Chapter 64 He bent down and kissed her cheek...
Lou Xueying lay on Li Pan's back, hugging his neck tightly.
Li Pan ran very fast; even with her on his back, he ran much faster than Lou Xueying on her own. The mountain wind whistled past her ears, and as she looked at Li Pan's profile, she couldn't help but reach out and scratch his chin.
Li Pan glanced at him sideways: "What are you doing? Aren't you afraid I'll throw you off?"
Lou Xueying smiled and said, "You won't drop me."
"Why?"
"Because I believe in you."
Li Pan, however, deliberately mischievously stumbled, causing Lou Xueying to cry out in surprise and nearly slip off his back. Fortunately, Li Pan quickly regained his balance and lifted Lou Xueying back up.
Lou Xueying was so angry that she slapped him twice on the back of the neck.
Li Pan grinned: "Relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation, good!"
Lou Xueying: "Put me down, I want to walk by myself!"
Li Pan: "Aren't you afraid of bugs anymore?"
Lou Xueying: "You're more annoying than bugs."
Li Pan then put her down.
Lou Xueying walked ahead, lifting her skirt, while Li Pan followed behind with a smile and his hands behind his back. The two walked like this until they reached a stream.
There were more than just the two of them by the stream; two other officials' wives were also playing there with their children. Seeing the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife arrive, they tactfully moved further into the stream.
The wild grass along the stream was no longer so tall, and the light water flowed gently over the rocks and shallows, sparkling in the sunlight.
Li Pan bent down, tested the water with his hand, and said, "It's okay, not cold. Want to come down and play?"
Lou Xueying said modestly, "Only little kids play in the water and get themselves all wet. Don't."
Li Pan laughed and said, "There are fish in here."
Lou Xueying immediately came over: "Where are the fish? How can there be fish in such shallow water?"
“It really is.” Li Pan pointed it out to her. “This stream flows down from above, and very small fish are washed down there, the kind that never grow big.”
Lou Xueying looked around and saw that the figures of the officials' wives were hidden by the bushes not far away, so she couldn't see them clearly. She lifted her skirt and hugged it to her arms, squatting down without regard for her manners: "Where are they? I can't see them."
Li Pan: "Don't look around randomly, just focus on one spot, and fish will come over from time to time."
Lou Xueying then looked closely, and after a while, she indeed saw two small fish swimming along the current. The fish were indeed small, only about the length of a human finger joint, thin and black. If the stream hadn't been so clear, she wouldn't have been able to see them.
Lou Xueying: "How do you have such good eyesight? You saw it at a glance."
Li Pan: "Want to catch fish?"
"They're so small and swim so fast, how can we catch them?"
Li Pan then took off his boots, rolled up his trousers, and walked barefoot into the stream.
The stream water was just above his ankles. He found a stone step that was naturally formed by the difference in elevation, squatted down beside it, and cupped his hands together to catch the water flowing down from the stone step.
The stream water splashed white droplets in his hands. He waited quietly for a moment, then suddenly smiled, stood up, and strode towards her with a handful of water in his hands: "Here, I caught it."
Lou Xueying looked down and saw a tiny fish darting around in his palm, water droplets seeping out between his fingers, and the area the fish could dart around was getting smaller and smaller.
Lou Xueying's eyes widened: "This works?"
Li Pan released the fish back into the stream and laughed, "It's that simple, just wait patiently."
Seeing that Lou Xueying hesitated, Li Pan urged, "You come down too. The stones in the water have all been rounded, so they won't hurt you."
Lou Xueying: "But, but I have to take off my shoes, this, this..."
In broad daylight, and she's not a man, isn't it inappropriate for her to do this?
Li Pan: "There's no one else here, what are you afraid of?"
Lou Xueying: "What if someone comes later?"
Li Pan: "I'll block it, so if anyone comes over, they won't be able to see your feet. If anyone is so clueless as to come closer to see what's going on, I'll yell at them."
