First of all, he had no younger brother by blood.
He was merely an orphan; otherwise, he would never have entered the Xun Character Camp and come to serve at his master’s side.
Secondly, although he had been waiting outside the village earlier, he still knew that this trip had been made because His Highness the Crown Prince had not returned to the palace for a long time—and the reason was a woman.
Anyone could figure out with their toes what sort of situation his master was describing.
One was his master, the other was His Highness the Crown Prince. Setting everything else aside, just the implications within it were not something he dared comment on lightly.
Xun Yi mumbled, not daring to speak. But when he said nothing, Li Heng simply kept waiting.
Understanding his master’s temperament, Xun Yi held it in for a long while before finally squeezing out a sentence: “Then… then this subordinate’s wife would be rather impressive…”
The moment the words fell, the carriage fell into utter silence.
Xun Yi also knew that what he had said sounded truly absurd. After all, what man would praise his own wife for being impressive after being cuckolded?
So, ashamed, his face flushed crimson, and he silently lowered his head.
Just as he wished the ground would open up and swallow him, a soft scoff came from within the carriage.
Li Heng forced himself to ignore the strangeness in his body, as well as the waves of pleasure rolling through him. Leaning back against the carriage with his eyes closed, his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes. She is indeed very impressive.”
Impressive enough to have the entire village wrapped around her finger, and to make his imperial elder brother—who had always been pure of heart and indifferent to desire, never allowing women near him—lose all restraint.
Impressive enough that, even knowing full well how far he and she had gone, she could still make his imperial elder brother feel not the slightest barrier; even, the moment he had just left, she could have his imperial elder brother join her in clouds and rain.
Never mind her looks, figure, and that ethereal, unworldly bearing. Just those methods alone were enough to make even the imperial consorts in the palace feel ashamed of their inferiority!
A blind girl raised by a mountain hunter, who had never once left the village?
Heh!
Not even dogs would believe that!
After the lovemaking, Liu Xuan lay on the bed and allowed Li Ying to clean her body as he always did.
Once everything had been tidied, she obediently sat up and put on her inner garment, then took the contraceptive decoction he handed her and drank it down in one go.
Because of the bitterness, her tender little face scrunched up.
Li Ying handed her a candied fruit and said gently, “In some more days, you won’t have to drink this anymore.”
As the candied fruit entered her mouth, its sweetness dispelled the bitterness. Liu Xuan lowered her eyes and smiled understandingly. “It’s all right. I’ve heard blindness might be passed on to children. It’s only right that Husband should consider it carefully.”
Hearing this, Li Ying’s heart filled with sourness and guilt. He opened his mouth to explain, but swallowed the words back down.
He set the empty bowl aside, sat down beside Liu Xuan, and reached out to draw her into his arms. In a low voice, he said, “There’s something I want to tell you. I… have regained my memories.”
“Really? That’s wonderful!”
Liu Xuan’s little face brightened. Although her eyes were unfocused, they were moist and lively. With some joy, she said, “Then where is Husband from? Are your parents still alive? Are your brothers and sisters harmonious? Has Husband lived comfortably at home?”
Li Ying had thought of all the reactions she might have after learning that he had regained his memories.
Perhaps she would ask about his identity and family background, ask whether he was betrothed or married, ask whether his parents were easy to get along with, ask when he would take her back.
But she did none of that.
She only cared whether both his parents were alive, whether his brothers and sisters got along, whether he had been living well.
Because she herself had only ever had one father, and he had passed away the year before last. Now, in this world, she had only him.
Li Ying’s heart felt both sour and swollen. He could not help holding her even tighter, his voice hoarse as he said, “They are all alive. I have many brothers and sisters. There are many open and hidden struggles among us, but on the surface, we are all harmonious. I am the legitimate son of the family. I can’t say I live comfortably, but it is passable.”
He very much wanted to tell her everything, but now was still not the time.
After all, in the capital, the Crown Prince had never disappeared. She was simple by nature. If she knew everything now, it would be hard to avoid having someone with ulterior motives trick something out of her and use her.
