Chapter 34
When Wu Shiyan chose to change the subject, it meant that he could only pretend not to know.
No matter how compliant and aggrieved he appeared on the surface, gently kissing Qi Yu's cheek, the overwhelming anger in his heart remained, which he could not suppress.
Wu Shiyan kissed Qi Yu's lips again, lingering on them.
Qi Yu's responses were always so weak, so Wu Shiyan closed his eyes.
Qi Yu didn't know that the more powerless she was, the more ferocious Wu Shiyan's heart would become. She only felt that Wu Shiyan was extremely domineering today, eating up every last drop of saliva from her mouth, leaving her unable to tilt her head back and leaning all her weight on him.
It's just a little different from usual.
Thinking this, Qi Yu silently grasped Wu Shiyan's hand and gently squeezed it skillfully.
Wu Shiyan was pleased by this little gesture. He had originally been forcefully possessing Qi Yu's lips, which were his and all his, but slowly, he became intoxicated by the kiss, and his movements became much gentler.
Wu Shiyan opened his eyes and met Qi Yu's clear eyes, which held a hint of doubt, but more so, gentleness.
It seemed he would do anything for her.
Wu Shiyan's heart trembled violently.
He pulled Qi Yu into his arms again: "A Yu, I can't live without you."
Qi Yu felt a slight touch in her heart and placed her hand on his back.
She said nothing, letting Wu Shiyan hold her quietly.
Only when she guessed that Qiu Kui would be back soon did Qi Yu say, "Your Majesty, you should go."
Yes, he needs to leave… Wu Shiyan thought expressionlessly. He released Qi Yu, lowered his head, and his face had changed to a gentle expression. He said, “I will come again tonight. When the window rattles, let me in. Your health has changed, and I am worried about you.”
"But what about Pei Jin..."
Wu Shiyan interrupted softly, took Qi Yu's hand, and said firmly, "He won't come back."
What's the point of taking Qi Yu away? Whether she's in the Pei residence or by his side, she's still his.
He will proceed as planned and bring Qi Yu back to the palace once everything is settled.
As for Pei Jin, let him stay in the government office indefinitely, without even having time to return to the Pei residence.
His wife, whom he kept in Hengwu Courtyard, would naturally have someone to keep her company at night and would not feel lonely for a moment.
Qi Yu agreed and urged, "Your Majesty, you should hurry up and leave. Qiu Kui is really coming back."
Even if she deliberately hid the lotus-green cloak at the very bottom of the cabinet, it would take Qiu Kui some time to find it. But she had been with Wu Shiyan for a long time, and Qiu Kui could come back at any time.
Wu Shiyan lowered his eyes and remained silent.
It doesn't seem like a big deal to be discovered.
The sound of Qiu Kui's footsteps reached her ears in the distance. Qi Yu's hand was still being held tightly by Wu Shiyan. She sighed, pushed Wu Shiyan away, wiped the dampness from her lips with a handkerchief, straightened her clothes, and walked to another place.
As Qiu Kui entered the garden, she glanced around and spotted Qi Yu. She smiled and stepped forward, saying, "Madam!"
As Qi Yu faced the lake, Qiu Kui felt the coolness of the wind as soon as she approached. She unfolded her cloak and draped it over Qi Yu, fastened it, and then took Qi Yu's hand.
“Madam’s hands…” Qiu Kui was about to say that Madam’s hands were cold and that she would warm them for her, but when she held them, she found that they were completely different.
The lady's hands were not cold at all, but warm, as if they had been held for a long time.
Okra didn't pay attention. She looked at Qi Yu's hands, her ten fingers slender, fair and tender. She thought to herself, no wonder the master cherishes the lady so much. There is nothing wrong with the lady.
She reluctantly let go of Qi Yu's hand.
Qi Yu, however, took Qiu Kui's hand instead: "Let's go sit on the stone bench."
The flowers over there are in the best bloom.
