Chapter 7 Gentle Township

At the hour of Xu, after finishing their meal, the two slowly walked into the bedroom.

"Your Highness, it's still early now, why don't we play a game of chess?" Su Jingyao raised the corners of his mouth and asked softly with a smile on his face.

Jun Zechen nodded slightly. He seldom played chess now. Ever since he won the game against his father a year ago, he believed that no one in the palace could be his opponent.

But it is still early today, and playing chess is a good way to pass the time.

The two of them sat down gently on either side of the couch. Miaoyun carefully brought out her master's beloved Hetian jade chess set and gently placed it on the table in the middle.

Su Jingyao smiled and waved her hand, and Miaoyun and the other palace maids in the hall tiptoed out of the hall.

At this moment, only Su Jingyao and Jun Zechen were left in the bedroom.

Jun Zechen stretched out his hand and gently picked up a black piece, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He was a person obsessed with chess, so he could naturally tell at a glance that the black piece was the finest Hetian black jade.

He slowly picked up another white piece, and it was indeed top-grade mutton-fat white jade.

"Where did you get this Go?" Jun Zechen raised his head, stared at Su Jingyao, and asked softly.

"My elder brother knew that I loved Go, so he gave it to me when I was fifteen years old and had my coming-of-age ceremony."

"The black pieces are 181 pieces of Hetian black jade, and the white pieces are 180 pieces of mutton-fat white jade. Each one is delicate and smooth to the touch, without any flaw. I have always regarded them as treasures." Su Jingyao smiled slightly, her eyes full of joy.

"Your brother really loves you. Hetian jade is rare in the country. To polish such a perfect chess piece, I'm afraid it would take dozens of kilograms of Hetian jade. I also have a set of Hetian jade Go in my private library, but it's a little inferior to yours."

As Jun Zechen spoke, he unconsciously rubbed the chess piece in his hand.

"If Your Highness likes it, I would like to give this chess piece to Your Highness." Su Jingyao said softly.

"This is a birthday present from your brother. How could I take someone else's gift away? I just said it casually."

"Let's start playing chess."

Su Jingyao nodded slightly.

"I like white pieces, Your Highness, please play with black pieces, how about that?"

Su Jingyao's eyes flickered, she looked at Jun Zechen with a smile and asked softly.

"Okay." Jun Zechen smiled slightly and calmly took out the black piece from the chess box.

Both of them were ready. The black piece fell first, and Su Jingyao's white piece followed immediately.

At first, both of them made moves quite gently, especially Jun Zechen.

After all, his usual chess style tends to be offensive, but he was concerned that Su Jingyao's chess skills might be mediocre. If he hastily ended the game in a quarter of an hour, how could he spend his free time well?

So at the beginning of the game, Jun Zechen made his moves casually and gently. However, as more and more pieces were placed on the board, he became more serious, his expression became more solemn, and his style of play gradually turned to fierce attacks.

Su Jingyao was quick to notice his changes.

Because of playing chess, she relaxed completely, and her voice unconsciously took on a coquettish flavor.

"Your Highness plays the game of flying chess so skillfully that I can hardly avoid it."

Su Jingyao pouted her lips, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her beautiful eyes.

In Go, "flying chess" means attacking, and just now it was clearly a skillful back and forth movement.

"I never expected that your chess skills would be so superb."

Jun Zechen stared at the chessboard closely. Su Jingyao's white pieces were showing an attitude of tolerance. If he didn't take the initiative to attack, the white pieces would unknowingly destroy every inch of his territory.

"Then I have no choice but to jump now, huh." Su Jingyao said coquettishly, while she skillfully jumped the white piece out of the encirclement of the black pieces, which means "escaping".

Jun Zechen is always a man of few words when playing chess, but whenever Su Jingyao looks embarrassed by his attack, he will unconsciously act coquettishly.

"Your Highness, my concubine's white son is about to have no home."

