I Will Only Marry You
Ci Ke suddenly struggled to free her arm, touched Ye Youqing’s right hand, and held it gently, being turned around by Ye Youqing.
“It’s not hurting anymore,” Ye Youqing softly comforted, but saw Ci Ke slowly lift her hand, placing it near her lips. The warm lips touched her skin, and while it tickled, she also felt the hand, previously chilled by the wind, quickly regain warmth.
Ci Ke kissed slowly and continuously, and finally, she looked up, stood on tiptoe, pressed her face against Ye Youqing’s, and fell into her embrace, feeling her arms around her.
A long time of waiting finally turned into a long sigh.
“I miss you so much,” Ci Ke whispered, “For two and a half years, I watched the moon every night, hoping that if you looked up at the moon too, it would be like seeing you.”
“But what use is that? I still cannot see you…” Ci Ke’s voice trembled finely, her breath intermittently delayed.
“Every day, I say, if you don’t come, I will no longer miss you. When you see me with a changed heart in the future, you can cry yourself.”
“Then, have you changed your heart?” Ye Youqing secretly wiped the moisture at the corner of her eye with her fingertip, her heartstrings tightening.
Ci Ke’s charming eyes suddenly lifted, filled with a mix of love and hate, and finally, she bowed her head: “You already know the answer.”
Ye Youqing suppressed a smile, suddenly embracing Ci Ke’s waist and back, lifting her up. Ci Ke was startled, hurriedly clutching the fabric on Ye Youqing’s shoulder, pulling her clothing askew.
After landing, she pushed Ye Youqing’s shoulder lightly but couldn’t bear to use force, breathing heavily, “What are you doing? Just now, you randomly hugged someone else, and I haven’t even blamed you yet!”
Ye Youqing said helplessly, “Who knew the Sixth Prince would be at the Zhou residence? Standing far away made it hard to see clearly. Besides, her hair was loose, and apart from being taller than you, her figure does bear some resemblance to yours.”
“Back in the palace, when she was still a teenager, I once mistook her for you as well,” Ye Youqing explained.
Ci Ke wasn’t really angry; she was just using this opportunity to make things difficult for Ye Youqing, who had kept her waiting for two years. So she merely responded with an “Oh.”
The two hadn’t seen each other for so long and now had so much to say, yet too many words were stuck in their throats, and they didn’t know where to begin.
As Ci Ke felt Ye Youqing’s touch, she only felt that her heart, which had been anxious all day, finally calmed down like spring rain, becoming clear and quiet. She greedily nestled in her embrace and closed her eyes contentedly.
When she closed her eyes, she lost some of her charm, her red lips slightly parted, obediently shut.
“I see you’ve lost a lot of weight. Aside from the injuries on your hand, what else?” Ci Ke suddenly remembered something, opened her eyes, and let go, groping around Ye Youqing’s body.
Ye Youqing quickly dodged as soon as she touched her and shook her head, “Nothing else. These injuries are from that fire. I fell into the sea of flames just as the roof beam fell, and I couldn’t dodge in time, injuring my hand. The fire was too intense, and even holding my breath, I inhaled a lot of smoke, which left me with a chronic illness. But it’s just frequent coughing, nothing serious.”
Ci Ke’s eyes reddened again.
“Is this what you call ‘nothing serious’?” Ci Ke was both angry and anxious, pulling at her sleeve, “Have you seen a doctor?”
“Of course I have, otherwise you wouldn’t smell the herbal scent on me now. It’s all from those medicinal soups I’ve been soaking in,” Ye Youqing placed her sleeve on Ci Ke’s face, only to have it swatted away.
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“So it was Sister Shi Li who took you away?” Ci Ke asked again.
Ye Youqing nodded and nonchalantly tidied up her sleeve, “Yes, I was too weak, and soon after entering, I lost consciousness. It took three days of sleep before I woke up. I hid with the cavalry in a deserted place and only returned to the mountain stronghold to recuperate after the army withdrew.”