A smile returned to Okra's face.
On the other side, before Pei Jin had finished reading the files assigned to him, he discovered that the clerk had brought over another stack, which, judging by its thickness, was going to exhaust him.
Pei Jin asked, "Who gave this to me?"
The clerk bowed and replied, "Lord Wen instructed that you must finish reading it tonight."
Pei Jin looked in one direction and saw an old man with a white beard and sparse hair smiling at him. This was the old man Wen that the clerk had mentioned, and also his superior.
Although he was young and held an important position, he was still too inexperienced and had a superior above him.
Pei Jin withdrew his gaze and looked back at the dossier. He was filled with doubt. Was Lord Wen, who was so old, still plotting to gain merit for the emperor?
As far as he knew, Lord Wen had a daughter late in life, and she was his only daughter. No matter how much merit he had, it would be of no use to him.
But Pei Jin couldn't think of any other reason why Lord Wen would deliberately retaliate against him, except that he hadn't participated in the Prince of Ning's rebellion.
-
As night fell, even though the lady had told her not to serve her, Okra insisted on standing guard at the door.
Although there was no danger in Hengwu Courtyard, since the master was not around, she had to stay by the lady's side at all times, dutifully serving her tea and water, so that the lady would not be in any inconvenience.
Qi Yu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she brought out a quilt and covered her with it.
The door closed again, and Qiu Kui also fell into a light sleep. But perhaps because the blanket given by the madam was too warm, she fell into a deep sleep and showed no signs of waking up, even though the chirping of insects in the courtyard surrounded her.
When Wu Shiyan arrived, he did not notice the maidservant in front of the room. He tapped on the window with his finger.
Qi Yu was alarmed and quickly went to the window, opened it, let Wu Shiyan in, and then looked in the direction of Qiu Kui.
Good, Okra is sleeping soundly.
Qi Yu felt slightly relieved, closed the window, and turned to look at Wu Shiyan with annoyance: "Your Majesty, Qiu Kui is still at the door. Your commotion is too much."
If someone else were clever, they certainly wouldn't be able to hide it.
The bright moonlight streamed in through the window, and Qi Yu happened to be standing there. A layer of moonlight enveloped her, making her look like a fairy descended from the moon palace. Even when she was angry, she only looked exceptionally cute.
Wu Shiyan was captivated. He wrapped his arms around Qi Yu's waist and led her towards the bed while readily admitting his mistake, "I will be more careful next time."
Qi Yu kept her lips pursed until she touched Wu Shiyan's abs under his shirt, at which point her expression softened.
Even though Wu Shiyan arrived at night, it didn't seem so bothersome.
With okra around, they were destined not to cause any trouble.
But this suited Qi Yu perfectly; she truly had the will but not the power to cause trouble.
Even though Wu Shiyan felt dissatisfied, he was content to be able to sleep in the same bed with Qi Yu at the Pei residence.
The thought of Pei Jin still struggling to handle affairs at the government office made him even angrier.
Holding Qi Yu in his arms, he could accept it even if nothing was done.
After Qi Yu fell asleep, Wu Shiyan pulled her closer to his chest. Seeing that A Yu was snuggled close to him, he felt satisfied.
Pei Jin returned late at night. Normally, he would have stayed at the government office, but with Qi Yu at home, he was even more eager to return. He felt that just seeing her once and quietly watching her would be enough.
Okra was sleeping next to the doorstep. Pei Jin didn't intend to disturb her, so he walked around her and pushed open the door.
The door creaked open, and Wu Shiyan woke up.
He was always like this; at night, the slightest noise, the glint of a blade in his eyes, would wake him up.
Wu Shiyan tightened his grip on Qi Yu, and he vaguely understood that Pei Jin had returned.
Is it because you don't trust the beautiful lady in your household?
A cold smile appeared on Wu Shiyan's lips, but he did not get up or even open his eyes. His chin rested on Qi Yu's shoulder, and the tip of his nose touched Qi Yu's ear. Their hair was intertwined and inseparable.
