Chapter 29 Part 2: Bathing
The moment Chu Yi could breathe, he could only gasp for air, with no strength to resist. It wasn’t until the clothes on his shoulders slipped off that he realized something was wrong.
He raised his hand and unconsciously slapped Sheng Qianheng!
Sheng Qianheng felt a slight pain on his cheek. He stepped back and stood by the bed. After calming down for a moment, he looked into Chu Yi’s eyes and didn’t speak for a long time.
Chu Yi’s head had been hit hard. He supported his forehead, gasping for breath. After a long while, he said, “What are you trying to do?”
Sheng Qianheng licked the side of his lips and smiled faintly. “Isn’t it obvious what I’m doing? You are mine, so you should endure this.”
Chu Yi stared at Sheng Qianheng’s words and unconsciously classified him with the men in this Flower-Filled Pavilion who only sought pleasure. “I am Chu Yi, not some ‘yours’!”
Sheng Qianheng stared at Chu Yi, straddled the bed with one knee, and pinched his chin, forcing him to look at him. “You are my consort, the first consort I, Emperor Liwen, have taken. If you are not mine, could it be that you want to find pleasure under some unknown man in that private room just now?”
Chu Yi had been thrown hard and kissed until he was dazed. When he was forced to look up, his eyes were hazy with tears. He raised his hand and slapped him again. “Sheng Qianheng, sober up!”
Tears rolled down his face, each one hitting the back of Sheng Qianheng’s hand.
The cool sensation on the back of his hand brought Sheng Qianheng back to his senses a little. He closed his eyes, trying to control his anger. “Chu Yi, I’m very sober! Why do you want to run away time and time again? Are you so unwilling to stay by my side?”
“I didn’t… I didn’t want to run away!” The moment Chu Yi’s vision cleared, he immediately replied as quickly as he could, “I was kidnapped!”
Sheng Qianheng tightened his grip. “Then where is the person who kidnapped you? Where are they now? And how did you end up in this Flower-Filled Pavilion?”
“I was kidnapped, and you’re still questioning me?” Chu Yi’s head was spinning, and his eyes were sore. And Sheng Qianheng was still questioning him. “You didn’t even ask me if the person in that room violated me.”
Sheng Qianheng’s anger was unabated, and he was not as reasonable as usual. He pinched Chu Yi’s wrist, held it up to their eye level, and asked, “There are no marks of being tied on your body, not a single ligature mark. How do you expect me to believe you? Chu Yi, how many more times are you going to lie to me?”
Chu Yi knew that this time, he couldn’t just get away with a few perfunctory words. But what was he to do now…
The heat aroused by Sheng Qianheng’s kiss slowly spread through his body. He raised a hand to cover the back of his neck. “Sheng Qianheng, what will it take for you to believe me?”
Sheng Qianheng smelled the scent of the brothel women on Chu Yi, and even the scent of another Qianyuan’s xìnxiāng. He couldn’t control his emotions at all. He picked up Chu Yi and walked toward the specially made bathing pool in that private room.
Chu Yi wrapped his arms tightly around Sheng Qianheng’s neck, staring at the bulging veins on the back of his neck and swallowing unconsciously. “Where are you taking me?”
Sheng Qianheng didn’t reply, but carried him into the bathing pool.
He reached out to tear off Chu Yi’s clothes but was stopped by Chu Yi’s hand. “Sheng Qianheng, what on earth are you doing?”
Sheng Qianheng restrained Chu Yi’s legs, making him half-lie in the bathing pool. He undid the water-red top on him, his breathing already heavy.
The headache from before had now transformed into a lustful desire in his crimson eyes!
Chu Yi pushed away Sheng Qianheng’s hands several times to no avail. Sheng Qianheng could hold his wrists with just one hand. He could only curse, “Sheng Qianheng, are you going to force me now?”
Sheng Qianheng pressed his forehead against Chu Yi’s and kissed his lips. “You stink. I’ll wash you clean!”
Chu Yi looked at Sheng Qianheng, who had already lost all reason, and couldn’t help but feel afraid. “Sheng Qianheng, that merchant didn’t touch me. I’m still yours alone. I only have you! Believe me!”
At this moment, there was only one thing in Sheng Qianheng’s mind: to dye Chu Yi with his scent from the inside out, to let others know that Chu Yi was his! It would be best if he could get pregnant with his child, so that Chu Yi would have no way to escape!
