Wei Hong chuckled and said, "The veil has been lifted, but we're still missing a cup of nuptial wine. I'll have someone prepare it right away."
As he was saying this, he actually had two glasses of wine prepared, just like they would be at a wedding. Yao Youqing couldn't stop him, so she had no choice but to drink with him.
Setting the wine glass aside, Wei Hong leaned down and gently inhaled the scent of wine from her lips, saying, "Now that we've drunk the nuptial wine, it's time to get down to business..."
Wei Hong lowered the bed curtains, gently covered the girl, and kissed her lips repeatedly.
He was not a gentle person in ordinary times, and the same was true in bed. When aroused, he would inevitably be unrestrained, often making the little woman under him cry and beg for mercy.
But he intended to have a wedding night with her, and unusually restrained his desires. Unlike usual, he did not only care about his own pleasure, but did his best to please her. He even found a different kind of enjoyment in listening to her melodious singing.
As the storm subsided, Yao Youqing was drenched in sweat, her bones felt numb, and she didn't want to move a single finger.
The man beside her soon returned, his calloused fingers sweeping across her body, causing her to tremble again.
Yao Youqing twisted her body and refused softly, but he said righteously, "On the wedding night, how can you only call for water once? Wouldn't people laugh at you if word got out?"
Yao Youqing laughed out loud at his joke, and they ended up making love again, only stopping after a long time.
One month later, Wei Hong went to Tinglan Garden early in the morning to handle military and political affairs. After spending most of the day getting rid of everyone in the hall, he was about to return to his study when he saw Yao Youqing appear at the door, peeking half her head in.
He smiled and waved, "What brings you here today? Come in quickly."
Yao Youqing then stepped inside, and Wei Hong only then noticed that she was wearing a red dress.
Yao Youqing preferred plain colors, and her daily clothes were mostly light green, moon white, and snow blue. Even if they were slightly more vibrant, they were only apricot yellow and peach pink. Apart from the day of her wedding and the day she stormed the palace, this was the first time he had ever seen her wear such vibrant clothes.
Wei Hong's eyes seemed glued to her, staring at her intently for a long time without looking away. Yao Youqing blushed slightly, and she gently asked, clutching the hem of her skirt, "Does it look good? I've never worn something like this before, so I'm not used to it."
Wei Hong nodded: "It looks good."
In the years since she got married, she seems to have remained unchanged, but she has grown taller and her figure is more proportionate. Apart from the delicate charm of a young girl, she also exudes a touch of allure.
The red dress made her even more radiant and beautiful, a stunning sight that Wei Hong had never seen before.
He walked over and gently stroked her cheek: "Why are you wearing red today? Are you... not scared anymore?"
Yao Youqing shook her head: "These days, I've been asking Zhou Mama to bring me a piece of red cloth or a red dress every now and then. At first, I was a little scared, but then I remembered what the prince said, that you were the one who lifted my veil in the palace that day, so I wasn't scared anymore!"
As she spoke, she made a gesture of lifting her veil, her eyebrows and eyes smiling, her eyes curving at the corners, her charming and lovely appearance paired with her red dress, which made Wei Hong's heart tremble.
He gently stroked her cheek a few times with his hand, then walked to the door and bolted it from the inside.
At first, Yao Youqing didn't know what he was going to do. But after he locked the door, her heart sank in as well.
"Your Highness, why...why are you locking the door?"
He kept talking and backing away until he bumped into the table, where he had nowhere left to hide.
Wei Hong walked over with a smile, placed his hands on the edge of the table, trapping her between his chest and the table. He looked her over carefully and whispered, "Ning'er looks really good in red."
Yao Youqing shrank her neck: "I... Ah!"
The words had barely left his mouth when they turned into a soft gasp.
Wei Hong lifted her up by the waist, placed her on the table, and leaned over her.
The writing materials on the table were swept aside, and the man's large hand impatiently reached into her clothes.
Yao Youqing clutched her clothes, struggling: "Your Highness, no... not here!"
Wei Hong wouldn't listen to reason. Unable to tear off her clothes, he simply pulled down her pants, then gently pushed her between her legs with his knee...
After it was over, the two of them lay down behind the folding screen.
