Chapter 171: Gentleman of the Beams

This action caused Xue Xue to involuntarily stiffen her body. She simply sprawled out unmoving upon him, using his chest as a bed to fall right asleep on top of it.

However, His Majesty paused for a moment. "Xue'er, go to sleep properly. Don't cling to your husband and act so mischievously." A hint of a smile laced his words, as if he were teasing her.

"..." Xue Xue was rendered speechless for a moment. Just who exactly was being mischievous?

This man's skill at shifting the blame and turning things around on others was growing more adept by the day.

Even so, she rolled over to the side, curling her body up to sleep on the inner side of the bed with her back to him, determined to ignore him completely.

Yet His Majesty immediately edged closer from behind, his hand tugging at her garments. "Mmm? Are you sleeping without taking off your outer clothes? Be careful, you might catch a cold." Seeming thoroughly kind-hearted, his large hand reached upward, lifting her slightly to effortlessly strip away her outer robe.

Xue Xue accepted his goodwill and remained still. However, His Majesty lacked any self-restraint; his hand lingered gently supporting her waist, stroking it as if he could not bear to pull away.

"Ziqing, your actions are somewhat vulgar..." Xue Xue could not help but speak up, sounding rather disdainful.

"Well, Your Husband is merely wondering if Xue'er has gained a little weight. Your waist seems a bit fuller..." Ji Wuqing replied with an air of absolute innocence.

"..." Xue Xue silently wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his embrace. Her intention was clear: she was going to sleep.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Go to sleep." He thoughtfully pulled the embroidered quilt from the side, covering them both.

Xue Xue buried herself in his embrace, inhaling his familiar scent. At this moment, she could cast away all thoughts, wishing only to drown in his tenderness.

"Ziqing."

"Hmm?" He gently patted her back, humming a melodious response that carried his unique deep and husky resonance.

Feeling the muffled vibrations of his chest as he hummed, she could not help but laugh—a muffled, quiet chuckle...

Yet the warm breath of her sighs brushed directly against his chest, radiating heat with a lingering warmth.

"Silly Xue'er." Ji Wuqing's breathing hitched for a fraction of a second before he pulled her tightly into his arms, his large palm gently pressing against her head as if she were a precious treasure held close to his heart.

"You're the silly one." She retorted with a solemn expression, then buried herself back into his embrace and stayed still, preparing to drift comfortably off to sleep.

It seemed that whenever she was by his side, she could fall asleep almost instantly.

True to form, within a short while, Xue Xue drifted off to dreamland, breathing softly and exceptionally sweetly.

Sensing that her hands were still looped around his waist in an infinite display of reliance, the corners of his lips naturally curved upward, though his large hand resting upon her waist turned somewhat heavy and solemn. Doing the mental math, it had been nearly a month...

The next day.

As dawn broke with a hazy, dim light, Xue Xue awoke from beneath the warm embroidered quilt to find Ji Wuqing still by her side. Leaning against the bedside, fully dressed and groomed, he held her loosely within the circle of his arms across the quilt. Seeing her gaze at him with a pair of drowsy eyes, Ji Wuqing smiled gently.

"With Your Husband keeping the quilt warm for you last night, you must have slept very well." He arched his brows playfully, looking as though he were waiting to be praised.

Xue Xue shifted her body within the quilt, eyeing him with a hint of perplexity. "Ziqing, are you expecting me to bestow honors and rewards upon you for your service?"

"Then what kind of reward do you have in mind?" Without any modesty, His Majesty leaned right in front of her, their eyes locking at extremely close quarters.

Watching the bright gleam in his eyes, which reflected only her own figure...

Without having thought it through properly, she leaned her head slightly forward and brushed her lips quickly against his.

Uh, it felt as though she had felt nothing? It must have been because she was too fast.

After the kiss, she felt no trace of shyness; she only felt that the movement had been so swift that even she hadn't felt a thing...

Perhaps she hadn't even touched his lips at all?

Lost in tangled thoughts, her bewildered and adorable expression was taken in completely by Ji Wuqing.

His Xue'er truly was lovely.

"If there is to be a reward, Your Husband should collect it himself, shouldn't he?" With those words, he leaned down, slowly pressing his own lips against hers.

This time, there was no intoxicating linger, no reluctance to part; he simply pressed his lips to hers, allowing them both to feel the tangible existence of the other.

"Hmm? Did you feel it this time?" Pausing for just a moment, he raised his head, his thumb gently pinching her cheek as the smile on his lips turned both tender and mischievous.

Xue Xue felt that Ziqing was growing increasingly gentle...

And also increasingly cunning and mischievous...

He had taken advantage of her twice now...

She truly had suffered a heavy loss while thoroughly enjoying it.

Afterward, Ji Wuqing personally dressed her in her outer garments and helped tidy her long hair. Her hair had come undone from its bun and now fell loose, cascading in long, dark tresses past her waist, accentuating her incomparably slender figure even more.

Xue Xue glanced at herself in the mirror and could not help reaching out to touch her waist.

It didn't feel heavy or full as he had claimed; it was just as slender as ever. Could it be a matter of how it felt to the touch?

