Lin Yuqiao woke up early the next morning.

Actually, she didn't sleep well all night. After Liu Heng stopped, she lingered and tried to rekindle the fire. As a result of indulging in pleasure for a while, her whole body ached. She didn't feel it at the time, but afterwards, her legs felt burning hot.

Seeing that Liu Heng had not yet woken up, Lin Yuqiao grimaced and propped herself up on her arms to look down at his sleeping face.

Liu Heng was very well-behaved when he slept, his hands clasped together on his lower abdomen, subconsciously keeping a little distance from her. After their intimate moment last night, they went to sleep separately, leaving Lin Yuqiao, who had been looking forward to being held while sleeping, feeling very disappointed.

Lin Yuqiao looked closely at his face. Liu Heng's eyebrows were very well-shaped, thick and dark. She clumsily traced his eyebrows down to the bridge of his nose, and finally gently moved her hand over his slightly pursed thin lips.

"Why so early? Sleep a little longer."

Awakened by Lin Yuqiao's movements, Liu Heng opened his eyes with a slight frown, but there was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes.

"It hurts so much."

With a slightly hoarse, tearful voice, Lin Yuqiao snuggled into Liu Heng's arms, begging for a hug. Sensing his stiffness, she clung to him like an octopus, refusing to let go.

Not wanting to push her away forcefully, Liu Heng could only sigh and pull her close, tapping her cheek as he said, "Why are you so naughty?"

Over the years, every woman around him had been gentle, virtuous, and well-behaved. This was the first time Liu Heng had encountered someone like Lin Yuqiao, and he didn't know how to handle her.

To say she's unruly is an understatement, but she's still young, perhaps a bit too naive. But her persistent nature is really getting to him.

"Your Highness, please call me Qiao Qiao again, just like last night."

Last night, when things got heated, she kept asking Liu Heng to call her "Qiao Qiao" in his ear. Finally, Liu Heng got annoyed by the noise and whispered it in her ear before sealing her lips.

Recalling his own confusion in the latter half of last night, Liu Heng was somewhat surprised. He had always been disciplined and restrained in matters of intimacy, but he never expected to be so captivated by a young girl.

However, Liu Heng had to admit that the indulgence and passion were indeed very enjoyable.

Trying her best to be coquettish, Lin Yuqiao rubbed against him, glaring at him with wide eyes and feigning pitifulness, until she felt something pressing against her thigh.

Liu Heng reluctantly pushed her off him, hesitating for a moment. Although calling her "Qiao Qiao" was a bit too intimate, it seemed like there wouldn't be much of a problem if they only called each other that. The other person, well, he really couldn't stand her clinging anymore.

"You can't call out when there are other people around."

"All right."

After weighing the options in her mind for a while, Lin Yuqiao felt that this was acceptable. She reluctantly agreed, as if she were the one who had made concessions.

There's plenty of time, so let's take it slow. This plan to win hearts isn't something that can be done in a day or two; going all out at once would be counterproductive.

Having gotten what she wanted, Lin Yuqiao pounced on him and pressed her lips to his, saying, "It's a deal!"

Knowing that Liu Heng was not comfortable with such intimate physical contact, the more distant he was, the happier she became.

"If you don't want to sleep, then get up."

The one who was kissed felt that the girl was too exuberant and lacked manners.

He got up, dressed, and then summoned a maid to help him with his washing and grooming.

Granny Jiang also brought Qingming and Guyu into the room. Lin Yuqiao felt that with so many people around, it was a bit inappropriate for her to be lying naked in bed; the level of shame was too high.

So he got up and sat up, but the movement was too big, which aggravated his sore thighs and lower back, causing him to gasp for breath in pain.

Granny Jiang quickly went over to help her and put her clothes on. Qingming Guyu, who was standing by serving her, blushed a little when she saw the marks on Lin Yuqiao's body.

With her legs trembling, Lin Yuqiao was helped to the bathroom. Immersed in the hot water, she finally felt a little better. Looking down, she saw bruises all over her chest, inner thighs, and waist, and blushed.

Last night, during the second time, Liu Heng completely lost control, almost as if he wanted to crush her.

After soaking for a while, I got out. Granny Fang brought over some medicine. The ointment felt cool and refreshing when applied, and it did make me feel much better.

