SGSHE130

Xing Qi said in a trembling voice, “I’ll go right away.”

After all, going to take a bath was better than being held and teased by Jing Heguang right now!

Seeing how stiff Xing Qi was, Jing Heguang didn’t want to scare him. He withdrew his hand and smiled, saying, “It would have been better if you’d just listened from the start.”

Almost the moment the hand let go, Xing Qi stood up and darted away — whoosh — just like a rabbit.

As he watched Xing Qi’s retreating figure vanish, the image of a rabbit’s tail bobbing away lingered in Jing Heguang’s mind for a few seconds.

***

Soaking in the new bathtub, Xing Qi listlessly scrubbed his arm.

A few meters away, a young attendant asked, “Um…does madam need any help?”

The attendant felt awkward calling a man madam, but that was the title the steward had taught them to use.

Xing Qi’s face, who was flushed pink from the steam, startled by the question, he hurriedly shook his head. “No, no need.”

“Oh, then please hurry,” the attendant said in a lowered voice. “Master doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Xing Qi gave a perfunctory nod.

He knew the man didn’t like waiting, but as for rushing out…

How could he dare?

Jing Heguang was acting very strange tonight.

In a place where not even a mosquito could escape, if Jing Heguang really wanted to do something…wouldn’t he have to…

Xing Qi bit his lip and clenched his fists underwater.

What should he do?

What was he supposed to do?

Xing Qi was in a state of turmoil, He never imagined that on his very first day back, he would have to worry about something like this.

He soaked until the attendant had softly urged him twice and his skin had begun to wrinkle, only then did he steel himself and step out of the water.

Drying off.

Getting dressed.

Taking two deep breaths and gritting his teeth, telling himself, “Well, Jing Heguang is handsome anyway, so it’s not a loss”, Xing Qi summoned the courage of a warrior marching to a point of no return. He stepped out of the bathing room and into the main chamber.

The bridal chamber was filled with a faint, delicate fragrance, tinged with a hint of sweetness.

With his scalp prickling in tension, Xing Qi cast a quick glance toward the large bed, and his face instantly lit up with relief.

— Jing Heguang was asleep!

He had spent ages scaring himself, even steeling his nerves to ‘consummate’ with the imperial brother-in-law, only to find Jing Heguang fast asleep!

It was truly a stroke of luck.

The servants had all left.

Even the last young attendant had been pulled away by a companion to keep watch outside the door, an arrangement Jing Heguang himself had ordered.

Xing Qi let out a breath of relief.

Then, his gaze wandered longingly up toward the rafters.

He still wanted to sleep up there.

But upon closer inspection, Xing Qi realized there was no one on the beams.

Had even the shadow guards been withdrawn?

Xing Qi glanced at Jing Heguang on the bed, recalling how the leader had indeed instructed the men, and him, that the master was consummating his marriage tonight, so they were to stand guard outside to avoid spoiling the mood.

In his past life, there had been only one person in the bridal chamber, so naturally, there had been no need for anyone to keep watch outside.

Xing Qi mused to himself: Who would have thought that tonight, of all nights, it would actually be necessary…

Xing Qi stood there for a moment before slowly, hesitantly making his way to the bedside. He curled up on the outer edge of the bed, the space Jing Heguang had left open, and closed his eyes to rest.

Two red candles cast a flickering, dim light, which grew even more subdued behind the red shark-silk bed curtains.

Once Xing Qi’s breathing had steadied, Jing Heguang, who had merely been feigning sleep, opened his eyes.

He had been pretending. The steady, rhythmic breathing of sleep had been entirely controlled by his internal energy.

Seeing that Xing Qi was now asleep, Jing Heguang smiled and gently propped himself up to gaze at the person beside him.

Jing Heguang chuckled softly, “Such a timid fellow.”

After soaking in the water for so long…

Even though the other was asleep, he had watched him for a while before daring to get into bed himself.

Jing Heguang murmured this under his breath, then reached out to pull the quilt a little closer to Xing Qi.

After adjusting the covers, Jing Heguang gazed at the person right beside him. His hand drifted upward, lightly tapping the cheek he had poked earlier that evening.

Truth be told, he wanted to plant a kiss there.

But since the other was asleep, it felt a bit predatory — better to show some restraint.

Jing Heguang gave that one poke, withdrew his restless hand, and lay down to sleep while sorting out his thoughts.

