Xiao Yan pinched her knuckles, and Tang Ning felt a little itchy. She curled her fingers and said in a tender voice, "Brother?"
"Um?"
Xiao Yan came back to his senses and met her puzzled eyes. He coughed lightly and asked seriously, "Where did you put her?"
Tang Ning said without thinking too much, "Nowhere in the capital is safe. Jiyun Lane is also eye-catching. The Lu family has always had people watching this place and the academy. It would be troublesome to send people out of the capital. I thought that many people would recognize Jinzhi since she was around Queen Lu, so I handed her over to my uncle from the Gu family for resettlement."
There are some of Gu Helian's tricks that even Xiao Yan doesn't know.
Xiao Yan said: "I will send someone to find Gu Helian tomorrow."
Now that he is back, Jinzhi can be put to use, and the matter of Prince Chen also needs the help of Queen Lu's "loyal servant".
Tang Ning suddenly remembered something and asked hurriedly, "Brother, if you tell Emperor An about Empress Lu, he will definitely be extremely embarrassed and angry. Will he embarrass you?"
Xiao Yan chuckled: "Do you think I'm that stupid? The green hat will naturally be given to someone else, you just have to watch the show with me."
Tang Ning breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, so that Emperor An won't get angry out of shame."
"Don't worry, I'll make arrangements."
"Well, by the way, what about General Di? Did Emperor An believe him?"
"I believe it. The war in Beiling is real. He won't be suspicious."
"That Young General Di..."
Hmm…
Xiao Yan lowered his head and held her chattering mouth, swallowing all her words into his throat. Looking at the little girl's eyes that suddenly opened wide, he gently stroked them and said in a low voice:
"It's been so long since we last met, and you only know how to talk about other people. Don't you care about me?"
"I……"
Before Tang Ning could finish her words, she was kissed so hard that she lost her mind. Her face flushed and she couldn't help but moaning as her body softened. That helpless yet emotional sound made Xiao Yan even more lustful. He carried her down and put her on the couch, then leaned over her.
From lips to ears, the kisses gradually confused her mind.
Tang Ning put her hands on his chest and could not bear the heat between his lips and teeth. She was forced to tilt her neck back. When her lips and tongue were numb, she felt the heat reaching her ears.
Tang Ning couldn't help but shiver slightly: "Brother..."
A delicate and charming voice, with a heart-stirring plea.
Xiao Yan gently touched her white jade earlobe, and seeing her ear gradually turning red, he leaned in closer and whispered, "I heard that Xiao Haitang missed me so much that she cried."
Tang Ning's eyes were hazy, and she felt that all her attention was focused on the heat lingering around her neck and ears, and she didn't hear clearly what he said.
It seemed as if something was touching my waist, with fingertips that were hot and seductive.
She had never experienced the stimulation of lust before, and her whole body was trembling slightly. When the tingling feeling came over her, she couldn't help but grab Xiao Yan's clothes and cling on weakly.
"Brother..."
She only knew to call him softly, but she didn't know that this made her even more seductive.
Xiao Yan's eyes were dark, filled with a desire to devour people.
"Call me Yuan Sheng."
"Yuan...Yuan Sheng..."
The young girl had barely spoken when he pressed himself closer.
As her hands rose high, her slender neck arched upward. The person buried in her neck seemed as if he wanted to consume her entirely, caressing her body again and again, causing her to tremble slightly while the bell on her wrist jingled softly.
…
Though they hadn’t yet married*, he didn’t take things to the final step, but Tang Ning was still left dazed by his teasing.
Her eyes were red and misty with tears, her body flushed with shyness, curled up in a ball nestled in his arms.
As Xiao Yan held her close, panting, he felt he was only bringing trouble upon himself. Yet, he couldn’t resist brushing her delicate, exposed nape, and when she snapped her head up, glaring at him with embarrassed anger and struggling to break free from his embrace, he knew he was in the wrong.
“Don’t rush,” Xiao Yan said guiltily. “I’ll handle things in the capital as soon as possible so I can marry you…”
“Who’s rushing you to marry!” Tang Ning’s face burned with shame. The way he spoke made it sound like she was the one pressing him into marriage over that.
Clearly…
Clearly, it was he who had taken advantage of her just now. How… how could he… do that?
How could a eunuch…
Recalling what had just happened, the unfamiliar sensation that seemed to steal her very soul left her reeling.
Furious and embarrassed, Tang Ning kicked out and elbowed him, trying to get up. Xiao Yan quickly pulled her back. “I’m the one who’s eager. It’s your big brother who wants to marry Little Haitang, wants it so badly it hurts all over… ouch…”
She jabbed him hard in the chest, her face red with anger, looking like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Xiao Yan’s face paled, and he let out a muffled groan.
Tang Ning immediately stilled. “What’s wrong?”
Free from her restraint, Xiao Yan propped one hand on the edge of the couch, head lowered, lips tightly pressed together.