Lou Xueying struggled with her thoughts for a moment, but in the end she couldn't resist Li Pan's persuasion. She carefully took off her shoes, rolled up her trouser legs, and walked into the stream.
The sun was shining, and the stream water was cool but not freezing. Lou Xueying lifted her skirt and walked back and forth in the stream, quickly discovering the joy in it.
She lightly kicked Li Pan, splashing water onto half of his calf. Li Pan wasn't annoyed; he just stood with his hands on his hips, smiling at her.
Lou Xueying: "Why don't you fight back?"
"I'm afraid I might accidentally get your skirt wet and you'll scold me again," Li Pan said.
Lou Xueying rolled her eyes at him, gathered her skirt up and piled it on her knees, then squatted down next to the small stone steps, cupping her hands together and waiting devoutly for the small fish to rush down from upstream.
But whether it was bad luck or something else, she waited for a long time without getting any fish. She even watched as a small fish was swept away from the stone steps, but she didn't have time to move over and catch it.
Lou Xueying got angry and threw the water in her hand, splashing it all over Li Pan's face.
Li Pan: "..."
He wiped his face and sighed, "I told you to be patient."
Lou Xueying: "Am I not patient enough? My hands are all wrinkled from soaking!"
Li Pan: "Then let's not play anymore."
"No, I want to play." Lou Xueying got angry and stared at the stream in front of her. "I don't believe I can't catch one."
Li Pan: "...Okay, then I'll go with you."
The two of them squatted in the water for quite a while. Lou Xueying's eyes were almost fixed on the fish when she finally caught it.
"I've got it! Look!" Lou Xueying excitedly stretched her hand out in front of Li Pan, "Little Fish!"
Li Pan clapped his hands: "Yours is even a little bigger than mine! That's amazing!"
Lou Xueying tried to stand up, but because she had been squatting for too long, her legs were numb. In addition, the stones under her feet were slippery, and she had only stood up halfway when she stumbled and fell into the water.
Bad news: The fish got away.
Good news: She regained her footing, only her trouser legs and skirt hem were wet.
Bad news: She was able to stand firm because she supported Li Pan, who was pushed into the water and became completely soaked.
Li Pan: "..."
He lay on his back in the water and sighed deeply.
Lou Xueying pulled him up in a panic: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing." Li Pan picked up the grass ring that had fallen into the stream, squeezed the water out of his hair, and said, "Now look what's happened, I'm really going to catch a cold."
Lou Xueying hurriedly put on her shoes: "Let's go back and change our clothes quickly."
Li Pan climbed out of the water, wrung out the water from his clothes, put on his boots, and followed her toward Xingyuan.
They didn't go straight back to the Imperial Palace at first because everyone was out sightseeing at that time, and the Imperial Palace was full of people from the palace. Lou Xueying felt that staying inside with Li Pan would be like being a turtle in a jar, making them easier targets.
But now I have to go back to the residence to change my clothes.
On the way back, they encountered several more people who all cast surprised glances at their disheveled appearance.
Lou Xueying pursed her lips, her face flushed, and pushed Li Pan back into the house quickly.
Li Pan was soaked from head to toe. As soon as he took off his clothes, Lou Xueying brought him a dry towel to wipe him down, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault..."
"It's not your fault, I insisted on dragging you into the water." Li Pan quickly dried himself off, then glanced at Lou Xueying and said, "You should change your clothes too."
After they both changed their clothes, Lou Xueying sat on the edge of the bed and let out a soft sigh.
"I'm not playing anymore," she muttered. "His Majesty hasn't done anything to us yet, but we've already harmed ourselves."
Li Pan laughed and said, "But to be honest, it's quite fun, isn't it?"
Lou Xueying: "...Hmph."
Actually, when you think about it carefully, there's nothing fun about it, it's pretty silly, but if you're with Li Pan, everything seems fun again.
Li Pan lowered his head and gently pecked her lips.
After all that fuss, her hair was a little loose and hadn't been fixed yet, so he simply inserted his fingers into her hair and gently rubbed it, deliberately making her hair messy.
