Jiang Chenbi stood up and led Cui Wangshu outside. Cui Wangshu asked in confusion, “Where are you taking me?”
Jiang Chenbi turned back and winked at her with her right eye. “The Bath Palace.”
Cui Wangshu pursed her lips, watching Jiang Chenbi’s excited back as she narrowed her eyes slightly. Did she like the cute type that much?
In the Bath Palace.
Jiang Chenbi looked at Cui Wangshu expectantly, her gaze urging her on. Under that burning stare, Cui Wangshu chuckled helplessly. “I’ve never seen you this eager before.”
Jiang Chenbi licked her lips. How could it be the same? Usually, she was the one being devoured, but today, she was the one who would devour the little lady.
Cui Wangshu’s throat bobbed as she tugged at her sash. Her clothes fell silently to the ground, and she shyly turned her head away. Jiang Chenbi stared at the person before her, feeling a rush of heat surge to her head.
She led her into the pool and pressed Cui Wangshu lightly against the edge. An urgent kiss landed on her neck, making Cui Wangshu tremble involuntarily.
At an angle Jiang Chenbi couldn’t see, a certain someone curved her lips in a sly, triumphant fox-like smile, indulging Jiang Chenbi as she ignited the fire on her body.
Damp strands of hair trailed water vapor onto the bed. Jiang Chenbi pulled back slightly, mesmerized as she admired the person beneath her—her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes rippling with desire.
Those usually clear, cold eyes now brimmed with emotion, like hooks that could steal one’s soul with a single glance.
Cui Wangshu grasped her hand and brought her fingertips to her lips, giving them a gentle bite. Her rosy tongue flicked over Jiang Chenbi’s fingertips.
Her red lips brushed against the woman’s wrist. Cui Wangshu’s eyes held a urging grievance, her hazy gaze tugging at Jiang Chenbi’s heart.
Jiang Chenbi’s breathing suddenly grew erratic. She stared intently at that expression, her throat bobbing as she cursed inwardly, Who taught her this?
She hadn’t realized Cui Wangshu had this side to her.
Seeing her still holding back—or perhaps waiting for an invitation—Cui Wangshu hooked her lips and whispered softly, “Madam…”
Jiang Chenbi felt like she was dying. Her heart seemed to leap out of her chest in that moment. She lowered her head, prying open those red lips, and the sweet taste flooded her mouth.
She nibbled gently on the woman’s lower lip, wishing she could devour her whole. Her hand ventured downward, but it was caught by another hand. Jiang Chenbi opened her eyes in confusion.
She met Cui Wangshu’s playful gaze. The woman’s lips curved in a triumphant smile as she flipped them over, pressing Jiang Chenbi beneath her. The attacker and defender switched places.
That earlier look of disheveled infatuation had all been an act!
Jiang Chenbi took a deep breath. Before she could open her mouth to scold her, her lips were sealed.
During the siege, Jiang Chenbi’s body felt exquisite pleasure, but her heart itched unbearably. She kept trying to reverse their positions, but Cui Wangshu refused to yield. Each time she nearly succeeded, she was thoroughly subdued.
Jiang Chenbi lay on the bed in despair, silently shedding tears of unwillingness in her heart. This was nothing like what she’d imagined.
Cui Wangshu lifted her hand, her knuckles brushing against Jiang Chenbi’s still-flushed cheek. She teased, “Do you want it that badly?”
Jiang Chenbi shot her an exasperated look. Cui Wangshu chuckled softly and leaned to her ear. “This time, I really won’t trick you.”
She had eaten her fill, after all. She couldn’t leave Jiang Chenbi hungry, or the woman would always look at her so resentfully. Cui Wangshu felt a twinge of guilt—she had promised, after all.
Jiang Chenbi’s eyes lit up, though she hesitated. Would this person trick her again, catching her off guard?
But she truly craved Cui Wangshu… Fine. The timid starves, the bold grows fat. She refused to believe it.
She flipped over and pulled Cui Wangshu down onto her. Jiang Chenbi invaded her mouth, nipping at her tongue. Cui Wangshu laughed lightly and took the initiative to straddle her.
Cui Wangshu guided her hand downward. Jiang Chenbi’s breath hitched, her gaze glued to her. Her fingertips teased lightly, and Cui Wangshu arched her slender neck, her entire body shuddering.
Admiring a beauty from this angle—especially someone like Cui Wangshu—was truly a romantic indulgence.
Whether it was the line of her shoulders and neck or the curve of her abdomen, it all made Jiang Chenbi’s heart tremble. Her throat swallowed hard, her voice tense. “Can you sit up here?”
Cui Wangshu panted, struggling to pull a thread of clarity from her desire. She looked down in confusion. “What?”
Jiang Chenbi’s pupils shrank. She stared fixedly at her swaying form and that fullness, then pointed to her lips with a hoarse voice. “Here.”
Cui Wangshu’s breath caught as realization dawned. Her ear tips turned red.
Jiang Chenbi’s free hand gripped her waist, forcing her to kneel up and inch toward the desired position.
Cui Wangshu bit her knuckle, her body swaying, her trembling hand clutching the bedpost so tightly that the veins on the back of her hand stood out.
It was her first time realizing Jiang Chenbi had such skills…
During the Love Gu incident, she hadn’t been clear-headed at all. On their wedding night, neither had been in the mood. But today, she truly understood Jiang Chenbi’s prowess.
Now, she didn’t need to act—Jiang Chenbi could see her overwhelmed, soft, and vulnerable state for real.
Both had dominant personalities, and wanting to possess each other was natural. Before, when the mood struck, Cui Wangshu would take the lead, and Jiang Chenbi had grown accustomed to being the one lying back.
