The water was quickly prepared and Xie Changgeng entered the bathroom.
Mu Fulan stayed in the room.
There was a faint sound of moving water from inside. After a moment, Mu Fulan suddenly heard another voice: "Come in!"
Mu Fulan hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked to the bathroom door and reached out to push it open.
Under the floor tiles of the bathroom, there is also a fire dragon, which is burning very hot, with steam rising and hot mist filling the air.
Mu Fulan stood at the door and saw him stand up from the water and step out.
"Bring me some clothes."
His tone was calm, as if this was a natural thing and she often helped him do it.
His clothes were hanging on the rack near the door.
Mu Fulan paused, reached out to take it, and walked a few steps inside.
He had his back to the door, wiping the water off himself.
During the day, when he was dressed neatly, he looked thin, but without clothes, he had broad shoulders and a strong chest and abdomen. At this moment, with his back to her, as he wiped her, the well-defined muscles on her shoulders and back seemed to ripple slightly.
Mu Fulan walked behind him and handed him the clothes.
He threw away the towel, took the clothes from her hand and put them on.
"I didn't know you would be back tonight, so I just asked someone to add two more dishes. I'll go see if they're ready."
After Mu Fulan finished speaking, she turned around and walked out, but she heard Xie Changgeng suddenly say from behind: "Mu, do you really want to go back to Changsha immediately?"
Mu Fulan's heart skipped a beat. She stopped and slowly turned her head.
Xie Changgeng had already put on his clothes and turned around to face her.
The candlelight in the bathroom was dim. Through the hazy white mist, Mu Fulan saw his two eyes falling on her face, his eyes were dark.
This was a very difficult question for her to answer.
She said, "I remember you promised me before I left Beijing that you would ask me to come back after some time after I arrived here. To be honest, I want to go back, but I also want your convenience."
He didn't answer and there was silence all around.
The bathroom was small and the fire dragon was burning brightly. Mu Fulan felt the air getting hotter and hotter. She didn't know whether it was water vapor or sweat that slowly accumulated on her skin after taking a bath. Her clothes seemed to become wet.
Even breathing gradually seemed to become a little difficult.
"You must be hungry. I'd better go and rush to prepare dinner..."
She paused, spoke softly, and started to go, but her steps stopped again.
A pair of hands reached out from behind her, holding her waist and pinning her to the spot.
Her feet immediately flew into the air.
Xie Changgeng lifted her up from behind, held her in his arms, and walked out.
He was barefoot, his shirt was open, exposing his chest. His hair was still wet, the black hair stuck to his temples, water drops kept dripping from the corners of his hair as he walked, splashing on her face and body, quickly spreading.
Mother Mu and the maid arrived at the door, knocked, then pushed open the half-closed door and entered with the food box. When they were about to put the food on the table, they saw Xie Changgeng striding out of the bathroom holding the princess in his arms. They were all stunned.
“Get out!”
Xie Changgeng's face was gloomy. He shouted softly, and without stopping for a moment, he walked straight past the few people who were still in shock, and entered the inner room holding Mu Fulan.
He placed her on the edge of the bed, grasped the jade hairpin she used to secure her hair, pulled it out, and threw it on a small table beside the bed.
With a slight "bang", the hairpin hit the hard teak, jumped a few times, and broke into two pieces.
Xie Changgeng looked down at her gradually changing face, as if admiring her appearance, with no extra expression on his face.
Just like that, one by one, he slowly pulled out all the hairpins that she had inserted into her hair to secure it in place.
When the last hairpin was broken by him on the table, her long black hair fell like a waterfall.
Xie Changgeng grabbed a handful, squeezed it, leaned over and sniffed it.
The long hair had just been washed, and the scent of flowers filled her nose. He let go of his hand, and it brushed along her face again, and finally gently pinched her chin, lifted it up, and asked her to look up at him.
Her black hair fell on her face. She looked slightly pale.
"As long as you are sensible."
He slowly moved his face towards her and spoke in a low voice.
"You can come back when it's convenient for me."
His eyes were dark, but his tone was very gentle. If she didn't look at his face, she would hear him speak as if he was coaxing her.
Mu Fulan stood up suddenly.
Before she could stand up straight, he grabbed her shoulders and pressed her down. Her knees went weak and she fell back, then fell onto the bed behind her.
She sank into the soft quilt, watching him slowly untie the belt around his waist, his eyes fixed on her, and he said, "Don't be afraid. You will be happy soon."
Mother Mu stood still in the outer room, unable to move forward or backward, with an extremely ugly expression on her face. After a moment of silence, she faintly heard a woman's suppressed low sobbing coming from the inner tent. Although it was vague, it was clearly audible. She quickly glanced at the red-faced maids nearby and hurriedly signaled them to leave.
The maids hurriedly took the food boxes and left.
Mother Mu frowned and took one last look towards the inner room. She suppressed her worries and could only retreat and close the door gently.
There was no trace of Xie Changgeng's usual outsider demeanor anymore, whether it was his handsome appearance or his maturity and dignity as an official.
