Chapter 115 Abuse of Power for Personal Gain The man paused: "...I am not tall..."
The man paused for a moment: "...I'm not unhappy."
"Your Highness is deceiving me again."
"..."
Jiang Zhuoying covered her face: "Nowadays, there are countless eyes watching the child in my womb, both inside and outside the palace. Your Highness's caution is only right."
"It's my fault for not doing well. This child is much more important than me."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low laugh sounded behind him.
Qi Fan withdrew his hand, sat down smoothly, and turned his head to look down: "The child is indeed important."
Jiang Zhuoying choked slightly, but she could see through her fingers that the man's expression was much better than before; at least he no longer had a dark face as if he was about to cause trouble at any moment.
Qi Fan was sitting right next to her knees.
Before she could say anything more, the man suddenly lifted her leg, bent her knee, and placed it on his lap.
Qi Fan glanced at her sideways: "A son's status depends on his mother's; I wonder if the Crown Princess has heard of this?"
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback.
Does a child's status depend on their mother's?
She coughed softly, slowly lowered the handkerchief covering her face, and said in a weak voice, "Never...heard of it."
Jiang Zhuoying felt a chill on her calves and subconsciously looked down. Her stockings had been removed, and her skirt was half-lifted, revealing her swollen knees.
She has fair skin.
This is precisely why the redness and swelling on the knees appear even more alarming.
The man didn't say a word, but quickly applied ointment to her knees and gently massaged them with his palms to allow the creamy ointment to be quickly absorbed by her skin.
His expression was very serious, and he pursed his lips, showing no sign of smiling.
Judging from his face alone, Jiang Zhuoying would believe it if he were holding a wolf-hair brush and reviewing memorials.
The room was silent. Jiang Zhuoying didn't say anything more until there was a knock on the door, followed by Chu Yixin's probing.
"Master? Master Jiang has arrived at the palace gate."
As she finished speaking, she wiped the ointment off her knee.
The man helped her put her stockings back on, lowered her skirt, and as he stood up, he placed the narrow-necked bottle in her palm.
"Have your maid apply it again before you go to sleep."
"……oh."
Jiang Zhuoying watched Qi Fan leave, and at the same time, Xiangyue and Xiangxing rushed in from the door.
Jiang Zhuoying knew what Qi Fan was going to do tonight.
His Majesty has claimed illness and will temporarily suspend court proceedings. Tonight, he will summon several trusted ministers to discuss some urgent state affairs.
As for Jiang Lang, as a minor Hanlin official, he was not qualified to stand here, but the emperor was concerned about the compilation of the national history, so he was also summoned.
The Emperor lay in bed, giving instructions to his entourage through a bright yellow screen embroidered with dragon patterns.
It will mention the plans for attacking Xiyan.
The battle my father lost to Xiyan was extremely fierce, and it has become a thorn in the side of the current emperor.
Now that the Emperor has been recuperating for so many years, and is ill again, it is even more urgent for him to defeat Xiyan and reclaim the previously lost Yanmen Town.
"The Duke of Zhenguo, Fu Jin, is hereby appointed as the Grand General to lead the Northern Expedition against Xiyan, with the deputy generals as follows..."
Jiang Lang knelt in the hall, prostrating himself on the carpet, yet he kept everything firmly in his heart.
The Xiyan people had already corresponded with him, and that Jiang Zheng and his son had died outside Luojing City. His biggest worry was gone, but the information he had provided recently did not satisfy the Xiyan people.
This time, things should be even.
...
The next day, when Jiang Zhuoying woke up, the first thing she did was turn to her side and touch herself.
The soft quilt was still warm, but there was no hard, hot body there.
She propped herself up again, leaned out to look outside, and judging from the brightness inside the room, it should already be quite bright.
Has he not returned yet?
By that calculation, that fellow hasn't had a good night's sleep for two nights.
With a creaking sound, Jiang Zhuoying looked up and saw the door being pushed open from the outside. A man dressed in a black robe and wearing a jade crown strode in.
At the same time, countless white snowflakes drifted into the room along with him.
"It's snowing?" A slightly hoarse but light-hearted voice came from the direction of the bedroom.
Upon hearing this, the aloof and imposing man slightly turned his head, his gaze falling upon the charming girl huddled under the covers at the far end, and his cold expression softened slightly.
Qi Fan casually took off his cloak and handed it to Chu Yixin, who was waiting nearby, and instructed, "Go and get breakfast."
Xiangxing and Xiangyue quickly withdrew.
The two women were originally guarding inside the house, but Jiang Zhuoying hadn't made a sound since she woke up, so they didn't have time to go and serve her.
Jiang Zhuoying nestled in the warm, comfortable bedding, watching the man's figure grow taller and closer in her sight.
Even though his skin wasn't fair, the dark circles under his eyes were already quite noticeable.
Jiang Zhuoying watched as he took off his outer garment and walked towards the incense burner.
Although the room was quiet, it was filled with warmth.
Jiang Zhuoying hugged her knees, watching his every move, feeling completely at ease.
"Your Highness, why don't you go to the bathing room first?" she suggested kindly in a soft voice.
I haven't rested for two days, so I'll definitely need to take a nap later. I might as well go take a shower first, and then I can rest after having breakfast when I get back.
Qi Fan glanced at her but didn't say anything, clearly not taking her opinion seriously.
Jiang Zhuoying wasn't angry. She rested her chin on her right hand and continued, "Actually, Crown Prince, you don't need to go to so much trouble."
The man raised his slightly lowered eyebrows and looked directly at her, signaling her to continue.
The bright-eyed, white-toothed girl tilted her head and said, "Although the Crown Prince is cold right now, he will warm up quickly once he takes off this undergarment."
