Chapter 23 Entering the Jade Seat: Is My Husband Punishing Me?
Cui Yiluo nestled softly against his chest, seemingly preparing for bed. She had changed into a nightgown, the thin veil revealing glimpses of her fair skin beneath. Below her prominent collarbone, several irregular red marks stood out starkly, as if left with force, particularly noticeable against her pale skin.
That was left over from yesterday.
The red marks were hidden under her neatly dressed clothes during the day, but they would only be revealed at night when the two of them were alone, and only he could see them.
The dim candlelight softened Jiang Yunjin's usually cold and aloof expression, but his dark eyes gradually deepened.
Cui Yiluo clung to his waist and spine, seemingly unconsciously rubbing his vertebrae lightly through his robes.
"Would you like to take a bath, my husband?"
The man's back was straight, and dark clouds gathered in his dark eyes.
Taking a bath was something he did every night, but after last night, it took on a completely different meaning.
"Husband?"
Perhaps seeing that he didn't answer, Cui Yiluo lifted her face from the side of his neck in confusion, her watery eyes filled with tender affection, as if she could only see him.
Jiang Yunjin slowly pulled down her hands that were wandering around his waist. His palms felt warm and soft. He said softly, "Okay."
Hot water was already prepared in the bathroom. The man had closed the rosewood door tightly, but Cui Yiluo glanced at it without bolting it.
Soon after, the sound of water was heard, especially clear in the dead of night.
Cui Yiluo tiptoed and gently pushed open the bathroom door.
The next instant, the man's cold, sharp voice came through the screen: "Who?"
Who else could it be but her?
Cui Yilu walked gracefully past the screen of mountains and flowing water that stood in front of the door, obscuring the view inside the bathhouse, and headed towards Jiang Yunjin.
His clothes were neatly arranged on a wooden shelf to the side, his white jade hair ornament had been removed, and the ends of his high ponytail, tied with black hair, were slightly damp.
As if oblivious to the man's already gloomy expression, she said softly, "My husband, let me help you with your bath."
"No need, get out."
Jiang Yunjin frowned and said coldly, quickly grabbing a cloth to cover his crotch.
He was naked, only able to cover his body with a cloth, so he had no way to drive her away.
A hint of a smile flashed across Cui Yiluo's eyes, but her face showed a wronged expression: "But isn't it the wife's duty to serve her husband during his bath? My husband has been working hard all day, and I feel sorry for him."
As she spoke, she crouched down, her soft arms intimately encircling his neck, her red lips close to the man's cheek, her thin gauze robe instantly becoming half-wet from the water, making their skin press even closer together.
Without the clothes covering him, she could see his body's reactions more clearly.
Ben Ziran's hand, which had been resting on the edge of the bathtub, suddenly gripped the edge tightly. His arm muscles bulged, forming a smooth and beautiful curve. Last night, when he was on top of her, his muscles were even more taut, brimming with boundless power.
Cui Yiluo lightly glanced at the cloth he had hidden behind his back, then looked at his cold profile and suppressed the corners of her lips that were turned up.
Jiang Yunjin frowned and grabbed her hand tightly, trying to pull it away, but as soon as he touched it, he heard her gasp softly.
"My husband, it hurts."
He instantly pulled her back to the red tent from the previous night, and Jiang Yunjin immediately let go of her hand.
He calmed his breathing and tried his best to keep his tone as normal as usual: "You go out first, I'll go out after I change my clothes."
Cui Yiluo, however, felt even more aggrieved, her tone sounding very pitiful: "Why is my husband so distant from me?"
As if afraid of being driven away, she hugged his broad shoulders and back even tighter. Her light gauze sleeves were completely soaked in water, clinging wetly to his clothes.
Jiang Yunjin frowned, his forehead throbbing, and closed his eyes to avoid looking at the hazy, white light before him.
Her cheek suddenly brushed against the red cloth of the carpenter, a light touch that seemed to ignite a raging fire, and the cloth was firmly held in place.
Jiao Numei's voice rang in my ears again, sounding like a complaint, yet also like a seductive hint: "Husband, my nightgown is wet."
Jiang Yunjin slightly lifted his eyelids, the thin eyelids concealing the turmoil in his eyes, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Get out."
Cui Yiluo's hand gently caressed him, drifting to his cheek, causing him to turn his face slightly.
His eyes were cold and dark, without a trace of light, like a beast eyeing its prey, ready to devour it at any moment.
The candlelight in the bathroom flickered dimly through the lampshade adorned with the character "囍" (double happiness), casting a blurry silhouette of the two people, their noses almost touching, onto the screen.
The bathroom was warmer than the bedroom and filled with hot, humid steam. Cui Yiluo's cheeks flushed red from the steam, and her eyes misted over, glistening with tiny sparkles.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her face against his strong shoulders and back, their faces close together, their noses almost touching, their breaths rising in temperature.
She looked at him earnestly and said, "My husband, you've been away all day, and I've missed you terribly."
Jiang Yunjin looked at her with his eyes slightly lowered, without saying a word.
Cui Yiluo's eyelashes trembled slightly as she raised her face and touched her slightly cool, thin lips, gently touching them again and again. The instant she touched them, long, slender fingers suddenly gripped the back of her neck and pressed her down, while another hand held her chin, with an unyielding force that left no room for escape.
Her nightgown, already soaked, was now completely drenched. The lukewarm water clung uncomfortably to her skin, dragging her down heavily. She complained in frustration, "Husband, my nightgown..."
Jiang Yunjin was unusually considerate. She finally broke free from the heavy constraints, and her water-soaked dress fell onto the rosewood floor, splashing water droplets, but no one paid any attention.
