MYUFPC CHAPTER 48
Shouldn't you ask your husband
Zhan Yue's words clearly stunned Jiashan. She took a deep breath, the shock on her face not yet fading. As her eyes flickered, Jiashan's expression momentarily lost focus.
Zhan Yue lowered his head, his delicate brows long and clear. Seeing that Jiashan did not object, he smiled slightly, "No one will be guarding tonight. If you need anything during the night, just call me."
Jia Shan's pupils constricted slightly. She was silent, carefully examining Zhan Yue.
Then, she saw Zhan Yue take out a piece of white silk from a small box that had been placed in the room. There seemed to be faint red stains on the handkerchief.
Only after Zhan Yue spread it out on the bed did Jiashan realize what it was, and a blush immediately rose on her cheeks.
Zhan Yue was a little embarrassed as well. He rubbed his nose and coughed lightly, saying, "I asked my younger uncle to get this. If there's no blood on the wedding night, people will gossip."
His tone was gentle, not like someone who deliberately didn't want to consummate the marriage with her. Jiashan felt a little more doubt in her heart.
She raised her eyes and said with great embarrassment, "How did your younger uncle get involved?"
Zhan Yue nodded lightly, his lips moving slightly, "I have no experience, so I went to ask my younger uncle."
Probably afraid that Jiashan would be worried, he readily added, "You can rest assured, my younger uncle won't tell anyone else. No fourth person will know about tonight's matter."
Rest assured? What was there to be assured of?
The blush on Jiashan's face had not faded. She pursed her lips slightly, her eyes slightly upturned, her eyes bright and dark. She stared at him blankly.
Zhan Yue's gaze softened slightly, as he had just taken a bath, his hair was still a little damp. The faint scent of wine on his body earlier had now faded.
Holding a cup of tea in his hand, he took a sip and asked, "Will you be scared sleeping alone? I'll sit with you for a while and then go to the next room. We have to get up early tomorrow to meet the relatives."
His eyes were never on Jiashan, whether looking at the sky, the ground, or the bed curtain. Zhan Yue's thin lips parted slightly as he said, "Do you need me to introduce you to the rules of the house? Or introduce the people we will meet tomorrow?"
Jiashan raised her eyebrows and suddenly reached out, forcefully turning Zhan Yue's face. His gaze was instantly exposed, and the two inevitably looked at each other.
Jiashan still had one hand on the line of his jaw, and she tapped the table lightly with her index finger, looking deeply at Zhan Yue.
"You're strange, Zhan Yanqing," she said with narrowed eyes, feigning nonchalance.
"I don't like this feeling."
They were sitting so close that Jiashan's breath was practically warm against Zhan Yue's face. Her fingers were warm and delicate, pampered and soft.
Through the flowing sleeves, her fingertips seemed to brush against Zhan Yue's cheek inadvertently. A pool of clear water shimmered in Jiashan's eyes as she said, "On our wedding night, you're going to sleep in a separate room. You have to give me a proper reason for that."
"I don't think, Zhan daren..." Jiashan rested her chin on her hand, her voice low, "that you're the kind of heartless man."
Zhan Yue's cheeks were pale, only the tips of his ears were slightly flushed, but that bit of red was so faint that it was hard to notice. When he was gentle, his beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to curve even when he didn't smile.
Zhan Yue's face tensed up. He turned his long eyes slightly, carefully "peeling" Jiashan's slender finger from his face.
After a long silence, his eyelashes drooped slightly, "Your Highness might not remember, but there was one night when you said something."
Jiashan looked at Zhan Yue and answered directly, "Please be clear."
Zhan Yue's palm still firmly grasped Jiashan's knuckles. There was a bead of warm sweat in his palm, as if he was reluctant to let go of Jiashan so easily. He stroked the back of Jiashan's hand gently before slightly loosening his grip.
His gaze was clear, and the emotions that had always been like a copper wall and iron wall unconsciously revealed some softness and weariness.
Looking at the exposed white skin of Jiashan, he said lightly, "Your Highness once said that you might not be able to bear me a child in the short term, and asked me if I could accept it."
Zhan Yue avoided Jiashan's gaze again, his tone slow and dry, "My answer was, yes."
Jiashan was stunned, not expecting it to be because of that.
So, from that moment on, Zhan Yue had thought that she was unwilling to consummate their marriage with him. Even so, he had still married her without hesitation?
She moved her lips but made no sound.
Jiashan closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. After a moment of silence, she helplessly rubbed her brow. Her face was flushed, she didn't know whether it was from shyness or something else, and there seemed to be something pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Jiashan looked directly at Zhan Yue, not knowing how to speak.
*"Should I tell him that he's mistaken and ask him to stay... or should I just let things be?"* Jiashan's heart was in turmoil. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and glanced at the ground, at Zhan Yue's long, tall shadow.
His shadow seemed to be always solitary, Jiashan thought absently.
Seeing that Jiashan was silent, Zhan Yue simply smiled calmly, and the slight hope that had just arisen in his heart was instantly dashed.
He said softly, "It's late, you should rest first. I'll go to the other room."
"Oh, and there's this."
Zhan Yue's gaze fell on the handkerchief prepared by Fu Xiao. He carefully spread the white silk on the bed and said calmly, "So I won't forget tomorrow morning."
Seeing Zhan Yue busy, Jiashan felt a pang of guilt and was about to speak, "Yanqing—"
But she heard Zhan Yue's voice gradually getting closer, and he asked curiously, "You also have a small box on your bed. Can I see what's inside?"
Jiashan's mind was in a mess, and when she heard about the small box, she didn't have time to think too much and nodded, "You can look."
