Chapter 56 The Cave.
Although he wasn't bandaged today, Lingyi had seen what he looked like when his right arm was immobile before, so she had no doubts. She looked around and asked, "But where is there a place to rest here?"
Qin Lie said, "Hunters in the village often have temporary lodgings in the mountains. I just saw one that was empty, so we can rest there."
The place Qin Lie mentioned wasn't far; it only took a quarter of an hour to get there.
This place was originally a cave, but it was converted into a temporary shelter.
There was indeed no one inside, and it was extremely clean and tidy, with gathered firewood and everyday pots and pans.
That's all. Inside, there's also a stone bed, fully covered with blankets that look like they've just been washed and dried, fluffy and soft.
It was already May, but the mountain nights were still cool.
The cave was small. Qin Lie lit a fire, and the flames immediately warmed him up.
Qin Lie busied himself boiling water, so that he could properly rinse his mouth and clean his face now, since he had only just done a quick wash.
Lingyi had been riding horses and hunting all day, and was now feeling a little drowsy.
But there was only one bed here. Qin Lie said, "Go and sleep. It's common for me to go without sleep for days on end when I'm on a march. It'll be fine."
Although he said that, he was clutching his right arm, his brow furrowed, and he looked very uncomfortable.
He came here specifically for her, and now he is clearly unwell.
Lingyi was not such a heartless person. She sat down by the fire and said to him, "You should go to sleep. I actually sleep very little. I have a hard time falling asleep at night and I wake up very early."
He had heard these things from the servants who were taking care of him before, but hearing her say it herself still made him feel a tightness in his chest. Even though he was not knowledgeable about medicine, he knew that such lack of sleep was hardly a sign of longevity.
He asked her, and also seemed to be asking himself, "Why is this still happening?"
Even though I've forgotten the past, why is this still happening?
"What?" His voice was very soft, and she didn't hear him clearly amidst the crackling of the burning firewood.
"It's nothing," he urged. "My injury isn't serious. You should go to sleep and get a good night's rest. Don't think about anything or worry about anything. I'll be here with you, so don't be afraid of anything."
This is not a mountain forest, but a royal hunting ground. This cave was originally a place where the guards would stay when the emperor went hunting.
Everything inside was prepared by his personal guards; otherwise, how could he have just taken it and used it?
He did all of this on a whim, like a young boy who just wanted to create an opportunity to get close to her.
She is now too resistant to his approach and touch.
Otherwise, why would she be willing to share a room with him?
This scheme may not necessarily lead to anything actually happening, but it cannot allow her to avoid his intimacy in the future.
He clearly harbored such despicable intentions, but when he heard her say that she couldn't sleep well, all his ulterior motives vanished.
There was only one thought in my mind: to let her get a good night's sleep.
His words carried an air of unquestionable authority. Lingyi came to the stone bed. Although the bedding was new, because Qin Lie was there, she only took off her cloak and did not take off her outer garment, intending to sleep fully clothed.
As soon as she lay down, she heard Qin Lie say, "How can you sleep comfortably like this? We've been husband and wife for many years, you don't need to avoid me."
Despite his words, Lingyi remained shy and refused to move, so Qin Lie said, "If you don't take it off, I'll help you take it off in a bit."
His tone left no room for argument, so Lingyi had no choice but to shrink under the covers, slowly taking off her clothes and then pushing the covers off again.
Seeing that she was only wearing her undergarments, Qin Lie closed his eyes and was satisfied. He then added a few more pieces of firewood to the fire.
Suddenly, a tickling sensation rose in my throat.
He started taking medicine a few days after the princess lost her memory, and he thought he had recovered since the attack hadn't recurred. But perhaps because the mountain night was cool, he felt a relapse after drinking a few sips of the cool air. He grabbed his cloak and hurried outside. He walked a short distance, then, thinking she couldn't hear him anymore, he stopped trying to hold it in. He bent over and coughed for a while before turning back.
He stopped before he even reached the cave entrance.
—Lingyi, wrapped in a cloak, stood at the cave entrance, staring intently at him.
At first, she was just scared.
