You Libertine, Let Go of Me
There was an estate on the outskirts of Yujing.
The estate looked ordinary from the outside, but its interior was lavishly and sumptuously decorated.
In a side chamber on the eastern side of the estate, some unknown incense burned in a censer, its rich fragrance lingering in the air.
Behind a screen in the inner room, the bedding on the bed rolled like crimson waves.
Su Luoqian's robes had come half undone, revealing a dazzling expanse of white at her neckline. Her cheeks were bright red as she glared at the man on top of her.
"You libertine, let go of me."
Her indignant gaze met the man's cool stare, and her ears turned scarlet. Then the tip of his ear twitched, as though he had caught some sound.
The next moment, he propped an elbow on the brocade pillow, leaving only inches between them... and began to move.
Their struggle had loosened Su Luoqian's black hair, which had been tied up in a man's style. It spread across the brocade pillow, and fine strands clung to the thin sheen of sweat on her fair forehead.
He was too close, his hot breath washing over the side of her neck.
Su Luoqian's face turned even redder.
Her eyes widened. "To think the illustrious Prince Cheng'an of Great Jin is a debauched, dissolute man!"
The libertine before her was none other than the husband she had married just over two months ago—
Lu Jingsi, Prince Cheng'an.
He had her pinned, and no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free. Faced with her bared fangs and claws, Lu Jingsi merely scoffed. "To think the illustrious Princess Consort Cheng'an of Great Jin would sneak off to a place like this."
"You..."
Su Luoqian was about to curse him again when he covered her lips. "If you don't want anyone to notice something is amiss, put your arms around me."
As soon as he spoke, he pulled open the servant's jacket she wore, completely exposing her slender, tender arm.
The man's rough palm closed around her wrist and placed her arm over his shoulder. He pulled up the brocade quilt, completely concealing their entwined figures.
From outside the screen, all that could be seen was a silhouette rising and falling beneath the rippling quilt, showing what the two were doing.
Unable to move, Su Luoqian was about to pinch the soft flesh at the back of his neck in retaliation when she suddenly heard a commotion outside the door.
"...Your High— ahem, ahem, please forgive us, Young Master Lu. A light-fingered servant stole something from the estate. We feared he might disturb our honored guest, so we hope you'll be understanding, Young Master Lu."
Su Luoqian's heart jolted.
For no other reason than that she was the "servant" the attendant was talking about.
Then she heard the guard at the door say coldly, "There is nothing amiss in Young Master Lu's room. There is no need to search it."
"Well... we're only following orders. Please allow us to have a look, Young Master Lu."
The people outside remained at an impasse, and Su Luoqian's heart began to pound. The man on top of her suddenly spoke. "Enter."
His voice was low and thick with desire.
She stared at him strangely and was about to make a sarcastic remark when his large hand covered her mouth again.
The outer door had already opened, and the attendant led several people inside on tiptoe.
Su Luoqian's eyes reddened as she held it in, whimpering as she kicked his leg beneath the brocade quilt.
She glared at him with reddened eyes. Though she was plainly furious, there was somehow a hint of allure to her expression.
Through the screen painted with winding peony branches, the whimpers and movements beneath the quilt reached the others' ears faintly, painting a lush, sensual picture of the two on the bed still lost in clouds and rain.
Su Luoqian's breathing caught. The air around her seemed to grow thin, and her face flushed red. Unable to bear it any longer, she bit his hand.
"Hiss..." The man above her jerked his hand back and snapped in a low voice, "Shut up."
Su Luoqian's eyes misted over. She instinctively pressed her lips together and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Within her line of sight, the attendant outside the screen was still pricking up his ears to listen to the sounds from the inner room.
Before she could collect herself, she glimpsed Lu Jingsi casually snatch up a hard object from the bedside and hurl it out.
His voice was no longer husky as before; it had turned chillingly cold.
"The servants at the Prince of Jin's heir's villa have quite the nerve. Do you intend to stay here and keep listening to me?"
The attendant outside the screen was terrified. He dropped to his knees and knocked his head against the floor three times. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! I'll leave at once."
With that, he hurriedly withdrew with the others.
The room fell quiet again. Su Luoqian suddenly felt that the space on the bed was ridiculously cramped, leaving her hot and restless.
She reached out and pushed him, and Lu Jingsi finally rolled off the bed.
The cylindrical object he had thrown had broken in two. One half had fallen outside the screen, the other inside.
Su Luoqian's gaze drifted to it, and she stared at it curiously for a few moments before the hem of a dark blue brocade robe blocked her view.
Lu Jingsi's cold, hard voice came from above her. "There's nothing worth looking at."
She raised her eyes to him.
As soon as the man came close, even her breathing seemed to grow hotter. She instinctively tried to push him away, but her hand ended up clutching the edge of his robe instead.
A wave of heat surged through her body, making her unbearably uncomfortable.
"Lu Jingsi..."
The voice that came out was so soft and seductive that it surprised them both.
Only then did Su Luoqian realize that she had somehow been drugged with something unclean.
Her face was flushed, her rosy lips slightly parted, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her face.
Her delicate brows drew tightly together and her gaze grew hazy. All she felt was Lu Jingsi taking her wrist and feeling her pulse.
His fingertips were cool, and she grabbed his hand, trying to press it against her face.
Lu Jingsi quickly held her down. A few breaths later, his icy gaze shot toward the censer in the room.
There was something wrong with the incense.
"Su Luoqian, stay awake."
Su Luoqian gave a little whimper of discomfort.
The silk of his brocade robe was cool against her skin, and she could not resist pressing closer, seeking out that coolness.
She wanted to get closer to him, closer still.
But in her daze, she felt the world spin around her.
The man's deep voice reached her. "I'm taking you back to the prince's residence. Hold on."
The sudden sensation of being lifted off the ground brought Su Luoqian somewhat back to her senses.
She knew something was wrong with her too. With an effort, she tilted her head up against his neck, her red lips near his ear, and whispered four words.
"Back gate... Zelan..."
Lu Jingsi's swordlike brows lowered slightly, and anger flared in his eyes, only to be swiftly suppressed.
He kicked open the chamber door, and Chengying, the guard stationed outside, hurried forward. "Your Highness, this..."
As Lu Jingsi carried her outside, he ordered in a low voice, "Send someone to the back gate to pick someone up."
"There's something wrong with the incense in the censer. Take some back."
"Also, make arrangements with the opera troupe that came to the villa today. Tell them I've taken away a performer who caught my eye."
Lu Jingsi spoke rapidly, but Chengying had been at his side for years and caught every word. He cupped his fists in salute, then turned and left.
The remaining guards escorted them on either side as Lu Jingsi strode along at a brisk, hurried pace.
They had just passed through the villa's main gate and were about to board the carriage when the same attendant came over with some others.
After a proper bow, his wandering gaze kept flicking toward the person in Lu Jingsi's arms.
The brocade quilt was wrapped tightly around her, making it impossible to see the woman's face.
Only her waterfall of black hair and a small part of her fair cheek were faintly visible.
He looked away. "The heir is occupied and sent me to ask whether anything displeased you today, Young Master Lu."
Lu Jingsi gave a cold scoff. "The Prince of Jin's heir certainly knows how to interrupt a good time."
His words were ambiguous, but the attendant had spent many days at the villa and naturally took them the wrong way.
Thinking he had angered Prince Cheng'an, he hurriedly bent in a bow.
Lu Jingsi did not deign to look at him. He stepped onto the carriage stool. "It's only a performer. Surely the heir doesn't mean to fight me for her?"