Chapter 30 "Which is sweeter, the dessert or me?"...
Yun Kui was somewhat surprised that he suddenly mentioned the Sixth Prince. Could it be that the Sixth Prince had been secretly watching her in the palace and he had discovered it?
So, does he want me to say yes, or no?
Yun Kui blinked: "Does Your Highness wish to keep this servant here?"
The Crown Prince said coldly, "I am asking you a question, and instead of answering it directly, you are asking me a question in return. This is disrespectful."
"Haha, disrespectful."
When the crown prince heard her laughing for no reason, his face darkened.
"Was I respectful when I touched your pectoral muscles? Was I respectful when I pinned you down on the couch? Was I respectful when I forcefully kissed you? Hahahaha..."
The crown prince stared intently at her.
As Yun Kui pondered this, the smile in her heart abruptly stopped.
"Does His Highness the Crown Prince dislike me and want to get rid of me?"
"That won't do! If the Empress finds out I've failed in my duties and am now trying to harm her son, she'll definitely kill me!"
"Forget it, I'd better stick close to His Highness the Crown Prince for now..."
Crown Prince: "..."
So it turns out he made this desperate move, choosing the lesser of two evils. He kept claiming to be loyal, but in reality he was a treacherous ingrate.
The crown prince turned and left with a cold face.
Seeing his grim expression, Yun Kui quickly followed him, saying, "Oh, this servant only wishes to follow Your Highness!"
The crown prince never looked at her again from beginning to end.
Back at Chengguang Palace, Yun Kui watched helplessly as the two were dragged into the torture chamber for interrogation. Since the Crown Prince gave no further instructions, she could only wait outside the torture chamber.
Inside, no one knew what kind of torture was used, only continuous, heart-wrenching screams could be heard, as if they were experiencing the limits of human suffering, or perhaps they no longer sounded like human voices, but rather like trapped beasts caught in the jaws of tigers, their flesh being torn apart and gnawed away inch by inch.
Although she hadn't experienced it herself, she shivered from the piercing and eerie sounds. It was already dark, and the wind blowing under the eaves made her spine feel cold.
Is it cruel? Yes, it is.
Regardless of whether Chief Steward Deng intended to frame Eunuch Cao or, as he claimed, harmed others out of personal vengeance, he was wrong because countless palace servants from Qingfeng Division and Qianyuan Terrace were implicated and lost their lives.
She clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
Don't be afraid.
She hadn't done anything wrong.
How much time had passed inside was unknown; the screams of people could no longer be heard. When the prince emerged, his tall figure was hidden in the interplay of light and shadow under the corridor, his expression unreadable, only the thick stench of blood still lingering on his body.
Yun Kui stood obediently to the side. The Crown Prince glanced at her, his eyes deep, but he said nothing.
Back in the palace, Cao Yuanlu first served him a bath. After the bath, Deshun came to report that dinner was ready.
The Crown Prince had little appetite and remained silent for a moment before saying, "I will go over there later."
As usual, Yun Kui tasted the dishes first.
She ate lunch at Granny Yan's place. To maintain her composure, she deliberately didn't eat much. She was already hungry, but after experiencing this in the afternoon and smelling the blood outside the torture chamber for a long time, she felt nauseous at the sight of meat.
I tried some vegetarian dishes, but I didn't touch any meat dishes at all, since His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't like meat anyway.
As expected, whether due to a poor appetite or a relapse of his headache, the Crown Prince only ate some simple soup.
When it was time to serve him in bed at night, Yun Kui would secretly glance at the indifferent and aloof face of the person beside her, and she knew to behave herself and not provoke him.
But in the middle of the night, the feeling of hunger in her empty stomach suddenly swept over her, and she touched her stomach and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
"Ugh, I'm so hungry."
"Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince is quite handsome. From this angle, his profile is simply perfect, like a finely sculpted face. His eyelashes are so long, and his nose is so high—how can he be so blessed with such long and beautiful features!"
"Little Sunflower, Your Highness, this is so delicious, where do you plan to begin your meal?"
"Should we eat the nose, eyes, or mouth first? How about we take a bite of the cheek first, *smack smack smack*!"
Crown Prince: "..."
He was really annoyed.
He summoned her to his bedchamber to relieve his headaches, but she seemed to have some kind of problem every night. She would either eat too much, be too hungry, need to relieve herself, have some dreams that she had to express her opinions and feelings about, or lust after his good looks... In short, she never had a peaceful night.
As Yun Kui watched, she noticed that the two pursed lips moved slightly, which startled her so much that she trembled violently.
"Are you still sleeping? If not, get out of here."
Yun Kui was so surprised she couldn't speak. "How did Your Highness know I wasn't asleep?"
She must have some kind of supernatural ability! She can guarantee that she didn't make the slightest noise, and even her breathing was very quiet.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
Yun Kui: "..."
"Why did you have to make that noise now, you damn belly!"
The prince pressed his temple.
Yun Kui gave an awkward smile: "Your Highness, I don't eat much at night, and I'm a little hungry and can't sleep right now."
"I miss my milk and water chestnut cake so much! It's so white, tender, sweet, and soft. Those who don't know what it is are missing out!"
The prince's temple twitched, and he said in a hoarse voice, "If you're hungry, go eat."
