Aromatic Flesh

The night sky was clear, while the full moon hung high and shone down brightly upon the festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was just about to begin.

Gu MingYue had attended many similar banquets in her original life, hence she was clear of the rules and etiquette of a noble lady. Although she’s now in a different world, the rules were still similar in all areas.

She was dressed up in the court dress of an imperial concubine, magnificent and proper, as she stood next to her husband, greeting the Emperor and Empress respectfully with not a speck of nervousness or shyness on her face.

The other nobles had been watching her closely, wanting to see how a filthy illegitimate daughter would shame herself in this situation, but they were all left with disappointments after seeing her poised behavior.

‘Even the clouds and flowers dull before your beauty…’1 This poem came to the mind of every single person who glanced at her.

Some young aristocrats had to look away instantly after a glimpse, for fear of being aroused by extravagant thoughts that they should never have had.

Such beauty, such charms.

In fact, it seemed like only the royal family can be worthy of her.

Meanwhile, Liu Yi was feeling extremely uncomfortable with the stares coming from all directions, in fact, he wished that he could gouge out the eyes of all the men who glanced at Gu MingYue, but at the same time, he also felt great satisfaction, because such a gem belonged to him and him alone.

Hiding his thoughts carefully, he embraced her slender waist lovingly with one hand and graciously served food on her plate with the other hand. In a blink of an eye, her plate was now piled up with a mountain of food.

There was no way she could finish it all… She thought as she turned to him with a sharp glare.

Unfortunately, not only does the glare of a striking beauty not make the person look obnoxious, it actually added a sprinkle of vivid flavoring to her previous gentle smile, making her look much more delicate and cheeky.

Liu Yi was instantly stunned by her expressions, and it was thanks to his overwhelming willpower that he did not bring her home instantly to calm his urges.

It was a known fact that the Qin couple was very much in love and affectionate with each other, but nothing compares to seeing it in person. It was obvious that Prince Qin treats his wife as a gem as treasured her plenty.

Every single woman at the scene was envious and jealous of her, wishing that they could take her place.

The Queen Dowager glanced at the two lovers with a smile on her face. Though Gu MingYue was not of high birth, her temperament was elegant and dignified, while her appearance was alluring. There was not a speck of cowardice in her eyes, and she was able to keep her expressions neutral under the eyes of the crowd.

She was clearly suited for royal life.

The Queen Dowager’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction after taking a close look at Gu MingYue, before praising her in front of the crowd and bestowing her with countless gold and jewels.

All of these entered the eyes of Lu WanQing, who was seated next to her mother near the Qin couple. She could clearly see the love and affection Prince Qin had for her illegitimate sister, and the satisfaction within the Queen Dowager’s eyes.

But instead of feeling happy for her sister, all she felt was bitterness in her heart. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her long nails pierced into the flesh of her palms. It was painful, but nothing could compare to the envious pain she felt in her heart.

Originally, it had not bothered her at all that her illegitimate sister had married a prince. He was seriously ill after all, and it was the only reason why someone with her status was allowed to be married into a prince’s family. In fact, even when Prince Qin passed away from his illness, her life there would not be too harsh, though it wouldn’t be good either.

But who would’ve known that Prince Qin would recover so suddenly! And after seeing him with her own eyes, she could not have imagined that a person who had been sick for more than a decade would actually look so charismatic and handsome!? And even more so, how could her cowardice sister, who would shrink away from anyone, become so glamorous and charming in such a short time!?

She could not believe her eyes.

She hated how affectionate the two are towards each other, as it was too horridly dazzling.

Plus all of Prince Qin’s love would’ve been hers if only her father did not look down on the prince when he was ill. As the eldest legitimate daughter of the family, she would’ve been the one marrying Prince Qin, and at this time, she would’ve been the one sitting next to him and enjoying his love and praises…

Which was why when she saw Liu Yi walking away from the banquet, she, too, quickly found an excuse to leave.

Gu MingYue, on the other hand, had been observing Lu WanQing the entire time, and had not missed her changing expressions. To think that the rumored poised and talented woman in the capital would feel such envy that it was unconcealable, to the point that she would trail her brother-in-law.

Gu MingYue knew that this was the moment of truth of her weeks of hard work, and she did not wish to miss it…

Liu Yi had walked away from the banquet momentarily as his mind was a little dizzy from the alcohol. He did not want to be a laughing stock of the banquet, hence he had stepped away to sober himself up.

He walked down a path that led to the imperial garden. The flowers on both sides of the roads were in full bloom, and under the silver moonlight, the entire garden looked majestic. The night air was slightly breezy, and the scent of flowers was very effective in clearing his mind from the drunken haze.

He took a deep breath, feeling much more refreshed than before, and prepared to return to the banquet. That was when he saw a noble lady walking towards him.

The lady had a slender build, and the way she walked was somewhat intoxicating under the moonlight. The gentle breeze lifted her exquisite dress and wavy hair slightly, while the ornaments she wore jingled as she walked.

The flowers around her dimmed in comparison.

As she neared, Liu Yi finally saw her face clearly. She had beautiful eyes, and though her features were not exquisite, there was a sense of elegance and refinement that not even the surrounding scenery could compare to her.

She came to a halt ten feet away from him.

Liu Yi’s heart was instantly drawn to this lady uncontrollably as she glanced at him with her huge teary eyes, as if he was the only man in her eyes. He felt a tug in his heart as he reached out towards her face, wanting to stroke her beautiful jade cheeks just to see if they were as soft and smooth as he imagined.

Just when his fingers were about to touch Lu WanQing’s cheeks, his expression suddenly froze.