—When she opened her eyes at the noise, she saw him suddenly pick up his cloak and walk out without saying a word. She thought he was going to abandon her.
He hurriedly got out of bed, put on his cloak, and wanted to chase after him. But when he got to the cave entrance, he saw him leaning against the mountain wall in the moonlight, bending over, doing something. After a long while, he turned back.
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then walked over and said, "It's cold outside, what are you doing here? Go back inside!"
Lingyi obediently sat back on the bed, looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Lie was busy pouring her hot water and didn't say anything when he heard this.
Lingyi asked again, "What are you going out for?"
Qin Lie handed her the diluted water: "I just coughed for a while, it's nothing serious."
Lingyi recalled how he had been hunched over, leaning against the mountain wall, and didn't seem to be alright, so she asked again, "Have you seen the imperial physician?"
"The imperial physician prescribed medicine, you'll be better soon." He urged her, "It's windy at the cave entrance, you've been standing there for so long, drink some water to warm yourself up."
But the wind was stronger outside.
It's just a cough, why go so far? Is it just because you're afraid of disturbing her rest?
The water in my hands was at a comfortable temperature, and my hands, which had just been chilled by the mountain breeze, immediately warmed up.
I took a sip, and the water flowed down my throat into my chest, making my chest feel warm.
She's the kind of person who, if others treat her badly, simply swallows her anger and endures it.
But when someone is kind to her, she feels extremely grateful and always thinks about it, wanting nothing more than to repay them.
Lying back in bed, Lingyi looked at Qin Lie, who was sitting silently by the fire, adding firewood to it from time to time. His hunched and painful back just now kept flashing before her eyes. After struggling with her feelings, Lingyi finally said to him, "Why don't you... come up and sleep here too?"
She was shy after all; when she spoke, her face was covered by the blanket, her mouth and nose were also covered, and her voice was muffled.
He suddenly looked up and stared at her intently. Lingyi pulled the blanket up with both hands, quickly covered her eyes, and shrank under the blanket.
She said this because she felt he had worked hard that day, and was injured and sick.
After a while, there was no sound from outside. She thought he was rejecting her silently, and for a moment, she didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or relieved.
Before she could figure it out, she heard his footsteps. Although they were very light, they felt like they were stepping on her heart, making her extremely nervous.
He wouldn't let her sleep fully clothed, but he himself only took off his cloak, lay down on the edge of the bed wearing only his outer robe, and covered half of his body with a blanket.
The stone bed wasn't large, and with half of his body hanging off the edge, he managed to stay a full three fist-widths away from her.
Lingyi was initially afraid that he would take off his clothes; she even wished she could take her own clothes back and put them on.
Seeing that he was even more reluctant to sleep than she was, she relaxed a bit, peeked her eyes out from under the covers, and advised him, "You'll get cold sleeping like this, you should cover yourself up more."
Upon hearing this, he moved a little closer, still about a fist and a half away from her, until the blanket barely covered his body.
He was lying on his side, and his tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted figure caused the blanket to be pushed up in the middle, so the little warmth inside the blanket could not be retained and all of it leaked out.
After he noticed, he quickly apologized, then shrank back to the edge of the bed, draping a corner of the blanket around his waist. He was so cold that he curled up into a ball, looking quite pitiful.
Lingyi bit her lip and said, "Aren't we husband and wife? There's no need to be so distant."
Upon hearing this, he glanced at her and finally lay down properly.
The stone bed was originally only big enough for one soldier on duty to sleep comfortably, but fortunately she was small and slender, so the two of them could sleep side by side.
The moment he touched her, her body stiffened, and she lay there motionless.
Qin Lie waited for a while, but she didn't relax. Her mouth and nose were still covered by the quilt, with only her head and eyebrows showing. Her eyes were tightly closed, but her eyelashes were blinking incessantly, showing how nervous she was.
He sighed inwardly, reached out to pull the blanket up to her neck, tucked the corners of the blanket around her, and used the blanket to draw a shallow line between them, wrapping her up like a cocoon, with only her small head showing.