Hearing this, Liu Xuan frowned slightly, but soon relaxed again. She reached out, fumbling as she cupped his cheeks, and comforted him softly, “It’s all right. Husband still has me.”
“Yes. I still have you.”
Li Ying could not resist kissing her red lips. He placed her hands around his waist and let her nestle in his embrace.
After sorting through his thoughts, he slowly said, “My identity is somewhat special, and I must hurry back as soon as possible. But don’t worry, I have already arranged everything. Tomorrow, I will keep you company. After I leave…”
Liu Xuan lowered her eyes and quietly listened as he spoke.
The gist of it was that his identity was special, and if he wanted to be with her openly and properly, it would take some effort.
After he left, someone would come to fetch her, saying that she was a daughter who had been lost outside the family, and bring her to the capital.
She did not need to worry about the people of Liujia Village, because he had made inquiries. In truth, she was not the hunter’s biological daughter, but an abandoned infant the hunter had found in the mountains.
No matter what the other party’s identity was, she only needed to go back with them. After a few days, he would pretend to run into her by chance, and then step by step, bring her back to his side and give her an official status.
By the time he finished speaking, Liu Xuan’s little face had already scrunched up, filled with worry and unease about the future. “Can I… not go? I’ll just stay here. As long as Husband can come back often to see me, that’s enough. I can’t see, and I’m a little hard of hearing. I’m afraid I might…”
“There is nothing to be afraid of.”
Li Ying hurriedly cut her off. “I will arrange everything and protect you. You don’t need to worry about anything. Even the people who come to pick you up—you can acknowledge them if you wish, and ignore them if you don’t. You only need to follow them back to the capital, then wait for me to come and fetch you.”
Afraid that she would refuse again, he lowered his head and kissed her lips, half coaxing, half pleading, “Xuan’er, trust me, all right?”
Since he had already gone this far, what else could she, understanding, obedient, and sensible as she was, do?
Of course, she reluctantly nodded and agreed.
“I trust Husband.”
The heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled back into place.
As the Crown Prince, Li Ying had held the power of life and death for many years and had long since learned to remain calm in the face of change.
And yet today, with Liu Xuan, he had tasted what it was to go from being moved, to expectant, to restless and uneasy, and finally to dust settling.
In the short span of a single incense stick’s burning, his heart had risen and fallen countless times.
He cupped her beautiful little face and, as if resigning himself to fate, kissed her deeply. “In this world, there is truly only you.”
Wasn’t it only her?
There really were not many women as obedient and sensible as she was, and so skilled at pretending to be deaf and blind!
Perhaps because, after returning to the capital, who knew how long it would be before he could do this thing he loved to do again, Li Ying specially kept an entire day to linger with Liu Xuan on the bed.
That day, Liu Xuan practically never left the bed. Even when she ate, she sat on the bed while Li Ying fed her.
Although they said there were only oxen that died of exhaustion and never fields that were plowed to ruin, this day and night of desperate entanglement still left Liu Xuan’s limbs weak, her lower abdomen sore and swollen, and even her throat a little hoarse.
Fortunately, the contraceptive decoction only needed to be drunk once a day. Otherwise, just drinking contraceptive decoction would be enough to fill her up.
The one suffering, aside from Liu Xuan, was Li Heng, who was sitting in for Li Ying at the Crown Prince’s residence.
That day, he was extremely irritable. After sending off the last court official in the evening, he could not help sweeping an entire table of memorials to the floor, his hands clenched into fists and the veins on his forehead throbbing. “Is he finished yet or not?!”
In the shadows, Xun Yi silently glanced toward his lower body and expressed sympathy in his heart.
Fortunately, he had no younger brother by blood, and he himself was not a younger brother either.
At last, Li Ying left at the hour of yin.
Liu Xuan lay on the bed, unwilling to move so much as a finger. After roughly the time it took three incense sticks to burn, a woman entered the room without a sound, bent her knees, and bowed toward the bed. “Miss.”