Chapter 44. Liang Ye came to whisper in his ear again. ...
Cai Xiang, having finished looking at Qing Yue, walked in with a worried expression and sighed, "It's not a fatal wound. Cheng Min knew her limits and didn't kill her, but it hurts terribly, and she's fainted right now. There was a doctor on the ship who examined her wound and prescribed medicine. I called two maids to take care of her, and the medicine has been applied."
Upon hearing this, Shanhe hurriedly said, "Caixiang, could you please look after her for me?" She got up and rummaged through the bundle she had brought: "Wait a minute, I have a few pieces of jewelry. You can take them and play with them."
Cai Xiang pressed Shan He's hand and pulled her back to sit down in front of the dressing table, saying with difficulty, "Madam, if Granny Wei weren't here, I would have gone to see her even without you saying so. Back in the manor, we got along very well with Qing Yue. Now that Granny Wei is here, you've seen what kind of person she is. If I go, I'll leave no room for gossip, and I'm afraid she'll use these things as a pretext to set rules, blaming me for taking the allowance of a first-class maid to serve a lowly maid."
Shanhe said angrily, "How can she be so powerful!"
Cai Ping pouted, "Our family used to only have the old master and the two gentlemen, so the rules weren't very strict. And you, madam, are... well, let's not talk about that. Granny Wei is stricter, but I've heard that in the capital, there are several noble families whose rules are stricter than the Shi family's! Now that Granny Wei is so eager for the eldest master to rise to prominence, she'll definitely take drastic measures against our eldest branch. With your status, madam, you'll inevitably be the first to suffer. I just hope the eldest master can help you. If you continue to hold a grudge against him, I'm afraid we'll end up like this again."
Cai Xiang nodded: "That's right. My parents told me that when Master and Madam were still in the capital, there were many rules in the mansion. It was only after Master and Madam passed away and the two gentlemen returned to Mizhou that the rules were relaxed. Anyway, now that she's here, we should still try to appease her spirit." She leaned closer, looked at Shan He's face after she had dressed up, and smiled: "This is good. Madam is naturally beautiful, so she should dress up." As she spoke, she took out a gold filigree hairpin and inserted it into Shan He's dark hair.
Caiping followed up, saying, "We were just talking about the Shi family, and I was just about to tell you about it, Madam."
Cai Xiang, busy putting hair into Shan He's hair, frowned and said, "You'd better watch your mouth from now on! If you get punished again, I won't speak up for you."
The color screen muttered, "You underestimate me. Next time, it might not be me getting punished while you speak well of me. Maybe it'll be the other way around!"
Cai Xiang smiled and said, "Then I'll pray to Buddha."
The two women talked back and forth, but Shanhe sat in the middle. Her once beautiful face was now pale and thin. She stared blankly at the rouge in front of her, clearly still thinking about what had just happened and hadn't recovered yet.
Both of them sighed, but there was nothing they could do. After finishing Shanhe's hair and makeup, they both curtsied and took their leave. Shanhe just nodded blankly.
When it was time for dinner, Cai Xiang brought in a food box. Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table. Shan He touched the ivory chopsticks, her heart pounding. She was worried that Liang Ye would come over.
But Liang Ye didn't come even after she finished her dinner. Instead, Granny Wei came over with a carved lacquer plate, saying it was a gift from the master to her to play with.
A pair of gold bracelets, a pair of gold earrings.
He promised during the day, and the reward came so quickly, which shows that it was prepared in advance.
Shanhe originally said she wanted to put it in her makeup box, but Granny Wei glared at her: "When the master comes tomorrow, he'll be happy to see his wife wearing it."
So Shanhe had no choice but to shakily insert the earring into her ear and slip the gold bracelet onto her wrist. The heavy gold bracelet had quite a weight to it, and it jingled with every step, every smile. When she went to bed at night, she could still feel the stiffness digging into her wrist as she turned over, a constant reminder of the discomfort.
Liang Ye arrived the following afternoon after lunch. Before he came, Cai Xiang couldn't help but advise her again: "Master will probably be coming this afternoon, so think of something happy, madam. If you're happy, Master will be happy, and if Master is happy, we and Qingyue will be happy too."
Shanhe slowly raised her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay." She knew that no matter how unwilling she was, she knew what she had to do.
Liang Ye was busy with various matters in the morning, so he couldn't come over. When he arrived, Shanhe was already lying on the couch, resting with her eyes closed and her head resting on the back of her hand.
It was a sweltering afternoon, and the air was still damp from being on the boat. Liang Ye held Shan He's face and kissed her awake. When she woke up, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her back was sticky. He reached in with his cool hand, wiped away the sweat from his finger, and laughed at her for wearing so many layers of clothing in such hot weather.
