Chapter 93: Sweet and Bubbly Hot Spring.

  On the seventh day of summer, she returned to her house and checked one by one the things that Zhao Zhu had prepared for her. She found that they were all ceremonial clothes, formal clothes, casual clothes, and accessories suitable for a princess consort. It seems that tomorrow's festival is indeed solemn, and he was afraid that she, as the "current princess consort", would wear something too shabby and lose face for the Zhao family.

  "So I should take it seriously too?"

  She smiled and joked with Li Mo, but there was no smile on his face.

  "Chu Qi, are you nervous?"

  "What's the big deal? I've already seen the emperor, and there's nothing special about it. Besides, isn't it just attending a palace festival? It's all just eating and drinking..." She may not have experienced it herself, but she's watched plenty of TV dramas!

  She thought to herself and naturally didn't say what was on her mind, but instead smiled faintly and glanced at Li Mo, then went out to instruct someone to prepare hot water for washing her face.

  Being a princess is good, nowadays in her courtyard, there are also several serving maids and attendants, whatever she wants, she just needs to shout, and it will come, she can thoroughly be a big rice worm in the feudal society.

  A warm water surface quickly appeared, with a layer of fresh rose petals floating on top.

  Take a sniff, and the air is filled with the faint, delicate scent of roses.

  She was very satisfied, dismissed all the servants and started to dress up her face again. In front of the mirror, she patted her cheeks, looked left and right, and felt that this face had become much more delicate. These days, in order to maintain her original appearance, she deliberately made her face look more masculine, but now she thoroughly removed all "makeup", and her whole face seemed to have become much more beautiful and elegant.

  Satisfied! Still satisfied!

  Keep working hard to become a beautiful woman, one day you will scare Zhao Zhu to death!

  Thinking of this, she smiled happily in front of the mirror, humming a little tune as she took out her self-made face mask and skillfully applied it to her face, massaging it in bit by bit, doing it very carefully.

  "This tender skin mask, as long as you persist in using it, your skin tone will get better and better, more and more tender, can keep a woman's age forever at eighteen, no wrinkles, no freckles, healthy and smooth - you're worth having. Brother, want some too?"

  Looking at her "mask face", Li Mo's lips twitched slightly.

  "You're still under sixteen, miss."

  "Uh, I mean... Ah, forget it! You're just too stiff!"

  It's rare for Xia and Li to discuss the issue of "18 or 16 years old", on the seventh day of summer, Xia couldn't help but roll her eyes at her and continued to focus on her own face.

  It is said that "a woman's beauty is for her own pleasure", and although she has been busy with penicillin these days, she hasn't relaxed one bit in her efforts to improve her face and body. However, her fervor has not infected Li Mei at all.

  Everything that can be made beautiful, Mei Zi would come to ask for it without hesitation. Li Mo, on the other hand, didn't think much of it at all. She seemed more like a "man" than Xia Chuqi, wearing a plain blue robe every day, and never applying any makeup, her face forever pale like a sheet of paper with no blood color. No matter how Xia Chuqi advised her to take care of herself, she would only say two words - not needed.

  "I say you're still young, why bother with such troubles?"

  Li Mian didn't answer her.

  "You look like you're not even living like an 18-year-old, but more like an 80-year-old. Hmph!"

  With both hands on her face massaging the facial mask, Xia Qi Qi closed her eyes and for the 108th time felt a sense of wonder at Li Mo's way of life. She didn't open them again, but instead carefully continued to massage, in order to help the "facial mask" penetrate deeper. It wasn't until a pair of hands reached under her armpits and tickled her that she let out a startled cry and opened her eyes.

  "Hey, what are you doing..."

  Looking at the shallow, flirtatious look in the black eyes in front of her, looking at the man who had appeared behind her without knowing when, Xia Chuqi glanced at Li Mo, who had been silent for a while, and gave him a "serious reprimand" look, then turned his head back, nonchalantly facing the mirror.

  "You scared me to death! Didn't you say you'd be back tonight?"

  "Isn't Ah Qi surprised?"

  Surprise?

  It's lucky I wasn't scared to death by her!