Gradually, water droplets appeared on the floor and the screen. More and more droplets appeared, and the sound of rushing water filled the bathroom, which should have been quiet in the middle of the night, drowning out Qiqi's soft moan.
The bathtub was cramped, so she had to step on his shoulders. Her back ached from the cold and the rolling sensation, and she began to resist, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her away forcefully.
Whether it was hot or cold, her face flushed.
Cui Yiluo stared at the flickering candlelight, never expecting things to turn out this way. Water seemed to have seeped into her beautiful eyes, making the corners of them red.
She forcefully pulled down Jiang Yunjin's neck, and spoke into his protruding mouth, her voice rising and falling, like the flickering candlelight inside a lampshade that had been dampened from time to time.
"Is my husband punishing me?"
The man from Shangfang's jaw tightened, he gave her a deep look, pursed his lips and didn't answer, his stance grew even stronger, as if he wanted to crush her heart.
As if in a tug-of-war, Cui Yiluo unconsciously exerted more force, but it was her instinctive reaction.
The man finally spoke, his brows furrowed as he whispered, "Relax."
Cui Yiluo seemed to have found a fatal flaw. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Yunjin's neck, tilted her head back, and kissed his lips, pressing even harder at the same time.
As the struggle continued, it was unclear who had won or lost, but the bathroom was in complete chaos. The woven carpet in front of the door was stained with water, and water droplets were sprinkled on the window paper. Not to mention the curtains, lampshades, and screens, the clothes hanging on the crossbeams and the nightgowns lying on the ground were in a terrible state.
Seemingly angry, Cui Yiluo hummed deeply and straight.
His large, veiny hand pressed against her back, trapping her in his arms. Jiang Yunjin's handsome face was buried in the crook of her shoulder, as if trying to calm down, his black hair flowing together in one place.
A moment later, he released her, his eyes unreadable. "I'll go get some water."
The water had cooled down and become cloudy, so it naturally needed to be washed again.
Cui Yiluo was still sobbing, her shoulder trembling slightly.
Jiang Yunjin changed into another set of clothes and went outside to instruct the servants to carry water. The servants wanted to carry the water into the bathhouse, so he had to first lift Cui Yiluo out of the water, wrap her in a blanket, and carry her out in his arms.
His arms were extremely strong, a fact that Cui Yiluo had just come to realize all too well; it turned out that he had actually been suppressing a lot of his emotions last night.
Cui Yilu wrapped her arms around his neck as before, but her arms were weak and powerless.
A deep male voice suddenly came from above: "Feeling unwell?"
In the end, several more red marks appeared on his back. She struggled and was helpless, her face covered in tears, looking extremely pitiful.
Cui Yiluo's voice had a slight nasal tone: "No."
The afterglow still lingered in her body; it wasn't discomfort, but she couldn't bear it.
"Feel sorry."
Jiang Yunjin's cold and resolute face was masking complex emotions.
He placed her on the couch and was about to sit down on the other side when his clothes were suddenly pulled back with a stubborn force.
Jiang Yunjin pursed his lips and sat back down.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Cui Yiluo sat directly on his lap.
Although she was holding onto the blanket to prevent it from falling off, her shoulders and collarbones were still exposed as she moved, with red marks scattered on them, and new ones covering the slightly faded red marks.
Jiang Yunjin immediately restrained her and said forcefully, "Get down."
Cui Yiluo bit her swollen lips: "Is my husband angry with me?"
Jiang Yunjin paused for a moment, then spoke: "No."
Cui Yiluo sat on his still somewhat tense legs after his vigorous movements, leaned closer, and whispered, "Why was my husband so fierce just now?"
For a few moments, she couldn't even breathe.
Jiang Yunjin's expression became even more complicated. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
Meanwhile, the maids who had been summoned to fetch water entered the bathhouse and were all shocked by what they saw. They subconsciously exchanged glances.
Unexpectedly, the seemingly aloof and abstinent eldest son was already having such a wild time with his wife on the second day of their marriage.
They quickly tidied up the messy bathroom, emptied the nearly empty tub of water, replaced it with fresh hot water, and then went to the outer room.
Through the bamboo curtain that hung to the ground as a partition, the servants could not see what was happening inside the room. They could only hear the eldest son whispering something to his wife, while the wife seemed to be coquettishly flirting with the eldest son.
"Young master, madam, the water is ready."
Jiang Yunjin's calm voice came through the bamboo curtain: "Go down."
"yes."
After the door creaked open and closed, only Cui Yiluo and Jiang Yunjin remained in the room.
Cui Yiluo watched his increasingly cold and indifferent expression, a smile rising in her eyes. She still remembered the look of lust in his dark eyes just now, and he was even more reckless than yesterday.
She didn't take it any further and said gently, "Husband, I'll go take a bath first."
After all, the deep, sticky moon was really uncomfortable.
Jiang Yunjin lowered his eyes and nodded.
Her arms were suddenly empty as the bathroom door opened and closed.
Jiang Yunjin stared at the bathroom door through the bamboo curtain, his eyes growing increasingly somber.
Jixuezhai was the place where he had diligently studied the Six Arts of a Gentleman since childhood. There were even books on the bookshelf next to it that his father had personally taught him to read. After what happened last night, he took out one of them and flipped through it.
Every word and phrase in it was a warning to him that a gentleman should not indulge in sensual pleasures or become addicted to lust.
He had just become completely engrossed in it.
Author's note: Take it one step at a time [doge emoji]
I feel like I'll probably be going in there a lot in the future, so you guys should come as soon as possible! [pleading emoji]
Thank you to the lovely readers who watered my plants with nutrient solution: Caijin x1, Invincible Meow Meow Fist x13, and Brother and Sister-in-law are just arm wrestling with their tongues! x5
Thanks to the darling who threw the grenade: Severus's hair x1
[Heart]～
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