Shanhe lowered her head. Ever since she came to this ship, she had unconsciously been wearing more clothes, as if wearing more clothes would protect her.
Liang Ye took out a handkerchief to wipe away her light sweat. Seeing the gold earrings his family had given her, he couldn't help but laugh, "Gold jewelry suits you well." He then took his other hand and gently rubbed her ear, saying, "Shall I go with you to see Qingyue later?"
Shanhe stiffened, realizing what he meant.
She opened her arms, hugged Liang Ye's waist, nestled her face against his chest, and whispered, "Okay."
He laughed heartily and said, "That's right. I still have some ointment from the palace; I'll take it to her later."
Shanhe gave a soft "hmm" as she felt her clothes being peeled off.
When she reached the innermost garment, Liang Ye stopped. She heard Liang Ye's heavy breathing: "Shanshan... are you willing now?"
She closed her eyes and gave a soft "hmm" again.
Liang Ye then placed his fingertips on her skin and slowly slid them down.
Shanhe couldn't help but let out a sound, tilting her head back to reveal a smooth, fair neck with a few faint blue veins.
Liang Ye's heart was stirred, and he couldn't help but lean in, showering her with kisses.
Shanhe gasped for breath, feeling the tingling sensation between her jaw and neck.
When she could no longer bear the chaotic kisses, she slowly opened her eyes and gently pushed him back with both hands.
The man straightened up slightly, a lewd smile playing on his lips: "What's wrong, Shanshan?" He had a row of snow-white teeth, but his eyes were terribly red.
Shanhe turned her face away and ignored him.
She thought that things were bound to go smoothly today, but to her surprise, he simply grabbed her hand and placed it beneath him.
He buried his face in her neck, his warm breath brushing against her ear.
He laughed: "The ship is filthy. Let's get off at Kyoto, shall we?"
Actually, he wanted to spend more time with Shanhe, to completely soften and break down the resistance in her heart. True bliss requires both fish and water to be happy; only then is it complete.
Shanhe breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."
She slowly cupped her hands around his, gripping them tightly, and asked in a trembling voice, "Then shall I help you, sir?"
With just this one sentence, Liang Ye felt boundless joy. He held Shanhe's face, pulled her close, and kissed her on the lips. It took him a while before reluctantly letting go: "The first time I saw you, you sat there, so pure and elegant. Before you spoke, you always pursed your lips, as if you wanted to go over the words in your heart before you spoke them."
Shanhe said calmly, "I don't remember any of those things."
He chuckled softly: "It's alright, I remember, Shan Shan."
It overlapped with the "Shanshan" that Liang Shao had mentioned at that time, and quietly spread out.
After another incense stick's time, Shanhe stopped to rest, his head covered in sweat and his hands sticky.
After washing up, the two of them, wearing only thin undergarments, rested together for a while until their erections were completely soft. Only then did they get dressed and go to see Qingyue.
For the next few days, Liang Ye would come in the afternoon, have dinner, and then leave. When he stayed at Shanhe's place, Caixiang and the others all left, and even Huaisong and Huaifeng, who were guarding the door, stood at a distance.
Every evening before Shanhe went to bed, Liang Ye would send Granny Wei to deliver gifts. Besides the gold bracelet and earrings on the first day, the second day brought a gold necklace with a jade lock at the front. The third day brought phoenix-tail silk, hibiscus silk, and an agate pillow—all summer essentials, the reason given being: with the heat of summer approaching, they feared Shanhe would be too hot at night and unable to sleep soundly. The fourth day brought a flowing brocade nightgown, again using the same excuse as the previous day, saying it would be cool to wear at night. But as Shanhe touched the gossamer-thin fabric, her five fingers gleaming beneath, her heart sank deeper and deeper.
Liang Ye has gone from being unfamiliar with the craft to being quite skilled. Every afternoon when he comes, Shanhe is manipulated to the point of losing his mind in no time, eventually forgetting everything in the world.
On this day, Liang Ye was wiping his hands with a handkerchief when he looked down at Shan He, who was lying on the couch panting for breath, her legs propped up like a small tent. He slowly curved his lips into a smile.
He rested his chin on Shanhe's knee, first kissing the thin layer of skin on her knee, then taking out one hand to grasp her ankle and slowly rubbing it: "I'm going to get off the ship tomorrow, you can go down and have a look around too."
Shanhe opened her half-closed eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are we in Kyoto already?"
He said, "We'll be in Kyoto in two days, and then we'll arrive in Connecticut tomorrow. I'm going to see someone. You can get off the ship and walk around, and buy some medicine for Qingyue. Didn't you say yesterday that you were almost out of medicine?"
Shanhe nodded: "Okay." After a while, she said: "Grandpa, I'm thirsty..." She should have gone to get some water herself, but she was really exhausted.