After he finished doing all this, he lay down on the other side, closed his eyes and said, "You said it yourself, we are husband and wife, you don't need to be afraid. What happened today is just a temporary measure, I won't do anything to you."
His composure only made her seem petty.
Now that she had accepted that they were husband and wife, she didn't need to be so cautious. Besides, she was no longer a princess and had no relatives or friends, so she shouldn't be wary of him and hurt his feelings.
The instinct to improve one's own life was ingrained in her very being by virtue of the imperial palace.
The most important thing now is to catch him.
But how can I win him over, win over my husband, my prince consort?
She had no memory of it and was at a loss.
She turned her head to look at his straight nose and thick, dark eyebrows, and asked softly, "Did we used to sleep like this?"
“No.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “We’ll sleep cuddling.”
Under her shocked gaze, he added, "And without clothes."
She let out an "Ah," then her cheeks flushed red, and she shrank back into the blankets.
Qin Lie had no choice but to expose her again, saying, "I'm sorry, I was talking nonsense just now and offended the princess."
Lingyi was both embarrassed and angry, "You, you..."
Her face was flushed, her eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were blazing with anger; she was clearly furious.
It was a vibrant life he hadn't seen in a long time.
In comparison, her previous submissiveness now seems like nothing more than a helpless compromise.
Qin Lie felt a surge of emotion, and unconsciously leaned forward, wanting to pull her into his arms.
As soon as he approached, her body stiffened again, he stopped moving, and slowly withdrew his hand.
The atmosphere froze briefly until his throat started to itch again.
He hurriedly got up, grabbed his cloak, and tried to get out of bed, but she stopped him. "It's cold outside, don't go out. I'm not asleep anyway."
He didn't want to be here, afraid of frightening her and also afraid that she would see his wretched state.
Like a peacock, he wanted her to see his good qualities and didn't want her to see his shortcomings.
But staring at her hand gripping his sleeve, he couldn't bring himself to tell her to let go.
Countless times in the dead of night, he has dreamt of the resolute way she insisted on leaving, cutting open his clothes as he held her. Today, she is the one holding onto his sleeve. How could he bear to let her go?
The delay was too late to leave. He coughed violently, leaning against the edge of the bed, bending over deeply, coughing until his face turned red.
Lingyi listened from the sidelines and felt her heart breaking.
This dry cough felt like my lungs were going to come out, and I was about to cough up blood from my throat.
She sat up and, just like Aunt Liu Cui had done to her, gently patted his back, trying to soothe him.
As his coughing subsided, he propped himself up and turned around, meeting her eyes, which were filled with worry.
His chest felt both sore and hot, and without thinking, he pulled the person into his arms.
Even through several layers of clothing, his chest remained broad and warm; she could even feel his heartbeat, pounding against her eardrums and chest.
His hot breath sprayed onto her neck and behind her ears, which were already bright red, and her neck trembled.
Even though I wasn't buried under the covers, I felt a dizzy, suffocating sensation.
This is wrong, it's against etiquette!
Her hand covered his chest, before she pushed him away...
Suddenly, she realized that this was her husband, the only person she could rely on now, and he was so good to her. Even though he was so sick, he was afraid of disturbing her by even coughing.
Thinking this, she slowly let her hands fall down, allowing him to hold her quietly.
Qin Lie was prepared to be pushed away by her.
Unexpectedly, she bit her lip and nestled obediently in his arms.
However, her body was still a little stiff, and her nervousness and shyness were obvious.
Yet they remained incredibly well-behaved.
Qin Lie's heart almost melted; he was so soft-hearted he couldn't muster any strength.
He couldn't help but lower his head and gently kiss her smooth forehead.
It's purely intimate, without any desire or ulterior motives.
She was still startled; her ears turned so red they looked like they were about to bleed.
"How...how could you...?"
She couldn't bring herself to say the word, so he said it for her: "The princess said it herself, we are husband and wife, so why can't I kiss you?"
She stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.
Although she didn't remember the wedding, she knew that husband and wife should treat each other with respect and courtesy.
He could pretend nothing was wrong when she was asleep, but now that she's awake, how dare he be so abrupt?!
