That kind of dream
Hearing this, Ye Youqing’s elbow, just raised, was put down again, forced to feel the overwhelming heat behind her.
Ci Ke was tightly pressed against her, separated by the thin fabric of indecent clothing, Ye Youqing almost could feel that slippery skin, and belonging to Ci Ke, the rich softness and beauty.
Something is really wrong, Ye Youqing thought, she felt something bouncing around in her chest, spreading throughout her limbs.
The contact between women’s bodies should have been completely normal, but when she was touched by a woman for the first time, she had these vivid feelings.
It’s as if all senses fail at once, only the touch of her skin occupies her entire mind.
On a pitch-black night, only faint daylight illuminated their arms, touching and entwining under the thin blanket. Ye Youqing drifted off to sleep, the strong scent of powder in the air.
She rolled over, her nose, like a jade carving, brushed against Ci Ke’s cheek, leaving a blush behind.
Ci Ke didn’t close her eyes, using her gaze to draw Ye Youqing’s profile in her mind. With her phoenix eyes closed, her eyelashes formed a long, slender line, gently angled upwards, her thin eyelids trembling slowly with her eyeballs.
Ci Ke suddenly reached out, carefully touching Ye Youqing’s lips, thinner than average women’s, appearing cold and aloof.
How much she wished…
Ci Ke closed her eyes, longing for those lips to kiss her, to kiss anywhere.
This desire, she didn’t know when it started, grew stronger day by day, so strong that she dared not look directly at it, so strong that when she was so close, she couldn’t help but shiver.
She slowly moved forward, then suddenly lost strength, slumping weakly flat on the pillow.
Ci Ke, that’s enough, she quietly said.
How much more do you want to get? She is the bright and pure moon, with her own sky, what qualifications do you have to pull her down into the mud.
As time slowly flowed, one person breathed steadily, while the other person’s breath quickened, but both were very quiet. The dark clouds in the sky dissipated at some point, and the cool moonlight spilled over the window sills, covering half of the room.
Ye Youqing slept deeply, her hand began to move again, touching Ci Ke’s back, and with an exertion of force, she embraced her in her arms.
She even patted her.
Ci Ke didn’t resist, allowing her to hug her like an octopus, without any distractions. It was very hot in the summer, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
Ye Youqing’s body temperature was like a gentle breeze, blowing away the desolation.
Finally, Ci Ke nestled into her neck, satisfied, pursed her lips, and fell asleep with her eyes closed.
Ye Youqing’s dream tonight was very strange. In the dream, there was a woman who kissed her lips delicately, sweet like strawberry candy, making it irresistible to swallow.
Everything that was touched seemed to be addictive, the mind alternating between clarity and confusion, like being immersed in deep water and unable to wake up.
After tossing and turning for a long time, Ye Youqing finally caught a glimpse of light. It felt like she had pulled her head out of the water, sweating profusely as she opened her eyes.
She stared at the ceiling beams for a while, the morning sunlight streaming into the room in thin strands, illuminating the rising dust and casting a hazy mist in the room.
She then remembered that she had slept on the floor last night, so she wiped the sweat off her forehead and slowly got up.
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When she lowered her head, she found herself tightly hugging a soft pillow.
She breathed a sigh of relief and threw the soft pillow back onto the bed.
Ci Ke had already left, and she looked up to the sun that had already leaped over the treetops. She couldn’t help but cover her face, realizing that she had slept until this hour, all because of the strange dream last night.
Just the thought of the scenes in the dream made her blush.
She just hoped that she didn’t make any inappropriate moves in her dream and scare Ci Ke.
Ye Youqing didn’t immediately get up. She was still looking at the shadow of the window’s carved pattern on the floor, lost in thought. That dream felt off, very off.
Although she had little experience in relationships in both her lifetimes, she had never imagined that one day she would dream of a woman.
Could it be because of Ci Ke?
“Ah…” Ye Youqing sighed deeply, running her hands through her hair, pulling her bangs behind her ears to clear her mind.
At that moment, the door was knocked on, and Ye Youqing sat on the floor, inviting the person in.
The door opened, and Qin Xin came in carrying a washbasin, bringing in the fresh summer air from outside.
“Eldest Miss, why are you…” Qin Xin paused as she saw Ye Youqing sitting on the floor.
“It’s cooler on the floor,” Ye Youqing casually made up a reason, then stood up, poured herself a glass of cold tea from the previous night, the icy liquid soothing her throat and extinguishing the heat in her heart.
“The other day, I asked you to keep an eye on the official notice board. Any news?” Ye Youqing inquired.
Upon hearing this, Qin Xin finally forgot her confusion and earnestly replied, “In the past few days, there was nothing, but just this morning, the officials posted a notice saying that during the upcoming month, they will execute a large-scale private salt smuggler.”
Ye Youqing’s hand holding the cold tea paused, and the tension that had been lingering in her heart slowly eased.
In most dynasties, private salt smuggling was a serious crime. The Qi Dynasty was no exception. Despite its seemingly prosperous cultural and commercial development, the reality was filled with corruption. While wealthy families thrived, the commoners faced numerous challenges.
On this foundation, with high taxes and expensive official salt, many salt smugglers emerged. If the private salt trade expanded, they could become extremely wealthy and powerful.
“Is the salt smuggler surnamed Ximen?” Ye Youqing asked.
“How does the Eldest Miss know?” Qin Xin’s eyes widened in surprise.
Ye Youqing thought to herself that as a former boss who was overly dedicated, she had thoroughly studied the original work for the tv adaptation. However, she did not answer, but instead got up to change her clothes.
“I’m going to the clothing store,” she said.
In the past few days, she had been pretending to be busy preparing her dowry before the marriage. Even though her interactions with Shi Li were all behind the scenes, under the guise of choosing fabric for head coverings, she slipped a paper with words written all over it into Shi Li’s hands while she looked around the shop.
