Chapter 99 A Couple's Alike She trembled violently, yet refused to admit defeat...
The events in Jinling came to a clean and swift conclusion, like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.
Most of those involved have been apprehended, several illegal mines in the Jinling area have been completely shut down, and the victims have been properly resettled. Pei Xu has completed the detailed case file, along with relevant evidence, and is ready to take it back to the capital to present to the Emperor for the final verdict.
At dusk, Meng Lingyao was checking her luggage in her room. She would be setting off to return to the capital the day after tomorrow, and all the Nanjing specialties, various silks, and exquisite jewelry she had purchased in the past few days needed to be properly arranged.
A light knock sounded on the door, and before anyone could answer, Xie Chengyu pushed it open and entered. Today she was wearing a brocade robe with flowing cloud patterns, her long hair loosely tied up, and her steps carried an air of unrestrained and elegant charm.
She sat down casually on the chaise lounge by the window, looking at the open trunks in the room. "Is everything packed?"
"Almost done." Meng Lingyao placed a box of rouge into her dressing case and said, "We'll be setting off soon. Are you all packed?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Chengyu paused slightly, then leaned back heavily on the soft pillow. "I'm afraid I can't travel with you."
Meng Lingyao paused in her work, turned to look at her, and asked, "Why? Is there something important at home?"
"I suppose so," Xie Chengyu said. "I need to stay in Jinling for the time being... to discuss marriage."
"A marriage proposal?" Meng Lingyao's eyes widened.
Xie Chengyu nodded. "Guess why I've been missing for the past few days, and I was even slow to realize that Jingqiu had disappeared?"
"...You've been like this ever since you came to Jinling."
Xie Chengyu choked and said, "I was locked up."
"What?" Meng Lingyao was genuinely surprised this time. "In Jinling territory, who would dare to imprison you? Have they made things difficult for you?"
“No, not at all,” she shook her head and sighed, “If you walk by the river often, you’re bound to get your shoes wet.”
Meng Lingyao saw that her face was rosy and her eyebrows and eyes were relaxed, she didn't look like she had suffered.
“You look radiant,” Meng Lingyao raised an eyebrow, sat down next to her, and whispered, “Could it be… that you’ve gotten yourself into some romantic entanglement again, and now the creditors are coming knocking on your door?”
Xie Chengyu was silent for a moment, then said, "So, we need to discuss marriage. We can't just take advantage of someone and then walk away without a second thought."
Meng Lingyao was speechless for a moment, and after a long while said, "I hope you will treat them well in the future."
As the two were talking, footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by Xie Jingqiu's clear voice, "Sister Lingyao, are you in there?"
“Yes, come in,” Meng Lingyao replied.
Xie Jingqiu pushed open the door and entered, first giving Meng Lingyao and Xie Chengyu a sweet smile, "Sister Lingyao, Sister Chengyu." But her gaze subtly swept around the room, as if searching for something.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, she casually moved closer to Meng Lingyao and asked softly, "Sister Lingyao, you're leaving the day after tomorrow. Isn't Young Master Shen going with you? I don't think I saw him just now."
Meng Lingyao took in her subtle movements, her lips curving slightly, and said in a calm tone, "I'm fine here. He went with Lord Pei to handle the follow-up matters."
"Oh..." Xie Jingqiu responded, her expression revealing her disappointment.
Meng Lingyao and Xie Chengyu exchanged a glance, both revealing knowing smiles, but neither said anything more.
Xie Jingqiu quickly cheered up, hugged Meng Lingyao's arm, and said in a tone full of reluctance, "Sister Lingyao, I really don't want you to leave."
Meng Lingyao gently stroked the top of her head and said softly, "I'm also reluctant to part with you. It's just that I've been away from home for a long time and I miss my parents very much."
Xie Jingqiu nodded understandingly. Suddenly, she remembered something, her expression turned serious, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Grandfather just told me something—Cui Qingyin is dead."
Upon hearing this, both Meng Lingyao and Xie Chengyu's expressions froze.