Wei Hong had been too impulsive just now, and was now gently patting Yao Youqing's back and apologizing softly, but the girl just turned her back to him and ignored him.
She only moved slightly and turned around when he said that things here were almost done and he planned to set off back to Shangchuan soon.
"Really? Your Highness isn't lying to me, is he?"
When have I ever lied to you?
Wei Hong smiled and took her lips in his mouth, kissing her for a long time.
"I estimate I can leave in two or three days. I may have to handle some matters along the way, but no matter how slow it is, I should be able to get there in a month or two."
“Now that your father is in Cangcheng, let’s go there directly so you can see him and see if he is really alright, so you won’t worry all the time.”
Although Yao Yuzhi is safe, Yao Youqing has not seen him in person and misses him dearly.
Now that I hear I'll be able to see my father soon, I've temporarily put aside my shyness and anger, and I just hope to set off back home as soon as possible.
...
At the end of September, Yao Youqing and her group finally arrived in Cangcheng.
They entered the city a few days earlier than expected, unbeknownst to Yao Yuzhi, who was helping out at the place where refugees were being resettled. Upon hearing that her daughter had returned, she immediately dropped everything and rushed back.
"Ning'er, Ning'er!"
He called out anxiously as soon as he entered the door, his eyes already reddening before he even saw anyone.
But when he entered the room, he found no trace of his daughter; only the King of Qin sitting there with a cold expression.
His only concern was for his daughter, and he disregarded any past grievances between them, asking, "Where is my Ning'er?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Hong's expression grew even worse, his brows and eyes seeming to be covered with frost: "Without your Ning'er..."
Yao Yuzhi's heart sank, thinking something had happened to her daughter. Just as she was about to ask, she heard him continue, "If you marry me, you will be my Ning'er."
Chapter 116 Sitting at the same table 17%
When Feng Mu went to rescue Yao Yuzhi, Yao Yuzhi was determined to die and wanted to stay in the palace instead of coming out with them.
The situation was urgent, so he had no choice but to knock him unconscious and take him out.
Even if they faint at the time, they will always wake up later, and when they wake up, they will most likely try to kill themselves.
Unable to find a solution, Feng Mu lied and claimed that the princess had been seriously injured while escaping the palace, thus keeping Yao Yuzhi on his mind and preventing him from committing suicide.
As for what will happen after he meets the princess, he can't worry about that now. Let the prince and princess figure it out themselves.
It was because she heard that Yao Youqing was injured and saw that she hadn't returned for so long that she thought she had stopped for treatment on the way because of her serious injuries. That's why Yao Yuzhi rushed back. When she heard Wei Hong say that his Ning'er was not there, she thought that something had happened to her daughter.
When Yao Youqing returned and didn't see her father, she originally planned to go out to look for him, but Wei Hong stopped her, saying that he had already sent someone to pick him up. Only then did she feel at ease and wait in the room.
She had just finished washing up and was in her room telling Qiongyu about the pain of being apart these past few days when she suddenly heard her father's voice from outside. She quickly went out.
Hearing a noise from inside the room, Yao Yuzhi turned around and saw her daughter standing in the doorway. Tears welled up in her reddened eyes.
"Ning'er... Ning'er!"
Yao Youqing's eyes also reddened. She took two quick steps and threw herself into his arms, choking out, "Father..."
The father and daughter embraced each other with tears in their eyes. Zhou's mother and Qiongyu, who were watching from the side, also had tears in their eyes. Only Wei Hong's face was ashen, and his lips were tightly pursed together.
Seeing that the two had been crying for a long time without separating, he went over and said, "Sit down and talk."
As he spoke, he pulled Yao Youqing out of Yao Yuzhi's arms and helped her sit down next to him.
Tears streamed down Yao Yuzhi's face. Her heart was entirely with her daughter, and she didn't notice his little thoughts. She sat down as well, wiped her tears, and asked with concern, "Have your injuries healed? Have you been suffering these past few days? You've lost weight."
Yao Youqing had already heard that Feng Mu had lied about being injured, and knew that he had said it on purpose to dissuade her from committing suicide, so she did not expose him and nodded, saying, "I'm all better now. Your Highness has taken good care of me, and I haven't suffered at all."
