Chapter 811: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 811: A Brief Moment of Tender Intentions (3)
Li Zhong had already learned from Li Xiu about the relationship between Xiao Ruiyuan and Mo Yan when Xiao Ruiyuan personally came to deliver New Year's gifts. Although nothing was formally settled, it seemed almost certain. Now, seeing Xiao Ruiyuan’s actions, Li Zhong felt uneasy but didn’t know how to convince him to stop.
While he was torn, the carriage door made a soft sound and closed from the inside.
Li Zhong: "..."
Tonight was New Year's Eve, a night for family reunions, with lights from countless homes dispelling the darkness of the night, warming the hearts of all.
The sound of horse hooves echoed down the empty streets, and from the houses on either side, the laughter of people staying up for the night could be faintly heard.
Li Zhong drove the carriage toward the city gate and realized it had already closed. He then remembered the city's curfew, and the gates had been closed early.
A guard, woken from his sleep, rubbed his eyes and approached. Seeing it was just an ordinary carriage, he was about to yell, but suddenly, something flew out of the window and landed right in the guard's arms.
The guard clumsily caught it and, with the lantern light from the city gate, clearly saw that it was a token, a token that allowed free passage within the capital. He immediately became alert, saluted the carriage, and apologized, calling over a few colleagues to open the heavy city gates.
Li Zhong hurriedly drove the carriage out of the city, secretly sighing in relief as he heard the gate close behind them. Without that token, they wouldn’t have been able to leave the city tonight. All the inns in the city were closed, and without the key to the rice shop, he would have had no choice but to freeze on the streets all night.
Thinking of this, he was somewhat grateful that Xiao Ruiyuan was in the carriage. But when he thought about a lone man and a woman alone in the carriage together, Li Zhong couldn’t put his mind at ease. He slowed the pace of the carriage, listening carefully to any sounds from inside. He wanted to be alert in case anything was amiss.
After listening for a long time and hearing nothing, it was as though no one was inside. He thought the uninvited guest was just resting against the wall of the carriage, but little did he know, at the moment the door closed, Xiao Ruiyuan had without hesitation lifted the blanket, pulled the sleeping woman into his arms, and held her closely.
The two embraced tightly, sleeping together. How could there be any noise?
Before falling asleep, Mo Yan had removed her fur coat and wore only her outer clothes and cotton jacket, which was warm enough for her to sleep. But not long after, she felt as if she were in a furnace. Her body grew increasingly hot, and she had difficulty breathing, as though something was constricting her chest.
Mo Yan had a nightmare, where she was tightly wrapped by a terrifying giant python. Despite her lack of fear toward the snake, she couldn’t breathe because it was constricting her so tightly.
She struggled with her hands and feet, trying to break free, not even thinking about the fact that snakes were cold-blooded creatures. She just wanted to escape the python’s grip.
Xiao Ruiyuan, who had been lightly sleeping, woke as soon as she struggled. "Yan’er, what’s wrong?"
It was so dark in the carriage that he couldn’t see her face. He thought she had drunk too much at the banquet and was feeling unwell from the carriage’s bumps.
Hearing his familiar voice, Mo Yan woke with a start, her mind still foggy, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
A warm, rough hand pressed against her forehead, instantly snapping Mo Yan back to clarity. She gasped in surprise and was about to push the hand away when she was pulled into a firm embrace. The familiar voice sounded again. "Yan’er, you’re sweating a lot. Do you feel unwell?"
In the dark, Mo Yan opened her mouth in surprise. "How are you here?"
Even though he couldn’t see, Xiao Ruiyuan could imagine her expression. He smiled faintly, not replying, but his arms tightened around her.
Mo Yan seemed to understand something, quietly snuggling into his wide embrace and smiling gently.
Still not reassured, Xiao Ruiyuan reached up to check Mo Yan’s forehead again, feeling only sweat with no signs of fever. He relaxed and said, "Yan’er, was it a nightmare?"
Mo Yan nodded, frustrated. "I dreamed that I was entangled by a giant python, and it was squeezing so tightly that I could hardly breathe."
Xiao Ruiyuan didn’t realize it was because he had held her too tightly. He tried to comfort her, "Perhaps it’s because you drank tonight. If you’re tired, just lie down and sleep more. I’ll stay here and keep watch."
"No, it’s fine. Just talking like this is good." Mo Yan had slept for a while and was no longer that sleepy.
"Alright!" Xiao Ruiyuan’s gaze softened. He adjusted his position slightly, ensuring Mo Yan was more comfortable leaning against him.
While the warm, affectionate atmosphere in the dark carriage felt peaceful, the scene in the brilliantly lit imperial study was much more somber.
"Heng’er, your father is doing this for your own good... Anyway, this matter is decided. All you need to do is wait," Emperor Hui’an said with a stern face, leaving no room for debate as he spoke to the troubled Chu Heng.
[End of Chapter]
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