Have all our people been arranged?

Lin Yuqiao asked casually as she changed her clothes.

"Everything is arranged. Granny Fang took over the kitchen early this morning, and now we're using our own people."

Jiang Mama, being from the palace, knew exactly what was important and what needed to be done immediately. Lin Yuqiao's room and the kitchen in the courtyard were of paramount importance and had to be taken care of first.

After Lin Yuqiao finished washing up and changing her clothes, Liu Heng was already sitting in the main room eating.

Just like last night, Lin Yuqiao had a great appetite. Ignoring Jiang Mama's constant winks, Lin Yuqiao insisted on drinking a bowl of walnut milk, eating four shrimp dumplings, two small steamed buns, and a custard bun.

She was really hungry; last night had been hard work. Lin Yuqiao, having eaten and drunk her fill, looked innocently at Granny Jiang, who looked at her with a disappointed expression.

Liu Heng was no longer as surprised by her appetite as he had been the night before. From last night until now, Lin Yuqiao had been constantly challenging his understanding and pushing the limits of his tolerance.

After finishing their meal, Liu Heng left first, leaving Lin Yuqiao alone to pay her respects to the Princess.

Pouting, Lin Yuqiao felt that Liu Heng was too heartless, cold-hearted, and unreasonable. She had performed so well last night but still couldn't win him over. Would it cost him more face if he took her to see the princess?

Following the maid leading the way to the Princess's courtyard, Lin Yuqiao felt as if the road was endless, her legs felt as heavy as lead, and she thought to herself that indulgence was indeed a bad thing.

Along the way, the maid named Cuibo introduced the locations of various parts of the mansion. After leaving the courtyard gate, they went west through the back corridor, and after exiting through the side gate, they found themselves in a north-south passageway. To the south was a three-room annex hall that connected to the front courtyard.

To the north stands a large, pink-painted screen wall, behind which is a large gate leading to the main courtyard where the princess resides.

Behind the courtyard gate stood four or five young servants, all with their hands at their sides. Occasionally, maids and servants would pass by, all with quick steps and solemn expressions.

Even before meeting the princess, Lin Yuqiao could tell that her methods were extraordinary and that she was a very disciplined person.

Leading the people through an east-west passageway, they arrived at the room where the princess was.

After lifting the curtain and going inside, Lin Yuqiao saw that several people were already sitting inside.

Princess Consort of Huaiyang sat at the head of the table. She was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in a bright red satin dress adorned with a hundred flowers and lotus blossoms. Although her appearance was somewhat ordinary, she exuded a gentle and dignified air. Upon seeing Lin Yuqiao enter, she smiled kindly at her.

After bowing respectfully to the princess, Lin Yuqiao accepted the teacup offered by the maid, raised it to eyebrow level with both hands, and served tea to the princess.

After taking a sip of the offered tea, signifying her formal acceptance of the concubine, the princess gestured for Lin Yuqiao to step forward, took her hand, and exchanged warm greetings.

“My sister is indeed a wonderful person; I like her very much. Now that she’s in the household, we’re family. If you need anything in the future, just come and ask me.”

Since the other party had shown kindness, she should accept it. Lin Yuqiao quickly declined, saying, "My sister is new here and doesn't know any better. Please forgive me if I do anything wrong in the future."

After presenting the prepared gift to the princess, the princess also gave her a set of ruby ​​jewelry as a return gift.

After respectfully accepting the gift, Lin Yuqiao was able to sit to the left of the princess.

There are rules regarding this seating arrangement; in the current court, the left side is considered more prestigious. Lin Yuqiao's background is higher than Consort Jiang's, so even though Consort Jiang entered the court earlier and has a son, she can only sit on the right.

After she was seated, the princess pointed out the rest of the people to her one by one, "This is your sister Jiang, this is Consort Baili, this is Consort Chen, and this is Attendant Han."

These were not all of Liu Heng's women; only those of certain rank were qualified to sit with the princess. Nevertheless, the number of women around Liu Heng was indeed considerable among the nobility.

Lin Yuqiao also introduced herself to everyone else as the princess introduced them, and they exchanged gifts.

