Xie Wangzhi woke up from her dream with cold sweat all over her back. She hadn't recovered yet, and she followed her lingering thoughts and suddenly hugged the man lying beside her, buried her head in the joint of his shoulders and neck, listened to his steady and even heartbeat, and cried unconsciously, soaking his clothes.
"What's wrong?" Li Qishen was a light sleeper, and when she fell on him, he felt the wetness on his collar, and quickly sat up, half hugging the girl in his arms. Xie Wangzhi didn't look up, and he couldn't force her to leave, so he still held her with one hand and used the other to lift the bed curtain.
Before he could finish the words "light the lamp", Xie Wangzhi reached up to his shoulder and grabbed the piece of cloth. His voice was filled with tears, making people feel heartbroken: "Don't call anyone... don't call them in."
"…Okay, I won't scream." Li Qishen could only withdraw his hand, and casually hung one side of the bed curtain on the jade hook. He then carefully patted her back and asked her in a gentle voice like coaxing a child, "You hugged me and cried as soon as you woke up. What nightmare did you have?"
Xie Wangzhi wanted to answer, but her throat was filled with sobs. She was afraid of annoying Li Qishen, so she didn't dare to speak. She just leaned against his chest, her teeth trembling slightly, and she cried softly. It was just an inexplicable dream. In the dream, spring came in February. She broke a peach branch and placed it in front of the young emperor's bed. She walked out of the Changsheng Palace and never met him again. She didn't know how it ended, and she didn't know what she was like in the dream. When she woke up, she felt heartache and just wanted to hug Li Qishen and cry.
“Changsheng, Changsheng…” Xie Wangzhi tightly grasped the cloth on Li Qishen’s shoulders, unable to utter complete words. He could only call his nickname over and over again, curled up in his arms, like a baby bird hiding among the branches after enduring the wind and rain.
He had seen many storms, but he had never seen anything like this on the couch, and Li Qishen panicked. It was not that he was timid, but he had been discussing matters in the Purple Palace a few days ago, and there were a lot of things to do, which dragged on until almost dinner time. Out of morality, Li Qishen invited these close ministers to have some snacks.
They were much more relaxed when eating and could chat, but a young man sitting next to them was gloomy, refusing to accept the snacks and tea, and sighing from time to time. Cui Shi asked about it, and the young man was even more miserable, saying that his wife had a dream a few days ago, dreaming that he had married several concubines and wanted to drive her out of the house. When his wife woke up, she first hugged him and cried, then kicked him out of the room, and he had to sleep in the study until today.
At that time, Li Qishen couldn't help laughing. Now, it was his wife crying in his arms. Li Qishen was afraid that Xie Wangzhi would have such a dream. She would not kick him out of Penglai Palace, but with Xie Wangzhi's fierce temper, if he took it seriously, he would probably leave by himself, and she would have to smear the marriage contract on his face before leaving.
He didn't dare to move, nor did he dare to ask further questions. He could only stroke Xie Wangzhi's back again and again, and asked her casually, "What happened? Tell me slowly?"
His caress was gentle, but each stroke was strong. Xie Wangzhi curled up in Li Qishen's arms, pressed against his shoulders and neck, felt the tall body under his pajamas, heard the steady and strong heartbeat, and felt the slightly pulsating blood under his neck. The man holding her was young and healthy enough, and even a few years older would be enough to describe him as in his prime.
"I... Changsheng, if you had never met me," Xie Wangzhi felt even more bitter, as if someone had wiped the juice of a squeezed green plum in his heart, "what would you have done?"
This question had been asked once before, and Li Qishen still remembered it, and speculated: "Why, is this what you dreamed about?"
“… I guess so.” After hugging him and crying for a while, Xie Wangzhi calmed down a little, reluctantly let him go, raised his hand to wipe his tears, and stammered to talk about the dream he had.
She said, Li Qishen listened carefully, the two sat on the couch facing each other, sitting backwards with the intention of discussing the truth. There was a light in the inner hall near the screen, which could barely shine in front of the couch, and through the half-lifted bed curtains, it could illuminate the girl's thin body that she had raised for two years, and her long black hair, which made her look so pitiful and weak that she could not even wear clothes.
