Chapter 88 Dog Training Diary "The young master's hands are so beautiful."...
"Her Majesty the Empress's birthday is in two days. The palace will hold a grand banquet to celebrate her birthday. We should go and express our gratitude."
After lunch, Xue Rongyue did not leave immediately; the two stood side by side under the lush flower corridor.
In midsummer, when pomegranate flowers are in full bloom, their crimson blossoms spread out like a vast expanse, clustered together in vibrant color, adorning the glossy green branches.
Xue Rongyue, with a leisurely and carefree air, climbed up a branch with her slender white fingers and plucked a bright pomegranate flower, intending to tuck it into her hair.
Unfortunately, there was no bronze mirror in front of him, and he moved the pomegranate flower between his fingers several times but still felt unsatisfied.
She naturally looked at Qin Jin, stretched out her hand and handed him the flowers, and ordered without any politeness, "Young Master, please help me."
Qin Jin stood to the side with his arms crossed, his gaze already fixed on them.
His handsome and slender figure, seen from afar, resembles a willow tree growing towards the sun; upon closer inspection, however, it loses some of its refined elegance and gains more of a robust and sturdy presence, which complements the unruly spirit in his eyes.
He was prepared to lend a helping hand, and upon hearing this, he didn't even have a moment's hesitation. He immediately reached out and took the pomegranate flower, twirling the stem with his clean fingertips as he stepped forward.
Xue Rongyue complained, "Don't let the flowers wilt, or you won't get any good luck wearing them."
Qin Jin stopped an inch in front of Xue Rongyue. His slightly rising and falling Adam's apple revealed a vulnerability that was the exact opposite of his domineering aura, sparking endless imagination.
Xue Rongyue subconsciously held her breath, and after a brief moment of stunned silence, she suddenly came to her senses and guiltily looked away.
"There's a prize involved?"
Qin Jin's hoarse, deep voice came from above, his strong, muscular chest rising and falling gently with the sound.
His broad shoulders enveloped Xue Rongyue, creating a distance from which she could not advance any further. The faint scent of sandalwood emanating from Qin Jin overpowered the floral fragrance, forcefully encroaching on the precarious boundary between them.
"Of course," Xue Rongyue casually made up. "There's a folk saying that if a woman can find the best pomegranate flower when it's in full bloom and adorn her hair with it, she will be blessed by the Old Man of the Moon and find a good husband, thus achieving a happy marriage."
Qin Jin could tell that Xue Rongyue was talking nonsense, but he still stopped what he was doing, frowned, and looked at the pomegranate flower on his fingertip: "This one can hardly be considered the best."
"Does Your Highness think this pomegranate blossom isn't good enough?"
Xue Rongyue took a step back, tilted her head to look at Qin Jin, and feigned doubt, saying, "If that's the case, is the God of Marriage implying that the young master is not my destined match...?"
Before she could finish speaking, a large, strong hand with distinct knuckles covered Xue Rongyue's cherry lips, silencing her.
Following the veins that meander beneath Qin Jin's fair skin, the hand travels up to his delicate knuckles, then his warm, dry palm presses tightly against his cool, soft red lips.
At that moment, the completely different sensations caused both of their bodies to stiffen noticeably.
The softness against his palm seemed to seep into his very bones, making him uneasy. Qin Jin subconsciously arched his palm, his expression stiff. After a long while, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and in his stagnant breathing, he forced himself to remain calm and threatened, "Don't say any more, do you hear me?"
Xue Rongyue glared at him, her face slightly flushed.
Qin Jin's reddened ear tips weren't much better, resembling pomegranate blossoms on his fingertips. The feigned ferocity on his face held absolutely no deterrent effect in Xue Rongyue's eyes.
Xue Rongyue continued to glare at him: "Let go now!"
Qin Jin hastily looked away: "You have to promise me you won't say it again."