  She glanced at Li Mo again from the mirror, she was originally still expressing her indignation at his "not telling", but unexpectedly, Li Mo seemed to have misunderstood, and quietly retreated with a slight bow, leaving the place to the two of them.

  "What's on your face? Pigeon droppings?"

  Usually, Xia Zhi was always a handsome and refreshing young man in front of Zhao Zhu. She had never shown him her "mask" before. When she suddenly heard his puzzled question, it was like thunder rolling in, making her feel a chill and furrowed her brow.

  "Grandpa, you really are a country bumpkin, this is called a face mask."

  Every time she uses things from later generations to fool him, she can find a sense of superiority and existence.

  Especially... when scolding a feudal king as a turtle.

  "Oh? Face mask." Zhao Zun muttered in puzzlement, and after listening to her finish explaining the effect of the face mask, he raised the corner of his lips, then lowered his head, seemingly smiling but not quite, and asked her, "A Qi is so concerned about her appearance, what's the reason?"

  "Could it be that you're still doing this for me?" Xia Chun Qi provoked him with a sideways glance, using her calm expression to cover up her own "guilt". After speaking, she walked past his body and washed her face in the basin, then came back to sit down, starting to pat her beauty water on her face, smiling as she did so.

  "Is there any girl in this world who doesn't love beauty?"

  Zhao Zhuo gazed at her quietly, his hands resting on her shoulders, looking at her face in the mirror - not thick and heavy, not seductive, not charming, not romantic. But fresh and tender like a small bud that has just opened on a February branch, the most delicate little peach blossom in a cluster of flowers in March, so beautiful it makes people want to pinch themselves.

  Her face flushed as she glanced at him sideways, Xia Chuqi turned her eyes away.

  "Have your eyes grown hooks? Haven't seen a beauty before?"

  Zhao's lips curled up slightly, and he gently turned her small face, which was still scowling with discontent, back to face the mirror. He took a glance at her, then sidled over to pick up the comb on the dresser and began to smooth out her long hair, which had been carefully tended to be soft and silky.

  "Being ugly has its advantages; an ugly girl doesn't attract people's attention, and it's more reassuring for her husband."

  A sentence "for husband" made Xia Chuyi's heart skip a beat, and her ears turned bright red.

  "Shameless, whose husband are you? Only in front of those few women in the backyard can you be called a husband?"

  He didn't answer, but paused for a moment and then said in a low voice.

  "Ah Qi is neither beautiful nor ugly, just right."

  Another sentence that made her feel embarrassed and speechless.

  What's the point of saying someone is neither beautiful nor ugly? Isn't that just saying they're mediocre?

  To be honest, today was the first time she had formally put on a "clean" face in front of him since those days, but she didn't expect this kind of result. Thinking about it made her feel a bit depressed - she hadn't even prepared herself yet? But thinking again, it's really hard to resonate with a man when talking about women's appearance issues.

  Xia gave up and changed the subject.

  "How come you're back so early today?"

  Didn't I say? I want to give you a surprise.

  He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Xia Chuqi looked at the man in the mirror with some disbelief. After a moment, seeing that he was still expressionless, his face showed no emotion, and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, deliberately letting out two dry laughs.

  "Okay, you succeeded. I'm so surprised!"

  Without waiting for his response, she stiffened her face and spread out her hands again, "Hey, mister, I'm being so cooperative with you, don't I deserve a reward?"

  "Yes."

  As if with a sigh, Zhao Zhu finished speaking and leaned down, brushing aside her hair to kiss her. Xia Chuqi's breathing tightened, but before his lips touched hers, his gaze fell on the scar at her left temple, and his eyebrows furrowed.

  "Didn't you get rid of this scar? How did it come back?"

  On the seventh day of summer, her heart skipped a beat and she hastily pulled down her hair to cover herself.

  How did he see your ugly side again?

  Moreover, after she applied the medicine, the scar from bumping into the bedpost last time had faded a lot. However, the "cheap" character that was branded on her two years ago seemed to have penetrated deeper into the skin and hadn't dissipated yet. If one looked closely at the flesh-colored scar, it would be easy to tell what it was.

