Chapter 112 Afterword (Three)
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Changping, twentieth year, autumn.
In the capital.
In the palace, the maid carefully held a vermilion pen, and the bronze mirror reflected the distant mountain’s eyebrow point in vermilion.
The steps rattled on the side of the temple, and the cloud and phoenix embroidery on the black robe made him look particularly elegant.
It was the day of the grand wedding.
His and Jiang Yanchi’s.
In the afternoon, the autumn wind rose in the capital, blowing the banners on the palace gate. Once again, he wore this black ceremonial dress, standing under the altar, looking up at the now grown-up Jiang Yanchi.
He was supported by Tao Li, stepping onto the long steps, walking towards him step by step.
Once again, the ritual to pay respects to the heavens and earth.
The marriage ceremony from the previous life, like a dream, appeared again before him. At that time, he, with a confused mind, and the person full of suspicion, were also married, promising to grow old together.
But the results were not as expected.
Chu Xie has always harbored resentment about this.
But Jiang Yanchi seemed extremely happy.
Prompted by Tao Li, Chu Xie stood up, removed the ceremonial robe, and changed into a bright red wedding gown with softer fabric.
The maid also began to add red makeup to him, adding a touch of blush to his fair cheeks. Unlike the previous dignified appearance, he now looked somewhat charming, like a peach blossom in full bloom.
The maid straightened Chu Xie’s forehead, looking at the person in the mirror. Her eyes were full of admiration, half-truths and half-flattery, “Lady, with such appearance, there is truly no second person in the capital.”
The red veil was lifted, and Tao Li helped Chu Xie step over the threshold and the brazier.
He saw a pair of crimson boots appear under the cover, and the dragon pattern embroidered on the boots matched the phoenix embroidered under his long skirt.
A slender hand reached out to him from under the veil, with a red silk wrapped around the palm.
Chu Xie covered it with a hand, also wrapped in red silk. Under the red silk was a delicate silk flower about half the size of an arm.
Jiang Yanchi’s hand was dry and warm, firmly holding him, guiding him across the threshold.
The tedious ceremony lasted for nearly two hours. Chu Xie’s legs were sore from standing, and he could always recall many old stories from the previous life. After being polished for a while, he now didn’t want to think about anything and just wanted to settle down.
“The ceremony is complete—”
The person under the red veil let out a sigh of relief that could not be heard.
Jiang Yanchi reached out and held his elbow, getting close. “Hungry?”
Chu Xie nodded, and the red veil swayed.
“Let’s go eat in the room later. I’ve prepared everything.” The sly voice came even closer to the ear, and others couldn’t hear this whisper. They only saw their intimate posture, and there were inevitably a few more teasing remarks. Zhao Xuan’s laughter was particularly close.
Chu Xie immediately took a small step back, showing his dignity and even withdrew his hand.
However, Jiang Yanchi was unashamed. He took half a step forward again. After glancing back, he glared at the leader Zhao Xuan and said, “His Majesty is happy, don’t frown.”
Jiang Yanchi got closer again, this time wrapping his hand around Chu Xie’s waist from behind. He asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Chu Xie didn’t speak for a while. When Jiang Yanchi asked again, he heard him say very softly, “I’m not hungry.”
After a pause, he added, “Just my legs are a bit sore.”
Before the words fell, his feet lightly lifted. The whole person was unexpectedly picked up horizontally, shaking off several exclamations and hearty laughter. Quickly passing through several layers of corridors, the wind rolled up the corner of the red veil.
Chu Xie could see the two figures overlapping under the moonlight.
They were heading towards the Chengluan Palace sleeping hall.
“Your Majesty.” Chu Xie pulled his sleeve, rubbing it into wrinkles, “I can walk by myself.”
“But I want to hold you.” He slowed down a bit, and the night wind lifted a corner of the red veil, revealing a fair jaw and rosy thin lips. He bent down and kissed lightly, just a brief touch. He immediately straightened up, continued to stride, and the smile almost reached the root of his ear, “Let me hold you like this for a while, okay?”
