Chapter 65 [65] “Try again tonight.”
【65】/First release
The iron gate of Liuxianyuan has two layers. The gap between the two doors is three feet wide, which is more than enough for one person and a bit crowded for two people.
Before the second door opened, Yun Ran hesitated and asked, "The last time I came here, I saw Eunuch Changchun wearing a bamboo robe and a bamboo veil on his head..."
Sima Jing glanced at her sideways: "Are you afraid?"
There are hundreds of snakes, and the species are unknown. If there are any bamboo pit vipers or cobras, not to mention being scared, you might even faint on the spot.
Yun Ran forced a smile: "I'm not very familiar with them, so it's better to be on guard."
Sima Jing raised his eyebrows: "If you are afraid, just follow me closely. I am familiar with them."
After that, he unlocked the second door.
Yun Ran saw that he walked straight in and had no intention of giving her the bamboo protective gear. She was nervous and annoyed for a moment. Why was this guy like this!
She looked back at the road ahead, then looked at the man standing inside the door with a nonchalant expression that said, "If you don't catch up, I'll leave." Thinking that she was already here, she gritted her teeth and walked in.
As soon as she got close to Sima Jing, she immediately raised her hand and hugged his arm tightly.
Feeling his elbow pressed against something soft, Sima Jing lowered his head slightly and saw the little girl beside him pursing her red lips, looking around nervously and in surprise.
His eyebrows moved slightly, and he said, "Snakes are most docile when they hibernate. As long as you don't hurt them, they will stay asleep."
Even so, Yun Ran couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling and goose bumps appearing on his arms as he looked at the snake house in front of him, which had high walls on all sides, a huge ceiling above it, and a ten-meter-deep hole in the middle. There were also snakes coiled under tree roots, huddled in holes in the wall, or burrowed into the thatch with only the tips of their tails sticking out.
She followed Sima Jing inside, and every time she found a snake, she hugged the man's arms tighter.
When Yun Ran followed Sima Jing around the snake cave and into the main house, he looked up and saw a giant black python half a human's thickness and five meters long coiled on the beam. He took a deep breath and ran out.
"Why are you running?"
Sima Jing grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her back: "It's asleep, it won't bite you."
Yun Ran took advantage of the situation and hugged Sima Jing's waist tightly, then glanced at the beams.
Seeing that the python was big enough to swallow two of her in one gulp, she buried her face in the man's arms again: "Since it's asleep, let's not disturb it and go outside first."
Sima Jing didn't move. He just lowered his eyes and looked at his little wife who was tightly huddled in his arms. His thin lips curled up slightly: "But you didn't even take a good look at it."
He raised his hand and patted her back, as if to comfort her: "Dahei is the largest fish in Liuxian Garden and has the longest lifespan. If nothing unexpected happens, it will stay with us the longest."
Yun Ran was slightly startled, and raised her head from the man's warm and solid embrace: "Dahei?"
Sima Jing: "Its name."
Yun Ran was amused: "Who gave it a name that sounds like a dog?"
Sima Jing: "...I took it."
Yun Ran was shocked and a little bit unbelievable.
After all, he had named the little yellow dog yesterday with elegant and refined names like Qiuhe and Yushu, so how could he give his pet snakes such casual names?
As if seeing her confusion, Sima Jing said calmly, "I was only ten years old when I named it."
After a pause, he said, "I haven't read a book either."
He started his education at the age of three, was captured at the age of six, and returned to the court at the age of sixteen, the most suitable age for going to school, but he tried hard to survive.
The names given to the snakes in the Black Wind Cave were also based on the most intuitive feelings -
The black snake is called Dahei, the flower snake is called Xiaohua, the white snake is called Xiaobai, and the green snake is called Xiaoqing. Cui Baoer is the youngest and was one of the snake eggs hatched by Xiaoqing after she returned to the court.
Yun Ran also realized his situation and couldn't help but lower his eyes and curse inwardly.
"Dahei is pretty good, catchy and approachable."
Yun Ran laughed dryly twice, then looked up at the giant black python carefully: "Your Highness, will you be afraid when you see it for the first time?"
Sima Jing never mentioned his experiences among the Rongdi to outsiders.
No matter how gentle and caring Queen Mother Zhao was or how she inquired about him indirectly, he just felt annoyed.