“It was Miss Yuan who did it,” Xie Jingqiu continued, his brows furrowed. “After Commander Yuan was arrested, Madam Yuan couldn’t bear the shock and told Miss Yuan everything. Miss Yuan then barged into the room where Cui Qingyin was being held and used a hairpin… to stab her throat.”
Xie Chengyu subconsciously touched his neck and shivered: "This is really... the wicked will always be punished by the wicked."
Meng Lingyao frowned slightly but remained silent.
Seeing this, Xie Chengyu thought she was soft-hearted, so he said, "Lingyao, don't pity her. Although she died tragically, if Pei Shaoqing hadn't arrived in time that day, you would have already suffered at her hands."
Meng Lingyao shook her head, her eyes cold and clear. "I'm not sympathizing with her, I just feel... it's too easy for her. She has done a lot of evil for the Cui family, and she should have been tried by the three judicial authorities, her crimes made public, and punished according to the law. Instead, she was settled privately and died without knowing the truth. Perhaps those who don't know the details will sigh and say that she was a beautiful woman with a tragic fate."
Xie Chengyu raised an eyebrow, looked at Meng Lingyao and smiled, "Your arguments these days are starting to resemble Pei Shaoqing's style more and more. Could this be what people call... a couple's resemblance?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Lingyao couldn't help but pinch Xie Chengyu's waist and scolded, "You're just talking nonsense."
The Xie sisters were overjoyed.
After laughing enough, Xie Chengyu asked, "You'll be taking the boat again tomorrow, right? What about Pei Shaoqing? Is he traveling with you?"
Meng Lingyao shook her head. "I will still travel by water. But the matter is urgent. He needs to deliver the case files to the Emperor as soon as possible, so he will ride back to the capital at full speed, and we will not travel the same route."
Because of this matter, Pei Shaoqing has been in a low mood for the past few days.
Meng Lingyao couldn't understand it. They had been separated for two or three months before, but now it had only been a month since she started her journey home.
When she asked this question, Pei Xu did not answer, but simply held her on his lap and gently rested his chin on her neck.
Those who have seen the light are unlikely to tolerate the darkness again.
Since he came to Jinling, they had been living as if they were already married, residing in the same residence and seeing each other almost every day. The thought that they wouldn't see each other for more than a month, and that once she returned to the capital, she would have to move back to her own home, and that such days would never return unless they were married... Pei Xu couldn't help but sigh.
Meng Lingyao quietly raised her hand and gently stroked the back of his neck.
Pei Shaoqing always kept his head tied up neatly, and she only recently learned that his hair grew extremely fast, with fine downy hair sprouting on the back of his neck every few days. It wasn't particularly soft to the touch; it was slightly firm and prickly, but not painful—a kind of addictive feel.
Ever since she accidentally discovered it, she couldn't resist taking advantage of any opportunity. Pei Xu, however, didn't seem to like it as much and always tried to avoid it. Now that it was exposed to her so completely unguarded, how could he let it go?
She placed her hand on it and stroked it back and forth.
Pei Xu stiffened, hugged the person even tighter, his shoulders and back taut like a fully stretched string.
The person in his arms was completely unaware of the impending danger, their fingertips still probing the edge repeatedly. It wasn't until she moved unintentionally and sensed the strong presence of a certain place that she suddenly woke up, instinctively trying to escape, but was held tightly in his arms.
"Yaoyao..." he called her name softly, his voice a little hoarse.
Meng Lingyao raised her head, about to speak, when her lips were captured by his.
She had taken a bath early in the morning because she had sweated while packing, and changed into a soft, jade-colored satin casual shirt. The fabric was so soft that it clung to his robes, conveying their warmth and heartbeats.
Her face was bare, and her lips, which were originally pale, quickly turned a vibrant red as he caressed her.
The blush spread from her cheeks, seeping into her ears, and extending deeper into her neck. Her porcelain-white skin was covered with a thin layer of pink, like the delicate crimson tip of a peach blossom in spring.
"It's only been a little over a month..." Her whisper was drowned out by his breath.
