Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The lamp stands on both sides were ablaze with candles. Though the inner chamber wasn’t as bright as outside, it was bathed in a soft, golden glow.

After his bath, Liang Yun entered the inner chamber and found her lying on the far side of the bed, waiting for him.

Her usual sleeping posture was far from docile, but now, as she waited for him, she was unusually still.

Her normally lively, mischievous eyes were tightly closed, her thick lashes casting a fan-shaped shadow on her cheeks.

Her delicate, pale hands rested neatly on her stomach, covered only by a thin brocade quilt that accentuated her slender, graceful form.

Looking further up... her shoulders were bare, her soft skin exposed, free of any silk or satin.

Ying Shi had already recognized his footsteps—steady and distinct, unlike anyone else’s.

She shut her eyes quickly, but after what felt like an eternity, he still hadn’t come closer.

His footsteps seemed to halt at the edge of the bed, near the curtains, unmoving.

What was he up to?

Ying Shi’s heart raced, and just as her patience was wearing thin, her world went dark.

Liang Yun leaned over and snuffed out the candle by the bed.

It was the sole candle in the room.

Tonight, the moon outside was very bright.

The candle felt like a pointless attempt to fool oneself. The moonlight streamed through the lattice windows, bathing the room in a silvery glow. It fell on the girl’s graceful form, lighting up her flawless face, radiant and breathtaking.

In the moonlight, the plain white robe adorned with lotus patterns moved slowly toward the bed, step by step.

Liang Yun sat by the bed. His presence felt unnervingly close.

Ying Shi could almost catch the faint whiff of alcohol coming from the man behind her.

Ying Shi knew Liang Yun couldn’t hold his liquor well.

Last time, he’d slipped away from the banquet early to hide in a quiet spot and avoid drinking. Today, he’d had a few drinks, and it was obvious he wasn’t his usual composed self... This was good.

Ying Shi felt a secret thrill. She hated when Liang Yun was too distant; it made her feel like a passing bloom.

Though Liang Yun had had some wine, he wasn’t as muddled as Ying Shi had secretly thought. He wasn’t rushing to take things further with her.

Instead, he leaned over the quilt, his voice low and husky as he said, “Put your clothes on.”

So he knew she’d stripped off her outer robe while he was bathing and was now just in her undergarments? And now he was telling her to get dressed?!

Ying Shi felt humiliated, tears welling in her eyes, her voice laced with hurt and sarcasm, “If you don’t like me, brother, just go. Who even asked you to come here?”

Seriously, he’d already come, so why was he acting this way?

Did he think she wanted to be with him?

She was only doing this for the sake of having a child.

Once she had a child, she wouldn’t care about him anymore...

Liang Yun clearly didn’t expect her to think this way.

He could only stiffly reply, "No."

It was just mutual consent to get into bed, so why play this game of you not saying and me guessing?

Ying Shi wasn’t in the mood to guess.

Since he answered no, Ying Shi continued to make her request, "...Last time I wasn’t feeling well..."

It was the first time she’d dared to talk about how she felt last time.

A woman shouldn’t have to say this, but Liang Yun was such a blockhead, she had no choice.

He seemed oblivious to her feelings.

Ying Shi bit her lip and hesitantly suggested, "Tonight I don’t want to be like last time, I feel a bit scared..."

Of course it was scary. She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t reach anything, had to rely entirely on him. She felt like a mere object, to be moved around at his whim!

Liang Yun seemed to finally realize this. He appeared to have listened to her seriously and came up with a solution—he pulled the quilt high up to her neck, leaving only her face exposed.

Ying Shi thought he’d have buried her entirely under the quilt if not for the risk of suffocation.

His lower abdomen was tense, and without the shyness of their first time, he seemed more confident, probably too uncomfortable to wait any longer.

His cool fingers slowly slid under the quilt, searching for her.

His broad, powerful hand felt her smooth, incredibly soft body, her legs resting on his palm.

Though it was a simple action, Liang Yun’s forehead was already beaded with sweat.

Suddenly, Ying Shi actively reached out and hugged him.

With only a thin quilt between them, barely touching skin, she wrapped her arms around his firm shoulders, resting her head naturally on his shoulder.

He stayed still, the strong alcohol making him less rational than usual. His breath grew hotter, brushing against her exposed neck.

Finally, as if surrendering, he stopped resisting her embrace, hesitated, and leaned over her.

...

The cramped space was chaotic, their young bodies slick with sweat.

Her body felt impossibly soft.

The heady musk scent filled the air, making her blush.

But this time was worse than the last; the position was awkward.

They were pressed too close together.

Ying Shi cried out in distress from the closeness.

She tried to move back, her wet feet slipping on the quilt, but managed to shift slightly. Yet his large hand gripped her waist, pulling her back.

The quilt felt damp, and waves of numbness spread through her.

Ying Shi cried out, "It’s too uncomfortable, too hot..."

"Stay still."

"Stay still…" His voice was barely above a whisper, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and landed precisely on her pink cheek.

He paused then, his fingertip slowly touching her face, wiping away his sweat from her glistening cheek, before he buried his face against her again.

Ying Shi could only count the moments on her fingers, several times her vision blurred with flashes of light, she bit her lip in pain, not knowing how long it had been before he finally ended, slowly pulling out.