"Come and eat breakfast quickly, Xue'er." Over by the table, Ji Wuqing had arranged the prepared morning meal—a light yet abundant standard fare.

Two bowls of cloud-flake porridge, a small dish of light pickled vegetables, a plate of braised duck feet, and a plate of plain tofu.

"Won't this be discovered?" The palace kitchen would find portions of breakfast missing so early in the morning.

"The Qiuqiu Palace is already in chaos right now."

Chenxi Palace.

Lights had burned brightly in the courtyard throughout the entire night until dawn, and Lady Chenxi herself had not slept a single wink, only learning of the recent situation in Wu State by the following day. The present state of Wu State brook no delay; the other three of the four preeminent nations had united to assist Ji State in its assault upon Wu State.

Upon receiving this news, Lady Chenxi instead grew calm.

Things having reached this juncture, her only recourse was to face the situation with composure.

"Your Ladyship, good news! The Sovereign has already summoned the ministers to discuss affairs of state. It seems he has already devised a countermeasure." Nurse Sun knew what her mistress was worrying about and figured she could finally set her mind at ease now.

After all, their Sovereign was a military genius of rare caliber, and his methods were always decisive and clean, never dragging things out.

"That is for the best." Lady Chenxi nodded. Having stayed awake all night, her complexion looked terribly poor.

Yet, would Liye truly abandon that blind woman?

No, with the situation in the forbidden grounds having evolved to this point, perhaps only that blind woman held a way to turn the tide.

"Liye led people out of the palace last night. Did they gain anything?" She felt a lingering doubt; if Liye no longer trusted her from this point onward, he would likely keep everything concealed from her.

If he had already found that blind woman, he might choose to keep it a secret from her.

"Your Ladyship, the Sovereign spent the entire night rushing about outside, yet it seems he returned empty-handed. People say the Sovereign's expression was terrifyingly dark; even those who have served by his side for many years didn't dare draw a full breath." She knew the Sovereign's temperament well enough—he had always been a smiling tiger, one who would take a life with a smile even when enraged.

If he truly displayed such a menacing expression, then everything became difficult to predict.

Lady Chenxi's expression shifted slightly. Put that way, that blind woman must still be within Qi'an City...

Wangchen Pavilion.

The two had just finished breakfast and tidied up the bedchamber to ensure no traces of their presence were left behind.

Simultaneously, the main doors of Wangchen Pavilion creaked open. A man clad in scarlet robes strode in, bringing with him a faint gust of wind that felt somewhat chilly. His expression was completely devoid of emotion.

He resembled a flower of noble and gorgeous hue blooming atop an iceberg, emanating a deep chill.

Within moments, he pushed open the door to the bedchamber, his tall and slender frame stepping slowly inside.

Yet, he merely stood by the doorway, his long, narrow phoenix eyes meticulously scanning the scene within.

Curiously, a trace of tenderness seemed to ripple through his gaze, as if the object of his pursuit within the bedchamber was not the room itself, but a slender yet unyielding figure.

Slowly, he stepped into the bedchamber, his long, dark hair fluttering softly as he moved. His scarlet robes seemed like burning flames transformed into dazzling, gorgeous fireworks.

Up on the roof beams, Xue Xue and Ji Wuqing were hiding in a spot that was hardly concealed. All Qiuqiu Liye had to do was raise his head, and he would likely spot them with absolute ease.

Therefore, they remained quietly perched on the beams, Xue Xue keeping her eyes closed and relying purely on her senses to perceive Qiuqiu Liye's movements.

She did not dare open her eyes to observe Qiuqiu Liye's actions and behavior, fearing that the light in her gaze might alert him.

Ji Wuqing, however, observed every single movement of Qiuqiu Liye. He felt no concern about being discovered; on the contrary, if he were to launch an attack on Qiuqiu Liye right now, the latter would probably fail to notice in time and let him succeed.

He watched as Qiuqiu Liye walked over to the edge of the bed and stood there, his gaze seemingly fixed upon the mattress.

Just like that, Qiuqiu Liye had completely let down his guard, right inside the room where Xue'er had once lived...

Should he mock the man for being trapped by love, or should he admire his deep feelings for Xue'er—no, his covetous obsession with Xue'er.

At this thought, he turned his gaze to look at Xue Xue. Xue Xue was currently keeping her eyes shut, her serene expression giving away nothing of what kind of sentiments Qiuqiu Liye held toward her.

Perhaps this was precisely what had unwittingly touched Qiuqiu Liye—such unintended capture of his heart.

After an unknown length of time, Qiuqiu Liye slowly departed. For some reason, Xue Xue suddenly felt a heavy weight in her chest, as if she had been infected by the oppressive aura surrounding Qiuqiu Liye; his mood today seemed exceptionally heavy.

"Qiuqiu Liye seems rather strange today." Feeling that he had already left, Xue Xue opened her eyes and said.

"Indeed very strange." Ji Wuqing nodded in agreement.

Since Xue'er thought he was strange, then strange he was. As for the rest, given Xue'er's level of realization, she would never comprehend it. It was simply a pity that Qiuqiu Liye's profound feelings for her were destined to be a tragedy.