Chapter 39

At the beginning of the midnight hour, as the palace banquet approached its end, Zhu Jingyu rose from his throne. Due to the influence of alcohol, he swayed a little, and Lu Dehai, who was closest to him, hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

“Is Your Majesty retiring for the night?”

Zhu Jingyu rubbed his temples. “Go to the Willow Palace.”

“Yes.”

Lu Dehai turned around and called out, “The Emperor is leaving.”

Amidst the bows of the courtiers, Zhu Jingyu walked out of the hall. As the Emperor departed, the palace concubines naturally followed him out of the East Palace Main Hall, and the remaining courtiers became less restrained and started to move around.

Since the moment she received her gift, Su Mi has been holding onto the box of chestnut candies.

Whispers arose among onlookers, suggesting that the Eastern Bureau chief’s wife was nothing more than a pretty face and a fool, wondering why she was so delighted to carry a box of chestnut candies.

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…

The winter wind was chilling, especially after coming out of the warm East Palace Main Hall. The cold air that seeped through the cracks of the bright yellow canopy blew onto Zhu Jingyu’s face, instantly sobering him up halfway.

In the clear moonlight, the silver sable fur cloak draped over Zhu Jingyu seemed to radiate a faint halo. His expression was emotionless, completely different from the joyous demeanor he had at the banquet.

Lu Dehai walked behind Zhu Jingyu, his eyes lowering. Among the many palace beauties, the most favored by the Emperor was Lady Shen. So why wasn’t she announced to accompany him to the East Palace Main Hall for the banquet today?

Lu Dehai shook his head in confusion, almost stumbling, and hurried his steps.

The Willow Palace was located in the southwest corner of the harem. It used to be the sleeping quarters of a favored consort of the previous emperor, and Zhu Jingyu bestowed the name upon it and granted it to Shen Ruoliu. The harem was not particularly luxurious, but in just half a year, Shen Ruoliu had become the fastest-rising beauty.

Zhu Jingyu wanted to dispel the smell of alcohol, so he didn’t want to ride in a sedan chair and walked for a stick of incense before reaching the outside of the palace.

The shadows of the trees swayed, casting a dim light on the plaque of the Willow Palace, making it difficult to discern. Zhu Jingyu glanced at the plaque and softly said, “Wait for me outside the palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lu Dehai wasn’t particularly surprised since every time the Emperor visited Lady Shen, someone had to wait outside.

Although he was an eunuch, he was old and had seen enough. He understood that some people liked to be listened to during intimate moments, while others didn’t. The Emperor was weak, and who knows.. Lu Dehai’s mind wandered, but of course he maintained a respectful appearance.

Zhu Jingyu noticed the fleeting mockery on his face, gave him a disdainful look, let out a cold laugh, and stepped into the palace.

Inside the Willow Palace, a few scattered candles were still flickering. The whole hall was dimly lit, with a lingering fragrance in the air. The crystal curtains swayed gently with the hot air, emitting a crisp sound. On closer listening, there were faint noises mixed within.

Standing before the brocade cloak, one could vaguely see two intertwined figures on the red sandalwood and mother-of-pearl bed frame. The sound of their passionate entanglement continued without pause.

Beneath the heavy curtains, a muscular man lay naked on top of Shen Ruoliu, their heavy breaths intermingling with her delicate moans. As they heard footsteps, the woman’s back stiffened for a moment, but soon she was engulfed again in overwhelming sensations.

After watching for only a moment, Zhu Jingyu’s expression turned grim. He rushed out of the inner chamber and leaned over a copper basin, vomiting uncontrollably.

In the moonlight that spilled through the window, his face was pale, and his smile was sinister.

“Disgusting.”

***

The carriage of the Chief’s Mansion raced all the way and arrived at the mansion in the late hours of the night.

Feng Bao carried a basin made of copper and placed it on the sandalwood desk by the bedside. Several towels for wiping were hung on the edge of the basin.

His hands folded in front of him, watching Qin Yan lying on the bed, he bowed and said, “Madam, the Master has a condition that he never lets the servants attend to him during bathing. This time, I can only trouble Madam to help wipe him a bit, or else he may have trouble sleeping.”

“Mmm.”

Su Mi blushed and nodded. She watched Feng Bao leave and close the door before turning to look at Qin Yan.

He lay on the bed with his eyes closed, and the thick, fan-like eyelashes cast a small shadow on his handsome face. His nose was high and straight, his thin lips lightly pursed, and there was a faint hint of alcohol on his body, mingled with a slight bitterness of apricot, strangely pleasant to smell.