The air was thick with a heavy, musky scent.

The quilt between them had been kicked away.

She was only wearing a thin undergarment, which had been tossed aside in the heat, her sweat dampened the pink undergarment, highlighting her soft curves. As the sensation lingered, her body trembled slightly, shaking with each breath.

Tears clung to her lashes, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen from biting, looking painfully tender.

Liang Yun's eyes lingered on her reddened lips, his eyes were dark and unreadable.

Once he came to his senses, he wrapped her trembling body with a thin quilt.

He turned away, quickly straightened his robe, and sat up straight, as if he had regained his previous composure.

She, however, lay on the bed like a lifeless porcelain doll, her limbs limp and weak.

Liang Yun's voice gradually steadied, unlike last time, when he fell asleep right after.

That night, with his back to her, he suddenly said, "Don’t worry too much about having a child."

"It will happen when it's meant to."

He could wait, whether it takes one year, two, or three.

She was still young; having a child too soon wouldn’t be easy for her.

Ying Shi slowly opened her eyes, her eyes still muddy, misty, each heartbeat intense, each beat as if hitting a drum point. She lay on the bed, her body like a blooming poppy.

Even wrapped tightly by him, she still exuded a bewitching allure.

After Liang Yun finished speaking, he turned his back again, leaving her with a cold, desolate back.

Ying Shi licked her dry lips, finally remembering the important matter.

"Call for water, call for water…" she reminded him.

Liang Yun felt somewhat embarrassed but agreed to her decision, as if he guessed her difficulty.

The maids waiting outside finally heard a hoarse male voice from inside.

"Prepare water."

At this, Gui Niang, who had been waiting half the night, finally breathed a sigh of relief, joyfully carrying a gilded copper basin, filing in one after another.

The door was opened, only a few candles were lit in the outer room, the inner room was dark and heavy.

When Gui Niang walked over, she saw that the Duke had already dressed and gotten off the bed.

His figure was extremely tall, the cold moonlight from the window casting on his handsome, profound face, his innate nobility and solemnity, his clothes neat and orderly, not a strand out of place.

If it weren’t for the loud noises tonight, how could Gui Niang believe that this was a man who had just finished making love?

"Go in and take care of her."

The Duke, wanting to avoid any impropriety, gave this order, then stood up and retreated behind the screen in the outer room to avoid the crowd.

Gui Niang gave a quick bow and hurried in. Seeing the mess on the bed, her worries disappeared, and she smiled.

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Since Hengzhou allied with its neighbor, the region has been in constant turmoil, regularly drafting able-bodied men from the local population. The prefecture, with a population of just over 200,000, had already conducted several drafts in just half a year.

In the once lively neighborhoods, many young men had been taken away, leaving the elderly, weak, women, and children without support. The people were struggling to get by.

Early on, soldiers came in small groups to the Fu family to draft A Niu and Fu's elder brother.

Fortunately, Fu's elder brother, sensing trouble, had wisely moved his family out of Hengzhou early.

The northern sky chills early.

By the end of September, everyone was already bundled up in heavy coats.

A Niu took the furs he had hunted the day before to the market with his wife to sell.

A Niu, a twenty-year-old man, was at the cusp of maturity. He was tall and lean, yet strong.

In previous years, a tiger skin and two deer skins could fetch twenty taels of silver. But now, with constant unrest and winter shortages, they couldn't fetch a good price.

The fur shop offered only fifteen taels.

"What? Only fifteen taels? That's a tiger skin! My husband hunted it! If you don't want it, fine, I'll sell it elsewhere!" Fu Fan turned to leave, pulling A Niu, but the shop assistant called them back.

"Sixteen taels, take it or leave it!"

Fu Fan, hands on hips, demanded, "Nineteen taels!"

A Niu, clueless and inarticulate, often got cheated. After being cheated many times, Fu Fan always accompanied him. After some haggling, they sold it for seventeen taels.

As they left the shop, they saw a man in riding gear on a tall horse stopping in the street.

He asked everyone, "Do you know Dr. Fu? Where does he live?"

Fu Fan, suspicious, left A Niu and ran up to ask, "Why are you looking for my brother?"

"Your brother?" The leader sighed in relief.

He had come all the way from Hengzhou, originally thinking it was a simple matter of finding an object, and he could go back and forth in at most a month.

Who knew that Hengzhou was now in chaos, and it took him a long time to find out about the Fu family. The family had left, and the house was cleaned out, leaving no trace.

"Finally found you, I almost turned Hengzhou city upside down and couldn't find your brother! Can you take me to your home? I have an urgent matter with your brother! It's extremely urgent!"

Fu Fan was bold but not foolish. She wouldn't foolishly bring someone home who might be friend or foe.

So she frowned deeply and asked, "What is the matter?"

The man, hearing this, anxiously said, "My master was out and about, didn't bring any money, and gave a pair of earrings as payment to your elder brother! They belong to the female relatives of the family, and now we naturally want them back..."

Unexpectedly, Fu Fan's frown deepened when she heard about the earrings, and her expression became unnatural.

She glanced back, seeing that A Niu seemed to still be talking to someone in the shop, waiting for the shopkeeper to give change, and hadn't noticed the outside, she slightly relaxed.

Fu Fan waved her hand without thinking, "They're gone, gone! Lost long ago!"