He had to go to the imperial palace tomorrow, and later, he would have to deal with that large group of subordinates who were also intent on restoring the fallen dynasty.

Lost in thought, Jing Heguang failed to notice the person beside him, whose breathing faltered for a split second.

He wasn’t the only one skilled in martial arts.

A shadow guard’s martial arts skills were even better.

Jing Heguang had feigned sleep, but so had Xing Qi.

With the lingering sensation of those fingers still on his cheek, Xing Qi’s mind was in even greater turmoil.

Jing Heguang had poked his cheek again, what was the meaning of that?

***

Early the next morning.

Xing Qi woke up even earlier, only to make a startling discovery…the two of them were actually sleep hugging!

And in all likelihood, he was the one who had rolled inward, given that they were currently positioned deep against the inner side of the bed.

Xing Qi was dumbfounded. Back when he was a shadow guard, his sleeping posture had been impeccable.

Could it be that after returning home and sleeping in a large bed, his habits had deteriorated so quickly?

Xing Qi shrank back slightly, trying to slip out of Jing Heguang’s arms without making a sound.

But he had barely moved twice when a familiar voice rang out.

“Is it uncomfortable sleeping in my arms?” Jing Heguang felt he was being truly wicked, he was getting a bit too carried away with playing the role of the imperious master.

Xing Qi froze, his face flushing bright red.

He wanted to shout: Uncomfortable my ass!

However, his hesitation to speak made him dwell on the matter a bit longer.

He suddenly realized that he had slept quite soundly the night before, dead to the world, in fact.

Seeing him blush, Jing Heguang became even more playful: “Hmm?”

While urging him for an answer, Jing Heguang tightened his embrace, looking as though he would hold him even closer if he didn’t reply.

With his head bowed, Xing Qi forced two words out through gritted teeth: “Comfortable.”

It was barely a whisper.

Xing Qi thought to himself that if Jing Heguang claimed he couldn’t hear it, he’d punch him!

But as if reading his mind, Jing Heguang simply smiled and let go, proceeding to dress himself.

As a modern man, Jing Heguang certainly didn’t need anyone to help him get dressed.

With the servants waiting outside, Jing Heguang took his time dressing himself.

It wasn’t that he wanted to be slow, the original owner was due at the palace today, and the outfit was incredibly complex, something Jing Heguang didn’t know how to handle.

He had just managed to figure out which layers went on the inside and which on the outside and was in the middle of dressing when he heard a soft chuckle nearby.

Xing Qi’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Jing Heguang look his way.

— Oh no!

Why on earth did he have to laugh at Jing Heguang?

If the outfit was put on wrong, it would be Jing Heguang who looked foolish running outside. But by laughing, he’d gone and drawn the man’s attention to himself.

Besides, Jing Heguang was hardly a generous man. He was extremely concerned with saving face, and anyone who laughed at him would inevitably face petty retaliation. Xing Qi turned pale at the memory of a man who had once mocked Jing Heguang’s appearance and ended up being castrated.

Meanwhile, Jing Heguang felt deeply embarrassed to have his beloved laugh at him for making such a clumsy mistake.

Feeling his face heat up, he asked in a low voice, “Which piece did I put on wrong?”

Hearing the question, the previously nervous Xing Qi breathed a sigh of relief and answered gently, “The second layer, my lord. You tied the sash the wrong way around.”

“Oh, let me tie it again.”

Jing Heguang undid the sash and retied it himself.

As he lowered his head to tie the sash, Xing Qi, who had recovered from his initial fright, noticed that Jing Heguang was blushing.

Xing Qi was thunderstruck.

Jing Heguang was blushing?

To put it another way: Jing Heguang was capable of blushing?!

Jing Heguang could actually feel embarrassed?

He also recalled the previous night, when Jing Heguang had secretly pulled the quilt over him and poked his cheek.

An absurd thought flashed through Xing Qi’s mind, had the Jing Heguang of this lifetime inexplicably taken a fancy to him?

Xing Qi ate breakfast in a daze and then followed Jing Heguang into the carriage bound for the palace.

Once inside the carriage, Xing Qi couldn’t help but steal a few glances at Jing Heguang.

Jing Heguang looked back and started spouting nonsense: “Do you want to sit closer to me?”

Xing Qi: No! I absolutely do not!

But if he wanted to test Jing Heguang, he first needed to put the man at ease to gauge his true reaction.

So, Xing Qi shifted his hips slightly and obediently inched just a tiny bit closer to Jing Heguang.

