Night fell quickly. Shen Shiqiu stepped into the house as the sun set. The moment he saw Shen Qingfeng, he rushed up to ask all sorts of questions. Fortunately, with Shen Yu's help, Shen Shiqiu didn't suspect anything and simply assumed that his youngest son had spent the night at a "friend's" place.
Shen Yu had to stay in the palace tonight to help with the preparations for the sacrifice two days later. So the father - son duo didn't wait for him. After having dinner together, Shen Shiqiu pulled Shen Qingfeng to chat in the courtyard. Although Shen Shiqiu was a man of few smiles, he doted on Shen Qingfeng especially. He started to beat around the bush, asking about Shen Qingfeng's love life, but Shen Qingfeng answered all his questions skillfully. After the chat, Shen Shiqiu heaved a sigh of relief, saying that it was a good thing that his own child had finally given up on Xia Chuli completely and was now interested in Lu Yan.
The moon rose high. The winter evening breeze was extremely cold. Worried about Shen Qingfeng's health, Shen Shiqiu urged him to go to bed quickly.
Shen Qingfeng escorted Shen Shiqiu back to his room in the front yard. After saying good - night, he returned to his own room. He didn't mention a single word about what he had talked with Shen Yu today.
Shen Qingfeng sat alone in the room with a burning brazier. There was a cup of hot tea on the table, warmed by the candle flame. He had a thin robe draped over his shoulders and was reading a book he had picked up at random. It didn't snow outside today. In the cold night, the lights in each room of the Shen Mansion gradually went out. Only in Shen Qingfeng's courtyard, the candle flickered like a bean, illuminating a small area, as if waiting for someone.
The winter night was the quietest. There was no gentle spring rain of new life, no chirping of cicadas and crickets in summer, and no falling leaves fluttering in autumn. In a winter night, if there was no wind or snow, it was so quiet that it seemed as if time had been paused.
Shen Qingfeng's eyes were on the book, but in fact, he was all ears.
There was a faint sound in the distance that flashed by, and then there came a rustling sound beside his window.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Shen Qingfeng's lips, but he still sat in his original position, calmly turning the pages of the book.
After a while, the warm temperature in the room seemed to be disturbed for a moment. A gust of cold wind blew in, brushing against Shen Qingfeng's slender and pale fingertips.
Before Shen Qingfeng's hand could tremble in surprise at the cold, it was covered by a much larger hand.
A familiar breathing sound came from beside his ear, and an arm firmly wrapped around his waist. Lu Yan's deep and hoarse voice rang in his ear: "Waiting for me?"
The smile on Shen Qingfeng's lips became more obvious. Without saying a word, he put down the book in his hand, turned around, and kissed Lu Yan on the lips without hesitation.
As if self - taught, Shen Qingfeng stuck out his tongue for the first time, licking Lu Yan's teeth, as if he wanted to take the lead and conquer. But his offensive was quickly crushed by Lu Yan.
A hot hand reached around the back of Shen Qingfeng's head, and a more intense kiss came. Shen Qingfeng's legs went weak from the kiss, and some moans escaped from his mouth. After what seemed like a long time, Lu Yan slowly let him go. He wiped Shen Qingfeng's red and glistening lower lip with his finger and said hoarsely: "Are you inviting me?"
Shen Qingfeng smiled, covering Lu Yan's hand with his own, and whispered: "Desire for food and sex is natural."
Hearing this, Lu Yan chuckled softly, picked him up by the waist, and walked towards the bed.
Lu Yan placed Shen Qingfeng on the bed, lifted his outer robe, and casually threw it under the bed. He kissed Shen Qingfeng's forehead and asked: "You had it three times last night. Does your back still hurt?"
It must hurt. After all, Shen Qingfeng was new to such things, and he had been drugged last night. But now it was much better than in the morning.
Shen Qingfeng pursed his lips, brought his lips close to Lu Yan's ear, and said ambiguously: "My lord, you should be gentle with me tonight."
These words from Shen Qingfeng's mouth were like the strongest aphrodisiac, instantly igniting Lu Yan's reason.
Kisses like a violent storm rained down. Shen Qingfeng lowered his head impatiently, watching his clothes being taken off layer by layer...
In fact, he wasn't like this. Shen Qingfeng thought.
In his previous life, he never indulged in pleasures. If he had been into such things, why would he have accompanied Xia Chuli for ten years without even a single touch?
He just saw things clearly. He knew that many things should be enjoyed in the present. Moreover, the person he met in this life was not Xia Chuli but Lu Yan.
Drinking, feasting, and singing were just material distractions, but they could truly bring pleasure. In his previous life, he had been too miserable. He had tried to commit suicide in Qifeng Hall but failed. When he woke up and saw the dried blood on his hands, he laughed wildly.
People were greedy animals. Once they embraced warmth, they would never want to touch the cold again. They would only want the warmth to be deeper and deeper until their whole bodies were dyed hot.
