Wei Hong: "..."
...
As night fell, the girl relaxed and quickly fell asleep, her breathing even and deep.
Wei Hong was still awake, his hand under the quilt placed in front of him, his fingertips lightly tapping.
He tapped the buttons hundreds of times, but there was no sound from his side except for his breathing.
The girl slept soundly, not even turning over or moving an inch, let alone turning over in his direction.
Wei Hong lay there, his body stiff, his fingers no longer moving, his brow furrowed, growing increasingly agitated.
He had previously boasted to Yao Youqing that he would never set foot in the inner courtyard again, and that they would live separate lives, leaving her to grow old alone in the inner courtyard.
Even if he now finds an excuse to come to the inner courtyard openly and lies down next to her, he's too embarrassed to take the initiative to do anything.
He had originally thought that if she turned over and leaned towards him, he would naturally hug her, and everything would happen naturally. It wouldn't be considered that he took the initiative, and the previous matter would just be over.
Who knew she slept so soundly, not moving at all, pressed against the edge of the bed like a piece of wood.
Wei Hong felt frustrated and couldn't help but turn over and lie on his side to look at her. The girl didn't wake up because of his movement, which showed that she had indeed relaxed and didn't feel uneasy just because he was lying next to her.
The room was enveloped in night. Although Yao Youqing had deliberately kept her distance, how far could she really be when they were lying on the same bed? That delicate fragrance still occasionally wafted into Wei Hong's nostrils, stirring his heartstrings.
It was the first time he had ever heard of someone being born with a fragrance, and out of curiosity, he wanted to smell it more carefully. Seeing that the girl was sleeping soundly, he moved his head forward a little.
This fragrance was indeed different from the powdery scent of women on the street. It was light and elegant, and even when you were very close, it was still faint and sweet, like flowers and honey. It was as natural and gentle as she was, and it did not make people feel pungent or uncomfortable at all.
Wei Hong moved his head so close he didn't want to move it back, pressing it so close to the girl's profile. Her delicate features were clearly outlined in the darkness: a full forehead, a pert nose, and lips...
His gaze lingered on her lips for a long time. He swallowed unconsciously, then leaned closer, his nose almost touching the girl's cheek. He held his breath, wanting to kiss her several times, but ultimately, fearing he would wake her, he took a deep breath and turned his head away.
As time ticked by, this night became even more unbearable than when I was in my study in the front yard.
Looking at the girl who remained asleep without any reaction, Wei Hong felt increasingly uneasy.
Why is it that he tosses and turns here unable to sleep, while she sleeps soundly as if the person next to her doesn't exist at all?
He pursed his lips slightly, moved his whole body over, and then put a hand on her.
The sleeping girl finally reacted, frowning slightly as she touched herself. She was startled when she realized an arm was draped over her. She opened her eyes and realized that she had been sleeping with Wei Hong tonight, and that Wei Hong had moved next to her at some point.
She looked up and saw that Wei Hong was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, so she gently moved his hand away and then closed her eyes again to continue sleeping.
But before long, the man's hand came over again, and this time he even lifted one leg and put it on her.
Apart from her previous failed attempt to consummate the marriage, Yao Youqing had never been so intimate with a man before.
Feeling uncomfortable, she reached out and gently pushed Wei Hong again. Wei Hong seemed to be disturbed from his sleep, grumbled, let go, and turned around.
Yao Youqing breathed a sigh of relief, but a moment later the man turned back and hugged her again, rubbing his chin against her forehead.
Because each of them was covered by a blanket, even though they were being hugged like this, there were still two blankets between them, and they were not pressed tightly together. But even so, Yao Youqing was not used to it and tried to push him away again.
Wei Hong frowned impatiently, muttered something under his breath, and hugged her even tighter.
Yao Youqing was at a loss, and remained stiffly in his arms for a long time before finally sighing helplessly, closing her eyes, and falling asleep.
Hearing the movements of the person in his arms, Wei Hong slightly opened his tightly closed eyes, his expression clear, showing no sign of sleepiness.
He smiled, gave her a barely perceptible kiss on the top of her head, and closed his eyes contentedly.
...
The next day, when Wei Hong woke up, a faint fragrance still lingered in his nostrils, and the little one he had held in his arms the night before while pretending to be sleepy was still there.
He was startled when he opened his eyes, then smiled and took a deep breath, inhaling her unique, light fragrance.
Before he could finish taking a breath, his body suddenly stiffened slightly, and his gaze subconsciously drifted down to his lower body.
As a 23-year-old man, he naturally knew what had happened last night. He sat up with a frown, rubbed his forehead, and sighed.
It was one thing before we got married, but now that we're married and my wife is right beside me, why am I still like this when I wake up in the morning?
Wei Hong turned to look at the still sleeping girl, and for a moment the thought of pressing down on her and swallowing her whole came to mind. He had already leaned down, but looking at the girl's deep sleeping face, he finally stopped, sighed, and got up to change into a clean pair of pants.
Yao Youqing hadn't slept well all night, and unusually, she woke up late that day.
When she woke up, Wei Hong had already left, and Zhou's mother was changing the tea in her room.
"Your Highness, you're awake?"
Hearing the noise, Zhou's mother immediately came over.
Yao Youqing nodded, twisted her uncomfortable shoulder, and frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Zhou's mother asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well?"
Yao Youqing hummed in agreement, too embarrassed to say that Wei Hong's long arms and legs had been pressing down on her all night. She just muttered in a low voice, "The prince is such a restless sleeper, always moving around."
