“Zhi Gui, what are you thinking about?”
Qiao Shuyi’s voice pulled Zong Zhengheng back from his chaotic thoughts.
He looked up, meeting her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
She had walked up to him at some point, tilting her head to look up at him.
Zong Zhengheng composed himself, lowering his gaze as he said:
“I was thinking… about the Spring Banquet at the royal mansion three days from now. I wonder how grand it will be.”
Qiao Shuyi curved her lips, reached out to take his hand, and led him toward the bed.
“The royal mansion’s Spring Banquet is held once every two years.”
She spoke as they walked, her tone carrying a hint of lazy nonchalance:
“Not only will the young masters and ladies from prominent families in Jinzhou attend, but even noble youths from neighboring provinces will come seeking fame. The gardens will be adorned with flowers, and wine cups will clink—truly a grand event for the royal mansion.”
As she spoke, she turned her head and gave him a radiant smile:
“It’s quite lively.”
Zong Zhengheng listened with his gaze lowered, his expression unchanged, but his heart tightened.
Spring Banquet?
Hah.
It sounds elegant, but it’s merely an excuse for Qiao Nanyu to win over nobles from various provinces and secretly collude with them.
Such a grand occasion attracts influential figures from all over. Amidst the wine and merriment, who knows how many shady deals will be struck.
His eyes darkened, but he remained silent.
Qiao Shuyi reached the bedside, released his hand, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
She patted the spot beside her:
“Why are you standing? Sit.”
Zong Zhengheng complied and sat down beside her.
They sat side by side on the bed, so close that he could smell the faint fragrance on her.
“What, are you interested in the Spring Banquet?”
“I’ve just never seen such a grand event before, so I’m a little curious.”
“Curious? If you like it, I’ll take you.”
Zong Zhengheng’s heart stirred, and he was about to speak—
“Xiao…”
Before the word “jie” could leave his lips, he quickly changed his words:
“Shushu, aren’t you concerned about what others might think?”
“You are the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Jin’an, a person of noble status. As for me… my family has fallen from grace, and now I’m just a commoner. If people see me accompanying you to such a grand event, I fear it will invite gossip and harm your reputation.”
“Zhi Gui, who would dare look down on someone I care for? And who would dare gossip in front of me? If anyone does… I’ll make sure they never speak again.”
Zong Zhengheng’s gaze flickered slightly.
Her eyes were indifferent, nothing like those of a sheltered young lady who had never taken a life.
“You are someone I like, and that makes you the most noble person in the world.”
She said it as if it were the most natural thing.
Zong Zhengheng’s heart felt complicated.
In her world, was it simply that whatever she liked was unquestionably the best?
Over the past two days, he had heard her say “like” countless times.
He had never paid it any mind.
What did she like about him? She liked his face, that was all.
She had said it herself—he was handsome, the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
Such affection was nothing more than a fleeting whim, a momentary delight, a shallow attraction to appearances.
In time, when the novelty wore off, or when she found something else amusing, it would fade.
But at this moment.
Her eyes reflected his face, filled to the brim, with nothing else in sight.
Even if it was… a fleeting affection, in this fleeting moment, it seemed genuine.
Zong Zhengheng lowered his long lashes, hiding the complicated emotions in his eyes.
“Thank you… Shushu.”
The two words still sounded a little awkward on his tongue.
Qiao Shuyi smiled, raising her hand to caress his neck.
“Zhi Gui, then… are you willing to… tonight…”
Zong Zhengheng’s body stiffened.
He didn’t know how to answer.
Willing? He couldn’t utter those words.
Unwilling? He actually didn’t dare say it.
Seeing his silence, Qiao Shuyi chuckled softly.
“Forget it, you’ve only been in the residence for two days. You still need time to adjust. As for that matter… we can take it slow.”
Zong Zhengheng’s tense body relaxed slightly.
But before he could catch his breath, she spoke again:
“So, tonight… just a kiss, okay?”
Before the words fully left her lips, without waiting for Zong Zhengheng to react, she grabbed his collar, tilted her head up, and leaned in.
Their lips met.
Zong Zhengheng’s pupils dilated slightly.
