Bai Qingyan’s cold, jade-like fingers rested on Xiao Rongyan’s hand, gently grasping his strong wrist bone. "Yan wants to conquer Wei. It has stirred my fighting spirit."
Xiao Rongyan wasn’t surprised that Bai Qingyan could discern his intentions. Indeed, he wanted to conquer Wei to show the states that Yan was not the same as before, and to lay the groundwork for future endeavors.
"Conquer Liang?" Xiao Rongyan asked.
Bai Qingyan nodded. "It’s unfortunate... The Jin Kingdom is not under my sole command. Whether it’s the Emperor or the Crown Prince, they are afraid of becoming the target of all, so they won’t easily dispatch troops to conquer a nation."
"It seems... I might unify the world first and marry Kid." Xiao Rongyan leaned closer to Bai Qingyan, lightly pecking her lips. His hand, which was resting on Bai Qingyan’s shoulder, slid to her slender waist, pulling her slightly closer. He released her lips and gently caressed the corner of her mouth with his thumb, quietly gazing at her.
If not for the wall between them, Xiao Rongyan would have already embraced Bai Qingyan to alleviate his deep longing for her over many days.
She was enveloped by Xiao Rongyan’s presence, agarwood’s restrained fragrance invading her lungs, disrupting her breathing and making her heartbeat more intense.
Bai Qingyan tightened her grip on Xiao Rongyan’s wrist, raised her tiptoes, and their noses touched. She heard Xiao Rongyan’s heavy breathing. He held her cheek and pressed his hot lips down, no longer just lightly tasting. He wished he could pull Bai Qingyan out of the window, wrap her in his cloak, and take her away forever.
But he knew Bai Qingyan wasn’t a woman content to stand behind a man. Her intelligence and ambitions were vast. Xiao Rongyan saw Bai Qingyan as an equal opponent.
Xiao Rongyan only wanted to unify the world as soon as possible so he could marry Bai Qingyan.
Hearing rustling sounds from outside, Bai Qingyan quickly pushed Xiao Rongyan away a bit, looked towards the draped curtain, fearing to wake the sleeping maid, and lowered her voice. "Go rest now!"
Xiao Rongyan’s throat moved, controlling his heavy breathing. He tucked a strand of Bai Qingyan’s hair behind her ear and kissed her lips again before saying, "Tomorrow, I can’t celebrate your birthday. Once the war is over, I will make it up to you!"
Bai Qingyan nodded, her earlobes turning red.
Estimating the time, Xiao Rongyan feared the Hidden Guards would return. After reluctantly saying goodbye to Bai Qingyan, he put on his hood and disappeared into the moonlit night.
Bai Qingyan stood by the open window, looking down at the birthday gift Xiao Rongyan had sent her. Opening the box, she found a pair of jade bracelets reflecting a delicate light under the moon.
Rather than bracelets, Bai Qingyan thought these finely crafted bracelets were too precious to wear and should be placed on an antique shelf.
The jade was of the purest imperial green, heavy and deep. Around the edge of the round bracelets were carved bean pods, slightly open, revealing red beans inside.
These red beans were ground from red coral and securely embedded within, giving the illusion of real beans at first glance.
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