Chapter 59 Kneeling before her chest, he lowered his head and suckled her…
The bathroom was brightly lit, and steam rose from several wooden tubs filled with hot water.
Xue Mingyao sat on the mat, and Xie Zhuo took off her clothes one by one.
Bathing was out of the question, but Xue Mingyao loved cleanliness, so she asked Xie Zhuo to wipe her body with a handkerchief.
As her blouse and undergarment peeled away, her full shoulders were revealed, and large expanses of her fair skin shone like warm jade under the lamplight. Between her collarbone and slender waist, only a thin, dark-colored soft silk undergarment remained, tightly wrapping around the softest part of her body.
Xie Zhuo's breathing became slightly heavier.
"Why don't you keep taking them off?" Xue Mingyao asked knowingly.
Xie Zhuo ran his fingers along the intricate scrolling grape pattern on the undergarment, and the plump grapes trembled as if they were swaying in the wind on the vines, perfectly ripe and ready to fall at any moment.
He pinched the two roundest grapes.
Xue Mingyao playfully slapped his hand.
Xie Zhuo then put his hands behind her back, hooked his fingers a few times, and the ties suddenly loosened.
Once freed from its confinement, it leaped out, making the thin fabric all the more pitiful, unable to cover anything at all.
As if sensing something was amiss, Xie Zhuo pressed his large hand against her undergarment, pushing her round nipples back into place, making them ripen and heat up even more.
Xue Mingyao looked down.
Xie Zhuo's hands are usually quite large, but now they seem too small to cover it...
She's been eating too much lately.
His hand remained there, seemingly very proper, but only Xue Mingyao knew that every part of his palm was exerting force—the base of his palm, the base of his fingers, the pads of his fingers—playing with her subtly, controllingly, both serious and lewd.
Xue Mingyao bit her lip, leaned forward and bumped into his arms, trapping his mischievous hand.
"If you don't wipe it soon, the water will get cold," she complained, biting his ear.
"I'm sorry," Xie Zhuo said softly, removing the undergarment as he withdrew his hand.
Xue Mingyao felt a little embarrassed, but remained close to the neatly dressed man. Xie Zhuo wet a handkerchief with hot water and gently wiped her back.
The handkerchief swayed on her back as Xue Mingyao hummed happily, wrapping her arms around Xie Zhuo's waist.
With such a beauty in his arms, Xie Zhuo felt both pleasure and torment, but he still wiped her slowly and meticulously, as if he had no other thoughts.
After wiping her back, he pried Xue Mingyao's hands apart, gently pushed her away, and the handkerchief swam to her front.
Xie Zhuo lowered her eyes, her fair skin now flushed with a light pink, like holding a ball of warm snow, making one reluctant to let go.
His handkerchief, his hands, his eyes all savored the loveliness of the snow, but it wasn't enough.
The handkerchief stopped floating, and Xie Zhuo lowered his head to taste it with his lips.
Xue Mingyao let out a soft cry and instinctively tried to push him away, but Xie Zhuo held her waist and kissed her forcefully.
Xue Mingyao, panting, patted him, "Don't get any funny ideas..."
Xie Zhuo was busy talking and replied vaguely, "Aren't you just tempting me?"
Of course it is, but she refuses to admit it.
Xue Mingyao looked down at him kneeling in front of her, sucking on his hair. His coarse, black hair tickled her skin. The scene was too stimulating, and her heart was pounding. She felt that she was starting to lose control of the temptation she had begun.
"Xie Zhuo..." she murmured, holding his head in her hands, unsure whether to push him away or reject him.
The steam in the bathroom, amidst the ambiguous sounds of breathing, spread into a hazy white mist, enveloping the woman's soft moans, a scene brimming with springtime allure, making it impossible to resist.
Xue Mingyao's hands slid haphazardly over Xie Zhuo's body, trying to undo his belt.
Xie Zhuo released her, struggling to restrain her hands. "No."
Is he... rejecting her?
Xue Mingyao punched him, "What are you doing, playing hard to get!"
General Xie stood with his sword drawn, exuding murderous intent. Did he think she couldn't see that?
Xie Zhuo frowned. "Your foot is still injured, you can't."
"I can't even move my feet!"
He's a lecherous scoundrel, and now he's playing the gentleman? Xue Mingyao is completely unaccustomed to it. And what happened to her being the one who seduce him? How come she's the one who's impatient now?
Xie Zhuo still said no, "You can't handle it."
He took the handkerchief again, roughly wiped her chest twice, picked up the clean undergarment he had prepared, skillfully tied it up for her, and put those tempting creatures back inside.
Xue Mingyao angrily picked up the undergarment she had taken off and threw it at his face, yelling, "Get away from me!"
Xie Zhuo silently helped her put on her undergarments.
"Do you need to wash your lower body?" he asked.
"......want."
Xie Zhuo untied her skirt and pulled down her underpants. Xue Mingyao subconsciously brought her legs together. Her legs were well-proportioned, slender, and fair. Xie Zhuo's handkerchief moved from her calves to her thighs, wiping her legs while gently massaging them.
Xue Mingyao muttered, "How do you know about massage?"
"My muscles are sore after practicing martial arts, so I've gotten into the habit of massaging them."
Xie Zhuo pointed to her crotch, "Do you want me to wipe this area?"
Xue Mingyao hummed in agreement.
"Open."
Xue Mingyao hesitated and stammered.
Xie Zhuo reached out and touched her, then looked up at her. Xue Mingyao blushed slightly, but pretended to be nonchalant, "Using my hand is fine, isn't it?"
She got what she wanted.