  She cleared her throat and, covering up her embarrassment, gave him a sidelong glance.

  "Where are the scars so easily erased? The court holy product, Yu Zhe Gao, can't even cover it up. Normally, you don't see it because I use my own homemade skin wax to conceal it. Today isn't about doing a facial in the house? This is just after washing clean."

  She explained, but Zhao's eyebrows were furrowed tighter and he came to tease her hair again.

  "Let grandpa take a look."

  She slapped his hand away in a flurry and glared at him with wide eyes.

  "Don't look, it's ugly to death."

  "Zhao's lips twitched slightly at the corner, 'When have you ever been beautiful?'"

  Looking at him with a joking yet somewhat solemn expression, Xia Chuqi pulled his hand and sighed, "Don't worry, I know what to do. Tomorrow, I'll definitely put on a good face, dress myself up neatly, and become a handsome young master. I absolutely won't lose face for the Zhao family..."

  She patted his palm heavily after finishing speaking, but he grasped her hand instead.

  "What's this thing called?"

  "Panstick. Best coverage for skin, they use it in our place for TV and movie shoots."

  "TV? Movie?"

  Listening to his hesitant and curious voice, Xia Chuqi raised her eyebrows triumphantly, not bothering to explain such "high-tech" things to him. She just smiled and pulled him over, sat up straight, and squeezed her eyes shut.

  "Just you wait and see, I'll show you a magical effect—"

  She quickly took out the camphor wood box from her dressing table, applied a layer of skin wax to the scar on her forehead, and then another layer, waiting for it to be evenly absorbed before applying a layer of face cream that matched her skin tone. She slowly turned around, shaking her head back and forth in front of him several times.

  "How was it? Can't see anymore?"

  Zhao You looked at her with a slightly deeper gaze.

  "Will this wax come off with just one wash?"

  Is he worried that someone will find out? Or is he worried that she will be framed by someone with ulterior motives?

  "Hey, of course not! Am I that stupid? It has to be a mixture of soapwort, stone alum, radix angelicae dahuricae, cnidium rhizome, jade bamboo, white peony, winter melon seed and sophora flavescens... Grind them into fine powder, mix with water to form a paste, apply it on the affected area for a moment before washing off my special skin wax."

  At that time in Qinggang County, the skin wax she made was very simple and could be washed off with just vinegar. But since that time when Yuè Rú used vinegar water to wash your face, she became vigilant, and now this skin wax, except for herself, I'm afraid no one else has the skill.

  "That's good."

  Zhao You seemed to relax a bit and then reached out to hug her.

  "Hey, where are you going?" Xia Chuqi wrapped her arms around his neck, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement as she looked at him.

  "Accompanying you to dinner."

  "...She glared at him with her white eyeballs, "I've already eaten."

  "Grandpa hasn't eaten yet."

  ……

  ……

  It was on the seventh day of summer that it became clear, Zhao Zun's early return to the government office may not be a good thing.

  That guy was like a pest today, bothering her for several hours. He dragged her to eat with him, play chess with him, take a walk with him, feed the little black horse together, and do everything in the house with her, almost not letting her leave his side. He was overbearing and clingy, completely different from his usual cold and distant self.

  She was helpless.

  This old man has gone mad today.

  She could only think so!

  Always followed him, waited until the evening to eat dinner together in Chengde Temple, and then went to the garden to take a romantic stroll under the night sky, chatted for a while, he ordered Zheng Erbao to prepare the bath, and then held her hand, a group of people carrying lanterns, all the way to the "Tangquan Bathhouse" on the lake.

  The stone gate opened with a creaking sound.

  Two people walked hand in hand into the house, and the servants all stayed outside.

  The sunlight in the hot spring today seems especially gentle and warm?

  On the seventh day of summer, I strangely walked around that large marble screen wall and was stunned at first sight.

  It turned out that the strange light she felt earlier was not from the ignited candles, but because on the edge of the steaming hot spring pool, there were seven lotus-shaped bases inlaid with jade stones, and on each base, there were seven night pearls of different sizes and colors.

