Click HERE to read the full uncensored version!
Lu Lingcong returned to the inner courtyard just at noon; the sunlight poured down, making one feel as though they were immersed in a bowl of warm ginger tea from head to toe.
There were laughter and chatter in the courtyard. Squinting against the light, he saw that the unused rattan chaise from the east room had been moved out at some point and placed beneath the white plum tree. Xie Jing was half-leaning on the head of the couch with Yin Chou sitting at the foot of it, and around them were two girls, sitting on small bamboo chairs, all of them were inner courtyard maidservants.
In front of the four of them was a low table, its surface cluttered with vividly colored fabrics and spools of dyed thread piled in disarray with two small plates of snacks squeezed into the center among them.
Yin Chou was holding an embroidery hoop with needlework attached to it. While Xie Jing propped up his elbow and leaned close beside her, concentrating on watching how she did needlework.
Lu Lingcong did not make a sound to disturb them. He quietly slipped past the side corridor on the side they were facing away from, moved closer, and sat obliquely on a reclining chair behind them. Only then did he see clearly that Yin Chou was embroidering a snow-white cat nestled among flowers and grass, its fluffy tail curled up high, while within it lay a slightly spotted kitten, lifting its paw as if playfully swatting at a butterfly.
Xie Jing was watching intently but then heard a maidservant call him, “The thickness of these materials is quite similar, Princess Consort. Please take a look, which one feels better to you?”
He then reached out to feel each piece of fabric one by one, repeatedly comparing them, and still remained undecided after quite a while. “These two do seem softer, which should make them more close-fitting, but whether they are truly breathable can only be known once worn. Shopkeepers inevitably exaggerate for business, so one cannot take their words entirely at face value.”
Another maidservant said, “Princess Consort, there’s no need to worry. I’ve specifically instructed the storeroom that if the annual tributes presented by the various weaving bureaus are not of the highest quality, they are not to be brought forward for inspection.”
Xie Jing nodded, “That’s fine then. I don’t have the skill to make it by hand, so I can only try my best to pick the best material for him.”
Yin Chou smiled, “Actually, if Princess Consort is willing to learn, you should be able to pick it up very quickly too.”
Although Xie Jing’s hands were slender, they were ultimately a man’s hands with harder lines and more distinct joints, truly no match for Yin Chou’s soft and dexterous hands. After listening to her elaborate on the basic principles, a maidservant threaded a needle and handed it to him and Yin Chou had him try stitching the delicate petals on the pattern.
Just at this moment, someone in the flower hall suddenly called out, “Sister Yin Chou, are you cooking something on the stove? The kitchen says it’s ready, come and take a look!”
Yin Chou stretched her neck and shoulders and instructed a maidservant, “Go and fetch water now.”
The maidservant agreed and followed her toward the flower hall. The other woman also rose, gathered the fabric Xie Jing had selected, excused herself, and turned to leave; only to freeze when she saw Lu Lingcong sitting beneath the corridor. She was just about to bow in greeting when Lu Lingcong immediately raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
Only Xie Jing was left under the tree, still cautiously holding the embroidery sample and examining it, trying to put the needle in several times but hesitating, seemingly afraid of ruining Yin Chou’s originally delicate and neat stitches, he mentally prepared himself for a long time, but in the end, he still sighed softly and put the needle back into the reed box on the small table.
Lu Lingcong lightly flipped over the railing, landed in the courtyard, bent down and leaned a few inches behind Xie Jing’s ear, and blew a breath.
Xie Jing was startled, and just as he was about to turn his head, Lu Lingcong had already walked around to the front, sat down on one of the bamboo chairs, and pressed him down, saying, “Be careful.”
“When did you arrive? I didn’t notice at all.” Xie Jing had been pregnant for over seven months, and his body was already somewhat inconvenient, so he slowly adjusted his posture.
Lu Lingcong reached out, took the embroidery sample, and idly toyed with it. “I’ve been here for quite a while already. I originally intended to call you when they all left just now, but seeing how intently you were holding this and eager to try, I was afraid a sudden sound would startle you and make you prick your finger.”
Xie Jing asked, “Is it pretty? I sketched a design and asked Yin Chou to help me embroider it.”
“Did you draw this?” Lu Lingcong raised an eyebrow, sizing up the two cats, one large and one small. Although they were not very realistic, they were lively and charmingly innocent, making one’s heart soften involuntarily.
“Yes,” Xie Jing lowered his eyes and said, “I was thinking that the little clothes sent from the palace or the Xie family are indeed pretty, but the patterns on them are either koi or tigers, and the color schemes are all the same, which is quite boring. Since I have nothing to do anyway, why not draw something myself? When he is born and wears it, that will be truly unique.”
Lu Lingcong nodded thoughtfully, said “Oh,” and teased him seriously: “If that’s the case, then how come you only drew you and him but not me?”
Before Xie Jing could reply, Yin Chou returned carrying a silver pot, followed closely by the maidservant who had gone to boil water, now returning with a basin in hand.
“I boiled a liquid with fleeceflower root, goji berries, and Angelica sinensis for the Princess Consort to wash his hair with; it nourishes the blood and aids sleep.” She placed the basin on another empty bamboo chair but noticed that Lu Lingcong had no intention of getting up to give way. “Is Your Highness planning to personally wash Princess Consort’s hair too?”
Although it had become customary for Lu Lingcong to help him bathe for months, Xie Jing still felt a bit flushed when Yin Chou pointed it out directly at this moment, and he couldn’t help but glance at Lu Lingcong’s expression with subtle anticipation.
