After all, you and I were once…
Were once what?
The silent tent grew even quieter once her words reached this point. An amused flicker went through Long Feiye’s eyes. Has this woman gotten addicted to fooling around?
“After all, you and I were once...so deeply in love!” Han Yunxi drew out the last four words on purpose.
Baili Yuanlong and his men all had ghastly expressions on their faces. Deputy General Xie murmured, “General, this woman is truly shameless. What time is it now? Yet she’s still bringing those things up.”
“Hmph, even if she doesn’t find it shameful, His Highness would!” Baili Yuanlong muttered back unhappily.
“General, did His Highness knew of her ident.i.ty beforehand?” Deputy General Zhao murmured.
Baili Yuanlong only glared at him without a word. The other two deputy generals didn’t dare to pursue the matter, either.
Actually, Baili Yuanlong himself wasn’t sure, but whatever the case, he had suggested His Highness proclaim he’d long know about this woman’s status and was just using her in order to placate the soldiers’ hearts. Unfortunately, His Highness had only dismissed him in a fury. Although His Highness didn’t use woman for his own gains, it didn’t mean their previous love had no shame. To love one’s enemy and dote on her that much would bring nothing but humiliation and disgrace upon reflection, wouldn’t it? All four men a.s.sumed that their master would take this chance to put this woman in her place, but Long Feiye didn’t reply.
Han Yunxi immediately scooted closer as she provoked, “Long Feiye, wouldn’t you say so?”
Baili Yuanlong and his men just waited to watch a good show with disdain. Han Yunxi was now very close, enough for Long Feiye to reach her with his hand. She was certainly Long Feiye wouldn’t dare to do anything to her. For one thing, he couldn’t bear to verbally dishonor her name; for another, he didn’t dare get handsy in front of so many other eyes. It was rare to find a chance to defeat this fellow, so it’d be a waste if she didn’t play around with him at the chance.
As the crowd watched, Long Feiye’s face remained calm, his voice clear and lofty as he asked back “Han Yunxi, just how were we deeply in love back then?”
The difference between “shaming” and “flirting” lay in the relations.h.i.+p between the two parties. Since they were enemies on the surface, Baili Yuanlong and his men only saw Long Feiye humiliating Han Yunxi, while in actuality he was closer to flirting--or even expressing his sentiments--to her. Before Long Feiye, the intelligent Han Yunxi always seem to fall under a curse and easy lose her wits.
Long Feiye not only moved his mouth, but his hands as well. He pulled Han Yunxi over with one arm and circled his hand around her waist so that she was leaning against him. Han Yunxi resisted by placing her hands against the armrests of his chair, but Long Feiye’s lips only curved up wickedly before he gave a sudden jerk, causing her to fall against his body. Plastered against his chest, she couldn’t even move.
With a cold laugh, he said, “How were we deeply in love, Han Yunxi? There’s no harm in saying it for this crown prince to hear.” Then in front of everyone, he whispered by her ear in a low voice, “Is it fun?”
“Long Feiye, that’s enough from you,” Han Yunxi was both amused and infuriated.
“It’s not enough,” he said, before pressing his hands against her mounds of flesh as he began to ma.s.sage them. “West Qin princess, it looks like you still miss this crown prince’s favor. If you issue an edict to the world that you’re willing to be this crown prince’s bed slave, then I don’t mind awarding you with a few rounds of deep love.”
Han Yunxi’s soul almost shattered into pieces at the ma.s.sage as a fire began to build up inside her body. She finally understood that there was no way she could tease Long Feiye, no matter where or when it was. She’d only end up being the one teased instead.
In the eyes of Baili Yuanlong and the rest, it only looked like she’d been utterly humiliated. The deputy generals were even sporting cold smiles, while Baili Yuanlong was outright sneering. Yet he quickly knitted his brows. If the “deep love” between these two refers to joys of the bedchamber, then...
Baili Yuanlong had always known that His Highness was cultivating the l.u.s.tbite energy, but how could he be privy to the details? Even now, he was clueless as to his daughter Baili Mingxiang’s true purpose for going to Celestial Mountain. Currently, only the Celestial Mountain sword sect master, Gu Beiyue, Baili Mingixang, and the shadow guard A’Dong by her side knew about the connection between the l.u.s.tbite energy and dual cultivation. He only knew that Han Yunxi had revealed her cinnabar gecko mark back on Fishey Island, meaning she was still a virgin then.
Now…
It’s been so long since Fishery Island, and His Highness doted on her so much. In that case, they must have, ages ago… Thinking up to here, Baili Yuanlong’s firsts reaction was to look at Han Yunxi’s stomach. There was no way the heir of the East Qin Dynasty could come from the West Qin princess’s stomach, ah! He couldn’t begin to imagine, much less accept, a child between Han Yunxi and His Highness! But he quickly calmed down. Han Yunxi hadn’t been with His Highness after she left Celestial Mountain at all, which was months ago. Her stomach was still flat, which means she couldn’t have gotten pregnant.
If Han Yunxi and Long Feiye knew what that old coot Baili Yuanlong was thinking of now, how would they feel?
But in truth, even a soldier like him would worry about such details. The matter of the emperor’s offspring was a national affair, so all of the civil and military officials of court would pay attention. Moreover, Long Feiye was the East Qin Dynasty’s sole heir. Everyone by his side wanted him to expand the imperial clan as soon as he could.
“Let me go!” Han Yunxi fumed as she struggled to sit up. “Long Feiye, release me! You’re shameless!”