Liang Ye laughed, "Good, you've learned to order me around." With that, he slipped on his shoes, got out of bed, and poured a cup of tea. Liang Ye supported Shanhe's back with one hand, lifted her up, and held the teacup in the other, stopping it a hand's width away from her nose.
He raised an eyebrow: "Come on, drink from my hand."
Shanhe had no choice but to lean closer and gently sip the tea in her cup.
She knew he was currently content and everything was going well. So, after drinking half a cup of tea, she took the teacup from his palms and brought it to his lips, turning it around where she had just drunk from. She carefully asked, "Are you thirsty?" Liang Ye laughed heartily, finished the rest of the tea from her hand, and pulled her into his arms: "So obedient today? Tell me, is something the matter?"
Shanhe gripped the cup, resting her head against his chest: "Could you please send a doctor aboard tomorrow to examine Qingyue?"
"Hmm," he replied lazily, "Okay."
"There's one more thing..."
"What's wrong?"
"After we arrive in Kyoto, shall I stay with Haruka?"
Liang Ye frowned: "What's wrong?"
“I’m just right to take care of her. Besides, I’m currently a maid serving the master, so living with her is in accordance with the rules.”
Liang Ye narrowed his eyes, gripped her chin, and forced her to turn her face. He fixed his gaze on her face: "You want a title?"
Shanhe hurriedly shook her head: "No, I wouldn't dare, I just wanted to—"
"Then there's no need to say anything more."
Seeing his resolute attitude, which seemed to leave no room for negotiation, Shanhe could only lower her eyes, rest her face against his chest, and sigh softly, "Alright then."
He paused for a moment: "The official title will have to wait."
Shanhe quickly said, "That's not what I meant."
Liang Ye held the teacup, and with a slight tilt of his head, his lips touched Shan He's thick, black hair. He pursed his lips: "Your bedrooms will be in one place, which will make it easier for you to take care of her during the day. But there's one thing... do you understand?" He emphasized "during the day."
Shanhe raised her head, her eyes sparkling: "I know, as long as Master calls me, I will go to serve him no matter when or when."
Liang Ye smiled, leaned down and pecked her lips, then changed the subject: "However, you have to wear that."
He pointed to the shimmering brocade nightgown neatly folded and placed at the foot of the bed.
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Author's note: Hmm, I'm about to go in and out seven times! (I've gone mad)
Let me explain why Liang Ye is still hesitant to break through the final barrier—
Liang Ye is the kind of man who appears calm and self-disciplined on the surface, but actually has strong desires. He is very capable and has strong desires, so he needs more than others to fill the void of desire (his conversation with Shan He in bed is actually inconsistent with the self-disciplined character).
His desires are directed in two directions:
1. Power. He kept talking about "going to Kyoto" and "taking the imperial examinations," and Kyoto was actually a concrete manifestation of his vague desire for power.
2. Female beauty. Shanhe is his embodiment of female beauty.
However, he was deeply repressed. His pursuit of power (the imperial examinations, going to the capital) was in line with worldly norms, but his pursuit of Shanhe was not. As the elder brother, he was older than both Liang Shao and Shanhe, who were already considering having children, while he was still without wives or concubines, and considered an old-fashioned man. He deliberately suppressed his second desire to satisfy his first, using his ego and even his superego to suppress his id, suppressing it until now, in his early twenties, while his peers already had children. Therefore, when he learned that Shanhe and Shaohe were divorcing, he quickly convinced himself to secretly manipulate the situation to force them to divorce; his need for his second desire was very urgent.
Now, he could have Shanhe, but he wanted to wait. He told Shanhe, "When we get to Kyoto..." Note the Kyoto; it actually means "I want both power and beauty." The fulfillment he wanted was a double stimulus to satisfy his desires (→because the emptiness of his desires was too great), so he preferred to delay gratification.
Then his feelings for Shanhe can be explained a little more. Love at first sight and lust at first sight are one aspect, but another is the thrill—a thrill that can satisfy his immense desires. Shanhe's thrill for him is twofold: first, the breakthrough in his relationship with his brother's wife; and second, Shanhe's personality. Gentle, filial, and even somewhat sensitive and fragile, Shanhe has always been very well-behaved in the Liang family. When Liang Shao tried to tie her up, she resisted fiercely. Therefore, for Liang Ye, seeing the so proper Shanhe kissing him in his arms was thrilling enough in itself. Although he outwardly appeared unhappy about Shanhe's resistance, his body language betrayed him.
In conclusion, Liang Ye's current feelings for Shan He can be summarized as: desire >> love.
He might fall in love later and want to cherish it, but it will be too late. The damage has already been done, and he also has a formidable rival in love.
The next chapter will get serious with the plot! Time to teach Granny Wei a lesson! [glasses][glasses][glasses]
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