Одна улыбка может обрушить город

Глава 28

"Hehe, this is mostly thanks to you, my wife. But then again, your husband's success brings honor to you as his wife. If your husband gets promoted, you can also be granted some kind of imperial title. Don't you think so, my dear wife?"

While fanning herself, Yang Huan carefully coaxed Xu Shirong, moving closer to her. Startled by her sudden movement, he quickly darted away, faster than a rabbit.

Xu Shirong sat up and said seriously, "Yang Huan, if you want to be an official, then be an official. If I can, I will do my best to help you. There is only one thing you must know: I help you not to gain face, nor to earn an imperial title, but simply to do what I believe is right."

Yang Huan was taken aback, then quickly replied with a grin, "Yes, yes, Madam is right. Not only Madam, but I, as an official, must also act in this way. When I leave office, I will make the people of Qingmen County weep and wail, refusing to let me go, so that my teachings will not have been in vain!"

Seeing him grinning and seemingly about to come closer, Xu Shirong stretched and tossed his pillow aside, saying, "Auntie was frightened today and is bedridden. I've been taking care of her all day and am a little tired, so I'm going to sleep. You can go now."

Yang Huan hurriedly said, "Let me loosen up your muscles. You served me last time, and I haven't served you back yet."

Xu Shirong burst out laughing: "With those hands of yours, you'd be better off using them to dig in the ground. I don't have that kind of luck." As she spoke, she kept urging him on.

Yang Huan looked distressed and pleaded, "Jiaoniang, my dear Jiaoniang, look at me... I..."

"What?"

"I...I've been a monk for months! Even the monks at Xiangguo Temple openly have affairs with the nuns at Shuiyue Nunnery. I'm not even as good as those monks!"

Seeing that she was urging him so hard, Yang Huan blurted out.

Xu Shirong was taken aback, then snorted and said, "You've been socializing with officials from the prefecture these past few days, and you haven't gotten a single drop of blood?"

Yang Huan cried out loudly, "Heaven and earth! I've been following Uncle Lu around these past few days. Even if I wanted to steal, I wouldn't have had the chance. I've truly kept myself pure. If you don't believe me, go ask your uncle!"

Chapter Thirty-Five

"It's only been a few months, and you're already making such a fuss! It's as if I forced you. I didn't tie you up with a rope, so go out and have some fun!"

Xu Shirong turned over and faced inward, ignoring him completely.

Yang Huan stared blankly at her back, his face flushed with anger. He snorted, jumped off the bed, and slammed the door shut behind him. His footsteps faded into the distance.

Xu Shirong was genuinely tired and annoyed by Yang Huan's noise. Now that Yang Huan had driven him away, she felt a strange sense of frustration and lost all sleepiness. She tossed and turned in the darkness, unable to fall asleep.

I don't know how much time passed, but just as a hazy drowsiness was creeping in, I suddenly heard light footsteps outside, followed by the sound of the door being gently pushed open. Then, someone lifted the low-hanging curtains and sat down on the edge of my bed, remaining silent for a long while. Only the soft breathing of the two of them could be heard.

"What are you doing back here?"

Xu Shirong finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"None of the young women suit my taste."

After a long pause, Yang Huan said something in a muffled voice.

"Naturally, nothing in the capital suits your taste. If you really can't stand it, you should head back now; it's only a month's journey. You can also bring two back with you, so you won't be thinking about them again next time."

A moment of silence.

"Jiaoniang..."

Xu Shirong did not respond.

"Jiaoniang..."

Yang Huan called out again and tentatively moved closer.

"I'm listening."

Xu Shirong replied somewhat impatiently.

"I...I just took a stroll in the garden..."

Receiving no response, Yang Huan moved closer and whispered, "I really didn't want to make you angry... I just feel like you're always giving me the cold shoulder, and I don't know what I've done wrong. If I've really offended you, just tell me what's wrong, and see if I change..."

He was very close; Xu Shirong could already feel his warmth. She tried to push him away, but her hand had just touched his arm when he grabbed it. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly, and she couldn't break free even after several attempts.

"Jiaoniang, I want to lie down next to you and sleep with you, just lie down next to you, and do nothing else. If you don't believe me, tie my hands up too, just like that governor who was burned to death today."

Yang Huan, perhaps sensing that she was about to get angry, suddenly let go of her hand and whispered something in her ear.

When Xu Shirong saw that he was holding her hand tightly, she was about to scold him, but he was amused by his nagging words and couldn't help but smile.

Yang Huan was incredibly perceptive. Although he couldn't see her expression clearly in the darkness, he noticed that she hadn't uttered any more harsh words and hadn't kicked him away like before. He was overjoyed, but dared not show it. He quickly went downstairs, retrieved his pillow, and lay down outside her. Perhaps she was genuinely tired from her stroll, for soon she began to snore softly.

