Chapter 46: Come to My Bed

This makes all my maneuvering around those clumsy bears worthwhile.

Qin Lang’s expression remained indifferent, but his eyes betrayed a deep, hidden affection.

However, the candlelight was too dim, and the room too dark.

Shen Ruojin’s mind was entirely consumed by the military tally, and she completely missed the devotion in his eyes.

Anxious for her grandfather and the soldiers, she whispered, "There is no telling where the Shen family army has retreated to. Now that I have the tally, I must go and keep watch at the city gates. As soon as they arrive, I will give the order to open the gates. Husband... it is unsafe for you to remain in the Protector’s Mansion. You should find a pretext to leave tomorrow."

Calling him "husband" occasionally was manageable, but uttering it repeatedly felt genuinely difficult for her to say.

"Now that you have the tally, you finally care about me? I suppose you still have a conscience."

Qin Lang was still holding a grudge because Shen Ruojin had brought up a divorce the moment she received a letter from the mysterious stranger.

Yet the current situation was too critical to settle old scores.

Once they returned home, he would make sure to settle accounts with her properly.

Every ounce of shock and worry she had caused him would be reclaimed, item by item.

"You are my husband. If I don't care about you, who should I care about?"

When had Shen Ruojin ever been devoid of conscience?

It was simply that having accepted favors from the Princess and Qin Lang, along with the household management jade pendant and the Western Frontier military tally, she inevitably felt obliged to yield.

Little did she know that these few words alone were enough to make Qin Lang dizzy with delight.

Though the young Prince of Qin retorted aloud, "Who knows?", inwardly he was already plotting what else he might "borrow" for Shen Ruojin.

"You will know in good time."

Anxious to leave, Shen Ruojin did not linger. Stowing the military tally away, she vaulted off the couch and reached the window in two or three strides.

Qin Lang reached out to stop her, but his hand caught only a wisp of light gauze from her sleeve.

The cool, delicate fabric brushed across his palm before vanishing instantly into the distance with her.

"Delays breed disaster. I am leaving."

With that, Shen Ruojin glanced outside, preparing to leap through the window.

Suddenly, a chaotic noise of hurried footsteps shattered the silence outside.

Torches flared as elite guards from the Protector’s Mansion rushed toward the courtyard in droves.

The leader shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Protector's Mansion has been burglarized! An intruder has broken in. Search the entire estate—leave no corner unchecked!"

The torchlight illuminated the drifted snow as a throng of soldiers surged toward the eastern wing, surrounding it completely.

If Shen Ruojin forced her way out now, not only would it result in mutual destruction, but it would also risk exposing the identity of "Young Master Lin."

She pulled back her right leg, which had been poised to leap, and turned to look at Qin Lang.

"It's dangerous outside, and you won't be able to slip away anytime soon."

Sitting on the edge of the couch, Qin Lang raised a hand and patted the mattress.

With a slight curl of his thin lips, he said, "Get onto my bed."

***

Shen Ruojin had moved toward the window in a flash, and she returned to the couch with equal speed.

The footsteps outside were drawing infinitely closer.

With a sudden bound, Shen Ruojin leaped onto the couch, where Qin Lang caught her in his arms, rolling together into the inner side of the bed.

The bed curtains cascaded down, concealing them both within.

Qin Lang ripped the red gauze veil from her head, tossing it out of the curtains, and tore the dancing dress into shreds, scattering the fabric all over the floor.

"What are you doing—"

Before Shen Ruojin could finish, her lips were sealed by his kiss.

At the same time, Qin Lang managed to pull open his own robes with one hand while propping up her right leg, which remained exposed outside her torn skirt, with the other.

"Young Master Lin?"

"Young Master Lin, are you inside?"

Deputy General Zhang stood outside the door with the mansion's patrol guards, calling out repeatedly.

There was no immediate response from within the curtains.

Inside the room, only a solitary, flickering candle remained.

The Protector had lost his most vital treasure and had ordered a thorough search of the entire estate to find the thief before dawn.

Even the distinguished guest staying in the eastern wing could not be exempted.

