The beauty under the lamplight became even more alluring, prompting Lu Mingxiu to repeatedly kiss her, and even feel a surge of desire—
"It's getting late, go to sleep early. I'm going to wash up first!" Lu Mingxiu released An Ran stiffly, even making a bit of a fuss.
An Ran was in his arms, how could she not know what had happened? The pictures in the erotic book that Third Sister had given her immediately flashed into her mind, and she blushed even more. She opened her mouth, but hardened her heart and wanted to call Lu Mingxiu to stop.
"My lord, please don't go. Or perhaps—"
But before she could even open her mouth, Lord Lu practically fled in panic, leaving her with the rest of her words stuck in her throat.
What kind of mess is this?!
An Ran leaned against the kang table, sulking, not knowing whether she should be angry at Lu Mingxiu or at herself.
"Madam, shall we help you with your toilette?" Hearing Lu Mingxiu lift the curtain and go out, Cuiping and Jinping came in and said cautiously, "The Marquis has already gone out."
Anran felt that the heat on her face had not completely dissipated.
After being helped by the two men to change into her nightgown and wash up, An Ran didn't wait for Lord Lu. Instead, she crawled into bed first. Wrapped herself in the blanket, she stared blankly at the jade ruyi hanging inside the bed curtains, looking rather annoyed.
When Lu Mingxiu came in, he saw that An Ran had wrapped herself up tightly, leaving only her back view.
He suppressed a laugh, tiptoed over, blew out the lamp, lowered the curtains, and quickly and quietly got into bed.
He knew she wasn't asleep yet, so, taking advantage of the dim light inside the bed curtains, he began to grope An Ran, who was pretending to be asleep. He would pinch her nose, then twirl a strand of hair around his finger, and then pat her blanket—
An Ran, unable to bear the harassment any longer, finally turned around and stared wide-eyed at Lord Lu.
"Are you angry?" Lu Mingxiu looked into her round eyes, which had lost their seductive charm but gained a playful edge, like a kitten. He couldn't help but smile and say, "I was rude. Please apologize to my wife."
Lord Lu's voice was soft and gentle, and in the night, he deliberately lowered his voice and used a breathy tone, which had an inexplicably intoxicating quality.
An Ran pouted but didn't say anything.
Fortunately, Lord Lu didn't feel cold or chilly today, so he probably hadn't taken a cold shower. An Ran's mood improved a bit; she couldn't bear to harm his health.
"How could I dare to be angry with the Marquis?" An Ran had finally mustered up her courage, only to have it dashed once again. She said somewhat dejectedly, "I'm too busy showing you respect."
Lu Mingxiu suddenly remembered what the two of them had just said and couldn't help but chuckle softly. "So now, is Ninth Sister still afraid of me?"
An Ran was taken aback at first, then remembered what she had just said: Lord Lu had a "bad reputation" and ordinary people were afraid of him. An Ran was about to say something when she inexplicably recalled that day at Princess Yunyang's residence, she had half-jokingly told Lu Mingxiu that the girls who wanted to marry him could line up from the south of the city to the north.
And now she has this good fortune.
"I'm terrified, terrified to death," An Ran replied curtly, trying to hide her true feelings. "Who is Lord Lu? So imposing, invincible on the battlefield, unparalleled in bravery, he's the object of countless young women's affections—"
Before she could finish speaking, she heard Lu Mingxiu whisper in her ear, "I don't need anyone else's affection, as long as you like me, that's enough."
Anran, who was talking nonsense in a serious manner, suddenly stopped.
Why did Lord Lu suddenly say such sweet words? She was completely speechless.
"Go to sleep, we have to go out early tomorrow morning." Lu Mingxiu chuckled softly, patting An Ran through the blanket, seemingly with a soothing tone.
She's not a child anymore.
Even with these thoughts in mind, An Ran still turned around involuntarily and nestled close to Lu Mingxiu.
After my eyes adjusted to the extremely dim light, everything inside the tent became very clear.
Lu Mingxiu was captivated by his young wife's beautiful face and exquisite features. Perhaps she truly was like a beautiful fox spirit who had descended under the cover of night, here to seduce and steal his soul.
She is his.
Lord Lu embraced his young wife contentedly, a faint smile appearing on his lips, a feeling of ease washing over him.
With her, he finally had a home again.
******
When she woke up the next day, Lord Lu, unusually, did not get up and stayed in bed with her for a while.
While An Ran slept soundly, Lu Mingxiu woke up early, but he didn't move, afraid of waking his little wife. Recently, because he had to attend court early in the morning, An Ran's sleep had become very light, and if there was any noise from him, she would definitely wake up.
Therefore, Lu Mingxiu simply turned around and looked at his little wife who occasionally smiled in his dream, and felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
Fortunately, Anran had gotten used to waking up early these days, so she only woke up a little later than usual. Luckily, it was only just getting light, so she wasn't in a hurry.
"My lord, you're awake?" When An Ran rubbed her eyes and sat up, she saw a handsome face smiling at her. A little embarrassed, An Ran said, "Why didn't you wake me?"
Lu Mingxiu pulled the blanket up a little higher for her and said softly, "It's early, no rush."
Although he said that, An Ran still insisted on getting up. After that, Lu Mingxiu washed up and came back to find that An Ran had already changed her clothes and was combing her hair.
Although Lu Mingxiu said he was taking her out to relax, they still needed to offer incense to his maternal grandparents, so An Ran chose a light-colored outfit: a light blue satin jacket with floral patterns and trim, paired with a lotus-green skirt with plum, bamboo, and orchid trim, and a white cloak with green plum blossom calyxes to wear over it.
Her thick, black hair was simply combed up. Anran chose several fine red gold hairpins inlaid with pearls, along with a tourmaline headband. She also wore a pair of simple pearl earrings on her earlobes, looking understated yet luxurious.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Anran was somewhat satisfied.
Since the two were going out today, they didn't send Nian-ge'er to pay his respects. Anran instructed Taozhi, Taoye, and Biluo to take good care of him and make sure he didn't cause any trouble at home. Besides, there were two maids at home, both of whom were senior servants of Princess Yunyang and could be trusted.
She and Lu Mingxiu will be gone for at most one day, and they will be back in the evening, so there shouldn't be any trouble.
When the two left, Nian Ge'er was still lying in bed, not yet up. An Ran felt sorry for him and didn't wake him.
Lord Lu still shared a carriage with An Ran today.
Along the way, Lu Mingxiu told An Ran many stories from the past.