Сhaptеr 16: Ноlding Yоur Вrеath Until Yоur Fасe Тurns Red Is Тruly Not Еаsy
In thе Mаin Соurtyаrd, thе steаdу sоund оf а wооden fish еchоеd, carrying an unusuаl sensе of trаnquilitу.
Ru Qiu hurriеd intо the inner rоom and rероrtеd, “Prinсess Сonsort, Нis Нighnеss just lеft Рeаrl Jade Cоurtуаrd. Не didn’t look well, but thеrе wаs no sоund of аrguing inside.”
“Lin Zhaо wаs bеаten half tо dеath—how wоuld she havе thе strеngth tо arguе?” Аs Cui Jin finished speaking, the sound оf the wооdеn fish finаllу cеased.
Ru Qiu rubbed hеr eаrs and аsked, “Нis Highness suffered quite a loss this time and is feeling disheartened. Should the Princess Consort go to the front courtyard to offer some comfort?”
“He will come on his own.”
Ru Qiu was momentarily stunned before understanding.
This matter could be said to have stemmed from favoring a concubine over the wife, and Cui Jin was indeed the victim. Even if Xiao Lin was only putting on a show, he would likely visit the Main Courtyard more often in the coming days.
Sure enough, as dusk approached, Xiao Lin arrived.
Cui Jin seemed momentarily taken aback and quickly rose to her feet. “Why has Your Highness come?”
She appeared flustered, at one moment urging Ru Qiu to serve tea quickly, at another calling for more lamps to be lit, and even personally reviewing the dinner menu.
After the tea was brought, she presented it herself, somewhat nervously saying, “I heard Your Highness favors Junshan Silver Needle the most. Please taste it and see if it suits your preference.”
Xiao Lin accepted it and took a sip.
It was the familiar seven-tenths warmth he was accustomed to. Soon after, dinner was served, all dishes tailored to his taste.
Xiao Lin’s gaze grew complex.
Before coming here, he had indeed been filled with anger and frustration, his mood far from pleasant. But seeing Cui Jin so ill at ease yet clumsily trying to please him, he felt he had been too callous toward her.
It had been over half a month since she entered the household, yet he had only visited on their wedding night and when he questioned her.
She was too quiet. If not for the court officials today speaking up for her grievances, he might not have realized how long he had neglected her.
Xiao Lin’s voice softened considerably. “Don’t trouble yourself. Sit down and join me for the meal.”
Cui Jin smiled and began serving him dishes first.
The Main Courtyard was quiet, yet it didn’t feel awkward. Instead, there was a sense of peace and comfort that relaxed both body and mind.
After the meal, Xiao Lin said, “You have endured many grievances since entering the household. It was indeed my oversight. In the future… I will visit you more often.”
Cui Jin’s face lit up with surprise, but it soon turned hesitant.
“If you do this… the Secondary Consort will be hurt.”
Xiao Lin paused briefly. “She first framed you, then insulted you. Don’t you resent her?”
“I do,” Cui Jin smiled. “I’m not made of clay—how could I not care? But she is the one Your Highness holds dear. I will not harm her, nor will I speak ill of her, causing Your Highness distress or sorrow.”
Xiao Lin’s eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing more.
Cui Jin also knew when to stop.
After bathing in the evening, Xiao Lin walked to the bedside without even glancing at the prepared bedding on the daybed.
If he were to visit more often in the future, or at least stay in the Main Courtyard on the first and fifteenth days of the month, what would it mean to always sleep on the daybed?
Cui Jin seemed to hesitate, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Only when Xiao Lin lifted the quilt and got into bed did the tips of her ears flush faintly red, quickly spreading to her jade-like cheeks, making her look as radiant as peach blossoms.
Xiao Lin was momentarily stunned but soon turned his head away, lying down with a natural expression.
He had never been one to be swayed by beauty.
After Ru Qiu lowered the bed curtains, extinguished the candles, and quietly withdrew, the space inside the bed felt vast. Yet the faint scent of jasmine that kept wafting to his nose made Xiao Lin suddenly feel the space was cramped… he and Cui Jin were only an arm’s length apart.
