Chapter 58 "The soft, boudoir-covered bed, husband and wife sharing their hearts..."
Chapter 58: The Soft Curtain with Hibiscus Flowers==
It was the first month of the lunar calendar, and the weather in the capital was cold. The colder it was outside, the brighter the fire burned on the kang (a heated brick bed) inside. When Su Wanyue took a nap at noon, she was only wearing a light gauze dress, the same color as the peony flowers. Her skin was white, and her eyes were still sleepy. This delicate and lazy appearance made people's veins bulge and they wanted to devour her whole.
She was trapped in the man's arms again, her forehead covered in beads of sweat. Xiao Yu pressed his palm against her forehead and commented, "You've been sleeping for a long time."
Perhaps because she was startled, she didn't sleep very soundly. She kept snuggling into his arms, and her body was warm, but not the burning heat of someone who was sick. Xiao Yu gazed at his wife with his deep phoenix eyes. Before she could react, he untied the light gauze covering her body. Su Wanyue stiffened, grabbed his lean, strong arm, and shook her head at him.
She had been feeling unwell for the past few days and no longer had the energy to deal with him.
Meeting his wife's gentle, watery gaze and slightly trembling eyelashes, Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Be good, I won't touch you today."
Once she was sure there was no lust in his eyes, Su Wanyue slowly released her grip on his hand. The expensive, thin gauze was quickly removed, followed by the woman's undergarments and panties. Su Wanyue was not used to doing this in broad daylight, and coupled with her nervousness, her body stiffened and her mind was tense. She buried her face in the gold-threaded pillow, pretending not to see him.
Xiao Yu found it amusing. He slowly and deliberately undressed his wife, looking at her profile. After a short while, the couple were completely naked. He pulled his wife out of her curled-up state and hugged her tightly, with a sense of tenderness.
"Lord Zhou has already sent a message to Crown Prince Qin. I believe Nanqiong will send someone over soon. Miss Bai is Master Jinghui's only disciple from Guanzhong, and she is not from Beili. Once things settle down, Father will release her. You don't need to worry about that. Wanwan, if you have any questions, you can ask me. I will answer them one by one." Xiao Yu's slender fingertips moved to her pink birthmark and slowly caressed it. His wife was like this beautiful butterfly. Her mind was not on him, and she always thought about leaving him. If he didn't take the opportunity to put an end to her thoughts, she would always have hope. But before that, he didn't want her to have any burden in her heart.
She always takes on things for her, but a girl her age shouldn't have so many burdens in her heart. He can protect his wife now, and he can protect her for the rest of his life.
His eyes were as bright as obsidian, fixed intently on her. Su Wanyue felt she had no secrets from him. She looked up at him and asked softly, "This concubine remembers that Imperial Physician Su is from the Empress's side."
Su Wanyue wasn't surprised that Imperial Physician Zhang would help her, but she was quite surprised when Imperial Physician Su followed up on Imperial Physician Zhang's words in the main hall yesterday.
"When power is about to crumble, any imperial physician would make the same choice."
Su Wanyue recalled what Zhou Heng had told her last time, "His Majesty's health has been poor ever since he fell ill. Prince Cheng has been handling all the memorials in the palace. I think the ministers in the capital are already getting restless. Your Highness, perhaps in a while, even His Majesty will have to avoid Prince Cheng's sharp edge."
Just like in Nanqiong, Crown Prince Qin Jue's position as heir apparent was as solid as a rock. His prestige among the people was no less than that of the Nanqiong monarch. Whether in the court or in the palace, only Qin Jue dared to criticize the Nanqiong monarch, and the Nanqiong monarch would not refute him.
Everyone knows that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have a good relationship. At this critical juncture, if the imperial physician offends the Crown Prince, wouldn't that be offending the future emperor? Who would be willing to take that risk? Whether it's Imperial Physician Su or Imperial Physician Li, they would all make the same choice.
His words resolved a major question in Su Wanyue's mind. She then asked, "Does Your Highness intend to wait for the people from Nanqiong to arrive before telling Father that I am not pregnant?"
His casual remark saved Su Wanyue from her immediate predicament; otherwise, she would be imprisoned by now. But this is not a long-term solution.
"At the end of last year, Physician Zhang told me that Wanwan's body had been almost fully recovered. I have been tending to her day and night, so why can't Wanwan conceive?" Xiao Yu chuckled and asked her slowly, "Or is it that Wanwan doesn't want to have my child?"
Su Wanyue's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks quickly flushed red. What kind of lewd words were those?
She knew she wasn't as thick-skinned as him.
"Why are you hiding, Wanwan? Didn't you promise to have a child with me?" Xiao Yu gently pressed her shoulder and continued to ask in a leisurely tone, but there was already a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Since childhood, many people have called Su Wanyue by her nickname, including her father, elders, and her childhood sweetheart Lu Qingchen. But when he called her "Wanwan," his tone was always filled with laughter and tenderness.
