid knelt down tremblingly to beg for forgiveness, but Zhao Ruxuan was relentless, saying, "You've been acting suspiciously; you've obviously done something shameful!"
Xie Chengyu turned her head at the sound, and when she saw the palace maid's face clearly, her eyes sharpened. She recognized her as the one who had just delivered the wine to Meng Lingyao. Although Pei Xu had ultimately drunk the wine on her behalf, she wasn't worried that the aloof Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review would make any mistakes, but…
Her gaze swept quickly across the flower hall, and she suddenly realized that she hadn't seen Meng Lingyao and Pei Xu for quite some time.
I hope nothing bad has happened.
Zhao Xu quickly stepped forward. He first noticed the wine stains on his sister's skirt, his brows furrowing slightly. His gaze then fell on the palace maid, showing no harshness, only a hint of scrutiny. He spoke, just in time to interrupt Zhao Ruxuan's attempt to launch into further accusations, "Ruxuan, it was just an accident. Don't be alarmed and lose face. Didn't you bring two sets of clothes to change into?"
“It’s pointless to blame her now. There’s a quiet room in the garden; go and change there quickly.”
Zhao Ruxuan stomped her foot, still unwilling, but was calmed down by her brother's steady gaze.
"Brother always sides with outsiders." Though she was still complaining, she eventually stopped talking, only giving the palace maid a fierce glare.
Zhao Xu then nodded slightly to the kneeling palace maid, "Get up and leave." The palace maid felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly kowtowed and withdrew.
Zhao Xu personally led his still sullen sister away from the flower hall and towards the quiet room.
When he returned, the banquet atmosphere had returned to normal. Xie Chengyu was toying with her wine glass, her posture elegant. Zhao Xu took his seat, his gaze sweeping across the flower hall again, still not seeing that expectant figure, then looked at Xie Chengyu, "Miss Xie, I wonder about Miss Meng..."
Xie Chengyu took a sip of the sake in his cup, his expression calm. He looked up at him and said lightly, "Just now, a servant came to report that Lingyao was feeling a bit stuffy and dizzy, probably due to the heat in the garden. Seeing that she was not in good spirits, I arranged for her to take a carriage home early. She is probably resting in her own boudoir by now."
Upon hearing this, a clear hint of disappointment flashed across Zhao Xu's eyes, like a star suddenly dimming. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft "Oh," and then said, "Thank you for informing me, Miss."
He sat down again, but his gaze unconsciously drifted back to where Meng Lingyao had been sitting, as if filled with endless melancholy.
Xie Chengyu put down her wine cup, subtly glancing at Zhao Xu's dejected expression. She didn't tell him that it was Pei Xu's servant, Qingzhou, who had rushed over to inform her of the news. The servant, in a hurry, only said that Lord Pei and Miss Meng were both unwell and had returned to their respective residences to rest.
Naturally, she had no need to inform Zhao Xu.
-
Steam rose, carrying the delicate fragrance of orchids. Meng Lingyao leaned against the bathtub with her eyes closed, the warm water enveloping her aching limbs. The rising mist blurred Song Lan's hesitant expression.
"Miss..." she finally couldn't help but tremble with lingering fear in her voice.
Meng Lingyao didn't open her eyes, but lazily said, "Ask whatever you want."
"I was terrified!" Songlan said, her voice quickening with lingering fear. "He promised to be back in half an hour, but I waited and waited and waited, and he never showed up. I was so anxious that I had no choice but to take the reins and lead people to search everywhere..."
Upon hearing the word "half an hour," Meng Lingyao's eyelids twitched slightly, and she felt her hands inexplicably begin to tremble again.
"Who would have thought... that after finally finding you, your clothes would still be stained with blood!"
Songlan's voice trailed off, hesitantly, her gaze involuntarily falling on her mistress's neck. Water droplets rolled down her fair, delicate skin, and a few slightly swollen red marks were faintly visible in the mist, like tiny red plum blossoms quietly blooming in the snow. Her gaze moved further up, and her lips also revealed an unusual crimson hue.
Songlan suddenly closed her eyes, an indescribable resentment stuck in her chest. The young lady's appearance clearly... clearly showed that she had been taken advantage of!
Fortunately, her clothes were still relatively intact at the time, and the bloodstains on her sleeves were not from the young lady. On the contrary, it was the usually aloof and noble Pei Shaoqing whose clothes were torn and who looked disheveled...
Rippling water, Meng Lingyao slowly opened her eyes, her gaze reflecting the water. She raised her hand, lifting a strand of wet, black hair from the water, twirling it between her fingers. "I'm alright..."
She sighed softly, "It was nothing more than being blinded by lust and making a mistake that any woman in the world might make."
Songlan was taken aback. She opened her mouth, but saw that her mistress had already closed her eyes again, looking tired. So she had no choice but to swallow back her surprise and doubt.
"Oh, right." Meng Lingyao suddenly remembered something, "Have you seen my dagger?"
Songlan shook her head. "When I left, I took a special look, and there was nothing left in the cave."
Meng Lingyao frowned and could only say, "Never mind."
The daggers on either side have served their purpose.
-
The Dragon Boat Festival has just passed, and Beijing has been quiet for a few days, except for one old shop that has recently reopened and is bustling with activity.
Holding the rouge that the servants had painstakingly bought after queuing for so long, Zhao Ruxuan slipped lightly into her brother's study, her eyes darting around.
"Second Brother," she lowered her voice, leaning closer to Zhao Xu who was wiping his sword, "do you know who Mother plans to invite to the Meng family to propose marriage?"
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Author's Note: There were some issues with the content, so it couldn't pass review and was posted a little late. Sorry everyone! [kissing emojis]
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