78. Danqing
◎Ye'er is so playful◎
Chapter 78
Jiang Qiuye weighed the stone in his hand. It was palm-sized and not light, and a sweet smile crossed his face. His gaze shifted from Zhao Wan'er's neck to her earlobes, where simple jade earrings swayed as she walked. Then, he looked at the back of her head, where her hair was meticulously combed in a snake-like bun, complete with that unsightly orchid-shaped jade hairpin.
If the orchid hairpin were smashed into pieces, it might look better.
She narrowed her eyes, quickened her pace and walked forward. Before she raised her hand, she heard a sound coming from a distance.
"Auntie Emperor——"
Jiang Qiuye stopped abruptly and hid the stone in her sleeve. The voice interrupted her thoughts and she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to Ji Ci not long ago, and she felt a little annoyed.
She almost lost control again and shouldn't have killed Zhao Wan'er.
At the same time, Zhao Wan'er also turned around and looked at the person who was strolling in the distance.
"Auntie Emperor?"
She let out a breath, turned around with a sweet smile, but didn't call him.
Zhao Wan'er bowed first, "Your Highness Prince Liang."
Ji Kang lowered his eyes to look at Jiang Qiuye's hand hidden in her sleeve and couldn't help but chuckle. Although they were far apart just now, if he saw correctly, this vicious woman seemed to want to throw a stone at Zhao Wan'er.
He really didn't expect to see such a surprising scene.
He had thought she was just scheming, but he hadn't expected her to even dare to do something like murder. How could he not be obsessed with a woman like that?
"Auntie, Madam Lou. Why did you suddenly come to the palace today?"
He wasn't referring to Zhao Wan'er, who served in Shoukang Palace almost daily. Jiang Qiuye, on the other hand, visited the palace so infrequently that he could only sniff her jade hairpin daily and create numerous paintings of her to keep in his mansion.
After not seeing her for several months, I missed her like crazy. She was much more beautiful than last time, more voluptuous, and compared to the virgin feeling when we first met, now she had more of the figure of a young woman.
Zhao Wan'er lowered her head and smiled, "I came to the palace today to serve the Grand Empress Dowager. She hasn't been feeling well lately, so I'll keep her company."
Ji Kang smiled and looked at Jiang Qiuye again without saying anything.
Jiang Qiuye knew that this was going to be difficult, so he responded, "The Spring Hunt is coming soon, and your uncle brought me here to pay my respects to the Grand Empress Dowager."
"I see. Speaking of the Grand Empress Dowager, I haven't been to Shoukang Palace in a while. Perhaps I should pay her a visit before the Spring Hunt." Ji Kang's eyes swiveled, still fixed on Jiang Qiuye's gentle face. "This Spring Hunt has been held in a different location. It used to be held in the imperial gardens, but this time, my father heard from a deity in a dream that there might be a secret to immortality at the top of Mount Song. That's why he decided to encircle Mount Song. Besides hunting, this trip is also about seeking what he saw in his dream."
"I've visited Mount Song before; its scenery is breathtakingly beautiful. If the Imperial Aunt isn't interested in hunting, I can personally accompany her to the mountaintop to seek the secret of immortality."
Zhao Wan'er's eyes moved back and forth between Jiang Qiuye and Ji Kang, and she lowered her head calmly.
Jiang Qiuye was furious with Ji Kang for making their relationship sound so ambiguous in front of others. Even if she wasn't hunting and wanted to just hang out, she should have looked for Ji Ci, not her nephew.
"King Liang, you're joking. I don't like to move around much. I might not be able to climb that mountain, and I don't like playing in the mountains. I probably spend most of my time staying in my own place."
Jiang Qiuye pretended to be on top of something urgent and leaned over to gaze at the palace gate. Then, looking back at Ji Kang, she said helplessly, "I have something important to do this afternoon. It's the end of the month, and I have to go collect bills from various shops. I don't know when I'll be done. I won't be able to chat with Prince Liang and Cousin Wan'er anymore, so I'll take my leave now."
Ji Ci owns many shops, but she has never liked tedious matters, so she has always left the debt collection to Uncle Fu.
Jiang Qiuye turned around and walked away quickly, as if running away, not wanting to pay any more attention to the two people.
Ji Kang's eyes dimmed as he watched Jiang Qiuye gradually move away. He lowered his head and quietly stroked the small jade hibiscus hairpin in his sleeve. When he looked up, he found Zhao Wan'er motionless, staring at him with a strange expression.
She said, "I didn't know that His Royal Highness Prince Liang and Princess Qi had such a close relationship?"
Ji Kang's face showed no trace of concealment or guilt, and he said nonchalantly: "The imperial aunt and nephew are naturally familiar with each other."
