Chapter 34.34 A Glimpse of Springtime Passion
The night sky was cloudless, and the full moon hung in the air, casting its bright light across the ground.
Cui Xianglan slept soundly in her room, but in the middle of the night she heard some strange noises coming from outside the doors and windows, like someone being scolded.
Awakened by the noise, Cui Xianglan felt dizzy and her vision blurred. She vaguely saw the unfamiliar furnishings in the room and her personal maid sleeping on the soft couch opposite her. She immediately realized that this was not her room in the Cui family.
Her courtyard was small and dilapidated, and even the furnishings inside were old and unwanted by her aunts, brothers, and sisters. It would never have been so quiet and rustic.
Cui Xianglan instinctively became alert, and staggered out of bed, dressing as she ran to the opposite side to wake the maid.
The maid was woken up and said in a daze, "Miss got drunk with the princess. The princess asked Miss to stay at the manor for the night and has already sent someone home to tell her."
Cui Xianglan shook her head. "It's a good thing to get close to the princess, but I'm afraid if my stepmother finds out, she'll use it as an excuse to cause trouble."
The clothes were mixed with insect eggs, the good food was mixed with lard, and the boxes that looked shiny on the outside had rotten wooden linings—the stepmother was used to doing these kinds of good deeds, so that outsiders could not find fault with them, but they were also disgusting to her.
"It's only the first watch of the night, there's no curfew yet, let's go back to the manor." Cui Xianglan insisted, and the maid had no choice but to leave with her.
Unexpectedly, the princess's residence was far too large.
Even more strangely, all the servants in the mansion had disappeared. The huge mansion was deserted, with no one patrolling or standing guard at night. Only the lanterns under the eaves illuminated one side, making it eerily quiet.
The master and servant wandered around like headless flies, unable to find the main gate, so they had to split up to find an exit.
As Cui Xianglan walked through a small courtyard, she saw a room with a light on in the distance. She thought of asking someone for help, but through the shadow of the window, she saw a man reading a book.
Men and women should not touch each other, and it was late at night, so she thought it over and left in a hurry.
In the brightly lit room, Su Jingyun was reading by candlelight when he heard hurried footsteps outside the window, which briefly brought him back to his senses from his medical books.
"I almost forgot." He suddenly remembered that he had made some incense to help with hangovers, but hadn't given it to Huachun yet.
Yuezhi drank a bit too much in the afternoon and went to bed early, without having time to take her medicine. He was worried that just drinking the hangover soup wouldn't be enough, so he thought of taking some incense to her room to light. However, once he got back to his room and started reading a medical book, he forgot all about it.
He closed the book, took out some specially made incense from the cabinet, and went outside.
Meanwhile, Cui Xianglan accidentally stumbled into the main courtyard.
At first, she found it strange. The courtyard was beautiful and lush with flowers and grass, and it was spotless. It didn't look like no one lived there. So why was there not a single servant to take care of her at night?
Standing in the courtyard, I could vaguely hear noises coming from inside the house—a woman's low, dreamlike murmurs.
Cui Xianglan was overjoyed. It seemed that this was Princess Ning'an's boudoir. After wandering around most of the princess's residence, she had finally encountered a living person.
Although it was inappropriate to bother the princess with such a trivial matter as finding a way out of the mansion, she feared that if she didn't seize this lifeline, she wouldn't be able to find the door or the room she had just slept in, and her situation would become even more awkward.
The princess has such a good temper, surely she won't punish her for this? Cui Xianglan slowly approached the bedroom.
"Mmm... Huff..."
A soft gasp startled her, and she froze on the spot. Her foot, which was about to step onto the stairs, hung in mid-air, and she hesitated to put it down.
Cui Xianglan was incredulous, wondering if she was still drunk and must have misheard: that sigh just now was clearly a man's voice...
She pinched her earlobes hard, trying to wake herself up, but even more embarrassing and heart-pounding sounds kept coming from inside the room, making this unmarried girl frown and dare not go any further.
Are the princess and the second young master of the Liang family inside?
She had heard about how the second young master Liang personally carried the princess to the carriage after the banquet at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and at the time she envied their good relationship. She never expected that they had already slept together.
She shouldn't have left her room and run around like that, only to stumble upon someone's intimate moment. She wished she could disappear into the shadows.
Cui Xianglan's cheeks flushed, and she quietly turned around and tiptoed out of the courtyard. Seeing that there was no one in the main courtyard, she wondered: Could it be that the two of them were having a secret rendezvous tonight and did not want anyone to know, so they deliberately sent the servants away? But she barged in recklessly and almost ruined their good time.