  Pale green, silvery white, pale blue, orange red... The lights of different colors make the room warm and cozy, and also shine on the hot spring pool water, making it rippling and charming. It's like a beautiful woman who is originally elegant and refined, now dressed in a luxurious costume, making the entire hot spring resort, the entire White Jade Pool, every corner of which exudes luxury and grandeur.

  It wasn't until after a good while that Xia Chuqi finally let out that breath.

  "My goodness! How much silver are these pearls worth?"

  As far as she knew, when Empress Dowager Cixi was buried, she had a night pearl in her mouth. During the Republic of China era, it was stolen by Sun Dianying's tomb robbery in 1908. At that time, its value was estimated to be 10.8 million taels of silver, equivalent to 810 million yuan today. Now, looking at the seven night pearls placed here by Zhao Zun, although she couldn't compare with Empress Dowager Cixi, thinking about that silver, that shiny silver, made her feel like there was a lot of saliva in her mouth...

  "Do you like it?"

  He asked faintly, his warm hand grasping hers, gently stroking it.

  She looked at him with a sideways glance, her eyes wide with surprise. The greedy and materialistic Seventh Girl obviously couldn't believe it.

  Were all these pearls given to her?

  Is this the surprise he was talking about today?

  She pressed her palm against her wildly racing heart, and her voice became unsteady.

  "I love it! I love it so much..."

  But before she could say "thank you", that guy casually added, "Unfortunately, it's not for you."

  "Ah" sound, Xia Chuiqi's face turned red, and suddenly felt that her face was completely lost.

  "It's none of your business, what are you asking if I like it or not, get lost!"

  Let go of her hand, Zhao Yunchuan glanced at her lightly with a calm and gentle expression.

  "Dad just wanted you to see it."

  Look at you, big-headed ghost! As expected, it's a game for the wealthy, she can't keep up.

  On the seventh day of summer, she was grinding her teeth while staring at the seven bright night pearls by the pool with non-stop drooling. She found them to be really too cute, their luster was really too warm and gentle, their curves were really too beautiful, so beautiful that she almost wanted to hug them in her sleep.

  "These trivial matters, I will take them to the Beiping Prefecture."

  Zhao Zhu slowly and elegantly finished speaking, then slowly untied his outer robe, unbuttoned his middle garment, and... looked at her again before slowly walking down the jade stone steps of the hot spring pool in just a pair of underpants. He relaxed and lazily soaked into the water, letting out a comfortable sigh.

  "Ah Qi, come and give grandpa a back massage."

  On the seventh day of summer, Xia Huo swallowed her saliva in front of Ye Mingzhu, looking at the upper body of that handsome and charming man in the pool. She really wanted to take a big brush over and crazily "abuse" this guy who was "abusing" her optic nerve.

  Did she bring her to the hot spring resort just to let her "appreciate" Ye Mingzhu?

  Having seen it all, do you still want to be responsible for being his servant?

  How can this be?!

  She had imagined it to be extremely romantic and beautiful, thinking that he would soon hold up seven night pearls and make a deep confession to her, then kneel down and propose. It turned out to be the fate of being a concubine after all.

  She walked over with a whoosh, took out her handkerchief to dip in the pool water, and then scrubbed his back vigorously.

  Damn! I'm damned! Damn you to death, you local tyrant!

  Seven... seven...

  Each one is worth a city, as long as there's one, what use are silver coins?

  She was resentfully rubbing his back, wishing she could scrub off a layer of skin. But unexpectedly, the more she found herself getting angry, the more he seemed to be enjoying it, lazily closing his eyes and letting her vent on his back, with an expression of serene comfort. His originally handsome face looked even more dignified and noble under the shine of the seven colorful night pearls, exuding a fatal allure that stirred her heart ceaselessly.

  That's not right——

  He said, take the night pearl to Beiping Prefecture?

  Suddenly, she was enlightened.

  Haha, Zhao Jinjiu, this is the style of a president!

  Is he using silver to tempt her, or is he using silver to bribe her? Isn't the goal to hope that this money-crazy woman will be tempted by wealth and follow him to Beiping Prefecture? Huh, could it be that this gentleman has lost confidence in his own charm, so he's changed tactics?