“So the letters you sent were written by someone else…” Ci Ke murmured.
“Is your body really alright now?” Ci Ke was deeply worried and couldn’t help but confirm again.
Ye Youqing saw that her delicate eyebrows hadn’t relaxed, intending to make her happy, suddenly bent down and wrapped her arms around Ci Ke’s legs, then straightened up and lifted her.
Ci Ke’s legs were wrapped around Ye Youqing’s waist. Feeling embarrassed by the position, her face reddened, and her slender fingers gripped Ye Youqing’s collar slightly tighter.
“What are you doing?” Her red lips parted slightly.
“Letting you see, it’s really not a problem.” Ye Youqing said as she walked forward, placing Ci Ke on the empty side of the square table. Her phoenix eyes sparkling, “I just look a bit thin, that’s all.”
Ci Ke greedily looked at Ye Youqing’s eyebrows and eyes, not even noticing when the woman extended her hands to both sides, trapping her on the table.
“How did you become Miss Chen?” Ci Ke, seeing that she indeed had strength, felt somewhat relieved and asked.
“This matter is quite a long story,” Ye Youqing said earnestly. “The reason it took me over two years to find you is that I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. This world belongs to the Emperor, and since he forced me time and again, how long could I keep running?”
“If I want to protect the people around me, I must secure a place for myself in this world.”
Ye Youqing slowly recounted her experiences over the past two years, including the embarrassing incident of being chased by soldiers through two cities while transporting goods, though she glossed over the truly dangerous parts. Even so, Ci Ke was several times on the verge of tears.
“Sorry,” Ci Ke said after she finished speaking.
“Sorry for what?” Ye Youqing lightly raised her eyebrows.
Ci Ke did not respond, instead, she reached out to straighten Ye Youqing’s collar, which had been disheveled by her earlier. She glanced at a nearby chair and awkwardly said, “Shouldn’t we sit down to talk?”
“No, I think this is just fine,” Ye Youqing, having not seen Ci Ke for a long time, felt a tingle in her heart upon seeing her blush, and she shook her head somewhat assertively.
Ci Ke looked at Ye Youqing’s close body, and although her face was red and her heart was pounding, the joy in her heart kept swelling. She no longer objected and a faint dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth.
“You can’t just ask me, what about you?” Ye Youqing said seriously. “These past two years, you…”
“I…” Ci Ke averted her gaze. “I have been much more boring. Aside from waiting for you every day, I only wanted to help my aunt and kill him.”
The last sentence was whispered by Ci Ke, but it made Ye Youqing’s heart skip a beat.
“What did you do?” Ye Youqing straightened her body and asked in a low voice.
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“What could I do?” Ci Ke suddenly smiled, though the smile quickly faded. “He harmed my closest family and made you suffer. I have dreamed of his death.”
“But he is the Emperor, I cannot touch him.”
“So that’s why you are getting closer to the Sixth Prince?” Ye Youqing quickly asked.
The tenderness in Ci Ke’s expression had already vanished. At this moment, her bright eyes seemed to sparkle like starlight as she looked down at her knees. “Although the Emperor is still in his prime, according to my aunt, his health is inexplicably deteriorating. On the surface, the palace appears harmonious, but underneath, there are undercurrents surging. Various factions have been openly and covertly competing.”
“Since you left, the Sixth Prince has often visited my aunt. She must be seeking to curry favor. Besides, although she has no biological mother to back her, she is skilled in both civil and military affairs and has learned to assess the situation. Gradually, she has taken over many political matters. My aunt and I have been secretly assisting her.”
Hearing this, Ye Youqing nodded thoughtfully.
“But I remember, the Emperor originally had established a Crown Prince,” Ye Youqing frowned.
“Yes,” Ci Ke sighed, her body slumping slightly, her face showing difficulty. “The Crown Prince has many supporters, and although the Sixth Prince is involved in the struggle for the throne, she is ultimately young and has few supporters in the court. With my aunt’s connections, she has gained the assistance of some veteran ministers, but it is still very dangerous facing the Crown Prince.”