But at this moment, perhaps because the body of the person in his arms was warm and soft, and it felt very comfortable to hold him, he did not resist and his emotions were very calm: "I'm scared."
After a pause, he added: "But they are not bad."
When he was first thrown into the snake den, he looked at the densely packed snakes, huddled up in a ball with his knees hugged, and shouted hysterically, "Don't come over here."
Unfortunately, the snake didn't understand human language and still crawled towards him.
When the fear is too much, there will be a numb calm.
When the first wet and slippery snake wrapped around his ankle, he just closed his eyes and thought, forget it, I'll just die.
It is better to be eaten by snakes than to be insulted by animals.
Besides, he was the one who deserved to die.
If he had drowned in the river earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have had to suffer all these years.
Living, painful.
Death is a relief.
His hands and feet gradually relaxed, and he leaned against the mountain wall, letting the snakes surround and entangle him...
The hissing breath of a snake sounded in the cave, like rusty iron rubbing repeatedly on a wet stone surface, carrying a chill mixed with the smell of rotten leaves and earth. The cold air seeped out from the cracks in the rock wall and spread across his skin bit by bit.
I don't know how long it was, but he was still alive.
As I was surprised, when I opened my eyes, I saw a big black snake coiled on the stalactite column.
He was hungry and cold at the time, and when he saw the big black snake approaching him with its bloody mouth wide open, he fainted immediately.
When I woke up again, I was still alive.
Not only was he alive, he was also moved to the water source in the cave. As soon as he opened his eyes, he drank a lot of water.
But it was a bit embarrassing to talk about the scene of his first meeting with Dahei, so Sima Jing did not go into details. He only talked about the years of peaceful coexistence with the snakes in the cave: "...Snakes, like humans, have different personalities. Some are aggressive and aggressive, some are ferocious and cold, some are quiet and introverted, and some are lively and friendly..."
As he said this, his big hand occasionally stroked Yun Ran's back.
Yun Ran: “…”
She really treated her like a snake!
Although she felt strange talking when he touched her, it was rare for him to be willing to talk about the past with her. Yun Ran did not want to ruin the current atmosphere, so she just said: "It is said that Tao gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, and three gave birth to all things. All things have spirits."
"For example, we Taoists don't eat cows, dogs, mullet, or wild geese. This is because old cows are diligent and hardworking, and puppies are loyal and devoted to guarding their owners. When a female mullet is weak after laying eggs, it will offer itself to her for food, demonstrating its filial piety. As for wild geese, they practice monogamy and remain together for life, making them virtuous and chaste birds..."
"Although snakes are often compared to scorpions and called vicious and evil, that's only from our perspective, where we think snakes and scorpions are vicious and utterly detestable. From a snake's perspective, however, they have fangs to protect themselves and survive, so they're not at fault."
Yun Ran said, "My master always said that Heaven and Earth belong to all things, not just humans. They say Heaven and Earth are unkind and treat all things as straw dogs. Whether it's humans, snakes, insects, rats, ants, chickens, ducks, cows, or pigs, they are all the same in Heaven's eyes. There's no distinction between close and distant relatives, likes and dislikes, high and low, noble and humble, life and death, prosperity and decline, all follow their own path."
Seeing that she started reciting scriptures and discussing Taoism again, Sima Jing laughed.
He was in no hurry, but listened to her finish quietly before raising his hand to pinch her face. “Although I don’t agree with everything, calling someone vicious and cruel with a vicious heart is indeed unfair to them.”
Yun Ran was slightly startled: "Hmm?"
Sima Jing's thick eyelashes fell over his head. "The most vicious thing in this world is the human heart."
Animals, snakes and scorpions do evil in order to survive, but humans are born evil.
When Yun Ran heard this, he naturally thought of his past experiences—
It's no wonder that he thinks this way, as he has never received any kindness from humans in many years.
She simply hugged his waist and said, "There are indeed many bad people in the world, but there are also good people. For example, my master, my senior sister, my mother, my father, my brother and his wife... If Your Highness thinks they are not good enough, don't you still have me?"
Yun Ran raised her delicate face from his arms, her eyes curved with a smile, "Am I considered a good person in your eyes, Your Highness?"
