Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C037

Truly, it is different!

Her waist was soft, while his was hard and full of strength, covered with a thin layer of muscle, upon which clear lines could be seen.

In her previous life, Wushuang had seen Ji Yang's waist and abdomen, but each time it was only a fleeting glance, never daring to look more closely. Today, perhaps she was drunk, perhaps she was overjoyed by the imperial decree of marriage, but more likely it was because Ji Yang was sleeping soundly, and she had the excuse of helping him undress, which emboldened her considerably.

She casually slipped her hand inside his clothes, and through the thin middle garment, she touched him twice.

"What are you touching?"

Wushuang froze, not daring to move. She blinked her eyes nervously, before finally looking up at the person who had awakened.

"I... I was helping you take off your clothes. It's too uncomfortable to sleep in your outer robe, and this belt…"

Ji Yang glanced at her, then quickly removed his outer robe and pulled off his belt, tossing them both out of the tent.

Wushuang dared not look at him, pretending to pull up the quilt. In truth, the weather was so hot that a quilt was unnecessary. Her actions were clearly a clumsy attempt to conceal her true intentions.

Ji Yang scoffed, "So timid? You've already touched this Prince's head, is there anything you wouldn't dare touch?"

He had indeed discovered that she had touched him. Tears welled in Wushuang's eyes, but this was different, wasn't it? A head was a head, and a waist was a waist. As for how they were different, Wushuang could not yet articulate it, but they were simply different.

"Massage my head, it aches," Ji Yang said, rubbing his temples.

Wushuang hurried over.

Because Ji Yang was lying lengthwise, this position was not very convenient. However, Ji Yang understood and quickly changed to lying sideways, placing his head on her lap, making it easier for her to apply pressure.

"Your Highness hasn't come these past two days, is it because of what happened that day…"

"That day's matter has already been resolved." As he spoke, Ji Yang briefly explained how Commandery Princess Minghui had been betrothed to Sun Shixian.

Wushuang was truly unaware of this news. She had thought that Commandery Princess Minghui would suffer greatly from this, but she had not expected her to be betrothed so quickly.

Her small mouth opened in surprise, and Ji Yang reached out and nudged her chin. "So surprised?"

Wushuang almost bit her own tongue. She looked at him with a hint of grievance and said, "I was just surprised that the betrothal was so swift."

A few words were not enough to explain the details, so Ji Yang only mentioned that after the betrothal, the Empress Dowager had proposed postponing the wedding date. Wushuang was not foolish, and immediately realized that the Empress Dowager was using this as a feint, and that the marriage would likely not be so easily settled, and further complications would arise.

This matter was too complex, and Wushuang had never been good at thinking about such things. After a moment, she said, "Oh, right, the imperial decree for our betrothal has also been issued."

"This Prince knows," Ji Yang said, seeing the shy and happy look on her face, clearly delighted. He felt a pang of unease. "You are very happy that the imperial decree for betrothal has been issued?"

Wushuang was a little confused as to why he would ask such a question, but she was certainly happy. With the imperial decree issued, the matter was settled. Even if Mei Wuxia was unwilling, she could only rage ineffectually. She had therefore breathed a sigh of relief and was naturally happy.

"Could it be... could it be that Your Highness is not happy?"

"No."

Unbeknownst to her, Ji Yang was thinking about something else. Prince Wei always felt that his methods were too extreme, without consideration for the consequences. Therefore, he would rather suffer the torment of headaches than release him for a few days, until the matter was settled, before letting him out.

In the past, Ji Yang could not understand Prince Wei's methods, and even disdained them, feeling that they were too tiring, too taxing on the mind. Now, the outcome of the entire matter was becoming clear. Prince Jin and Prince Qin had truly clashed, Commandery Princess Minghui had been taught a lesson and betrothed to Sun Shixian, and this also resolved the issue of her entanglement with him, and the fact that Emperor Taihe had not issued an imperial decree for betrothal.

That day, after Prince Wei left Marquis Xuanping's mansion, he had taken the initiative to enter the palace and confess that the entire matter was his doing. Emperor Taihe, feeling guilty about past events, naturally recalled the previous two times Prince Wei's marriage had been unsuccessful, and attributed this to the ceaseless meddling of Prince Qin's and Prince Jin's factions. Prince Wei had only acted out of self-preservation.