Zhan Yue said, "Okay."
He took the box to the table and planned to look at it with Jiashan.
Jiashan looked up and realized that the red box in Zhan Yue's hand looked very familiar. It was, it was the one Yuan Kang had sent, wasn't it?
Jiashan frowned, her lips dry. She was about to stop him, but Zhan Yue had already opened the lock and took out the paper inside.
"A piece of paper," Zhan Yue's thin lips parted slightly, his voice clear.
He turned the paper over with his slender fingers and said in the same calm tone as before, "Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula, Rubus chingii..."
When he read "Rubus chingii," Zhan Yue paused. His knuckles twitched slightly, and he stared at Jiashan without blinking. After quickly scanning the herbs written on the paper, he put the paper back into the box and stuffed it back in.
Zhan Yue's eyes were dark, and after swallowing, he asked slowly, "I don't know about the others, but Rubus chingii is a medicine for nourishing the true yin. This is a tonic formula..."
His expression was obscure, and his eyes were fixed on Jiashan. He moved his dry lips, "What kind of tonic formula is it?"
Jiashan was silent for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes. Zhan Yue's face was handsome and clean, and his deep black eyes now had a hint of sparkle, like a child waiting for candy.
Jiashan knew that once she said these words, it would mean that her future happiness and misfortune would be truly tied to this man.
Jiashan turned her head away and closed her eyes slightly, deliberately enunciating her words, "Yes, it's a formula to conceive a child."
"Conceive a child..." Zhan Yue could not help but tremble as he uttered these two words, his throat moved slightly, "If you want to have a child, why ask the heavens?"
It was the first time Zhan Yue had spoken so bluntly, and his breathing involuntarily became heavier. His voice was hoarse as it escaped from his throat, "Shouldn't you ask your husband?"
Jiashan bit her lip sharply and opened her eyes abruptly.
Zhan Yue's gaze was lingering, and there was a slight blush on his fair face. Zhan Yue sat quietly in the chair, staring at her, his voice cold but with an inescapable heat.
He leaned forward slightly, pulling the collar of his nightgown open a little. Zhan Yue stared at her intently and asked, "Can I hug you?"
Jiashan looked sideways at him and moved her lips.
Zhan Yue had already spontaneously walked over to Jiashan and sat down. Just as Jiashan was about to speak, she saw Zhan Yue's arm wrap around her waist relentlessly.
In the depths of his calm black eyes, there was a sparkling light.
"I'm holding you now," Zhan Yue said.
Jiashan looked sideways at him and smiled deliberately, "It's so late, didn't you say you were going to the other room?"
Zhan Yue's eyes dimmed, and before Jiashan could say anything else, he suddenly extended his strong arm and lifted Jia Shan horizontally.
Jiashan's brows softened, and she nervously fluttered in Zhan Yue's arms, gently pressing against his chest with both hands.
Zhan Yue lowered his head slightly, and their gazes met after circling in the air. Zhan Yue's hand rested steadily on Jia Shan's waist, the satin as smooth as the girl's skin.
He stopped at the bedside, his voice very soft, "What do you want me to do?"
Looking down at Jiashan, his voice was like a pool of deep water, clear yet deep. With one hand around her waist and the other supporting her neck, he held her tightly.
Zhan Yue's thick eyelashes fluttered slightly. He couldn't help but want to get closer to her, while still trying to maintain his sanity.
He curled his lips slightly, using all his strength to restrain himself from taking her just like that.
Zhan Yue's thin lips pursed, "You said yourself that you couldn't bear me children in the short term, but you put the formula for conceiving a child on your bedside."
"I said I was going to sleep in the other room, but you hesitated and tried every means to keep me here." Zhan Yue lowered his head, his long eyes deep and unfathomable. He looked at her soft and full lips and asked softly, "Are you trying to kill me, Princess?"
Jiashan instinctively wanted to retort with a "no", but when the words reached her lips, they twisted and turned and she couldn't say them. She was drowning in Zhan Yue's gaze, unable to extricate herself.
After a while, Jiashan turned away her gaze. She bit her lip and said softly, "No."
"Yes, you are." Zhan Yue carefully carried Jiashan to the bed and laid her down.
The bright red silk curtains slid slowly over Jiashan's face before passing over Zhan Yue's head. After a gust of wind, the curtains fell quietly to the ground.
The dragon and phoenix candles on the table had burned more than half way. The light was unsteady in the darkness, casting Zhan Yue's face as white as moonlight and as red as flame.
Their eyes met, and he lowered his head slightly, resting his hand on Jiashan's cheek. Jiashan had a typical melon-seed face with almost no excess flesh. Through her delicate skin, his hand could easily feel the smooth lines of her angular features.
The temperature of Zhan Yue's palm was hot, making Jiashan's body tremble slightly. She couldn't help but rub against his palm.
Zhan Yue's eyes changed slightly. His voice was hoarse, as if it was about to tear apart, "Princess."
"I gave you the chance to say no," Zhan Yue's fingertips slid down, his expression soft as he casually unfastened Jiashan's collar.
Their bodies were both growing increasingly heated.
Zhan Yue leaned down and gently kissed Jiashan's round, white nose. Jiashan involuntarily let out a whimper from her throat.
"Yanqing..."
Jiashan called out his name intermittently.
This subconscious murmur, intimate and soothing, made Zhan Yue hesitate no longer.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he seemed to transform into a beast that had broken free from its cage, instinctively seizing Jiashan's lips.
T/N: Merry Christmas to all my dear readers. Here is a Christmas update.