Volume 1 Chapter 30 Combination

  She met with an unexpected situation, Cai Ying was only momentarily flustered, and then smiled: "As a married woman, I should follow my husband." As a new bride encountering such a sudden situation, her calm attitude is indeed rare. However, her current state of undress, with the contours of her body visible under her thin clothes, didn't have much intimidating power, only enough to arouse the lust of the legitimate wolf by her side.

  The eyes presented such a tempting and delicate body, both physically and mentally enveloped by the faint yet alluring scent of a maiden. The strong heart was like a fierce beast in a cage, eager to break free and pounce on its prey. And what's more, the one before him was his current lawful wife, with an air of being ready for him to pluck at will?

  He gently placed one hand on the waist of his beautiful wife, and a wave of scorching heat immediately radiated from his palm. In response, a surge of warmth rose up from his lower abdomen. After that, he found that the entire delicate body beside him was trembling due to this single touch, even though they were still separated by their clothes. Her originally clear eyes gazing at him instantly became hazy, and her cherry lips opened slightly, seemingly dry and yearning for moisture.

  Unable to help himself, he leaned in and kissed her. As soon as their lips touched, Gao Jian clearly felt a more intense tremble spreading from their entwined lips and tongues. Cai Ying's entire body seemed to be jumping off the bed, yet at the same time it was as if she had lost all her strength, leaving her limp under his kiss, barely able to respond to his advances.

  After indulging in the tender play of lips and tongues, Gao Gang propped himself up again, gazing down at Jiao's delicate face, and his heart couldn't help but swell with a thousand tender emotions: no matter what status she held as a woman, after tonight, she would become his lifelong companion! The emotional connection he had originally planned to nurture after marriage was already an extremely alien concept for this modern soul, let alone the fact that their future days together would inevitably be entangled in countless storms of power struggles and intrigue.

  Perhaps feeling the scorching and fixed gaze, or perhaps just astonished that the man did not take further action as expected, Cai Ying slightly opened her dazed eyes, looking at him on top of her with a hint of confusion, yet too shy to speak up and ask.

  Gao Fang smiled, and inserted his right hand into the slit of Xiao Yi's clothes, where he felt a soft and smooth sensation, eliciting an inaudible gasp. His body, which had just calmed down, began to burn with desire once again. His two starry eyes tightly closed, refusing to open again.

  One hand wandered through the peaks and valleys, while feeling the strong heartbeat, slowly leaning down, approaching the crystal-like earlobe, softly calling out: "Ying'er!"

  This cry was like a magic spell, which awakened Cai Ying from her daze and made her open her sleepy eyes to gaze at the good man beside her. Almost unconsciously, she responded: "Gao Lang!"

  Gao's heart was suddenly filled with love and affection. Just a moment ago, they were still addressing each other with formal titles, but now their hearts had already begun to connect. Words were no longer necessary; he gently removed the restraints from their bodies, leaving no separation between them. Cai Ying had also thought of getting up to "serve her husband," but she was distracted by Gao's subtle movements as he undressed, and his gentle voice calling out "wife" had caused a subtle change in her heart. She felt that this natural behavior seemed more in line with her current mood, so she cooperated with Gao's actions while gradually becoming intoxicated with the joy of their union, forgetting all the reminders her mother had given her before her wedding.

  It wasn't until the sharp pain arrived that she suddenly woke up, and all she remembered was one thing: "White handkerchief!" That was the top priority for the wedding night, and the next day the husband's family would often use it to verify the bride's chastity. How could she have forgotten?

  Just as she reached out to touch the handkerchief beside her, she was startled and broke out in a cold sweat: that white handkerchief had vanished into thin air! What could be done about it now?!

  Gao Jiang took in her entire movement, and his heart was filled with even more love and affection. At this moment, his wife's body was completely under his control. He reached out and grasped her hand, guiding it downwards. As soon as their hands touched, a warm, moist sensation spread through her, and her panic finally subsided. It turned out that, without her realizing it, he had already completed the crucial step.

  As the panic subsided, shyness took over, and at this moment, the two bodies were in the most intimate contact, even their thoughts could be inferred from the slightest movements of their limbs. Gao Feng's hand lightly slid over her delicate cheek, which was flushed with a deeper red wherever his palm touched, and he picked up two strands of hair that had been soaked through with sweat, gazing deeply into those autumnal eyes that shone like black gemstones, and called out again: "Ying'er, Ying'er!"

  This time, the storm that had been brewing would not subside. Cai Ying's rationality was overwhelmed by passion for the first time in her life, and she let her body and mind tremble, fluctuate, and respond to every move of the good man, meeting his almost endless demands. On this wedding night, which she had fantasized about countless times since childhood, she opened up her entire being, entrusting her precious body, cherished for 17 years, to the good man on top of her. She climbed to unprecedented heights time and again, until she let out unbearable moans. In that extreme state of joy or excitement, she let out a long, mournful cry, arching her entire body into a rainbow shape, using all her might to tightly embrace the man who had taken everything most precious from her, proudly offering herself up with utmost devotion.

  On the same late night, there was also someone in the Cai Mansion who couldn't sleep. The sixty-year-old elder, who had just returned to the pinnacle of power in the Song Dynasty, was standing at the window of his study with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the Taifu Mansion in the east. He let the gentle winter breeze blow against his whiskers, his face expressionless, while two younger men stood behind him with their hands clasped together, not daring to make a sound.

  After a while, Cai Jing turned around and walked to the desk, pointing at an open letter with his finger: "You two have also read the contents of this letter, so let's discuss it."