When Sima Jing saw those black eyes as clear as a stream, his throat rolled slightly.
More than qualified.
In his eyes, she is good in every way.
Sometimes he couldn't believe how God could send her into his world.
She is the sun, the bright moon, and the gentle breeze.
He is a ghost, a ditch, a walking corpse.
Those destined to rot and stink in the darkness, dying silently, suddenly caught a glimpse of light...
Even if it takes everything, I still want to hold on to it tightly.
"Your Highness? Your Highness?"
A clear voice called out repeatedly. He lowered his head and saw her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "You're hugging me too tightly. You're almost breaking my waist."
Sima Jing suddenly came to his senses and slightly relaxed his slender fingers.
"Sorry," he said.
"Oh, it's okay."
Yun Ran noticed that he was distracted and blinked slightly: "You haven't answered the question I asked just now. Should I be here with you?"
Sima Jing looked at her and said nothing.
The next moment, he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
Yun Ran: “……!?”
Why are you kissing me again when we have a disagreement?
There are snakes everywhere, and there is a huge python coiled on top of the head. It doesn’t look like a good place for kissing!
Fortunately, this kiss was just a brief taste.
Sima Jing stood up and saw that the girl's fair skin was gradually dyed red, and her wet black eyes were dodging, shy and timid, very cute.
So cute, I want to kiss her again.
But this time, before he could touch her, a hand covered her thin lips.
"No...no more kissing!"
Yun Ran looked at him with hot cheeks: "There are so many snakes here in broad daylight! Aren't they all your friends? At least pay attention to your image in front of your friends!"
Sima Jing was amused by this.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled it away: "They don't understand."
Yun Ran: "Nonsense, all living things have spirits. Even snakes know how to lay eggs, so how could you not understand?"
Sima Jing was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.
This was the first time Yun Ran saw him smile so obviously.
The man who used to be so lifeless now had curved eyes when he smiled.
The emotion in his eyes was like the thawing snow, sparkling in the water, making the already gorgeous and handsome face even more vivid, just like the purple peony on the Shu brocade that was enlightened by an immortal and became a real flower blooming in the warm spring breeze.
Yun Ran was stunned for a moment.
So beautiful, how can a man be so beautiful?
You are so beautiful, you should smile more.
If he were to smile like this when he sees people outside, I guarantee that no one would call him the "living king of hell". Maybe they would even build a temple to worship him and treat him as a living immortal.
Sima Jing smiled twice, then gradually stopped smiling in the stunned eyes of his princess. Only the corners of his lips were still slightly raised. He tapped her forehead with his finger and said, "Is it really that beautiful?"
"It looks good, especially good-looking."
Yun Ran nodded. "I didn't understand the term 'selling smiles' before. I thought everyone could smile, and anyone who bought it was a fool. But when I saw Your Highness smile just now, I suddenly understood. For someone as good-looking as you, Your Highness, I'm willing to pay to see you smile."
Of course, it’s also because she is rich now.
If we are still as poor as before, we will naturally focus on food and clothing first.
Sima Jing listened to her simple and straightforward compliment, and said with a slight smile: "I don't care about your money."
Yun Ran was stunned for a moment, then said angrily: "That's true, you are not short of money."
Sima Jing: "But if you want to see me smile, there is a way."
Although Yun Ran felt that this black-hearted businessman would not say anything good, he still looked at him curiously: "What?"
The big hand on her waist pulled her closer to him. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear: "Try again tonight."
"Try it once, and I'll make you smile."
“…”
Yun Ran's heart skipped a beat. She put her hands on the man's chest and pushed him away: "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Her cheeks flushed with shame, and she glared at him angrily with her dark eyes: "I haven't settled the score with you for what happened this morning!"
When talking about what happened in the morning, Sima Jing knew that he was in the wrong.
But men are excited when they wake up in the morning, not to mention that there is a delicate young lady lying in his arms.
"It's getting late."
Sima Jing put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Let's go outside and take a look."
Seeing him change the subject, Yun Ran muttered angrily, "Shameless."
Except for this room where the big black snake is lingering, most of the other places are filled with smaller snakes.
Among the many hibernating snakes, Yun Ran also saw the mature snake - Cui Baoer.
The little guy was curled up in the haystack, sleeping soundly.
