Feng Xing: Chapter 85
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Translation: marchmallow
Only one night lamp shone in the bedroom, and the dusky yellow light illuminated a mere solitary corner of the room. The rest of the space sunk into darkness, but the light sufficed for a person to see clearly.
Prince Wei shook off his outerwear and ambled to the front of the bed.
The bed-curtain shrouded half of what was inside, and he could vaguely behold a slender back facing him. He pushed aside the bed-curtain and plopped on the bed, noticing that there was only one bedding on it.
According to the general rules of a high-ranking family, there shouldn’t only be one bedding on the bed. When the two were just newly married, several times had Feng Sheng wielded the second bedding to hide from Prince Wei. In the end, Prince Wei couldn’t help but express his displeasure. After that, whenever the servant girls would make the bed, none of them would dare install two beddings, only so that he could share one with her.
He lifted the quilt and positioned himself inside, flat on his back.
The fragrance of her body wafted from the quilt, and it was faint and refreshing. After a night of drinking, Prince Wei had felt slightly uncomfortable, but when he caught a whiff of her scent, his composure immediately relaxed.
He turned to the side to peer at her.
This woman truly couldn’t fatten up, and her waist was still slender and delicate. Those who didn’t know would think he was mistreating her. Every time he grasped this thin waist, he feared he would accidentally break her. Just as his imagination ran amok like this, he noticed how translucent the thin bedclothes appeared under the dim light, and he could faintly detect the sweet scent of her soft and smooth skin. He imagined the usual feeling of holding her in his arms, and the person in his fancies unconsciously drifted away.
He enclosed the person in his embrace and discovered that she was not asleep at all.
She couldn’t even pretend to be asleep!
He cleared his throat and pretended to casually say, “That Su Mao Cheng hosted a banquet. It just so happened that Hu Ping Zhi was also there. We drank some wine, so I came back late.”
Su Mao Cheng was the Jiangsu Governor, and Hu Ping Zhi was the Jiangsu Surveillance Commissioner. Both were staying at the Yangzhou yamen. Since Prince Wei had honored them with a visit, the local officials naturally couldn’t refrain from expressing their welcome.
“Why didn’t you go wash up?” She asked after a moment of silence.
“You dislike this prince?”
“You reek of wine.” She replied in a hushed voice.
He raised an eyebrow. “It’s too late to complain. The smell of wine is already all over.”
She moved with a bit of unease and uttered no response.
Prince Wei spurred her to turn around. He quite disliked it when she talked with her back to him. It always made him feel as though she was opposing him.
In fact, with how smart Prince Wei was, he was perfectly aware that she had agreed to marry him because he had blocked all the paths she could choose. Had that incident not occurred, he wasn’t confident that she would have agreed to marry him.
Saying that would probably incur a joke. His temperament had always been stubborn and resolute. If he wanted to achieve something, he would do his utmost to reach it, even if it would take ten or twenty years. Before he had made up his mind to marry her, he had already concluded that there would inevitably be a day where he would obtain her heart.
However, when things came to a head, he realized that he had wrongly estimated his jealousy. He wasn’t as forgiving as he had presumed. He couldn’t even tolerate others coveting her.
“You are this prince’s. No one can take you away.”
He kissed her almost greedily, devouring her breaths little by little, down to the rest of her being. How come their talk had developed to something like this? Feng Sheng was a little baffled, but she couldn’t resist at all and could only follow along with his movements.
Upon reaching the peak of his ardor, Prince Wei half sat up and poised her on top of him.
She was sore and limp all over, but he held her up firmly.
“Don’t, not like this.”
Such a position was too much of a challenge for Feng Sheng’s nerves, and it was far too humiliating. Prince Wei had seen her like this more than once, and whenever he moved a little wantonly, she would be so flustered beyond recognition.
Men actually liked this kind of bashfulness in a woman. However, were she like this every time, he would inevitably feel some apprehension in his heart. Prince Wei particularly felt that Feng Sheng did not love him, and it didn’t help that he had so many love rivals in secret.
Apart from anything else, there was that one surnamed Fan. Right before their grand wedding, Feng Sheng had met with Fan Jin Chuan alone. This matter naturally couldn’t have escaped Prince Wei’s knowledge, but as a deeply scheming person, he had never once brought it up. He had even said nothing of Gou Qing’s intention towards Feng Sheng, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t been aware of it in his heart.
Yet, things developed towards the opposite direction. The more she didn’t want him to be like this, the more he challenged her nerves. Men were born with the natural instinct to declare what they considered their own. This unseen look of yours can only be seen by me, only me!
He flipped her over and kissed her shoulder, persisting with an unquenchable thirst.
Feng Sheng couldn’t bear with the shame at this point. Perhaps she had reached the peak of discomfiture that her entire body felt muddled. It was the first time Prince Wei attempted this, so it was particularly hasty. When he turned her over with a low gasp and tried to kiss her, a slap landed on him.