Her kiss was inexperienced, just a few clumsy nibbles on his lips, lacking technique, yet somehow making his heart tremble.
After a few attempts, she frowned and pulled back.
Her almond-shaped eyes were misty, carrying a hint of coquettish complaint:
“Zhi Gui, I don’t know how. Teach me.”
Zong Zhengheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice hoarse:
“I… don’t know either.”
Originally, princes were supposed to be taught such matters by palace maids at fifteen, but he had entered the military camp, and the matter was left unresolved.
“Hmm? So we’re both first-timers? You said earlier you’re twenty-three, I thought you must have had other women before.”
“Never.”
“In that case, shall we… learn from each other?”
Without waiting for his answer, she pulled him down to lie beside her.
The red candles flickered, the bed curtains gently draped.
She lay on top of him, her dark hair cascading down, falling on his shoulders and chest, ticklish and tingling.
She covered his lips again.
This time, she didn’t nibble.
First, she licked, then gently bit, then her tongue pressed against the seam of his lips, probing inward.
Once, twice, thrice.
Soft, warm, like little hooks, tugging at his heart with each touch.
Zong Zhengheng felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling in his chest, an unbearable itch he couldn’t scratch.
Though he had never kissed a woman before, back in the palace, he had seen erotic paintings.
Tonight, if he didn’t let this woman kiss to her satisfaction, she might just keep going like this.
Truly torturous.
He gritted his teeth.
The next moment, he flipped over, pinning her beneath him.
Qiao Shuyi’s eyes widened slightly. Before she could react, his lips descended.
This time, it was no longer her tentative exploration, but his direct invasion.
His tongue pried open her lips and teeth, advancing and conquering, delving deeper inch by inch.
He applied everything he had learned from the erotic paintings to her—
now deep, now shallow; now urgent, now slow; now lingering, now domineering—kissing her until she was breathless.
“Mmm…”
Her voice was both delicate and alluring.
Zong Zhengheng felt his bones turning to jelly.
A tingling sensation shot up his spine, making his scalp tingle.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself not to think of anything else.
This woman was beautiful, with skin like ice and bones like jade, her voice sweet and body soft—a true seductress.
But her temperament was truly unlikable.
His current reaction was merely a man’s instinct!
Zong Zhengheng forcibly suppressed certain thoughts, focusing solely on kissing her.
Just wanting to end this… torment as quickly as possible.
Qiao Shuyi’s breathing gradually grew ragged.
A full quarter of an hour passed.
She finally couldn’t bear it any longer, pressing her hand against his chest and giving a gentle push:
“Zhi Gui… mmm… enough…”
Zong Zhengheng’s movements halted.
He stopped, expressionlessly moved off her, and lay flat beside her.
“Shushu, since you’ve had your fill of kisses, it’s time to sleep.”
Qiao Shuyi gently touched her slightly swollen lips with her fingertips and shyly murmured, “Mm.”
She turned to face him, her gaze resting on his face.
The flickering candlelight outlined his handsome features.
She didn’t notice—
His other hand was gripping the bedding beneath him so tightly that veins bulged.
Zong Zhengheng’s heartbeat had yet to calm.
Not because he was tired, but because—
In that moment, he had become utterly lost in kissing a madwoman.
For an instant, he forgot she was Qiao Nanyu’s daughter, forgot his purpose in coming to Jinzhou, forgot all the things she had done to him.
He was simply kissing her.
Zong Zhengheng gritted his teeth fiercely.
No.
If any woman had crawled on top of him, licking and biting like that, he would have reacted the same way.
He was merely completing the task she had assigned him.
If he let her kiss him to her satisfaction, she wouldn’t torment him anymore.
That was all.
Qiao Shuyi was Qiao Nanyu’s most beloved daughter.
The treasured pearl of that rebellious traitor who hoarded troops and plotted treason.
The madwoman who had locked him in the Water Dungeon, ordered him whipped, and forced him to memorize those ridiculous rules.
Once he found evidence of Qiao Nanyu’s rebellion—
He would kill her with his own hands.
All the humiliation she had brought upon him would vanish with her death, disappearing like smoke.