She hurried along without daring to stop. The cold autumn wind chilled her cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the mingled breaths she had just heard. Her face was burning hot.
She ran back to where she had parted ways with the maid, just as the maid returned.
"Miss, I've found the side gate. We can go out from there." The maid's expression remained normal. She then asked, "I couldn't find any servants in the manor. If we leave without informing the manor, will the princess think we're being impolite?"
Cui Xianglan's mind was completely occupied with the princess's secret rendezvous with the second young master Liang, and she couldn't think of anything else. She urged her, "The princess won't blame us, let's go quickly."
The two arrived at the side gate and successfully left the mansion.
Stepping outside, I could see an inconspicuous carriage parked in the alleyway, with several people guarding it, each holding a sword.
Seeing someone come out of the side door, the people by the carriage turned their gazes over and scrutinized the two.
The maidservant nervously hid behind Cui Xianglan. Cui Xianglan had never seen anything like this before, so she pretended not to see anything and hurriedly led the maidservant up the road. Only when she caught a glimpse of the crowd that they didn't seem to be following did she feel relieved.
Is that Young Master Liang's carriage? The Liang family is a scholarly family, so when did they start keeping such fierce-looking servants? Just one glare from them is enough to make one's heart tremble.
Cui Xianglan panicked and just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
Before curfew, shops were still open on the street, and pedestrians and carriages were coming and going. The master and servant had no carriage, so they had to walk back to the Cui family. To ensure their safety, they deliberately chose the brightest place to walk.
The maid yawned sleepily: "Even if you return home before the gates close to the left, Madam and the Second Miss will still find all sorts of excuses to trip you up."
“Actually, the princess is such a good person, why don’t you beg her to teach the madam a lesson like she did to the second young lady? That way they won’t dare to bully you anymore.”
As the maid spoke, Cui Xianglan recalled the way Princess Ning'an had handed her the silver hairpin and gently comforted her.
She sighed, "Such a good person, with poor eyesight and limited mobility, is still willing to think of others and help a complete stranger. She is so kind-hearted. I used her influence to get out of my predicament, as if I was taking advantage of her."
“Miss, why be so soft-hearted?” The maid shook her head. “If you’re really forced into a corner, use whoever you can, it’s better than being bullied to death.”
Cui Xianglan did not answer.
It wasn't that she was soft-hearted; it was just that she hadn't been treated with kindness for too long. Having lived in a den of wolves and tigers for so long, she was both flustered and delighted to be suddenly treated with such care, not knowing what to do.
Yes, the princess is such a kind person, she has to forget everything she heard and saw before, and can't tell anyone a single word about it.
The prince consort and the princess were in love and had a marriage contract bestowed by the emperor. Even if their behavior crossed the line, it was understandable. Cui Xianglan felt a little envious. She was afraid she would never know what happiness it was to marry the person she loved.
As the two passed by a teahouse, they caught a glimpse of a woman stopping a man in blue, and the two seemed to be arguing.
Attracted by the voice, Cui Xianglan turned her head curiously and caught a glimpse of the man's face, her heart skipped a beat.
She nudged the maid, her voice stammering, "Look, isn't that young master Liang in front of the teahouse?"
The maid looked over and nodded, "Yes."
Cui Xianglan's easily calmed emotions were suddenly thrown into chaos: Young Master Liang is here, so who is the man in the princess's room?
*
Liang Zhang had only sat in the teahouse with his colleagues for a while when he was stopped by Shen Xian as soon as he came out. Just like that day at the Duke's mansion, she looked solemn, as if she had something very important to tell him.
"Princess, if you have something to say, please tell me. Why are you blocking my way and preventing me from speaking or leaving?"
Shen Xian said with a serious expression, "This matter is of great importance and cannot be discussed here. Please come with me to the Princess's residence. Once you arrive, everything will become clear."
One should not casually visit one's fiancée's door before marriage.
Liang Zhang absolutely could not agree. "Your Majesty and I have no connection. How can I disturb the princess's health by visiting her home just because of a few random words from her? If the princess does not wish to speak, then so be it. Your Majesty should return to your residence."
As he was about to leave, Shen Xian grabbed his sleeve anxiously, "You blockhead, how could you trust her so much? You love her so much, yet she's been having affairs with other people behind your back, do you even know that?"
The man's handsome face suddenly turned serious. He raised his sleeve and shook off her hand, his previous good temper gone.
“The princess has blocked my way several times, even pulling and tugging at me in the street. I am a man, and it doesn’t matter if people see me or criticize me. But the princess is pure and innocent, how can I allow you to slander her like that?”