But after today, they both discovered new pleasures.
They’d been too conservative before.
Having found this new world, they no longer argued over who topped. They forgot about the daytime jealousy, exploring and experimenting together. The room filled with their teasing discussions, soon drowned out by gasps.
The long night stretched on, cycling endlessly.
Days passed, and the tail end of winter gave way. Trees sprouted tender green buds—spring was coming.
During this time, Jiang Chenbi occasionally returned to Luozhou. Their separations were brief, but as they accumulated, she noticed that right before she left, Cui Wangshu became unusually anxious.
If there were no official duties, she followed her like a little tail. Even with duties, she handled them quickly and returned home early.
This happened often just before departures and upon returns. Cui Wangshu clung to her as if she had no limbs of her own.
Jiang Chenbi gently pushed Cui Wangshu’s head away and chuckled. “What are you doing?”
Cui Wangshu lifted her head from Jiang Chenbi’s chest, her face a bit red from being smothered. She mumbled, “I miss you.”
This time, Jiang Chenbi had been gone for a full ten days. Cui Wangshu saw things and thought of her every day, while being pestered by Li Cong and Cui Daoyuan.
Jiang Chenbi stroked her face and asked softly, “Can’t wait anymore?”
Cui Wangshu lowered her gaze. She truly couldn’t wait. The Luo River diversion was complete; now they just awaited the flood season.
But it was only early spring—three months from summer.
Seeing her bad mood, Jiang Chenbi coaxed, “How about I tell you some good news?”
Cui Wangshu looked up at her. “Okay.”
Jiang Chenbi smiled. “Prince Cheng has secured military command. That’s why I went back to Luozhou this time.”
Cui Wangshu was surprised. This was indeed good news. She’d thought it would take until before the floods at least, but it had come so quickly.
“So fast?” Cui Wangshu asked.
Jiang Chenbi hummed thoughtfully. “Fast? I thought it was already slow.”
Cui Wangshu’s lips curved. “Impressive.”
Jiang Chenbi looked at her, arching a brow playfully. “Any rewards for that?”
Cui Wangshu pursed her lips, her gaze darkening as it fell on Jiang Chenbi’s mouth. She leaned in.
Jiang Chenbi blocked her approaching lips with her hand and raised a brow. “Not this.”
Cui Wangshu frowned slightly. Not this?
She ventured, “I’ll buy you a manor?”
Though she sensed the Palace Lord of the Yellow Path Palace wasn’t short on money. Back at the Imperial Mausoleum, she’d pretended to be broke and made Cui Wangshu pay for the Soul Preserving Pill—but never took it.
Jiang Chenbi laughed. “What do I need a manor for? Don’t you want to live with me?”
Cui Wangshu pursed her lips. “Of course not.”
Jiang Chenbi’s gaze drifted meaningfully to her chest. She leaned to her ear and whispered a few words. Cui Wangshu’s face heated up, and she turned away. “No.”
Jiang Chenbi feigned disappointment and accused, “You always agreed to whatever I wanted to play before. Why not now?”
Cui Wangshu’s ear tips flushed red. True, but all her past plays combined weren’t as extreme as what Jiang Chenbi was suggesting now.
Jiang Chenbi huffed. “It’s only been a few months since we married, and you’re already growing cold.”
Cui Wangshu frowned, disliking the misrepresentation. Whether she was cold or not, Jiang Chenbi knew best. How could she wrong her like this?
“Fine… I promise.” Cui Wangshu hesitated before agreeing.
Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved in triumph. She’d specially brought it back from Yunyu Fang—she couldn’t let it go to waste.
It was still daytime, and thinking of Jiang Chenbi’s request made Cui Wangshu embarrassed. She changed the subject to recent events. “Li Cong doesn’t have much lifespan left, but the Cui Family has been making frequent mistakes lately. The Empress Dowager is getting impatient.”
Jiang Chenbi narrowed her eyes. “The Empress Dowager—that old hag gave me plenty of trouble back then. Be careful with her.”
Li Cong’s mind was no longer on court politics; he was obsessed with achieving immortality. Dealing with him was simple.
Cui Daoyuan had his methods, but the Emperor’s people were right about one thing—he was old and muddled now.
The Empress Dowager was different. That woman’s ambitions were not to be underestimated. She ate vegetarian food and chanted sutras, hiding in the rear palace, but Jiang Chenbi knew she was a snake in Buddhist robes.
She’d investigated the late Emperor’s sudden death and found some clues, but the Empress Dowager’s side caught on quickly. Not wanting to alert them, she hadn’t dug deeper.
Though lacking hard evidence, she’d pieced together the rough causes and effects. In truth, their real opponent wasn’t Li Cong or Cui Daoyuan.
It was the Empress Dowager—this princess of Da Yong who had married into the Li Family with grand ambitions. She’d overthrown Da Yong, established Great Zhao with the late Emperor, and now plotted a coup to install her own son as a puppet emperor.
Speaking of which, she and Cui Wangshu even had to call this Empress Dowager “Aunt.”
Though enemies, Jiang Chenbi truly admired and respected her schemes and ambitions.
Cui Wangshu recalled glimpsing the Empress Dowager once through a curtain and narrowed her eyes. “I won’t underestimate her.”
Ever since discovering the wound on Cui Wangshu’s chest on their wedding night, Jiang Chenbi had asked about her specific plans.
“One stone, two birds” was indeed Cui Wangshu’s style—thinking ten steps ahead, cautious, meticulous, watertight.
But compared to before, she’d shed some of her official rigidity. No longer limited to court intrigue, she’d picked up some rogue tactics from Jiang Chenbi.
