After finishing her bath, Gu Qingqing dressed and stepped out of the side room. Sitting down in a chair, she used a thick cotton towel to dry her dripping hair.
Once it was dry, she tied her long black hair back with a cloth ribbon. Then she opened the door, called for the inn servant to bring more hot water, and prepared to wash Lin Heng.
The weather was hot, and after several days on the road, he had begun to smell rather sour. She simply couldn’t stand the odor any longer.
Qingqing stripped off all of Lin Heng’s clothes, leaving only his undergarments. With great effort, she helped him to the bathing tub, lifted his legs inside, and washed him thoroughly with soap pods.
“This man really does have an incredible physique… Everything is perfectly proportioned—not overly muscular, yet not too lean either. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, every muscle radiating quiet strength. The water clings to his damp hair as it falls across his chest, giving him an indescribably alluring charm. If I were to spend a spring night with a body like this…”
She immediately shook her head hard, trying to fling those thoughts away.
How did I end up thinking something like that?
Once she had finished washing him, she changed him into clean clothes. After applying fresh medicine to his wounds and rebandaging them, she helped him back onto the bed and carefully shifted him farther inside.
She then used the remaining bathwater to wash his dirty clothes and hung them on a drying rack beside the screen.
When everything was finally done, Qingqing lay down on the outer side of the bed without removing her own clothes.
Deep into the quiet night, sleep refused to come.
Fragments of her previous life drifted endlessly through her mind.
She thought of her two sons… and of the child she had never been able to bring into the world.
Her heart ached so fiercely that tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
In her previous life, she had been too powerless to protect her own children, and in the end she herself had met a tragic fate.
Now that Heaven had given her another chance, she vowed to live with kindness and become a better person.
She had money now.
She was finally free.
She had no intention of marrying into a noble household again, nor did she wish to wed some village farmer and spend the rest of her life living under the watchful eyes of a mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Turning over, she looked at the man sleeping beside her.
A thought quietly formed in her heart.
“This man would make a good choice. I saved his life. If he repays me by marrying me, that’s only natural. If he’s willing, he can stay. If he isn’t… then I’ll simply borrow his seed, send him away afterward, and raise the child myself.”
Having made up her mind, Qingqing climbed out of bed and walked over to the table. She took out the small amount of drug powder left over from what she had used on the Heir before, poured it into a cup of tea, and gently swirled it until it dissolved.
Carrying the teacup back to the bed, she lifted Lin Heng’s upper body and held the cup to his lips, coaxing softly,
“Good. Have a little water.”
Half-conscious, Lin Heng felt the cool rim against his lips and instinctively swallowed several large mouthfuls, leaving only a little tea at the bottom of the cup.
Qingqing raised the cup herself and drank the remainder.
“I’ll experience the effects of this medicine with you.”
Perhaps… she was more afraid that she would lose her nerve. Once she drank it, there would be no turning back.
She removed her outer robe, leaving only a thin inner garment.
By then, Lin Heng’s body had already begun to react.
His hands clenched tightly around the bedsheets, his face twisted with barely restrained agony, and beads of sweat rapidly gathered across his forehead.
The medicine is working.
Since Qingqing had only taken a small amount, its effects came more slowly.
By the time heat began spreading through her own body, Lin Heng had already started groaning in discomfort.
Qingqing quickly removed the rest of her clothing and slowly pressed her body against his.
The scorching heat radiating from him made her shiver.
Her heart pounded wildly, and her cheeks flushed crimson.
“I’m sorry… truly.”
The hesitation and guilt she had felt only moments ago vanished. Trembling, she reached out to caress his arms, then nervously climbed on top of him and lowered her lips to his.
I’ve already come this far.
There’s no turning back now.
Tonight… I have to see this through.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself.
Halfway through, the unconscious man slowly regained a trace of awareness.
Lin Heng struggled to open his eyes.
In his hazy vision, he saw a woman sitting astride him, while the burning sensation consuming his body forced an involuntary sound from his throat.
“…Mm…”
Drugged by the poisoned wine the steward had made him drink, he couldn’t speak at all. Only muffled sounds escaped his lips.
All he could feel was unbearable heat… and an agonizing sensation, as though countless insects were crawling beneath his skin and tearing at his flesh.
It was unbearable.
Instinctively, he only wanted to cling to the coolness of the body above him.
“It’s all right… don’t worry. It’ll be over soon. I’ll help you. Don’t move… I’ll do it…”
“Ah… mm…”
His eyes turned bloodshot with urgency.
Looking into those eyes, Qingqing felt as though she had been pierced by the edge of a sharpened sword.
Unable to bear meeting his gaze any longer, she closed her eyes.
Her trembling continued.
Outside, the dark night echoed with gusts of wind and the occasional bark of distant dogs.
Inside the room, Qingqing’s soft murmurs mingled with Lin Heng’s ragged breathing.
In the end, unable to restrain herself any longer, Qingqing wrapped her arms tightly around him and whispered twice,
“Husband… Husband…”
Lin Heng’s eyes were as cold as a bitter winter wind.
He glared at her fiercely, making Qingqing shiver.
The faint warmth she had felt in her heart vanished instantly, replaced by endless disappointment.
In the end… I forced him.
He has every reason to hate me.
Still, she did not regret what she had done.
After resting for a while, she sought him out twice more.
Only after the medicine’s effects had mostly worn off did Qingqing let out a long sigh.
She fetched water, cleaned both of them, then lay down beside him and drifted into a deep sleep.
By then, Lin Heng was fully awake.
He gazed at the sleeping woman beside him.
Her arms were wrapped around his waist, and the faint fragrance unique to her filled his senses, stirring emotions he had always kept tightly under control.
He had always possessed remarkable self-discipline.
Just moments earlier, he had desperately tried to regulate his breathing and remain clear-headed.
Yet before long, he had surrendered completely to her warmth.
When she had lain against him, breathing softly, he had found himself utterly unable to control either his breathing… or his desire.
One time.
Two times.
Three times.
It still hadn’t felt like enough.
He had wanted more.
He had wanted to pull her tightly into his arms and lose himself in her completely.
But he hadn’t possessed the strength to move.
He had been left entirely at her mercy.
In the darkness, Lin Heng slowly lifted his weakened left hand and gently brushed her cheek.
“Who… are you?”
Then he withdrew his hand, slipped an arm lightly around her waist, and fell asleep once more.
The next morning, daylight had already filled the room.
Exhausted from the previous night’s events, Qingqing woke much later than usual. It was already the Hour of Si (9:00–11:00 a.m.).
As soon as she sat up, a wave of soreness coursed through her body, drawing an involuntary gasp.
“Hiss…”
She hurriedly turned toward the inside of the bed.
The man was still asleep, showing no signs of waking.
Qingqing got dressed, then brought over Lin Heng’s clothes and helped him put them on.
Unknown to her, Lin Heng had already awakened the moment she began dressing him.
He simply had no idea how to face her, so he continued pretending to be unconscious.
Qingqing called for the inn servant to bring breakfast and asked for directions to Peach Blossom Village.
After eating, she fed Lin Heng a bowl of lean pork congee.
Then, together with the inn servant, she helped him back into the carriage.