51 Warm Bed
◎As if being embraced by him◎
"The Secret of the Jade Chamber" explains the principles of yin and yang. Reading it can help to bring harmony between husband and wife.
Why did she pick up this one? Yan Qi frowned in thought. He couldn't have been wrong. Besides, she was a girl, secretly flipping through it and being nearly caught by him. Her blushing, flustered face, and deliberate avoidance all made sense.
She did take the book, but why?
"The young lady woke up from her nap and read in the outer room, then went to the study."
In a flash, Yan Qizheng recalled that the book she had read was called "Yingying Yufu Ji". From the title, one could guess that it must be about a couple. Could it be that she had already thought of...
Have sex with him?
As soon as the thought came to his mind, Yan Qizhen's body involuntarily became hot.
That's right! Lately, she's been more attentive and gentle to me. She's willing to wear the headdress he bought her, and she's even given him the shoes she was forced to make. She doesn't even mind his drunken behavior...
Now they treat each other with respect, and are just one step away from becoming a real couple.
Girls are shy in this regard, so he should take the initiative.
The wind blew and the rain fell, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Yan Qizheng, suddenly enlightened, emerged from his study and stood under the veranda, gazing quietly at the garden in the night rain. The scent of earth mixed with the fragrance of flowers was particularly refreshing.
Yan Qizhen raised the corners of his lips and strode back into the house.
The temperature plummeted on a rainy night in autumn. Even before dinner, Wei Ziyan was still scorching hot, but now her son's hands and feet were icy cold. Not wanting to return to a cold bed after a bath, Wei Ziyan asked Leng Xiang to get the hot water bottle and warm the mattress.
While the bathroom was getting ready, Wei Ziyan sat on a chair and played cat ball with Bai Er. She threw the ball far away, and Bai Er ran after it, nudging it back with his nose.
The door was closed, and Yan Qi was standing quietly outside, looking into the house with a long and gentle gaze.
He had already made up his mind to pretend he didn't know anything, so as not to scare people off. Even when he took the initiative, he would be measured and proceed step by step.
After all, her internal injuries have not healed yet, so she has to listen to the doctor's advice and it is not appropriate to consummate the marriage right now.
After careful consideration, Yan Qi opened the door and stepped over the threshold. As luck would have it, the cat ball rolled over and landed at his feet.
The person opposite raised his head, his pair of dark eyes flashed at him, and then looked away guiltily.
Bai Er was already running over, his nose hesitating between the ball and his shoe. Yan Qizheng squatted down with a smile, picked up the cat ball, tapped Bai Er's nose, and threw it.
The cat ball rolled quickly and landed right at Wei Ziyan's feet.
Bai Er chased after her, waving the ball and calling out to her, as if asking her to throw it faster. Yan Qi was standing at the door, not moving, waiting to see if she would throw it again.
Wei Ziyan slowly picked up the ball and threw it to her right. Leng Xiang just happened to be coming from that direction.
Yan Qizhen was not surprised at the obvious guilt. He suppressed his smile and asked Leng Xiang if her shoes could be washed.
"My Lord, it's clean." Leng Xiang reported.
A look of confusion crossed Wei Ziyan's face. Yan Qizheng saw it all and explained casually, "The boots you gave me got dirty by accident."
"Oh." Wei Ziyan responded and continued to tease Bai Er.
That’s it?
Yan Qizheng coughed lightly and said coldly, "The weather is humid, I'm afraid it won't be dry tomorrow?"
"Yes, it needs to dry for a few more days."
"Then go find a pair with similar embroidery. I want to wear them tomorrow."
Leng Xiang looked embarrassed and replied silently, "Young Master's shoes didn't have embroidery in the past."
"Oh, really?"
"Indeed, no. The eldest master's shoes are all solid colors, without embroidery." Leng Xiang said firmly, "If the eldest master likes embroidery, why not make a few more pairs and keep them."
"Make a few more pairs..." Yan Qizheng smacked his lips and glanced at the person who was playing with the cat next to him.
"Isn't it easy to embroider?" She raised her head. "I can find an embroiderer to come to my house and she can embroider it in half a day."
Lengxiang: "..."
Yan Qizheng: "..."
He thought she understood, but his expectations were dashed. Yan Qizheng couldn't help but complain in his heart, knowing it wouldn't be that easy.
It’s okay, there’s still a long way to go.
He believed that after they became husband and wife, his wife would definitely take the initiative to consider these matters for her husband.
Soon, the hot water in the bathroom was ready, and Wei Ziyan got up to take a shower. Yan Qizheng stayed behind to continue playing with Bai Er, accompanying him from the outer room to the inner room.