Saying it’s just for a while meant just for a while.
Jiang Yanchi felt that he had walked to the sleeping hall in just a few steps. There seemed to be some regret in his vague voice. He opened the door and placed Chu Xie by the bed, then turned around to instruct someone to bring some food.
As the veil was slowly lifted, he saw the person’s rosy cheeks and lips like snow-red plums.
It was an extremely rare and delicate bridal makeup.
Chu Xie also seemed a bit uncomfortable with the heavy gold and silver jewelry on his head. With no one else around, Jiang Yanchi began to remove them one by one. The green silk fell down, and that person shed a bit of the aura of earthly wealth and prosperity.
Dazzling and noble, like a white crane in the clouds.
First, they ate two pastries. Jiang Yanchi’s evenly spaced fingers were exceptionally long, reaching to the lips, with a bit of vermilion on the nail.
That touch of red was like a piece of charcoal entering the throat.
Burning the heart and lungs.
Jiang Yanchi had a handsome and unrivaled profile, his crown of hair tied high, and his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes revealed a full smile.
Lifting that person’s foot, placing it on his knee, Jiang Yanchi unbuttoned the long boots, kneading the calf and knee, “Ah Xie, we are husband and wife now.”
“Mm.”
“We are husband and wife.”
“…Mm”
“Ah Xie…”
Chu Xie turned his head, swallowed a bite of pastry, and took a sip of water, “We are husband and wife, we have worshipped the heavens and earth, and drank the marriage wine. I know.”
It had been said so many times.
Chu Xie felt that something was wrong, and suddenly slapped his thigh, “Where’s the wine, the marriage wine.”
Only then did Jiang Yanchi go to the inner hall and bring out the marriage wine himself, “Joyful candles, joyful wine, all placed in front of the bed. Do you want to drink it now?”
Chu Xie nodded. After a day of fatigue, he did want to drink some wine to relax.
After exchanging cups and finishing the wine, he felt a bit unsatisfied and called for someone to warm up another pot.
When he laid down, the sweet and intoxicating fragrance of wine had already permeated his body. The makeup on his face was washed away, but his cheeks were still as red as a glow, and his eyes were slightly intoxicated.
Jiang Yanchi didn’t dare to stop him from drinking. He was afraid of upsetting him on such a happy day, but he didn’t expect him to drink the entire pot when in the mood. Tonight, the palace was in great joy, and the brought wine was all decades-old aged wines, carefully selected.
Although Chu Xie enjoyed drinking, his alcohol tolerance was not good.
Now, he had drunk quite a bit, and lying down, he seemed to be about to fall asleep.
This wouldn’t do.
He had been looking forward to this day for so long.
Initially, it took two whole years of persuasion to get Chu Xie married. For some reason, Chu Xie seemed to always harbor resentment about things from his previous life. Clearly, he felt that their relationship was very pleasant this time.
There was no way he would repeat the mistakes of the previous life.
“Ah Xie,” Jiang Yanchi whispered in his ear, “Ah Xie, are you very tired?”
“Mm…” Chu Xie murmured, kicking the blanket, “Help me take off my shoes, thank you.”
Looking again, his feet were bare, and the shoes had long been removed.
He was clearly a bit drunk.
Watching him impatiently kicking his feet, Jiang Yanchi reached out, lifted his ankle, and rubbed it a bit. He found it cute but also sighed that he was truly drunk.
The cool and delicate touch of his hand in the palm made him have some whims.
Ignoring the surroundings, he lifted the blanket, coaxed, “The shoes are off, do you want to take off these clothes too?”
“Mm…”
As if granted amnesty, he immediately pulled the person into his arms, untied the belt, took off two layers, first removing the vermilion-colored jacket for him, then loosening the soft lower hem. Only two thin undergarments were left.
The candles outside went out, leaving only a pair of red candles in the inner hall. The “Double Happiness” characters pasted on the window were very lively, decorating the gentle night breeze.
Jiang Yanchi’s heart was like a drum, and when he untied the last plain cloth belt, it seemed like his fingertips were trembling.