  Cai You hastily said: "Prime Minister Liang is the father's student, and has always been strict in his official duties. This time, he spent 3 million guan to buy northern pearls to present to you, which is also a token of his loyalty to you, and has won the favor of the imperial court. The father had long intended to introduce him into the government as an assistant, how can we dismiss him because of this child's reckless remarks?" It turned out that the Minister of Revenue Liang Zimei spent all his family's wealth to buy a large number of northern pearls from the north and present them to Zhao Ji, which delighted him greatly. Cai Jing had intended to take advantage of this opportunity to promote him to be the Right Chancellor, but was dissuaded by Gao Gang's letter, and is now discussing it here.

  Cai Jing raised his eyes and coldly swept them over the face of his eldest son, saying: "Is this young man now your son-in-law? Calling him Qiang Er doesn't seem to have lowered your status."

  Cai You hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to speak again. Ye Mengde, who was beside him, hastily smiled and said: "Your Excellency, from a student's perspective, what Cai Daren's son-in-law said in the letter is not entirely unreasonable. Although Liang Sheng's loyalty in this matter is commendable, his actions are not necessarily worthy of praise. If all officials knew that doing something to please their superiors would result in promotion, then everyone would exhaust themselves to flatter their superiors, and who would still be willing to work hard in their local posts, taking care of the people? Moreover, the expenses involved must have been squeezed from the people in every possible way, resulting in wealth not entering the official treasury but rather private coffers! This trend is truly unbearable. I humbly request that Your Excellency reconsider and instead summon Shi Jie's brother to return to the capital from the Daming Prefecture."

  Cai Jing glanced at Ye Mengde: "So, Shaoyun agrees with Qiang's suggestion in this letter? Shijie returning to the capital is also feasible, but what about Zimei?"

  "Brother Zimei...” Ye Mengde pretended to ponder, but in fact he and Gao Qiang had already reached a tacit understanding after several exchanges. After a moment, he smiled and said: “In my opinion, Brother Zimei can be used, but not because of the Northern Pearl's advancement. He can be appointed as an official in the imperial court, serving as the governor of a large prefecture like Beijing, touring the local area for one term, and after three years, he can be promoted to a high position in the capital. As for the position of lecturer at Chongzheng Hall that he left behind...” He glanced at Cai You, who was staring wide-eyed at this unexpected turn of events: “can be taken over by Brother Cai.”

  Cai You was overjoyed. Although the position of lecturer in the Chongzheng Hall was not a prominent one, it was still a coveted spot because of its proximity to the imperial family and had often produced high-ranking officials. Now that he had such a lucrative opportunity within his grasp, his displeasure at Ye Mengde's suggestion to recall Liang Shijie to Bianjing dissipated somewhat. Still mindful of decorum, he stroked his beard and cleared his throat several times before saying, "What you say, Shaoyun, is reasonable. Compared to Father's previous idea, this one has its own advantages. I hope Father will make a wise decision."

  Cai Jing gave Cai You a stern look, shook his head secretly and thought to himself: If it weren't for your incompetence, why would I have recalled Shi Jie from Hebei? Never mind! "Shao Yun, draft the imperial edict. Tomorrow is the tenth day of the twelfth month, which is just right for proposing to change the year title. The new year title will be 'Daguan', and at the same time, submit the list of newly appointed chancellors."

  "Yes!" Ye Mengde replied, and then asked: "What about the exile of the son, can you decide that?"

  Cai Jing looked up at the sky and laughed "haha", but there was not a hint of joy in his heart: "It's fortunate that he saw the opportunity early, half a month ago he submitted a memorial to request an external appointment, thus avoiding being kicked out of the imperial court by me. However, I couldn't let him off easily, several times he secretly plotted against me, if in the end he were to retire with honor and prestige, people would think that I was unable to control him! So I ordered the Ministry of Personnel to submit a memorial stating that there were no vacancies for external appointments, and appointed him as the Guardian God Temple Envoy instead."

  The next day, the court discussed and Zhao Ji was at a time when he trusted Cai Jing, everything he presented was followed, and an edict was immediately issued to change the year to Daguan the following year, taking the meaning of a prosperous world, prosperity and grandeur. The traditional Bianliang Lantern Festival on New Year's Eve was extended to three days, and the emperor went to Xuande Hall to watch the skills of all sides, and the edict of reorganization of the prime minister was also issued at the same time.

  The next day, Gao Qiang took his new wife to visit her parents' home. The two were in the midst of a romantic and joyful time. Everyone in the household praised the new son-in-law's exceptional demeanor, saying that he would have a bright future ahead of him, with wealth and honor beyond measure. Gao Qiang was overjoyed, beaming with pride, and handed out red envelopes filled with money generously.

  Having met Cai Jing, he learned that the reorganization of the government was carried out as he had wished, and he couldn't help but feel great joy. This bow was particularly refreshing, thinking that in history, this northern pearl trade was also one of the reasons for provoking the Jurchen uprising, and now he had managed to pull out a few tricks from the bottom of the pot, which could slightly improve the situation.

  Just as they were rejoicing, an imperial eunuch suddenly arrived. Gao was overjoyed to learn of the emperor's great favor. Zhao Ji knew that he had just gotten married and issued a decree promoting him two more ranks, from seventh-grade proclamation attendant lang to regular seventh-grade proclamation virtue lang. His new wife, Cai Ying, was also granted the title of seventh-grade lady-in-waiting. They couldn't help but kowtow repeatedly and shout "Long live the Emperor" without end.

  But at this moment, no one can detect his mood: the change of yuan to Da Guan, that is, to take another step towards the future, with its own history, will it be different?

  After a moment of confusion, his spirit immediately rose: changing history will start from this journey in the southeast!

  (The third part is finished, please look forward to the fourth part "Jiangnan")