Yuwen Tong’s mind started racing at the realization of what his darling was trying to do, but before he could come up with a countermeasure, Ling Zhang suddenly straddled his lower abdomen bodily and tossed an insinuating glance at it. “This time I want to be on top.”
Yuwen Tong kept silent for quite a while and then said, “Okay. A promise is a promise.”
Ling Zhang was fully turned on, and Yuwen Tong was utterly bewitched by the gleam in his eyes. Beneath Ling Zhang’s gaze, the Marshal nearly lost all sense of dignity and surrendered himself to temptation.
Ling Zhang inwardly gave a smug snort, feeling that on this occasion he would remain on top of Yuwen Tong till the end.
…
…
‘On top, my ass!’
‘Yuwen Tong is such a perfidious wily old fox!’ Ling Zhang’s waist felt as though it would break for wriggling!
Although Yuwen Tong had undertaken to let him be on top and he was indeed on top, things weren’t going as he had expected at all!
His waist was covered with a thin quilt, which was just enough to conceal the fantasy-inducing marks on his body. An arm stretched out of it.
Ling Zhang smacked his fist onto the bed in anger. He’d been so close to a win. Why hadn’t he hung in there? Yuwen Tong had merely tempted him with his charms, and he’d fallen pray to it, giving up his great advantage, and been confounded by the “enemy”, heaving on top on him, shouting himself hoarse.
A chuckle came from behind and with that a strong arm swept Ling Zhang, who was hammering the bed in annoyance, into an embrace. Yuwen Tong hugged him bodily and tightly in contentment, as if the two of them had merged into each other and inseparably become one.
“We may have a second try next time,” croaked a satisfied voice beside Ling Zhang’s ear.
Ling Zhang couldn’t even be bothered to struggle. In a broken voice, he said, “In your dreams!”
Yuwen Tong buried his face in Ling Zhang’s neck and snickered, “I definitely will.”
While saying this, Yuwen Tong tightened his embrace. “Last night you were so tempting, and I couldn’t resist it. You know it – my will is always extremely fragile in front of your charms.”
Ling Zhang gritted his teeth in indignation. So it was his fault?
Yuwen Tong’s hand reached inside the quilt and slowly kneaded Ling Zhang’s waist. A stream of warmth gently flowed into Ling Zhang’s body, easing his discomfort. As he recalled the unbridled, passionate moments they’d had the night before, another flurry of thrill swept over him.
After the warm energy reached the depths of his body, the soreness in his waist and thighs gradually ebbed away. It was so comfortable that Ling Zhang almost breathed a sigh, but at the thought of his lapse the night before, he clenched his teeth and stifled it, refusing to give Yuwen Tong the satisfaction of knowing that he was feeling comfortable.
Yuwen Tong had distinctly heard a extremely faint half-sigh, but when he looked at Ling Zhang, he saw a sulky face. After giving it some thought, he came to understand what Ling Zhang was thinking about. There was amusement in his eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was quite tentative, as if he were asking for pardon. “How do you feel? Do you want me to do it harder or more gently?”
Yuwen Tong was doing it perfectly, but Ling Zhang deliberately waited for quite a while before saying, “Harder. Are you underfed or something?”
Yuwen Tong just used a little bit more strength, and the difference was barely noticeable. Of course he wouldn’t really exert more power, which would be a foolish thing to do, but he still sensibly asked, “How about now?”
Ling Zhang, feeling that the strength had hardly changed and the massage was just as comfortable as it had been, inwardly gave a snort and observed reluctantly, “Acceptable.”
Yuwen Tong dramatically heaved a sigh of relief and then started kneading more solicitously, putting more effort into the massage.
Ling Zhang turned, lay prostrate on the bed, twisted his head aside, cast a sidelong glance at Yuwen Tong and asked, “Are you going to keep you promise?”
“Yes.” Yuwen Tong was fully aware of what he was referring to, and his reply was absolutely unhesitating.
