Chapter 32 Your Highness, please

Yun Kui lowered her head and saw that the bite mark was actually exposed. The location was neither high nor low. She had tried to cover it with makeup, but some of it was still rubbed off by her clothes.

Seeing her blushing face, Granny Yan couldn't help but smile. Instead of teasing her about it, she asked, "Did you make some snacks for His Highness yesterday?"

Yun Kui nodded. "But he only ate a small piece."

Granny Yan asked, "What did His Highness say?"

Yun Kui hesitated and said, "Your Highness only said it was passable, so I suppose it's because my skills are not good enough."

Granny Yan replied, "If His Highness doesn't like it, he won't even glance at it, let alone something that goes into his mouth. 'It's acceptable' is already a compliment."

Yun Kui chuckled softly, "His Highness is quite strict."

Granny Yan said, "That's right. His Highness never indulges in food. You could say he's picky. The kitchen prepares more than ten dishes for every meal, and His Highness is lucky if he can pick out three or five of them and eat a few bites."

Yun Kui thought to herself that such a picky person had actually ended up having snacks with her in the middle of the night after she had only pleaded with her a little last night.

She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, thinking of his enchanting dream from last night, and then of the scene this morning when he pinned her down on the bed and kissed her. She was unsure whether he was angry, or…

The Crown Prince, being caught having such an intimate dream, must have been furious and embarrassed, which is why he bit her so hard as punishment.

But if it's punishment, hitting with a board or the palm of the hand is fine, how could you... bite there?

A bite would have been enough to teach her a lesson, why did he have to kiss her lips, and for so long that her lips were almost numb?

Recalling that scene, Yun Kui felt a strange flutter in her heart, and her cheeks turned bright red.

No wonder the men and women in her dreams loved to kiss, as if it were truly joyful. Especially when the other person was the aloof, noble, and incomparably handsome Crown Prince. In the midst of the kiss, she would occasionally open her eyes and be greeted by an enlarged, exquisitely sculpted handsome face. She almost stopped breathing. This was simply... more pleasurable than tasting any delicacy in the world.

How can someone be so good-looking!

Such a beautiful person would kiss her!

She took the opportunity to hug his strong waist, but he only kissed her and did not stop her.

The feel of his waist was indescribably wonderful. The bandages on his body had been removed, and through the thin layer of his nightgown, her palm pressed against the hollow of his waist, caressing the deep, hard mass. She felt as if she were floating.

She even felt that she wouldn't be unable to accept it if he bit her again...

Before leaving, Granny Yan styled her hair into a delicate and charming hanging bun, with a knot on top of her head secured with pearl flowers, and two strands of hair hanging down on either side of her ears. As she walked, the hair swayed slightly, like two drooping rabbit ears, making her extremely cute and charming.

In the past, some female officials in the palace liked to wear their hair in a hanging bun style, which was fashionable for a while. She was a palace maid who served the emperor, and was considered a low-ranking female official. Wearing this hairstyle was not considered out of line.

Yun Kui felt a little embarrassed when she saw Granny Yan smiling at her. "Granny, am I not suited to this hairstyle?"

Granny Yan said happily, "No, it's just that I think His Highness might like it."

Yun Kui's ears burned slightly. "How do you know His Highness would like it?"

Just now, when Granny Yan was combing her hair, she suddenly remembered an old story.

When the prince was young, he was studying in a pavilion when a hawksbill rabbit with lop ears, owned by some master, came to the garden to eat grass and silently jumped onto the stone table where the prince was studying.

Although the crown prince was young, he did not like small animals. Princess Wenchang once sent him a snow-white sable to play with, but the crown prince did not even look at it and sent it back to him.

It could be said that the Crown Prince was not very interested in anything other than reading, practicing martial arts, and treating his headaches.

Cao Yuanlu was standing nearby and was about to chase the hawksbill rabbit away when the prince, while reading, unconsciously started touching the rabbit's ears.

