Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Jinjiang First Release
Chapter 52
Speaking of which, it was unbelievable that Cui Jue went to bed in his room without any maidservant by his side.
Thinking about it carefully, Su Li is his concubine now, and she should serve him in bed, but since Cui Jue didn't call her, she pretended not to know.
This bowl of chicken soup was truly excruciating to drink. When Cui Jue, wearing a snow-white inner garment and holding a Confucian classic in her hand, brushed her clothes and got off the bed, she was still drinking slowly, staring at the bottom of the bowl as the chicken soup gradually dwindled, until her clear almond-shaped eyes were reflected in the bottom of the ceramic bowl.
"If it's not enough, shall I have someone serve you another bowl?"
Cui Jue's tone was flat, but Su Li could also hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Su Li didn't dare drink any more, so she could only push the empty bowl away and said to Cui Jue, "I'll go wash up and wipe myself, then return to my room to serve you, my lord."
"Go ahead." Cui Jue lowered his eyelashes and didn't look at her.
After he had taken off his clothes, Su Li only remembered her duty of undressing the master of the house. Wasn't it too late?
Before Su Li could step out of the door, Cui Jue suddenly thought of something and called her.
Su Li: "What are your orders, my lord?"
Cui Jue looked at her quietly and said, "If you return to the Cui family in the future, I will allow you to speak freely in bed, but when you meet the elders in the family, don't forget your duties."
Cui Jue had already informed Cui Weng about his plan to take a concubine. Although his grandfather would not interfere in his bedroom affairs, he was still somewhat unhappy about it.
In the past, Su Li was the second wife's widow Su Youli, and Mr. Cui would still treat her with some respect. But now, knowing that the Lanhe Su family was so bold and presumptuous, they dared to deceive the world and find a peasant woman from the countryside to fool the Cui family, and even offered her the bed of the chaste and virtuous eldest son!
Mr. Cui was already furious. If it weren't for the turbulent situation, if he didn't want to cause any more trouble, and if he didn't want other families to know about this matter and turn it into a stain on the prominent family, Mr. Cui would definitely punish the entire Su family.
Now Cui Jue drank Su Li's magic potion, and not only did he refuse to kill Su Li, he also kept the woman and raised her as a concubine. When Cui Weng learned about this, he felt a little unhappy.
But he took into account the relationship between grandfather and grandson, and thought of his grandson's thundering methods when he was in power and marching, so he did not blame him too much.
Cui Jue knew his grandfather's thoughts long ago. Thinking of this, in order to protect Su Li, he could only remind her in advance not to be arrogant, so as to avoid giving people a chance to talk and being blamed by Mr. Cui in the future.
Even if Su Li becomes spoiled because of being favored, she should at least be protected first.
For example, giving birth to an heir to a large family will increase the mother's status in the harem by giving birth to a son.
However, Cui Jue's self-proclaimed well-intentioned warning caused Su Li to feel another kind of resistance in her heart.
She understood what Cui Jue meant. He was warning her to always remember her identity as a concubine.
Su Li's five fingers climbed onto the door panel, her knuckles bent, and her fingertips pressed against the cold wooden board, turning bluish-white.
She forced a smile and said insincerely, "Yes, Su Li will remember your Majesty's teachings. In the future, when I see Mr. Cui or when the mistress of the main house comes in, I will definitely call myself 'concubine' and be courteous in every way, so as not to bring disgrace to your Majesty."
Su Li spoke in a gentle and soft tone, but Cui Jue could still hear that she was forcing a smile.
The man frowned slightly: "Are you throwing a tantrum?"
"I dare not." Su Li's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a smile curved at the corner of her mouth, "How dare I get angry with you, my lord?"
A concubine who is sold out at will by her mistress should not ask for any respect, nor should she become spoiled by the favor. Su Li has stayed in the aristocratic family's backyard for such a long time, so of course she understands this truth.
Cui Jue stared at her coldly until Su Li lowered her head and walked out of the room, then went to the side room to call the maid to bring water for her to wash.
When Su Li changed into her sleeping clothes and returned to the bedroom, Cui Jue had already put down the book in his hand.
The acne marks on Su Li's face have faded a lot, and she applied a layer of ointment with the fragrance of pear blossoms at night. Now the girl's black hair falls on her shoulders, her cheeks are rosy, her eyebrows are willow-shaped, and her waist is soft and slender, giving her a delicate and delicate look.
Cui Jue raised his eyes and glanced over.
