Lingxiao Pavilion

On the second day of her wedding, before dawn, Yan Shu was awakened by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.

The pain came on suddenly and fiercely, like ice shards churning inside her stomach, making her gasp for breath. Opening her eyes, the lingering scent of sandalwood from the previous night, mixed with a hint of cool pine wood, still lingered in her nostrils—it was Ling Yuan's scent.

But the spot beside him was already empty, not even a trace of warmth remained.

"Ugh..." Another wave of cramping pain hit her, and she couldn't help but curl up, her forehead instantly soaked with cold sweat. Why was this body so uncooperative? The historical records never mentioned that Princess Duan had such a serious ailment.

"Your Highness? You're awake?" Chun Tao heard the noise and carefully lifted the bed curtains. She panicked when she saw the princess's pale face. "You...is your period about to start, and are you in severe pain again? You're supposed to go to the palace to express your gratitude today! This servant...this servant should go and report to the prince, or perhaps call for a physician..."

"Don't go!" Yan Shu grabbed her wrist suddenly. "You absolutely can't go!"

On the second day of their marriage, she was going to bother him with something like this? She could almost picture the look of disdain in Ling Yuan's cold eyes. In this royal residence, she couldn't continue to label herself as "spoiled" or "troublesome."

"I can bear it," she gasped, her voice trembling. "I need to wash up and put on makeup. I absolutely cannot be late."

Chun Tao watched as her lips turned white from the pain and her eyes reddened, but she dared not disobey.

By the time she had managed to get ready and was half-supported, half-carried out of the room by Chun Tao, Ling Yuan was already waiting in the courtyard. He had changed into his court robes, the dark python robe accentuating his tall and straight figure.

His gaze lingered for a moment on her excessively pale face, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, but he asked nothing, only uttering two words:

"Let's go."

He showed no concern, no inquiry, as if her situation had nothing to do with him.

Just as they were about to depart, the old woman who had come from the Cui residence quickly stepped forward and respectfully but clearly reported to Ling Yuan:

"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is feeling extremely unwell today. She has been suffering from severe abdominal pain since waking up this morning, and her complexion is poor. I dare to suggest that... she postpone her entry into the palace to avoid any disrespect before the Emperor."

Yan Shu's heart sank suddenly, and her fingertips instantly turned icy cold.

This isn't concern at all; it's clearly a way of confirming her "weak constitution" right in front of Ling Yuan, even implying that she's not presentable!

She immediately looked up and caught a glimpse of calculation flashing in the old woman's eyes.

We must not let her succeed!

Before Ling Yuan could speak, Yan Shu straightened her back slightly. Although cold sweat still dripped from her forehead, her voice was clear and firm: "Thank you for your concern, Granny. It's just that I was tired yesterday, and the chill from the water I was in last night hasn't completely dissipated, so I'm feeling a little unwell, but it's nothing serious. Entering the palace to express my gratitude is a great favor from His Majesty, how could I dare to be negligent because of such a minor ailment?"

She dismissed the "abdominal pain" as commonplace in a few words, and then invoked the great favor of "the Emperor."

After saying that, she turned to Ling Yuan and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, I may now depart."

Granny Zhou was taken aback by her quick reaction and choked for a moment.

Ling Yuan's gaze lingered for a moment on her forced composure, then swept over the uneasy-looking nanny, and he simply said:

"In that case, let's go."

He ignored the nanny's "suggestion".

The carriage was eerily quiet. Yan Shu leaned back, her fingertips secretly pressing against her throbbing lower abdomen; each jolt sent cold sweats down her back. Ling Yuan, with his eyes closed, remained oblivious to her strange behavior.

The rules in the palace were so complicated they were a headache. The emperor was gentle, and the empress—her elder sister Cui Yunya—was all smiles, affectionately holding her hand and instructing her: "Sister, you must serve the prince well and produce offspring for the royal family as soon as possible."

Yan Shu forced herself to agree, but her heart tightened suddenly at the thought of the words "to have many children and grandchildren".

On the return journey in the carriage, the oppressive silence was broken by Ling Yuan. He didn't open his eyes, his voice icy:

"Prime Minister Cui recently proposed in court to cut military spending in the northern border by 30%. Is Your Highness aware of this?"

Due to her physical discomfort and her own vigilance, Yan Shu was a beat slow to react and honestly replied, "Your Majesty, I live deep within the inner palace and know nothing of the affairs of the court."

Ling Yuan's lips curled into a faint sneer: "Prime Minister Cui is so shrewd in his planning, yet the Princess Consort is completely unaware of such an important matter?"

These words were like ice picks, chilling her to the bone. He had indeed come to regard her as a spy for the Cui family.

She suppressed her discomfort and met his suspicious gaze: "Since Your Highness already harbors doubts, even if I had a thousand words to say, it would be in vain. Time will prove everything."

Ling Yuan gazed at her for a moment, then closed his eyes and said, "I only believe what I see with my own eyes."

The carriage jolted, and Yan Shu's face grew even paler. Ling Yuan never opened his eyes, so he naturally didn't see the pain she was enduring, nor the resolute look deep in her eyes, born from her family's scheming and her husband's indifference.

She stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to the fleeting street scene outside the window.

Life in the Prince's mansion was indeed like walking on pins and needles.