Li Xinyue's concern wasn't about anything else; she worried that if she snored in her sleep, Chu Chen might hear it, which would be terribly embarrassing.
About half an hour later, both lay on the bed. Chu Chen blew out the candle beside them.
Lying on the bed, Chu Chen could hear Li Xinyue's breathing, which made him restless.
"Your Highness, are you asleep?"
Although Chu Chen had already shared intimacy with the Empress and Li Mengdie, those instances were forced.
Moreover, he had no formal relationship with either of them; their connection was currently clandestine.
But he and Li Xinyue were already engaged, and they could enter the bridal chamber at any time.
Now, he felt as if they had already entered it prematurely.
The thought of them lying in the same bed like this in the future made Chu Chen's breathing quicken.
Li Xinyue, beside him, noticed Chu Chen's unusual behavior and looked at him with confusion.
"Chu Chen, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Li Xinyue asked. When she didn't hear a response from Chu Chen, she became even more anxious.
She couldn't help but lean closer to Chu Chen and reached out to feel his forehead.
Immediately, Li Xinyue shook her head and said, "You don't seem sick. There are no signs of illness at all."
"If you're not sick, why is your face a little hot?"
Li Xinyue's innocent hands, as if unfamiliar with the world, caressed Chu Chen's face. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Chu Chen couldn't bear it any longer.
"Your Highness, no matter what you think, I must offend you now."
Chu Chen took a deep breath, grabbed Li Xinyue's hand, and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
Caught off guard, Li Xinyue had no time to react before Chu Chen was on top of her.
"Chu Chen, what are you trying to do? Let go of me!"
Li Xinyue, completely unaware, tried to get Chu Chen to move, but found the man on top of her as unmovable as Mount Wu.
"Your Highness, when you were touching me earlier, why didn't you ask yourself what you were doing?"
Chu Chen panted, his voice somewhat hazy as he spoke from above Li Xinyue.
Li Xinyue seemed to realize something and finally felt a bit guilty. "Chu Chen, I didn't mean to just now, but you have to believe me, we are already engaged. You should endure this for me."
Chu Chen was stunned for a moment, then he slammed his hands against the headboard repeatedly. The loud thuds made them both a little more sober.
The sharp pain in his hands brought Chu Chen back to his senses. Li Xinyue took the opportunity to roll over, moving to the side and escaping Chu Chen's grasp.
Chu Chen sighed and lay back on the bed. Neither of them spoke.
After an unknown period, Chu Chen said, "Your Highness, let's sleep. Tomorrow I'll handle some military affairs and continue to spend time with you."
"Late the night after tomorrow, I will be leaving Shuangyue City. If I'm lucky and return victorious, well and good. If my luck is poor, I might just meet my end out there."
"If I don't spend a few more days with you, I might not have another chance."
As he spoke, Chu Chen even felt a sense of sadness spreading, and he paused for a moment.
Li Xinyue, however, directly hugged Chu Chen.
"Chu Chen, I know you must be embarrassed that I rejected you just now, but I still can't overcome that hurdle in my heart."
"How about this, I can help you in other ways, but I want to save my body for our wedding night. Can you agree to that?"
Chu Chen heard this and took a deep breath. "Other ways?"
Li Xinyue nodded, her face red. "I've read some books in my mother's library. Um, it says one can use..."
Hearing Li Xinyue's description, Chu Chen immediately became eager. He gently patted Li Xinyue's small head. "Princess, you are so good to me."
About half an hour later, Chu Chen held Li Xinyue, their bodies close together, and the bedroom fell silent.
The next morning when Chu Chen woke up, the first thing he saw was Li Xinyue sleeping soundly beside him, and a hint of tenderness bloomed in his heart.
Although Li Xinyue hadn't given herself to him physically, she had helped him in another way. That experience made Chu Chen feel invigorated.
He had already experienced the normal act with the Empress and Li Mengdie. Only Li Xinyue's unique method had brought him such pleasure.
Li Xinyue's brow furrowed slightly, and then she woke up. Seeing Chu Chen staring at her, a blush spread across her face.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's so embarrassing."
Li Xinyue rubbed her cheeks with a blush, snuggling into Chu Chen's embrace.
Thinking about what she had done last night, Li Xinyue felt she could never face Chu Chen again.
Chu Chen smiled and said, "Your Highness, you've done so much for me, there's no need to be shy. It shows you care about me, and that makes me even happier."
Hearing this, Li Xinyue nodded and peeked out from Chu Chen's embrace.
"Chu Chen, if you ever betray me, I'll definitely have my mother chase you to the ends of the earth and have you... well, you know."
Chu Chen felt a sudden chill in a certain area. Although he knew Li Xinyue was just joking, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"Your Highness, you've scared me, but I can still handle it."
Li Xinyue's gaze suddenly shifted to a certain spot. "Hmph, I'm not just joking."
"Your Highness, I just remembered I need to go to the military camp. So, I won't be staying with you. If you need anything, just tell the servants."
Chu Chen suddenly sat up in bed, his movements rather exaggerated.
Seeing this, Li Xinyue rolled her eyes at Chu Chen. "Your movements are too dramatic. Are you doing this on purpose to avoid me?"
Hearing this, Chu Chen quickly shook his head and chuckled dryly. "Your Highness, what are you thinking? You're overthinking it."
"It's truly busy with official duties. But don't worry, once the military matters are settled, I'll rush back to pick you up. We can go play Cuju, what do you say?"
Li Xinyue was taken aback, then said happily, "Okay! I really like Cuju, but I've never had the chance to play. Oh, my skills aren't very good, you'll have to go easy on me then."
Chu Chen smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I'm about the same as you. We'll just be playing for fun."
Li Xinyue nodded. "Then hurry to the military camp and come back as soon as you're done."
Hearing this, Chu Chen immediately agreed and left the Prime Minister's residence.
Upon arriving at the military camp, the entire place was quiet. Chu Chen immediately blew his whistle.
In less than a breath's time, An Yong and the others ran up to him.
"Marshal, you're here. Why didn't you inform us in advance so we could welcome you."