Seeing that Heizi was about to launch another attack, Su Jingyao couldn't help but try to distract Jun Zechen by acting coquettishly.

Jun Zechen felt a tingling sensation in his heart as he listened to her coquettish words, and the intensity of his attack weakened unconsciously.

The two continued to play back and forth. Although Su Jingyao showed signs of anger and joy on the surface, she was staring at the chessboard, with clear thoughts and decisive moves.

Gradually, the smile on Su Jingyao's lips deepened, and she looked at her layout with satisfaction.

She was going to win.

His eyes were full of cunning like a little fox.

Jun Zechen frowned slightly, lowered his head and stared at the black pieces on the chessboard, then looked up at the woman with a sweet smile.

The woman tilted her head playfully and smiled at him even more seductively.

Jun Zechen sighed softly: "She is quite a smart woman."

He never expected that he would lose.

Jun Zechen stared at the chessboard again and became more impressed with the young woman's chess skills.

Every move she makes is as smooth as flowing water, her chess style is elegant and agile, her chess skills are exquisite and profound, her chess paths are crisscrossed, and her chess skills are superb and unparalleled.

Jun Zechen couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise when he looked at her.

Su Jingyao, on the other hand, was humble: "I am not a chess player who follows the rules. If I hadn't been disturbing Your Highness, I would have had a hard time winning this game. I feel that Your Highness's chess skills are not as good as mine."

"Except for the time I lost to my father, I have never lost to anyone else. Today I underestimated my enemy. I will definitely win next time."

Jun Zechen was actually aroused by this little girl's competitive spirit.

"Yes, Your Highness, as long as you don't mind my talking too much while we're playing chess."

Jun Zechen actually doesn't like noisy conversations while playing chess, but today the young lady's words were humorous and her voice was gentle and pleasant, so he didn't feel disgusted at all, and even felt quite comfortable during the game.

"That's fine."

Before they knew it, the two had been playing chess for an hour.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. It's time to go to bed."

Jun Zechen nodded slightly.

Su Jingyao's delicate face was slightly flushed, like a pink peach, sweet and alluring.

Jun Zechen didn't know why she suddenly blushed and could only wait for her to speak.

Su Jingyao's heart was tangled. After struggling for a while, she finally mustered up her courage and said softly, "Your Highness, let me help you undress."

Jun Zechen frowned slightly when he heard this, and almost subconsciously refused: "I'll do it myself."

Su Jingyao's face instantly revealed a deep sense of loss, and a hint of hurt flashed in her beautiful eyes.

She whispered softly, "I have overstepped the bounds. I know that Your Highness dislikes me. After asking today, I will not ask again. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Jun Zechen stared at her pitiful and injured appearance, and couldn't help feeling a little bit of pity in his heart.

His lips parted slightly. "That's not what I meant."

He himself couldn't explain why this happened. Perhaps he was already used to having Ling Yue around, so he would always subconsciously reject other women.

However, looking at the woman's lowered head in front of him, he felt a little distressed.

He seemed to be rejecting her all the time. Was he being too cruel to her?

"Your Highness, there is no need to comfort me. I understand everything. If Your Highness does not need my service, I will..."

"Did I ever say that I don't need your service? Why are you so unruly, my concubine?"

Jun Zechen's gaze fell on the woman with her head lowered, and there was an indescribable emotion in his eyes.

Su Jingyao raised her head in surprise, blinked her big watery eyes, and showed a confused look, obviously not understanding his intention.

Then, Jun Zechen closed his eyes and slowly opened his arms.

Seeing this, Su Jingyao knew that the man accepted her approach, and a smug smile appeared on her face.

She took a step forward and almost leaned into Jun Zechen's arms. Her small hands gently fell on his waist and began to untie his belt. She then hung it on the exquisite yellow flowered lycium grass dragon pattern hanger beside the bed.

After finishing all this, she returned to Jun Zechen again. Her small hands were as light as feathers. They gently fell on Jun Zechen's chest, slid slowly along his chest to his shoulders, and gently took off his outer robe.