Suddenly, Leng Xiang passed by with a hot water bottle. Yan Qizhen asked and found out that the temperature was dropping tonight and the young lady was afraid that she would be cold in bed.
He also said that he is not that delicate.
Although Yan Qizheng had never used this thing, how much warmth could such a small thing provide? If he really wanted to warm the bed, wouldn't he just use this?
Yan Qizhen stopped playing with the cat and asked Leng Xiang to take the hot water bottle away. He washed his hands, took off his clothes, got on the bed, and lay down under the quilt.
Normally, sleeping in the same bed with her at a distance of a shoulder's width from me would fill my nose with fragrance. Now, wrapped tightly in her quilt, with her pillow as my head resting, the fragrance was even more intense, filling my entire chest.
Yan Qi was enjoying it with his eyes closed, and the scene of him hugging her when he was drunk that night flashed through his mind unconsciously, and he couldn't help but feel his heart surge.
Almost there.
It shouldn't be long before I can fall asleep holding my beloved every night...
After all, he was still full of vigor and vitality, and soon Yan Qizheng had covered him thoroughly with warmth. He stood up again, tucked the corners of the quilt in carefully, got out of bed and put on a piece of clothing.
Wei Ziyan came out of the bathroom at this time.
Ping'er accidentally dropped her cloak on the ground. Unable to wait for her to get a new one, Wei Ziyan, wearing a thin nightgown, ran into the bedroom in small steps and ran into Yan Qizhen who had just gotten out of bed.
When their eyes met, both of them were certain.
Yan Qi's eyes fell on her, and he was about to take off the clothes he had just put on and give them to her when the person opposite him quickly passed by, climbed onto the bed in a few seconds, and got into the quilt.
A cool breeze brought the fragrance of the shower, spreading all around. Yan Qizheng's breath was slightly heavy, and a helpless smile appeared on his face: "If you are afraid of the cold, just wear more clothes."
"It's okay," Wei Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief, "It's warm under the quilt."
Thanks to her having Lengxiang use the hot water bottle in advance, the slight chill she felt had been melted away by the warmth surrounding her body, and even the soles of her feet were warm.
Wei Ziyan opened her eyes and saw Yan Qi looking at her with a smile on his face.
She wasn't sure if it was her illusion or if she knew Yan Qi had "that" thought towards her, but she felt like the way he looked at her was a little different.
Frank? Burning? She couldn't put it into words, but it made her... her heart flutter...
Wei Ziyan quietly hid under the quilt again and heard Yan Qizheng asking her if she had taken her medicine tonight. Sometimes she was lazy and forgot to take medicine intentionally or unintentionally.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Yan Qizheng knew: "I'll ask Leng Xiang to bring it in for you."
After a while, Leng Xiang came in with water and medicine, and Wei Ziyan had to sit up and take the medicine.
"Is the young lady feeling cold while sleeping?" Leng Xiang asked casually with concern.
"It's not cold, it's warm."
It was much more careful than Qiu Luo's before, and every detail was taken into consideration. Hearing the praise, Leng Xiang smiled embarrassedly: "It's not that I am careful, it's that you are careful."
"Young Master?"
Wei Ziyan was stunned, and Leng Xiang was also stunned when she saw her reaction.
"Didn't the eldest master say that? He warmed the young lady's bed."
“…”
Wei Ziyan finally came to her senses.
No wonder Yan Qizhen was only wearing a single layer of underwear just now. It seemed that he was using his own body to warm her bed!
After learning the truth, Wei Ziyan lay down again, thinking that the warmth enveloping her came from Yan Qizhen's body temperature, as if she was embraced by him, and a wave of shame appeared on her face.
He turned from left to right, and from right back to left, tossing and turning. In the blink of an eye, Yan Qi, who had finished bathing, walked in wearing pajamas.
It was too late for Wei Ziyan to pretend to be asleep, so she could only lie frozen in a half-side-inward position, feeling someone lying on the bed behind her.
"It's a bit chilly tonight," Yan Qizheng's deep voice sounded slowly, "If you feel cold at night, you can come and sleep here."
“…”
Wei Ziyan's eyes widened involuntarily. Is he, is he speaking so directly now?
If I move closer, what if I irritate him?
Although she was accustomed to his physical contact, including occasional hugs, she was not yet ready for such intimacy as that between husband and wife.
Wei Ziyan's heart pounded, and it only subsided when Yan Qizheng fell asleep. However, perhaps because her mind was filled with too much, she couldn't fall asleep.
