Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

This time it was more than twice as intense as the scene performed for the people in the shadows just now.

When he kissed her, it carried something that had been suppressed for too long. Finally, at this moment, there was nothing to hide. His lips pressed down on hers, and his tongue paused for a moment at her teeth, as if asking for her consent. When he did not receive a rejection, he explored half an inch further in.

His hand slid from the back of her neck to the back of her head, his fingers tightening, the force three times greater than when she had gripped his clothes earlier, trapping her between the chair back and his arm, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Xi Yueli was kissed by him in the chair, causing her to lean back, her back pressed against the curve of the chair back, and her hands somehow grabbed his clothes again.

Her breathing became completely disordered; the breaths escaping from her nose were short and rapid, carrying the exhaustion of her strength, which had not yet fully recovered from her serious illness, and was now depleted by this fierce kiss.

When Helian Jing noticed that her breathing was becoming labored, he loosened his grip and pulled his lips away from hers by half an inch, but he didn't pull away completely. His forehead was pressed against hers, and his breathing was even heavier than hers.

He looked down at her face, flushed in the twilight so close to his, then straightened up and reached out to blow out the lamp on his desk.

The bedchamber was shrouded in the usual darkness of a winter night. Moonlight streamed in from behind the paper windows, spreading a hazy, silvery-white light across the floor and melting the silhouettes of the two people into the shadows.

He bent down in the darkness, his arms slipping under her knees and lower back, and lifted her horizontally from the chair. His movements were steady and precise, circling around the corner of the desk, and he placed her down on the couch, letting her nestle against the covers.

His hand was still resting on her lower back, not immediately withdrawing. Xi Yueli looked up at him. Moonlight shone through the window paper, illuminating his face under half a mask, making it half bright and half dark. His eyes shone brightly in the darkness, like two obsidian stones repeatedly polished by the night wind.

He sat down on the edge of the tatami mat and looked down at her for a moment. Then he leaned down, his forehead against the hollow of her shoulder, his nose brushing against the side of her neck, like a beast that had finally found its den, sheathing all its sharp claws and fangs, pressing its softest fur against her body.

His palm rested on her waist, and through the fabric of her nightgown, the warmth of his hand felt as if it had just been taken from the edge of a fireplace. His lips pressed against the skin of her neck, with an almost stubborn softness.

"I want a title, whether it's a doctor or a male concubine, any status will do—give me a title, and I'll serve you at the beck and call of the Imperial Preceptor."

Xi Yueli turned her head to the side, the moonlight falling on her face, clearly illuminating her flushed ear tips and cheekbones. "What title do you, the dignified Prince of Yingchen, need..."

His thumb pressed against her lower lip, as if to shut her up from her stubborn retort, "Don't say no."

"I know you haven't fully recovered yet, and you're even having trouble breathing. I won't do anything; I'll just hold you and sleep with you tonight."

Xi Yueli stared at this shameless person, and suddenly felt that something that had been pressing on her heart for too long was finally released. She reached out and lifted her head up half an inch from her shoulder.

"it is good."

Helian Jing's eyes lit up the moment that word was uttered. He buried his face in her shoulder again, this time even deeper than before, his lips pressed against the slender pulse on the side of her neck, feeling the vein beating steadily beneath his lips.

He gently pulled her closer to his waist, his touch very light.

The moonlight moved slowly from behind the window paper, casting the overlapping silhouettes of the two people on the couch into a single, indistinguishable shadow. His breath rose from her shoulder, carrying a sense of relief as if he had finally settled down.

After seeing the darkening of the bedroom window paper, Liu Sanniang, who was on night duty under the corridor, moved the hidden guards a few steps further away and retreated to the outside of the moon gate herself.

No one is staying in that room in the side courtyard tonight. The medicine stove on the stove has been extinguished, and the mortar and pestle are upside down on the corner of the table.

The moonlight of the winter night illuminated the snow on the eaves as a cold white, and the entire palace was quietly nestled in darkness. Only the faintest sounds occasionally came from behind the paper windows, which could not be heard through the wall.

When Xi Yueli woke up, the morning light was seeping in through the gaps in the window paper, casting a narrow golden line on the edge of the bed.

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Helian Jing's face, which was very close to hers.

He lay on his side next to her, one hand still resting on her waist, half of his mask removed and placed beside the pillow, the morning light casting a soft glow on the high contours of his brow bone.

Xi Yueli looked down at herself. The collar of her nightgown was open, and there was a faint red mark above her collarbone. Helian Jing's moon-white long robe was half-undone, revealing a section of his shoulder line, and there were two light red finger marks below his Adam's apple.

She couldn't remember anything that happened yesterday, let alone last night.

Her memory was cut off when she and Helian Jing discussed acting; how the play went on, how it turned into reality—her mind was completely blank.

Xi Yueli slowly sat up, supporting herself on the edge of the couch. Helian Jing had already woken up the moment she moved.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on her face. Those usually sharp eyes were still hazy from just waking up. "Awake?"

Xi Yueli looked at him, opened her mouth, then closed it again. She raised her hand and pressed her temple; the dull pain there had subsided, but her memory was still missing.

"Your Highness," she began, her voice tinged with a cautious probing, "Last night... was it me who summoned you?"

Helian Jing's heart suddenly skipped a beat when he saw her like this, but his face still showed the same languid look as if he had been drenched in rain. He lowered his eyes, shifting his gaze from her face to his half-open collar, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"What?...You don't remember what happened last night?"

Xi Yueli's fingers tightened around the blankets. She didn't dare to speak, but her expression betrayed her.

Helian Jing turned his head to look at her again, the tension in his eyes slowly replaced by a helpless smile. He reached out and tucked the stray hairs that had fallen to her cheek behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her earlobe with very light pressure.

"You called me here last night, saying your head still hurt. I took your pulse and gave you two acupuncture needles, and you felt a little better. Then you grabbed my clothes and wouldn't let me leave, saying there were spies from the Regent outside, and we needed to put on an act."

He paused, looked into her eyes, and lowered his voice by half a octave, "You said one more thing."

"What did you say?" Xi Yueli's voice was a little tense.

Helian Jing slightly curved the corners of his mouth, "You said... I never regret what I do," and then pushed me down onto the couch.

Xi Yueli's ears burned the moment he finished speaking the last word, and his entire face flushed red from his ears to his cheekbones.

She subconsciously took a half-inch back, but the hand on her side somehow appeared again, pressing her down lightly to prevent her from moving too far.

"How could someone who practices martial arts be so easily pushed down by me?" Xi Yueli pressed her fingers against his approaching chest.

"That's naturally... the Grand Preceptor who took the initiative. He's too tempting, I can't control myself..." Before she could finish her thought-provoking words, she covered Helian Jing's mouth.