When Jun Zechen felt the woman's touch through his underwear, his body involuntarily became a little stiff.

He kept his eyes tightly closed, as if he was trying hard to suppress something, and never opened them.

Until the woman took off all his clothes, leaving only his underwear.

After Su Jingyao hung up her clothes neatly, she stood lightly in front of the man.

Jun Zechen was tall and strong, and the woman had already gently taken off her outer gauze.

Although the tube top-style skirt is a common style, perhaps because the woman's graceful curves are particularly attractive, Jun Zechen stared at her from top to bottom, with a barely perceptible fluctuation in his eyes.

As if he was deeply attracted, yet a little uncomfortable, his eyes flickered unconsciously, sometimes wandering, sometimes fixed.

Su Jingyao tilted her head slightly, and gently hooked one of the man's fingers with her scallion-like jade fingers.

Jun Zechen's body trembled instinctively and he wanted to shake it off, but the woman's heartbreaking look of loss and hurt just now flashed through his mind, and he forcibly suppressed the impulse.

She is the daughter of a wealthy family who has been pampered and has never suffered any injustice. Now that I always reject her again and again, will she cry secretly in a place where no one is around?

When Su Jingyao saw that he did not refuse, a barely perceptible joy flashed across her face, and a hint of shyness moved in her eyes.

She took light steps, took his hand, and slowly led him to her dressing table.

"Your Highness, please sit for a while and wait for me, okay?" Her voice was soft and gentle, like the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley.

Jun Zechen looked at her with a little confusion, not understanding what she was up to, so he had to sit obediently in front of her dressing table.

He glanced casually at himself in the mirror, then his eyes moved away and fell on her exquisite dressing table.

This dressing table is carved from a whole piece of fine pear wood. The table is filled with a variety of small jars, exuding a faint fragrance.

Su Jingyao walked into the room again lightly. Miaoyun and Miaoxue each carefully carried a basin of water.

Miaoxue carefully placed the basin under the prince's feet, and then gently took off his shoes.

Jun Zechen naturally put his feet into the basin, enjoying the perfect comfort.

Afterwards, Miaoxue carefully placed another basin on the cabinet next to the dressing table and then left silently.

"What are you keeping in suspense?" Jun Zechen's voice contained a hint of curiosity.

"When I was playing chess with His Highness just now, I was a little close to His Highness and accidentally noticed that His Highness's eyes were slightly dark. I think it must be because His Highness has been busy with government affairs recently and has not had enough rest."

"I have some excellent beauty ointment here. Can I apply some on you?" Su Jingyao's tone was gentle and her eyes were full of concern.

Jun Zechen was slightly startled, showing a look of surprise, and then nodded slightly to show his agreement.

Su Jingyao elegantly took a purple jar from the dressing table and carefully scooped out an appropriate amount of ointment on the back of her scallion-like nails.

Then, she bent down slightly, and with gentle and delicate movements, like a breeze, she gently applied the ointment under his eyes.

The two of them were so close that Jun Zechen could even clearly hear her soft breathing, as if a warm spring breeze was blowing past his ears.

He could still clearly see the fine white hairs on her face, which glowed faintly in the candlelight.

Her curled eyelashes in the candlelight trembled slightly like butterfly wings, and his heart seemed to tremble along with them.

Su Jingyao looked focused and serious when applying the ointment, and her movements were light and gentle, making Jun Zechen feel a cool sensation on the skin under his eyes, which was extremely comfortable.

His eyes involuntarily fell on her exquisite and beautiful face, as if he was attracted by an invisible force and could not look away.

After Su Jingyao finished applying, she opened her red lips and said softly, "Your Highness will have to attend court tomorrow morning. I noticed that your beard seems to be a little long today, so I will shave it for you."

While Jun Zechen was soaking his feet, he was immersed in the comfortable feeling because of her gentle movements just now.

