He adored her slender waist, especially when he turned her over and made her kneel on the bed. Her tiny waist, so delicate it could be encircled by a single hand, outlined her exquisite curves, making his eyes redden and causing him to thrust his body against hers, making her tremble and shake.
Unable to withstand his strength, the girl collapsed onto the bed, her face flushed, begging him to stop, her eyes brimming with tears.
The sight made Wei Hong's eyes burn even hotter. He wrapped his arm around her and pressed it against her back, saying, "It'll be soon, Ning'er, it'll be soon."
The charcoal fire burned brightly in the room, the warm indoor curtains swayed gently, and the bed creaked softly.
The charcoal fire in the basin crackled and sparked every now and then, casting lingering shadows on the curtains before finally stopping after a quarter of an hour, accompanied by a satisfied sigh from the man.
Wei Hong pulled Yao Youqing into his arms, his chest pressed against her back. Although he had stopped, he couldn't help but kiss her earlobe and neck.
Yao Youqing, having just received the rain and dew, was now utterly exhausted. She curled up in his arms like a cat, letting him kiss and caress her without moving. She only let out a soft moan and twisted her body when his broad palms began to move upwards along her waist and abdomen.
"Your Highness, please stop fooling around, I'm really tired..."
Wei Hong knew it was her first time and she couldn't withstand his rough treatment. Although his desire rekindled, he restrained himself, withdrew his hand, and stood up slightly to kiss her cheek.
"I'll go get some water to wipe you down. Just lie there and don't move."
Yao Youqing muttered to herself, thinking that she didn't have the strength to move at all. Her bones felt like they were falling apart and no longer belonged to her.
Wei Hong didn't let anyone else in. He took some water from the doorway and put it aside. He then wrung out a handkerchief and used it to wipe Yao Youqing's body.
The girl's fair skin was covered with his marks: his stickiness, his finger marks, and faint teeth marks.
He looked at the several bluish-red finger marks on her waist, feeling somewhat guilty, and gently stroked them, asking, "Does it hurt?"
His recent uncontrolled intimacy had made him unaware of his strength, and now seeing those marks, he couldn't help but feel heartache.
Yao Youqing shook her head: "It doesn't hurt, it's just tiring."
She had never been so tired before. It felt more tiring than when she was learning to write as a child, and more tiring than when she learned to ride a horse or swim.
As she spoke, she looked at Wei Hong again: "Why aren't you tired, Your Highness?"
Clearly... clearly the prince was the one who did the hard work, so why does he not only not look tired, but also look radiant and full of energy?
Wei Hong chuckled, leaned closer to her, and his burning chest pressed against her almost imperceptibly.
"I'm not tired. If Ning'er has the energy, I can continue..."
Yao Youqing quickly shook her head: "No, I... I need to rest."
Wei Hong smiled and lightly pecked her lips a few times. After wiping her body clean, he handed the basin of water to the servants outside the door, blew out the candle, and lay down next to Yao Youqing.
The room fell into darkness, and the man pulled the girl into his arms again, gently patting her back and coaxing her to sleep like a child.
Exhausted and sleepy, Yao Youqing could barely keep her eyes open, but her remaining rationality still led her to ask, "Your Highness, should I take a bowl of contraceptive soup?"
Wei Hong's arms, which were holding her, stiffened slightly for a moment before falling back down.
"No more drinking. You'll be seventeen soon, and your aunt has been taking care of your health, saying you're in good shape. Even if you're pregnant now... it shouldn't be a big problem. Just give birth."
"Besides... it's unlikely that it will happen by chance this time, right?"
He had wanted a child for a long time, but Madam Song said it was not good for a woman to give birth too early, so he had been delaying consummating his marriage with Yao Youqing.
Now that the marriage has been consummated, let's leave the child to fate. If we don't have one, so be it; if we do, then we'll have one.
Pregnancy-preventing soup is somewhat harmful to the body, so it's best to avoid drinking it if possible.
Yao Youqing nodded, snuggled closer to him, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
Wei Hong listened to the girl's even breathing, gently kissed her forehead, and gazed at her for a long time in the darkness, his fingers lightly tracing the contours of her face, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
Nearly two years into their marriage, he finally possessed her completely, which made him so excited that he couldn't sleep. He just wanted to keep looking at her like this for the rest of his life.