His legally married wife was Mu Fulan, the princess of Changsha.
His eyes were red, his teeth were clenched, his handsome face covered with sweat was slightly twisted, his movements were fierce and violent, and extremely intense. For a long time, he hugged her waist tightly, and the anger, rage and injustice that had accumulated for several days were released with the huge pleasure that seemed to explode his soul, as if it was an endless stream.
After a long time, he slowly let out a breath, picked up a piece of clothing, wiped himself and her, hugged her and fell asleep.
The candles in the room collapsed inch by inch, gradually becoming shorter, the flame dimmed, and suddenly went out.
The man woke up, but without opening his eyes, he reached out in the darkness and stroked the smooth and warm skin of the woman beside him for a moment. Without saying a word, he turned over and pressed on her again.
The night was hazy and quiet, and faint banging sounds from violent collisions could be heard from the room to outside the door.
Mother Mu didn't sleep all night, and in agony and waiting, she finally waited until dawn.
As soon as Xie Changgeng left, she immediately ran into the room and went to the inner chamber.
The windows were closed, and a dim morning light filtered through the window paper, illuminating the scene inside the house.
Half of the bed curtains were torn, and a golden hook on the headboard broke and fell to the ground in front of the bed. Beside the bed, women's clothes were hung in a mess.
The air was a little stuffy, and there seemed to be a faint scent of musk floating in the nostrils.
Mother Mu rushed to the bed and turned over the messy and wrinkled quilt. A snow-white back covered with bright red bite marks appeared like a fish belly.
Mother Mu took a deep breath. She carefully turned her over. She looked tired and haggard, with her eyes closed. Her long, messy hair was covered with sweat that had been wet and dried, and then wet again. Her whole body, including her arms, chest, waist, hips, and legs, was covered with spots of teeth bites and scars left by fingers. It was extremely shocking.
After seeing Xie Changgeng coming out of the room with an angry face and leaving overnight that night, the next day, Mu Mama felt more and more that something was wrong, so she secretly asked Danzhu, who was supposed to be serving in the room at that time. Only then did she learn that when she was about to deliver clothes to the princess in the bathroom, Xie Changgeng happened to come in, ordered her to go out, and took her place.
The princess and he were only a couple in name only, sleeping separately at night, not really a couple. But when she heard from Danzhu about the secret that happened that night, which she had never known, and thought about what she had seen the night before, she became uneasy.
She recalled the ferocity with which Xie Changgeng had carried her out last night and had invited her and the maids to leave. She knew exactly why he had treated her like that, and felt extremely heartbroken. Her eyes immediately turned red. She covered her with a blanket and said in a trembling voice, "My lady, just let me go and tell him, you..."
"don't want."
Mu Fulan's eyelashes moved, and she slowly opened her slightly red and swollen eyes.
"I won't let you say a word about it."
"Not even a word!"
Her spirit seemed to come back all of a sudden, and she looked at the woman in front of her and spoke word by word.
Mother Mu couldn't help choking up and said, "My Lady, why are you doing this... I really don't understand..."
"Mother Mu, remember what I said."
"I'm tired and want to take a nap." She closed her eyes, turned over and whispered to herself.
Mother Mu stared at her back in a daze, then wiped away her tears, picked up the messy clothes and things on the ground, and tiptoed out.
After that, she secretly paid attention and found that after that night, Xie Changgeng never slept alone on the couch in the room again.
Fortunately, after that night, Mu's mother no longer felt that he treated the princess so cruelly. Although sometimes she would find some scars left over from the night before on her body, they were not too severe.
It seems that the two of them are now more like newlyweds, and what makes Mother Mu most gratified is the attitude of the princess.
Although he couldn't figure out why the princess' attitude towards Xie Changgeng changed so drastically, from great love to great hatred overnight, but now it seems that she has accepted the two of them sleeping together, and she doesn't show any sadness or resentment, and her attitude is the same as usual every day.
Mother Mu finally felt a little relieved.
The days passed one by one, and in a blink of an eye, the princess had been here for more than a month. The first month was over and the second month began. On this day of the Waking of Insects, farmers began spring ploughing according to the calendar.
There is an important custom in Hexi. On this day, people from all over the country offer sacrifices to the God of Agriculture and the Goddess of Silkworms, praying for good weather and a good harvest in the coming year.
In Guzang, according to custom, officials and people from a hundred miles around would rush to the temple west of the city, where the military governor would preside over the sacrifice to the god of agriculture, and the governor's wife would worship the goddess of silkworms.
This sacrifice was considered a major event by the local people. According to the Book of Rites, the person presiding over the sacrifice had to fast three days in advance. Not only did he have to bathe and change clothes, but he also had to refrain from drinking alcohol or eating meat three days before the sacrifice. Couples were even more forbidden to have sex, in order to show their sincerity and respect.
In previous years, when the Jiedushi's wife was not at home, she was replaced by the wife of the provincial official. This year, when the governor was present, it was naturally the wife who presided over the sacrifice.
The author has something to say: Thank you for the deep water □□ Thank you for the shallow water □□
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