“You…” He was pulled by her and sat up straight, but still refused to stand up.
In the darkness, Qingchen and Song Yue were very close, yet they couldn't see each other clearly. The effects of the alcohol were kicking in; his breath was slightly heavy, carrying a faint smell of alcohol.
He gently grasped her wrist and whispered, "Stop fooling around. Go to bed quickly, don't catch a cold."
“I’m not making a fuss.” Qingchen knelt in front of him, looking into his eyes in the darkness, and said stubbornly, “The ground is so cold, you’ll catch a cold more easily… Get up and come to bed with me.”
She grabbed his arm, but when she stood up, she stepped on her own robe and fell down, pinning Song Yue down.
In the darkness of the night, her nose and lips brushed against his cheek, his warm, slightly rapid breaths whispering in her ear. Qingchen's heart pounded, her mind seemingly frozen.
There were no words, no movements; the air seemed to freeze, and a suffocating yet throbbing feeling suddenly overwhelmed us.
Song Yue's gaze froze, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly.
A moment later, he gently held her shoulders, "...Are you hurt?"
"No," she whispered, her lips slightly parted as she touched his cheek. It was as if several strings had been plucked from his mind; he didn't react at all to the questions he should be considering.
A moment later, she got up and left him, looking at him and saying, "I've already fallen, aren't you going to get back into bed?"
Silence.
"You just told me that I can't find any excuse not to take care of my body. Is this how a teacher should be?" The voice in the darkness was stubborn and a little defiant. "Why don't you just come up and sleep together?"
Outside the window, the snow fell silently, and the north wind occasionally lashed against the windowpane.
"……good."
If we keep arguing, dawn will break.
Qingchen got into bed first, and lying down, her heart was beating a little fast.
Song Yue walked to the bedside, silently covered her with the entire quilt, tucked in the corners, and then lay down beside her.
The bed wasn't big; it was originally meant for a single person. Now, with two people sleeping in it, plus the thick clothes, there was almost no gap between them. Qingchen glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but unfortunately, she still couldn't see anything clearly, only vaguely making out his rising and falling chest.
After waiting a moment and seeing that he didn't make any further moves, she pursed her lips and asked, "Aren't you going to cover yourself with the blanket?"
“I have a cloak.”
"Not enough." She lifted the blanket off herself and pulled it halfway over him.
After a while, he pulled the blanket back over her, saying, "You were a bit domineering tonight."
"..." Hearing him say that, Qingchen felt a little hot.
Domineering? Perhaps. Maybe she's finally discovered another quality within herself?
Just when Song Yue thought the students were finally quiet, she pulled the blanket up over them again, and her clear, gentle voice rang out: "You're in bed without a blanket, what's the difference between that and sleeping on the floor? Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents. Even if a teacher doesn't think about their parents and themselves, they should think about the country and its people. You have so many responsibilities on your shoulders, if you fall ill..."
She was like a resilient cattail, persistently and incessantly talking in the night, thinking that softening her tone would make her less domineering and impossible for anyone to do with her.
Song Yue sighed softly, then suddenly turned around to look at her, propped himself up slightly, and looked down at her with extremely close eyes, "Are you still going to sleep? If you don't want to sleep, I'll keep you company and do something else?"
Qingchen was startled and blinked as she looked at the person above her.
His strong chest pressed against her shoulder, his warm breath brushed against her neck, and his scent instantly enveloped her. She felt her heart pounding and her breath catch in her throat. "...You cover me with the blanket, and I'll sleep."
"..."
In the end, Song Yue, unable to intimidate Qing Chen, compromised.
Because of his presence, the bed was even warmer. Qingchen felt her palms sweating. She moved slightly and touched his left hand, feeling as if she had been electrocuted.
She quickly pulled her hand back, and he promptly placed his hand on her body as well.
Night has finally returned to the silence it should have been.
With her eyes closed, Qingchen finally had time to think about whether he had noticed anything unusual when she collapsed on him.
Wearing such thick clothes, he probably wouldn't notice... Thinking this, she fell asleep.
Song Yue listened to her gradually calming breathing, sighed softly, and closed his eyes.
In the back hall of the Northern Garrison Office, Lu Shenyun and Huang Yu were drinking.
On the table sat a small stove, warming wine, along with a plate of cooked beef and a stack of peanuts. Lu Shenyun, lost in thought, reached for the wine pot but was suddenly burned and withdrew his hand.
Huang Yu picked up a piece of cloth, wrapped the handle of the pot, and filled it for him. "What's on your mind? You can't even enjoy your wine."
"nothing."
"If you say there's nothing, then there is. I guess... you're thinking about your savior, right?"
Lu Shenyun remained silent, his handsome face appearing indifferent in the firelight, and the scarred eyebrows and eyes losing seven-tenths of their fierceness when he was alone.
"When he first mentioned meeting me by chance, I knew he was no ordinary person. Sure enough, he has caught the Emperor's eye... This morning I heard that after hearing his advice, the Emperor started reading all the memorials he hadn't touched in years. When Consort Zheng saw them, her beautiful eyes almost popped out." Huang Yu clicked his tongue twice. "This man is probably destined for great things in the future."
Lu Shenyun took a swig of wine, still remaining silent. The wine went cold into his stomach.
He had served Emperor Zhu Rui for many years and had never seen Zhu Rui react like this before. This unusual behavior was caused by that person. That person was even more outstanding than he had imagined.
But to come into the Xu faction's sights so early, who knows what fortune or misfortune awaits? Given that person's character, he will certainly not be willing to collude with the Xu faction. Therefore, his future is bound to be fraught with difficulties.