“Then the next time I’ll be on top. You know what I’m talking about. Don’t you play dumb.”
“Okay, but…”
Ling Zhang was instantly on the alert, staring at him.
“I cannot guarantee I’ll be able to control myself if you’re too tempting. You know, my self-restraint is completely useless in front of you.”
Ling Zhang, “…”
He asked with modesty, “Then may I ask what do I have to do to prevent myself from striking you as tempting?”
Yuwen Tong tossed him a highly significant glance. “Even if you’re dressed like a beggar, you’d still be deadly tempting in my eyes.”
How the hell was this supposed to help?!
Ling Zhang angrily swiveled his head to the other side, not feeling like saying a single extra word to Yuwen Tong.
But Yuwen Tong was very contented. In a very good mood, he continued massaging Ling Zhang attentively.
After missing each other for several days, the two of them finally had had a nice night together, which had alleviated their painful yearning significantly, but now Yuwen Tong must return. Though he was most unwilling to part from Ling Zhang, it was their wedding that he had to prepare for, and no matter how much effort he had to make, he had no doubt it was worthwhile.
“It’s time I went back. For the sake of our wedding, I’d better stay sharp and keep an eye open for those people. We’d have less to worry about when we go to the Millennium Pavilion, too.”
After hearing this, Ling Zhang kept silent for a few moments and then uttered “Um.”
In this brief “Um”, Yuwen Tong detected a note of deep reluctance to let him leave, and his firm will was teetering on the brink of collapse. “How about you stay here for another two days? I’ll come over at night to keep you company, okay?”
Ji Yin, in order to prepare Ling Zhang’s trousseau, had been mysteriously absent for days. The revamp of the manor involved a formation that they planned to arrange, which was a matter brooking no carelessness, so Ling Zhang couldn’t be away from the manor for long, but he didn’t want to part from Yuwen Tong so soon either. “I’ll stay one more night. Tomorrow I’ll return.”
Yuwen Tong found this rather regrettable and decided to try his best to get everything handled as quick as possible so that he could come back to his lover sooner.
…
After spending another night in the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang, concerned about the progress of the revamp, went back to the manor.
He had a premonition that it probably wouldn’t be long before they departed for the Millennium Pavilion.
He felt that he needed to have the artisans work more quickly, that he at least had to wait until all important parts were finished to let them loose on the project.
When Ling Zhang had left, Yuwen Tong, going somewhat fretful, asked Yao Yi, “Nanny Zhong still hasn’t done anything?”
“We allowed her an opportunity. This old woman seemed to be fairly cautious and didn’t take action immediately, but I guess if she really plans to do anything, she’d definitely do it in the next two days,” answered Yao Yi.
Nanny Zhong was indeed being very cautious, for she knew very well what what she was going to do concerned. She was even a trifle hesitant, because her mistress firmly believed that that man would keep his promise, utterly heedless of what consequences she would have to take if anybody found out about it.
Not until Zheng shi ran out of patience and sent someone to ask her did Nanny Zhong finally make up her mind. She was just an old handmaid, and it was impossible for her to have her mistress change her mind. The only thing she could do was pray that everything would go as her mistress expected.
Nanny Zhong had been under tight surveillance from the very beginning. Once she did anything suspicious, Yuwen Tong’s men would soon notice. As a result, shortly after she planted something into the storeroom in Yuwen Tong’s courtyard house, what that thing was came to Yuwen Tong’s knowledge.
Looking at that thing placed in front of him, Yuwen Tong didn’t even sneer, his eyes so cold that they almost scared the lives out of others in the room.
Yao Yi and some others, who had broken out in a cold sweat with fright, couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief, “Is she out of her mind? Has Zheng shi gone crazy?!”
There was no room in their minds for discretion. The moment he saw what the thing Nanny Zhong had planted was, an emanation of intent to kill burst out of Yao Yi in spite of himself. Apart from him, Xie Shi and all the others had murderous air about them.