What happened in the past flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
There was even the story of how she had deceived Yan Qizheng before they got married, and how she had accidentally made him believe it...
Wei Ziyan thought of Yingying and her husband again. They had also become husband and wife by chance, starting out as enemies but eventually falling in love with each other.
As she was thinking, Wei Ziyan woke up from the cold. In her daze, she felt a warm spot and moved closer involuntarily. She put her hands and feet on it, and immediately a constant flow of heat came over and warmed her skin.
Just as she was feeling comfortable, her wrist suddenly tightened and a hoarse call sounded in her ears.
"Yan'er..."
Wei Ziyan suddenly regained consciousness and found herself pressed against Yan Qizheng. Just as she was about to step back, he rolled over and pinned her down.
Yan Qi was holding her wrist, staring at her with naked, burning eyes.
"You recruited me."
"I--"
She opened her mouth, but he cut her off without a word. Yan Qizheng covered her lips, kissing her intensively. Just like Yingying's husband kissed her, lingering and passionate, both domineering and gentle.
As they kissed, that thing pressed hard against her. Yan Qizheng let go of her hand and undressed her.
She remembered what the book said, that it would be painful at first; she also remembered that before she got married, Wang Ma said that she would suffer on her wedding night, so she nervously grabbed her clothes.
Yan Qi was kissing her hand and coaxing her gently.
"Don't be afraid, I'll be gentle."
…
After an unknown amount of time, Wei Ziyan opened her eyes, and the morning light had already shone into the room. She stared blankly at the curtains overhead, and suddenly sat up in shock!
Looking around again, there was no one beside her pillow, and she was sleeping soundly in her own quilt.
It was clearly just a wet dream!
Wei Ziyan stroked her chest to calm herself down, but she felt a damp and slippery sensation down there.
It is said that what you think about during the day you will dream about at night. Could it be that her mind is already filled with the harmony of yin and yang?
Qiu Luo came in and helped her change clothes. Wei Ziyan couldn't bear it for a moment and sobbed: "Qiuluo, I'm dirty..."
Qiu Luo didn't understand why she was sad. It wasn't until she changed her underwear that he understood what was going on.
"This isn't the first time Madam has come to Kuishui, why are you so sad this time?"
"Sunflower water?" Wei Ziyan was stunned.
She remembered that her period was still a week away, so she didn't think about her period, but rather thought it was those...
Fortunately, Wei Ziyan was relieved to know that the wedding day had come earlier. However, after this shock, her face turned pale, which made Qiu Luo feel distressed.
"Did the young lady not sleep well?"
Wei Ziyan glanced at Yan Qizheng's pillow and asked unhappily, "Where's he?"
"Him?" Qiu Luo realized. "The eldest master originally said he wouldn't go out today and would wait for the young lady to get up and have dinner together. But he just received a letter and hurried out again."
She was in such a hurry, so something must have happened. Qiu Luo didn't know what it was, so Wei Ziyan asked her where the letter came from.
"I don't know either. The eldest master didn't say anything."
It was still raining outside. After breakfast, Wei Ziyan strolled under the corridor in the yard.
A stove was added in the northwest corner, boiling water, and the pair of embroidered boots she had given Yan Qizheng were placed next to it. I wonder what kind of shoes he was wearing today?
"Every autumn rain brings a chill, young lady, please keep warm."
Leng Xiang brought her a cloak from inside the house and put it on. Seeing her staring at the shoes, she couldn't help laughing and said, "Young Madam, are you thinking about what the eldest young master said last night?"
"Hmm..." Wei Ziyan was just discussing with her, "Where do you think we can hire an embroiderer?"
Leng Xiang laughed out loud after hearing this: "The eldest master said that on purpose for the young lady to hear. He wanted the young lady to make him a few more pairs of shoes!"
"ah?"
"Didn't the young lady hear anything?"
Wei Ziyan hadn't expected this. She hadn't recovered from the Jade Chamber Secrets yesterday, so how could she possibly have the energy to discern Yan Qizheng's hidden meaning?
However, after Leng Xiang's guidance and after thinking about it again, I also felt that there was something interesting about it.
"Then why didn't he just say it?"
"Isn't that embarrassing?" Leng Xiang guessed, "The eldest master is very concerned about his reputation. If you are unwilling or reluctant to agree, it will seem like he is forcing you."
He spoke as if he had never done anything against her will. Wasn't it him who insisted on marrying her regardless of the consequences?
"I understand." Wei Ziyan lowered her lips and tightened her cloak.