The struggles between the courts, the contests and checks and balances between nations, were temporarily removed from his mind at this moment, as if only the two of them remained in the world.
Wei Hong felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction, enjoying the tranquility alone in the dark night.
The howling north wind continued, but the room remained warm and cozy.
He didn't know how long it had been before he closed his eyes, tightened his arms around the girl, and gradually drifted off to sleep.
...
Three days later, the group finally arrived at Cangcheng.
When Zhou's mother and Qiongyu saw Yao Youqing, they were overjoyed and wept. They held her hand and asked her carefully if she was injured or uncomfortable. They were relieved after confirming that she was really okay, but they still couldn't stop crying and blamed themselves for not protecting her well.
Yao Youqing comforted them for a long time until Li Tai and Song Shi arrived, at which point she allowed them to go down and rest for the time being.
Mr. and Mrs. Li had been worried about Yao Youqing these past few days. Although they had already heard from others that she was safe, they were still worried. When they learned that she had entered the city, they rushed over immediately.
The two elderly people held the girl's hand and showed her more care. Song was still worried, so she asked Li Tai to take Yao Youqing's pulse again.
After taking her pulse, Li Tai nodded and said the same thing Cheng Yu and Li Dou had said before, which showed that her body was really fine.
As noon approached, Wei Hong invited them to have lunch together, but before the food was served, he called Song Shi out, saying that he had something to say to her privately.
Song was confused and followed him out. When she learned that he had given in to Yao Youqing's lustful desires, she glared at him reproachfully.
"Didn't you promise to wait until she's seventeen?"
Although Wei Hong is usually thick-skinned, he still felt a little embarrassed when talking about these things in front of his elders, especially a female elder.
“It was indeed my fault. I told Auntie about this so that you could help take better care of Ning’er’s health. If she is really pregnant… please help her give birth safely.”
"Ning'er is very important to me, and I don't want anything to happen to her."
Madam Song frowned. Although she felt resentful, she thought that Wei Hong and Yao Youqing had been married for nearly two years and it was already difficult for him to endure until now. So she didn't say anything more. She only told him to try to have sex with Yao Youqing on days after her period ended and to avoid other days so that it would be less likely for her to conceive.
Wei Hong was taken aback: "If there is such a method... why didn't you tell me sooner, Aunt?"
Madam Song shifted her gaze elsewhere: "This method isn't necessarily foolproof. The safest option is still not to consummate the marriage."
So she didn't tell Wei Hong about it at all in the first place.
Wei Hong felt frustrated, but he knew she was doing it for Yao Youqing's own good, so he nodded helplessly.
"I understand, from now on..."
He was too embarrassed to say the last part, "Try to choose those days to have sex with Ning'er," and only cupped his hands and said, "If Ning'er is pregnant, I will trouble you to take good care of her."
Mrs. Song nodded: "That's natural."
After they finished talking, the two returned to their room and had lunch with Li Tai and Yao Youqing.
Chapter 87 Parting Ways
The north wind blew all the way through Shangchuan and Shuozhou, and when it reached the palace walls of the capital, it was blocked outside by heavy curtains, and its howling was in vain.
Liu Fu knelt in Wei Chi's bedroom, presenting a letter with both hands, but Wei Chi did not immediately send someone to receive it.
"Is faith the only thing?"
He asked in a deep voice.
Liu Fu lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes, only the letter. The people of Nan Yan failed to deliver Miss Yao safely to us. They said that just as she was about to escape the border of Shuozhou, she was kidnapped by the Prince of Qin and his men."
Wei Chi's expression turned somber before he sent someone to fetch the letter.
The palace servant stepped forward, took the letter, and handed it to him. After reading it, he smiled faintly and casually tossed the letter back onto the table.
The contents of the letter were the same as what Liu Fu had said, but much more detailed. It described in detail how they had managed to abduct Princess Qin from Shangchuan with great difficulty. Just when they were about to escape, Prince Qin and his men caught up with them, resulting in heavy casualties. Princess Qin was also taken back.