“Marshal, I’ll go and kill her!” Xie Shi, fists clenched, turned around storming towards the door.
“Stay where you are!” thundered Yuwen Tong.
“Marshal!” Xie Shi appeared indignant and reluctant, and so did some others.
Yao Yi and Yue Qi exchanged glances. Both of them quickly calmed down and tried to dissuade them. “If you do that, the Marshal will be convicted of murdering his own uncle and aunt. In that case, the situation would really be irreversible.”
Xie Shi and some others shuddered from head to foot, gritting their teeth.
“Destroy this thing immediately. No, take it somewhere else.” Yuwen Tong’s eyes glinted icily.
“Where do you want it taken, Marshal?” Yao Yi was confused.
Yuwen Tong flintily uttered the name of a place. Yao Yi and some others were deeply shocked. Those who had been perplexed at first slowly came to understand, all their eyes going red from fury.
“Tell our scouts to make sure this thing is safely hidden. It hasn’t served its purpose yet.”
“Yes, Marshal!” Yao Yi answered immediately and instructed Yue Qi to do the delivery, for he himself had been acting as a butler lately and been under the watch of a lot of people as well.
“Take the secret passage,” Yuwen Tong told Yue Qi.
Yue Qi nodded with a serious face, picked up that thing and left through a secret passage.
…
“Go and inform Mistress that it’s done.” Nanny Zhong, after planting that thing in the storeroom, covertly sent a handmaid to deliver a message back.
The handmaid had no idea what it was about, but she knew very well how stern Zheng shi was, so after hearing Nanny Zhong’s instruction, she didn’t dare delay for a single moment, hurriedly made towards her mistress’ chambers and accidentally walked into Yuwen Feng halfway there.
“I beg your pardon, First Young Master! I didn’t mean to!” The handmaid gave a start, but after seeing that it was Yuwen Feng, she felt a great sense of relief. Unlike Zheng shi, Yuwen Feng never meted out arbitrary punishment to servants. The handmaid knew that at least she wouldn’t lose her life.
Yuwen Feng did have no intention of punishing her. He just asked, “Why are you in such a hurry? Has anything happened?”
Unaware of whether or not she was allowed to disclose it to Yuwen Feng, the handmaid had no choice but to answer ambiguously, “Nanny Zhong wants me to deliver a message to Mistress. I was anxious to go back to Mistress and bumped into you by accident in my haste. Please forgive me, First Young Master.”
“Nanny Zhong? She’s in the first branch, isn’t she?” said Yuwen Feng.
The handmaid lowered her head. “Yes.”
Yuwen Feng looked at her. “What kind of message does Nanny Zhong want you to deliver?”
The handmaid replied, “It’s about some preparatory work for the Marshal’s wedding. Although Mistress did no more than assign Nanny Zhong to help, she’s been paying close attention to it all along.”
Yuwen Feng’s brow corrugated in a frown at these words. Normally, it wasn’t members of a collateral branch who should be put in charge of the preparation for this wedding, but…
‘Never mind. Now that Mother has come around, accepted Ling Zhang and wouldn’t make any more trouble, I should have nothing else to complain about,’ he thought.
“Off you go. And don’t be so flustered. It’s very undignified.”
“Yes. I won’t dare act like this again.”
After Yuwen Feng walked away, the handmaid heaved a sigh of relief and hurried off. When she was in front of Zheng shi, she tentatively reported, “Mistress, Nanny Zhong said that it was done.”
On hearing this, Zheng shi, who had just returned from Yuwen Qi’s chambers, instantly grabbed the handmaid’s arm, her fingernail almost sinking into the handmaid’s flesh. “Really?!”
The handmaid was in pain but didn’t show it on her face. She answered, “These were indeed Nanny Zhong’s exact words, Mistress.”
Zheng shi was overjoyed. “Great. Great. This is just great!”
