Chapter 57 A Light Taste
Zhao Xian is adorable when she's drunk, but she's also quite talkative. If you let her keep talking, who knows what surprising things she might say.
With her mouth gagged, Zhao Xian stared wide-eyed in shock for a moment, then quickly pulled away from the sudden pressure of lips and teeth.
This trick worked; she shut up.
The candlelight flickered inside, and the aroma of incense seemed to warm the bed curtains.
The two sat close together on the edge of the bed, their breaths mingling.
Zhao Xian blinked. "Are you serious?"
Jiang Liangxu's eyes were deep and seemed to draw people in, his voice was hoarse, "Madam is drunk."
Reason told him he should get up and go to the study, but looking at her slightly flushed cheeks and rosy eyes, like peach blossoms blooming on branches in early spring, he felt a pang of reluctance.
This is his wife, she was his wife, why did he leave?
Just as Jiang Liangxu was struggling with this decision...
Zhao Xian met his gaze, her heart pounding. As if possessed, she reached out and touched the bridge of his nose, then slowly moved down to lightly tap his lips a few times. She squinted and grinned foolishly, "Shh, I didn't drink much. I'm at work. Why would I drink? Don't slander me."
Her fingers were a little cold, but that didn't calm Jiang Liangxu down. He opened his mouth and gently bit her fingertip.
A slight biting sensation came from her fingertips, and Zhao Xianxin trembled. She subconsciously pulled her hand away, but the spot where her fingertips had just been bitten felt as if it were coated with poison. It didn't hurt, but she couldn't help but care.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to tilt her head back.
A shadow fell before my eyes, and my lips were sealed again. After a brief separation, my lips were held again, gently sucking and nibbling, full of tenderness and affection.
Zhao Xian cooperated instinctively, without appearing unfamiliar with the task.
Jiang Liangxu stroked her cheek with his other hand, kissed it, and asked in a low voice, "Will my wife blame me?"
The voice rang in her ears, and the warm breath made her ears turn red. As he drew closer, Zhao Xian found her heart pounding faster and faster. Was she moved or just too excited by the stimulation? She couldn't tell at all.
I felt a little dizzy, a kind of dizziness that was very clear-headed.
Zhao Xian thought she was probably drunk.
Otherwise, why would a man dressed in ancient costume kiss her?
Cupping his face in her hands, Zhao Xian imitated him and kissed him, like a chick pecking at rice, one kiss after another, finding it quite amusing. She shook her head and said, "It's not strange, it's not strange, but are you really sure? I don't date."
Her artists are still on the rise, with many engagements, and she needs to travel back and forth non-stop, so she doesn't have time to date.
Once she's in a relationship, she has to dedicate time to dealing with her partner, which drains her energy. Her goal is to become a manager, and she still has a lot to learn. She can't let men hold her back.
"I'll do whatever you say, Madam." This time, Jiang Liangxu sealed her lips completely.
He reached out and took her hand.
Zhao Xian's hands were much smaller than his, and he easily grasped them completely.
A tingling sensation ran through her palm as calloused fingers caressed Zhao Xian's palm, sending a shiver through her body. The fingers slid across her palm and slipped between her fingers, their ten fingers intertwining.
Two figures fell to the ground.
The smoke rising from the incense burner on the table partially obscured the bed curtains, and also the two overlapping figures.
The sounds of firecrackers and fireworks outside never stopped, drowning out the noise.
...
Early the next morning.
The crackling sound of firecrackers outside rose and fell in waves.
Zhao Xian's eyelids trembled slightly. She had been woken up by the noise, and it seemed as if she had been listening to the firecrackers all night without stopping.
She turned over, intending to sleep a little longer.
"Um--"
Unexpectedly, she turned over and woke up, feeling uncomfortable all over, as if she had been hit by a car and run over repeatedly.
Struggling to get out of bed, intending to pull the bell, Zhao Xian felt even worse and could not move, so she could only lie flat.
Peony.
As soon as she spoke, Zhao Xian noticed that her voice was very hoarse and soft, and it felt very dry and she wanted to drink water.
She was filled with questions. What had she done last night? Why did she feel so unwell?
Looking around, I found that she was in the inner room of Haitang Residence and had not gone to any unfamiliar places.
She closed her eyes, and suddenly, the sound of a firecracker exploding rang out. At the same time, an image flashed through Zhao Xian's mind: she saw Jiang Liangxu lying beneath her...
Startled, Zhao Xian quickly opened her eyes and stared at the bed curtains above her. She... she had been drinking yesterday and slept with Jiang Liangxu?
Fearing it was just a hallucination, Zhao Xian tried hard to recall what happened yesterday. Suddenly, she saw many images, all of them of Jiang Liangxu, some even of him naked...
Gripping the edge of the blankets tightly with both hands, Zhao Xian opened her mouth and bit down, tearing at it forcefully, "Mmm..."
How could someone cause such a huge disaster?
Suddenly, a red plum blossom appeared before me, its core still covered with unmelted snow droplets.
"Madam, are you awake and hungry? The meal is ready, may we get up?"
Seeing her biting the blanket, Jiang Liangxu changed the subject.
At this moment, Zhao Xian really wanted to see bloodshed on the first day of the Lunar New Year. "Get out."
Hearing the hoarseness in her voice, the erotic memories of last night flashed through his mind. Feeling a little guilty, Jiang Liangxu looked away, put down Hongmei, and turned to pour water.
Zhao Xian loosened the covers, angry at herself for getting drunk and causing trouble, when suddenly the footsteps returned.