“Especially since the Emperor is so cautious, never relinquishing power to anyone. No one knows what will happen in the future,” Ci Ke lamented.
Ye Youqing digested the court’s situation, and seeing Ci Ke’s dejection, reached out to embrace her back, gently patting her, “Don’t be afraid, now that I’m back, everything will be fine.”
Ci Ke felt the stability that hand brought her, and her heart gradually calmed. “And what I am most worried about is not even this.”
“As a woman, is it impossible to escape the matter of marriage…” Ci Ke sighed wearily, gripping tightly the fabric at Ye Youqing’s waist, as if it made her feel safe.
Ye Youqing thought of the rumors she had heard about Ci Ke in the past few days, her lips pressed tightly together, knowing how much effort Ci Ke had spent to avoid those marriages while waiting for her return.
“They even forced me, as if besides getting married, there is nothing else a woman can do,” Ci Ke sneered, exhaling shortly. “So, to those who tried to coerce and entice me, I could only use some sinister methods.”
“Breaking their legs, exposing their evil deeds to the public?” Ye Youqing stroked her hair, “What’s so sinister about that.”
“Rest assured, do whatever you want to do, and even if you can’t do it, I will do it for you,” Ye Youqing said seriously. She slowly stepped forward, parting Ci Ke’s knees, her body leaning against the edge of the table, enclosing Ci Ke even more tightly.
Ci Ke leaned back slightly, revealing her full shoulders. Her neck, under the red dress, was smooth like jade. Her eyes were still moist from crying, and she gazed at Ye Youqing with an expression that could drown a person.
Years of longing had stifled the flames, igniting at a mere touch.
Supporting herself with one hand, Ci Ke spoke in a breathy voice, like drifting smoke: “I’ve even thought, if there ever comes a day I can’t escape, I would perish together with them.”
Ye Youqing couldn’t bear to hear such words from her. She reached out to cover Ci Ke’s lips, frowning: “Ci Ke.”
Ci Ke turned her head to break free, her soft hands tracing Ye Youqing’s delicate brows and eyes repeatedly: “I don’t care if you’re a woman or whatever. I just want to marry you.”
Under the flickering light, Ci Ke’s eyes unexpectedly hid a shadowy madness: “Even if the world does not tolerate it, I would rather die.”
Ye Youqing’s heartstrings trembled. She reached out to support the woman’s back, preventing her from retreating any further. Then she sighed, lovingly caressed the back of her head, and her fingertips slid behind her ear, lightly patting the burning skin.
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Then, using the gentlest tone that could soothe the heart, she said seriously: “That day will never come, but even if it does, I will flatten the Imperial City to take you back.”
Ci Ke’s breathing faltered for a few beats. Ye Youqing, unable to contain herself, leaned in and captured her lips. As Ci Ke lost balance and fell backward, Ye Youqing extended her arm to support her.
Ye Youqing wanted to describe Ci Ke’s body with all the beautiful things in the world, holding a cloud would be no different.
After not kissing for two years, both were very inexperienced. Even so, they quickly lost their breath, their heartbeats intertwined in a chaotic mess. Ci Ke’s sleeve uncontrollably swept across the table, scattering the neatly arranged herbs onto the floor.
“Ye…” Ci Ke murmured softly, the pleasure of the kiss blanking her mind. If it weren’t for Ye Youqing’s body blocking her, she would have slid down along the edge of the table.
Ye Youqing was also breathless, with a jumble of thoughts swirling in her mind, unable to be dispelled. However, reason told her to restrain herself, leaving her momentarily flustered.
Just then, a knock on the door sounded. Ye Youqing immediately moved away from the edge of the table, reaching out to catch the unexpectedly sliding Ci Ke, holding her steady in her arms.
Letting out a long breath, Ye Youqing smoothed her clothes and frowned, asking, “Who is it?”
From outside the door came the concerned yet cautious voice of the Sixth Prince: “Is Ci Ke crying? Is everything alright?”