Seeing her trembling under Cui Jue's slightly gloomy gaze, he knew that no matter how stubborn Su Li was, she was just a little girl who loved to playful and mischievous.
The man's depression eased a little, and he said softly, "Go to sleep."
Su Li regretted her temper and disobeying Cui Jue just now. After she calmed down, she got on the bed, stepped over Cui Jue, and lay down on the inner side of the thin quilt.
The lights were extinguished, and Su Li and Cui Jue shared a thin quilt.
In the dim dormitory, the only sound was the faint breathing of the two people.
Su Li and Cui Jue were separated by an arm's length, their bodies stiff, unable to fall asleep no matter what.
She knew that Cui Jue would not hurt anyone, but she still had a fear of this man in her heart.
After thinking for a long time, she asked quietly: "My Lord, are you asleep?"
Cui Jue was silent for a moment, his voice low and hoarse: "What's the matter?"
"I was just thinking, my bedroom is simple, and the bed is filled with girlish incense. Aunt Huirong once warned me that you don't like strong fragrances, and I'm worried that the bed curtains will make you uncomfortable. If you're not used to it, it would be better if we sleep separately in the future..."
Cui Jue said coldly, "You worry too much."
Cui Jue didn't express any displeasure. Su Li couldn't tell what he was thinking. To persuade him to leave, she said, "My grandmother said that I sleep badly. If I hurt you, it will be my fault."
"I have learned this lesson... I forgive you."
Hearing this, Su Li understood that Cui Jue was determined to sleep in the same bed with her. Since she couldn't persuade him, she didn't say anything more.
But that night, Su Li slept cautiously, half asleep and half awake the whole night. She either dreamed that Cui Jue captured her and whipped her, or dreamed that she was imprisoned in a bamboo cage and burned to ashes by a huge fire... She was so scared that she broke out in sweat and had nightmares.
Su Li woke up in the morning feeling tired, with a dark grey color in her eyes.
Cui Jue glanced at her calmly, showing her rare concern: "Didn't you sleep well?"
Su Li nodded honestly.
Unexpectedly, the man showed no sympathy or compassion, and only pulled his lower lip: "You get used to it after a long time."
Su Li suddenly felt as if facing a formidable enemy, and a chill ran down her spine.
What does this guy mean? One night isn't enough for him, so there's always another time?
-
While Su Li was still thinking about how to deal with Cui Jue, Cui Jue rode his horse towards the cavalry camp that was set up nearby.
He was busy organizing the army and accompanying the soldiers in practicing battle formations and training the troops and horses to prevent the three armies from being ambushed on the way back to the city and being unable to cope with it.
The general saw Cui Jue taking advantage of the galloping horse, quickly grabbing the reins with one arm, and jumping onto the horse nimbly.
After Cui Jue tamed the galloping warhorse, the general hurriedly and attentively handed him a strong ox horn bow with a bow force of up to three stones, and asked Cui Jue to demonstrate his amazing archery skills.
Cui Jue had a solemn look on his handsome face, with a thin layer of sweat on his neck. He raised his arm to take the crossbow.
The man was about to try out the bow when he felt a slight numbness in his wrist bones.
Cui Jue's expression froze slightly, and he hesitated for a moment before taking action.
The general was sharp-eyed and immediately noticed that Cui Jue was unwell.
He asked quietly, "What happened to you, my lord? Did you injure your bones while leading the army to fight the enemy a few days ago?"
Cui Jue pursed his thin lips and twisted his wrist.
Almost instantly, he thought of Su Li, who had deliberately kept a distance from him in bed last night.
Su Li thought she was delicate and aloof, but she didn't know that she would become fragile at night, her body curled up like a butterfly wrapped in a cocoon. She sought dependence and rolled involuntarily to where he slept, wanting to hold Cui Jue's thin waist and stubbornly resting her face on his arm bones.
Cui Jue saw that she was sleeping soundly, her breathing slowing, her long eyelashes trembling, her body no longer tense and trembling, and even her almond-shaped face was flushed with a rosy pink. The girl had a slender figure, a sweet fragrance lingering on her face, and was incredibly well-behaved.
Cui Jue was rarely soft-hearted and did not push her away, allowing her to fall asleep with her head resting on his arm.
From then on, the arm bones will feel slightly sore.
…
Thinking of what happened last night, Cui Jue's brows relaxed and he said calmly, "Nothing... Hand over the arrow."
-
Two days later, Su Li's face was finally restored to normal.