  At this thought, the resentment that had been pent up in her stomach suddenly disappeared. The force of her hands remained unchanged, but her movements as she massaged his back became sincere. However, those words in her heart were also not spoken directly, and she prepared to express her meaning in a different way.

  "Grandpa, I read a book before and it told a very interesting story."

  "Oh?" Zhao Zun's voice was low, "What story?"

  She tossed aside the towel, and Xia Zhi didn't immediately respond to him. Instead, she playfully nudged him with her elbow, turned his head around, and used both hands to roughly scratch his scalp a few times. Suddenly, with one swift motion, she yanked out several strands of his long hair, causing Zhao Zhuo's eyebrows to furrow in pain.

  "What are you doing?"

  Pursed lips, straight and happy, Xia Zhi Qi didn't make a sound. He just gently patted the "tiger's" head, then mimicked his earlier action of pulling his own hair, also pulling out a few strands, and tied them together with the other two strands, crouching by the pool edge, gazing at him with sparkling eyes.

  "Grandfather, the story in that book goes like this. The book says that the Night Pearl is a divine object, also known as the Yin-Yang Pearl, which can pass through yin and yang, connecting two realms. And the human body's Baihui acupoint on top of the head is also called Sanyang Wuhui, where the hundred meridians intersect. So, under the Night Pearl, taking a strand of hair from the Baihui acupoint of both men and women, braiding it into a braid, these two people can be together forever, no matter how heaven's way turns, no matter if they are separated by thousands or tens of thousands of years, they will never be apart again..."

  She is telling stories, but expressing emotions.

  If he wants to leave, she will follow him.

  If he wants to stay, she will follow him and stay too.

  If he wants this good land, she will help him conquer it.

  As long as she has it, she wants it to last forever.

  With him, she is also willing to devote herself wholeheartedly and be the wisteria that climbs on his big tree.

  Of course, that's what she thinks in her heart. She is actually a pretentious tomboy who rarely uses such low and gentle tone to say something so emotional.

  To be honest, there's some embarrassment and shyness. After she finishes speaking in a flustered manner, her small white face becomes even more delicate and translucent under the mist of the hot spring. That appearance can be described with one phrase: half shy, half infatuated.

  Zhao Zhuo didn't move, his eyes were calm and still, he himself was also very calm.

  He didn't speak, his dark eyes gazing deeply at her.

  He kept staring at her until she was extremely embarrassed, her cheeks burning hot, her heart racing wildly, and she almost bit her own tongue off. It wasn't until then that he suddenly reached out his hand, pulled the two strands of hair from hers, and personally braided them into pigtails.

  People's hair is very long at this time.

  Two small strands of hair were actually very few, but he braided them very seriously.

  "Drip, drip......"

  The sound of "Qiqi" has been lingering in her ears since the seventh day of summer.

  It's like the long-lost clock in my heart is ticking again, and it's also like the water droplets on the top of Tangquan have fallen.

  She silently watched him, hiding herself in the misty vapor of the reeds, a certain part of her heart was like a fish spitting out strings of pink bubbles...

  It was almost subconscious, but it made her feel a sense of inexplicable fate - as if heaven had prevented her from finding a good man in her past life, and then mysteriously traversed time and space, crossing the boundaries of yin and yang, life and death, all just to meet him in this lifetime?

  "Alright, it's edited."

  He glanced at the messy bun in his hand, Zhao Zhu's expression was calm and seemingly satisfied. He tossed it back to her and dove into the water again, letting out a sigh. "Although I know you're trying to deceive me with random pearls, and intentionally made up a story to make me happy... but... you succeeded, I'm very happy."

  What does "very happy" mean?

  On the seventh day of summer, there was a smile in her eyes, but she deliberately teased him.

  "Hah, I've been found out by you despite such a high-level scheme?"

  Zhao Zun turned around, his pair of black eyes that could turn the world upside down focused on her for a moment without speaking, but instead directly pulled her hand over, with an inexplicable softness in his eyes, and some indescribable emotions that couldn't be seen clearly, his voice was low and asked her.