But to Jing Heguang, the reaction was: What?!

He had only been spouting nonsense, yet Xing Qi actually wanted to sit closer?!

And he was moving so adorably and furtively too! That hit the spot, that really hit the spot!

Jing Heguang dropped the aloof persona of the original owner and leaned in toward Xing Qi with a smile. “If you want something, just say so. I’ll grant you whatever you wish.”

Xing Qi watched Jing Heguang’s undisguised delight: …

It was impossible to tell if Jing Heguang had returned from a past life just like him.

But the idea that Jing Heguang had gone mad and fallen in love with him? That actually seemed quite plausible.

He had only moved a tiny bit closer to Jing Heguang.

Was there really any need to be that happy?

Xing Qi was momentarily stunned by the look on his face and quickly averted his gaze from Jing Heguang’s smiling eyes.

Jing Heguang: He’s shy again!

He really does like me.

***

The carriage entered the imperial palace, with its high walls and green-tiled roofs.

First, they went to see the Emperor, then to pay their respects to the Empress.

Holding the gift the Emperor had bestowed upon him, Xing Qi began to worry about the safety of his own head.

As far as he knew, Jing Heguang was actively plotting to topple the Emperor. Now that he was publicly recognized as Jing Heguang’s ‘husband’, would he really come out of this unscathed?

Sigh… He would just have to try and redeem himself through merit.

Xing Qi rubbed his aching forehead. He wanted nothing more than to go home right now and ask his family for advice.

Perhaps because he hadn’t grown up in the Qin household or received their specific upbringing, Xing Qi felt he clearly lacked the shrewdness of his elders.

His own strengths lay mostly in martial arts.

Fengluan Palace.

The Empress had waited quite a while before finally seeing her older brother and his new husband arrive.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Empress had the Crown Prince brought in, then used the little one as an excuse to send Xing Qi away.

Once there were no outsiders left in the hall…

Jing Ya’an, wearing an ornate phoenix crown, looked at Jing Heguang. “Brother, what is going on? How did you end up marrying a shadow guard?”

Jing Ya’an stared down at Jing Heguang, her expression filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Her brother possessed an ethereal, otherworldly air. She absolutely refused to believe that he had taken a fancy to Xing Qi simply because of his looks.

If it wasn’t for his looks, it certainly wasn’t for his talent or character, otherwise, the development wouldn’t have been so abrupt. She had never heard of any shadow guard in her brother’s retinue being singled out like this before.

Jing Heguang raised his eyes to look at her, taking in the full measure of Jing Ya’an’s bewilderment and anxiety.

In his memories, the original owner had constantly stirred up trouble, making life miserable for this younger sister.

Ultimately, although Jing Ya’an hadn’t lost her life, she had been cast into the cold palace. Her young son had died prematurely, and she had spent her days in wretched loneliness.

Jing Heguang thought for a moment, then deliberately adopted a cold expression and a disgruntled tone: “A forced melon is never sweet. Since she looks down on me, why should I humiliate myself by fawning over someone who despises me?”

After venting this frustration, Jing Heguang suddenly smiled: “He is very fond of me. Rather than choosing someone who dislikes me, I’d prefer someone sincere, so I don’t have to worry about them turning around and harming me.”

Jing Ya’an had been mentally prepared for the first part, her brother was known for his fiery temper and tendency to hold grudges.

But the second part, and that sudden shift in demeanor…it looked so much like he had fallen in love.

It was that classic sort of denial: the kind where you’ve fallen head over heels but refuse to admit it, insisting instead that the ‘other’ person is the one who’s smitten!

Thinking of her brother’s completely blank romantic history, Jing Ya’an smiled and said, “As long as you like him, big brother. He seems quite docile too. He seems like he knows how to take good care of people.”

“It’s just…he occupies the position of your principal wife. What about children in the future?” Jing Ya’an probed, testing the waters regarding an heir.

Jing Heguang glanced at her.

“It doesn’t matter. A child of yours would still carry half the Jing family’s blood.”

After meeting the Empress, the two of them left the palace.

Xing Qi didn’t know what the Empress had discussed with Jing Heguang after dismissing him.

He had only seen the Empress looking delighted, so he assumed something very happy had occurred.

As for what could have caused the Empress such great joy, Xing Qi could not fathom it.

It was destined to be an extraordinary day.

The two of them had traveled just half a street beyond the palace gates…

…when their carriage was blocked by Grand Tutor Yi.