He had never been so nervous before.
Looping around to the back, the touch was smooth and moist, unlike the previous life when holding him would only touch a mass of scars, and he always had to be careful of his injuries and body.
This time, Chu Xie had not experienced those inhuman tortures.
He had been well taken care of.
Although he was still slender, there was no chronic illness like in the previous life.
Jiang Yanchi’s eyes were a bit red, and at the same time, he was extremely happy. At this moment, there were no other distracting thoughts. He just felt that this moment of tenderness was incredibly heartwarming.
With nothing to block him, Chu Xie felt a bit cold in the empty bed. Subconsciously, he snuggled towards Jiang Yanchi.
His flushed cheeks due to alcohol still pressed against Jiang Yanchi’s neck, exhaling a sweet breath that swept across his jaw.
This was extraordinary.
A movement in his throat. Lifting his chin, disregarding everything, he pressed his lips against his, capturing that sweet breath.
“Mm…”
Chu Xie was awakened a bit, half-opening his eyes, his brows furrowed.
But the light kiss deepened gradually, gradually intensifying, making it hard for him to catch his breath, struggling a bit. When he relaxed, allowed him to breathe, the person was coaxed into gentleness, and then he gently kissed his eyebrows, nose, and then nibbled.
When the lips were even more crimson than the daytime, Jiang Yanchi rubbed his chin again and buried his head in his neck.
“Ah Xie, don’t sleep.” He coaxed in his ear, with a long and even breath, brushing past his earlobe.
Chu Xie opened his eyes drowsily, “What are you doing?”
“We got married today, what do you think we should do?”
Jiang Yanchi smiled contentedly, his voice lazy.
Chu Xie didn’t understand, he just listened to the tone and said, “Oh” in a relaxed manner. He closed his eyes, wanting to turn over and said, “Then hurry up and sleep.”
But he was pulled back and could only lie on his back.
Jiang Yanchi took some cypress orchid ointment, just as he was making some movements, Chu Xie, inexplicably, no longer softly asked but exclaimed, kneeling over and knocking his wrist, “What are you doing!”
Jiang Yanchi didn’t expect him to react so strongly. He soothingly rubbed his cheeks, pressed his nose against him, and coquettishly spoiled, “Ah Xie, don’t move randomly. Be obedient, okay.”
“What are you doing?” Chu Xie only asked this sentence.
He couldn’t continue, so he kissed his eyebrows again, coaxing him gently. At the same time, his hand moved towards his back, but unexpectedly, Chu Xie struggled even more vigorously this time, with considerable strength.
Now, he had to hold him with one hand, stopping the movement of the other hand. He leaned close to his ear and asked, “Ah Xie, Ah Xie, it’s me, do you like me?”
“…”
“I really like you.” Jiang Yanchi supported his knees, his voice becoming even gentler.
“If you like someone, you should do things like this. Moreover, we are husband and wife now.”
Chu Xie seemed to be moved a bit and murmured, “Husband and wife…” His struggling strength weakened a bit.
“Yes, husband and wife.” Jiang Yanchi sweetly pulled up the blanket, covering both of them tightly. He pressed against him like a ball of fire, warm and cozy.
With the warm embrace, Chu Xie’s body completely relaxed, and he even hugged Jiang Yanchi for a while.
Jiang Yanchi’s blood rushed to his head, enduring the surging heat, and he patiently explored for a long time, fearing that he might hurt him later.
This time, no matter what, he had to leave behind a happy memory.
Whether it was the ceremony of marriage or the reality of being husband and wife.
Just as the momentum was building up, with a slight movement…
The almost tearing pain came, and Chu Xie immediately pushed him hard.
Jiang Yanchi, unprepared, almost fell off the bed. When he raised his head again, he saw Chu Xie wrapping himself in the blanket, squatting at the foot of the bed. The peach blossom eyes seemed to have lost their drunkenness, staring wide open.
The originally rosy cheeks were now completely pale.
“A… Ah Xie?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Author’s Note: Jiang Yanchi: Oh dear.
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