Qin Lie chuckled softly when he heard her words, which she blurted out in anger. "So the princess knew about it last time too."
Lingyi became increasingly embarrassed and tried to burrow deeper into the blankets, but Qin Lie pulled the blankets back with one hand, his voice still smiling: "I would rather the princess resent me and be angry with me than have a respectful but distant relationship with her—how boring would it be for a husband and wife to be like that?"
Lingyi, not understanding, asked, "Then how should we get along to make it interesting?"
He didn't really understand, only that he shouldn't treat her with the utmost respect. He wanted to be close to her the moment he saw her, and he was never ashamed of it—only a man who has no interest in his wife can truly be a respectful and loving husband. But he wanted to see her furrow her brows for him, to see her eyes filled with tears and her cheeks flushed, to see her lost in a daze of love and desire for him.
At this moment, he was the only one filled with desire, while she remained oblivious, using only her innocent and bewildered eyes to tease him relentlessly, yet unable to take responsibility.
He patted her head and resignedly said, "Go to sleep early."
She said listlessly, "But I can't sleep right now..."
Now that she had decided to rely on him, she was eager to know what they had said and done, and how they usually got along, rather than simply using the vague phrase "loving couple" to describe everything.
Qin Lie kindly explained, "My first meeting with the princess was naturally on our wedding night. When I lifted her veil, she fell in love with me at first sight..."
Lingyi didn't believe his casual nonsense. "Don't talk nonsense!"
With a solemn expression, Qin Lie had no choice but to take it seriously as well. "Our first meeting was indeed in the bridal chamber of the General's Mansion. When I lifted the veil, I saw you secretly shedding tears under it."
This was indeed something she would do, and Lingyi pursed her lips awkwardly.
Qin Lie continued, "That day I drank too much. After bathing and changing, I lay drunk in bed, completely unaware of when the princess went to bathe or returned to bed. I was awakened in the middle of the night, and when I opened my eyes I saw the princess on top of me, attempting to do something indecent to me..."
Lingyi blushed: "You're talking nonsense again!"
Qin Lie sighed. She didn't believe it if he said it was fake, and she didn't believe it if he said it was true.
He had no choice but to say, "Actually, I was awake at that time. After the princess got into bed, she slept next to me like this. Although we both had our eyes closed, neither of us was asleep until I turned to my side and asked the princess a question."
"What did you say?" she asked.
As if demonstrating for her, he turned to the side, his dark eyes fixed on her, "...May this humble subject kiss the princess?"
And so it was again. That viscous yet fierce gaze made her feel as if she were being stared at by a wild beast. She just stared at him blankly, even forgetting his abrupt question.
He didn't expect a reply from her. He pressed his whole body against hers, his thin lips capturing her lip, and pressed her into the soft pillow.
He was an invincible general, and his greatest skill was seizing opportunities.
Since she has shown interest in him, if he doesn't take the initiative, wouldn't he be betraying the name of the God of War?
Just as she knew best how to make him surrender, he also knew best how to make her crumble.
From light to heavy, from shallow to deep, from probing to teasing, from affection to possession.
I originally only intended to have a brief encounter, but once we kissed, we couldn't separate.
Finally, I gritted my teeth and let go of her, afraid that if I didn't stop, I would never have the chance to stop again.
The night was too beautiful; he didn't want it to end like that again.
Especially since she may not be truly willing, she is taking advantage of someone's vulnerability.
But when I looked down, I saw that her red lips were slightly parted and she was still lost in thought, her eyes were misty and she was breathing softly. Her innocent and carefree nature due to amnesia revealed a captivating tenderness.
This is terrible!
He quickly moved away and lay down to the side.
As he calmed down, Lingyi came to her senses and buried herself in the blankets again.
He chuckled and pulled her out again, assuming she was just shy, but to his surprise, he saw her face covered in tears and her eyes filled with self-loathing.
His smile vanished instantly, and he stared intently at her. "You feel disgusted? Disgusted that I kissed you, or simply disgusted with me?"
She tried to avoid him, but he wouldn't let her, his gaze intense, demanding an answer from her.
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