Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 177, Section 176: Deep Affection Between Husband and Wife
The two returned to the palace hand in hand, and at first glance, the atmosphere was harmonious and they seemed to get along very well.

But in reality, Ji Heng, who was trying hard to restrain himself from leaving the person behind, thought to himself:
The Queen is good in every way, except that she is too attached to me!
If this continues, how will we be able to concentrate on doing great things?

Qin Shi, who was holding Ji Heng's hand and trying to slow him down, thought to himself: "Indeed, physical contact is the fastest way to find intimacy."

Otherwise, she was really afraid that things would get awkward later, or that the conversation would revert to the political channel.

It's good to talk about politics, but her relationship with the king can't be limited to politics; otherwise, she'll waste her advantages as queen.

At this moment, her wide robe and sleeves also concealed her slight tension. When Chi Nu led the people to serve tea, Qin Shi let go of her hand, but did not leave. Instead, she remained sitting beside him.

The long skirt trailed on the ground, the black silk gauze and vermilion red overlapping, and the red ribbons that loosened with her movements became even more eye-catching.

Ji Heng glanced at her again.

Qin Shi asked softly, "I wonder what Your Majesty has had tonight? Would you like to take a bath first?"

Ji Heng paused at his lips, then put the teacup he had just picked up.

He stared intently at Qin Shi, overwhelmed with a thousand thoughts, unsure where to begin.

Zhou Ju stood to the side, somewhat hesitant. He wasn't sure whether he should lead his men away or arrange for the king to bathe first...

but!

The King of Qin—no, the Queen—is being far too blunt!

Following the usual pattern of the ladies in the harem, they would always start by reciting poems or painting, or by gesturing... In short, they would find a topic to start a conversation, and then wait for the king to say, "It's late at night, time to settle down!"

Heaven and earth conscience!

The distance between Lanchi Palace and Zhangtai Palace is an hour, even by fast horse or carriage! Qin Shi waited for the king for a long time. He did eat some dinner, but he should be considerate of Ji Heng—what if he didn't eat?

It's normal to ask about late-night snacks these days, right?

If Your Majesty does not wish to eat, then a bath and a change of clothes may suffice.

We're all adults here; surely we can't be discussing highbrow or somber matters on the night of the investiture ceremony!

In short, the Queen was so passionate and straightforward that even Ji Heng, who was always calm and composed, was at a loss for words.

He finally stood up: "Then... let's take a bath and change clothes first."

Lanchi Palace already had a private hot spring bath for the King of Qin. When Zhou Ju led his men to serve him, Qin Shi was somewhat surprised:

"Your Majesty, are you not going to have any maids?"

The Red Maiden replied, "The King does not like to use maids."

The reason is simple: firstly, he felt that women were timid and prone to crying, making them very unreliable.

Secondly, those who are bolder are often not satisfied with the role of a maid.

Therefore, whether it was Zhangtai Palace or Fang Palace, there were only a handful of maids.

Qin Shi was pleasantly surprised and grasped Chi Nu's slightly calloused hand, saying, "No wonder you are all so outstanding; it turns out you were personally selected by the King!"

Now, she's gotten all the benefits!

The Qin Dynasty was filled with genuine joy.

The woman blushed slightly and hurriedly withdrew her hand: "King Qin... Queen! It's late at night, you... you..."

She pursed her lips and lowered her voice, saying, "This servant and the physician will prepare the medicine at the hot spring."

Qin Shi: ...

She immediately tensed up.

Imagine a mature man over 1.9 meters tall practicing fencing, longbowmanship, and martial arts...

When Ji Heng came out of the hot spring, he saw Qin Shi sitting by the couch with his eyes downcast, as if he had something on his mind.

From this angle, her long, white neck hangs low, appearing exceptionally graceful.

But only Ji Heng knew that the other party possessed a vast and profound understanding of the world, and was a genius of extraordinary talent.

All her goals were achieved through those flowery and sweet words; if Qian Tian was extremely strong, she was like water. Then his gaze fell downwards, and sure enough, he saw the seemingly tottering crimson ribbon again.

But at that moment, Ji Heng waved everyone away.

The palace gates closed, and he casually approached, bending down and casting a shadow over Qin Shi.

He finally reached out and gently pulled the ribbon down.

A crimson ribbon was wrapped around his large fingers, and Ji Heng's expression showed a hint of pleasure.

Qin Shi glanced at it, and then it dawned on him:
He's so direct.

But in romantic relationships, both parties naturally need to feel something for it to be enjoyable.

She looked up and gazed intently at the monarch before her, then reached out and gently stroked his handsome cheek.

Ji Heng seemed somewhat surprised.

But the next moment, Qin Shi cupped his cheeks, and then her red lips covered his face—

He is too tall.

Qin Shi thought somewhat reservedly, but gently kissed the sliding Adam's apple.

The shoulders and back beneath his palms instantly tensed, as if they were made of a thick city wall.

Qin Shi's cheeks flushed, but the other person made no move, so she had to continue if she didn't want to feel awkward.

The next moment, it's the chin.

Ji Heng disliked growing a beard because it took a lot of time to groom him every day, which really interfered with his handling of state affairs.

Now, on this smooth yet slightly rough chin, one can feel the other person's soft, warm lips with exceptional clarity.

What a sincere and straightforward sentiment!
Are they in such a hurry?

His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but before he could say anything, Qin Shi gave him a reproachful look and then gently kissed his lower lip.

At the same time, her jade-white arms rose slightly, and the wide silk sleeves slipped down, revealing her exceptionally soft, lotus-root-like arms amidst the interwoven black and red colors, which then wrapped around his neck.

Ji Heng closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again, and with a slight exertion of his arms, completely enveloped the queen, whose heart and eyes were filled with him, under his wings.

……

Qin Shi really did use the medicinal soup prepared by Yi Mingbei.

But by the time it took, it was already the morning of the next day.

As a person with high energy, Ji Heng got up early in the morning to practice archery and horsemanship diligently, even though it was more than an hour later than usual.

Qin Shi was sound asleep in the silky comfort of the bed, but a little later, the Minister of the Palace would send someone to hand over various matters concerning the palace, so he really couldn't sleep any longer.

So the Red Woman forcibly pulled her into the hot spring.

The hot water soothed her entire body, and her consciousness slowly returned. But she was exhausted and could only lie limply against the pool wall, letting the maids serve her.

The woman in red was washing her hair when she asked, full of questions, "Where did the pearl hairpin that the Queen wore yesterday go?"

Qin Shi thought back to last night, as if he had fallen off the brocade quilt during a turbulent journey, his long black hair hanging down and quickly soaked with sweat.

Someone came to tidy up the bed while I was half asleep...

But she couldn't remember, so she remained silent.

Yi Ming, however, paid no attention to the pearl hairpin. At this moment, he was rubbing the bruises on her side while saying with heartache, "How could the King be so cruel!"

Qin Shi blushed immediately.

Meanwhile, Yi Ming asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, last night when I was guarding the hot spring, I clearly heard you crying. Why won't the King let you go..."

　Coming!
　　Hey! My birthday is almost over!

　　I tried my best with this chapter, I hope it won't be... well, you know...

　　(End of this chapter)