My Darling, Coax Me.

CHAPTER 92: If Line 5 - The More Entangled, The Greater The Sin.

　　The sleeping quarters were quiet, so quiet that Xie Jue could clearly hear her steady breathing. 

　　Lifting the layers of peony curtains, Xie Jue sat down by the bed, lowering his gaze to look at the sleeping woman for a long time, seemingly pondering whether or not to wake her. 

　　Under the covers, her eyes were closed, her slender fingers clutching the quilt tightly even in her sleep, a furrow in her brow, her lips pale, her hair damp with sweat. She didn't seem to be sleeping comfortably; suddenly, her head shook frantically from side to side, as if she were having a nightmare. 

　　Xie Jue took her wrist, his voice cold. “Xiao Yun Ling, wake up and take your medicine.” 

　　But he couldn't wake her. 

　　He tightened his grip on her wrist, but she remained lost in her dreams. Xie Jue watched her, his eyes darkening. He set the medicine bowl aside, leaned over, and patted her face. His fingers, upon contact, became sticky with moisture. 

　　It was her sweat.

　　This illness of hers came on strangely, even the Imperial Physician couldn't determine the cause—the sudden headaches… 

　　He couldn't let her sleep like this. 

　　Grasping her arms, he pulled her up roughly. Xie Jue pinched her soft cheeks, his eyes dark. “Xiao Yun Ling!” 

　　With this rough handling, Yun Ling finally awoke from her sleep, her long eyelashes fluttering as she slowly opened her eyes. 

　　Her clear, spring-like apricot eyes were filled with a hazy moisture. Raising her gaze, she saw his straight nose bridge and deep, dark eyes. 

　　But Yunling didn't know why she had fallen into a nightmare, and she couldn't be considered awake at this time. She felt incredibly weak and soon leaned weakly against his shoulder. 

　　She was very weak and not quite conscious; in her hazy state, she thought she was back in her original world. 

　　Unconsciously, she wanted to get closer to him. She nuzzled her nose, burying her face in his neck, her whole body pressing against his.

　　He couldn't be so indifferent to her. 

　　Her warm breath fell on his neck, and she called him husband in a muffled voice. 

　　It was like soft claws scratching at his chest. 

　　She was sick and very weak. Xie Jue sat for a while, his expression unchanged, allowing her to lean against him without pushing her away. He simply adjusted her position, allowing her to rest against his shoulder with her face exposed. 

　　Then he picked up the medicine bowl and raised a spoonful to Yun Ling's lips. “Drink your medicine.” 

　　Although still not fully awake, Yun Ling instinctively shook her head. 

　　The medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician was too bitter, and her illness wouldn't be helped by it, so why suffer needlessly? 

　　She kept her mouth closed, refusing to open it. Xie Jue wasn't the type to coax someone, and losing his patience, he pressed the spoon to her lips, intending to force-feed her.

　　Yun Ling, eyes closed, struggled and turned her head, causing the medicine in the spoon to spill. Not a single drop went into her mouth; it all landed on the quilt. 

　　The spoon was empty. 

　　Xie Jue watched her tightly closed eyes. The spilled medicine didn't seem to anger him; his expression remained calm. 

　　After a long moment, he casually tossed aside the spoon, took a sip of the medicine himself, then held her cheeks, lowered his head, and pressed his lips to hers, transferring the medicine to her mouth, sip by sip. 

　　Even if Yun Ling wanted to struggle or spit it out, she couldn't. She was forced to swallow it. 

　　The entire bowl of medicine was slowly fed to her in this way.

　　Yun Ling's mouth was full of bitterness. After swallowing all the medicine, she clung to his neck, refusing to let him go. 

　　It was too bitter; she needed comfort. 

　　Lifting her face, as if searching for something, she found his lips and slowly kissed him. 

　　Their lips met. Hers were soft and wet; she bit his lower lip, and her tongue explored… 

　　This was completely different from simply feeding her medicine. 

　　Xie Jue's eyelashes fluttered; he felt the soft touch of her lips against his. 

　　The more they entwined, the more sinful it became.

　　The situation spiraled out of control. 

　　His jaw tightened into a straight line. Closing his eyes, Xie Jue followed her lead, lowering his head to return the kiss. Their lips and tongues intertwined; the kiss deepened and intensified. 