Just as he was thinking this, Cui Jin beside him seemed to stir.Xiao Lin’s breath hitched slightly. He couldn’t help but think to himself: Cui Jin claimed she didn’t want to get close, yet sharing a bed… she must have been unable to resist after all.
For a moment, his emotions were complex, mixed with a hint of something unusual he hadn’t even noticed himself.
But before he could sort out his thoughts… Cui Jin moved even farther away from him.
She was practically pressed against the inner side of the bed.
Xiao Lin choked back his words.
No one had ever rejected him like this before. If not for the fact that all the things Cui Jin had done for him couldn’t be faked, he would almost suspect she had no feelings for him at all.
Otherwise, how could he hold no attraction for her while sharing a bed?
A knot of frustration tightened in his chest. Listening to Cui Jin’s gradually steady breathing, he lay awake for a long time.
After an unknown period, a sudden commotion arose outside.
“Your Highness,” Ru Qiu reported in a hushed voice from outside, “Qiu Wen from Pearl Jade Courtyard has come. She says the Secondary Consort seemed to have aggravated an old injury while applying medicine earlier and requests Your Highness to go check on her.”
Xiao Lin frowned slightly.
Beside him, Cui Jin seemed to have been awakened by the noise. Her voice carried the dazed confusion of sleep, the tail end of her words drawn out like a coquettish whimper. “Who is it…?”
Xiao Lin pressed his hand over hers, stopping her from sitting up. “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”
He addressed Ru Qiu, “Send for three Imperial Physicians to attend to Pearl Jade Courtyard and treat the Secondary Consort.”
Ru Qiu promptly acknowledged the order.
Before long, silence returned outside, and the room grew quiet once more.
Xiao Lin closed his eyes, trying to summon sleep, but the hand that had held Cui Jin’s remained where it was.
Moonlight struggled through the window gauze and bed curtains, casting a dim glow that faintly illuminated the fleeting smile that appeared at the corner of Cui Jin’s lips.
The next day, the sky began to brighten with the first hints of dawn.
Inside the dimly lit bed curtains, Xiao Lin’s brow furrowed slightly as he hovered between sleep and wakefulness.
He tightened his arms around the soft body in his embrace, about to drift back to sleep, when he suddenly realized what was happening and snapped his eyes open.
—Cui Jin had somehow ended up sleeping in his arms, her forehead lightly resting against the side of his neck, her hand resting on his chest, fingers slightly clutching his lapel, like a cautious cat tentatively seeking closeness.
And he had one arm tucked beneath her neck, the other wrapped around her waist, holding her snugly against him—close enough to easily feel her softness.
His breathing grew slightly uneven, and he hurriedly closed his eyes again.
But the morning’s peculiar sensation refused to fade, and the warm breath against his neck became impossible to ignore.
After an unknown length of time, Cui Jin’s eyelashes fluttered, and she finally awoke.
A moment of confusion flashed in her eyes before she immediately understood what had happened.
“Your Highness?” She lifted her head, her face filled with bewilderment. “I… how did I end up in your arms?”
“You’re too restless in your sleep,” Xiao Lin replied without changing his expression.
Completely ignoring the fact that Cui Jin had stayed in place while he had rolled across a space wide enough for one person, squeezing himself against the inner side of the bed.
“Oh…”
Her voice, still heavy with sleep, carried an unconscious intimacy, soft and alluring.
Xiao Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Only then did Cui Jin belatedly realize the intimacy of their current position. Her cheeks flushed rapidly, and she hurriedly tried to push him away.
Xiao Lin took the opportunity to sit up, took a deep breath, and got out of bed to dress.
Noticing the extensive wrinkles on the front of his inner robe, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “This inner robe is unwearable now.”
Cui Jin instinctively turned her head and saw him with his robe half-open, revealing his well-defined chest, and further down…
This time, Cui Jin’s neck flushed red along with her cheeks. She quickly averted her gaze, stammering, “I… I’ll make you another one…”
A flicker of amusement passed through Xiao Lin’s eyes as he smiled. “This prince will come collect it later.”
Cui Jin gave an awkward, soft acknowledgment.Once Xiao Lin went contentedly to the side room, she instantly let out a sigh of relief.
Holding her breath until her face flushed red was truly no easy feat…