He lowered his voice, not wanting to publicize the matter, to save face for both sides, and even more so to prevent the strange Princess Shen from saying anything detrimental to the princess.
"Princess, you need not say that. I know what kind of person the princess is, and you don't need to tell me."
Seeing his unwavering faith in a woman he had only met a few times, Shen Xian felt both fondness and jealousy.
How wonderful it would be if this were her husband.
Unconditionally believe in her, side with her no matter what happens, think she's good, defend her reputation in public, and care about her all the time.
Unlike Chen Lanze, who neither smiled nor got angry at her, and never looked for her when he couldn't see her, he was like a block of ice that could never be melted.
Her eyes were anxious, and the voice in her heart was about to burst forth.
"She betrayed you, and you're still speaking up for her?" Shen Xian gritted her teeth, raised her head proudly in front of him, and told him in a voice that the two of them could hear.
"You have no idea that I chose you first. I should have been your fiancée. The Emperor took you away for her. My father died and I had no one to take care of me. I didn't even have the right to compete with her."
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, her expression a mixture of forbearance and grievance.
She just couldn't understand why, since they had all come to the capital from Yanjing with the emperor, her father and the Liangzhou army had sacrificed so much for the new emperor's success, the new emperor should treat her well.
What has Yuezhi done for the new emperor? What achievements does she have to boast about? It's one thing for her to be superior to Yuezhi in name because of blood ties, but her mansion is bigger, her rewards are more, and even the husband chosen for her marriage is someone else's.
Why should a useless blind man compete with her?
“Princess Shen, what’s done is done, and you are already engaged to the young master of the Chen family. Why keep dwelling on the past?”
Liang Zhang frowned as he looked at her. She was clearly a pretty young woman, but because of her deep-seated obsession and resentment, her brows were furrowed, and her face looked fierce.
“I am a princess personally appointed by the Emperor. If I ask you to go, you must go. Otherwise, it will be considered disobeying orders.”
She glared fiercely at the pitiful man in front of her, who was bewitched by Yue Zhi, determined to expose Yue Zhi's facade in front of him.
Seeing that he didn't move, she threatened, "Or do you think I should spread this around and let everyone know that she is a promiscuous woman?"
Liang Zhang stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do.
Suddenly, a figure walked up behind Shen Xian, bypassing the maid and bumping into Shen Xian's shoulder.
The impact caused Shen Xian to lose her balance, her headdress jingling loudly. She was so startled that she didn't even have time to regain her footing. She quickly reached out to steady her hair and jewelry, preserving her dignity as a princess.
Liang Zhang looked at the newcomer with suspicion, his gaze falling on the silver hairpin in her hair. This hairpin... he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.
Cui Xianglan waved her hand, urging him to leave the place of trouble. She gave him a look, indicating that she would handle the current problem: as women, they were not afraid of being seen pulling each other in the street. Liang Zhang, on the other hand, was an unmarried man who should stay far away from suspicion.
Although Liang Zhang did not know her, he was very grateful for her willingness to help, so he bowed to her and left.
A cold night wind swept across the street.
Shen Xian shivered. After regaining her balance, she looked again and saw that Liang Zhang, who had been standing in front of her, had disappeared in just a short while. Looking into the distance, she saw him hurrying through the sparse pedestrians and disappearing from the street corner in the blink of an eye.
She stomped her foot in anger and tried to chase after him, but a hand grabbed her arm. When she turned around, she saw a woman dressed in poor clothes.
"Who are you, daring to ruin this princess's plans?"
Having grown accustomed to Cui Qingqing's arrogant and domineering demeanor at home, Cui Xianglan thought to herself that although this Princess Shen had a bad temper, she was no less cunning than her own younger sister.
"I was merely trying to help someone in need. I don't want to offend your ears with my humble name, but I did want to remind you that you were dressed so extravagantly and were pulling and tugging at a young man in the street. Everyone who passed by saw it. Even if you are not afraid of damaging your reputation, you should think about the young man. Why do you let him suffer such an undeserved disaster?"
Shen Xian glared at her and immediately ordered the servants accompanying her to come and take the person away, but no one answered after calling for a long time, not even Xiao Que came over.
Where have all the people gone?!
Shen Xian was on the verge of collapse. Being rejected by Liang Zhang time and time again had already humiliated her, and now she couldn't even call a personal servant. She was being laughed at by a poor commoner.
Looking down into the alley beside the teahouse, where servants and maids used to hide, as darkness deepened, figures began to move about in the black shadows. A dagger emerged from the shadows, gleaming coldly in the candlelight in front of the teahouse.