Xue Rongyue was unwilling to back down, especially at such an awkward moment: "I told you, since the young master thinks that the pomegranate flower I chose is not the best, then the young master is not my good... mmm!"
Qin Jin pressed down with his dry palm once more, with an irresistible force, until the person in front of him could no longer utter a single word.
His palms were filled with Xue Rongyue's warm, moist, and gentle breath as she spoke, which brushed over every deep and shallow line on his palms and touched the most sensitive corners of his body.
Xue Rongyue couldn't break free and couldn't utter a single word. Her cheeks flushed a peach-pink hue, and she could only stare at Qin Jin.
Qin Jin's gaze searched the pomegranate branches in front of him for a moment, then with his other hand he plucked one of the most fully bloomed and beautiful pomegranate flowers and, without saying a word, placed it in Xue Rongyue's hair along with the two flowers she had chosen: "The flowers bloom in pairs, I think these two are the best, these two will do."
Xue Rongyue: "......"
After finishing the hairpin, Qin Jin let go of the hairpin and took a step back warily to make it easier for Xue Rongyue to escape if she attacked.
Xue Rongyue: ""
Xue Rongyue took a deep breath, crossed her arms, and called out, "Qin Jin."
Qin Jin was on guard, but not completely; his attention was still focused on the lingering warmth and softness in his palm.
He responded absentmindedly, his hands clenching tightly as if he were trying to control himself.
Xue Rongyue asked without hesitation, "Wearing a pomegranate flower in one's hair is to find a good husband. You've put two in my hair, are you planning to let me find another good husband in the future?"
Qin Jin: ""
He belatedly exclaimed "Ah!" and realized what was happening. His usually calm and deep eyes widened, and he took a step forward—
Xue Rongyue had anticipated this. She took a step back, twisted her body to avoid his outstretched hand, and said with a grin, "I didn't expect the young master to be so magnanimous. It's truly beyond my expectations. Suddenly, I'm filled with anticipation for our married life..."
Seeing Qin Jin glaring at her and chasing after her, Xue Rongyue wisely shut her mouth.
Although she didn't continue speaking, she didn't stop provoking him. Her fingertips touched the two pomegranate blossoms in her hair, and she deliberately looked at Qin Jin and curled her lips.
Qin Jin's steps quickened, and he stopped laughing and reminiscing, determined to catch Xue Rongyue.
Xue Rongyue stepped back several times, coughed lightly, and changed the subject, asking, "Is Your Majesty feeling any better?"
Qin Jin followed closely, pressing him step by step: "It's been much better since the beginning of summer."
"That's wonderful..." Xue Rongyue twisted her body, nimbly dodging Qin Jin's outstretched hand again. "Oh right, it's already midsummer. After the Empress's birthday banquet, won't it be autumn hunting a month from now?"
"More or less."
Retreating to the end of the flower corridor, Xue Rongyue had nowhere left to go. Looking at Qin Jin, who was so close at hand, she couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Why did you stop running?" Qin Jin raised his sharply angled eyebrows slightly, leaned forward, and curled his lips into a leisurely smile. "What do you do when there's nowhere left to retreat?"
The enemy general is pressing forward relentlessly, and we've been cornered with no way out. What should we do? What else can we do?
After much deliberation, Xue Rongyue ultimately chose the most pragmatic approach.
"Your Highness, do these two flowers look good in my hair?" Xue Rongyue raised her chin slightly, walked towards the enemy general, and smiled sweetly.
The enemy general appeared very upright, his raised eyebrows never lowering. Upon hearing this, he gave Xue Rongyue a once-over and then uttered two words with restraint: "Not bad."
"good?"
Xue Rongyue was not satisfied with this answer. She snorted and said, "Your Highness should go see a doctor to check your eyes."
Qin Jin responded with a light snort: "I'm showing you that I'm not falling for this trick."
"This move?" Xue Rongyue feigned ignorance. "What move does Your Highness consider to be this?"