The rabbit then lay obediently beside him, and the two of them were surprisingly harmonious.

When the servants came to serve tea, the prince seemed to only then notice the rabbit nestled beside him. He immediately put it away and had someone take it away.

Afterwards, Granny Yan asked him if he wanted to raise a lop-eared rabbit to play with, but the prince only said "I don't like it," as if he had forgotten that he had touched the rabbit's ears for most of the day.

Granny Yan guessed that the Crown Prince probably didn't know that he subconsciously wanted to be close to soft and cute little things. He might not be able to rationally allow himself to indulge in any behavior other than his proper duties, but it is undeniable that people have instinctive preferences.

Yun Kui touched her hair bun and smiled, pursing her lips.

...

Deng Kang is dead. Before his death, he insisted that the Qianyuantai sacrificial case was a personal act of revenge to harm others and to clear his master of any wrongdoing.

Inside the Imperial Study, Prince Chen knelt down to plead guilty, with Emperor Chunming, the Minister of Justice, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review all present.

Emperor Chunming handed over the witnesses, physical evidence, and Deng Kang's confession to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, his face ashen, and said, "Prince Chen's rule is lax. He is to be fined one year's salary, suspended from his post for three months, and confined to his quarters for self-reflection. Do you have any objections?"

Prince Chen immediately bowed his head and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Emperor Chunming arranged for each of his adult sons to be placed in a department suitable for their training. Prince Chen was even assigned to the Ministry of Personnel, which directly influenced the appointment and evaluation of officials. This was to facilitate his expansion of his network of contacts, his growing closeness with court officials, and his learning from Chen Xian, the Grand Secretary who also served as the Minister of Personnel. It was truly a painstaking effort.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a trusted minister of Emperor Chunming, stepped forward upon hearing this and said, "His Highness Prince Chen was unaware of the matter; it was merely a eunuch by his side who committed the offense. Is Your Majesty's punishment too severe?"

Emperor Chunming snorted coldly: "I only regret that the punishment was too lenient."

After the two ministers left, Emperor Chunming angrily swept the memorials off the table and threw them all at Prince Chen, shouting, "What a mess you've made!"

Prince Chen knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, his eyes filled with boundless resentment.

All those involved in the case had been executed according to their crimes, and even this veterinarian had been banished far away from the capital. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince still managed to dig him out from the ground.

Now that the Crown Prince has found out the truth, he has personally brought witnesses to the door. The whole affair has become known to everyone. Anyone with a brain can't help but think that this was instigated by Prince Chen.

Fortunately, Deng Kang did not betray his master until his death, and the only victim in the Eastern Palace was a minor eunuch serving the Crown Prince, not the Crown Prince himself.

Emperor Chunming could not control what others thought; the only way to silence public opinion and demonstrate the monarch's stance to the people was to severely punish Prince Chen.

The Crown Prince is the only heir apparent. Emperor Chunming values ​​and protects the Crown Prince, and will not allow anyone to infringe upon the Crown Prince or those around him, not even the Empress or other princes.

The emperor usually turns a blind eye to any actions taken by the empress and the emperor's brother-in-law, since they all share the same goal. However, once a decision is made to take action, regardless of the outcome, it must be done cleanly and decisively, so as not to give others any leverage and end up shooting themselves in the foot.

It was perfectly reasonable to plant spies in the Eastern Palace, but the Crown Prince managed to expose them in just a few days!

Emperor Chunming simply didn't know whether to say that the Crown Prince was too clever or that the Empress and the Imperial Uncle were too foolish and careless, as they couldn't even train a useful spy and easily revealed their master!

The Crown Prince deliberately returned the two spies to the Empress and the Emperor's brother-in-law. How was he supposed to deal with this? What were the court officials supposed to think?

The empress could claim that she was showing concern for the crown prince's well-being by placing her confidants in public, but the crown prince misunderstood her good intentions.