The lady’s face was full of anticipation as she glanced up at him shyly, but upon seeing his hesitation, her eyes flashed with a trace of puzzlement, obviously wondering why his actions stopped suddenly.

“You… Which family are you from? It’s not appropriate for us, a man and a woman, to be alone in a garden at night. You should return to the banquet soon, miss!” Liu Yi said blandly as he walked past her.

His brows furrowed deeply together as he noticed the inexplicable feeling of wanting to get close to this woman, what’s more, it was obvious that she came here prepared.

To think that he almost fell for her tricks!

But before he could leave, his sleeves were caught by a small pair of hands.

His frown deepened as he whirled around to face her, “Miss, why are you pulling onto my shirt?”

His voice was calm but extremely cold that it was hard to believe that this man was almost seduced just seconds ago.

“Why?” Lu WanQing asked in a small and pitiful voice. Was she not beautiful or attractive enough? She’s very well-known in the capital for being a talented and beautiful woman!

Plus did he not almost fall for her just now? Why did he suddenly retreat as if she was a pest?

“Please have some self-respect, miss.” He answered coldly, flicking his sleeves to remove her grasp on him quickly before walking away, leaving Lu WanQing alone in distress.

In fact, all Liu Yi could think of right now was to return to the banquet instantly. He was deeply afraid that, without him by her side, Gu MingYue would be coveted by the many noblemen at the banquet. Although they would not dare to do it in real life, they must’ve been thinking dirty thoughts secretly!

It was undeniable that he almost fell for the noble lady at the imperial garden just now, and for a split second, he even thought of taking her as a concubine… These thoughts were extremely inexplicable, as she was not half as perfect as Gu MingYue, and more importantly, he had not seen her before, nor did he knew about her at all.

It was extremely weird.

Fortunately for him, Gu MingYue’s tearful face suddenly appeared in his mind at the most crucial moment, and he woke up instantly.

There was no way he could’ve known that the sudden attraction he had for Lu WanQing was due to her heroine’s halo2.

Liu Yi was extremely mad at himself, if he hadn’t stopped himself in time and did something to that woman, he would’ve broken Gu MingYue’s heart! No woman in the world would be willing to share her husband with another person, especially when she was talented and beautiful both physically and mentally.

And Liu Yi knew that even if she would never express it, she would definitely be upset if another woman was to enter his household.

All was good, though. He was not greedy nor was he a perverted person. One wife was enough for him, plus it will save him from the irritating and noisy troubles of women fighting for favor in the future.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the imperial garden, he noticed Gu MingYue standing alone at the entrance of the corridor while staring at him with a gentle smile on her face. Her bright eyes seemed to gather the bright stars in the night sky, while she swept her silky hair unintentionally as the midnight breeze blew past.

This scene was deeply imprinted within Liu Yi’s mind.

“Finally willing to come back?” She asked nonchalantly, her tone was light with not a speck of blame.

Liu Yi’s heart jumped sharply at her words. He was extremely grateful that he hadn’t done anything, otherwise, Gu MingYue would’ve seen it all!

“I…” He started, not knowing how to explain himself.

Gu MingYue walked over to him and held his huge and strong hand within her own, “Let’s go back, we’ve been away for a while.”

Liu Yi was not sure whether he should be sad or happy seeing that she had not spoken more about the incident. He stared at her the entire way back, her figure so slenderly small that it somewhat distressed him.

“What would you do if I ever had another woman?” He finally asked.

“I would shave my hair and become a nun, and I will never see you again until the end of time.” Gu MingYue said softly as tears filled her eyes, but her voice was firm.

“My wife…” Liu Yi hugged her tightly, the feeling of not being treasured by her disappeared instantly from his heart, “I will only ever have you in my life, I want you and you only.”

“Y…You, you’re just saying it…” Gu MingYue sobbed, obviously not believing a word he said.

“You don’t believe me?”

Gu MingYue whirled her head to the other side, refusing to look at him.

Liu Yi was very anxious, it was a rare thing for him to confess his true feelings, to think that she would not believe his sincerity!

“What can I do to make you believe me?” He asked softly, his voice full of helplessness.

“I will believe it if you swear on it.” Gu MingYue’s voice came out as a whisper.

“I, Liu Yi, swear that I will love and respect Lu ShuYan, and will only have her as my wife for the rest of my life. May my eyes rot and left with no descendants if I ever touch another woman.”

Gu MingYue stared blankly at the man in front of her while as tears streamed down her cheeks, his eyes filled with such sincerity as his firm words echoed through her ears. She could not believe that he had actually sworn on such a heavy oath.

Liu Yi was in a good mood as he enjoyed the shocked expression on her face.

“Are you satisfied now?” He hugged her tightly before landing a kiss on the middle of her forehead.

Gu MingYue nodded vigorously before burying her face into his solid and comforting chest.

The silver moonlight was extremely beautiful as it shone down on the couple, who quietly hugged each other as they enjoyed the warmth between them.

Gu MingYue’s soul was drawn out of Lu ShuYan’s body vigorously before it was sucked into the air by an invisible force. Her consciousness gradually blurred as she watched the two huggling each other tenderly underneath.

Translator’s Notes:

The first arc ends here! Off we go to the second arc yay ⊙▽⊙

Lu WanQing is a horrible person, I hate her and I’m glad that her ending ended like this. What makes her think that the sister can be a scapegoat for marriage when the ML is sick, but when he recovers, she blames her sister for taking her place??? Serves her right, ugh.

As usual, please enjoy and feel free to comment your thoughts on this chapter~

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