On the third day, the long procession of carriages and horses finally arrived at the Xishan Palace.

The Xishan Palace was built between the Xishan Hunting Grounds and the Xishan Mountain itself. The Xishan Mountain is not very high, with a gentle slope, and is surrounded by a large area of ​​grassland and forest.

The chief eunuch in charge of looking after the palace had received the imperial decree long ago and had already cleaned the entire palace and prepared all the necessary items.

After two or three days of arduous travel, Emperor Cheng'an was exhausted and told everyone to go and settle down first, and that a banquet would be held in the evening.

The imperial palace was quite large, with countless palaces and buildings, more than enough to accommodate the accompanying civil and military officials and their families.

However, it was impossible for officials of lower rank and their families to live too well or comfortably; most of them had to squeeze several households into one courtyard, which was quite inconvenient.

However, the King of Qin was deeply favored by the emperor, so this problem would not exist for him.

The palace they were allocated was second only to the crown prince, and even better than that of the Prince of Chen.

As soon as Shen Youying arrived at her destination, she began to direct the servants to unpack the luggage she had brought. She also asked Danzhu to fetch hot water so that she could take a nice hot bath and change into clean clothes.

After the Double Ninth Festival, it gradually got colder, but after traveling for two or three days, they could only stay in the carriage, so there was naturally no place to bathe. In addition, Shen Youying was too happy to receive the crossbow and even rode her horse out for a few laps. On the last day, she even felt that she smelled bad and dared not get too close to Xue Shen.

After the luggage was mostly packed away, the hot water arrived.

Shen Youying was about to take off her outer robe and go to the bathing room when Xue Shen wheeled in. She was immediately startled, hurriedly retied the sash she had just loosened, and asked with a slight blush, "Does Your Highness have something to say?"

Xue Shen raised an eyebrow: "There's only one main room in this main hall. Does the Princess Consort intend for me to sleep in a side room? Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"

Shen Youying belatedly realized what was happening and bit her lip, saying, "I just didn't realize it for a moment..."

She glanced at the bed again, almost unconsciously.

Since they never intended to share a bed with the King of Qin, Danzhu and Bailuo only placed one pillow and one quilt on the bed.

"I'll have Danzhu add it right away." Shen Youying felt a little guilty, and lowered her voice, secretly glancing at Xue Shen out of the corner of her eye.

She felt that perhaps because the King of Qin had almost never shown his violent side in front of her, she had unknowingly begun to lose herself in his arrogance.

Fortunately, Xue Shen was not angry. He glanced at her and said, "Go take a bath. I'll have Danzhu do it."

Shen Youying was feeling guilty and short of breath, so she nodded haphazardly and hurriedly went to the bathhouse.

Since the King of Qin was outside, she lost interest in soaking in the water. After soaking for a while to wash off the dust, she prepared to go back to her room.

But when she stepped out of the bath, she realized that in her haste, she had forgotten to bring the towel to dry herself and the change of her undergarments.

Shen Youying glanced out of the bathhouse, but through the two screens, she couldn't see what was happening inside.

After hesitating for a while, she could only gamble that Danzhu and Bailuo should be inside. She tried calling Danzhu and Bailuo's names.

Fearing that the King of Qin was still inside, she dared not speak loudly, only calling out softly.

After a moment of silence, he raised his voice again.

To everyone's surprise, Danzhu and Bailuo did not respond, but the King of Qin heard them and asked, "What's wrong? They're not in the house."

Along with the voices, there was also the slight creaking sound of a rosewood wheelchair rolling across the ground.

Shen Youying was startled, thinking he was about to come in, and quickly sat back down in the bathtub.

Fortunately, Xue Shen didn't seem inclined to come in. The wheelchair stopped turning at the bathroom door, and then his voice came over: "Zhao Zhao? Is something wrong?"

Her deep voice seemed tinged with worry. Afraid he would come in, Shen Youying could only stammer, "N-nothing, I just forgot to bring a change of clothes..."

As she spoke, Shen Youying's voice grew softer and softer, almost inaudible, and a blush spread from her cheeks to her neck.

And whether it was her imagination or not, she seemed to vaguely hear a low laugh.

"Wait here, I'll bring it in for you." Xue Shen glanced around and noticed the clothes that Shen Youying had left behind.

The clothes were all packed in a small bamboo basket. Xue Shen picked it up, placed it on his lap, and wheeled himself into the bathroom.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and there was a four-foot square depression in the center of the floor, filled with pebbles, so that water from the bathtub could be drained away through a small channel if it overflowed.

His young queen sat in the bathtub, her cheeks flushed, her head slightly lowered, her long hair disheveled and draped over her body, the ends submerged in the water. Her exposed shoulders and neck glowed faintly white in the dim candlelight.

Xue Shen didn't shy away from scanning her face. He had excellent eyesight and noticed a bright red mole above her right collarbone.

Below the small mole, there is the swaying water surface and the blurry, full curves.

Over the years, to conceal his true nature, Xue Shen engaged in frivolous affairs and frequented brothels, so he was no stranger to women's bodies. Many women even seduced him for power and wealth, willingly disrobing themselves. But when he saw them, he felt not a shred of desire, but rather found these calculated seductions utterly repulsive.

But the girl in front of me was different.

She looked so white and soft, the hazy, warm candlelight falling on her black hair and snow-white skin, giving her a soft, radiant glow.

It has a kind of alluring yet not lewd beauty.

He suddenly recalled that time at the Zhou family's villa, when the girl's clothes were disheveled and she clung to his chest, her delicate, porcelain-like skin pressing against his palm...

Xue Shen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly felt a little thirsty.

He slowly looked away, said nothing, and then turned his wheelchair and left.

His figure disappeared behind the screen. Shen Youying finally breathed a sigh of relief. The look Xue Shen had given her just now had almost made her heart stop.

She almost thought the other person would come over without any hesitation...

Although she didn't know why he left in the end, Shen Youying was relieved. She hastily pulled her long hair out of the water, wrung it out, quickly got out of the bathtub, grabbed a towel, and wrapped herself tightly in it.