Yan Qizheng had gone out and still hadn't returned by noon. Wei Ziyan was worried about him and didn't feel like taking a nap. She drank some brown sugar ginger tea and leaned back on the couch, playing with Bai Er in a casual manner.
However, as time went on, I gradually felt sleepy again. Just as I was dozing off with my eyes closed, Yan Qizhen came back!
Not only that, Qiu Luo, who came to deliver the message, also said: "The eldest master has returned with Miss Liu." Wei Ziyan suddenly became alert and hurried out to greet them.
That’s right. Yan Qi had just entered the yard when he was followed by Liu Yuer, whom he had not seen for many days.
"Sister Liu!" The rain was still falling, and Wei Ziyan walked quickly along the corridor.
"Zi Yan——"
Liu Yu'er also hurried towards her. Unexpectedly, they were reunited in the mansion. Wei Ziyan asked her happily, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
"It's a long story," Liu Yu'er said with a smile on her face, "I didn't think of it beforehand."
Wei Ziyan glanced at Yan Qizhen who was slowly following behind Liu Yuer. Was this the reason why he hurried out this morning?
"Let's go inside and talk slowly."
So, she pulled Liu Yu'er into the house and sat down, ordering Qiu Luo to serve tea. Yan Qizheng came in shortly after and added a word of snacks. Wei Ziyan then realized that the two of them had not yet had lunch and had just been released from the Ministry of Justice's prison.
"Aren't you living in the Shangshu Mansion? Why are you in the Ministry of Justice Prison again?"
Liu Yu'er smiled helplessly: "Because someone poisoned me this morning."
"..." Wei Ziyan opened her mouth immediately.
Liu Yu'er's subsequent words left her increasingly shocked. Ever since Wu Guanyi had taken Liu Yu'er into the Wu family, the mansion had been relatively peaceful. The Qi family's second daughter, Qi Baoyu, had expressed some dissatisfaction but hadn't caused any outbursts. But this morning, she had attempted to harm Liu Yu'er with a poisoned ginseng soup.
Fortunately, Yuzhen returned the previous night and happened to see Qi Baoyu's wet nurse sneaking in and out. Wu Guanyi secretly investigated and discovered something, but he kept it to himself and then exposed it on the spot the next day.
The wet nurse who was in charge of the operation personally brought the poisonous ginseng soup, and caught the criminal red-handed, making it impossible for him to deny it. In order to protect herself, she betrayed Qi Baoyu.
With the witnesses and evidence in front of her, Qi Baoyu initially denied it. Later, when she heard that she was going to be handed over to the authorities, she cried and said that she was confused for a moment, blinded by jealousy, and lost her mind.
Wu Guanyi didn't believe this excuse and went to the Ministry of Justice to ask Minister Yu to personally conduct the trial.
"Why doesn't Master Wu believe it?" Wei Ziyan didn't understand. "Is there another reason?"
Liu Yu'er didn't answer in a hurry and looked at Yan Qizhen.
"Because the truth of what Qi Baoyu said is related to the truth of another incident—" Yan Qizheng explained for her, "the real culprit behind the assassination of the prince."
"Hasn't the real culprit been found out before?" Wei Ziyan remembered him saying this when he came back.
The mastermind behind sending people to kidnap her on the street and nearly rob her in the prison seemed to be an official named Shen from the Ministry of Justice.
"Shen Zui is just following orders. The people above him are the real ones manipulating the situation."
At this point, Yan Qizhen could no longer hold back and told Wei Ziyan everything about the relationship between Shen Zui, the real culprit behind the scenes, and the King of Liao.
Unexpectedly, the implications were so serious that the King of Liao even had the intention of rebelling and seizing the throne. Wei Ziyan drank two sips of tea to calm herself down.
"The prison robbery failed before. If they still refuse to give up, they will continue to find ways to take Miss Liu's life." Yan Qizhen continued.
"So, whether Qi Baoyu was acting out of jealousy or was ordered by others is related to the investigation of the real culprit behind the scenes."
After hearing this explanation, Wei Ziyan now understood everything.
"Did she finally confess?"
Yan Qizheng shook his head: "Qi Baoyu insisted, there is no other reason."
"That……"
"It all depends on how her father, Qi Lique, acts from now on."
Liu Yu'er was brought back to the Wu family by Wu Guanyi. There might have been some gossip in the mansion, but she was just an unknown outsider. Qi Baoyu had only recently married into the Wu family, so even if she was jealous, she wouldn't take such a risk.
