In the dead of night, the vast city of Kyoto was oppressed by the dark, heavy clouds. The air was so stuffy and hot that it was hard to breathe, and there wasn't a breath of wind anywhere.
Most of the households in Kyoto had turned out their lights and fallen into a deep sleep. However, inside the Yixiang Pavilion of the Prince Ning's Mansion, it was far from peaceful at this moment.
"Don't... don't leave..."
There were no lamps lit inside the room. Only the light from the lanterns hanging under the eaves outside provided a bit of illumination. But by the time that light reached the interior, it was so fragmented by the standing cabinets, the wide screens, and the swaying bead curtains that there was hardly any left.
The bed curtains on the carved canopy bed were hanging down. In the pitch - black environment, it was impossible to recognize each other's faces.
At this moment, two figures were tightly entangled on the bed.
The woman's fair arms, as white as the bright moon, were wrapped around the man's strong waist. Her willowy neck was pressed closely against the man's cheek, unconsciously rubbing gently. Her scorching breath blew freely into his ear.
At first, the man remained unmoved. His face was cold and solemn. His hands rested on the woman's shoulders as he intended to push her away from his embrace. But when he felt the overly delicate skin under his palms, as smooth as the finest silk, a twinge of pity welled up in him, and he couldn't bear to break the delicate thing in his arms.
It was in this moment of distraction that the woman clung to him even tighter.
"My lord, please don't leave..."
The woman's sobs were soft and gentle, yet like a coquettish kitten. To the man's ears, it was like a spark that inexplicably kindled a flame of restlessness in his heart.
However, the refreshing apricot fragrance wafting from the woman's body miraculously soothed that bit of restlessness.
His eyes darkened. His hands, which had been in a pushing position, now changed to an embracing one.
The man's palms, calloused from years of holding swords and spears, brushed against the woman's well - protected skin, causing her to tremble. A kitten - like whimper escaped her lips involuntarily.
"Boom - "
Thunder rumbled in the sky. The sweltering city of Kyoto was pierced by a bright bolt of lightning that split the night sky. With the first drop of water falling, the long - awaited heavy rain finally arrived.
The torrential rain washed over the red walls and tile roofs of the houses all over Kyoto. The Star - Picking Lake outside the Yixiang Pavilion opened its arms to receive the water from the sky. Two red carps floated on the lake surface, closely circling each other, their tails intertwined.
The thunder that occasionally split the night sky illuminated the dark Yixiang Pavilion for a brief moment, but then it plunged back into an even deeper darkness.
The thunder drowned out the embarrassing sounds coming from the bed. The scene behind the bed curtains was enough to make one's blood boil.
The once - tidy bed was now in a complete mess, as if it had been ravaged by the sudden downpour outside.
This thunderstorm didn't last long. In a short while, it gradually subsided. The summer heat was washed away by the rain, and a faint fragrance of grass and trees filled the air, refreshing people's spirits.
As the rain stopped, the sounds inside the room also gradually died down. Several servants waiting outside the room carried hot water, clean towels, and clothes. They stood there with their heads down, quietly waiting for the summons from inside.
However, in a short while, the embarrassing sounds rang out again, mixed with the woman's unbearable sobs.
"My lord... please, spare me..."
But these sobs didn't earn her any pity. Instead, the man became even more intense.
It only took a moment for the sobs to turn into soft, shallow gasps, which only made people's imaginations run wild. The sounds were intermittent and lingering, finally coming to a halt in the late night.
The room was quiet for about the time it took to burn an incense stick before the man's hoarse voice sounded: "Hot water."
Seeing this, the servants outside the door carefully pushed open the door and walked in with the things in their hands.
The leading maid lit a lotus - shaped lamp in the outer room. The weak candlelight illuminated the room and dispelled the darkness that was as thick as the night. Remembering the sounds that had come from inside the room just now, the maid subconsciously glanced at the big bed behind the screen.
In the weak light, she vaguely saw a graceful figure sleeping on her back. Perhaps because the skin was too smooth, the brocade quilt had slipped down a bit, revealing a corner of the woman's fragrant shoulder. And that fair shoulder was now covered with marks.
The bed curtain was lowered, covering the spring scenery inside the curtain. The maid met the man's sharp and intimidating gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, not daring to look anymore.
Just from the clothes scattered on the floor, one could imagine how passionate the scene inside the room had been.
The man got up, cleaned himself, dressed neatly, and was about to leave, as if he wasn't the one who had been so persistent with the woman just now. He seemed extremely cold and heartless.
But just as he was about to step out of the room, his footsteps paused. He turned back and looked at the figure on the bed, hidden behind the bed curtain.
When they were entangled just now, the room was pitch - black. He had only acted on instinct and hadn't seen her face clearly. But there was no need to think to know that the person lying there was his newly - wedded wife.
"My lord, it's time. It's time to go to the palace." A servant's deliberately subdued urging voice came from outside.
Thinking that she had been tossed about by him for a long time and that it was her first time, the man said to the maid, "Be gentle. Don't wake up the princess. Let her continue to sleep."
The curtain was lifted, and a tall, straight, and elegant figure walked out of the room.
The light from the lantern under the eaves illuminated his eyebrows. Under his slanting sword - shaped eyebrows, his facial features were deep and handsome. This was a face that could make the young girls in Kyoto fall in love with him. But there seemed to be a layer of frost between his eyebrows, making people instinctively feel that he was not easy to approach.
This man was Ji Lingchuan, the heir of the Prince Ning's Mansion and the General Weiyuan who commanded the 100,000 Xuanjia troops in Kyoto.
Although he hadn't slept all night, Ji Lingchuan didn't feel tired at all. Instead, he was in high spirits. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. From the back, he looked no different from the pampered young masters in Kyoto. Only those who were familiar with him knew how strong and powerful his body was under his clothes.
It wasn't that Ji Lingchuan was really so heartless, leaving without looking back after torturing the woman.
It was just that it was already the fifth watch, and he needed to rush to the palace immediately to attend the court and meet the emperor. Indulging himself until now was a first for him.
After leaving the Prince Ning's Mansion, Ji Lingchuan got into the sedan chair that his servant had prepared for him and headed towards the palace.
Not long after he left, the woman in the Yixiang Pavilion slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of dazed eyes.
Song Yihuan had a very strange dream. In the dream, she shamelessly clung to a tall and imposing man. Her hands tightly grasped his neck, like a vine tightly twining around a fence.
The man's strong arms supported her soft waist. Tirelessly and patiently, he taught her what bliss was again and again.
She couldn't see the man's face clearly. She only remembered the veins on his arms, his heavy breathing, and the bead of sweat hanging on his chin.
When she woke up, she felt a splitting headache, as if her head had been split open by an axe.
Supporting her throbbing head, Song Yihuan tried to sit up. The pain from all over her body made her gasp.
She lowered her head and saw the mottled marks on her body. Her pupils shrank, and her heart skipped a beat.
This was -
Before she could react, there was a loud noise. The door was suddenly pushed open, and a group of people rushed in aggressively. A gray - clad figure entered the room and rushed straight towards Song Yihuan. The person pulled Song Yihuan out of the quilt and pushed her hard to the ground, pointing at her nose and scolding:
"Song Yihuan, you shameless slut! The princess of the heir treated you with all her heart, but you shamelessly put on the princess's clothes, pretended to be the princess, and climbed into the heir's bed to seduce him. Don't you have any sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame?!"
Song Yihuan looked up and found an old nursemaid scolding her angrily. Standing behind the nursemaid was actually her older half - sister, Song Nanxin, the princess of the heir of the Prince Ning's Mansion!