Ji Lingchuan was momentarily dazed by the fragrance. Just as he was about to look down, the woman who had thrown herself into his arms let go of him, took two steps back, and curtsied to him.
"My lady pays respects to the heir apparent. May the heir apparent be in good health."
The lamp lit in the room was not far to Ji Lingchuan's left. The dim yellow light shone on the person in front of him, allowing Ji Lingchuan to clearly see her appearance.
It was his wife, Song Nanxin, who had returned to her parents' home with him during the day.
At the sight of this face, the amorous thoughts in his heart faded a little. But when his gaze shifted downward to her body wrapped in the clothes, a spark flared up in his heart again, making him clearly feel his long - suppressed desire.
"Alright. Rise," Ji Lingchuan replied and was about to continue walking into the inner room. Then he saw "Baishao" standing not far behind the woman, most of her figure hidden in the darkness.
Frowning, he naturally disliked this rather strong - built maid, especially at this moment, in this room.
"Retreat. No one is needed to serve in the room," he said coldly.
"Baishao" curtsied and her voice returned to its matter - of - fact tone. "This humble maid will wait outside. If the heir apparent and the lady need anything, they can call this maid at any time."
Just as "Baishao" was passing by him, Ji Lingchuan suddenly said, "Stop."
"Baishao" stopped in her tracks and lowered her head. "What are your commands, my lord?"
Ji Lingchuan looked at the hand hanging by her side. There were several clear scratch marks on it, and blood was oozing out. It must have been a fresh wound.
A soft meow came from behind. A black - and - white tabby cat was sitting on the painting table, licking its paws.
Ji Lingchuan recognized it. This was the tabby cat he had given to Song Yihuan, and she had named it "Taxue".
There was a hidden undercurrent in his dark eyes. Ji Lingchuan said to "Baishao", "It's nothing. Retreat."
Only after watching "Baishao"'s figure disappear outside the door did Song Yihuan secretly let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she realize that she was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.
She looked up at Ji Lingchuan, wanting to thank him, but found that the man was looking down at her quietly.
She wasn't sure if it was because the light in the room was not bright enough, but she felt that his gaze was both gloomy and oppressive, making her feel as if she was being stared at by a fierce beast, about to be devoured the next moment.
Her heart started to beat wildly uncontrollably because of his gaze. Remembering that she was standing in front of him in her elder sister's appearance, she felt a bit embarrassed and turned her body slightly to avoid Ji Lingchuan's direct scrutiny.
"When did the princess consort start raising a tabby cat?" Ji Lingchuan's inquiry came from beside her ear.
Right! Taxue!
Song Yihuan was startled. She turned to look at Taxue lying on the painting table, watching them. She curled her fingers and explained, "I don't know either. I've never seen this tabby cat before, nor do I know how it sneaked into my room and injured someone."
Taxue tilted its head and meowed at her, as if puzzled why the familiar person would say they didn't recognize it.
The atmosphere in the room was a bit oppressive, oppressively so that Song Yihuan felt inexplicably flustered. After thinking for a while, she bit her lip, stepped forward, and grabbed Ji Lingchuan's belt, trying to lead him into the inner room.
"My lord, it's been a long time since you last came to my place. Let's just ignore this cat that suddenly broke in."
Sure enough, the man took a step forward and followed her a few steps further inside.
His chest was very close to her face. She could even feel the continuous heat radiating from the man.
After walking around the screen, she reached out her hand to him. "Let me undress you."
She raised her hand to untie his belt, but the next moment, the man grabbed her wrist and leaned close to her neck. The breath from his nose hit her neck, making her body tremble slightly.
"I gave you a new perfume paste during the day. Why didn't you use it? Do you not like it?"
Sure enough, he asked about the perfume paste!
Song Yihuan's heart was pounding like a drum. She said softly, "Didn't my lord say that he liked the apricot - blossom scent on me? Knowing that my lord would come tonight, I changed back to the apricot - blossom perfume paste. I've wasted my lord's kindness. My lord won't be angry, will he?"
She heard him let out a soft chuckle. "No. Since I've given it to you, you can do whatever you want with it. Even if you throw it away, I won't blame you."
Song Yihuan thought for a while and leaned towards him again, trying to arouse his passion as before. But his hand pressed against her shoulder. The heat from her shoulder made her heart tremble slightly.
"I don't need your service tonight," Ji Lingchuan said.
Song Yihuan looked up in surprise. The light was blocked by the tall screen, and he was facing away from the light source, so she couldn't see his expression clearly.
Not need her service? Then what was his purpose for coming tonight?
"I don't think I've ever spent the night here with you. Stay with me and chat tonight," Ji Lingchuan said. Then he held her wrist and led her to the bed, lying down side by side with her.
However, he still didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he wrapped his big palm around her hand and played with it.
Although there was no further action between them, the warmth of his palm and the calluses on his hand made Song Yihuan feel ticklish and a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, she wanted more.
Song Yihuan's ears were burning, and her heart was pounding like a drum. She tried to remain calm and asked, "What does my lord want to talk to me about?"
Ji Lingchuan said, "You never seem curious about the things I did while leading troops to fight on the border. Do you not like the customs and practices on the border? Or do you hold a grudge against me for not being able to come back in time for our wedding?"
Song Yihuan was stunned.
Naturally, she had never asked Ji Lingchuan about his experiences on the border. During the nights when she served him in the past, she didn't even dare to say a single extra word to him, for fear that he would notice that she wasn't her elder sister at all.
It was only after the capture of the murderer who had killed several people that she had asked Jiang about him twice.
What surprised her was that her elder sister had never asked either. Then what did they usually talk about during their time together as a couple?
Calming herself down, Song Yihuan didn't dare to think too much. She remembered that she was now "Song Nanxin", and there was a "Baishao" standing outside the door, watching her every move. So she said,
"It's not that I don't like it. It's just that it involves the war between the two countries. I dare not ask too much for fear of violating taboos."
"Really?" Ji Lingchuan didn't seem surprised by her answer. He replied indifferently, but still fondly played with and kneaded her slender fingers.
Song Yihuan remembered what the Princess of Ning had said to her. She looked at the man beside her. In the darkness, she could only make out a faint outline of the man. She said, "Why don't my lord tell me something about Xingzhou?"
Ji Lingchuan paused for a moment and then asked in a low voice, "Why do you suddenly mention Xingzhou?"