Madam Zhou's eyes were clouded with confusion. Thinking of the Qin King's trousers that had been taken away by the servants that morning, as well as the freshly changed quilt, and then looking at her young mistress's bewildered expression, she couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.
She didn't immediately expose everything, but said with a smile, "Everyone has their own habits. Maybe His Highness just likes to move around a lot when he sleeps. Your Highness can just bear with it. He won't be staying for long anyway."
Yao Youqing nodded, got up to wash, change, and have breakfast. After resting, she began sewing the garment she was working on.
Wei Hong returned home for lunch. He didn't ask the servants to announce his arrival before entering and placed a package of Chen's dried meat on the table.
"I heard your dog loves to eat this, so I brought it along."
Yao Youqing looked up, then smiled with her eyes narrowed.
"Thank you, Your Highness. My little darling is almost out of dried meat, and I was just about to send someone to buy some more."
Wei Hong sat down and saw that she was sewing something. He recognized it as an unfinished garment, and it was a men's style. His expression relaxed, and he said in a deep voice, "There's no need to go to so much trouble. I have plenty of clothes, I can't wear them all."
Yao Youqing exclaimed "Ah!" and paused for a moment before realizing that he had misunderstood.
"No, this is for Father."
"Winter is just around the corner, and I want to make a coat for my father and have it sent to him so he can wear it in time."
Wei Hong: "..."
His relaxed expression immediately darkened, and he let out a cold snort.
"Does he have no clothes to wear? Does he need you to make them and send them all the way here?"
“That’s different,” Yao Youqing said. “I am his daughter, so it is my duty to be filial to him.”
"Moreover, I was unable to go back to see my father after he was injured and resigned from his post. The people I sent to the capital to visit him a few days ago left in a hurry, and I forgot to ask them to bring back some gifts. So I must make up for it to show my appreciation."
You are still my wife, why don't you make me a dress to show your affection?
Wei Hong thought to himself.
He was in a bad mood, and the thought that the clothes were made for Yao Yuzhi made him increasingly annoyed with them. He was about to say a few more words to Yao Yuzhi.
Yao Youqing frowned and interrupted after only hearing the beginning: "Your Highness, you promised you wouldn't talk about my father in front of me..."
Wei Hong: "..."
The two argued again because of Yao Yuzhi. Wei Hong couldn't go back on his word since he had already agreed to it, so he had to swallow his anger and his face turned ashen.
Fortunately, the kitchen had just finished preparing the meal, and Zhou's mother had the food set out, which eased the atmosphere in the room somewhat.
Although Wei Hong was not happy about the clothes, his expression softened slightly when he saw the food on the table.
He noticed that the food prepared in the backyard kitchen that morning suited his taste. At the time, he had only guessed at some possibilities, but now he was certain that Yao Youqing had asked about his preferences in advance and had it specially prepared.
Because what was placed in front of him were the dishes he usually liked to eat, while what was placed on the other side were the dishes that Yao Youqing liked to eat.
He twitched the corners of his mouth and silently began to eat. Halfway through, he noticed that Yao Youqing had stopped eating and was no longer moving her chopsticks.
He frowned and asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
Yao Youqing said, "I'm full, Your Highness, please continue eating."
She is small and has a small appetite, so she doesn't eat much on weekdays. Today she has already eaten a little more than usual.
Wei Hong frowned even more upon hearing this. Looking at the food on the table and then at her petite figure, he recalled her slender waist.
Too thin...
"No food should be wasted."
He said in a deep voice, telling her to finish all the food on the table.
Yao Youqing was taken aback. She looked at what was left on the table and her small brows furrowed tightly.
Because she has a small appetite, she usually asks the kitchen to cook less food in order to avoid waste.
Even so, she rarely finishes her food; there's always some left over.
Today was Wei Hong's first day eating in the inner courtyard. The cook in the inner courtyard was brought from the capital by Yao Youqing. Not knowing how much he could eat, they specially prepared more food, so there was more food on the table than usual.
Although Wei Hong has already eaten quite a bit, there is still much more left than Yao Youqing usually leaves, and she definitely can't finish it all.
"I...I can't eat that."
She whispered.
Wei Hong glanced at it and guessed that he should add some more food to her bowl: "Eat this."
Yao Youqing looked at the dishes and then at him, thinking that this was already a lot for her, but with Wei Hong's fierce face, she still picked up her chopsticks and ate in small bites.
Wei Hong watched her finish her meal. Although it took a little longer, she was at least obedient, so he nodded in satisfaction.
Not long after finishing her meal, Yao Youqing started feeling unwell, her whole body went limp, and her forehead even felt slightly hot.
Zhou's mother and the others had just been kicked out by him and were not serving him in the room. They didn't know what had happened, so they quickly sent someone to fetch a doctor.
Wei Hong stopped them and sent someone directly to the military camp to summon Li Dou.
Li Dou rushed over, took Yao Youqing's pulse, and then frowned: "Your Highness has a small appetite and should eat less. She has some indigestion."
After these words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment, and Zhou's mother looked at Yao Youqing with confusion.
Yao Youqing looked aggrieved: "The prince insisted that I eat it..."
Chapter 35 Serving
Several pairs of eyes turned to Wei Hong at the same time. Wei Hong's expression stiffened slightly, and he asked Li Dou, "Is there anything seriously wrong?"