When Wei Hong noticed that she kept mentioning him while speaking, he smiled and took her hand, which was resting on the table.
Yao Youqing also turned to look at him, and the two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with deep affection.
Seeing that her daughter looked much better, even better than when she testified in court, and noticing the affection between her and the Prince of Qin, Yao Yuzhi felt relieved and nodded, saying, "That's good, that's good."
He then stood up and bowed sincerely to Wei Hong.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness, for saving my daughter. I am deeply grateful."
“No need to thank me,” Wei Hong replied in a deep voice, “I’m not here to save your daughter, I’m here to save my wife.”
Regardless of whether she is Yao Yuzhi's daughter or not, as long as she is his Ning'er, he will save her.
It just so happens that his wife and Yao Yuzhi's daughter are the same person.
Yao Youqing knew that the grudge between Wei Hong and Yao Yuzhi could not be resolved in the short term, and might even never be resolved in a lifetime.
She had been worried about how to navigate the relationship between the prince and her father, and on the very first day, she could already sense the tension between them.
She looked troubled and gently squeezed Wei Hong's hand, which was clasped in hers.
Wei Hong was just making a few sarcastic remarks to Yao Yuzhi out of habit, and didn't intend to make things difficult for her. When he came to his senses and remembered that his little wife was caught in the middle, he temporarily restrained himself.
Yao Yuzhi was still immersed in the joy of seeing her daughter and grateful to him for saving Yao Youqing. She didn't dwell on his sarcastic tone for the time being and put aside the various things she disliked about him before. She carefully asked Yao Youqing about her life in Shangchuan over the past few years, as if she had endless things to say, rambling on and on.
Wei Hong was getting tired of hearing it and was very impatient, but Yao Youqing answered each question seriously, asking him about his life in the capital, as if all their previous letters had been written in vain and they hadn't been in contact at all in the past few years.
Later, Yao Youqing felt it was inconvenient to talk to her father from such a distance, so she got up and sat down next to him, taking her father's arm. Wei Hong looked at his suddenly empty hand, then at her hand on Yao Yuzhi's arm, and his barely maintained "calmness" was completely shattered. He felt that he should have stayed in Yan Gui City for a few more days! Why was he in such a hurry to come back?
Yao Youqing and Yao Yuzhi chatted until noon. As lunchtime approached, she wanted to invite her father to stay for lunch, but she was afraid that Wei Hong would refuse. She carefully observed his expression, thinking about how to bring it up.
Wei Hong knew that she hadn't eaten with her father since she married him, and their last meeting was just a fleeting glimpse in the palace. How could he bear to see her troubled by such a small matter? Before she could speak, he said, "You two haven't seen each other for a long time. Why don't you have Lord Yao stay for lunch? I think you'll eat more if he's with you."
Yao Youqing was overjoyed and tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
She knew he was accommodating her, that he was making concessions to make her happy.
Yao Yuzhi could naturally see all of this as well.
After the death of the Imperial Concubine, he and the Prince of Qin became enemies. Neither of them could have imagined that they would one day dine together. Even when the late Emperor bestowed a marriage upon Yao Youqing to the Prince of Qin, they never expected things to turn out this way.
Because they both knew very well that the title of "father-in-law and son-in-law" was just a name and should not be taken seriously.
Yao Yuzhi knew that Wei Hong hadn't invited her to dinner out of his own free will, and logically he should have been more self-aware enough to refuse.
But looking at his daughter whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and thinking that he might not have such an opportunity again in the future, he still couldn't bear to leave and shamelessly sat down at the dinner table.
During the meal, he kept putting food on Yao Youqing's plate, and Yao Youqing, in a good mood, ate it all with a smile.
Wei Hong frowned as he watched. When he picked up another piece of glutinous rice lotus root, Wei Hong used his chopsticks to transfer it from Yao Youqing's bowl to his own, saying, "Glutinous rice is hard to digest. Ning'er has a weak stomach and shouldn't eat too much."
After saying that, he stuffed the lotus root into his mouth and ate it in one bite.
Yao Yuzhi nodded in realization: "It was my oversight."
He then placed another piece of fish on Yao Youqing's plate, saying, "Eat slowly, be careful..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Hong took the fish away again.