After hearing what she said, Li Qishen felt the same way and felt a little sad. He pushed back the hair that had fallen to Xie Wangzhi's shoulders and said, "Don't think about it. It's just a dream. Even if it's true, it's a good ending."
Xie Wang was stunned: "A good ending?"
"A beauty gives me peach blossoms, do you think it's an invitation?" If the person in the dream was really him, Li Qishen would know that he was dying and couldn't bear to let her watch, so he made an excuse to let her pick peach blossoms. But he couldn't bear to make Xie Wangzhi sad again, so he would rather tell a harmless lie to coax her, "You have to marry me anyway, or do you feel uncomfortable because there is no wedding ceremony in the dream this time?"
"... Where did you get that from!" Xie Wangzhi hated Li Qishen for bringing this up. She wasn't the type to hold on to the betrothal gift. The bitterness from her dream was reduced by half. She glared at him with tears in her eyes, "Don't bring that up. I was just thinking... If you hadn't met me, how sad you would have been in those years."
This is the truth. If he hadn't met Xie Wangzhi, Li Qishen felt that he would probably be exhausted. Such a life would be boring. Death might be a relief. But he couldn't say this in front of Xie Wangzhi. He just smiled and said, "But now that I have met him, everything I said before doesn't count."
"Yeah." Xie Wangzhi responded softly and reached out to touch Li Qishen's face. His fingertips just touched his cheek, but he was gently held by him.
Li Qishen pinched the back of her hand gently, rubbed his cheek against her palm, and whispered, "How about you take care of me a little longer, so that I can live two more years in peace, and in the future I can still use crutches to take you hunting when I'm old?"
“… That’s not necessary.” Xie Wangzhi was silent for a moment, feeling that he couldn’t imagine it anymore, he touched his face twice more, then stopped, “I woke you up with my random thoughts in the middle of the night. It’s still early, go to sleep a little longer.”
"It's the ten-day holiday. You forgot again." Li Qishen lowered the bed curtains, put his arm around her waist and back, took her to lie down, rolled into the soft bedding, and touched her forehead. "Don't think about it. Go to sleep."
Xie Wangzhi hummed, rubbed into his arms, and leaned on his chest contentedly. Li Qishen's clothes were all scented. Most of the clothes he wore during the day were cold scents, smelling solemn and dignified, but the ones on the collar of his pajamas were warm scents, with a hint of sweetness. Curling up in his arms was like leaning on a hot candy.
Xie Wangzhi couldn't help but bury his face in his chest and whispered, "Changsheng, I think I love you."
"Um?"
Just now, it was out of emotion, but Li Qishen seemed not to hear it, and it didn't feel natural anymore. Xie Wangzhi found that he couldn't say it easily, his face was a little red, and he held it in for a while before repeating in a low voice: "I think... I love you, not just like you."
"What?" Li Qishen seemed not to have heard it. "Say it again?"
"… I love you."
Li Qishen smiled lightly but didn't laugh out loud. However, the rise and fall of his chest was obvious, revealing how happy he was.
Xie Wangzhi suddenly felt something was wrong. She was embarrassed to say this out loud, but he had always had good hearing, and they were so close, it would be strange if he didn't hear it.
She became embarrassed and angry and wanted to turn her back and ignore him, but Li Qishen did not give her this chance. He retracted his arms and pulled her back into his arms.
He smiled again, lowered his head, and rubbed the top of her hair accurately, and said softly: "I love you too."
The author has something to say: It's too sweet. Oh, it's tiring to write a side story where you can't stab someone. What's the point of a story where you can't be a character? Shouldn't the side story be used to torture the male protagonist? Isn't this a consensus? (makes a whimpering sound.jpg) Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution during 2019-12-12 16:15:02~2019-12-13 19:17:18~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mines: 3 candles in the west window;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: Wu Ji. , 10 bottles of Yi; Peach Blossom Rain, Mario Mushroom Stew 5 bottles; 26852058, Xuan Ji 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!