Xu Shirong, who had been tense all over, gradually calmed down when she heard his soft snoring. As his snoring grew louder, fearing he was having trouble breathing, she gently nudged his head. Yang Huan made a purring sound like a puppy, rolled over to face her, and the snoring stopped immediately.

Xu Shirong smiled slightly, moved a little further inside, and finally fell asleep.

Yang Huan usually slept like a log, never waking until late morning unless someone woke him. This morning, he suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the sky outside the window was still faintly blue, indicating the first light of dawn. Seeing that it was early, he yawned and was about to turn over to go back to sleep when he suddenly noticed the beautiful woman beside him lying facing outwards, fast asleep. His sleepiness vanished instantly. He rested his chin on his arm and quietly observed her. Her face was smooth and delicate, her eyes closed, her long eyelashes slightly curled, and a strand of hair clung to her cheek. The more he looked, the more pleasing she became. He noticed the strand of hair trembling slightly as it moved with her breath, and on a sudden urge, he gently reached out and brushed it aside. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he suddenly paused. His eyes followed down her neck and saw that the collar of her white silk undergarment was slightly disheveled, revealing a delicate apricot-colored undergarment underneath, which faintly exuded a snowy, sweet fragrance.

Yang Huan stared blankly for a moment, swallowed hard, and his hand involuntarily moved downwards. Just as it touched the soft silk robe, he suddenly remembered Jiao Niang's methods and abruptly withdrew it. His eyes, however, couldn't bear to look away. He stared for a while longer, then reached out again, secretly hooking his fingertips around the robe and pulling it down slightly, revealing a glimpse of her skin. His eyes burned and his heart pounded. As the saying goes, lust knows no bounds; he felt it wasn't enough. He glanced up discreetly and saw she was still unconscious. His courage grew, and he reached out again, about to pull the robe down further, when he suddenly saw her eyelids flutter slightly, her eyelashes trembling as if she were about to wake up. Startled, he quickly closed his eyes, his hand instinctively resting between them on the bed.

Xu Shirong was never a deep sleeper, but she was indeed quite tired yesterday, and after being bothered by Yang Huan, she fell asleep late, which is why she was sleeping so soundly. She vaguely felt someone touching her, her eyelids twitched a few times, and she finally woke up. Sitting up and looking down, she noticed that her robe was hanging low at the chest, half of it exposed, and she immediately became suspicious. Turning to look at Yang Huan beside her, she saw him still fast asleep, snoring loudly and occasionally grinding his teeth, which puzzled her further. Perhaps she had slept poorly last night, she thought, shaking her head. She then covered her robe, afraid of waking him and him trying to get closer, and quietly stepped off the bed, lifting the curtain.

A few days ago, when she woke up, Yang Huan was still asleep on the bench, so she had changed her undergarments herself in the tent. Seeing that he was still fast asleep in the tent, she felt relieved and went outside to change.

Yang Huan pretended to be asleep, but his ears were perked up, listening intently to her movements. He was initially a little uneasy, afraid that his earlier actions would be discovered. When he heard her quietly get off the bed, lift the curtain, and go out, he knew he had gotten away with it and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked at her back through the curtain. But what he saw through the latticework of the curtain was that she had taken off her outer garment, wearing only the same pale yellow persimmon calyx-patterned bodice he had seen earlier, bound only by a thin rope at the back, revealing her complete nakedness.

Yang Huan's mouth was dry from eavesdropping, and he wished she would turn around so he could see her again. But in the blink of an eye, he saw that the beautiful woman had already changed her clothes, tied her skirt, and gracefully left through the door.

Xu Shirong went out to wash up and returned. Thinking that Madam Lu had been frightened and ill in bed yesterday, it would probably take some time for her to recover. So she wanted to come back and tell Yang Huan that she needed to wait until she was fully recovered before returning to Qingmen County. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw that he was not still fast asleep as usual, but sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, as if he had something on his mind. She was a little surprised, so she casually said with a smile, "You got up so early today. It must be like the sun rose in the west."

Yang Huan glanced at her and saw that she looked refreshed and cheerful with a smile in her eyes. He was stunned for a moment, but he didn't dare to admit that his mind was full of erotic thoughts. He just pretended to stretch and stood up, saying, "Sleeping in bed last night was really much more comfortable. When I woke up, I didn't even know where you were."

Xu Shirong laughed and said, "When have you ever not woken up later than me? You make it sound like you couldn't sleep at all the nights ago."

Yang Huan chuckled and moved closer, saying, "My wife, I kept my word last night. I slept right next to you, and I was very proper, not even glancing at you twice. You can rest assured now, right?"