　　With one arm around her shoulders and back, and the other caressing her cheek, he kissed her passionately for a long time before slowly pulling away, but not leaving entirely. Instead, he lingered, gently sucking on her slightly swollen lips. 

　　The lingering taste of medicine remained. 

　　Their first kiss—sweet and bitter. 

　　She was still lying in his arms. Perhaps from weakness, she quickly fell asleep again. 

　　Xie Jue laid her gently on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and stood up, turning to leave.

    ——

　　Lǜyī and Lǜshuǐ were instructed to come in and attend to the Crown Princess.

　　After gently lifting the peony curtains, they saw that the Crown Princess's lips were red and swollen in an unusual way.

　　The medicine bowl was empty, indicating that His Highness had already fed the Crown Princess her medicine. 

　　The two maidservants retreated behind the screen to quietly keep watch.

    ……

　　Yun Ling slept for an unknown amount of time. When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside was already beginning to lighten. 

　　She had slept for so long—almost six hours. 

　　Rubbing her sore eyes from the long sleep, the intense, needle-like pain that had radiated throughout her head was gone. 

　　Yesterday's headache had come on unexpectedly. Yun Ling closed her eyes to clear her head. 

　　In the quiet sleeping quarters, as she recalled yesterday's events, she was startled awake by a cold, abrupt voice. 

　　Opening her eyes, she saw Lǜyī and Lǜshuǐ hurrying into the room. 

　　“Your Highness, you're finally awake!” Lǜyī asked. “Does your head still hurt? Should I summon Imperial Physician Zhang?” 

　　Yun Ling shook her head to stop her. “No need, I'm already better.” 

　　“It seems Imperial Physician Zhang's medicine was miraculously effective,” Lǜyī said happily. “It's all thanks to His Highness for feeding you the medicine yesterday.”

　　“His Highness came last night?” Yun Ling had no memory of it at all. She didn't know he had even been there. 

　　Lǜshuǐ said, “Yes. He must have heard you were ill and came to see you. He personally brought in the medicine last night and fed it to you.” 

　　The two maidservants felt happy at the thought. 

　　It seemed His Highness cared very much for the Crown Princess; otherwise, why would he personally feed her medicine? 

　　No wonder the Crown Princess told the Princess not to worry; it seemed she had a plan in mind. 

　　Yun Ling rubbed her head and gestured for the two maidservants to withdraw.

　　He had always been distant and cold towards her. Yesterday… why would he personally feed her medicine? 

　　She covered her face with her hand, accidentally touching her lips. She felt a slight stinging sensation. 

　　Having been intimate with him several times, Yun Ling quickly understood the reason. 

　　She lifted the covers, sat up, and looked at the scene outside the window. At some point, the pomegranate flowers in the courtyard had bloomed again. 

　　Her mother no longer needed to endure hardship and grievance for her and her brother, and the Princess and her brother were doing well. 

　　Everything seemed perfect. 

　　But…

    ——

　　The sun set, casting a layer of twilight across the sky before quickly disappearing. 

　　Night fell, and the weather turned cooler. 

　　Inside the brightly lit Palace hall, Pei Yuan presented the evidence of King Dingyang's rebellion, along with his signed confession of guilt. 

　　He had admitted to his intentions to rebel. 

　　After Pei Yuan withdrew, Xie Jue slammed the brightly red confession shut, his knuckles tightening. 

　　Even though the matter of King Dingyang had been resolved, he felt inexplicably restless. 

　　His mood was so obvious that not only Grand Eunuch An, but also the other palace servants sensed it. 

　　Everyone was on tenterhooks, walking on eggshells, unsure what had happened to cause His Highness such violent restlessness. 

　　Even Grand Eunuch An didn't understand.

　　The matter of King Dingyang was settled, and there were no other pressing concerns recently; everything was, in theory, fine. But why had His Highness's mood suddenly become so erratic? 

　　To be precise, His Highness's expression had grown increasingly heavy and his mood restless ever since he returned from the Crown Princess's quarters. 

　　Could something have happened there? 

　　Grand Eunuch An's mind raced, but he dared not continue to speculate. 

　　Speculating on the thoughts of the Crown Prince was a great taboo. 