Zhao Wan'er was silent, and after a moment of thought, she sneered, "Your Highness Prince Liang, please tell me you're coveting your aunt."
Ji Kang didn't take Zhao Wan'er seriously and didn't answer her. He just glanced at her sinisterly and left.
Zhao Wan'er couldn't help but laugh as she stood there. She hadn't expected to discover such a significant matter. Her original plan had been to become Ji Ci's concubine first, then slowly work her way up to the position of principal wife. But now with Ji Kang's unclear connection, perhaps she could give it a try and dethrone this woman directly.
I would like to ask, is there any man in this world who can accept a wife who is fickle and has affairs with other women?
I really didn't expect that Ji Kang would bring me such a big surprise.
…
In the Taiji Hall, the emperor was discussing with Ji Ci the escort for the hunting trip.
Ji Ci stood in the hall and reported the arrangements: "Your Majesty, the Northern Court Yulin Guard and the Southern Court Zuoyou Guard will be the main escorts for this trip to Songshan. The rest will stay in Shengjing to protect the Jinhe Palace. We have already made arrangements with the Lingnan Jiedushi for Songshan to clear the surrounding area before the royal family arrives."
The emperor nodded with half-closed eyes, saying, "I'm relieved to leave the protection to Jian Xi. But I suddenly remembered something."
"Zhou Chenghu committed a crime before and should have been released from prison. But this time, I heard from the Empress Dowager that Zhou Chenghu was wrongly imprisoned. Jian Xi, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, I worked alongside Zhou Chenghu to suppress Prince Zhuojun's rebellion. We spent months together and have always felt he is a sincere man. However, since the case is being handled by the Jingzhao Prefecture, I should refrain from interfering excessively. If you can provide a comprehensive chain of evidence proving Zhou Chenghu is an unforgivable criminal, then he should be dealt with according to the law."
Jingzhao Prefecture naturally had no evidence to offer, save for the testimony of the drowned boy's parents. Therefore, Zhou Chenghu had only been stripped of his military power and received no other punishment.
The emperor closed his eyes and remained silent. After a moment, he opened his eyes and stared at Ji Ci below, saying, "The Empress Dowager meant that Zhou Chenghu had made great military achievements, so she should be directly appointed to command all the Southern Court Guards. However, this case has not yet been concluded, so why not..."
"Why not first place him in the Imperial Guards as a General of the Imperial Guards? I'll be relieved to have Jian Xi watching over me. It's a good opportunity for him to come along on this spring hunting trip, so I'll take a closer look."
The Emperor had always respected the Grand Empress Dowager, and this time, Zhao personally came forward to explain the pros and cons of restricting military power. It was indeed inappropriate for the Huo family to hold the majority of military power. However, he did not completely trust Zhou Chenghu. If Zhou Chenghu were not Ji Ci's subordinate, he could have handed over the Southern Court Guards to him.
But if it was Ji Ci's men, he would have to be more suspicious of Ji Ci's intentions. And while the Yulin Army was one of the emperor's imperial guards, most of them were controlled by Ji Ci, making it difficult to move them now. It would be better to place Zhou Chenghu next to Ji Ci, test him, and then make a decision.
"Your Majesty is wise."
At this moment, Eunuch Li came to report, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Liang requests an audience."
The emperor nodded and let him in, and asked Ji Ci to leave first.
When Ji Ci and Ji Kang met face to face, Ji Kang bowed and said, "Uncle."
"Yeah." Ji Ci nodded slightly and left the Tai Chi Hall directly.
Ji Kang's gaze was still following Ji Ci's back, thinking of the woman he saw by the lotus pond today. If he hadn't called out to her, Zhao Wan'er would probably be dead by now.
He didn't know why she wanted to kill Zhao Wan'er, but he intuitively felt that it was related to Ji Ci.
The thought of this made him even more annoyed and jealous. That beautiful little woman made him feel really dry in the mouth.
…
When Ji Ci returned to the mansion, it was already late.
He couldn't help but twitch his lips as he watched his wife pack several large boxes for the spring hunt. In the past, she'd just packed a few sets of riding clothes for the spring hunt, without even needing a box.
Seeing him come back, Jiang Qiuye had just closed the sixth box. She looked up with great joy, fluttered over like a butterfly, hugged his waist, raised her head, blinked her eyes, and said, "My husband is finally back. Do you want to see if there is anything missing? I will add more. This time I have to bring all the riding clothes I specially ordered some time ago. I prepare two sets of riding clothes for my husband every day, and there are also many underwear..."
"Okay." Ji Ci smiled and rubbed the top of her head, "Ye'er, just do whatever you want."
Seeing this, Jiang Qiuye stopped asking questions and took his hand and went into the dining hall to have dinner together.