  "So you have a reward for me?"

  Observing his emotions, Xia Qiuli raised an eyebrow, "Hm, speak up, what do you want?"

  Zhao Zhu looked at her smiling face, moved his lips, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating, and a cold, elegant face showed a few more hints of wanting to say something. But after being silent for a long time, he cleared his throat and suddenly blurted out a sentence.

  "A Qi, tonight, come and serve me in bed."

  Like being struck by a thunderbolt, Xia Qi thought she had misheard. Since he accidentally broke into the good doctor's place and "slept" with her last time, from the second day onwards, he never mentioned this matter again.

  It can be said that this man has always been quite self-disciplined, what kind of madness got into him today?

  Her heart beats wildly, her face red, she smiles awkwardly.

  "Grandfather, your illness seems quite serious?"

  Zhao Zhu didn't respond to her inquiry, but instead pulled her hand into the warm and misty hot spring water on that spring day. Under the hazy light of the seven night pearls, he gazed at her intently for a moment before suddenly pulling her into the water and kissing her lips fiercely.

  "Grandpa..."

  The body was soaked in a warm hot spring, and all the pores were opened up.

  As he kissed her, she trembled all over, her hands stiffly grasping his shoulders.

  He was probably caught by her and patted her hand comfortingly, waiting for her body to relax, but then suddenly turned around and pressed her heavily against the inclined surface of the jade stone, deeply kissing...

  The kiss lasted for a long time, so long that she thought it would be the end of the world or the destruction of the universe before he finally gasped with difficulty and opened his eyes, staring at her with a pair of bright black eyes, saying a sentence.

  "This illness of mine can't be cured."

  ……

  ……

  It has to be said that Zhao Zun is indeed a feudal king who adheres to etiquette.

  In the pool water, she struggled for a while, kissed, hugged, and held, but unexpectedly didn't continue, and stood up straight, leaving her alone to gnash her teeth and soak in the bath.

  She could wait until she was comfortable, thinking that tonight's "romantic story" had ended. Unexpectedly, he picked her up again and directly carried her to his bedroom in the Chengde Courtyard, placing her on the soft couch that Mei Zi had already prepared.

  "Leave now."

  He brushed off his sleeve and gave a faint command.

  "Yes, Master..."

  Zheng Er Bao looked at him with a pleased expression and backed away with a smile.

  Plum suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared, Summer 17 squeezed her eyes shut, and together with several other little maids, quietly retreated, leaving only her awkwardly facing the man who was acting strangely tonight.

  It's really going to happen tonight... I'm actually going to lose my virginity?

  Her eyes were in disarray, but Zhao Zun went over to lock the door and when he walked back to the bed, a smile played on his lips as he looked at her.

  Are you afraid?

  Xiāo Qī coughed awkwardly and replied very honestly.

  "It's not that I'm afraid or anything. It's just that I feel the way we are now, haha, doesn't seem quite right?"

  He chuckled softly, Zhao Zhu leaned over and pulled the quilt up for her, then sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled down the bed curtain with one hand, and lay down beside her without moving.

  On the seventh day of summer, his body was stiffer than a stone.

  "Grandpa, I'd better go back to sleep... so as not to cause gossip..."

  Zhao Zhu did not respond to her, turned his body sideways, a pair of fiery eyes fell on her face, but still there was no other improper movement.

  Swallowing hard, Xia Chuqi's heart beats faster.

  What does he want to do after all?

  This was his first time lying with her in a sober state.

  Not medicinal properties, nor the power of wine, nor anything else...

  So he should like it this way?

  She thought, her face turned red again and again, the two lips were already a piece of red, a pair of eyes wet like two clear springs, and that pair of long eyelashes under the reflection of the big red candlelight, flickering and shaking, completely revealing her tense thoughts.

  "Hey, what have you been staring at me for?"

  He put one hand on her waist and with a slight effort, he pulled her entire body into his arms.

  "Good-looking."

  Xia Chuqi was slightly stunned.