He nodded slightly, a hint of laziness and satisfaction on his face, and gently closed his eyes, as if he completely trusted Su Jingyao.

Su Jingyao carefully and gently applied the beard softening ointment around his lips.

This was the first time a woman shaved Jun Zechen's beard. In the past, it was always An Shun who took care of his beard.

Ling Yue was a bold and unrestrained person, and he never cared about these details. He had long been accustomed to obedient service.

Su Jingyao's hands were as soft as catkins and as smooth as silk.

As the cream was applied on his face, Jun Zechen felt extremely comfortable. He enjoyed it to his heart's content, his eyes closed, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised slightly.

Seeing this, Su Jingyao couldn't help but complain in her heart.

This dog man is the first person she has served like this. I really don’t believe that there is any man who doesn’t like this gentle place.

Afterwards, Su Jingyao skillfully picked up the copper knife that was polished to be as thin as a cicada's wing and began to shave Jun Zechen's beard.

After shaving, she personally picked up the towel and put it in the basin on the cabinet, twisted it gently, and then gently washed his face.

After everything was done, the two of them slowly walked towards the bed.

This time, Jun Zechen still chose to sleep on the outside, while Su Jingyao slept on the inside.

The two of them each covered themselves with a thin silk quilt and fell asleep quietly.

The candle was more than half burned. It was the transition period between spring and summer, and frequent rains were common. The sound of rain began to be heard outside the house.

suddenly.

There was a loud "boom" and thunder broke through the air, and Su Jingyao was awakened instantly.

She panicked and covered most of her face with the quilt, her small hands tightly grasping the thin quilt, her body shaking slightly involuntarily.

Jun Zechen was also awakened by the thunder. Just as he was about to go back to sleep, the trembling of the woman next to him prevented him from falling asleep again. He was already a light sleeper.

He frowned slightly and asked softly, "Afraid?"

When Su Jingyao heard the voice, she was shocked and surprised that he would actually speak on his own initiative.

She replied softly, "Your Highness, I want to go to the side hall."

"Why?" Jun Zechen looked puzzled.

"I have been afraid of thunder since I was young. I will go to the side hall and ask Li Ma to accompany me to sleep."

Su Jingyao's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. She seemed a little embarrassed, afraid that the man would think she was being too pretentious.

"If you leave now, what will the people in the palace say about you tomorrow? If my mother knew, wouldn't she blame me because of you?" Jun Zechen said in a flat tone.

"But...I am...scared."

Su Jingyao turned around timidly, her eyes full of fear and grievance, looking particularly pitiful under the dim candlelight.

"Come here."

Su Jingyao hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly. Is this what she thought it meant?

Then she cautiously tried and moved her body over.

Her hands tightly hugged the man's strong arms, as if it was her only support in the turbulent waves.

Seeing that he did not refuse, Su Jingyao felt relieved and quietly got into his quilt, pressed her body tightly against his arm, and rested her head gently on his shoulder.

She opened her red lips slightly, and her orchid-like breath uttered, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Jun Zechen didn't know why he was so gentle to her. Perhaps it was her pure and kind character, or perhaps it was her innocent and carefree nature that always made him feel sympathy and even a little distressed for her.

Su Jingyao felt the warmth of the man beside her, the fear in her heart gradually dissipated, and she fell into a deep sleep again.

However, Jun Zechen still had trouble falling asleep.

The woman's delicate body was like a sweet torture, making his body even hotter.

Her body still exuded a faint fragrance with a hint of sweetness, like an invisible charm that tempted him to hold her tightly and fall asleep.

The more Jun Zechen tried to endure, the harder it was for him to fall asleep, and finally he involuntarily pulled his hands out of the woman's arms, then tightly embraced her slender waist and gently held her in his arms.

With the soft and warm jade in his arms, and the lingering fragrance, he finally fell asleep slowly.

The smile on Su Jingyao's face in her arms became more and more smug. Didn't she hate the pitiful, delicate and pretentious girl from aristocratic family?

Oh.