Chapter 128: Utterly Ashamed

At this moment, the chill on Guli’s body had largely dissipated, and her mind was much clearer. She suddenly recalled how just a few days ago, they had parted on bad terms.

Guli looked up and scrutinized the man before her under the dim yellow light. His sharp brows and bright eyes, his ruddy complexion, and his dark, sparkling star-like pupils all suggested that he had been doing quite well these past few days.

Truly heartless and cruel.

He had left her alone to drown in sorrow, miserable and desolate.

Guli was indignant and unfairly treated. Little did she know that Lie Chang’an’s recent days were not much better. As for his ruddy complexion, it was entirely due to the flushed face and pounding heart from earlier. And those sparkling eyes? Surely because he had just seen her.

Now, Guli’s heart was filled with frustration and anger. She thought of her own sleepless nights while he slept soundly, even complaining that the fire was too strong.

The more she thought about it, the more unfair it seemed. She resolved that if she was to suffer, he shouldn’t enjoy himself either.

With a humph, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, she strode straight into the study.

Naturally, Lie Chang’an followed her inside, puzzled by her late-night visit. He asked directly, “Princess, why are you here so late...?”

“A surprise inspection!” Guli had already prepared her words. She spread out her hands arrogantly and asked, “Where is the sheet of rice paper on which I wrote my calligraphy last time?”

“It’s here.” Lie Chang’an walked over to the desk and pulled out the rice paper, which had been carefully stored beneath the military books, then handed it to her.

Guli took it and frowned displeased. “How did you let it get so wrinkled? Didn’t you take good care of it?”

Lie Chang’an couldn’t admit that he had been handling it frequently these past days, gazing at it longingly, which caused the wrinkles.

Guli was rather angry and unhappy. She went to the desk, took a brush, fetched a fresh sheet of rice paper, and prepared to write another.

But she was so irritated that a cold wind blew in through the window gap, slipping the rice paper to the floor. Instinctively, she bent down to pick it up, but suddenly, with a soft thud, it seemed the brush had fallen again.

As she bent to retrieve the paper, she lifted her foot and stepped on something. Her foot slipped, and she fell backward.

Lie Chang’an happened to be standing behind her. As she leaned back, he instinctively reached out to catch her, and the two of them fell back together, with him landing directly on the red sandalwood chair behind.

“Ah!” Guli cried out in surprise. She felt something hard pressing against her body where she had just sat, which was quite uncomfortable. She twisted a little and asked irritably, “What is this? It’s poking me.”

Lie Chang’an froze, completely still in the chair, unable to move. He hadn’t expected such a coincidence—her sitting just so had pressed against that spot, sending a jolt through him like an electric shock. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead, his breathing grew rapid, and a fierce heat surged within him, as if about to burst out.

“What’s this? A brush?” Guli, still innocent, thought nothing of it. Unlike Lie Chang’an, who was often surrounded by soldiers’ coarse talk, she had no experience with such matters and didn’t suspect anything. She was only curious and reached out to touch it, asking puzzled, “Hey, did the brush fall on you?”

Her soft hand moved closer, and Lie Chang’an felt his blood rush wildly to his head, his body shuddering as if struck by lightning. He stiffened completely, not daring to move.

His handsome face flushed crimson, fists clenched tightly, veins bulging.

“Princess...” he tried to push her away.

But Guli hadn’t yet realized what was happening. She continued to touch it, puzzled, “No, it’s not the brush. Why is it so thick and big?”

Lie Chang’an listened to her innocent words, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

“Ah!” Guli suddenly screamed and jumped to her feet. She not only realized that she had been sitting so intimately on a man but also understood exactly what she had just touched.

It was...

It was a man’s...

Guli, of course, knew what it was. She had once visited the pavilion in the South Garden Lake, built by her father, where the walls were adorned with paintings that made one’s face flush and heart race, stirring passions to the bone.

Having grown up in the inner palace, she had naturally overheard and seen hints of men and women’s affairs. But she had only ever observed from a distance, thinking it shameful, never truly comprehending it. Now, feeling it firsthand, she was overwhelmed by how... intense it was.

Her face blushed deeply as she lowered her head, wishing she could bury it like an ostrich, utterly embarrassed and wanting to disappear.

Lie Chang’an, knowing she had realized the truth, hurriedly stood and stammered nervously, “Princess, I had no intention of dishonoring you. It’s entirely because...”

How was he to explain?

Lie Chang’an felt that no matter how he tried, his words would not be convincing. Panic overwhelmed him; he was flustered and helpless.

All those illicit thoughts vanished in an instant.

He feared she would despise him, finding him shameless and filthy, even spitting on him and turning away in disgust.

He feared she would never want to see him again.

This terrified and unsettled Lie Chang’an.

He had no grand hopes—only the simple wish to catch a glimpse of her now and then, to serve as her loyal subject or guardian, protecting her by her side.

But the frightful thing was that even this modest desire might be taken from him.

If that happened, Lie Chang’an could not plead with her anymore.

Because he was truly to blame, his heart’s desires too shameful to admit.

Guli’s thoughts were far simpler than his. She was indeed embarrassed and awkward, but she could understand. Knowing how their father, at his age, continually dotes on the harem, and that Lie Chang’an was a young man full of vitality with no one to ease his desires, it was inevitable he’d have such urges at night.

She only felt that what she had just done was too shameful to speak of, uncertain how he now perceived her.

“Princess...” Lie Chang’an saw her blushing and looking down silently, growing more flustered and incoherent. “Please believe me, I truly meant no disrespect to you...”

“I know.” Guli finally spoke, still lowering her head, her rosy cheeks nearly bleeding with color. “I know this is just a normal reaction of a man.”

He had already said he didn’t love her; would she still foolishly hope?

Lie Chang’an saw that she did not seem angry and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Yet his eyes then fixed on her again.

When she arrived, she had casually worn a cloak over her white form-fitting clothes. Perhaps because she rose in such a hurry, the cloak slipped off her shoulder, revealing the white garment beneath. The red embroidered bellyband showed clearly against her pale, delicate skin, making it appear even more pristine...