Shen Wan imagined the old lady's face in her mind, her anger having nowhere to go, and her mood couldn't be better.

The maid brought the food into the room. Shen Wan hadn't eaten lunch properly, but the aroma of the food made her stomach rumble.

But Xie Jingyan was still reading in the study and hadn't returned yet. Shen Wan didn't want to eat alone, so she glanced at Haitang, who then said, "This servant will go and invite the prince."

Shen Wan sat there waiting, and soon Haitang returned. Seeing that she came back alone and not hearing the sound of wheels rolling, Shen Wan asked, "Where is she?"

Haitang said, "The prince looked unwell and ignored me."

Shen Wan frowned, and Haitang leaned closer and whispered, "However, the prince's guard Chen Feng secretly told me to ask you, Your Highness, to coax the prince, and that the prince is very easy to coax."

Shen Wan, "..."

Shen Wan's brows furrowed into a pretzel.

Should she be made to coax Xie Jingyan?

Others may not know that her marriage to Xie Jingyan was a sham, but Chen Feng knew perfectly well.

What right does she have to appease her master?

And she doesn't know how to comfort people.

Shen Wan looked troubled.

Haitang and Yinshuang looked at each other, wanting to laugh but unable to.

It was always others who coaxed her princess; the princess never coaxed others. Even before she was married, when she had a falling out with the second young lady and the others, it was always others who offered her a way out, and she would spend money to appease them.

Yinshuang said, "Prince Ling likes to hear nice things, so the Princess should just say nice things. If you don't eat dinner soon, the food will get cold."

Shen Wan glanced at the dishes on the table. If it weren't for her hunger, she wouldn't have bothered to coax Xie Jingyan.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

Shen Wan got up and went to the study, but when she got there, she stopped.

She had no idea how to coax Xie Jingyan.

Moreover, she resisted doing it from the bottom of her heart.

She'd rather go hungry for a meal.

Shen Wan paced back and forth outside the study, making Yin Shuang and Hai Tang dizzy. Even the man inside couldn't help but say, "Stop pacing outside the door, come in."

Shen Wan walked in, and Xie Jingyan looked at her expressionlessly, "Don't dare to come in?"

Shen Wan shook her head, "It's not that I dare not, it's just that..."

"Just what?" Xie Jingyan asked.

"I just haven't figured out how to coax you yet."

Xie Jingyan, "..."

The two maids, Yinshuang and Haitang, looked utterly hopeless.

They're not as straightforward as the princess, saying whatever comes to mind.

Xie Jingyan's forehead creased with annoyance. If he waited for her to coax him, he'd probably starve to death in the study.

With a wave of his hand, Yinshuang and Haitang quickly withdrew.

Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan, a pleased smile curving his lips. "Trying so hard to make me happy?"

Shen Wan looked at him. He was extremely handsome. She probably couldn't find anyone more handsome than him in the entire Great Chu. His smile was more beautiful than a sky full of stars, making it impossible to look away.

Shen Wan's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her, and she turned her face away. "Chen Feng asked me to coax you."

Xie Jingyan's smile froze.

Chen Feng nearly fell headfirst from the tree outside the window.

He gave the princess some advice, and she actually sold him out...

It would be strange if the prince didn't beat him to death.

Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan and said, "You don't even listen to your father-in-law, but you listen to Chen Feng so much. Do you think I'll believe that?"

Your Highness is wise.

Chen Feng shouted in his heart.

Shen Wan wanted to argue, but it was a fact that she had disobeyed her father before, so she had no choice but to remain silent. Then she heard Xie Jingyan's deep voice, "Come here, I'll teach you how to coax me."

Shen Wan, "..."

Chen Feng, perched on a tree outside the window, was speechless.

Shen Wan felt that what he said sounded strange, but her feet wouldn't obey her and she actually went towards Xie Jingyan.

Walking up to Xie Jingyan, Shen Wan looked at him suspiciously, only to hear Xie Jingyan say, "Bending over will make your neck sore."

Shen Wan obediently bent down, and then her cheek was kissed.

Shen Wan, “…!!!”

Shen Wan covered her face, "You!"

Xie Jingyan said, "Just coax me like that from now on."

Should I coax him?

Shen Wan blushed and said angrily, "You bastard, you might as well starve to death!"

After saying that, Shen Wan turned and ran away.

Behind him, Xie Jingyan's lips curled up, but he couldn't bring himself to smile.

Shen Wan ran out of the study, and Xie Jingyan called out, "Chen Feng."

Chen Feng shuddered, looking utterly defeated. Resigned, he leaped from the tree into the house, knelt down, and said, "Master, I know I was wrong."

As he was speaking, all that could be heard was the sound of a drawer opening. Realizing there was a dagger inside, Chen Feng's face turned pale.

Surely it's not such a trivial matter that I should make him commit suicide?

As he thought this, something white came hurtling towards him.

Chen Feng reached out and took it.

ecstasy.

It's not a dagger.

It's a silver ingot.

Chen Feng hurriedly said, "This subordinate thanks you for your reward, sir."

Chen Feng stood up and pushed Xie Jingyan out of the study.

Meanwhile, Shen Wan covered her face and ran out of the study. When she returned to the inner room, the heat on her face had not completely subsided. Yin Shuang asked, "Has the Princess Consort appeased the Prince?"

Don't mention the word "coax" to her again, or I'll get angry if you do!

Shen Wan gritted her teeth and said, "He's not hungry."

After uttering those three words, Chen Wan sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat. She chewed very hard, as if she were chewing not food, but some kind of lord.

They had only taken two bites when the sound of wheels rolling came from behind them. Yinshuang and Haitang looked at each other again.

Didn't the princess say that the prince wasn't hungry? Well, here he is now.

Haitang quickly brought water for Xie Jingyan to wash his hands. Xie Jingyan picked up his chopsticks, but looking at the table full of dishes, he didn't know where to start. His lips twitched repeatedly.

Chrysanthemum tea in the morning, mung bean soup in the afternoon, and a whole table of dishes for dinner that are cooling, including pork rib soup with kelp.

None of them were his favorite foods.

Xie Jingyan looked at Shen Wan and asked, "Did you have the kitchen prepare these dishes?"

Shen Wan glared at him sharply, "Doctor Tao told you to eat lighter meals, and also—"

"Starting tonight, you will sleep in the study."

This wasn't the first time Shen Wan had suggested he sleep in the study, but Xie Jingyan wasn't angry. He raised an eyebrow and said, "You listen to Doctor Tao so much?"

Shen Wan said, "He's a doctor. How can I not listen to him?"

"Why didn't you listen to Doctor Tao's advice to consummate the marriage?" Xie Jingyan interrupted.

One sentence left Shen Wan speechless.

Shen Wan wanted to ask in return, "Where did I not hear? Doctor Tao did say to consummate the marriage, but he didn't say it had to be her."

She wanted to arrange a concubine for him, but he suddenly changed his attitude, which frightened her so much that she had to go to Doctor Tao to find another solution.

She could only lie and say that she was not feeling well enough to consummate the marriage these days, so Doctor Tao let her drink some cooling tea for him and also told her to try to stay apart from him for the next few days. She was thinking of him, but he deliberately found fault with her.

She'd only been married to him for a few days, and he didn't even like her. Just sleeping in the same room and on the same bed was enough for him to lose control and become consumed by lust. In his previous life, he hadn't married or taken a concubine, so he didn't have these kinds of troubles.

Indeed, it's not appropriate for a lone man and woman to be alone in a room.

If they continued to live there, Shen Wan didn't even dare to imagine what might happen between them.

separate.

We must live separately.