Even with Sima Jing's encouragement, Yun Ran reached out and poked it twice, but it remained unmoved and fell into a deep sleep.
“This is too much sleep.”
Yun Ran sighed and couldn't help but wonder, "What will Your Highness do when these snakes hibernate? I heard that the winter in Rongdi is much colder than here in Chang'an."
Sima Jing lowered his eyes: "They hibernate, and I hibernate too."
Although the Rongdi people abused him, they would not really kill him.
The food and clothes that were delivered every now and then barely kept him alive.
He didn't want to recall these boring and painful things, let alone tell her -
There was no point in saying it, except to make her pity him.
But what he needed was not her pity, but her love.
After a moment's silence, he told her a rather amusing story: "One winter, a bear broke into a snake den."
As expected, as soon as these words came out, Yun Ran's attention was instantly pulled back from Cui Bao'er. She held her breath and concentrated: "And then?"
"I hid in the corner and watched a battle between a bear and a snake."
A hint of cruel amusement flashed in Sima Jing's eyes: "In the end, Dahei managed to kill the bear, and I also had the warmest winter ever."
Yun Ran: "The warmest?"
Sima Jing chuckled: "With an extra bear skin, it will be warmer."
In fact, it’s not only warm but also very filling.
He used a stone to cut open the bear's stomach, took out the internal organs and intestines to feed the snake. The blood filled a large bucket, not to mention the pile of bear meat.
"I still have that bearskin."
Speaking of the few memories that could be called pleasant, Sima Jing felt the urge to share them for the first time: "I'll take you to see them later."
Yun Ran felt inexplicably sad.
Even when Sima Jing talked about this, the corners of his mouth were always raised.
But for a weak child facing a bear that suddenly breaks in and watching the beasts fight at close range, the horror is greater than the excitement.
However, in order not to spoil the fun, after leaving Liuxianyuan, Yun Ran still followed Sima Jing to the warehouse to see the black bear skin.
Bear skin is not good-looking, and if you look closely at the cross-section, you will see that it is uneven and very rough.
Just like the scars on Sima Jing's body, they are mottled and rough, making people feel indescribably depressed when looking at them.
Before we knew it, night fell and the lights in the palace came on.
After having dinner in Zhanlu Hall, Yun Ran practiced the piano for half an hour, played with Fu Dou'er for a while, and then went to the bathroom to take a bath.
As for Sima Jing, he went to the study after dinner.
Yun Ran was a little puzzled. He neither took the imperial examination nor joined a literary poetry society. Why was he working so hard in the middle of winter?
But since he wasn't around, she didn't have to worry about him holding her on his lap, kissing her, hugging her, and kneading dough with her again.
But when the night is quiet, what is coming cannot be avoided.
Unlike the previous two nights when they had discussed things, this night Sima Jing held her in his arms and kissed her as soon as he lay down in the bed curtains.
This silent kiss made Yun Ran's heart beat faster.
She vaguely felt that Sima Jing was a little different tonight, but she couldn't tell exactly what was different.
The process is still the same: kissing, hugging, caressing, and lighting the fire.
As time went by, the clothes were taken off and their hot breaths merged.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
"Should I be feeling better today?"
Although it is a question sentence, the tone is affirmative.
Before we knew it, the cherries turned red and the lotus pods became wet.
Yun Ran bit her lip, and her dark eyes became misty. Last night's experience told her that reasoning was not possible, and avoidance was unavoidable.
Rather than suffer disaster in both places, it is better to have it in that place.
Her flushed face hid in the man's arms, and she whispered softly as if asking, "Then go slower."
"good."
"Be gentle too."
"Um."
Sima Jing responded, grabbed her chin with two long fingers, and lowered his head to kiss her again.
Outside the window, the wind and snow were blowing, making the lanterns in the corridor sway. Amid the flickering flames, there seemed to be faint cries.
Today Qingling is on duty in the first half of the night, and another palace maid Yueqiang is on duty in the second half.
As the two of them were handing over their shifts, Yue Qiang heard the blushing, heart-pounding noises inside, and her face flushed as well: "Sister Qingling, haven't you called for water yet?"
Qing Ling was also worried at this moment, and had no desire to sleep: "Yeah, it's been more than an hour."
My little lady's crying has gradually become weaker, which is really worrying.