As Xue Mingyao slumped into his arms, Xie Zhuo's rough breath reached her ears, "It seems that these kinds of things also involve reciprocity..."
Xue Mingyao looked up and gave him a mischievous smile, "Isn't it a bit too much to talk to an injured person about reciprocating kindness? Do it yourself and you'll have plenty to eat and wear!"
Watching Xie Zhuo patiently put her pants on and carry her from the bathroom back to the bedroom, Xue Mingyao felt increasingly relieved.
She asked him, "My foot injury won't heal anytime soon. Are you going to abandon your duties and stay at the manor with me every day?"
"Of course not," Xie Zhuo said. "I'll only stay with you for a day or two; I still need to go to the garrison."
Despite this, for the next few days, Xie Zhuo went to court every morning and returned home afterward. When there were matters in the garrison, the officers would come to his residence to ask for his decision. Xue Mingyao continued to ask him to carry her to the Listening Bamboo Pavilion every morning, and Xie Zhuo no longer refused. Sometimes, when she was in the mood, she would ask him to take her to sit in the small pavilion by the pond in the residence. Other than that, he took it for granted that he would serve her tea and water, comb her hair, and feed her, without a doubt.
Xie Zhuo kept a straight face and let her do as she pleased, which was the opposite of being all talk and no action.
When the people in the manor saw this, they all said that the general doted on his wife and that their love was extraordinary, making them the envy of everyone.
Xue Mingyao's maidservant said in private that the general and the princess were a match made in heaven. Not only did the general love the princess, but he also resembled the princess's former lover from Xichuan. Naturally, the princess was also satisfied with him.
That evening, as Green Branch was wringing Xue Mingyao's hair in the bathhouse, she whispered to her master about the gossip circulating among the servants, remarking with admiration, "General Xie hasn't been angry with you lately, and he's been so considerate and attentive to you, always granting your requests. It's truly rare."
Xue Mingyao pointed to her right foot, "It's all thanks to it."
“That’s because General Xie truly loves you; that’s why the feigned injury worked,” Green Branch said with a grin. “Master, when do you plan to be honest with the General? You can’t keep pretending forever.”
"Yes, we can't keep up the act any longer," Xue Mingyao agreed wholeheartedly.
It was indeed interesting to manipulate Xie Zhuo; she could clearly see his heart. However, being confined to her room all day, unable to walk, and forced to drink bitter medicine every night, Xue Mingyao was about to reach her limit.
"That's wonderful!" Green Branch exclaimed happily. "The general will definitely be unhappy when he finds out the truth, but it doesn't matter. You can just act cute and say you were pretending to be sick to test his feelings. I bet he won't hold it against you, and from then on, you can live happily ever after, without any suspicion between you..."
"Living a peaceful and happy life?" Xue Mingyao chuckled. "That sounds really strange."
“What’s strange about that?” Green Branch said, emphasizing each word with dramatic intonation, “You and Xie Langjun are a match made in heaven. He loves you, and you love him. Now you’ve reconciled and rekindled your love. It’s a blessing that so many people in the world can only dream of—”
"What do I like about him?" Xue Mingyao interrupted her quietly.
Green Branch was taken aback. "All these years, haven't you always been thinking about Master Xie?"
"I'm thinking about the scholar surnamed Xie, not the general surnamed Xie. Besides, do you think I want to think about him? I'd rather forget him."
Green Branch seemed confused by her words, and stopped twisting her hair. She asked, puzzled, "Then what was the point of all that trouble you and the general had gone through?"
The master's various flirtations with General Xie clearly bore the shadow of the former Princess of Xichuan, making Green Branch feel a sense of disorientation. Could the princess truly separate Xie Qinglang from General Xie?
"Be happy for me." Xue Mingyao said casually, "A husband always needs to be disciplined, and besides, I can't stand his stubbornness."
He still harbored resentment over her past with Xie Qinglang, and she felt she had suffered a great injustice. Seeking solace through Xie Zhuo was, in a way, a way to offer some comfort to the seventeen-year-old Xue Mingyao across the years and the distance.
Green Branch silently pondered the word "stubborn," having some thoughts, but ultimately said nothing.
The towel used to dry her hair was soaked with water. Green Branch put it aside and prepared to go to the shelf against the wall to get a dry towel. There were still some water stains on the ground. Before she could clean them up, Green Branch walked too fast and slipped after taking only two steps. She fell forward instantly.
"Watch out!" Xue Mingyao reacted quickly, shouting as she stood up and reached out to pull the green branch.
Green Branch touched the ground with both hands, but fortunately Xue Mingyao pulled her back in time to prevent a more serious fall.
"Thank you, Princess." She stood up, still shaken, and saw Xue Mingyao standing in front of her, her right foot wrapped in cloth and her bare left foot on the ground. She couldn't help but say, "Princess, please sit down!"
"It's nothing, Xie Zhuo isn't here," Xue Mingyao said nonchalantly. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine." After saying that, Green Branch's expression suddenly changed, and she stared straight at Xue Mingyao's back.
The man's incredulous voice suddenly rang out, "What do you mean I'm not here?"
Xue Mingyao's heart tightened, and she stiffly turned around to face the extremely surprised Xie Zhuo.
"Can you walk around without me around?!"
Xie Zhuo's gaze lingered on Xue Mingyao's right ankle. He had just returned to his bedroom when he heard Xue Mingyao's cry and thought she was in danger, so he rushed over to check. To his surprise, he found Xue Mingyao standing on her feet as if she were a normal person.
She had only suffered a bone injury a few days ago, how could she possibly stand without crying out in pain?
"Yes, even when you're not here, I can still get out of bed and walk around." Xue Mingyao touched her nose and gave him a dry smile.
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