As she put down her chopsticks, she suddenly thought of something and immediately stood up and ran out of the dining hall. Ji Ci swallowed the vegetables in his mouth and looked at his rabbit-like wife, confused. A moment later, he saw her running back happily, holding two scrolls.
He seemed to understand something.
Jiang Qiuye excitedly unfolded the paintings. Both were anonymous landscape paintings, layer upon layer, with a vast sky and misty rain buried in ink. Every dot and stroke was a masterpiece of spring.
"Husband, did you draw this?"
Ji Ci looked at the admiration in her eyes, his ears reddened, he licked the corner of his dry lips, nodded casually, turned his eyes away, and continued to pick up the vegetables in front of him, "Yeah, I was just drawing casually before."
"Your husband is so amazing that any painting he does is so good!" Although Jiang Qiuye said it in a very flattering way, she really liked these two paintings in her heart.
Whether in terms of brushwork or artistic conception, these were the most outstanding landscape paintings she had ever seen. While packing for her spring hunting trip today, she stumbled upon these two paintings and was immediately struck by their beauty.
Seeing that she was staring at the two paintings, Ji Ci secretly raised the corners of his lips and smiled. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly flattened his lips and continued to eat the vegetable.
After swallowing it, he said nonchalantly, "That's nothing. When I was a child, I studied under great scholars and famous artists, leaving behind countless famous paintings. Unfortunately, they are all left in Ganyang. In fact, compared to landscapes, I am better at painting."
"Danqing." Jiang Qiuye propped up her chin and looked at him. "Speaking of Danqing, I remember a painting of a lady returning home in Autumn by a scholar in Guihong Hall. I loved it. It's a pity that it was completely burned in the fire."
Ji Ci frowned slightly. He knew the painting she was talking about. But his wife was too naive. What was that?
Back then, at such a young age, he was already known as a child prodigy. His paintings, which were circulated in the palace, were coveted by scholars and literati for millions of dollars.
He felt like he was too full of vegetables, so he put down his chopsticks and said casually, "It's just a picture of a lady. I can draw another one for you."
Hearing this, she was naturally overjoyed. Seeing that he had already finished dinner, she immediately returned to her room to dress. She found a pink and white silk gauze skirt, the layers beneath it folded like a lotus flower in bloom. She also put on a pearl belt and a string of pearl hairpins. These were like lotus flowers dotted after rain, fragrant and charming.
After everything was done, Ji Ci also prepared the painting set and let Jiang Qiuye lie on the chaise longue.
Looking at the beauty not far away, the silk gauze piled up layer by layer, the mountains under the clothes were squeezed up because of her side-lying posture, and the red mole was faintly visible under the white gauze. And the corners of her eyes were like a ghost, alluring and captivating.
He suppressed the throbbing in his heart and began to paint.
Jiang Qiuye lay on the chaise longue, staring motionlessly at Ji Ci who was painting. Occasionally, when he looked at her, their eyes met, as if connected by an invisible thread.
An hour later, Jiang Qiuye lay down until he felt sleepy, and finally saw him put down the pen in his hand.
"Done?"
"Hmm." Ji Ci's throat was dry, so he lifted the teacup beside him and took a sip.
She stood up and trotted over, looking at it from his side. It was indeed lifelike, the figure in the painting was graceful and ethereal, like an immortal. Compared with the painting of a lady painted for her by the scholar, it was indeed a level higher.
She looked at the painting supplies on the table, and a shy yet exciting picture seemed to appear in her mind. She turned to look at Ji Ci and smiled slightly.
He glanced at her and felt strange. "What are you thinking about? Why are you staring at me with such a perverted look?"
abnormal?
What's wrong with that?
She stood on tiptoe, put her lips close to his ear and whispered a few words. Ji Ci's back instantly stiffened. He looked back at her in disbelief and said seriously, "No!"
"Brother Jian Xi." She immediately stepped forward, hugged his waist, and began to pout coquettishly.
Ji Ci's Adam's apple rolled, as if he had gone through several internal and external struggles, and finally he managed to speak: "...This is just this time, it won't happen again."
"Brother Jian Xi is the best to Ye'er." She walked up to him, kissed him, and began to untie his belt.
Two hours later, he finally carried the sweaty woman to the bathroom, and they both got into the same bathtub.
Seeing Jiang Qiuye's listless expression, he perked up instead. He leaned forward underwater, hugged her, and whispered softly in her ear: "I didn't expect that Ye'er would be so playful. Let's do it again next time."
Jiang Qiuye shuddered and immediately shook her head. She really didn't expect that this matter would be so physically and mentally exhausting.
Initially, she had wanted to try using his body as a canvas, painting it herself. The painting was going well, and she was meticulously carving a little tiger, when something happened and they ended up painting on the bed.