Consort Jiang was the daughter of a seventh-rank official. She was more beautiful than the princess, with slender shoulders and waist, an oval face and long, narrow eyes. She had a delicate air about her and a shy, timid smile, making her look like a typical little woman.

Consort Baili had a slightly plump figure and a medium build. She had a fair complexion and red lips, and was quite delicate. Because she was a gift from a local official when Liu Heng went south on official business, and her family background was not prominent, she had always been a concubine.

Consort Chen and Consort Han both appeared gentle and quiet. Consort Chen came from a humble background; her father was a minor official guarding the city gates. Consort Han was Liu Heng's first woman, three years older than him, and now, being older, she no longer served him. She was originally a maidservant, but after the Princess entered the palace, she was promoted to Consort Han because of her respectful and courteous manners.

Li had already found out about these people's information when Lin Yuqiao was at home, and now that they were actually there, they all matched up.

Although Consort Jiang and Consort Baili were both prettier than the Princess, Liu Heng was not a man who valued beauty. He usually visited the Princess most often, a fact that can be seen from Liu Heng's offspring.

Currently, apart from the second son Liu Yan, who was born to Consort Jiang, all the other children in the Prince's Mansion—the heir Liu Kang, the third son Liu Feng, and the eldest daughter Liu Ling—were born to the Princess Consort.

Another concubine, Baili, had previously given birth to four sons, but they died before they could be named.

After everyone got to know each other, Lin Yuqiao had a better understanding of the situation. It seemed that Liu Heng really liked gentle and graceful women, and his harem was full of this type, which saved him a lot of trouble.

There wasn't much time for conversation in the rush. The few simple greetings mostly consisted of compliments about Lin Yuqiao's appearance, followed by her own modesty, but nothing substantial. Aside from Consort Baili being somewhat enthusiastic towards her, the others seemed rather quiet and reserved.

Seeing that everyone had eaten their fill of tea and fruit and had achieved their goal of getting to know the new people, the princess announced that everyone should go home.

After returning the way she came, Lin Yuqiao immediately collapsed onto the couch as soon as she entered the room. Her body had not recovered, and she had only managed to stay awake with the princess by sheer willpower.

After feeding her a bowl of bird's nest porridge, Granny Jiang looked at Lin Yuqiao's pale face and said with heartache, "Consort, you can't always go along with everything. When you should advise the Prince, you shouldn't force yourself to do things your way."

Hearing Granny Jiang blame Liu Heng for everything, Lin Yuqiao nodded guiltily and hugged her arm, "Okay, Granny, I understand."

Granny Jiang could never have guessed that the culprit who turned out this way was actually herself.

After lunch, Lin Yuqiao didn't rest. She started to take stock of her dowry. In addition to the allowance from Zhonggong, the dowry from relatives, the private money given to her by Li Shi, there were also four shops and a hundred acres of first-class paddy fields in the suburbs that Chen Lianghou had asked Li Shi to give her separately.

Sometimes Lin Yuqiao felt that Chen Lianghou was a really contradictory person. On the one hand, he was indifferent to them and even made decisions that harmed their interests, but on the other hand, he occasionally showed warmth.

Although he was furious that he had become a concubine of the Prince of Huaiyang and had never given her a kind word at home, he was not stingy with her dowry. Originally, it wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't given her the shops and paddy fields, but he still did.

Just as he was ruthless towards Li Shi, frequently neglecting her because she didn't meet his expectations, he never took a concubine, making outsiders envious of Li Shi. Similarly, while he suppressed Lin Yucheng, he didn't completely eliminate him.

Lin Yuqiao felt that Chen Lianghou was not a heartless person; on the contrary, he seemed more ruthless because he was too sentimental.

However, she wouldn't forget that Marquis Chen Liang almost made her a concubine because of this. No matter what, she was innocent. If he hadn't supported the matchmaking arranged by Madam Jin, why would she, a legitimate daughter of a marquis, have to humble herself before someone else?

After everything was taken care of and put away, it was almost evening. Now that she was a newcomer, Liu Heng would probably need at least seven days of rest.

Lin Yuqiao quickly tidied herself up and ate some snacks beforehand to avoid having too much of an appetite for dinner and making Liu Heng think she was a glutton.