Lou Xueying felt a little itchy from the falling strands of hair, and couldn't help but twist her head, her lips sliding out from the corner of his lips and landing on his chin.
Li Pan chuckled softly, turned her face back to his, and pried open her slightly parted teeth with his tongue, their tongues intertwining. She seemed to have some issues with him and was unwilling to easily submit to him. Sometimes she would deliberately bite his tongue, causing him to hiss in pain, and sometimes she would deliberately push against his palate, forcing him to let out a suppressed groan.
But her joy didn't last long; she soon couldn't hold on and fell behind.
She slumped into his arms, her head cradled in his large hand, while his other hand held hers, kneading and playing with them repeatedly.
Their breaths mingled, trembling and burning.
Each broken word was swallowed up by the chaotic friction sounds.
When he finally released her, her eyes were already misty, and her cheeks were flushed. She was breathing slightly, and her lips were full and moist, which he couldn't help but touch again and again with his rough fingertips.
Lou Xueying opened her mouth and gently bit his fingertip.
Li Pan: "Are you hungry?"
Lou Xueying: "A little."
Li Pan: "Shall we go over there to eat?"
It was lunchtime, but no meals were prepared in the hunting grounds; food would only be available back at the hunting camp.
Moreover, Lou Xueying didn't dare to eat the meals they prepared separately, feeling it was safer to eat with everyone.
"You've messed up my hair, how am I supposed to go out?" Lou Xueying said reproachfully.
Li Pan: "Then let me comb your hair."
Lou Xueying: "Can you?"
“Anyone can comb their hair.” Li Pan pushed Lou Xueying to sit down in front of the dressing table, untied her messy hair, and slowly combed it out with a comb, saying, “That’s fine.”
Lou Xueying, her long hair disheveled, glared at him in the bronze mirror: "That's it?"
"Yeah, I don't know how to comb hair much," Li Pan said matter-of-factly.
Lou Xueying pouted: "If any woman who combs hair is like you and only knows how to comb hair, she'll definitely be kicked out."
She took the comb from his hand and styled her hair into a simple bun.
Li Pan: "It's good to be pretty; you look good no matter what hairstyle you wear."
He bent down and kissed her on the cheek.
Lou Xueying smiled, pushed him away, straightened her skirt, and walked out.
The two returned to the campsite, where wisps of white smoke were rising and the aroma of roasting meat filled the air.
After some people returned with their prey and showed it to everyone, the royal chefs skinned, bled, roasted, and cooked the fresh game in the kitchen shed that had been set up.
Because there were many hunters and their return times were unpredictable, there was no unified banquet at noon. Apart from the emperor and others who ate in their own tents, the other officials and their families received food boxes from the kitchen sheds and ate in the communal tents. Some people would also bring their own homemade wine to drink with their friends.
Some were even less concerned with formalities; finding the tent too crowded, they simply sat on the ground, sharing food and drink with their colleagues, laughing and talking loudly.
Lou Xueying stood outside the kitchen shed, carefully observing the imperial chefs' actions. She confirmed that each food box was prepared fresh to order, and that she could choose whichever she wanted, making it unlikely that poisoning was being targeted at any one person. Slightly relieved, she followed the others and took two food boxes. After thinking for a moment, she went back and took three more.
Li Pan was still standing there admiring the sheep on the grill when he said, "This sheep is quite fat, it can't run fast, it's been hunted so early."
Lou Xueying: "You're still itching to do it, aren't you?"
Li Pan coughed and said, "No. Let's go eat."
They arrived a little late; the communal tent was already full of people, and even the nearby grass was covered with groups of military officers who had come back to rest.
Lou Xueying: "Let's find another empty spot to sit."
Li Pan: "Okay."
The two walked a little further away, found a shady spot under a tree, and sat down on a flat, large rock.
Li Pan then noticed there were three food boxes and asked in surprise, "Why did you take so many?"
Lou Xueying: "Both portions are for you, in case you starve."
Li Pan laughed heartily and touched her face: "So sweet, you really know how to cherish your husband."