Shi Li quickly left, and Ye Youqing, holding the crimson fabric, placed the silver coins on the counter spread with various items.
“Miss Ye, with your upcoming marriage, why are you personally buying fabric?” the shopkeeper asked with a smile.
“I didn’t quite like the original fabric, so I wanted to sew another one myself,” Ye Youqing naturally replied. She lifted her skirt and walked out of the clothing store’s door, keenly noticing two black coat tails disappearing around the corner.
She smirked, placed the purchased fabric into the hands of the accompanying maids, and took a golden silk and wood box from them. She waved her hand, signaling them to return to the mansion first.
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Afterwards, she crossed the bustling street and confidently entered the imperial city, coming to a stop at the entrance of the palace.
News about her in the capital city had been spreading widely. Few in the capital city did not know of her, and even the guards recognized her as the woman about to marry Wei Yanei. When they heard she was here to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, they respectfully allowed her to pass, welcoming her inside.
Paying respects to the Empress Dowager was a pretense; her true intention was to meet with Ci Ke before the impending chaos unfolded.
She had things to say to Ci Ke, but unfortunately, she had gotten heavily drunk last night. Afraid that she wouldn’t remember, and troubled by strange dreams, she didn’t wake up before she left. This made it impossible to pass on any message.
Perhaps these were all just excuses.
Luckily, the Empress Dowager happened to be engrossed in Buddhist scriptures at the pagoda. Finding an empty moment, she didn’t need to feign respect and flattery with others. After leaving the Empress Dowager’s palace, she swiftly darted into the layers of palace walls.
The Qiushui Palace stood between the palaces as regal and melancholic as ever, its golden eaves shining under the glaring sun, making it difficult to discern which was more radiant.
On the way, the palace maids all bowed their heads to her, and Ye Youqing responded with a smile, asking, “Where is Ci Ke?”
“Miss, Ci Ke is currently playing chess with the Noble Consort at the Xiaoshu Palace. Please follow me,” whispered the palace maid, then turned and walked towards the main hall. Ye Youqing followed behind.
She had never been to this area behind the main hall before. It turned out to be another picturesque scene with small bridges, flowing waters, overlapping artificial hills, lush greenery, and pomegranate trees in the corners, although the flower petals had already fallen.
The sound of flowing water filled the air, and above the stacked artificial hills stood a quaint bamboo house. The roof’s design allowed clear water to gush out, forming a closed water curtain that fell into a pool below the artificial hill, circulating continuously.
Approaching closer, a cool breeze swept over.
She followed the palace maid up the artificial hill, arriving at a door without a water curtain. As the palace maid reached out to knock on the door, Ye Youqing’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward to block her wrist in midair.
Her gaze seemed to penetrate through the seemingly thin wooden door, into the room.
The distance between her and the door was quite proper, and she shouldn’t have been able to hear any sounds from inside. However, the hearing of this body was naturally stronger than usual.
She heard her name.
Inside the room, Zhou Ziqiu was placing a plate of fruit-adorned ice next to Ci Ke, looking deeply concerned. She gently patted her head, saying, “Ci Ke, even if you can’t eat your meal, at least have some fruits.”
Ci Ke shook her head without saying a word.
“Approaching Ye Youqing is simply using her identity, Ci Ke. In the past, your approach to Qin Wang was no different. To you, both she and Qin Wang are just pawns, no distinction at all,” Zhou Ziqiu said with clarity.
There was a long silence in the room, as well as outside.
“I understand,” Ci Ke softly replied.
Just as her words trailed off, there was a loud bang as the door was pushed open, crashing heavily against the wall, seemingly without controlling the force, its hinges emitting a painful squeak, almost tilting.
Both individuals in the room trembled, with Ci Ke instinctively getting up but standing dumbfounded at the table when she saw who the newcomer was.
Ye Youqing’s eyes and brows were icy, dressed in a green outfit standing outside the door. The sunlight behind her was scorching like a fire, casting shadows on her cheeks, obscuring her facial expression.
Ye Youqing had always been calm and composed, but upon hearing the last words spoken, rage inexplicably surged to her head, causing her head to buzz incessantly.
“Ye Youqing…” Ci Ke hurriedly circled around the table, but she froze in her steps under Ye Youqing’s gaze, her hands clasped in front of her chest.
“The words the Noble Consort spoke just now were not quite clear to this servant.” Ye Youqing’s voice seemed to come from the heavens, sending shivers down one’s spine.
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“You said I’m like someone else, just a pawn?” she whispered.
Zhou Ziqiu looked at her with cold eyes, the two of them staring at each other for a while, both devoid of any emotions and neither spoke.
Finally, Ye Youqing made the first move. She walked slowly towards them, pushed past Zhou Ziqiu who was blocking the way, reached out and tugged at Ci Ke’s sleeve, pulling her shoulder to face her.
After giving Zhou Ziqiu a glance, she turned and, pulling Ci Ke along, led her outside, entering the shadow of the artificial hill.
Ci Ke stumbled along as she was dragged, but she made no resistance, allowing herself to be pulled into the artificial hill area and placed a hand on the artificial hill.
“Is that really what you think?” Ye Youqing lowered her head slightly and asked softly.
Ci Ke’s breath quickened, her eyes flickering, and her hand involuntarily grabbed her sleeve, saying nothing.
“I risked my life to save you, I even risked my life to save Zhou Ziqiu. And now you’re telling me that from start to end, I’m just your pawn, no different from Qin Wang?” Ye Youqing’s voice was so calm it trembled.
“Ci Ke, today I actually wanted to ask you, ask if you want to leave with me.”
LP: You better say yes or so help me!