Prince Wei had benefited the most from this entire affair, achieving multiple goals with one move. Originally, Ji Yang had disdained Prince Wei's methods, feeling that those who engaged in scheming were corrupt at heart. But now, seeing her bashful and happy appearance, it seemed that doing so was not without its benefits?

At least, she looked very happy.

Ji Yang's gaze was obscure as his fingers traced up her wrist, caressing it. He had originally intended to touch her face, but lying down as he was, the distance was too great. Thus, he had shifted his hand to her wrist and the back of her hand, following the movements of her massage, swaying gently with her.

"By the way, your eldest sister seems to be safe and sound. What do you plan to do with her?"

Wushuang was taken aback by the question. Could it be that Ji Yang wanted to help her vent her anger?

But he was the dignified Prince Wei; would it not be unbecoming for him to deal with a woman in the inner quarters?

She tentatively asked, "What does Your Highness intend to do with her?"

Ji Yang considered it and said, "She lives under the same roof as you, and all day long she thinks of ways to deal with you. It would be better to just kill her, once and for all."

Wushuang couldn't help but choke on her saliva.

She knew that Ji Yang's methods were direct and violent, but she hadn't expected him to be so blunt. Mei Wuxia was indeed hateful, having schemed against her marriage in both lifetimes, and had even used such vicious means against her that day. Yet, she felt that simply killing her was somehow not quite right.

"What, you're unwilling?" Ji Yang glanced at her, wondering if she thought his idea was bad.

Wushuang saw his gaze and knew what he was thinking. Ji Yang never tolerated others contradicting him. Even if you thought he was wrong, you couldn't say it directly. She quickly said, "It's not that. I just think she's not worth Your Highness dirtying your hands."

"Your Highness is so wise and powerful, a person who handles great affairs. How could you lower yourself to deal with a mere woman? If others were to know, it would damage your reputation."

As she spoke, Wushuang also felt that her words were rather empty, sounding like mere platitudes. She quickly added, "When Grandmother was dying, she told me something my father had once said: that rather than fighting with these people in this mansion, it's better to go out and rise higher, so that they have nowhere to direct their hatred."

Perhaps because she was recalling her loved ones, Wushuang's voice was somewhat low, but she continued, "I think my father was right. When you reach a height they can't even touch, their jealousy, resentment, and anger can only become poison that corrodes their hearts. It will only make them more miserable, and nothing else."

Moreover, she felt that Commandery Princess Minghui had suffered such a great loss this time, that upon returning, she would surely understand that she had been used as a pawn. When she turned around, she would definitely not let Mei Wuxia off.

Furthermore, with the imperial decree for the marriage already issued, the matter was settled. Mei Wuxia could no longer scheme against her marriage. The biggest problem she now faced, besides worrying about Commandery Princess Minghui's revenge, was her own marriage.

After all, she was truly not young anymore. If she didn't marry soon, she would be even harder to marry off.

And Mei Wuxia had always been proud and arrogant. With her current reputation, it would be difficult for her to marry. Marrying just anyone would be unacceptable to her. She must be more miserable than anyone right now, more frantic than anyone. She was content to watch the show from the sidelines, without needing to specifically deal with her.

However, she couldn't very well voice these thoughts in front of Ji Yang.

Ji Yang had not expected that she, who was usually timid and soft, would say such things. This could not help but make him look at her with new eyes. At the same time, these words reminded him of a past event.

His mother, Consort Chen, had died in madness. In the later stages of her illness, she no longer recognized her son. He was eight years old that year.

Because of the Emperor's pity, he had been favored since childhood. However, due to his mother's illness, rumors gradually spread in the palace that Consort Chen's madness would be passed down to her descendants, and that the Third Prince might also go mad one day.

He had grown up in this environment, with both the Emperor's favor that others did not have, and the shadow of possibly going mad. Gradually, some people began to find ways to provoke him, until one day, it led to his emergence.

In fact, this past event was just a memory for Ji Yang, something he had learned from Prince Wei's memories after his emergence. When he had first emerged, he had been very confused. Not only could he not control himself, but Prince Wei could not control him either. In the end, Prince Wei had requested to go to the border, far away from the capital.