　　The palace servants inside the hall held their breath, not daring to make a sound. 

　　The cool evening breeze rustled the branches of the trees, a sound like a heavy blow to the heart, chaotic and oppressive.

　　A eunuch suddenly entered to report, “The Crown Princess requests an audience.” 

　　Grand Eunuch An, hearing the words ‘Crown Princess,’ couldn't help but glance at the Crown Prince seated above. 

　　The Crown Prince lowered his eyes, his expression calm and indifferent. “Let her in.” 

　　Yun Ling soon entered, carrying a bowl of simmered bird's nest soup. 

　　As soon as she entered, she sensed the strange atmosphere in the hall; the palace servants looked apprehensive. After a moment's thought, she said, “All of you may leave.” 

　　Grand Eunuch An observed the Crown Prince's expression. Seeing no objection, he considered for a few moments before respectfully replying, “Yes.” 

　　The Chief Eunuch led the way out, and the other palace servants quickly followed.

　　The Palace doors closed, and the hall fell silent. 

　　Yun Ling walked to his side, carrying the bird's nest soup. “Your Highness seems troubled.” 

　　She set down the soup, lifting the lid to reveal the contents. “It's freshly made. Please try some.” 

　　Xie Jue picked up a spoon and took a sip. The taste was light and delicate, perfectly cooked. 

　　After a few sips, he put it down. His tone was neither warm nor cold, his response a question instead of an answer. “You're feeling better?” 

　　Yun Ling hummed in affirmation. “Much better.” 

　　“What brings you here?” 

　　Yun Ling's eyes steadied, a slight curve forming on her lips. “I heard that Your Highness came to feed me medicine, allowing me to sleep soundly and recover from my illness. I'm here to thank Your Highness.”

　　“It's nothing,” Xie Jue said without looking up. “You are my Crown Princess. Looking after you is only right.” 

　　“Regardless, thank you, Your Highness,” Yun Ling smiled. “But I don't understand why my lips hurt when I woke up.” 

　　She blinked, asking with a puzzled expression, “Your Highness fed me medicine... did you bite me?” 

　　“...” Xie Jue's knuckles tightened. 

　　He didn't answer. 

　　“Your Highness?” Yun Ling prompted again when she received no response. 

　　Xie Jue lowered his brow, his long, slender fingers curling. Only then did he slowly look up at her, his thin lips curling into a slight sneer. “You're quite skilled at shifting the blame.” 

　　He had indeed used his mouth to feed her medicine, but who had been the one to actively cling to him, pressing kisses upon him?

　　Yun Ling, quick-witted, responded with a hint of surprise, as if only now understanding. “So it was I who was flirting with Your Highness.” 

　　Xie Jue's brow furrowed, his lips pursed. “You—” 

　　His voice became angry. “Insolent!” 

　　However, after those two words, he said nothing more. He seemed somewhat blustering. 

　　Taking a deep breath, Xie Jue turned his head away. “If you have nothing else, you may leave.” 

　　“No,” Yun Ling shook her head.

　　“I told you—” Xie Jue had just lifted his eyes when she suddenly lowered her head. They were very close, her upturned nose almost touching his face, their breaths mingling. In a soft voice, she said, “Then I'll compensate Your Highness.” 

　　With those words, her soft lips pressed against his. 

　　A fleeting touch. 

　　Yun Ling looked into his deep, phoenix-like eyes, which seemed even darker than the night outside. 

　　Sharp and terrifying, the predatory intent in his eyes was more dangerous than any wild beast, a cruel and violent ruthlessness that others would instinctively avoid.

　　Yet, they were eyes she longed for. 

　　Despite the fleeting kiss, the hall fell silent. 

　　This time, he didn't push her away.

　　Yun Ling, taking advantage of the situation, threw herself into his arms. Her soft arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her cheek resting against his chest, clinging to him like a child. 

　　Her soft, warm body pressed against his. 

　　Xie Jue remained silent for a long time. 

　　His arms slowly rose, hovering in the air for a moment before resignedly wrapping around her slender waist. 

　　A strand of her dark hair fell across her cheek. Xie Jue tucked it behind her ear, revealing her beautiful face, her lips red and soft. He couldn't resist leaning down and kissing her. 

　　What else could he do with her?

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