Qin Jin narrowed his eyes slightly and concluded with certainty: "It's obviously a honey trap."
Xue Rongyue couldn't help but laugh: "Since the young master has discovered it's a honey trap, I don't believe you won't fall for it."
Upon hearing this, Qin Jin sighed, stopped walking, and said in despair, "I wasn't going to eat it anyway."
Xue Rongyue raised her eyebrows: "Originally? Then now...?"
Qin Jin said, "We are now outside the rules."
"......"
Xue Rongyue lowered her eyes: "Your Highness."
"What's wrong?"
Xue Rongyue honestly said, "I feel a little nauseous."
Qin Jin was domineering: "No spitting allowed."
After saying that, he turned around first, raising his sharp, defined jaw in an attempt to hide his flushed face.
Rubbing her burning ear tips, Xue Rongyue followed behind and asked, "Is the young master a magnanimous person?"
Qin Jin shattered her illusions with a single sentence: "Don't even think about it, it's absolutely impossible."
“But the prince said it looked better if I wore two flowers in my hair.”
Qin Jin corrected: "I clearly said it was alright."
Xue Rongyue retorted, "Words can lie, but eyes can't. The young master's eyes tell me he's handsome, and besides..."
Xue Rongyue retorted, "But I've already put two pomegranate flowers in my hair; fate cannot be defied."
Qin Jin scoffed, "I put it on myself; I can go against my will."
"How can you say that?" Xue Rongyue feigned surprise. "How can the Crown Prince's wishes be disobeyed?"
Qin Jin glanced at her sideways: "Haven't you been disobeying all along?"
"I didn't!" Xue Rongyue didn't want to admit it.
Qin Jin pressed his advantage: "Then cross out the two-year period in the three-point agreement."
Xue Rongyue replied without hesitation, "That won't do."
Qin Jin immediately sneered, each word uttered with a hint of gritted teeth: "Then you'd better refrain from saying hurtful things to me."
Xue Rongyue pondered for a moment, then nodded reluctantly and replied, "I'll try my best."
As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her skirt and ran in front of Qin Jin, saying as she backed away, "Then I'll say some nice things."
Qin Jin's face was full of disbelief: "What good things are you saying?"
Xue Rongyue's gaze slowly moved down, landing on Qin Jin's long, slender, and well-proportioned hands that were hanging down: "Your Highness's hands are so beautiful, they can definitely be described as pleasing to the eye."
Qin Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks.
After Xue Rongyue finished speaking, she didn't turn around. She lifted her skirt and ran away, her ears ringing with the system's notification that her hatred value was decreasing and her favorability value was increasing.
She couldn't help but chuckle to herself: Qin Jin is really easy to fool.
***
As night fell, a travel-worn figure quietly landed in front of Qin Jin's door, then swaggered in and pushed the door open, only to be startled by Qin Jin, who was sitting by the window in a daze.
Ji Dian, still shaken, patted his chest and asked, "Why are you still awake so late?"
He paused for a moment, then guessed, "Waiting for me? Sigh, this journey has been arduous, and I've finally brought the person to Chang'an without even having a sip of water."
After he finished speaking, Qin Jin lowered his head, with two or three lit candles beside him. He kept looking at his hands without saying a word.
Ji Dian walked up to him, puzzled, and nudged him: "What's wrong? I'm talking to you."
Qin Jin seemed to come back to his senses, lifted his eyelids, and looked down at Ji Dian's hands.
His gaze was extremely harsh and critical. After scrutinizing her for a long time, he shook his head and sighed. Under Ji Dian's puzzled look, he slowly uttered two words: "So-so."
Ji Dian: "?"
Qin Jin looked at his own hands under the candlelight and said with satisfaction, "Indeed, mine are more beautiful."
Ji Dian: "???"
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Author's Note: Ji Dian: Why do you think I should look for him after I get back? ? ? [Melting][Melting]
Feeling much better today, hehe. Goodnight everyone, see you tomorrow!
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