After many years, when he returned to the capital, those people and events that had once cast a shadow over him seemed to have become mere clowns, not worth fearing.

And the reason for all these changes was that he was no longer the Third Prince who had nothing but the Emperor's favor. He was now the God of War of Great Liang, possessing more than half of Great Liang's military power. He was powerful enough to look down on those people.

At this moment, Ji Yang had temporarily forgotten his competitive thoughts about who had the better method with Prince Wei.

He said, with a hint of complexity, "You are the Princess Consort of Wei, bestowed by the Emperor. You indeed don't need to compete with those people, lest you lose your own standing. Very well, then. You can keep your eldest sister to practice on. If you don't want her anymore one day, killing her will be the end of it."

Practice on? Killing her will be the end of it?

Wushuang felt a strange sensation in her heart. Because all along, Mei Wuxia had brought her great psychological pressure, but she didn't know when it had started, she seemed to be less afraid and wary of her.

She knew that it was her heart that was different. She had become firm and strong, and more importantly, because of him, because he was standing behind her, she had become calm and fearless. It seemed that no matter what happened, she didn't need to be afraid.

This feeling had actually been present in her previous life, but she had ignored it. Thinking about it now, she had truly misunderstood him for far too long. She had thought him overbearing, wicked, and that he always bullied her, but in truth, he had always been protecting her.

"Your Highness."

Her heart was truly surging, yet she did not know how to express it. Thus, she buried her face in his long hair, rubbing her cheek against his temple.

He touched the flesh of her cheek, feeling inexplicably awkward himself. He coughed lightly, "This Prince has said that I would cherish you, there is no need for you to be so overwhelmed."

She was a little embarrassed, "I wasn't."

"If you weren't, then lift your face. What is the meaning of hiding your face? Truly, you are both timid and delicate."

"Has the injury on your hand healed?" He took her palm and rubbed it twice.

"It has healed. There were just a few places where the skin was scraped a little. The medicinal powder Your Highness gave was very effective. I removed the bandage that very night, and after applying it twice more, it has already scabbed over and healed. It doesn't hurt even when pressed." She pondered that he might worry about her hand injury and was still massaging him, so she could not help but explain a bit more.

Ji Yang naturally knew that the medicine was good. It was the highest grade of wound medicine, capable of stopping even a gushing flow of blood in an instant. It was rare even in the army, and only the dark guards by his side had a bottle each.

"Alright then, let's sleep."

"Your Highness doesn't need a head massage?"

He pulled her down to lie properly, "We'll wait until your hand is completely healed. There's no need to rush this."

The lamp was extinguished.

In the darkness, Wushuang was still a little unable to fall asleep.

Ji Yang also seemed to be awake.

"What were you doing just now, touching this Prince's stomach?"

How did he still remember that?

"I was helping you take off your clothes…"

The flesh of her cheek was pinched, signaling her not to lie, not to be perfunctory.

"I just felt that Your Highness's waist was hard, unlike mine."

"How is it different?" As he spoke, his hand had already moved over, pinching it a couple of times. It was indeed different. How could it be so soft, as if it had no bones?

He unconsciously touched it a couple more times. Wushuang could not help but squirm, trying to dodge, and said, "Your Highness, stop, it's ticklish..."

"Ticklish?"

Ji Yang did not believe it. He did not feel ticklish when he touched himself, so how could touching her waist be ticklish?

"It's really ticklish, Your Highness, please stop, please stop, it's really ticklish, I'm not lying to you..." Wushuang was both laughing and panting. Her waist was particularly sensitive. Usually, even when the maids touched her during bathing, she could not bear it, let alone his rubbing and kneading like this.

"Your Highness, I'm telling you, generally, you won't feel ticklish when you touch yourself, but you will when someone else touches you. If you don't believe me, I'll let you try."

"Then you try?" He withdrew his hand, letting her try.

Wushuang finally managed to even out her breathing. In the darkness, she reached out to touch him. She even specifically touched the side of his waist, where she would feel particularly sensitive. Once, then again, she lightened her movements, gently tickling him.

Ji Yang remained as still as a mountain.

Why wasn't he ticklish?