Lu Yan kissed the back of Shen Qingfeng's neck and pressed him against the wall. They both knelt on the bed. Then, Lu Yan's legs squeezed in between Shen Qingfeng's legs from behind.
He kissed Shen Qingfeng beneath him devoutly, gently biting his earlobe, and said: "Qingfeng, call my name..."
"Lu Yan..." Shen Qingfeng's vision blurred. He could only vaguely see the red - wood wall in front of him.
Lu Yan's voice became urgent: "Call me something else, okay? Be good, call me something else."
Shen Qingfeng's mind was already very confused. He half - opened his mouth and unconsciously murmured: "A Yan..."
-
After their passionate encounter, Shen Qingfeng was almost completely drained of strength.
Lu Yan carried him to wash clean, then dressed him, carried him back to the bed, and wrapped them both in thick quilts.
Lu Yan was quite restrained tonight. At least he didn't make Shen Qingfeng faint. Even so, leaning in Lu Yan's arms, Shen Qingfeng still felt his thighs trembling, and his eyelids were about to close.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Lu Yan, who was satisfied, gently kissed Shen Qingfeng's forehead and asked: "Why are you still awake?"
Shen Qingfeng slowly raised his head, rubbed against Lu Yan's chest, and said tiredly: "I have something to tell you."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Shen Qingfeng regained a bit of energy. Instead of answering, he asked: "Lu Yan, I want to ask you. If I want to support Xia Chuli to ascend the throne, would you help me?"
Lu Yan pursed his lips and said: "That wolf cub?"
"What wolf cub... He is your nephew and the legitimate king of Lixia." Shen Qingfeng said softly: "King Xia Jie is old. He doesn't have many years left in his reign. By then, King Cheng is lustful, and King Yu is brainless. Even for the sake of the common people, Xia Chuli must sit on that throne."
Once, Shen Qingfeng thought so too. After all, Xia Chuli was excellent in all aspects and was a perfect crown prince. But unfortunately, he was finally forced by the Queen Mother and King Xia Jie into that crazy state. So in this life, he wouldn't let those things happen again.
Lu Yan didn't say a word. He just tightened the arm around Shen Qingfeng.
It was understandable. In Lu Yan's mind, Xia Chuli was like a rival in love. Now Shen Qingfeng was asking him to help his rival ascend the throne. Lu Yan couldn't quite describe his feelings at the moment.
"Currently, only the Qingxiang Mansion faction led by the Shen family in the court stands on Xia Chuli's side. And King Xia Jie knows that I once liked Xia Chuli... So he betrothed me to you, believing that I would surely annul the engagement and thus deal a heavy blow to the Shen family. This is enough to prove that King Xia Jie doesn't want Xia Chuli to inherit the throne." Shen Qingfeng said.
"What do you plan to do?" Lu Yan asked.
Shen Qingfeng smiled faintly and said: "King Cheng has come to recruit me... So I'll enter the palace to meet him tomorrow."
Lu Yan understood immediately. He frowned and said: "You're going to feign surrender?"
Shen Qingfeng said: "I'm just going to test the waters first. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Lu Yan pinched his chin, kissed his lips, and said hoarsely: "King Cheng is cunning, and he has the Queen Mother's support. How are you going to deal with him? It's too dangerous."
"That's why I'm telling you this." Shen Qingfeng said: "Only you and my elder brother know about this."
Lu Yan didn't say a word. He just stared at him steadily.
"Lu Yan, both of us have great ambitions. You have your Northern Kingdom, and I have my goal. I want the world to be peaceful, and the common people to have a wise king so that they can be free from hunger and cold." Shen Qingfeng said: "Moreover, King Xia Jie is a suspicious man. He doesn't trust anyone, including you."
Lu Yan's eyes flickered. He said in a deep voice: "I know."
Shen Qingfeng gently held Lu Yan's hand and said: "Over the years, Queen Qi has whispered enough in King Xia Jie's ear. As a result, he now wants to replace Xia Chuli. Lu Yan, think carefully. If Xia Chuli is deposed, who else is left with the right of succession?"
Lu Yan's eyes widened.
If Xia Chuli was deposed, then the only people left with the right of succession would be King Cheng, King Yu, and himself.
Shen Qingfeng wasn't lying. In his previous life, because he had annulled the engagement, Lu Yan had stayed in the Northern Kingdom ever since and never returned to Lige. But even so, King Xia Jie still wanted to get rid of Lu Yan. It was just a pity that before King Xia Jie could act, Shen Qingfeng and Xia Chuli had staged a palace coup and killed King Xia Jie.
In this life, he wouldn't annul the engagement. That meant King Xia Jie's thought of getting rid of Lu Yan still existed, and they needed to find another way to break this situation.
Shen Qingfeng gently stroked Lu Yan's face and said: "The common people have sharp eyes. They naturally know what kind of monarch to choose. You have a good reputation in Lixia. Not to mention that you have managed the Northern Kingdom in an orderly manner, and you also have military merits... If there is no Xia Chuli, you will be the best candidate. So King Xia Jie's next target after getting rid of Xia Chuli will be you."