Chapter 31 Holding Him

Yun Kui saw his gaze grow increasingly intense, even somewhat frightening.

"Calm down, boss! It's your own dream, it has nothing to do with me!"

"I have abstained from lust, please..."

Before she could finish speaking, the man suddenly tightened his grip, and before Yun Kui could react, he had her shoulders pulled down and pressed her against him. Her watery eyes stared at him in astonishment: "Your Highness..."

The prince's eyes were deep and his gaze slowly moved downwards. The moment his rough fingertips touched the soft, juicy flesh that resembled a lychee, the girl beneath him trembled all over.

Yun Kui bit her lip, and said hastily, "Your Highness! This servant really didn't dream about you last night..."

The Crown Prince scoffed softly.

Yun Kui's muddled mind slowly cleared up, and she realized that this was clearly a case of "protesting too much."

The prince, however, was in no hurry. He slowly and deliberately caressed that snowy skin, watching the fair complexion gradually turn pink. The large and beautiful pomegranate patterns on the small garment undulated constantly, and the plump pomegranates on the branches swayed in the wind, making one want to pick them, bite into them, and savor their juice.

"How dare you be so audacious! How long have I tolerated you?"

Yun Kui said aggrievedly, "But in my dream it was Your Highness..."

Before she could finish speaking, the prince pinched her soft flesh hard with his finger bones. Yun Kui subconsciously bit her lip, but couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

That sound was so soft that it immediately disrupted the man's breathing.

Their breaths mingled, and Yun Kui's eyelashes trembled violently.

The Crown Prince stared at her with a deep and passionate gaze. "Didn't you say you always wanted to take advantage of me? Why are you acting like a paper tiger at times like this?"

If she hadn't pounced on him so recklessly last time and made such outrageous remarks, she could have pretended to be an innocent and obedient little rabbit. But now that he has seen through her, it seems that no matter what she does, she will appear to be playing hard to get.

"Why don't we just give in to him?"

"Everyone seemed so happy in your dream, haven't you always wanted to experience that too? Who knows, maybe His Highness the Crown Prince is even bigger and more powerful?"

"Aren't you quite greedy yourself? Stand up straight! Don't let people look down on you!"

Thinking of this, Yun Kui gritted her teeth, straightened her chest like a carp leaping out of water, and rammed her chest muscles hard.

Crown Prince: "..."

But it was during this collision that she seemed to sense something unusual in front of her, and a stick struck her almost clearly in the lower abdomen.

Upon realizing what it was, her entire face instantly turned bright red.

"That was quite a commotion!"

"I've heard that the higher a man's nose bridge, the more gifted he is... well, it seems to be true..."

A muffled laugh came from above.

The girl blinked her bright, almond-shaped eyes, their gazes meeting. He lowered his head, and Yun Kui immediately acted faster than she thought, instinctively covering her lips with her hand.

The Crown Prince stared at her intently for a while, but did not remove her hand. His dark eyes slowly moved down, and his cool lips gently landed on the soft flesh beneath her fair collarbone, barely covered by her small clothes.

Yun Kui never expected him to kiss her there, and her body trembled violently from the tingling sensation.

With his lips pressed against her warm, fragrant skin, the Crown Prince suddenly bit her hard below her collarbone as punishment.

Yun Kui's eyes welled up with tears from the pain, and even her ears turned bright red. She took her small hand away from her lips, wanting to push him away, but the man's thin lips suddenly covered hers, silencing her.

Having gone through the previous times, Yun Kui thought she would have gained experience and be able to face it more calmly. Unexpectedly, her body still went weak and trembled uncontrollably, and her mind was in turmoil.

Unsure where to place her hands, she groped for something to support them, finally gently placing them on his lower back and slowly embracing him.

"Good, good back."

The girl's slender arms, like the graceful branches on her dress, stretched out and tightly wrapped around his body.

The man's breathing grew heavier, and the kiss gradually deepened from its initial tentative touch to almost completely engulfing her mouth.

Yun Kui was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable like the first time, so she began to respond to him tremblingly.

Their lips met, his kiss was wet and hot, his burning breath enveloping her, like countless sparks exploding in her flesh and blood. Those sparks, in places unseen and intangible, fluttered up like butterflies, carrying her body and slowly falling into the soft clouds.

"The boss's kissing skills seem to have... suddenly improved."

"Waaaaah!"

...

Kunning Palace.

Today is the day when the concubines in the harem pay their respects to the Empress. Since Emperor Chunming has a large number of beauties in his harem, apart from a few who usually claim to be ill and do not come out, the rest of them make a grand procession when they come.