Anyone who saw this scene would know that they had a very close relationship.
Wu Shiyan even hoped that Pei Jin would see this scene.
But after Pei Jin came in, he simply walked over, softly called out "Madam," and seeing no response from inside the bed curtains, turned and went to the side room.
He didn't even lift the bed curtains to look at his wife.
Wu Shiyan felt it was a pity.
But in an instant, he realized something: on the couch were not only Qi Yu's blue upturned shoes, but also his black boots embroidered with golden dragon patterns.
Pei Jin is known for his meticulous and thorough approach to solving cases. Did he really discover nothing?
Wu Shiyan's eyes darkened.
There are two possibilities: one is that Pei Jin was unaware that his wife had been switched and only thought that the woman in bed was Zhao Wanyi.
But as a husband, even if his wife's lover was the emperor, he didn't need to avoid it. Moreover, given his personality, since the fault wasn't his, he wouldn't avoid it at all.
Pei Jin was a man of such upright character that even when he was demoted and banished from the capital, he remained unmoved by coercion or bribery.
If he weren't so young, he would probably be an old-fashioned man.
Secondly, Pei Jin knew that the person he spent every day with was Qi Yu. He avoided her only because he knew that he was not the rightful husband of Qi Yu, and that Wu Shiyan was the rightful husband of Qi Yu. Therefore, he had to avoid her and pretend that he knew nothing.
At this moment, Okra outside was startled awake. She seemed to have heard the noise inside: "Madam?"
Pei Jin said, "It's me, Qiu Kui, you can go now. I'm here with Madam."
Lord Pei's voice was as gentle as ever. Qiu Kui agreed and left with peace of mind.
There was no more noise outside, and Wu Shiyan was no longer sleepy.
He gently stroked Qi Yu's cheek with his fingers.
Ah Yu, you've really put me in a difficult position. Should he stab Pei Jin to death, or should he order Pei Jin to commit suicide?
Pei Jin is a piece of trash.
When Wu Shiyan left, it was still dark. Pei Jin sat in the armchair, his hands resting on the armrests, pretending to be asleep.
After everyone left, Pei Jin got up and walked towards the bed. He used his hand to pull back the bed curtains, ignoring the messy bed, and carefully traced Qi Yu's eyebrows and eyes.
He and Wu Shiyan were probably aware of each other's existence.
But when the moment actually arrived, he felt a sense of relief.
Pei Jin leaned down and kissed Qi Yu on the forehead. He originally didn't want to cause any trouble and just wanted to see Qi Yu before returning to the government office. However, after the kiss, Qi Yu seemed to sense something and rolled over in bed, leaving half of the bed empty.
After a difficult decision, Pei Jin finally took off his coat, which had been damp with the chill of the night, and carefully got into bed, sleeping next to Qi Yu.
His hand landed on Qi Yu's waist. Qi Yu raised her chin and then rolled into his arms in a daze.
Her hands deftly slipped inside his shirt.
Pei Jin felt that Qi Yu was more like someone gripping his heart; otherwise, why would his heart feel so tight?
He opened his collar, making it easier for Qi Yu to move around.
Pei Jin thought, "Your Majesty, I am truly sorry, but your departure has given me an opportunity."
Or are you absolutely certain that this humble subject would not dare to touch the Imperial Concubine again?
Then you are really wrong.
When Qi Yu woke up, she wondered why Wu Shiyan hadn't left yet, but then she realized that it wasn't Wu Shiyan, but Pei Jin.
The word "Your Majesty" got stuck in his throat.
She used to sleep on the outside while Wu Shiyan slept inside the bed, but now, it's the other way around—she's sleeping inside the bed while Pei Jin is sleeping on the outside.
Qi Yu carefully withdrew her hand, sat up on the bed, rubbed her forehead, and was somewhat confused about the situation.
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