Her rage was false, but she really did want to get up. If they kept on, who knew how shameless his hands would get?
Long Feiye smiled coldly. “This crown prince thought you’d lost all sense of shame when you said you liked me. Looks like I misunderstood! Then is princess still planning to give me face with this ‘deep love?’” As he finished, he let her go. Baili Yuanlong was no fool, so he couldn’t go too far with his acting.
Han Yunxi stood up and back away in awkward straits as she straightened out her clothes and exclaimed, “Long Feiye, we’ll do as you say. Although East and West Qin aren’t in an alliance, this princess still hopes that we can respect each other and stick to the terms during this ceasefire!”
Long Feiye languidly smoothed out his own robes as he rose to his feet, voice cold. “This crown prince is still worth that little bit of trust.” Then he turned to leave, but stopped at the door to shout, “Baili Yuanlong, still not leaving?!”
Baili Yuanlong and his men finally regained their senses and hurried after him, their hearts filled with admiration. His Highness still has ways. He’s the only one who can handle a woman like Han Yunxi.
As everyone left, Han Yunxi remained rooted to the spot with her heart pounding. She waited a while before walking outside, but Long Feiye was long gone. It left her with an unspeakably empty feeling.
“His Highness returned to the barracks?” she asked Xu Donglin in a low voice.
“To the training fields. Don’t worry, mistress, Baili Yuanlong will definitely be rebuked, “ Xu Donglin chuckled softly.
There was no need to say just how many drills Baili Yuanlong went through under Long Feiye’s orders. After this time’s experience, he’d probably never dare to act reckless again. If he didn’t move, no one else in the army would dare to find trouble for Han Yunxi, either. Her move of “killing the chicken to scare the monkey,” with a few words of support from Long Feiye, had ensured her safety in the East Qin barracks.
When night fell, Han Yunxi a.s.sumed that Long Feiye would return. She already had Xu Donglin take him a message, but no matter how she waited, Long Feiye didn’t come back. The night watch was left to the mermaid soldiers, so Han Yunxi couldn’t move about freely. She could only sit around until Xu Donglin used an excuse of delivering something to come over and tell her the news. Long Feiye had received an urgent message at the training grounds and left temporarily with Baili Yuanlong in tow. Neither of them would return for the next few days, so he couldn’t see her.
“Where did he go? What urgent business?” Han Yunxi asked anxiously.
“It should be military affairs. Mistress, unless His Highness tells us, this subordinate can’t find out the details either,” Xu Donglin said helplessly. Han Yunxi understood. These were military barracks, after all, which ran by its own set of rules. She wrote a letter to Gu Qishao and called Xu Donglin over to tell him to send it out personally. Its contents told Gu Qishao the entire truth and her current whereabouts.
She wouldn’t help Long Feiye or Ning Cheng when it came to the Wind Clan, but Gu Qishao and Mu Linger were two outsiders caught up in this mess. They had the right to the facts. Once Xu Donglin left, Han Yunxi cleaned things up a bit and prepared to sleep. The sound of training gradually faded as the night grew darker until silence fell upon the army grounds. Yet Han Yunxi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Perhaps it was because she’d been separated from Long Feiye so long that they hadn’t spent enough time reunited yet, but she couldn’t fall asleep after missing his face for just a few hours.
Long Feiye, where are you now? What are you doing?
She shut her eyes and reviewed all the scenes that had happened that day. There was him “humiliating” her, his every word and action, then the two days they had spent entwined together. His coldly handsome face, his deep eyes, his scorching pa.s.sion, coa.r.s.e kisses, and the sweat that had dripped off the end of his nose, his strength, his gentleness…
Han Yunxi turned over and buried her face in the pillow. She suddenly felt an impulse to seek him out because she missed him too much. Heavens, night really makes people lose all reason!
At this moment, a guard suddenly spoke up from outside. “Princess, Miss Baili requests an audience.”
Baili Mingxiang?
Han Yunxi had already changed into sleepwear, so she was too lazy to change back. There were no servant girls at the military barracks, which truly made things inconvenient. She didn’t emerge, but shouted loudly, “Let her in!”
When Baili Mingxiang entered the tent, she remained standing outside its inner part.i.tion to make a respectful bow. “West Qin princess, can Mingxiang come in to speak a few words with you?”
Han Yunxi hesitated before she said, “Come in.”
Baili Mingxiang carefully lifted the curtains and walkd inside, only to see Han Yunxi sitting lazily in bed with a single layer of nightclothes. Typically, most woman would be retiring to bed with all their clothes neatly worn. Even nightclothes were b.u.t.toned up completely, yet Han Yunxi had left them all loose as they draped on her form and revealed the wine red top covering her up inside.
Although Baili Mingxiang had served her at Leisurely Cloud Pavilion, she had rarely ventured upstairs into the bedroom. This was her first time seeing how Han Yunxi went to bed. Baili Mingxiang was already more reserved than the typical female, so she was startled by the sight and didn’t dare to stare. She knelt on her knees with he head bowed, and finally said after a while, “Esteemed w.a.n.gfei…”
How long had it been since someone called her that? Han Yunxi almost missed it in a fit of sorrow. That t.i.tle represented all of her unforgettable memories from the past. But she still cut Baili Mingxiang short. “What do you mean by this?”
Xu Donglin had long given her Long Feiye’s warning: she had to be prudent and cautious. Although Baili Mingxiang was a good girl, she was still Baili Yuanlong’s daughter…