Chapter 254 (1/2)

Chapter 254

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

She finally realized that her past distaste for makeup was mainly due to her state of mind. Meixiang looked at her while smiling happily. Zhuge Yue walked over and grinned at the mirror. ”Such a beauty.”

Chu Qiao was rather embarrassed, as even her ears seemed to turn a bit red. She said, ”Since when am I that pretty? Stop your nonsense.”

Zhuge Yue continued grinning from ear to ear, and countered, ”I was talking about myself. You are merely thinking too much.”

Chu Qiao pretended to be enraged as she stretched her hand out to grab him. Zhuge Yue immediately dodged while teasing Meixiang, ”Look at your mistress, if I don't praise her, she will be so angry.”

Meixiang was all smiles as she looked on without interjecting. The sunlight was warm, and there were already sounds of firecrackers sounding off in the distance. This was the first time in a long while that Chu Qiao had seen such a heartwarming new year. She had even personally cooked, teaching the servants how to make dumplings. She even wanted to drag Zhuge Yue to do it with her, but due to his strong belief in the patriarchy, he refused.

As the crowds ate the new year's dinner together, there was a myriad of lanterns as decoration. Incidentally, Zhuge Yue ate the single unique dumpling that was filled with a Chinese date, and as the servants crowded up to say that his fortune for the coming year would be great, he was in a good mood as he passed out all kinds of rewards to the servants. The entire residence was filled with praise and gratitude. The Zhuge Residence was shut tight, and all visitors were refused entry apart from Zhao Che's men who came at midnight with two pots of premium wine. Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue drank them together. Chu Qiao seemed to be intoxicated, leaning into Zhuge Yue's embrace.

The servants started to light firecrackers. The sounds of the crackling could be heard, as the surroundings brimmed with an auspicious aura. Chu Qiao felt as though she had just seen Li Ce's fox-like smile in the sky. But when she stretched out her hand to grab it, she touched only air.

She was indeed drunk, but her head seemed ever so clear. At that moment she seemed to have suddenly remembered all her past memories. She remembered Xiao Shi, Mao'er, Ming Rui, Li Yang, her comrades in the Military Intelligence Department, and her aged grandfather. She suddenly remembered her pain and hard work all those years. She had vividly recalled how she had been walking on the thread between the border of life and death as Mister Wu, Lady Yu, Huanhuan, and so many other people's faces surfaced in her mind. She too thought about Li Ce and Yan Xun.

Happiness had come all so suddenly, she still felt that everything was a dream.

She pushed her head into Zhuge Yue's chest, with his smell filling her nostrils. Her eyes were slightly moist as she lifted her head and looked at his handsome face, and with her crystal clear eyes, she said, ”Zhuge Yue, I love you.”

Zhuge Yue was taken aback as he looked down at her. They were surrounded by servants, and her voice was so loud and was audible even over the sound of the firecrackers. The surrounding people all looked at her in shock, yet she did not mind their gazes and merely said it loudly again, ”Zhuge Yue, I have fallen in love with you!”

The smell of incense drifted past. People snickered quietly. Sounds of Jingjing and Pingan bantering could be heard from afar. Chu Qiao's face was beet red as her eyes looked straight at him. It was as though she had turned back time and turned back to her 17 orf 18-year-old self. She smiled at him, happiness written on her face.

With a whoosh, the wind blew past her ears, as she was suddenly carried up by someone. Then, in full view of everyone, Zhuge Yue put down the food that he had just started to eat, before turning back to the bedroom. The bedsheets were new and fresh, all red, with layers of silk and embroideries of all kinds of mythical characters, exuding a sense of warmth and sweetness. His eyes were pitch black with a tinge of burning lust. With one swift motion, he jerked off her collar, as he stared right at her. With a slightly hoarse voice, he said, ”You little, I will never give you alcohol again.” Saying that, he kissed her forehead with all his force. His breath was rushed and warm, like a burning flame. Where ever he touched seemed to burn with a tingling sensation. She smiled as she hugged his waist in return.

With the curtains covering them, they could still hear the sounds of the people chattering outside, with waves and waves of laughter.

In life, there were too many changes, and one would never be able to tell when a storm would come, and if the incoming wave would turn everything upside down or not. All those painfully repressed emotions and hidden words ultimately still found a place to exit. Nothing is for sure, and the only thing that one could do was to treasure whatever one presently had.

Covered by the layers of silk and curtains, she lied in the layers of sheets on his body. Sweat covered her body as she was filled with a sense satisfied fatigue. She leaned on his body and looked out the window. Through the layer of the paper window, she could almost see the fireworks in the distant sky, illuminating the land.

No matter what happened in the future, she would no longer be afraid.

After the banquet for the new year, the weakness of the Xia Empire seemed obvious. There were countless refugees along the Longxi region. Walking on the main roads, one could see people selling their children as slaves so as to feed themselves. Even though the court had already ordered disaster relief and tried their best to draw money to help those refugees, the Xia Empire did not manage to reverse the situation in its weakened state caused by the war. In mere years, the war had already weakened this glorious empire into poverty.