His words were all about shifting blame. Although he didn't say it directly, the meaning was clear: he blamed them for not being able to hold off the King of Qin, which prevented the mission from succeeding.
"These Southern Yan people are all like good-for-nothings. They missed such a good opportunity. Not only did they gain nothing this time, but they also alerted the King of Qin. It will probably be difficult for them to bring Miss Yao here again in the future."
Liu Fu said.
“It’s not a complete loss,” Wei Chi said. “At least we’ve confirmed one thing: Shu Ning was right before. My fourteenth uncle… isn’t so dissatisfied with this marriage. On the contrary, he cares about it a lot.”
Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed back as soon as he heard that the princess was in trouble, and even killed three military officers without regard for the consequences.
If this is true, then what Ji Yunwan said back then—that Youqing still cared about him—should also be true.
She disliked her fourteenth uncle and wouldn't even glance at him no matter how good he was to her. She even wanted to separate from him.
Thinking about all this, Wei Chi didn't find the letter so offensive anymore. Little did he know that Yao Youqing had actually escaped from Zhao Wu and the others on her own. Nan Yan didn't want him to know that they had lost her again due to their negligence, so they said that she had been kidnapped by the King of Qin and his men.
He tapped the letter a few times with his fingertip and said, "After this incident, my fourteenth uncle will surely be more wary of me. If I don't take this opportunity to get rid of him, it will be even more difficult to do so in the future..."
Since that's the case, let's not delay any longer.
There is bound to be a battle between him and his fourteenth uncle. Rather than looking for an opportunity later, it would be better to take advantage of this chaos in the Southern Yan and Jin dynasties.
The lanterns under the eaves swayed back and forth in the wind, and the people inside the house were plotting a huge conspiracy involving the Three Kingdoms, which would shatter the century-old peace of the Great Liang Dynasty.
...
Wei Hong did not stay in Cangcheng for long before heading to the border.
With him personally going to the battlefield and Yao Youqing stationed in the city, this once bustling town quickly returned to its former liveliness after a brief period of quiet.
Everyone thought that once he returned, the war should end soon, but Wei Hong was not so optimistic. Otherwise, he would not have instructed Cui Hao to strengthen defenses and take strict precautions in various parts of Shuozhou.
His concerns proved to be correct. Although the Jin army remained quiet for a short period after he arrived at the battlefield and did not launch an attack, they soon returned with even more troops than before.
"It seems His Majesty intends to take this opportunity to get rid of the Prince completely."
Cui Hao frowned as he spoke from inside the tent.
Wei Hong sneered: "Let him be. Does he think he can bring me down by winning over the Jin Dynasty and sending troops to help him? He's dreaming!"
Shangchuan is on the border of the country. If anything goes wrong, it would be reasonable for other places in Shuozhou to come to its aid. As the emperor, Wei Chi cannot punish him.
With the entire army of Shuozhou at his disposal, coupled with his years of efforts to strengthen the city's defenses, ample supplies for troops and provisions in various regions, and complete fortifications, it was a pipe dream for the Jin dynasty to try and break through from here.
Unless Wei Chi can get Nan Yan and Da Jin to cooperate with him as before, and it has to be a real cooperation with real fighting, Da Jin alone will never be able to gain any advantage from him.
But now that Liancheng is still alive and has already planned to return to Southern Yan, Southern Yan will soon be back under his control, and he will no longer allow that Yan emperor and several princes to run rampant with his troops.
Without the assistance of the Southern Yan, and with no way for Wei Chi to openly bear the name of treason and join forces with the Jin to attack him, the troops of Shuozhou were more than capable of dealing with the Jin.
After all, it's impossible for the Jin Dynasty to really use all its national strength and transfer all its troops here just to attack Shangchuan.
Cui Hao nodded and said, "Now that things are temporarily stable in Southern Yan, why not bring Ziyi and the other brothers from the Jingyuan Army back? It's a waste to leave them there."
The imperial court wasn't actually unable to defend Hengshui; it was simply feigning weakness to lure the prince there.
Now that their scheme has failed, and the Jingyuan Army has been stationed there for some time, putting on a show, it makes sense for them to withdraw now.