  He has never said she is beautiful, this is the first time since they met.

  It's obvious that once a man's thinking becomes abnormal, his brain is not working properly. And the direct reason for this is probably because it happens in bed. When men are in bed and want to do that kind of thing, don't they always say a few sweet words?

  She began to breathe rapidly at this thought——

  In front of her was his sensual facial features, her heart was attached to his pounding heartbeat, her breath merged with his increasingly heavy breathing...

  She suddenly felt that lying on such a luxurious and ambiguous carved flower bed with such an unmatched handsome man was really too much for a woman to bear. Moreover, the impact of this kind of brainwashing was also too great, it was easy to confuse people's minds.

  It's all messed up. With one mess, her mind is also unclear.

  It's inevitable to "get a knife" sooner or later, is today perhaps an appropriate day?

  Otherwise she would have given in to him?

  Her heart skipped a few beats, and suddenly her mind started playing out restricted-level scenes. She began to associate those actions and steps, thinking about whether she should use her limited theoretical knowledge to arm herself into an "absolute beauty", making it impossible for him to move forward?

  Don't be too silly and stiff for the first time, can you take the initiative?

  No way! Can't be too casual either, or it won't look like a 16-year-old girl.

  It's also wrong, if you're as stiff as a dead fish, what's the point of having fun?!

  No, no, it seems... none of them are right!

  Alas, what does she have to do to make her first performance perfect?

  In his extremely charming breathing sound, her heart almost jumped out of her throat.

  "What are you thinking?"

  He slightly narrowed his eyes, lowered his head, and gently stroked her face with his thumb.

  "No, what was I thinking?" Her hands clenched into fists, and she tensed up in an instant.

  "Want it?" he asked in a low voice, with a hint of eagerness.

  As if stung by a bee on his buttocks, Xia Qiqi slapped his hand away in annoyance.

  "Who cares? Get lost, I'm going back to sleep... too lazy to bother with you."

  Zhao's cold lips curved into a smile, and he wrapped his arms around her struggling body, leaning in to kiss her. Slowly, gently, and tenderly, he savored the taste of her lips, teasing her with a joyful heart, as if savoring a cup of sweet and fragrant wine. Until she was kissed to the point of weakness, her lips slightly parted, her face flushed like a layer of rouge, and she had lost all resistance, he finally let out a sigh and released his grip on her body, moving the hand that had been tightly wrapped around her waist to her side.

  He grasped her hand and interlocked their fingers.

  A pair of pitch-black eyes, with a hint of annoying mockery.

  "Sleep."

  Taking deep breaths, Xia Qi Qi didn't know whether to cry or laugh, unable to struggle, unable to escape, and also unable to resist his temptation. She could only obediently place her chin on his chest, her body curled up like a pitiful little kitten, and let out a faint "oh" before closing her eyes.

  "Is Ah Qi disappointed?"

  The sudden sound from above fell into Xia Chuqi's ears.

  This time it wasn't just her face that turned red, her whole body did.

  She slapped him with a scowl and glared at him resentfully.

  "Who's disappointed? You're the one who's disappointed, your whole family is very disappointed."

  Zhao Zhuo grasped her hand, kissed her once, his lips falling on her forehead like comforting a wounded little animal, gently rubbing back and forth a few times before slowly speaking up, that low, muffled voice blending into the dim night lights, as if infused with a hint of intoxicating fragrance.

  "When I officially marry you with a proper ceremony, I will definitely not disappoint you."

  At the beginning of summer, Qī (the seventh day) was red-faced and lowered her eyelids. Her gaze fell on his slightly open collar, revealing a patch of sensual skin. For a moment, her heart was in disarray. She only heard the words "won't let you down" with their implied meaning, but didn't carefully ponder the phrase "proper marriage". Given their current identities - one a prince and the other an imperial son-in-law - how could it possibly come true?

  The red candle in the room burns quietly.

  All night long, her nose was filled with the faint scent of him.

  From excitement to relaxation, she didn't know when she fell asleep. He slept very possessively, tightly wrapping his arms around her, with a completely possessive posture, making her head stick to his chest, always feeling his warmth.