Even if Liu Yu'er was eliminated, how could he escape so easily after causing a death in the Shangshu Mansion? Qi Baoyu dared to act without regard for the consequences, and it was more likely that he was coerced into doing so.
The prince already has a suspect in his mind, and now it depends on how Qi Lique will save his daughter.
The prince originally agreed to release Liu Yuer from prison and let her temporarily live in the Wu family because he wanted to use her to lure out the real culprit behind the scenes.
Now that the snake has left its cave, it would be inconvenient for Liu Yu'er to stay in the Wu Mansion any longer, so Wu Guanyi hurriedly sent him a letter, asking him to properly arrange for Liu Yu'er.
"So Sister Liu will live here from now on?"
Wei Ziyan couldn't wait to ask. Yan Qi was looking at her and nodded his chin lightly: "Yeah."
"That's great!" Wei Ziyan happily held Liu Yu'er's hand, "From now on, I'll have a sister to talk to and keep me company!"
"Are you still bored?" Liu Yu'er laughed, "I just saw you have so many flowers planted in your yard."
"Flowers can't talk."
…
Seeing the two sisters start chatting, Yan Qizheng stood up and said, "I'll ask Leng Xiang to clean up a room."
As soon as he left, Liu Yu'er asked with a smile, "I heard from Yuzhen that Master Yan treats you gently and considerately, isn't that right?"
Yuzhen was referring to the flower banquet that day, and Wei Ziyan nodded shyly. Seeing that no one was in the room, Liu Yuer lowered her voice and asked, "So, are you still thinking about divorcing him now?"
This question added a touch of embarrassment to Wei Ziyan's shyness. It was all old news, already a thing of the past in her mind. Wei Ziyan pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
"That's good..." Liu Yu'er let out a sigh of relief, "I wasn't wrong to persuade you to come back."
Wei Ziyan curled her lips awkwardly. She'd been so stubborn in running away from her marriage, even though she hadn't been fully aware of it. Perhaps it was partly due to Yan Qizheng's anger, and partly due to her fear of marriage.
Marrying someone who hates her, and at the same time betraying someone who treats her well.
But after all they had been through together, she realized how much she had misunderstood him. He didn't really hate her, he just spoke in a nasty way, always getting angry with her.
Furthermore, she also felt that Yan Qizheng had changed a lot. Not only did he treat her well, but he must also... genuinely liked her...
The two were whispering in the room, while Leng Xiang and Qiu Luo in the west wing had already cleaned up the room quickly.
Yan Qizheng instructed the kitchen to prepare dinner in advance. The three of them sat together, and Wei Ziyan asked Qiu Luo to get the rambutan wine that had been prepared earlier for the flower banquet to make up for Liu Yu'er's absence.
She was happy, but she had her own life to live, and Yan Qi was in charge, so she could only have a couple of drinks. Liu Yu'er drank more than her, her face flushed.
After dinner, Wei Ziyan wanted to take her for a walk, but Liu Yuer knew what to do and didn't want to disturb her and Yan Qizhen's world of two too much, so she said she wanted to go back to her room to rest.
It's just getting dark, it's still early.
"It's so boring to go back to the room so early."
Liu Yu'er smiled and said, "Pick out some interesting books for me, so I won't be bored when I read them."
The book still cast a shadow on Wei Ziyan's mind. To avoid any undue thoughts, she didn't even dare to read Yingying today. She also didn't know what kind of books Liu Yu'er liked, so she asked Qiu Luo to move the box of books she brought with her to the west wing.
"Sister, you can choose whatever you want to see."
"Move it all to me, what will you do if you want to read?"
Before Wei Ziyan could answer, Yan Qizheng's voice interrupted: "It's okay, I still have books in my study."
As if someone had caught her by the hair, Wei Ziyan fell silent, feeling guilty. After watching Liu Yu'er go to the west wing, she turned around and was about to go back to the house when Yan Qizheng called her, "Didn't you say you wanted to take a walk?"
"...The wind is a bit strong." Wei Ziyan responded hastily and took hurried steps.
Strong wind?
Yan Qizhen curled his lips and followed closely.
"Then go to the study and pick out a few books you want to read and put them in the room."
"……No."
"Or I can pick a few for you. Do you want storybooks or—"
"Really."
"You haven't finished reading 'Yingying Yufu Ji' yet?"
“…”
Wei Ziyan's face became hotter and hotter, and her head drooped lower and lower.
"I, I'm a little dizzy after drinking... I want to sleep..."
Yan Qi was trying his best to suppress his smile and stop teasing her.
"Then I'll go warm your bed."
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