Su Wanyue wasn't someone who couldn't see through other people's thoughts. She looked at his long, deep phoenix eyes. The man's eyebrows were like ink paintings, his bone structure was perfect and superior, and his nose was high and straight. When she first saw him, her first reaction was that he was a completely different person from Lu Qingchen. She was very uneasy when she first married him, but since she had chosen this path, she would not regret it. Everything that happened later was different from what Su Wanyue had initially expected. She and the Seventh Princess hit it off immediately, the Imperial Concubine in the palace treated her very well, and then she had to fight wits and courage with him against the former Crown Prince and his group. Although it had only been a little over a year, these things gradually became clear in her mind. She suddenly realized that some things, some events, once they happened, were hard to let go of.
Su Wanyue's eyelashes were like butterfly wings, and she gently lowered her head.
Seeing her lower her head, Xiao Yu cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "Wanwan, you met Young Master Lu during last year's Lantern Festival, didn't you?"
It was already evening outside, and the sunset was gradually being enveloped by darkness. There were no candles lit in the hall, making it extremely dark, but his wife's face was already deeply etched in his mind. He could imagine his wife's expression at this moment; she must be in disbelief, her watery eyes filled with panic.
The next moment, his wife asked, "How did Your Highness know?"
“Wanwan, you told me before that you and your eldest brother are the closest siblings, but you called out ‘Second Brother’ twice in your sleep. If it were you, would you believe that the ‘Second Brother’ in your sleep was the Prince of Xiang? That night, the Crown Prince Qin suddenly appeared and tried every means to prevent me from watching the lanterns with you. Wasn’t he trying to create an opportunity for you and your second brother?” Xiao Yu smiled and said slowly.
It turns out she had revealed her weakness all along, but she was completely unaware of it.
The fact that "His Highness knew my identity all along" was something Su Wanyue hadn't considered before, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
“Yes, I have seen the token of your love with the Second Young Master Lu. Before the Crown Prince Qin left the capital, I revealed your identity to him. Wanwan, do you know why I did not reveal your identity directly?” Xiao Yu sighed and asked her with a smile.
He didn't make it clear because he didn't mind her identity. Su Wanyue thought to herself that tonight, he wanted to completely trap her in a net so that she would never be able to leave him.
"I have said before that I do not care about Wanwan's identity. Whether you are a princess or a county princess, I will not care. There is another reason why I have not exposed you."
Su Wanyue's breathing gradually became rapid, and she no longer wanted to speak. Xiao Yu then asked her in his magnetic and pleasant voice, "If I had exposed you back then, would Wanwan have thought of leaving?"
His hot breath sprayed onto her neck, making Su Wanyue feel a little itchy. Su Wanyue retorted softly, but in such a dark and deep atmosphere, she still lacked confidence, "I did not think that way."
“That’s because Wanwan’s marriage was based on the interests of both countries. If you escape, all our efforts will be in vain. That’s why you don’t think that way. If it weren’t for these things, would you dare say that you didn’t want to leave with your second brother during last year’s Lantern Festival?” He asked the most pointed question in the gentlest voice. From the moment he recognized his wife’s feelings, he could easily understand her thoughts. That’s why he both loved and “hated” his wife at that time.
They only have each other, and that's enough.
Su Wanyue's thoughts were easily seen through. She had never imagined such a possibility, but for her, who had only been married for a little over six months last year, if this opportunity arose...
"Wanwan, you don't need to worry about anything else. You just need to understand one thing: once we're married, no matter what happens, you can't leave each other. Since you still can't let go of Lu Qingchen, I'll help you forget him. Starting tomorrow, I'll stay in the manor with you. I believe you'll be pregnant soon." Xiao Yu gently stroked her flat stomach, thinking about what he and his wife were about to do. His breathing suddenly became heavy, as if their child was already inside her.
He kept mentioning "Lu Qingchen" over and over again, but Su Wanyue didn't think that way at all. She just felt guilty towards her second brother because she had no choice in this marriage arrangement, while her second brother was innocent.
Last time, she was in a rush and there were some things she didn't have time to tell him. She felt that they were destined to be apart and she didn't want him to be trapped inside.
Seeing that the woman in his arms remained silent, Xiao Yu assumed that her identity had been exposed and she no longer wanted to have a child with him. His tone was somewhat heavy, with a hint of subtle jealousy, "Wanwan, why aren't you saying anything? Do you intend to keep your second brother hidden in your heart forever, or do you think that if the news gets back to Nanqiong, your fiancé and your cousin will come to rescue you?"
Su Wanyue: "..."
What was he thinking? The woman suddenly grabbed his neck and bit his thin lips hard. The man stiffened and took the initiative, penetrating him deeply.
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