Su Mi leaned on the edge of the bed and followed Qin Yan’s straight nose, realizing that he was so quiet when he was drunk. She wondered how much he enjoyed amber wine, considering how much she had drunk.

But it was only when Qin Yan was like this that Su Mi dared to stare at him directly. In that sense, it was not a bad thing for him to get drunk this time.

As Su Mi stared at him for a while, she found him more and more attractive. She shook her head and realized that the water would cool down if she continued like this.

She quickly sat on the edge of the bed, reached into the basin, and twisted a piece of cloth. Turning back, she was ready to start undressing Qin Yan.

The robe and jade belt were heavy and difficult to untie. Although Qin Yan was drunk, he seemed reluctant to be touched. Sweat broke out on Su Mi’s back as she used both hands and legs to finally help him remove everything, leaving only the plain silk undergarment.

The thin, flowing silk clung to Qin Yan’s slender and firm body, accentuating his captivating curves.

Su Mi thought that they were already married, so even if she felt embarrassed, she was just being coy. But now that she was about to undress him, she felt somewhat embarrassed.

Moreover, Feng Bao said that Qin Yan didn’t like to be served during bathing. What if she undressed him completely and he woke up unhappy tomorrow?

Thinking back to the past few days and today, it seemed that Qin Yan had finally shown some concern for her. She couldn’t afford to make him angry at this moment.

With this in mind, Su Mi decided not to remove his undergarment but to simply wipe him. After all, she hadn’t seen anything, so the master wouldn’t blame her.

Su Mi stood in front of the bed, slightly bent down, holding the cloth in her hand. She bit her lip and slid the cloth along the opening of the undergarment.

First, seeing his chest through the cloth, she could faintly feel the firm texture of Qin Yan’s upper body.

Su Mi’s face flushed, and her wandering gaze occasionally glanced through the gap, catching a glimpse of a dazzling white that made her quickly avert her eyes.

Once she finished wiping his upper body, she thought to herself that she also had to wipe his lower body; otherwise, the master would be uncomfortable sleeping.

Su Mi raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and twisted the cloth again.

Although she was inexperienced in such matters, she knew that there were some differences between men and women. When she got married, she had been curious and asked her mother with embarrassment, but her mother told her to figure it out herself, and she still didn’t understand what her mother meant.

Mixing instinct and a vague understanding, Su Mi took the cloth and reached in with her hand.

In reality, it was no different from herself; it was just two legs, except his legs were much longer than hers.

However, when Su Mi finished wiping one leg and moved to the other, suddenly she seemed to touch something protruding.

She suspiciously rubbed it with the cloth. At first, it was soft, but after a few wipes, oh! How did it seem to have become larger and swollen?

Su Mi panicked. Could it be that she applied too much force? But she didn’t wipe hard; she was just helping the master clean himself. If he wakes up tomorrow, it would be strange if he wasn’t angry.

Su Mi rushed out in a hurry and found Feng Bao waiting in the courtyard.

“Feng Bao, go fetch a bucket of cold water from the cleansing chamber,” Su Mi urgently said. She remembered that cold water reduces swelling.

Feng Bao had been waiting here precisely because he was afraid that Su Mi wouldn’t be able to handle it due to her lack of strength, but swelling…? How did the master end up with swelling?

He asked in confusion, “Madam, did the hot water scald him? Is it a burn?”

“No, it’s not that. I accidentally caused swelling on the master’s body when I was wiping him. I want to apply a compress for him,” Su Mi worriedly explained.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bao also became anxious. He immediately went to fetch a basin of cold water. “Madam, should I assist you?”

Su Mi shook her head. “I can manage.”

She carried the basin of water and hurriedly returned to the inner room, changing into a new cloth. She dipped it in the cold water and eagerly continued to reach down to Qin Yan’s body.

Perhaps she needed to apply the compress for a bit longer, she thought, or maybe massage it? When she fell from a tree during her childhood, Mrs. Yu would massage her injuries like this.

But why did it keep getting more swollen? It felt like a hard rock. Su Mi prodded it and grew increasingly anxious.

Or should I use warm water instead?

…

It was Qin Yan’s first time drinking so much alcohol. Since he said it wasn’t enough, naturally he had to drink it all.

Su Mi was unaware of her own captivating charm when she was drunk. How could he allow others to see it? He decisively finished the wine bottle, putting an end to her thoughts.

In a daze, it seemed like he had returned to the mansion after hearing the sound of the door closing.

His head felt heavy, and something slippery and creamy passed over his body, caressing him with an uncertain intensity.

