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Xie Jing was so close to Lu Lingcong’s face; his breath was warm and directly settled against his ear, and his two sets of eyelashes were densely lowered, making him fittingly think of the four characters “In the bloom of youth, with jade-like beauty”.
Lu Lingcong freed his other hand that was cushioning the back of his head, stretched it out in front of Xie Jing, and gently pinched his cheek with the joint of his index finger and his thumb. He couldn’t pinch much flesh at all, so in the end it just looked like he had squeezed his cheeks a few times.
Xie Jing slightly tilted his head, only moving his jaw, and fiercely bit Lu Lingcong’s finger.
“Xie Jing.” Lu Lingcong suddenly called out.
Xie Jing flatly said, “Don’t call me by my full name; it sounds like you’re about to make an accusation.”
Lu Lingcong helplessly said, “Then what should I call you?”
Xie Jing thought for a moment: “…Sweetheart, Darling?”
Lu Lingcong chuckled under his breath, then said seriously, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were so serious about this; otherwise, I wouldn’t have made this joke.”
Xie Jing was silent for a moment: “In your eyes, am I the type of person who would just grab anyone and make this kind of request?”
Lu Lingcong immediately said, “Of course not… I just didn’t expect it would actually be suggested to me, that’s all.”
Xie Jing observed his expression for a while, finding it solemn and sincere, and the occasional helplessness revealed between his brows did not seem fake—his request had indeed caused trouble for Lu Lingcong, a combination of confusion and disturbance.
So, he switched to a perspective closely related to Lu Lingcong and said, “If the Empress arranges someone by your side, and a child is born and adopted by me as the legitimate heir, I’m afraid you would also find it difficult.”
He looked up at Lu Lingcong, his tone slightly harder: “My conscience is clear; I can, without any sense of obligation, refrain from pouring affection into this child; simply giving him fine clothes and rich food is sufficient. At most, the Empress can criticize me for being an unworthy wife, but I doubt she can persuade His Majesty to depose me, the legal wife.”
“But you cannot. This child has nothing to do with me, but half your blood flows through him. Whether you should guard against him or favor him, how you should treat his birth mother, and how you should deal with the palace are all things you would have to consider.”
Lu Lingcong naturally understood the advantages and disadvantages, but clearly this was not enough to convince him: “So you want to personally bear one for me? That would solve this big problem for me, but what benefit is there for you?”
Xie Jing stared at him for a long time, then let out a cool, light laugh: “A legitimate eldest son can secure my position as Princess Consort Zhao for life and ensure the Xie family’s glory for a hundred years. What benefit do you think there is in that?”
Lu Lingcong was silent for a moment, then nodded: “If I can hold the position of Prince Zhao for life, then that is certainly possible.”
After he finished speaking, he didn’t give Xie Jing a chance to speak again but earnestly requested, “It’s rare for us to come out, and it’s an auspicious day, such as your birthday as well. Can we temporarily stop talking about the twists and turns inside the palace walls?”
Xie Jing felt a lump in his throat, a bit awkward. He wasn’t sure whether Lu Lingcong said this to buy time to process his request or if he genuinely didn’t want to discuss it further. Perhaps he himself was being insensitive.
But either way, such a polite yet forceful change of subject made Xie Jing feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Although he was not entitled to say he was offended, Xie Jing could choose equally matched methods to hit back without mercy: “If you don’t want to talk, then let’s do something. I see you’re restless now that spring has started. Didn’t you even take a cold shower when you got up yesterday morning?”
As expected, Lu Lingcong’s ears instantly turned red as he confirmed with disbelief, “Right now? Here?”
They hadn’t been intimate since their wedding night, but going back half a month, before the weather fully warmed, Lu Lingcong would often proactively hold him while sleeping, and Xie Jing sometimes found himself nestling by his side involuntarily; physical contact was frequently unavoidable. Moreover, some instinctive reactions were hard to conceal after rising and sleeping together day and night.
Furthermore, Xie Jing had figured out just from that one night that Lu Lingcong harbored desire for his body. Grasping this point, administering the aphrodisiac was naturally effective.
He rubbed his feet and heels together, having kicked off his boots to the side. His hand slid down to his waist to untie the belt of his snug under-trousers, and by lifting his lower body and pulling a few times with one hand, he fully removed them.
He then turned over and straddled Lu Lingcong’s waist. His snow-white thighs were vaguely revealed through the gaps and folds of his outer robes, and his slender calves were folded on either side of Lu Lingcong’s body. Ultimately, a pair of delicate, slender ankle bones were concealed within silk socks, adding a few more degrees of innocent charm than if his feet were completely bare.
This series of movements was smooth and fluid. The look in Lu Lingcong’s eyes was one of utter respect. Only when Xie Jing was about to reach out to untie his trousers did Lu Lingcong belatedly say, “Among the people I’ve met who are not to be judged by their appearance, you are absolutely unparalleled.”
Xie Jing glanced at him from his superior position and sneered, “Rare sights make people curious.”
…