The concubines were supposed to pay their respects to the Empress every day, but the Empress did not want to see them. However, in order to show her magnanimous and tolerant demeanor as the head of the harem, she changed it to paying her respects every five days, which earned her a reputation for being gentle and harmonious.

The concubines entered the palace in groups of three or five, and after paying their respects, they took their seats in order of rank from highest to lowest.

The incident at Yongyan Palace by the Crown Prince the other day caused quite a stir, and most people have heard about it to some extent. It turns out that the case of the Qianyuan Terrace sacrifice at the beginning of the year was actually orchestrated by Prince Chen's trusted eunuch, who has now been taken to the Eastern Palace and his fate is unknown.

Everyone kept their eyes closed and didn't dare to discuss it openly, but they all knew in their hearts that this matter was most likely the work of Prince Chen. Taking advantage of the Crown Prince's absence on a military expedition, he drove his confidants out of the Eastern Palace, so that he could place his own people in the Eastern Palace.

However, this is a struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Chen, so everyone just observes and doesn't offer any opinions in front of the Empress, otherwise they would be asking for trouble.

Most people still follow the Empress's lead. With the Crown Prince in the lead and the Empress having two legitimate sons, even though Emperor Chunming has many children, no one is currently eyeing the position of Crown Prince.

The concubines' vying for the emperor's favor was nothing more than for their families, for their offspring, and for themselves. However, they were still unsure whether Emperor Chunming or the Crown Prince would have the last laugh, so it would be futile for them to show their faces at this point.

Moreover, Emperor Chunming always treated everyone equally. As long as someone was well-behaved and obedient, even if their family background and appearance were slightly inferior, they could still receive the emperor's favor and would not be neglected. Therefore, although the harem was full of beautiful women, they had lived in peace over the years.

The selection of concubines was a necessary means for Emperor Chunming to win over powerful families, and also to ensure the continuation of his lineage. The Empress was well aware of this, but it did not affect her dislike for these concubines.

On one hand, there was jealousy. The favor that originally belonged to her was being shared among so many people, and the commotion of their greetings was almost as grand as the emperor's court sessions. How could she tolerate this!

On the other hand, it's also because of her years of wits and courage in fighting the Crown Prince. She has failed time and time again, and has become disheartened time and time again. Her son still cannot rightfully ascend the throne. Now, the Crown Prince has even discovered the truth about the death of the sacrificial offering, which is a slap in the face to Prince Chen! The people in the harem are probably already sitting on the sidelines, watching the drama unfold with a "gossip-loving" attitude!

The thought that Emperor Chunming would eventually secure his throne and these people would reap the benefits, and that they might even covet the throne, made the Empress unable to suppress her anger.

Of course, it's one thing to be annoyed, but on the surface you still have to appear amiable.

The Empress looked past the concubines in front of her and finally her gaze fell on a woman with a slightly pale face.

"Consort Yu, how has the Ninth Prince been these past few days?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Yu rose and gracefully bowed. The once bright and beautiful woman now had red eyes and a slightly hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, Shou'er's wounds have all scabbed over, but her arm still hurts terribly, and she cries every day."

The Empress did not feel sorry for other people's sons. In fact, she felt that the Ninth Prince should have been taught a lesson long ago. The Emperor had been too indulgent, and Consort Yu had become arrogant because of the Emperor's favor. This allowed the Ninth Prince to act willfully and speak recklessly, giving the Crown Prince an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and causing the Emperor to lose face in front of the court officials!

The Empress was already being kind by not scolding her, and solemnly instructed her: "You've learned your lesson this time, so you must be more careful with your words and actions in the future."

Consort Yu bit her lip and bowed in agreement.

The Empress disliked Consort Yu the most. She came from a humble family but had a seductive appearance that bewitched her nephew Xie Huaichuan, causing him to almost break with his family.

If she hadn't repeatedly persuaded him, his nephew wouldn't have turned back and willingly married the granddaughter of the Duke of Ling.

The Yu family should have given up on their plans, but unexpectedly, they sent their daughter into the palace as a concubine with the intention of climbing the social ladder. Now she serves the same man as her!

She didn't know what her nephew was thinking. She was very unhappy, but the more unhappy she was, the less she could show it on her face. Otherwise, if the emperor found out that his favorite concubine had been engaged to the Xie family and that the two had once been in love, it would not only be bad for Consort Yu to fall out of favor, but it would also probably implicate the Xie family!

After the concubines paid their respects and chatted for a while in Kunning Palace, the Empress dismissed them and sent them back.

Consort Yu walked through the crowd with a pale face, but unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.

