A Sore Hand-Kissing Her Hand

Once the ointment had been applied, Zongzheng Heng thought he could finally put his clothes back on.

But after a moment of silence behind him, a warm, soft weight suddenly pressed against him.

Zongzheng Heng's eyes flew open-

She was sitting astride his lap, facing him, just inches away.

For an instant, he nearly raised a hand to push her away, but he forcibly held himself back.

He let her sit on him, let her warm, full breasts press against his chest, let her breath brush his face.

Qiao Shuyi cupped his right cheek with one hand and rested the other against the side of his neck.

Then.

One kiss after another landed gently on his slightly reddened cheek.

Close and lingering, without end.

When she finished kissing him.

She raised her head, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shimmering:

"Zhigui, I slapped your face just now, so tonight's kisses were for your face, to make it up to you."

"Now it's your turn to kiss me."

Zongzheng Heng did not refuse.

They had kissed yesterday, so what was there to be squeamish about today?

He lowered his head, about to press his lips to hers.

But just then-

She held her palm in front of his lips.

He paused slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Qiao Shuyi blinked:

"My hand... it hurt when I hit you just now, so, Zhigui, kiss my hand too, to make it feel better."

Heh.

She had hit him, yet her hand was the one that hurt, and she wanted him to comfort her.

Zongzheng Heng was almost angry enough to laugh.

But in the flickering candlelight, her face looked ever more alluring, her eyes innocent and clear, as though they could draw a person in.

Her fingertip pressed against his lips once, twice, three times, as if urging him on without a word, or testing him with a tease.

Zongzheng Heng grew dazed.

"How should I kiss it?" His voice was low and husky, as though squeezed from the depths of his throat.

Qiao Shuyi waved her palm in front of him.

"My palm... hurts."

Zongzheng Heng held her hand and, just as she had kissed him, placed one gentle kiss after another on her palm.

"Mm..."

Qiao Shuyi giggled sweetly. "That tickles..."

Her free hand slipped through his hair, her fingertips threading into his dark locks.

Her expression was restless and faintly entranced.

Zongzheng Heng felt a wicked fire surge up from the pit of his stomach, burning until his throat tightened and his mouth went dry.

The time it took to drink a cup of tea passed.

He raised his head, his eyes now unfathomably dark.

"Is that enough?" His voice was husky, low and mellow.

But Qiao Shuyi still shook her head.

She raised the hand he had kissed, pressed the tip of her index finger against his lips, and then-

Slipped it inside.

"Kiss here."

Zongzheng Heng's pupils widened slightly.

He had never imagined one could kiss like this.

The erotic paintings he had seen before and the bedchamber secrets taught by his instructing matron had never mentioned that he could take a woman's fingertip into his mouth.

Even as an unfavored prince, he was still the one women served.

He was of imperial blood, a son of dragons and descendant of phoenixes. Why would he need to learn this... this degrading way of kissing?

But he did not refuse.

Her fingertip pressed gently inside his mouth. His tongue instinctively pushed against it, intending to drive it away, but instead wound around it.

Fingertip and tongue danced together.

"Mm..."

Qiao Shuyi's body went soft, and she leaned against his shoulder.

"Zhigui... Zhigui..."

Each call of his name left Zongzheng Heng's mind more muddled.

He did not know what he was doing.

All he knew was that it was her index finger first, then her middle finger, ring finger, and little finger-

One by one, knowing neither fatigue nor rest.

The candlelight flickered over his lowered brows and eyes, and those eyes gradually grew hazy.

It was as though he had fallen under a spell.

Until-

"Hiss-"

A sudden sting shot through his scalp.

Qiao Shuyi had been unable to hold back and had clutched his hair tightly.

Zongzheng Heng abruptly came to his senses.

Qiao Shuyi was leaning against his shoulder, breathing lightly, while he still had her fingertip in his mouth.

What was he doing?!

Zongzheng Heng's mind went blank.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse, as though scorched by strong tea and fierce flames:

"Shushu... it's time to rest."

Her finger slipped from his lips.

Qiao Shuyi leaned limply against his shoulder, her chest rising and falling slightly, her breathing still uneven. It was as though her bones had been taken out, leaving her as soft as a pool of spring water.

"All right... it is time to sleep."

"But I have no strength left, Zhigui~"

Zongzheng Heng closed his eyes for a moment.

He took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the heat churning in the pit of his stomach.

When he opened his eyes again, some clarity had returned to them.

He gently lifted Qiao Shuyi, who was sitting astride him-

With one hand supporting her back and the other beneath her buttocks, he lifted her into his arms.

He carried her to the bed and put her down.

Qiao Shuyi rolled under the covers and nuzzled the pillow like a well-fed cat.

Zongzheng Heng lay down too, side by side with her.

Before long, Qiao Shuyi's breathing grew even. She was clearly asleep.

But he could not sleep.

He lay with his eyes open, staring at the bed curtains overhead.

His thoughts were tangled like hemp.

The scenes from moments ago flashed before his eyes. Though they had not gone all the way, their intimacy had been even more... than actual intercourse.

This madwoman was poison.

Zongzheng Heng slowly turned onto his side and looked at her peaceful sleeping face.

Then he slowly raised his hand.

His five fingers spread as they moved toward her neck.

With just a little pressure, he could kill her.

He wanted to kill her.

No one had ever dared humiliate him like this.

No one had ever made him lose himself like this.

His hand hovered over her neck, his fingers tightening slightly.

Just then, Qiao Shuyi suddenly murmured in her sleep and turned over.

Her dark hair slipped down, covering half her face.

After a long while, Zongzheng Heng slowly withdrew his hand.

It was not yet time to kill her.

He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

He had to gain access to the prince's manor's accounts office as soon as possible and find evidence of Qiao Nanyu's rebellion as soon as possible.

He could not keep playing this intimate game with that madwoman.

If he kept playing-he...