But what about the emperor's brother-in-law?!

Previously, when the Crown Prince was still suffering from arrow poison, he could deceive the public by claiming that he was delirious due to the deadly poison, since the Crown Prince had indeed had moments of mental instability. But now that he has fully recovered from his serious injuries, is purging the Eastern Palace, reopening old cases, and standing in the court with a clear mind, steady steps, and a commanding presence, where is the former madman and bloodthirsty figure?

Emperor Chunming had a vague feeling that his headache might have been mostly cured.

Could it be thanks to He Bailing?

The Crown Prince even ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate Feng Yu's whereabouts. It's unknown how many mysteries he uncovered about that battle twenty years ago...

In the month since the Crown Prince returned to the capital, things seem to have started to spiral out of control.

The Empress was anxious, but wasn't he just as anxious?

Ultimately, the person sitting on the dragon throne is him. More than anyone else, he desires to firmly grasp this supreme power, to be worshipped by court officials, to be revered by the people, and to be the sole ruler of this country and all its people.

Emperor Chunming closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, punishing the Empress to copy one hundred scrolls of scriptures to pray for the Crown Prince's well-being, and ordering the Empress's uncle, Marquis Ningde, to be suspended from his post for three months and fined half a year's salary.

Like the Prince of Chen, only severe punishment can silence the rumors.

The higher the crown prince is praised, the more the Chunming Emperor himself will be able to stand on the high ground of public opinion.

When the news reached the Eastern Palace, several officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were discussing countermeasures against Emperor Chunming's actions.

The emperor and empress were masters at distorting the truth, controlling the spread of rumors, and smearing the crown prince's reputation in order to enhance their own reputation as virtuous men. This was an open secret among the people.

Zuo Zanshan believed that they should follow their methods and spread the news that the Empress's brother-in-law had planted his confidants in the Eastern Palace and that Prince Chen had deliberately framed the Crown Prince's confidant, so as to reverse the Crown Prince's reputation.

Zuo Zhongyun was also afraid that this matter would backfire, since in the hearts of the people, the Empress was a virtuous and kind living bodhisattva, while the Crown Prince was a demon and monster. The people who did not know the truth would only condemn the Crown Prince.

There was a murmur of discussion below. The Crown Prince picked up a delicate and crispy tea snack from beside him, took a bite, and then put it down.

He really disliked these crumbly, flaky things.

However, the milk and water chestnut cake from last night, though unremarkable in appearance, was sweet and soft, which was quite to his liking.

For no reason, I thought of that sweet and gentle little girl.

Even thinking of the pomegranate blossoms on her undergarments, and her snow-white, soft, and fragrant skin... I don't know how this girl was born, she's soft in every way, even her voice is so soft it could melt your heart.

Not to mention that he now has the ability to read minds, so he can not only hear the sounds she makes when he kisses her, but also her rapid breathing, uncontrollable moans, and her soft, sweet inner voice.

Sometimes she would pout coquettishly, sometimes she would sigh... and then there were even more explicit ones that made one's lower abdomen tighten upon hearing them, making one want to use force against her and leave marks on her fair and delicate skin.

My thoughts drifted back to reality, and I realized that he had crushed the tea pastry in my hand.

The officials below: "..."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering why the Crown Prince had suddenly crushed the pastries, and even more so, whose life he was planning to take as he did so.

The crown prince calmly took a handkerchief to wipe his hands and said indifferently, "Let's deal with the important matters first; there's no need to concern ourselves with the rest."

The officials timidly bowed and agreed.

When the Crown Prince returned to Chengguang Hall, he heard a series of light footsteps as he walked along the corridor.

He stopped and turned his head to see the little girl with a bunny-eared hairstyle appear at the end of the corridor. Upon seeing him, she immediately suppressed her smile and walked up respectfully to greet him: "Your Highness, may you be well."

But the Crown Prince clearly heard her say in her heart—

"Your Highness, please apply."