Chapter 53 Previous Life

Chanzhen had heard before that Prince Jin was the prince most valued by His Majesty and the only candidate for the position of crown prince. However, after entering the palace and meeting him only a few times, she realized that His Majesty did not value Prince Jin as much as the outside world had rumored, and there was even a considerable gap between father and son.

Just now, His Majesty clearly intended to get close to her in front of Prince Jin, but Chan Zhen really didn't understand why His Majesty did this. Although Concubine Shu had an ordinary relationship with her, His Royal Highness Prince Jin was always very respectful when he saw her, which left a lot of good impressions in her heart.

Sensing a hint of doubt in her frequent glances, Chen Dingyao paused and asked her warmly, "Zhenzhen, do you have any doubts?"

Chan Zhen did not hide it: "Your Majesty, do you dislike His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin?"

Perhaps she was overthinking it. She always felt that there was a hint of fear and caution in His Majesty's eyes when he looked at His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin. However, His Majesty was in the prime of his life, and he had never heard of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin doing anything presumptuous. Even when facing the ambitious His Majesty the Prince of Yu, he was only a little disappointed. Why did he treat the Prince of Jin so differently?

His Majesty did not answer her directly, but simply gazed at her deeply. "What do you think of the Prince of Jin?"

"Hmm..." Zen spoke frankly, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin is handsome and well-mannered. He is a very outstanding young man."

His Majesty gripped her hand tightly, "Then in Chan Zhen's heart, how do I compare to Yun Yi?"

Zen Zhen was a little amused and confused: "How can this be compared?"

Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin look exactly alike, have similar personalities, and are biological father and son. How can there be any comparison between them?

His Majesty, however, was determined to make her decide who was good and who was bad: "I want Chan Zhen to tell me in person, who is more important to Chan Zhen, me or Yun Yi?"

Chanzhen originally thought that His Majesty was just fooling around with her, but His Majesty's expression was so serious, as if he would not give up until he got a definite answer from her.

"Chen Zhen can't be compared," she shook her head. "Your Majesty is my husband, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin is your heir. Your Majesty and the Prince of Jin hold different positions in my heart."

She looked up at him, her eyes warm and sparkling with tiny glints of light.

"If we insist on comparing, then naturally Your Majesty is more important."

Just as he finished speaking, he was suddenly held in his arms by His Majesty. Chan Zhen leaned against his chest and could hear the strong and powerful beating of his heart.

"His Majesty?"

She couldn't see His Majesty's expression at the moment, but his voice was so clear and gentle: "Chanzhen, call me Yaolang."

Chanzhen suddenly remembered the time when they first met at the prefect's residence. He coaxed her to call him husband, but she was too embarrassed to do so. In the end, she only called him "Yao Lang" and never called him that again.

"Your Majesty, why are you so sudden?" Zen Zhen leaned against his chest shyly.

She knew his name contained the character "Yao," referring to an ancient legendary emperor and symbolizing nobility. The late emperor must have had high hopes for his majesty when he chose this name. His majesty was so noble, and aside from the late emperor and the late empress dowager, no one else had ever addressed him by his given name.

Chen Dingyao touched her cheek and said in a low and mellow voice, "I always want to be closer to you."

Zen Zhen blushed in the slightly drunken breeze, "Are I not close to His Majesty?"

Those days and nights of intimacy made her blush and her heart beat fast when she recalled them, not to mention that she was now pregnant with his child.

"I don't think it's enough." Chan Zhen's heart was filled with so many people. She missed Yuan Zhao, Madam Wei and Song Ge from the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, and even Xuan Yang and the concubines in the harem. But he thought Chan Zhen only saw him. In his previous life, he had driven himself mad for Chan Zhen, even risking his life to achieve their reunion in this life. He had invested so much thought in her, and he wanted the same in return.

"I want to be unique and irreplaceable in Zen Zhen's heart."

In that case, even if Zen Zhen recovered his memories of his previous life, he would not be able to let him go.

His Majesty's gaze was deep and persistent, with a hint of sinisterness and melancholy, which even made Chan Zhen feel a little fear and uneasiness in her heart. But it shouldn't be like that. His Majesty had always been gentle and caring towards her, and she shouldn't be afraid of His Majesty.

"Your Majesty..." Zen Zhen's voice suddenly trembled.

The next moment, His Majesty returned to his reassuring appearance and gently patted her on the back.

"The wind is quite strong here. Did Zenzhen catch a cold?"

Was it just an illusion? Chan Zhen slowly calmed down under his gentle comfort. She had heard people say that pregnant women are the most sensitive and thoughtful. Could she have just been overthinking?

Since they met, His Majesty has loved her very much. How could she be afraid of His Majesty just because of a look?

She bit her lip and finally called out the extremely intimate name: "Yao Lang."

After saying that, she blushed and buried her head in his chest.

Chen Dingyao's body suddenly froze, and it took him a long time to recover. He whispered her nickname in her ear.

"Zen Zhen."

Although he had clearly had more intimate actions with His Majesty, Zen Zhen felt even more shy than the first time for some reason, and didn't even dare to lift his head from his chest.