The meat in the food box was cut into small pieces by the imperial chef. As Li Pan chewed, he said to Lou Xueying, "If there's a chance another day, I'll treat you to roasted meat from the Northwest."
Lou Xueying: "Is the meat there better than here?"
"It might not necessarily taste better than here, but it's definitely more satisfying to eat here," Li Pan said. "The meat there is cut open with a dagger, then you just stick the tip of the knife in and put it in your mouth. It's hot, oily, and tender—that's what you call delicious!"
To prevent accidents, bows and arrows were issued after the participants registered their names during the autumn hunt, and those not participating in the hunt were not allowed to carry any sharp weapons. Li Pan recalled the feeling of cutting lamb legs with a dagger in the past and felt quite nostalgic.
Lou Xueying: "Can you eat meat like this often?"
“No, that’s not it,” he whispered. “Actually, it’s sheep we stole from the Quanrong. They stole from our Great Yue, so it’s only fair that we steal from them too, right?”
Lou Xueying then smiled.
Li Pan ate quickly, while she ate slowly. Li Pan finished both of her meals, but she had only eaten a little more than half of her own. She found some of the meat too fatty, so she only ate the lean parts and discarded the rest of the fatty meat.
Li Pan silently picked up his chopsticks and ate the few pieces of fatty meat she didn't want.
Lou Xueying: "Aren't you full? If you're not full, go get another serving."
Li Pan: "I'm full, but it makes me uncomfortable to see you leaving the meat uneaten."
Lou Xueying frowned: "I didn't mean to waste it, it's just that it's a bit too greasy to eat."
“I know, that’s why I didn’t let you eat it. I’ll eat it myself,” Li Pan said.
Lou Xueying smiled, picked up a piece of roasted meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, bit off the lean part, and held the fatty part to his mouth.
Li Pan: "You'll feed me?"
Lou Xueying: "Don't you want it?"
Li Pan: "Then I'm really well treated."
He opened his mouth, picked up the fatty meat from the tip of her chopsticks, and while chewing, he chuckled and pinched her cheek.
Lou Xueying finished eating, put the empty food box aside, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li Pan's lips glistening, so she suppressed a laugh, found another handkerchief, and wiped his mouth as well.
People tend to feel sleepy when they are full.
Lou Xueying didn't intend to sleep there. She simply leaned against Li Pan, resting her head on his shoulder, and chatted with him casually.
Li Pan placed his hand on her waist, lazily playing with her fingers. She let him do as he pleased, but if he said something inappropriate, she would look up at him, pinch him, and then lean back into his arms.
Through the dense shadows of the trees, two figures stood silently on the hillside, gazing at the two people sitting on the rocks below.
Eunuch Cao said cautiously, "Your Highness, it's midday and the sun is starting to get strong. Why don't we go back to our tents?"
The crown prince remained silent, his face expressionless, his eyes fixed intently on the two below, unblinking.
The autumn wind brushed against the hem of his clothes, and his hands were tucked into his sleeves. He looked dignified, but his knuckles were already white from being so tense.
Her nails, which were neatly trimmed, were now deeply embedded in his palm, digging deeper and deeper, almost as if they were about to draw blood.
But he seemed oblivious, like a motionless statue, only his face grew paler and paler.
Eunuch Cao felt uneasy. What was wrong with His Highness? He said he was going out for a walk at noon to digest his food, and then asked where Marquis Wu'an was. He thought His Highness had something to ask Marquis Wu'an, but after finding Marquis Wu'an, he just stood there and didn't move.
Well... it's indeed inappropriate to disturb the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife being intimate down there, but they can't just stand here and watch! How presumptuous!
He scratched his head, trying to come up with another excuse, when he suddenly sensed someone behind him. He turned around and was immediately startled: "Your Majesty?"
The somber statue shattered in an instant, and the crown prince turned around abruptly, lowering his eyes and saying, "Father."
"What are you looking at, Ji'er?" Emperor Jinghui stood before him with his hands behind his back, asking with a smile, "Is it beautiful?"
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