In order to make it easier for her to paint, she had to sit up top, which was physically demanding, and she also had to follow his instructions, correcting any strokes that were off or that weren't well drawn.
The master is very strict!
The master is a shameless beast in human clothing!
As he entered the water, the image of a tiger teasing a bird gradually faded. Looking down, he realized his initial resistance was gone, and he felt a pity. However, he imprinted all the images in his mind.
The scene of her actively pleasing him just now was too stimulating. Being dominated and drawn by her, this was what it felt like. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He looked up and saw that his wife had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He shook his head and began to gently wipe her body with a wet towel. Perhaps he had been pampering her too much these days, and her endurance had become worse.
…
Ji Kang began to feel depressed after meeting Jiang Qiuye and Ji Ci during the day. He returned to the mansion and started drinking without even having dinner.
He had actually met Jiang Qiuye a long time ago, though he had forgotten how many years it was. However, he still had a deep impression of it. That was when he was a child, and he had followed the Grand Tutor on a trip to northern Huaishan.
On the winter solstice, snow fell like shattered pearls. He passed by a little girl selling dragon beard candy. The girl was as beautiful as a fairy. Although her hands and feet were purple from the cold, her face still had a sunny smile, and her two dimples were the most obvious.
He bought her a portion of dragon beard candy and gave her two taels of silver. When the little girl saw the silver, her eyes lit up.
Two taels of silver was not much for him, but it was enough for this poor family to last for a month.
He thought she would be grateful, but unexpectedly, she stole his wallet in the blink of an eye. When he realized what was happening and ran back to the place where he started, the thief had disappeared.
It was a trivial matter, and he forgot about it after many years. Until he saw her again at the Queen's Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet, he recognized her at first sight. She was the thief from that year.
For some reason, ever since I saw her, the image of the little girl selling dragon beard candy from my childhood has become increasingly clear. Later, when I saw her, her sweet exterior but her mischievous side, I didn't feel disgusted or annoyed, but rather amused.
But she was actually Qiu Ziye, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo. Hadn't Qiu Ziye grown up in Wuzhou? Why had he met her in the northern part of Huaishan? But it was all in vain.
When she seduced him that day in Prince Wei's mansion, just by looking into her eyes, he became more certain that she was the thief from that year.
Unfortunately, she married the emperor's uncle. Now, she seems to have fallen in love with the emperor's uncle again.
This made him really jealous!
Ji Kang lifted a jug of wine and emptied it into his mouth. His vision began to blur. He stood up and pulled out six paintings from the cabinet. He unfolded them one by one and hung them up. All of them were his paintings of her.
She picked up the small jade hibiscus hairpin from the side and put it to her nose and sniffed it gently. There was clearly no smell at all, but it seemed as if she could smell the faint fragrance of flowers coming from the daytime.
He looked back at the beauty in the painting and unbuttoned his underwear. After a long while, he finally let out a low sound and ejaculated.
Just as his mind was gradually becoming clear, he turned his head suddenly and found that Princess Duan of Liang was standing at the door without him noticing.
Duan withdrew her eyes from Ji Kang and swept across the six hanging paintings. The woman in the painting was lifelike, and she naturally recognized her. It was Princess Qi, their imperial aunt!
Her gaze returned to Ji Kang's sinister face, and she was horrified. "Your Highness, you, you, this is the Imperial Aunt, the Imperial Aunt."
Ji Kang calmly put on his pants, walked up to her, lowered his head, stared at her for a moment, and said, "If you don't want to die, don't talk nonsense."
The plate in Duan's hand loosened and fell to the ground. With a "bang", the porcelain shattered all over the floor, carrying the pastries with it.
She naturally understood that she was not favored by Ji Kang.
Soon after their marriage, Ji Kang expelled all the concubines from his courtyard. She initially thought he was doing this for her sake. Outsiders all believed they were a loving couple, but except for their wedding night, he never touched her again.
She had always thought that it was no big deal since Ji Kang only had her as his woman. Until today, she realized that it was all because he coveted her aunt.
It's not acceptable and is unethical.
If it was any other woman, it would be fine, but this is a crime of great disrespect. If the emperor or Prince Qi knew about it, how could she compete for the position of crown prince?
Ji Kang no longer paid attention to her reaction and only warned her, "From now on, you are not allowed to step into the study without my permission."
After saying that, he stepped over the pastries on the ground and left, clenching his fists.
As he walked, he looked up at the moonlight. Yes, that hateful thief back then was now his imperial aunt.
But so what?
Once he becomes emperor, who can stop him? Who can criticize him?
The author has something to say:
Jiang Qiuye: Tiger teasing a bird (covering his mouth and laughing, hehe)
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