My heart feels like it’s soaked in honey, so sweet that it seems to be overflowing.

She really likes His Majesty.

…

Late at night, Chan Zhen once again fell into a hot and hazy dream.

As night fell, a bright moon hung high in the sky, with candles flickering all around.

Her uneasiness finally reached its peak when she discovered that the scenery around her was becoming more and more unfamiliar.

"Where are we going?" She stopped following closely and whispered to the eunuch leading the way, "Your Highness, do you really want me to come here?"

The eunuch smiled flatteringly: "How dare I lie to you, young lady? Your master is waiting for you right in front. Your master has never brought any other women to this place before."

She had seen this eunuch by the side of the prince before. It was said that he was bestowed by His Majesty when the prince left the palace to build his own residence. Therefore, even the princess had to give him some face when she saw him.

Zen Zhen was relieved a little because of this, thinking that His Highness wanted to give her another surprise, just like the white fox fur that His Highness gave her last time at the hunting ground.

Thinking of the snow-white fox fur, she felt a little discouraged. Who would have thought that the white fox fur was so noble that even the princess didn't have it? No wonder the princess was so sarcastic when she saw her wearing it that time, and made her kneel for a long time when she paid her respects in the morning.

Although His Highness always protected her, he couldn't always be by her side. When His Highness was away, the princess would always secretly give her some hardship. She didn't dare to pester His Highness all the time to complain to him. If the news reached the ears of Concubine Shu, she would be summoned to the palace to kneel as punishment.

She didn't want to enter the palace and didn't want to see the mocking looks of the palace maids. She was an unknown concubine and had to kowtow to everyone she met when she entered the palace.

Besides, she didn't want to meet His Majesty again.

The occasional glances from His Majesty always made her feel a little frightened.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, I finally arrived at an unfamiliar palace.

The eunuch showed fear on his face and stopped at the door, extending his hand to let her in alone.

"The master is waiting for the girl inside."

She was already a married woman, so according to the rules she should not be called "Miss" anymore. However, she was just a concubine with no name or status, and her name was not even on the imperial jade record. Calling her "Madam" was a compliment, so the maids serving in Prince Jin's mansion would occasionally call her "Miss Song" to distinguish her from the other two concubines.

She never cared about these things. Even compared with the other two concubines in the mansion, her background was far inferior. However, His Royal Highness Prince Jin doted on her alone, so she was the one who suffered the most exclusion. If His Royal Highness Prince Jin had not been furious after being framed and punished the culprit, and even the princess was scolded, her life in the mansion would have been even more difficult.

"Your Highness?" She walked in boldly, and as soon as she entered the door, she was hit in the face by the heat.

There weren't many candles lit in the room, so it seemed a little dark, and the swirling mist made the vision even more hazy.

Zenzhen walked slowly inside, his eyes searching for the figure of His Highness.

She had heard that there was a hot spring in the palace, but that was exclusively for the emperor. Why did His Highness summon her here? What if His Majesty found out?

"Your Highness?" There was no one around, and she gradually felt uneasy.

But at this moment, I heard a loud sound of water coming from the pool in front.

Could it be that His Highness has already fallen into the water?

She moved cautiously towards the pool. The misty water vapor wet her hair and made her cheeks a little red.

Chan Zhen had just reached the edge of the pool, but before he could stand firmly, a force grabbed his ankle and he fell into the pool.

"Cough cough..." She choked on water several times in panic, her hands and feet thrashing around, but she still couldn't control her body from sinking.

When she was panicking, a strong arm suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her up.

"My Lord..." Before she could finish her words, a pair of hot lips kissed her.

The humid steam dampened her eyelashes, making it difficult for her to open her eyes. The figure's outline was familiar, yet there seemed to be subtle differences from her memory. Before she could distinguish them clearly, she was drawn into a passionate kiss, her mind in a state of confusion, leaving her no time for further reflection.

This man was extremely strong, as if he wanted to swallow her. She leaned back weakly, opening her mouth to let him take what he wanted. Her hands rested slightly on his chest, and she only relied on her arms clasped around her waist to prevent herself from sinking into the water.

It was so strange. His Highness had always been gentle and polite to her. Even on their first night together, he had only lost control a little, and had never been as aggressive as he was at this moment.

It was unknown how long it had been before the man let go of her lips.

Zen Zhen finally got a chance to catch his breath, but before he could catch his breath, he felt a wetness on his chest.

She blushed and held her head to her chest to stop him from going any further.

"Your Highness, don't be here."

Her cheeks were so red that they seemed to bleed. Although she had been forced to learn a lot about sex before, she was still resistant in her heart. This hot spring palace belonged to His Majesty, and it was not good for her and His Highness to fool around here.

The man paused for a moment, and then a voice came out, which made her whole body instantly cold, as if she was in hell.

"Your Highness? Who do you think I am?"

The man raised his head, his face was very similar to His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, but more majestic and domineering.

"Who do you think I am?" The man gently stroked the corner of her mouth, which was a little red and swollen from the kiss, with his thumb. His eyes dimmed slightly, and his hand holding her waist tightened a little.

"Is it Yun Yi?"