The slap was directed at Prince Wei’s face, only that Feng Sheng missed, and it fell on his shoulder and neck.
Even if it wasn’t directly on the face, ordinary people couldn’t stand being hit this way, let alone a dignified prince.
Prince Wei’s face instantly darkened.
Feng Sheng looked at the collapsed corners of his mouth and flinched.
Prince Wei had strong facial features, with sword-like eyebrows, a high and straight nose bridge, thin lips, and dark pupils. When he wasn’t smiling, he exuded an exceptionally cold and indifferent demeanor.
This was a ruthless man.
Not only was he ruthless, he was also as sharp as a knife.
It wasn’t that Feng Sheng had never seen his cold face, she had even witnessed him flying into a rage. He possessed an imposing manner that could almost totally devour a person. However, at that time, she hadn’t felt anything. Probably because she was in a different state of mind at present, she actually found it a bit too much to accept.
She pursed her lips. After that incident, the corner of her eyes were still bright red, and they were now damp and faintly watery as they twinkled.
Prince Wei couldn’t continue watching her like this. He hugged her closer, his voice firm as he coaxed, “You are this prince’s princess consort. It’s normal for husband and wife to make love. Why do you have so much of a reaction?”
“Even if it’s normal, it shouldn’t be like this. What do you take me for, a woman from those brothels and pleasure quarters?” She very quickly uttered with her head lowered. Because she was too agitated and also spoke too hastily, she couldn’t control herself from choking and coughing.
Prince Wei patted her back, slightly confused about what her words meant.
After Feng Sheng said this, she truly found it difficult to look at the person, so she tried desperately to turn around, but Prince Wei wouldn’t let her.
“What made you think so?”
“Husband and wife should treat each other as honored guests and mutually respect each other. But you, those methods usually used to treat women in brothels and pleasure quarters, you always use them on me. You……”
She pulled the quilt over her face and couldn’t really continue talking anymore. Prince Wei started to laugh.
It was a genuine laugh.
“No, why would you think that this prince is looking down on you? Obviously……” he muttered. What came after that, Feng Sheng didn’t hear. She didn’t want to listen, simply desiring to hide behind the quilt and push him away.
Time and again had Prince Wei seen her so clever, eloquent, and cunning as a fox, always making an empty show of strength in a calm and unhurried manner. In any case, he had borne witness to all sorts of things, but this was his first time seeing such a lovable Feng Sheng.
He attempted to pull her out but couldn’t, so he could only lift the quilt and squeeze himself in.
It was dark inside. He leaned in and hugged her.
She wouldn’t let him hold her and persisted in shoving him away.
Pressing his ear against her, he sighed and laughed helplessly, “This prince loves you very much, that’s why I do this to you. Only husband and wife can do such intimate things. Do you think this prince does such things to others?”
“That’s not it……”
“Then what is?” He casually nibbled on her earlobe, mumbling in a husky voice, “Is it like this? Or like this? Do you dislike it?”
“Zong Yue, you, go away.”
*
The two masters had been squabbling for two days. The next day, the maids roused early and came to serve with anxiety brewing in their hearts.
They called to mind how yesterday had transpired. One had gotten up, and the other had awoken but paid no heed to the other. Unexpectedly, today, after hearing the call to go in, the prince was already up, standing in front of the bed in his inner garments, and behind the bed-curtain sat a person.
Dong Mei and Dong Xue stepped forward to serve Prince Wei to change his clothes, while Zhi Chun and Zhi Qiu approached the front of the bed.
They each changed their clothes, washed their face, and rinsed their mouth. The few servant girls shot them furtive glimpses. The two masters obviously still hadn’t said anything, but it seemed like they were getting along?
The breakfast had been laid out.
Feng Sheng ate lightly. Although Prince Wei’s preferences were quite heavy, he would eat lighter meals for breakfast as much as he could. At most, he would pick two stir-fried dishes with heavy flavor, which wouldn’t make much of a difference to his overall meal.
There was a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots that Feng Sheng usually loved eating. Prince Wei picked up his chopsticks and put some in her bowl.
She cleared her throat. “Many thanks, Your Highness.”
Before her words waned, the chopsticks landed on her dish again.
“Princess Consort and this prince are one as husband and wife. What’s the thanks for?”
They were obviously just very ordinary words, but Feng Sheng was somewhat embarrassed, recalling that she had once said this. He had also mentioned it last night, but today, he said it in such an ambiguous way.
She really wanted to tell him to stop being so serious, but Prince Wei’s expression was too austere. Should she insist, it would seem as though she was the one who wasn’t.
“Eat quickly. I’ll take you out for a stroll when you’re done.”
“Where to?”
“We’ll just be looking around. Are you going to stay in this garden the whole time you’re here in Yangzhou?”
Translator’s Note:
Didn’t start well, but this is the end of Prince Wei being a total jerk.