Once a Kunze was pregnant, they could never leave their Qianyuan. Both the child and the Kunze needed the Qianyuan’s xìnxiāng to be nourished…
The moment Chu Yi’s top was removed, he felt the hair on his arms stand on end. The sudden cold made him shiver unconsciously, and tears had long since fallen beyond his control. “A-Heng, I am your Chu Yi, your wife, your only wife… Don’t be like this, I’m scared…”
Sheng Qianheng gently kissed away the tears at the corners of Chu Yi’s eyes, smelled the scent of Danshen on the back of his neck, and smiled. “A-Yi, I won’t hurt you… Trust me. I’m just washing away the scent of other Qianyuan’s xìnxiāng.”
Chu Yi didn’t understand. What Qianyuan? What xìnxiāng?
“Can I wash myself?”
Sheng Qianheng took a step back and nodded slightly. “I’ll watch you wash.”
Chu Yi carefully scooped up water from the bathing pool with his palm and poured it over his shoulder, his gaze fixed on Sheng Qianheng. From his judgment, Sheng Qianheng seemed to have been provoked. Could it be that he had been contaminated with the merchant’s scent? And since Sheng Qianheng considered himself his man, he naturally didn’t like him having the scent of another man on him. It was understandable…
Seeing that Chu Yi repeatedly skipped over his chest and didn’t touch the vermilion, Sheng Qianheng tilted his head slightly and asked, “Why aren’t you washing?”
Chu Yi was naturally unwilling. He had never bathed in front of any man… let alone with Sheng Qianheng just a foot away. It was too close.
“There’s no need for too much washing. I bathe every day…”
Sheng Qianheng was naturally not going to give up.
(A few dozen words about Sheng Qianheng being drunk are omitted here.)
Chu Yi reached out and grabbed Sheng Qianheng’s wrist to stop him, but he couldn’t win against his strength. When he begged for mercy, his voice trembled. “A-Heng… don’t fool around…”
Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to cup the back of Chu Yi’s neck and sealed his lips again.
(Some descriptions of actions are omitted here.)
…………………………………………….
That pomegranate had already become more rosy and lustrous………………
Chu Yi’s breathing trembled unconsciously, and the heat on his body intensified.
His nose was again filled with the unique scent on Sheng Qianheng. His thoughts gradually became hazy. Apart from complying, he had no intention of resisting. The clothes on both of them were already completely soaked by the water in the bathing pool.
The silk woman’s garment on Chu Yi, when wet, clung to his skin, revealing his faint skin tone.
His skin was already fair, and now his entire person seemed to be tinged with a seductive lotus-pink, making one feel pity for him.
While Chu Yi was relaxed, Sheng Qianheng pressed him against the edge of the bathing pool, hooked the sash, and untied the soaked inner robe.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Yi was completely exposed, as beautiful as a god from the heavens, unstained by dust.
The water in this bathing pool was not hot, but Chu Yi felt as if he were being roasted by fire. He murmured, “A-Heng, aren’t you hot…”
………… (200 words omitted here)
Ripples spread across the water in the bathing pool. Chu Yi felt as uncomfortable as if he were choking on water. He kissed Sheng Qianheng’s lips and said, “Sheng Qianheng, I don’t want to soak anymore…”
Sheng Qianheng wrapped an arm around Chu Yi’s waist, lifted him up, and gently placed him by the side of the bathing pool, supporting him in his embrace. “A-Yi, are you willing to have a child with me?”
Chu Yi could still think about the meaning behind Sheng Qianheng’s words and asked in return, “How can we have a child? We’re both men.”
Sheng Qianheng lifted Chu Yi slightly, his gaze falling on his lower abdomen. “We can have a child if we want to!”
Chu Yi was already tired. When he sat down, he felt something was wrong.
(…).
He looked into Sheng Qianheng’s eyes and said tremblingly, “Sheng Qianheng, I can’t… we can’t have a child…”
The moment the distance between them was at its closest, Sheng Qianheng finally spoke, “Brother, you see, didn’t we do it? Let’s have a child, okay?”
Chu Yi gasped for air, his entire person tinged with a lotus-pink.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Sheng Qianheng, sober up!”
Sheng Qianheng didn’t speak for a long time. He then raised a hand and gently patted Chu Yi’s back, coaxing, “I’ve said I never talk nonsense! Why do you never believe me?”