Deputy General Zhang led his men to break the door open, marching straight up to the bed curtains.

The torches in the soldiers' hands lit up the entire room. The dancing dress had been shredded into pieces, and fragments of light gauze were strewn across the floor.

Shadows of a passionate union between a man and a woman were cast upon the gauze screens.

The panting of the man intertwined with the soft moans of the young woman.

Hearing it was enough to make anyone blush furiously.

"Young Master Lin?" Deputy General Zhang stepped forward briskly. "The Protector’s Mansion has been infiltrated by a thief who stole something of utmost importance. The Lord Protector has ordered a search of the entire estate. You have been in your room all this time—did you notice anything unusual around the eastern wing?"

Young Master Lin appeared to be in the thick of heated passion.

He simply had no time to entertain him.

The rest of the soldiers were filled with anxiety; if the Lord Protector's stolen item could not be found, every single one of their heads would roll. Yet upon entering the eastern wing, they found the room thick with romantic splendor, the esteemed Young Master Lin completely disregarding the Protector's orders.

And that dancing girl's voice was far too delicate...

Shen Ruojin, kissed dizzy by Qin Lang, only recovered enough to respond when she heard the door being smashed open from the outside. She pretended to be deep in the throes of passion on the bed to evade the search.

Wasn't that "vital item" Yang Wanxiong kept shouting about none other than the military tally she carried?

He certainly caught on quickly.

By now, the entire Protector’s Mansion had been turned upside down.

"Young Master Lin, if you do not answer, Zhang will have to offend you."

Receiving no reply, Deputy General Zhang broke out in a cold sweat.

The task was already pressing enough, yet this Young Master Lin was busy adding fuel to the fire.

***

Seeing Deputy General Zhang give a hand gesture, the accompanying guards braced themselves and stepped forward to investigate.

Suddenly, the figure within the curtains reached out and flung the hangings open.

"Can't you see I'm busy?"

With his clothes in disarray, Young Master Lin raised his eyes to glare at them. His parted robes exposed most of his chest, and his gaze was both amorous and fierce.

The dancing girl's face was veiled behind the thin gauze, while her fair, slender legs rested over Young Master Lin's shoulders.

Their breathing was ragged, and the spot where their bodies met heaved continuously.

The posture was... utterly explicit.

The two guards closest to the bed and Deputy General Zhang took one look and nearly spat blood.

Yet that Young Master Lin remained entirely unperturbed, asking with a smile, "What does Deputy Zhang wish to search? Would you care to come up onto the bed and look?"

"N-No. Please continue, Young Master Lin. I shall lead my men to check elsewhere."

Facing the scene of spring within the curtains, even the thickest-skinned man could not bring himself to search someone's bed under such circumstances.

"Be my guest."

Young Master Lin dropped the curtains and resumed attending to his beauty.

Deputy General Zhang retreated with his soldiers, cursing inwardly: *This Young Master Lin looks refined enough, but he's even more impatient for carnal pleasures than we crude soldiers! Look at how he's worn that beauty out, tearing her clothes to pieces without the slightest regard for outsiders being present.*

*These young masters certainly know how to play!*

They had arrived in a rush and departed just as quickly.

The soldier walking at the very rear even thoughtfully pulled the door shut behind them, continuing their room-by-room search down the eastern corridor.

As soon as the men left, Shen Ruojin withdrew her leg and pushed Qin Lang away.

Her breath was ragged, her heart pounding like a drum. Although it had all been a mere act without any real intimacy, it had been more intoxicating and soul-stirring than the real thing.

The sensation was indescribable.

"You're pushing me away again?"

Leaning back against the bedpost, Qin Lang raised a hand to wipe his lips.

Given the suddenness of the event, his robes were in disarray, his hair crown had fallen off, and his dark hair cascaded loosely around his half-open tunic, revealing a muscular chest.

Not to mention those peach-blossom eyes still heavy with lingering desire.

He looked every bit an enchanting male sprite.

Leaning against the couch like a siren, the young master accused, "I risked everything to help you, and this is how you repay me?"