"It's much faster than this incense burner."
There was a hint of a smile in her eyes. She had slept well last night and now had plenty of energy to tease him.
Upon hearing this, the man slowly withdrew his hand, feeling that the temperature on his body was no longer icy, and walked towards her.
"I'll trouble the Crown Princess to do it."
Jiang Zhuoying's brow twitched.
Qi Fan was already standing in front of her, close enough that she could only see his figure and smell his unique incense.
Let's get started!
It's not like I haven't seen it before...
Thinking this, Jiang Zhuoying slowly stretched her hands out from under the covers, appearing calm and composed, provided one ignored her slightly trembling fingertips.
Having been married to Qi Fan for so many years, she had seen many things, but never anything like this... in broad daylight with her eyes wide open, let alone having to take the initiative herself...
His snow-white satin undergarment felt smooth and soft to the touch, and it wrapped his body very well.
Jiang Zhuoying's trembling fingertips pulled open the ties on her side, and the smooth, white satin instantly cascaded down to the sides, revealing her muscular chest and abdomen.
I looked up to glance at someone, but I met his mischievous gaze.
Except when she is deliberately feigning weakness, she is the least likely to admit defeat.
With a determined heart, Jiang Zhuoying placed her palm directly on it. The temperature under the palm was indeed higher than that of her hand, and the distinct muscle lines were clearly visible.
The moment she touched it, it was soft yet supple, firm yet resilient. Curious, Jiang Zhuoying pressed down, and the muscles beneath her palm instantly tensed and stiffened...
"Is the Crown Princess... abusing her power for personal gain?"
Jiang Zhuoying's ears turned bright red instantly, and she steadied her hands, no longer daring to move.
What nonsense is this guy spouting?
But then she thought about it again, and realized that she had only asked the other person to do it.
But this kind of action is not the same as that kind of action...
Hesitantly trying to pull his hand back, he was grabbed by the wrist.
"It's alright, I allow you to use your power for personal gain."
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
Who exactly is plotting this?
*
After she finished washing up, Xiangyue and Xiangxing were serving her breakfast.
Hearing the "splashing" sound of water coming from the bathhouse, Jiang Zhuoying belatedly realized why that guy had been so reluctant to go to the bathhouse.
Xiangyue served her a bowl of red date and longan porridge: "Miss, the breakfast here is not as complete as it is at your residence. Please make do with this for now."
Jiang Zhuoying glanced at the table. Xiangyue was right. Besides this bowl of porridge, there was only a plate of steamed sesame cake and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.
Before she could say anything, Xiangxing thoughtfully explained to her, "The palace has limited manpower, so His Highness has instructed that your food, clothing, and daily necessities must be handled by our own people."
Jiang Zhuoying nodded knowingly.
She knew the cause of Consort Wan's death and understood why Qi Fan was so cautious.
Seeing that she was in good spirits, Xiangyue smiled and said, "It's snowed heavily outside, would you like to go for a walk later, Miss?"
Jiang Zhuoying's eyes lit up immediately. She had almost forgotten about it, but after Xiangyue mentioned it, she nodded repeatedly.
So when Qi Fan came out of the bathhouse, he saw a snow-white, round, fluffy ball.
The fluffy little ball of fur had its back to him, while the three of them—master and servant—were still tugging and pulling at each other in front of the dressing table.
"Miss, quickly put this cloak on."
"No, no, if I wear this cloak, how can I stretch out my hands? How am I supposed to play in the snow?"
"You want to build a snowman? Then I'll build one for you."
"Listen to what you're saying! You're supposed to be piling things up for me, but why don't you go out for me? Why don't you play for me?"
...
The man quickly picked out a few keywords from the list: "playing in the snow" and "building a snowman".
He stepped forward and grabbed the dumpling: "Take it off."
The three of them, master and servants, stood frozen in place. Jiang Zhuoying was the first to react, her eyes wide with disbelief.
The man's eyes were moist and deep. Xiangyue and Xiangxing exchanged a glance and both saw something amiss in each other's eyes. They quickly excused themselves and left.
Jiang Zhuoying: "..."
"What...did you say?" she murmured.
The stalemate ended, and the man didn't say it a second time; instead, he took action directly.
The once round, fluffy ball gradually deflated and eventually turned into a slender girl.
Jiang Zhuoying did not stop him until she was lifted up by the waist and gently placed on the couch.
She blinked, staring at the man who exuded displeasure: "What does Your Highness wish to do?"
"Take a rest."
Jiang Zhuoying: "?"
But she has already rested, and now is the time for her to go out and have some activities.
Qi Fan leaned down and captured her lips in his mouth, his voice muffled: "Stay with me."
Jiang Zhuoying was forced to stay up with Qi Fan for another nap, which lasted until the afternoon.
Neither of them had lunch, and the servants prepared some glutinous rice and red date cakes and lotus seed soup, which were warm and sweet.
Having slept for a whole night and half a day today, Jiang Zhuoying's eyelids were slightly swollen. Even when she was woken up, she felt like she was still asleep and wanted to lean back even when sitting.
Now it slumped weakly against the sac.
She squinted slightly as the maids came and busied themselves for a while. When they left, a small table appeared in her sight, with plenty of food on it.
"Why is it always these?" the girl muttered softly, with a hint of childish dissatisfaction.
The man sitting in front of her turned his head slightly and said in a light voice, "You should eat something light as soon as you get up."
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, pursed her lips, and didn't say anything else.
But after a moment of silence, she still felt uncomfortable. She bent her leg and poked someone's lower back with her kneecap: "What do you mean by bland or not bland? It's all your fault."
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