Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 450

Gu Yin waited at the table for half an hour, but when Wu Qingyi didn’t return, she decided to put away the chessboard and pieces and went to rest on the bed.

As she lay down, her eyelids grew heavy quickly, yet at the same time, she felt that something was amiss. It was challenging to put into words. It was like when one was physically very tired and ready to sleep, but their mind was still racing, making it hard to fall asleep.

Despite feeling drowsy, she had an uneasy sense of alertness. It was akin to the restlessness that follows staying up too late.

After some time, Wu Qingyi returned.

“Is the water on the stove still hot?” He asked.

Gu Yin nodded in response, then they put out the lights and lay down on the bed.

Outside the tent, it was quiet except for the gentle rustling of the wind blowing through the trees. The mountain’s nighttime breeze was mild, but the room was colder than during the day.

Gu Yin wasn’t feeling the cold, but she thought of Wu Qingyi lying next to her. She stood up again, retrieved another quilt, and was about to hand it over.

However, as she extended her hand, she felt a startlingly hot palm pinch her wrist.

Her body stiffened, and she softly explained, “I thought you had fallen asleep and wanted to cover you with a quilt.”

Wu Qingyi didn’t respond, but the temperature of his palm was steadily increasing. It was becoming so hot that Gu Yin was worried her wrist might get burned.

“Your hands are really hot,” she murmured.

In the next moment, the grip on her wrist tightened, and Wu Qingyi pulled her into his arms.

The room was so silent that even the slightest sound, like a pin dropping, could be heard clearly. The only sounds that remained were their entangled breathing and the rapid beating of their hearts.

After a prolonged silence, Wu Qingyi spoke in a hushed voice, “What did you give me?”

His voice was rough and hoarse, as if a fire was burning in his throat. Not to mention, his body radiated a scorching heat, and he felt like he was on fire.

Earlier, Wu Qingyi couldn’t control himself. Even when he was with her, whether it was while he was wiping her hair or playing chess, he found it challenging to focus. However, after taking a cold shower, he couldn’t seem to calm down. He felt increasingly hot and uncomfortable.

Looking back, everything had started to go wrong after their evening meal.

Gu Yin felt a bit wronged. It wasn’t as if they had never been close to each other. Even though her heart raced during those times, it was nothing compared to the intensity of the moment, as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

She had mentioned that Wu Qingyi’s hands were hot, but the truth was that her own body temperature wasn’t low either.

Gu Yin placed her hand over her heart and replied naively, “No, I cooked the meals, but the whole family ate together.” As she spoke, she remembered something and hesitated.

After a while, both of them said in unison, “It’s the blood tofu!” They realized the reason why Mrs. Wang had prohibited Song Shiliu from helping and had prevented Wu Zhong and Wu’an from eating it.

Wu Qingyi smiled and shook his head, saying, “It was the deer blood we had tonight.”

Gu Yin looked embarrassed and admitted, “It’s my fault. I was multitasking with the barbecue and other dishes, and I didn’t pay enough attention.”

Despite the logical explanation, the heat still didn’t dissipate. Wu Qingyi buried his face in her hair that cascaded over her shoulders, temporarily cooling his feverish face. However, her hair carried her unique scent, which intoxicated him. He feared that if he stayed too long, he might not be able to control himself.

Taking a deep breath in her hair, he muttered to her, “It’s not the right time.”

Then he released her wrist, and just as Gu Yin was about to ask what he meant by that, he abruptly left the tent.

 …… 

That night, Gu Ye, Emperor Zhengyuan, and Empress Zhou had dinner together. The palace chef prepared the barbecue, but the spices didn’t suit Gu Ye’s taste. Fortunately, his mother had sent a small pot of spicy blood tofu, which he enjoyed despite the heat. He picked out the wild vegetables and finished his meal.

After dinner, Gu Ye wanted to engage in a conversation in front of the Emperor and Empress, acting as a mediator between them to facilitate communication.

However, before he could say much, his father, Emperor Zhengyuan, who usually doted on him, hurriedly dismissed him, saying, “You’ve been hunting with me for half a day; you must be exhausted. Go rest.”

Gu Ye protested that he wasn’t tired, but Emperor Zhengyuan insisted, and he was sent away by Qian Sansi, the chief eunuch, in a bewildered state.

“Your Highness, please rest assured. This old servant understands your concerns. You don’t need to worry about His Majesty and the Empress; they will be fine,” Qian Sansi reassured him. He then summoned Lu Zhao’s wet nurse and took the child with him, instructing the other palace servants to leave as well.