It was warm just a moment ago, but suddenly it turned cold. Amidst the alternating sensations of cold and heat, it felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing towards one place, making it unbearable.

Feng Bao never dared to touch him, so was this his illusion? Vaguely, he heard Su Mi’s voice. Ah, it must be because of the wine. During their wedding night, when desire flared, he also drank wine.

For some reason, he suddenly didn’t want to wake up. Perhaps it was because, under the influence of alcohol, his inability to control himself seemed perfectly justified.

Su Mi noticed Qin Yan’s brows furrowing and relaxing and the strength of her hands fluctuating.

Gradually, Su Mi felt that the cloth was becoming damp. How could it get dirtier the more she wiped? Su Mi had to change to a new one, but even after wiping again, there were still some water stains, as if… as if something was oozing from somewhere.

Being married and not even able to wipe properly, Qin Yan might start to despise her, Su Mi thought. No, she must make it clean.

…

She couldn’t remember how much time had passed when Qin Yan’s thin lips let out a strange, soft moan, deep and hoarse, captivating the heart and soul.

A warm liquid suddenly wrapped around Su Mi’s hand, and she was surprised to find that the swelling seemed to be gradually subsiding.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile finally appeared on her lips. She had cleaned it up!

Su Mi put away the cloth, along with the sticky substance that had transferred onto it and her hands. She was grateful that it hadn’t stained his undergarments. Otherwise, if she had to change them for him, he would surely be unhappy tomorrow.

***

The next day, Qin Yan opened his eyes and saw the plain-colored curtains in the inner chamber.

He felt dry and comfortable, realizing that last night was indeed a dream. How ridiculous; he had dreamed such an unbearable dream.

Feng Bao heard some movement outside and came in with a basin of clean water and a tooth-cleaning tool with green salt.

Qin Yan finished freshening up, but there was still a faint scent of alcohol on his body, causing him to furrow his brow.

“Prepare the water.”

“It’s already prepared, Master.” Feng Bao anticipated that even though Lady had wiped him last night, he still needed to wash up this morning, so he had already prepared it in advance.

“What about Su Mi?”

Feng Bao smiled and said, “Lady worked hard last night, wiping you and fearing to disturb you, so she slept in the neighboring room. Chun Mei just brought in the basin of water, so she probably just woke up.”

“What did you say?” Qin Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly looked up.

Seeing Qin Yan’s expression change, Feng Bao thought Qin Yan would blame Su Mi. He trembled and said, “M-Master, Lady worked hard last night. She said there was swelling on your body, so she went back and forth to get cold water to reduce the swelling for you.”

After stuttering through his words, Feng Bao didn’t dare lift his head to look at Qin Yan.

Qin Yan’s voice sounded cold, tinged with a hint of anger or some other indescribable emotion.

“Summon Su Mi to me.”

Startled, Feng Bao lowered his head and quickly ran out of the room. He thought to himself, “Oh, the Master is really hard to please. Why is he angry when Lady worked so hard for him?”

Su Mi yawned as she entered the room. She had stayed up late last night, and she was afraid Qin Yan wouldn’t sleep well, so she slept in the neighboring room. She had just woken up and was planning to sleep a little longer when Feng Bao called her over.

She looked at Qin Yan’s fluctuating complexion, puzzled, and asked, “Lord, did you call me for something?”

Qin Yan forced his voice to lower and said, “Last night, did you help me wipe my body? Where did you wipe?”

“Master, I know you have cleanliness concerns, so I wiped your entire body for you.” Su Mi remembered something and added, “Master, I didn’t take off your clothes, and I didn’t see anything.”

If that’s the case, then last night… When Su Mi understands what happened, how will he face her?

“You…” Qin Yan felt as if countless ants were biting at his heart, but faced with Su Mi’s bewildered expression, he didn’t know what to ask.

With things having come to this point, there was nothing more to say.

After a few moments of silence, Qin Yan seemed to realize something, and his voice trembled faintly, almost inaudible. “How long did you… wipe me last night?”

Su Mi thought for a moment. In truth, it took quite a while. The more she wiped, the less clean it became, and there was always some sticky residue.

But if she told him directly, the master would definitely be angry. She thought for a moment and said, “Master, it was very quick. I finished wiping you quickly.”

At those words, Qin Yan’s face suddenly changed. With a loud slap of his sleeve, he stormed out of the room. Before leaving, he turned back, gritting his teeth, and said:

“Su Mi, from now on, never mention this matter again!”

“Yes, Master.”

Su Mi watched Qin Yan’s figure leave. She couldn’t understand what she had done to upset him. She hadn’t even taken off his clothes, yet he treated her as if she had seen everything.