Chu Yi was puzzled. Just as he was about to speak, he was jostled by Sheng Qianheng until he couldn’t form a complete sentence. “Don’t talk nonsense………… Sheng Qianheng!”
Sheng Qianheng immediately stopped all his movements. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
(………… omitted here)
Their breathing echoed in the room…
Sheng Qianheng’s jaw suddenly tensed, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Chu Yi unconsciously mumbled, “Is it clean? A-Heng, are you happy?”
(Normal bathing, reviewer, please see clearly!)
Sheng Qianheng bit lightly on Chu Yi’s earlobe and caressed his back. “A-Yi, if you’re tired, then sleep.”
Chu Yi struggled to sit up. (…)
Tears welled up in his eyes. He kissed the bridge of Sheng Qianheng’s nose and said with certainty, “A-Heng, I only have your scent on me, from the inside out. Don’t be unhappy~”
Sheng Qianheng wiped away the tears with the back of his hand. After a bout of venting, he temporarily regained his reason. He stood up, carried Chu Yi, and walked toward the bed. “I’ll carry you to rest.”
Chu Yi felt a sudden surge of discomfort. He bit down on Sheng Qianheng’s shoulder and cursed, “Sheng Qianheng, you beast!”
Sheng Qianheng never argued with Chu Yi over such things. What did it matter if he was cursed a few times?
“Yes, I am a beast. Brother, are you willing to give birth to a little beast for me?”
Chu Yi couldn’t say anything. He knew that his tears were flowing uncontrollably.
A tingling numbness spread up from his spine.
His fingertips unconsciously gripped Sheng Qianheng’s shoulder. He lifted his head and asked for a kiss from Sheng Qianheng. “Sheng Qianheng, I can’t give birth to a child. Don’t talk nonsense anymore~”
Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to Chu Yi’s lower abdomen and said seriously, “Perhaps, there is already a child that belongs to us here!”
Chu Yi shook his head with effort, refuting, “I’m a man. If you want a child, go find someone else to have it with!”
When Sheng Qianheng gently placed Chu Yi on the bed, he still didn’t forget to place a soft pillow under his waist. “Brother, I only want a child born by you!”
For some reason, Chu Yi felt a sudden soreness in his lower abdomen, with a hint of pain.
The moment he was lifted by Sheng Qianheng, a brilliant display of white fireworks exploded before his eyes.
A sticky sensation once again spread over his body.
Sheng Qianheng raised a hand to stroke Chu Yi’s sweat-drenched sideburns and laughed. “Brother, you’re truly a beauty made of water. I’m afraid the baby born in the future will also be a watery beauty. Then I won’t be willing to marry him to anyone.”
Chu Yi: “Don’t talk nonsense…”
Gradually, the faint sound of clothes rubbing together sounded in the private room again, but it soon became clearer.
Like a wind chime hanging under the eaves, it tinkled incessantly in the breeze.
The entire Flower-Filled Pavilion had long since been cleared, leaving only the two of them whispering sweet nothings, intertwined with each other.
The creaking of the old, decaying wood seemed to fill the entire building.
Although Sheng Qianheng had regained his reason, every ounce of his strength and every word he said today seemed to carry an indescribable emotion.
It wasn’t until Chu Yi was exhausted and about to faint that Sheng Qianheng was willing to stop.
He gently kissed Chu Yi’s eyelids and whispered, “Sleep. I’ll carry you to wash up…”
Chu Yi unconsciously complained, “I can’t eat anymore. I’m too full. My stomach hurts…”
Seeing that Chu Yi was completely asleep, Sheng Qianheng leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.
He had already instructed Liu Deshan to prepare another clean private room.
He casually took the clothes that had been thrown on the floor and wrapped Chu Yi up tightly, carrying him out of this room that was already filled with mixed smells and scattered clothes.
Sheng Qianheng carefully washed Chu Yi clean, not missing a single unclean spot.
In a semi-conscious state, Chu Yi only felt a faint pain in his lower abdomen. He raised a hand to gently rub it and complained, “Sheng Qianheng, don’t fool around anymore… If I’m really pregnant, the child will be tormented to death…”
Translator’s Notes
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Ruqun : A traditional Chinese attire for women consisting of a top and a wrap-around skirt.
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Nongying : The fake name Chu Yi gives. It literally means “playing with shadows.” Sheng Qianheng’s deconstruction of it (“playing tricks, chasing shadows”) reflects his anger and disbelief.