Lu Lingcong, however, turned his face to frankly ask for his opinion, “Is that alright?”
Xie Jing shrugged, saying lightly, “Suit yourself.” But as he spoke, he had already slowly turned onto his side and lay down on the chaise longue, resting his head on the edge of the armrest and let all his hair hang suspended outside.
Yin Chou rolled up her sleeves, handed over the water mixed to a warm temperature, and joked, “Then our task is complete. If Your Highness is clumsy and gets scolded by the Princess Consort, don’t come and complain to us.” After saying that, she and the maidservant tidied up the needlework and embroidery sample and left smiling.
Lu Lingcong placed the basin beneath to catch the water, lifted the silver pot, and slowly poured the medicinal liquid along Xie Jing’s hairline. He did it layer by layer, and only after three rounds was all of his thick, long hair thoroughly soaked. Then he took the egg white and floral dew oil the maidservant had brought, poured them into his palm, spread them evenly, and applied them section by section through Xie Jing’s hair.
When he reached the upper part, he didn’t just apply it; Lu Lingcong applied slight pressure, gently pressing along the Du meridian acupoints on the crown of the head, and then used his fingers to imitate a fine-toothed comb, combing the hair back from the temples close to the scalp.
Xie Jing closed his eyes; his breathing was very steady. He was clearly completely relaxed, enjoying this service.
Lu Lingcong looked down at his sleeping face. Xie Jing’s complexion was much healthier than it had been in the first half of the year, faintly showing a hint of pink through the white, and his features had also softened considerably.
He quietly gazed at him for a while, then raised his hand and dabbed a little bit of the foam stuck to his fingertip onto Xie Jing’s forehead.
“You’re teasing me again!” Xie Jing shivered from the coldness, raised his arm and backhanded Lu Lingcong’s forearm, and spat, “Hurry up and wipe it off!”
Lu Lingcong replied, “There is only one cloth, and it’s clean; it needs to be saved for drying your hair later. I am willing but powerless.”
Xie Jing impatiently said, “Then wipe it with your sleeve.”
Lu Lingcong was silent for a moment, his hands pausing mid-motion. Xie Jing waited for a long while without any response and, frowning slightly, opened his eyes to look. He saw a shadow looming above his forehead, a warm breath brushing close. Lu Lingcong tilted his head and leaned down a little, gently kissing away the faint trace of foam.
Xie Jing froze, his eyes widening as he stared directly at Lu Lingcong, watching him casually wipe away the remaining foam from his lips with his elbow as he said calmly, “It’s wiped off.”
The autumn rain had fallen continuously for half a month, each shower colder than the last, shedding ginkgo leaves all over the ground, staining the bluestone paths in the garden of Prince Zhao’s Mansion golden yellow.
The lotus flowers in the rear lake had long since withered; the lotus leaves trembled weakly in the wind, drooping and leaning to one side, their color faded and sparse. Seen through the lattice window of the inner courtyard veranda, it resembled nothing so much as the surface of a folding fan painted with loose, freehand landscapes.
Lu Lingcong heard a knock on the door in his study and, after answering, found it was a servant boy delivering a message, saying that the Princess Consort wanted him for something important.
“Where is he?”
The servant boy replied, “The Princess Consort is at Qibi Terrace.”
Lu Lingcong suspiciously asked, “What time is it? Why is he still in the garden? I thought he had returned to the room long ago.”
The servant boy replied, “Exactly. Normally, Princess Consort would already be asleep by this hour, but for some reason today, Sister Yin Chou said she called out to him several times and he still wouldn’t come out. When she asked again, he said he wanted Your Highness to go over.”
Lu Lingcong frowned, put down his brush, walked out of the study, took the lantern offered by the servant boy, and, without asking anyone to follow, quickly headed toward the back lake.
The window panels on all sides of Qibi Terrace had been installed for a been installed. An incense burner covered with a thick layer of black fox fur was placed beneath the window with two charcoal burners lit. Inside the mountain-shaped bronze censor, rock cypress incense wafted, creating a warm and enchanting atmosphere.
When Lu Lingcong entered, he almost couldn’t find Xie Jing at first. Upon closer inspection, he discovered him leaning against a corner of the incense burner while wrapping tightly in a crane-feather cloak, staring blankly at the candlelight.
Hearing the door closed, he turned his gaze back and asked in a low voice, “Just you?”
After receiving Lu Lingcong’s affirmative reply, he requested again, “Put out the lantern, and put out all the branched lights at the door too, then come here.”
So, when Lu Lingcong approached and sat down, only a tiny candle flame remained on the small table atop the incense burner. Half of Xie Jing’s face was bathed in the warm light, the flickering wick making his features seem vividly bright yet subtly containing a hint of spring charm.
He loosened the neckline he had been holding tightly, took Lu Lingcong’s hand, and guided him to feel inside the crane-feather cloak. Lu Lingcong was puzzled at first, slowly fumbling as Xie Jing guided him, until he touched a small piece of damp cloth. He was startled, confirmed the sensation again, and then was utterly frozen on the spot.
“That is…” Lu Lingcong was incredulous and unsure how to describe it and could only speak with difficulty. “It actually… happens.”
Xie Jing tidied his collar and coughed: “Didn’t I tell you long ago that it would happen naturally when the time came? Look at you, so inexperienced.”
He subtly made a bit more space for Lu Lingcong. The latter took off his boots and also sat around the incense burner, asking him somewhat helplessly, “Does it hurt?”