The hideous acne scars before were nothing but the result of repeated stimulation from medication. Now that she has stopped taking the medication and has been using skin-rejuvenating and beauty-enhancing ointments to nourish her face repeatedly, Su Li's face has returned to normal, as flawless and smooth as a peeled egg.
The group set off back to Jianye County. Su Li looked around to see if Qiu Gui and her grandmother were among them so that she could ride in the same carriage with them.
But obviously, Cui Jue did not want to do as she wished.
The canopy carriage lifted its thin curtains, and the man sitting at the desk reviewing documents raised his head coldly, his eyes gentle and indifferent. He looked down at Su Li and called her, "Come up."
Su Li didn't dare to go against Cui Jue, so she could only reluctantly lift her skirt and get on the carriage.
She didn't dare to disturb Cui Jue while he was busy with his official duties, and deliberately stayed away from his vermilion desk which was piled with letters, documents, pens, ink, paper and inkstone.
It was just that the car was boring and there was nothing interesting to do. Su Li was fidgeting and sometimes when she turned around, her eyes would fall on Cui Jue and she would secretly glance at him.
It was strange. Cui Jue's well-dressed appearance was extremely intimidating. Judging from his bright and handsome appearance, how could one imagine what a violent and evil man he was inside? How could one know how bloodthirsty he was when he wielded a sword and killed people...
Perhaps Su Li's gaze was too striking and direct, Cui Jue paused and continued writing. "What's the matter?"
Su Li was caught red-handed and smiled awkwardly: "Nothing."
She looked away and turned her head to look outside the curtain.
The veil trembles gently, the summer breeze blows gently. In the distance, the sun shines brightly, and the green peaks are occasionally dotted with wild wind chimes, creating a beautiful scenery.
Perhaps it was too quiet, Cui Jue raised his eyes in the midst of his busy schedule.
I saw Su Li sitting sideways, immersed in the bright sunlight.
The long tung flower silk ribbons hung down from the girl's shoulders, swaying gracefully along with her slender waist in the mountain breeze.
A pink jade bead, shimmering with water, fell from her plump earlobe, bumping against her thin collarbone, giving her a sense of ethereal and helpless fragility, as if if she didn't hold on tight, this enchantress would turn into the mist in the mountains and disappear with the wind.
This scene was surprisingly similar to the one Cui Jue glanced at Su Li inadvertently during piano class a year ago.
That day, all the young ladies gathered around Cui Jue, asking him for advice on the fingering of the zither. Only Su Li showed no interest in him at all and even felt bored. She looked up at the corridor of the school to see the summer flowers falling all over the courtyard.
So vibrant, so wildly growing.
…
After looking at the mountain flowers, Su Li went to look at the accompanying soldiers holding swords in the formation nearby.
Probably because the sun was too strong, many soldiers, even Wei Zhiyan, rolled up their sleeves, revealing their honey-colored arms covered in sweat and with distinct skin texture.
Su Li was stunned and thought to herself, Cui Jue looked delicate and tender, but once he took off his robe, he saw that his body was strong and sturdy, not inferior to that of a soldier.
The next moment, her skirt was caught by someone. The girl came back to her senses and looked at Cui Jue in surprise.
The narrow belt wrapped around Su Li's waist was tightened inch by inch by the man's long fingers, and twisted between his hard knuckles and played with.
Cui Jue seemed amused. He glanced at her and said in a cold voice, "How many days will it take for your period to end?"
Su Li heard the implication in Cui Jue's words and couldn't help but scold Cui Jue. How could he still feel like having sex while riding in a car? Didn't he think it was disrespectful?! Despite the scolding, the girl bit her lip and answered honestly, "Two more days."
"Very good." Cui Jue let go of her like a ghost, quietly withdrew his hand, knelt in front of the desk, and opened the official document again.
The man was neatly dressed and busy at his desk, no longer talking to Su Li about the gossip in the room.
It was as if Cui Jue had just casually teased them, without any ulterior motives. The troops rested for the night, then geared up and continued their journey the next day.
Su Li sat in the carriage, looking out as usual to admire the mountain scenery outside the carriage.
But this time, she discovered... Ren Weizhiyan and his men were sweating profusely, their clothes soaked to the point of wrung out water, and their sleeves were tightly wrapped around their bodies, not a single piece of skin showing. No soldier dared to show his bare arms in a disheveled state.
Su Li was puzzled and couldn't help but sigh: As expected, these soldiers are trained by Cui Jue, the military discipline is really strict!
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