Shen Xian was startled, and then she saw Duan Yunting emerge from the shadows, twirling a dagger, and casually scrutinizing her disheveled appearance, which was both angry and helpless.
He sheathed his dagger, his red robes billowing, and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, quietly watching her make a fool of herself.
Ever since she got involved with Yuezhi, it seems like everyone is against her and can't stand to see her doing well.
Shen Xian pushed Cui Xianglan away and told her to get out.
Cui Xianglan thought that the Second Young Master Liang should have gone far enough, and she couldn't wait to get away. After being pushed away, she hurriedly led her maid away from the teahouse.
The maid laughed, "Tonight is really lively, much more so than watching the concubines quarrel at home."
Cui Xianglan gave a dry laugh and remained silent; no one else could know the troubles in her heart.
The strange man in the princess's room, the carriage and men waiting outside the princess's side door, and the second young master Liang being harassed by the princess—none of these things were ordinary. If she were to investigate any one of them, she might lose her head.
Cui Xianglan chose to keep her mouth shut, assuming that what she saw and heard that night was just a hallucination from being drunk, and would not delve into it further.
*
Outside the princess's residence, the guards waited quietly.
In the servants' courtyard of the mansion, the servants and maids were punished separately, with vases balanced on their heads. They were all exhausted, but under the supervision of the imperial guards, none of them dared to fall.
Everyone in the manor, except for the princess and the temporary guests, is here.
The servants in the mansion were assigned by the Emperor. At first, they treated the Emperor as their master and were always vigilant and careful. However, the Emperor did not come for a long time, and Yuezhi was a gentle and soft-hearted person who did not see or care about many trivial matters. As time went by, they became lax.
Cheng Yuan and his men were here supervising the punishment of the people. Occasionally, he would glance in the direction of the main courtyard, a hint of worry showing on his silent and serious face.
Did the Emperor take too long to get there?
Under the same moonlight, the bedroom, with its doors and windows tightly closed, was filled with the aroma of wine. Through the moonlit gauze curtains, a pair of figures could be seen, embracing tightly, inseparable.
Two people with little understanding of love kissed each other's lips.
From the initial confusion and trial and error, and the disordered breathing, to now the intertwining of nasal breaths and the sweet taste of saliva, I have come to appreciate the fun and have become completely absorbed in it.
Yuezhi's slender, fair hands involuntarily tightened around the young man's arm. In her hazy, drunken state, she forgot her shame and only wanted to exchange body heat with him and enjoy this rare and wonderful dream.
A pair of jade-like arms climbed up the young man's back, the loose sleeves slipping from her wrists to her shoulders, her palms caressing the nape of his long, loose hair, and she gradually began to find his clothes quite cumbersome.
I was still hot and wanted to get even closer.
"Mmm..." As she endured the young man's relentless kisses, she grabbed at his collar, trying to make him take off his complicated clothes like she did and lie comfortably in the bedding.
The loosening of her clothes made Pei Heng's heart pound. He let out a soft moan and gently licked her lips.
"Yuezhi, don't do this, I can't take it."
He couldn't take it anymore, falling deeper and deeper into this abyss, enjoying stolen pleasures and losing all conscience.
I wanted to give up on the idea, but I couldn't stop myself from coming to see her.
He only wanted to see her healthy, yet he shamelessly deceived the drunk Yuezhi, kissing her again and again without any remorse.
Pei Heng didn't know what was wrong with him. He had treated her like an older sister he depended on and wanted her to be happy, but he had gradually ended up in this clingy and unbearable situation.
But the person in his arms exuded a pleasant fragrance, was petite and beautiful, and he could easily hold her tight, kiss her delicate nose, kiss her smooth forehead, and kiss her from her fine eyelashes to her rounded earlobes...
Like a beloved jade statue falling into the palm of one's hand, it is under his control, accepting all his whims, belonging only to him.
There is no Liang Er Gongzi here, no princess or prince consort, only him and his imperial sister.
Yuezhi was willing to go to the capital because of him, became a princess because of him, and was also kissed so deeply by him that she lost her senses. She lovingly stroked his cheek and called to him in her gentlest and sweetest voice.
I like you so much.
Her misty eyes looked at him, her cherry lips, kissed until they were a deep red, parted slightly, her breath hot and moist—a secret temptation he could not resist.
He took those soft lips into his mouth again and began to suckle.
A cool breeze blew in through the crack in the door, while the bed was stuffy and hot. Breaths flowed slowly from inside the curtains, overflowing from the crack in the window and reaching the ears of the unsuspecting person.