Their eyes met, and Consort Yu immediately lowered her head, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Beside the palace road, Xie Huaichuan, the heir of the Marquis of Ningde, glanced at her, suppressing his lingering feelings, and finally looked away.

He couldn't go to Baohua Palace or see the Ninth Prince, so he deliberately chose this time to enter the palace to pay his respects to the Empress, knowing that all the concubines would come to Kunning Palace to pay their respects today, and perhaps he could catch a glimpse of her from afar.

But when he saw her, seeing her distraught, pale, and pitiful appearance, Xie Huaichuan felt a surge of immense pain in his heart.

"aunt."

Upon entering the main hall, Xie Huaichuan bowed to the Empress.

When the Empress saw him arrive, she frowned slightly. Consort Yu had just left, and he arrived right after. It was hard not to suspect his ulterior motives.

After everyone had been dismissed, the Empress was about to ask her question when Xie Huaichuan spoke first: "Has my aunt's secret medicine been given out?"

He changed the subject, and the Empress had no choice but to put it aside for the time being. She shook her head and said, "She did give it to him, but she is timid and afraid of trouble, or perhaps she hasn't found an opportunity yet. She hasn't given it to the Crown Prince yet."

There were some things the Empress couldn't openly discuss with the Emperor, and she didn't trust anyone else to handle certain forbidden or poisonous drugs, so she usually entrusted them to her nephews.

He was the cousin of the second and sixth sons, and was family. The Xie family's fortunes were intertwined, and they had been at the top of the power in the Great Zhao for twenty years. No one wanted to fall from the clouds and become dust under someone else's feet. Therefore, they could only try every means to overthrow the crown prince and support the Prince of Chen to enter the Eastern Palace.

Xie Huaichuan pondered for a moment, "Now the Crown Prince's Palace only has one concubine left to serve him in bed. Did your aunt give her to him?"

“Indeed,” the Queen asked, “Is there a problem?”

Xie Huaichuan then truthfully recounted the matter of the Seven-Day Powder, saying, "She herself had no way to detoxify herself, so the Crown Prince ordered He Bailing to give her the antidote."

The Empress's face paled slightly, and she unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand. "Are you saying that the Crown Prince knew she had been poisoned, yet still went to great lengths to save her?"

Xie Huaichuan nodded: "Yes."

"That brat is quite something, managing to coax the Crown Prince into coming to her rescue." Thinking of something, the Empress suddenly panicked. "The secret medicine I gave her...could she have already handed it over?"

Xie Huaichuan's expression darkened slightly: "Possibly."

The Queen's fingers trembled slightly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back: "What should we do?"

Xie Huaichuan hurriedly said, "Aunt, there is no need to worry too much. Since the Crown Prince has not come to interrogate her, perhaps the maid has not yet confessed the matter to the Crown Prince. What good would it do her to please the Crown Prince but offend you? Besides, she does not know what the secret medicine is. Right now, the Crown Prince dotes on her, so there is no rush to use the medicine. When a new lady enters the Eastern Palace and the Crown Princess is born, and she loses favor, she will use it."

The Empress said anxiously, "How can I wait for that day!"

Now that the Crown Prince has returned to the capital, he has just purged the Eastern Palace, killing or expelling those palace servants who harbored disloyal intentions. Now he is punishing the Ninth Prince and uncovering the truth about Prince Chen framing Cao Yuanlu. The next target will probably be her and the Emperor!

Xie Huaichuan said, "Aunt, don't worry. The New Year's Eve banquet is just around the corner. The Crown Prince will definitely come to the banquet. I have a plan."

Recalling Consort Yu's haggard face and the Ninth Prince, who was tormented by the Crown Prince and was now sickly, Xie Huaichuan exhaled a heavy breath, his dark eyes churning with a near-furious killing intent.

...

After breakfast, the Crown Prince went to Chongming Hall to discuss state affairs with his officials, while Yun Kui went to the back room to learn how to comb hair from Granny Yan.

Granny Yan had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the subtle change in her compared to when she arrived yesterday.

When I came to see her yesterday, she was timid and weak, but today she has a bright and charming girlish shyness, especially her face. Although she only applied a light touch of makeup, her cheeks were as red as crabapple blossoms, and her rosy lips were like ripe cherries, as if they could be squeezed out of water with the slightest touch.

Yun Kui obediently sat in front of the mirror. Granny Yan combed her hair, and her gaze followed the black hair downwards, but she inadvertently noticed a suspicious red mark on her chest.

Granny Yan smiled and said, "Did the Crown Prince dote on you yesterday?"

Yun Kui's face flushed red instantly.