  On the seventh day of summer vacation, Xiazhi thought: such a man, if she doesn't like him, it's simply unscientific, unless she is an emotionless cold-blooded animal.

  ……

  ……

  The firecrackers went off several times, but she was completely unaware of it.

  It was Mei Zi who woke her up after a beautiful dream at night.

  She rubbed her eyes and saw Mei's chubby little face, she suddenly felt a hint of disappointment. She looked around the room, where was Zhao Zhu's figure?

  How could he just leave like that!?!

  She tapped her head dazedly, having a dreamlike feeling.

  I'm even starting to doubt whether last night's experience was real or not.

  "Plum, where's grandfather?"

  Meizi's face was flushed as she looked at her, giggling and smiling, "The emperor went into the palace early this morning, he also instructed me to wake you up by noon at the latest, today there is a mid-autumn festival sacrifice prepared by His Majesty."

  "Oh. Got it..."

  It's all deceitful inside, what the happiest thing in the world is, is to sleep together the night before, and when you wake up early in the morning, you can see a handsome face with clear features, looking at the female protagonist with deep affection.

  Xia Chuiqi let out a soft "hmm" and woke up with a yawn, still in a daze as Meizi helped her wash and comb her hair, then changed into the same outfit she had worn for the wedding. Her mind was probably still stuck on last night's events, as the corners of her mouth curled up into a subtle smile.

  "Chu Qi, you're in a great mood today!"

  "Can you see all this?" Xia Chu smiled and said, "You've become a spirit, Little Plum Blossom."

  "Isn't it? Just look at you, even your eyes are smiling."

  Do eyes also smile?

  Listening to Mei Zi's chatter, Xia Chuqi's eyebrows and eyes curved, she looked embarrassed with her head lowered, but smiled even more brightly.

  It has to be said that love does have a kind of magical power. It can turn a girl with a thicker skin than city walls into a shy and timid little wife overnight...

  She melted into her own joy, yearning for the beauty of the future. After finishing her toilette, she returned to her own small courtyard, carefully tidying up her face until the scar on her forehead was completely gone, only then did she get onto the carriage with satisfaction.

  However, she was still too optimistic.

  It was later proven that in many cases, the calmer the sea surface, the more turbulent the waves were hidden. And this road of love, it turned out to be a hundred times, a thousand times more treacherous than she had imagined, and only after going through wave after wave of ups and downs could it possibly be perfected.

  Zhonghe Festival is also known as Spring Dragon Festival, which is an important agricultural festival at this time.

  It is said that on the day of Zhonghe Festival, it is the day when the Dragon King who is in charge of clouds and rains in heaven raises his head, so it is also called "Dragon Raises its Head". From that day on, rainfall will increase, and ordinary people will begin to engage in busy spring farming. Therefore, for a feudal society dominated by agriculture, Zhonghe Festival is a major solar term.

  On this day, not only will there be grand sacrifices among the people, but the old emperor will also rise early to worship at the Temple of Heaven and pray for good weather, national prosperity, and a bountiful harvest. After worshipping heaven, the old emperor will also go to the imperial fields in the suburbs of Beijing to hold a plowing ceremony, personally taking the lead in plowing the fields and advocating for agriculture among the people.

  Finally, a grand feast will be held in the Fengtian Hall for all officials, and they will be awarded with "Baiguan Yan".

  That is to say, today on Xia Zhi Qi (the seventh day of the first month of summer) there are three activities to participate in - worshiping heaven, plowing fields and eating.

  All the way, the little eunuchs arranged by Zheng Er Bao were telling her about the etiquette and rules of worship during the ceremony. Xia Chuqi listened quietly, feeling more and more that being a prince consort in this feudal era was not an easy job either. The power was not great, but there were many rules to follow.

  Looking at the magnificent clothes on her body, Xia Chuyi's heart was racing with anxiety.

  That feeling, as if today's appointment was just a Hongmen Banquet...

  Digression

  Girls, where is the monthly ticket? Where is the monthly ticket?

  My sinful hands have already reached into your pockets; will you honestly hand it over or should I take it out?