Su Jingyun left the East Wing Garden with incense in his hand. As he passed the servants' quarters, he saw several strangers standing there in the distance.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the servants had been gathered together and were doing something. Having lived in the palace for many years, his instincts told him to avoid crowded and troublesome places.
But he saw Huachun among those people, as well as several maids who served Yuezhi closely.
They're all there, so isn't Yuezhi all alone?
She's blind and drunk; what if she gets up in the middle of the night and there's no one to look after her? Su Jingyun was extremely worried.
Without regard for anything else, he rushed to the main courtyard and saw that the gate was ajar, as if someone had left in such a hurry that they hadn't closed it properly.
After taking a few more steps into the courtyard, I heard whispered murmurs coming from inside the room.
He immediately understood what was happening inside, and a surge of anger rushed to his head.
Yuezhi was still ill, and her health had only just begun to improve when that man became so lustful, meeting her secretly at night without showing her any consideration. It was utterly despicable.
It was common for princesses to keep male concubines, but he knew that Yuezhi was not a person who indulged in unrestrained behavior. Tonight, she was drunk again, and who knew if there was a petty thief taking advantage of her or some ill-intentioned guard in the mansion inside.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Finding the door ajar, he grabbed a packet of incense and rushed inside.
Just as he was about to threaten and drive her away through the screen, he saw, in the bright moonlight, under the half-lifted green gauze curtain, a well-dressed young man holding the limp and powerless woman in his arms and sitting her up, his wide sleeves covering her bare back.
Su Jingyun's words caught in his throat as he saw Yue Zhi, half-drunk and half-asleep, nestled against the young man's neck, a sweet smile on her lips.
He stared at Yue Zhi's slightly flushed cheeks behind the screen, completely unaware that the young man's piercing gaze was already fixed on him.
After hesitating for a long time, Su Jingyun placed the incense on the table in the outer room and bowed.
"Your Majesty, I did not mean to intrude. The princess is drunk tonight. I ask that you treat her well and not go too far in your actions."
He knew how much Yuezhi liked Liang Zhang, and knew that the person she loved was inside, so he consciously withdrew, but he vaguely felt that something was wrong.
The young man, sitting cross-legged on the couch, looked at him coldly through the screen. "You, a mere physician, dare to barge into the princess's boudoir? Is it because the princess is too kind and spoils you, making you arrogant and ignorant, or do you think that because you are an old friend of the princess, you are different from ordinary servants and can sit on equal footing with her?"
Su Jingyun didn't recognize the voice at first, but he could tell that it was definitely not the praised Young Master Liang.
He knelt down in a panic, "Your Majesty, I only came to visit you because I was worried that the princess would have no one to serve her. I was impetuous and rude for a moment. Please forgive me."
Pei Heng snorted coldly, "Keep your mouth shut about what happened tonight."
Su Jingyun's eyes widened. The cold tone and imposing aura made him feel as if he were kneeling before the late emperor receiving a reprimand, which filled him with panic.
The fact that she bears a striking resemblance to the late emperor makes the identity of the noblewoman inside quite clear.
He lay prone on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably from the burning pain of the scar on his ear caused by terror.
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die! I saw nothing! I was only worried about the princess's safety. I did not mean to offend Your Majesty. Please spare my life, Your Majesty!"
"Get out." Pei Heng said inwardly, seething with resentment.
She hated that her good deed had been ruined, hated that this mere physician dared to barge into her boudoir under the guise of caring for Yuezhi, and hated even more that she couldn't use this incident to kill him.
If this person hadn't had some past relationship with Yuezhi, why would I have sent him to the princess's residence, needlessly diverting Yuezhi's attention from him?
The person in the way left, the door was closed, but Pei Heng was still angry.
The person in his arms seemed to be awakened by his unusually pounding heartbeat. Her soft, warm cheeks pressed against his chest, and her whole body almost snuggled into his arms, letting out a comfortable groan.
There was a time when he nestled in her arms like this.
Pei Heng smiled knowingly, his cheeks slightly flushed. He lifted Yue Zhi's rosy face with one hand, lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against hers. He found her so fragrant and adorable that he couldn't resist kissing her cheek again.
She murmured softly, "It's just the two of us again."
He mischievously pinched her cheek and coaxed her, "Was that kiss sweet? Do you want another one?"
Yuezhi drowsily tilted her head back, closed her eyes wearily, and still instinctively obeyed him, offering him everything.
Pei Heng sighed contentedly and kissed her eyebrows and eyes.
If this is a dream, he would sleep forever and spend his life with her in this dream.
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