"Madam, please have some water."
Zhao Xian stopped herself from saying the words to send him away.
While she was still in a daze, Jiang Liangxu had already helped her sit up.
The discomfort below was particularly noticeable at this moment.
Zhao Xian's throat was so dry it was unbearable, so she took the water and drank it. The warm water soothed her throat and relieved the dryness.
Holding the cup in her hands, she lowered her eyes and said, "Let's pretend yesterday's events never happened."
Jiang Liangxu: "What happened yesterday? I was in the palace all day yesterday and didn't get back until almost midnight."
"???" Zhao Xian thought about it carefully and realized that there was nothing wrong with what he said. After midnight, it was indeed not yesterday anymore. "Ahem, let's just forget about it and pretend it never happened."
Jiang Liangxu sat down by the bedside. "But Madam didn't say that when she was in bed."
Zhao Xian had a bad feeling: "What did I say?"
"The lady said that we can be bed partners for the time being, since there is no one else around us right now."
Zhao Xian's eyes widened: "Are you sure I said that? Don't slander me."
Although she drank many glasses of wine yesterday, the glasses were very small, and it was fruit wine. How could she have gotten so drunk that she could say such things?
Jiang Liangxu raised his hand and held up three fingers, saying earnestly, "I swear I haven't said a single word that slanders Madam."
As for whether he said those words to coax her, that's something that can't be said outright.
Zhao Xian raised her hand to cover her face, "I was drunk yesterday, so don't take my drunken words seriously."
Seeing the frustration in her voice, Jiang Liangxu nodded: "Alright, if you say that you're just talking nonsense, then we won't take it seriously. We'll listen to you."
"You agree to that?" Zhao Xian was a little surprised, but then she thought, "We're all adults, why bother with such a big deal?"
She has the divorce papers and can leave at any time.
Thinking this way, Zhao Xian instantly felt relieved.
"Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. The children will be coming to wish you a Happy New Year soon. Shall we get up?"
Zhao Xian had originally wanted to lie down a little longer, but after hearing what he said, she knew there was no chance.
While washing up and changing clothes, Zhao Xian noticed the ambiguous marks on her body, some deep and some shallow, covering her entire body. She could hardly imagine how intense the encounter must have been. Fortunately, her winter clothes were thick and the collars were wide.
When she came out, Zhao Xian didn't dare to look Jiang Liangxu in the eye. How could she have gotten drunk and slept with him?
Just after breakfast was finished, a servant came to report: "The eldest young master, the eldest young mistress, Xiu'er, and Miss Tingyue have come to wish the master and mistress a Happy New Year."
Zhao Xian put down her teacup: "Let them in."
After giving the younger generation New Year's money, Zhao Xian instructed them: "Today is the first day of the new year. If you want to go out and play, go out and play. You don't need to ask for permission with your token. But you must bring enough guards and do not go to remote places."
Zhao Xian was speaking to Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue. They rarely went out, and even when they did, it was for important business, rarely just for fun. Today was the first day of the lunar month, and Jin'an was right under the emperor's nose. She had heard from the servants that there would be many fun things to do on the first day of the lunar month, such as lantern festivals, acrobatics, riddles, archery, and so on.
Zhao Xian had originally planned to go out, but she was feeling unwell and was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave today.
After Jiang Wei and his entourage paid their respects for the New Year, it was the steward's turn to give out rewards, not New Year's money.
The other servants in the mansion had their bonuses distributed by the steward early in the morning, and everyone received one, even the lowest-ranking servants.
As they left Haitang Residence, Dong'er helped Cui Tingyue out. "Miss, let's go out too. I heard it's a lot of fun, and it only happens once a year."
Xi Yu chimed in, "Yes, I heard there's a snow lion sculpture competition this year, and there will also be iron flower displays and sky lantern releases at night. Speaking of sky lantern releases, they're related to our master."
"Miss, we haven't seen this before, let's go take a look."
The maid's voice wasn't low.
Seeing this, Jiang Wei asked, "Then why don't we go together? Lian Niang also said she wants to go out and play."
Since his mother's long talk with him, Jiang Wei hadn't spoken to Cui Tingyue alone for a long time. Now, looking at her, he felt that Cui Tingyue seemed different, unlike the one he remembered, and even somewhat unfamiliar.
She was originally a gentle and frail person, but the feeling of being weak and pitiful was gone, and there was a sense of incongruity everywhere.
However, judging from her appearance, she didn't seem to have suffered any injustice, but Jiang Wei wondered if she was simply unwilling to tell him.
Li Lianniang pursed her lips; she still planned to write down prayers for good fortune.
Cui Tingyue glanced at Li Lianniang and shook her head, "That won't do. It's rare for my brother to accompany my sister-in-law out for fun. I'm not going with you. I'll take my maid and go by myself."
Because of the mourning period, she didn't go out much. Not only did Dong'er want to play, she also wanted to take a good look around Jin'an.
Her adoptive mother had already told her that she would start looking for a husband for her after the New Year, and that she would also be taken to various banquets.
She would feel very awkward if she met young ladies from different families and had nothing to talk about.
Since I'm going out this time, I should see as much as possible and have as much fun as possible.
"I won't disturb you two any longer. Brother, please take good care of your sister-in-law."
Li Lianniang glared at Cui Tingyue, knowing she was teasing her, but still said with concern, "Then you should take more guards with you. There are many people on the street today, so be careful."
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Author's Note: Excessive
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