Chapter 265: Chapter 264 FeedbackFor Sang Yan, it was a night drenched by the rain.
So much so that when she woke up, it felt as if she were still in a dream.
But the soreness all over her body reminded her it wasn’t a dream.
Those intimate moments were real.
They had suddenly and completely merged into one. Sёar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
From then on, they were husband and wife, comrades in arms, each other’s most intimate person.
Sweetness surged in her heart.
Regrettably, it was soon disrupted.
The man’s vigorous vitality made her apprehensive.
"You, keep your distance from me."
She didn’t know when the man beside her had awakened.
It seemed after that one night, his presence had become even more pronounced.
Her heart trembled slightly, somewhat afraid of his pure masculine strength.
"How do you feel?"
He Ying cradled his beloved woman, kissing the hair strewn over him.
Last night he had been overly unrestrained and lacking experience, uncertain if he had satisfied her.
As for her?
He hadn’t expected her to be a virgin.
This was an unexpected delight.
Although he didn’t care much for things like chastity, knowing she belonged entirely to him thrilled him beyond measure.
Looking back now, it still felt like a dream.
No.
He needed to make sure.
"What are you doing?"
Sang Yan pushed his hand away and said with a furrowed brow, "Don’t mess around."
She thought him not gentle, not considerate.
Hmph, such a man’s base nature!
"I’m not messing around, just checking."
He wanted to see if she was injured.
But Sang Yan, too embarrassed, naturally refused: "I’m fine. Get up now."
She pushed him off the bed, reminding him, "You have to attend court today, get to your state affairs first. You need to attend court tomorrow as well."
He Ying listened but was unconcerned, "It won’t make much difference."
He was reluctant to get out of bed, holding her affectionately and saying, "Ah Yan, it’s really nice, so nice, you’re mine."
He clung like a Teddy Bear.
Sang Yan felt all kinds of discomfort, endured it for a while, then frowned and said, "That’s enough, if you keep this up, don’t expect to come near me in the future."
The threat was very effective.
He immediately got scared, "Don’t! What did I do wrong? Last night—"
"Don’t talk about last night!"
She covered his mouth, chiding, "Get out of bed now and attend to your duties. I need more sleep."
A whole night of disturbance, she couldn’t bear it.
Seeing this, He Ying vaguely understood, "Should I call the Imperial Physician? Don’t be shy, when we arrived, didn’t we bring back a female doctor? Let her come check on you."
Sang Yan remembered that female doctor, Luo Shan, who had come to Capital City searching for a husband, but on the way, she had encountered bandits.
Not only had her belongings been robbed but she’d also nearly been assaulted.
She was lucky, running into their caravan.
They saved her, learned of her destination to Capital City, so they had her follow the caravan as an escort.
On the way, they found out she had studied medical skills and said they’d find her a job once her family search ended.
Hearing her name, Sang Yan couldn’t help saying, "I should see her, I wonder if she’s found her husband."
The reason she said this was because of reading too many novels—often, in ancient times, these country women who went to the Capital to find their husbands were mostly met with the likes of Chen Shimei!
As a woman, she could not stand to see another woman betrayed and hurt!
He Ying, unaware of the details, saw her interest and said, "I’ll send someone to check."
"Mm. That’s fine."
Sang Yan nodded and at the same time, again pulled his wandering hand away: "Behave. As long as you don’t bother me, I won’t need to see the Imperial Physician."
Just thinking about having to see a doctor for this, if word got out, the entire Imperial Palace would know what they did.
It might even spread that—to hook the Emperor—she did whatever outrageous things, ending up hurting herself, unable to leave the bed.
No.
That wasn’t just an issue of dignity, but of the Empress’s image.
"I’m just a bit tired. Don’t overthink it."
"Really?"
He Ying stared at the red marks on her neck, half in doubt.
Seeing his gaze grow more intense, Sang Yan hurriedly gathered the quilt tighter around herself, covering up more securely. "Really. I’m fine."
To dispel his doubts, she cast aside a woman’s reservedness. "You were also very good last night. I liked it very much. Now, you should go and get busy."
Finally, He Ying heard the feedback he’d been waiting for.
He had dawdled until now just to hear her response.
"You, you... I’m glad you liked it."
His face turned a rare shade of red as he kissed her forehead, his eyes full of tenderness. "I’ll do even better in the future."
Sang Yan: "..."
Goodness, no need to be so solemn and serious!
She was about to die of embarrassment.
"Mhm. I, I believe you."
She shrank further into the quilt as she spoke.
That’s it, she couldn’t face anyone anymore.
He Ying knew she was truly embarrassed and didn’t tease her any longer. "Then rest well. I’ll come to see you later."
Full of joy, he dressed and left Qingning Palace.
Outside Qingning Palace
The autumn sun was very gentle.
He found an empty space and practiced swordsmanship in the sunlight for half an hour. Just as he was about to return, Hidden Guard Yuan Tang arrived.
Yuan Tang had previously been sent by him to deliver He Hongzhao’s portrait to Rong Ye.
Now, he was back, bringing a response from Rong Ye.
He Ying opened the mechanical box, retrieved the secret letter, and read the news of Beiqi’s political situation—Crown Prince Qi Guanglie had died suddenly. Qi Wuya ascended the throne as emperor. Among the Four Great Families of Beiqi, the Xue and Zhang families had declined, while the Han and Yu families had risen. Additionally, Qi Wuya had initiated new policies in Beiqi, including allowing women to join the military...
Each piece of news seemed to signal Qi Wuya’s ambition.
He was like a mad dog ready to wage war at any moment.
He Ying crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it into the nearby fishpond.
Two golden carps swam up together in the pond.
Thinking it was food, one of the carps swallowed the paper ball.
He Ying found the scene amusing: Whatever Qi Wuya’s antics, in the end, he would be swallowed in one gulp.
A long-missed excitement ran wild in his veins.
He took the hot tea from Pei Muyang, drank it in one go, set it down, and strode back into the palace.
Inside Qingning Palace
Sang Yan was still asleep on the bed.
Qiuzhi was quietly guarding beside the bed.
As soon as she saw him enter, she bowed respectfully.
He raised his hand signaling her to rise and glanced at the bed, asking softly, "Is the Lady still sleeping?"
Qiuzhi nodded, "Mhm. She just fell asleep."
He Ying asked further, "Did she mention feeling unwell anywhere to you?"
Qiuzhi shook her head, "The Lady said nothing."
Still worried, He Ying waved her away and sat on the bed, softly calling, "Ah Yan? Ah Yan?"
He called twice but received no response.
Assured she was in deep sleep, he prepared to check her condition.
Yet, just as he lifted the quilt—
"He Xinyuan!"
Sang Yan woke up, kicking him in the chest. The force wasn’t strong, merely enough to push him away.
"What are you doing?"
Her face was red, her brows tightly furrowed.
Having just exerted herself too much, ah, she had been careless.
Seeing her frown, he frowned as well, "What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"
Sang Yan didn’t want to answer his question, simply asking, "Why have you come again?"
He Ying spoke truthfully, "I was worried about you, so I came to check on you."
Sang Yan: "..."
What was there to worry about?
She wasn’t sick.
He made it seem as if she was so delicate.
"I told you I’m fine."
"I feel like something’s wrong."
He was very "enthusiastic," wrapping his arm around her with a tender smile. "Ah Yan, when you act like this, I always feel guilty. Shall I help you loosen your waist, or massage your legs?"