Yue Qiang comforted him, "Your Highness is in his prime, and the young lady is beautiful. The time has also increased, which proves that they have a good relationship."
Qingling thought of the morning before yesterday when the young lady's steps were unsteady.
It didn't last this long last time, it was like that. If it lasts this long tonight, will the young lady be able to get out of bed tomorrow?
Yue Qiang said, "Sister Qingling, you should go and rest first. I'll stay here."
After he finished speaking, the movement inside seemed to stop for a while.
Qing Ling and Yue Qiang looked at each other and thought it was over.
Unexpectedly, not long after, the voice inside started to ring again, accompanied by a clearly hoarse cry: "Sima Jiu, you scoundrel..."
The crying voice was soon blocked by sobbing.
Qing Ling and Yue Qiang: "..."
"Forget it, I'm going to sleep first."
Qingling sighed, glanced into the dimly lit room again, and prayed silently. The young lady was in good health and could climb the stairs without taking a breath. She hoped that her strength could help her last a little longer in bed.
The next day, it was bright outside, but the bedroom door was still closed.
Qingling walked to the door yawning, and was stunned when she heard the familiar crying sound from inside.
"What's going on?" She woke up Yue Qiang, who was sleeping soundly under the quilt by the door.
Yue Qiang rubbed her eyes sleepily and said, "I called for water last night."
Qing Ling: “…”
So it's morning again?
After a long time, a low, hoarse voice finally came from inside the house again: "Send water."
Inside the bedroom, the candle in the flat-cornered white gauze lamp had long burned out, and a thick layer of white candle wax had piled up on the lampstand.
The apricot-pink curtains were still tightly drawn, and the scent of orchid and musk was strong, bringing a lingering warmth.
Yun Ran lay on the scarlet brocade quilt, with her black hair scattered on her snow-white back. Under the cover of the brocade quilt and the black hair, there were traces of deep and shallow peach marks on her skin.
She was completely powerless, with only one thought in her mind: never to believe Sima Jing's lies again.
Last night, she told him, "You must be moderate."
He said, "I've looked through your Taoist texts. There are many different opinions on the concept of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Some agree with yours, while others agree with mine."
"Since there is no definite conclusion, I decided to go with my understanding."
"It's the New Year now, so once a day should be fine, right?"
“…”
When Yun Ran heard his twisted logic, both her mouths were blocked and she couldn't even argue. She could only close her eyes and comfort herself, thinking that it would only be once. She had gotten through it twice the day before, so one time wouldn't be too difficult.
I just never expected that this time it would last so long, so long that it seemed like it was going to break the skin, but it still continued.
She was a little anxious: "Why don't you have that yet..."
Sima Jing: "What?"
"That one."
"don't know."
“…”
He did it on purpose, he absolutely did it on purpose.
Yun Ran covered her face and decided to ignore him. But after a while, she couldn't help but said, "Hurry up and do that."
Sima Jing kissed her red persimmon-like cheek: "Ranran, you have to speak clearly, then I will understand what you mean."
Yun Ran closed his eyes, turned his face away, and sobbed: "I hate you..."
"Say you like it."
Sima Jing turned her face over, his eyes dim, but his tone extremely gentle: "Ran Ran, tell me you like me more often, then I can do what you want."
Although Yun Ran no longer believed it, she had no other choice but to try her luck. She hugged the man's neck and said over and over again, "I like Your Highness."
"I like His Highness the most..."
"Your Highness is the best."
“…”
What a devil, scoundrel, and liar.
Not only did I deliberately delay it for so long once, but I did it again this morning, calling it a new day and a new time, so it wasn't a foul.
Yun Ran didn't even have the strength to cry.
She felt that if this continued, she would have to go back to the Marquis' Mansion to hide for a few days, and by the way, denounce her third sister-in-law -
She is also a liar. She talked about the joy of the boudoir and the pleasure of bed, but she never said it was so tiring.
Soon, a steaming hot bathtub was brought in.
After a thorough cleaning, Yun Ran was carried back to bed and was finally able to sleep peacefully.
So Yun Ran spent the fourth day of the first lunar month in bed.
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The author has something to say: I’ve been waiting for a long time, and here comes the red envelope again! [Melted][Melted][Melted]
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