“Yaoyao…” His voice was hoarse, carrying a danger she had never heard before, “…I can’t wait much longer.”
"We'll have to wait." She trembled violently, but refused to back down. "...Doesn't Shaoqing know any other moves?"
She regretted saying it as soon as it left her mouth.
Pei Xu raised his head from her chest, his eyes as black as lacquer, so dark they were unsettling.
Meng Lingyao quickly covered his eyes, "I didn't say anything."
Pei Xu pulled her hand down, gently kissed her fingertips, and said casually, "It's too late."
The warmth of his palms rubbed against the skin of her legs through the thin fabric of her clothes; the soft satin offered almost no protection. Meng Lingyao's breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively brought her knees together, only to have him gently press them down as if he had anticipated this.
"Don't move." His voice was deep, his gaze fixed on her face as if admiring a magnificent painting, unwilling to miss the slightest reaction from her.
His fingers did not rush in, but instead, through the obstructing fabric, they patiently and slowly made circles.
The force was neither too light nor too heavy, but the placement was terrifyingly precise. Each scratch from the rough, calloused fingertips sent a subtle and unfamiliar shiver down the spine, shooting straight to the top of the head.
Meng Lingyao bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the sob that was about to escape her throat. Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around his shirt, making messy wrinkles in the smooth fabric.
Pei Xu's breathing became noticeably heavier, his expression still calm, but his eyes grew increasingly deep, like unyielding ink. He leaned down and kissed her again, his tongue prying open her slightly closed teeth, entwining and sucking, swallowing all her subtle resistance.
Meng Lingyao felt all her strength drain away, and she leaned limply against him, only able to passively endure it. That unfamiliar, intense tingling sensation continued to accumulate, gathering and surging within her body, searching for an outlet.
Her eyes welled up with tears, blurring her vision so that she could only see his trembling eyelashes so close to hers.
Just as she felt she was about to be overwhelmed by that unfamiliar wave, his hand, which had been covering her clothes, finally moved away. Immediately afterwards, his warm fingertips touched her most sensitive skin without any obstruction.
Meng Lingyao froze, as if struck by a tiny electric current.
Pei Xu immediately noticed her tension. He stopped moving, stepped back slightly, and pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling.
"Are you scared?" he asked in a low voice, his voice hoarse.
Meng Lingyao couldn't speak, she could only shake her head vigorously, her cheeks burning hot. It wasn't fear, it was... too unfamiliar, too overwhelming, that made her instinctively feel a sense of panic.
He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating in his chest, and it reached her. "Weren't you quite the provocateur just now?"
She glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed, but her eyes were shimmering with tears, making her gaze powerless and more like a silent invitation.
Pei Xu stopped teasing her and kissed her lips again, his kiss soothing. His mischievous fingers began a new, more direct exploration. He wasn't impatient; he patiently explored and caressed her, sometimes gently, sometimes with more pressure, meticulously feeling every change in her body, listening to her suppressed, soft, kitten-like whimpers.
Meng Lingyao felt her mind go blank, all her senses seemingly focused on that small patch of ground where his fingertips were. The sensation was too intense for her to think about; she could only instinctively bury her burning cheeks in the crook of his neck, trembling slightly.
I don't know how much time passed; it might have been just a moment, or it might have been an extremely long time.
"Ugh..." She finally couldn't hold back and let out a broken sob, her body trembling violently uncontrollably.
Pei Xu held her firmly, feeling her momentary limpness and slight spasms in her body. Only when the intense afterglow gradually subsided did he slowly withdraw his fingers and hold her even tighter in his arms.
Meng Lingyao lay against his chest, breathing heavily, utterly exhausted, unable to even lift her fingertips. Her cheek pressed against his slightly damp clothes, she could hear the equally rapid and powerful heartbeat in his chest.
He gently stroked her back, as if soothing a frightened cat.
"Yaoyao, shall we get married soon?"
"No good." Meng Lingyao bit his shoulder hard.
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Author's note: Since things have come to this, all I can do is wish the young couple a long and happy life together. [purple sugar][purple sugar][purple sugar]
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