Yu Jin Chang An (With Jin's Chang'An)

Chapter 43

When Li Shuang returned to the General's residence, Jin'an had already been settled properly. The Grand General arranged for him to stay in a small courtyard farthest from where Li Shuang lived. In the evening, during dinner with her family, Li Shuang didn't see the Grand General calling Jin'an over.

On the first night back home, the host didn't entertain guests... The Grand General's intentions couldn't be clearer.

Li Shuang understood in her heart and didn't make her father uncomfortable. After quietly finishing the meal, she went back to her room on her own without asking a single question about Jin'an.

The Grand General had indulged her recklessness before, but now she needed to regain her own rationality. Yet, at night, when there was no one around, Li Shuang couldn't help but worry about Jin'an at the other end of the General's residence. How was his health? Being away from her, would the Jade Silkworm Gu start to act up again?

After washing up, her long hair wet, Li Shuang pushed open the window and leaned on her arm, gazing quietly at the moon in the night sky, the direction of which was where Jin'an's small courtyard was located. The moon hadn't risen very high, so she wasn't sure if she was looking at the moon in the sky or the swaying shadows of bamboo in the courtyard.

Thinking back to her conversation with Sima Yang earlier that day, Li Shuang couldn't help but sigh softly. The warm breath mingled with the slightly chilly spring night breeze, drifting and blending into the darkness of the night. The courtyard was quiet, with only the gentle chirping of spring insects. So Li Shuang didn't notice anything unusual, nor did she know that Jin'an was quietly sitting on the roof above her head.

He heard her sigh clearly, taking it all into his ears and storing it in his heart.

The moonlight was beautiful, but Li Shuang remained silent. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. Perhaps when her hair was finally dry, Li Shuang got up, closed the window, and went to sleep. Meanwhile, Jin'an remained motionless, sitting on the roof.

It wasn't until he heard the long breaths coming from inside the room that Jin'an turned over and quietly descended from the roof. Just like many nights in the north, he entered Li Shuang's room with extremely light steps, not disturbing anyone, not even Li Shuang.

Approaching Li Shuang's bedside, he quietly watched the person sleeping soundly under the blanket. Unlike the usual intoxication in his black eyes, Jin'an's eyes now held a hint of scrutiny. He approached step by step, as if he were observing an enemy, yet also like a predator eyeing its prey. In the darkness of the night, his black pupils shone as brightly as the eagles of the north.

His fingers twitched, but in the end, he didn't do anything. He just moved closer to her, as if being drawn inexorably nearer. It wasn't that he couldn't move away, but rather that he didn't want to leave...

Drawing too close, their breaths intermingled. Li Shuang's eyelashes trembled, and suddenly Jin'an snapped out of it! He flashed away in an instant. When Li Shuang opened her eyes, he had already vanished, leaving the window wide open, a sign that he had played his hand poorly.

Li Shuang glanced at the window for just a moment, then turned her back, as if nothing had happened, and closed her eyes again.

The next day at the suburban palace, the Emperor hosted a banquet to entertain the Western envoy, celebrating the newfound friendship and peace between the two nations. Glasses clinked on the banquet table, everyone wore joyful expressions, and smiles abounded. However, how much calculation and diplomacy were hidden behind those smiles was anyone's guess.

Li Shuang had never enjoyed such banquets. After enduring a round of toasts, she felt overwhelmed by the wine and excused herself.

The suburban palace was vast, with even a wild lake in the backyard. Li Shuang strolled to the lakeside, with Qin Lan following, concerned for her safety. Li Shuang looked back at him and smiled, "What are you worried about? Don't you understand my ways?"