She Was Still Sleeping

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in Lu Jingsi's arms, and he was carrying her toward the bed.

Su Luoqian instinctively struggled. "What are you doing?"

A little displeased by her instinctive resistance, Lu Jingsi knitted his sword-like brows. "The water has gone cold."

Only then did she notice that steam was no longer rising from the wooden tub behind the screen.

The windows had just been pushed open to air out the room. Su Luoqian turned her head slightly and saw that it was already broad daylight outside.

The rain had stopped and day had broken, but she could not make up for the sleep she had lost.

Lu Jingsi lowered his eyes and saw her staring blankly out the window. With unusual gentleness, he said, "There is nothing to do today. Sleep as long as you like."

At that, Su Luoqian pursed her lips.

Oh.

So you do know how excessive you were.

While wiping herself just now, she had noticed that everything seemed swollen.

Su Luoqian was somewhat annoyed. She pressed her lips together without answering him, and when he put her on the bed, she hugged the brocade quilt and rolled over to the inner side, turning her back to him.

Lu Jingsi's tall figure stood before the bed, his gaze dark as he watched her.

She had just come out of the bath, and her whole body was still damp. Even the tips of her ears were pink from the hot water.

She lay on her side, her long hair spilling across the bed and brocade pillow. Amid the soft black locks, a length of her neck showed, white as porcelain and jade, now dotted with red.

Slender shoulders, a narrow waist, rounded hips, and those pale, bare jade feet—he had only just held them.

The sight made Lu Jingsi's breathing grow heavy again.

He turned his gaze aside and held his hands behind his back, clenching them into fists.

Yet instead of leaving, he lifted his robes and sat down by the bed.

Su Luoqian still did not move. His voice was neither warm nor cold. "Turn around."

Her eyes were closed, and though her lashes trembled terribly, she continued trying to pretend she was asleep.

Lu Jingsi knew she was still awake. He reached out a long arm, wrapped it around her slender waist, and pulled her to his side.

With his other hand, he gripped her chin and turned her firmly toward him.

He gazed into her eyes, his tone earnest. "You don't like it?"

Even Lu Jingsi could not say why he had asked her that question.

Such matters between husband and wife were a necessity.

Whether she liked it or not, he would not allow her to refuse.

Forced to open her eyes, Su Luoqian looked straight into those dark eyes.

When his face was grave, he carried a sharp air of official authority without even meaning to, and it was still there now, even as he spoke to his wife.

Su Luoqian turned his words over in her mind before realizing what he meant by "like."

His hand was still holding her chin. She stared at him in a daze, silently pondering—

If I say I don't like it, will he pounce on me and bite me?

A moment later, she spoke softly. "It's not that I don't like it... you were just too much..."

Hearing this, Lu Jingsi nodded solemnly. "If you don't dislike it, then you like it."

Su Luoqian was speechless.

She was about to say something else when Lu Jingsi rose from the bedside. "Go to sleep."

With that, he walked around the screen and went straight out of the main room.

Lying in bed, Su Luoqian did not dare think too deeply about whether she "liked it or not." She could only close her eyes and wait for sleep to come.

The case of the female corpse had been fully solved, and Lin Yonghong's sentence had been decided.

That day, at the coming-of-age ceremony for the second young lady of Duke Xu's Residence, Lu Jingsi had taken Xu Jia away in front of Duke Xu.

Even Lady Xu Wang's tearful pleas on her knees had been useless.

She had begged Duke Xu, but he had only frowned and remained unmoved.

When the Prison Administration came to someone's door in person, no one's pleas could help.

A few matrons had just hauled Xu Jia out of a side room in the rear courtyard. Before she could recover from the shame of having everyone catch her in the act, she had already been taken to the prison.

The prison was gloomy and dark. She had never seen anything like it.

Lu Jingsi had not even needed to speak. Chengying had asked her a couple of questions, and she had confessed everything in full.

In the end, she had fallen to her knees, weeping and begging for mercy, terrified that Lu Jingsi would use torture.

With the case over, Lu Jingsi had a rare bit of leisure. After spending some time in his study that morning reviewing documents and important papers, he ate lunch alone in a side room.

That afternoon, a servant came to report that the former grand tutor, Yan Bai, had arrived and was waiting in the front hall.

Lu Jingsi immediately rose and went to the front hall.

Before his former teacher, he properly cupped his hands and bowed. "Teacher."

Yan Bai glanced at him and smiled. "Enough. There is no one else here now, so there is no need for such formality between us."

Strictly speaking, as a retired official who had already left his post, he should have been the one to bow to Prince Cheng'an.

Lu Jingsi straightened and ordered Fulin to serve tea.

Without beating around the bush, Yan Bai said directly, "I heard you also went to the coming-of-age banquet at the duke's residence that day?"

Lu Jingsi nodded. "For the case."

By the time he arrived, most of the guests in the front courtyard had already left, and Yan Bai had departed as well, so the two had not met.

Yan Bai's slightly graying brows rose a little. "Then do you know what happened to the princess consort at the banquet that day?"

Lu Jingsi frowned slightly. "Please tell me, Teacher."

When Su Luoqian had whispered to him in the front courtyard of the duke's residence that day, she had only briefly described the chaos there and had said nothing else.

Yan Bai laughed heartily a few times before telling him how Xu Yin had deliberately made things difficult for Su Luoqian at the banquet, only for Su Luoqian to compose a poem that amazed everyone.

At the end, he added, "I came today to ask the princess consort for a poem."

With that, he took a wooden box from the attendant beside him and opened it. Inside was none other than the Painting of a Walking Horse.

Lu Jingsi had seen the Painting of a Walking Horse before and naturally knew what it depicted.

But Su Luoqian was still sleeping soundly in the main room of the main courtyard. There was no reason for him to wake her right after promising she could sleep as long as she liked.

So he could only look at Yan Bai and say, "Please forgive me, Teacher. I am afraid it is not very convenient for my wife today."

Yan Bai asked, "Is the princess consort unwell?"

Lu Jingsi gave a light cough. "She is still sleeping."

Hearing that, what was there for Yan Bai not to understand?

He knew this student of his best. On the surface, he was a noble and self-possessed prince, but in truth, he was a free-spirited and decisive man.

He gave him a few helpless glances and shook his head. "Reckless and wanton, without restraint or propriety!"

Lu Jingsi accepted it all calmly. "You are right to reprimand me, Teacher."

"Why not leave the Painting of a Walking Horse at the prince's residence? Once she has inscribed her poem, I will have someone return it to you."

For now, that seemed to be the only way.

Yan Bai waved his hand, signaling his attendant to give the wooden box and the painting inside it to Fulin.

The two then played several games of chess, and by the time Yan Bai left, it was nearly five in the afternoon.

Lu Jingsi rose and asked, "Has the princess consort awakened?"

Fulin replied, "She just woke up."

Lu Jingsi turned toward the main room. "Prepare dinner."

Behind him, Fulin's eyes curved with a smile as he answered loudly, "Yes, Your Highness."