Perhaps he should remind that person. But he was just a casual acquaintance, and he didn't know if the person would listen to him.
“You always fall silent whenever Shen Qingchen is mentioned.” Huang Yu blew on the peanut shells on her hand. “Then tell me about your marriage. I heard that the Marquis of Qing’an met with your father, and the two of them intend to match you with the Marquis’s daughter, Xie Huiying?”
He glanced at him and said indifferently, "Why are you staring at me instead of looking at so many unseen corners of the Ming Dynasty?"
"I care about you," Huang Yu said matter-of-factly. "Xie Huiying is beautiful, intelligent, and well-behaved. Besides, her family is from a military background, so she's a good match for you. What do you think? Do you like her?"
"dislike."
"Why?"
He looked out the window at the falling snow, his voice tinged with indifference, "If you don't like it, you just don't like it. There's no need for so many whys."
"Lord Lu, we were born in the same year. Look at me, I already have four children. And look at you, you don't even have a wife or concubine yet. Are you planning to stay single for the rest of your life? Putting aside whether you envy the romantic moments and wedding night, who will inherit your family's hereditary and extremely prestigious position as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
"I'm not like you."
"Yes, yes, you're different," Huang Yu said helplessly. "No one can force you to like someone. But you're almost thirty, so what kind of person do you like?"
Lu Shenyun had always felt that his heart was like stone, as if it had never been moved by anyone. But lately, one face kept lingering in his mind, and it was a man's face.
He was somewhat reluctant to admit it. But these days, this feeling of longing hadn't faded; on the contrary, it had grown stronger, completely different from his previous experiences.
He was the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, born into a prestigious military family, and had passed the imperial martial arts examination with top honors at the age of seventeen. For over a decade, he had faced numerous perilous situations, but always managed to escape unscathed through his own abilities. In the eyes of others, he was practically invincible, and he felt the same way about himself. He had never imagined that one day he would fall so helplessly before someone, waiting for that person to extend his life with trembling hands.
It was probably here that my uncontrollable longing for that person began.
He had heard many stories about homosexuality, and although he had never been prejudiced against these people, the thought that he might be one himself still left him with some indescribable feelings.
Huang Yu nudged his arm. "Hey, if you have someone you like, you should make your move sooner rather than later. If you're too late and someone else snatches them away, you'll be crying before you know it."
Outside the window, snowflakes continued to fall, landing little by little on the eaves and brackets, and into the bustling world.
It touches the hearts of both lovers and the heartless.
At that moment, the wails from inside the prison came again; it was Zhou Shiping's.
Zhou Shiping was flogged twenty times yesterday. Because he is too weak to walk and no one has come to pick him up, he is still imprisoned in the imperial prison. He keeps insisting on seeing Song Yue and asking Song Yue to come and take him away.
"I heard that Lord Song went to Huairou," Huang Yu said. "With such a heavy snowstorm tonight, he probably won't be coming back."
Lu Shenyun frowned.
That person seems to have also gone to Huairou.
A moment later, Zhou Shiping's wails rang out again.
Lu Shenyun frowned and summoned a member of the Imperial Guard, "Go and gag him."
At night, the charcoal in the stove in the inn ran out.
The sleeping Qingchen instinctively snuggled closer to Song Yue's body, seeking warmth. Song Yue was a light sleeper and woke up after being nudged a couple of times.
He opened his eyes and found her head resting against his shoulder, curled up like a small animal.
He gently moved away, but a moment later she pressed herself against him again. This time she was even more restless, pressing one leg onto his.
Song Yue's long legs had nowhere to go, and he was afraid of disturbing her, so he could only let her press down on them.
His face, exposed outside the covers, was cool and aloof, while their thighs, folded together, were quite hot. He was always more sensitive to heat than cold, but now he felt as if half his body was sweating profusely, and he was wide awake.
The night was long, and her body was soft, exuding a faint fragrance that wafted into his nostrils. The effects of the alcohol hadn't worn off yet, and soon his breathing became rapid.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his instinctive reaction, and after a while, his heart calmed down and he slowly fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, as dawn was approaching, Qingchen had a dream.
In my dream, someone was getting married. The wedding room was decorated festively, with paper-cuts of the double happiness symbol pasted on the walls, and a pair of red candles burning brightly.
The bride, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, sat at the head of the bed. Her hair was styled in an exquisite updo, and her face, made up with powder, was incredibly beautiful. Her red lips were as vibrant and glossy as delicate flower petals. Qingchen walked over and realized that the bride was herself.
At the round table sat the slightly tipsy groom, dressed in a brand-new scarlet robe. His features were elegant and refined, his face soft and gentle in the candlelight, his lips pale and exuding a cool detachment. This man bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
Qingchen was confused, looking at her two selves, asking repeatedly who they were. Unfortunately, neither of them responded. One sat on the bed, the other at the table, separated by a scarlet veil and candlelight, speechless.
Later, a fog rolled in during her dream, and the two of them gradually became invisible. She tried to catch them, but she couldn't. The fog in front of her parted and then gathered again, growing thicker and thicker. She tried to get closer, but they only drifted further away, and she could only wave her hand repeatedly.
Qingchen was immersed in her dream, completely unaware that her hands were moving around randomly, without any regard for where they were.
Song Yue opened his eyes groggily, not yet realizing what was happening, when her fingertips were already inches away from the place he couldn't touch, instantly arousing his body.
It was almost dawn, and at this time of day, men were naturally...
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