Tang Ning panicked, sliding off him. “Big brother, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Yan said quietly, “It’s nothing. I got a bit injured in the northwest…”
“You’re hurt and didn’t say anything? Your wounds hadn’t even healed when you left the capital, and now you got hurt again in the northwest. How dare you act so recklessly when you came back?” Tang Ning’s flush faded, replaced by worry. “How bad is it? Let me see…”
“It’s just some surface wounds…”
“I don’t believe you!”
If it was just surface wounds, how could he be in so much pain? Back when he had a severe wound in his side, he endured it without a sound. Seeing Xiao Yan refuse to let her check, Tang Ning grew even more convinced his injuries were serious. She pushed him down onto the couch and reached to tug at his collar.
“Don’t look, it’ll scare you…”
“Don’t move!”
Tang Ning snapped angrily, glaring at him before unfastening his clothes. When she saw the faintly reopened wound on his chest, she hurriedly stripped off the rest of his garments, revealing numerous scars, large and small, on his back and arms.
“How did you get so many injuries? Are you an idiot? You didn’t even say anything when you came back…” Tang Ning’s eyes reddened, her voice trembling.
Xiao Yan sat shirtless on the edge of the couch, originally intending to feign vulnerability to shift his little girl’s attention. But he hadn’t expected to make her cry.
He tried to turn around. “It’s really fine. They just look scary. They’re all flesh wounds and will heal in a few days. Don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying.” Tang Ning stubbornly pressed him down, refusing to let him move. “Have you applied medicine?”
“I did, but some rubbed off on the way back to the capital…”
“I’ll reapply it.”
She hurried to the side, retrieving the wound salve from the box Qin Niangzi had given her. By the time she returned, she had forced back her tears. As she carefully applied the salve to his wounds, she asked, “Didn’t you say things went smoothly in the northwest? How did you get so badly hurt?”
Feeling her fingertips gently touch near his wounds with care and concern, Xiao Yan’s earlier amorous thoughts vanished completely.
His heart felt warm and heavy, and his voice softened. “To gain Di Tao’s trust in the northwest, I deliberately let myself get injured. I’d healed for a while and was fine, but on the way back to the capital, I learned Jinyun ran into trouble in the south. Lu Jiu’an sent people to hunt him down, so I led a group south first and clashed with Lu Jiu’an’s men.”
Tang Ning frowned. “Lu Jiu’an is that capable? He still has so many people even after leaving the capital?”
Xiao Yan propped himself up. “The Lu family’s power isn’t entirely rooted in the capital. They have deep ties with officials in the south. And this time, for some reason, Lu Jiu’an went south. The people sent to hunt Jinyun didn’t all seem like Lu family assassins—some looked like they came from the military.”
“The Lu family has always secretly maintained private soldiers. Lu Chongyuan likely handed them all over to Lu Jiu’an…”
Tang Ning’s hand paused. “Then they…?”
Xiao Yan knew her worry and reassured her softly, “I’ve already sent people to follow the trail of Lu Jiu’an’s men to investigate in the south. No matter what they’re planning, they can’t leave no trace. Besides, with Lu Chongyuan and the Lu family taken down, their roots in the capital severed, Lu Jiu’an won’t be able to make waves no matter what he tries.”
If the Lu family were intact, Lu Jiu’an could still coordinate with them. But with the Lu family fallen, if he moves those private soldiers, it’s tantamount to rebellion.
Xiao Yan could openly take him down.
Tang Ning breathed a sigh of relief, carefully applying salve to his wounds while gently blowing on them to ease his pain. The warm breath on his skin made Xiao Yan’s back stiffen, his muscles trembling slightly.
After she finally finished applying the salve, Xiao Yan hurriedly draped his clothes back on, not daring to tease the young girl anymore. He pulled her close, holding her in front of him.
Tang Ning said anxiously, “Don’t mess around, you’re injured…”
“I won’t.” Xiao Yan rested his chin on her shoulder, murmuring, “I’ve been running nonstop for over a month. I’m a bit tired. Let Little Haitang give me a hug…”
Hearing the exhaustion in his voice, Tang Ning quieted down.
Xiao Yan held Tang Ning, leaning against the pillow. Tang Ning nestled in his arms.
The candles in the room flickered, and outside, a light rain began to fall, growing heavier with time.
Tang Ning, lost in the sound of the rain for a moment, noticed the person behind her had gone still. Tilting her head slightly, she saw Xiao Yan leaning there, eyes closed, asleep.
His breathing was steady, dark circles faintly visible under his eyes, his face pale from his injuries, with stubble adding a touch of dishevelment.
Tang Ning leaned in to kiss his chin softly, carefully slipping out of his embrace. She fetched a thin blanket, returned, and curled back up beside him.
=====
T/N: This basically means they didn't do the deed
Also XY bringing up his injuries to distract Tangning was so unhinged===================
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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