Yun Kui pursed her lips and said, "The plate of milk and water chestnut cake is still here, but it was made for Your Highness by this servant. How can I enjoy it all by myself?"
The Crown Prince ignored her, so Yun Kui snuggled closer to him. "Your Highness only ate half a bowl of soup tonight, you must be hungry by now, right? I'll bring you that plate of snacks, Your Highness, would you like to try some?"
The Crown Prince said, "I'm not hungry, you can eat by yourself."
Yun Kui said dejectedly, "If Your Highness won't eat, then this servant won't eat either. This servant has gained weight recently."
"Watching the alluring prince fall asleep, I don't seem so hungry anymore."
The crown prince sighed deeply: "...Go and bring it here."
Upon receiving the order, Yun Kui immediately stood up with a smile: "This servant will go right away!"
She quickly changed her clothes, went back inside to take the plate of pastries to the kitchen to reheat them, and then rushed back.
The Crown Prince had already gotten up and sat on the couch. Yun Kui placed the bowls and plates on the kang table, lifted the bowl covers, and the fragrant and soft pastries were still steaming. She pushed them in front of the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, please try some."
The prince looked at her suspiciously, but finally picked up a piece and slowly took a bite. Sure enough, the texture was soft and the sweet rice aroma was mixed with the rich milk aroma. Every bite contained the crisp and sweet water chestnut.
However, the craftsmanship and appearance were rather simple. The prince calmly ate the whole piece and gave a simple evaluation: "It's acceptable."
Yun Kui was secretly delighted to receive the affirmation.
"I still really like sweets."
The crown prince snorted coldly and stopped using it.
In the past, a maid who would try to guess her master's thoughts would have been punished with a beating.
The crown prince glanced at her. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"How about I don't eat?" Yun Kui licked her lips, her eyes filled with resentment. "I eat Your Highness's food every day, and I've gotten quite round. Doesn't Your Highness think I'm fat?"
One sentence drew the prince's attention back to her slightly open bodice, where her soft, fragrant body exuded a delicate sweetness, and the vivid sensation of that night seemed to linger on his fingertips.
He recalled a time when he was young, in the snowy northwest, he impulsively made a snowball the size of his palm.
I'm reminded of this soft and tender milk and water chestnut cake.
The Crown Prince lowered his dark eyes without showing any emotion. "Since you already know I'm fat, why are you asking me?"
Yun Kui rested her chin on her forearm, her dark eyes gazing at him: "Then, Your Highness, would you prefer me a little plumper or a little thinner?"
The Crown Prince said calmly, "I prefer you to be quiet."
Yun Kui smiled and said, "Then this servant will eat one piece! Otherwise, I'll be too hungry to sleep and will disturb Your Highness's ears."
After the two had eaten some snacks and rinsed their mouths, Yun Kui contentedly went to bed.
The area around me finally quieted down.
The prince closed his eyes and dreamed of a scene from when he was thirteen years old, in the snow in the Northwest Camp.
The harsh, cold frontier region was ravaged by snow and wind. He had never seen such heavy snow in the capital. Overnight, the snow was more than a foot thick.
Outside the general's tent, someone had built three snowmen. From a distance, they looked like a family of three, probably representing soldiers who had been away on campaign for a long time and missed their wives and children.
He was born orphaned and never experienced a day of family happiness. He had no childhood and never built a snowman.
That day, he probably just had a sudden whim, so he bent down and scooped up a handful of snow, rolled it into a snowball the size of his palm, and thought he would try to build a snowman. But when he saw soldiers walking around outside the camp, he put it down without making a sound, went back to his tent and continued reading military books, and never played in the snow again after that.
The scene shifts, and the maid presents him with a plate of delicate white pastries. "This servant made milk and water chestnut cake by hand. Your Highness, please try some!"
He tried two pieces, and they were indeed fragrant, soft, and sweet.
"Your Highness," the filthy maid asked him with a smile, "which is sweeter, the dessert or me?"
He didn't answer, but somehow she pulled him onto the bed, her hand being guided to the soft, white area below his collarbone. She winked at him shyly, "Your Highness, don't you always doubt my loyalty? My heart is right here. Your Highness, feel it and see if there's anyone else in my heart."
The moment his palm touched that warm, soft flesh, the prince almost shuddered and immediately woke up from his dream.
He actually started having these ridiculous dreams too!
The prince rubbed his temples, then suddenly realized something was wrong and subconsciously looked at the little girl beside him who had her back to him and was gently shrugging her shoulders.
At the same time, she heard the cry from the bottom of her heart.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!"
"Hold on, hold on, hold on, little sunflower! Just pretend nothing happened, pretend you didn't see anything! Calm down, calm down..."
"If I pretend I don't know, he'll be the one who's embarrassed."
Crown Prince: "..."
She did indeed appear in his dream.
But he couldn't tell whether it was just his own daytime thoughts manifesting in his dreams, or whether the girl's influence on him was so profound that even in his dreams she was teasing him...
His fingertips seemed to still retain the warmth of his dream. His soft, delicate skin arched against his rough, calloused hands. This caused a huge ripple effect, and he even vaguely sensed that a certain part of his body was no longer under his control.
The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Sure enough, this girl couldn't keep a secret. The way she looked at him when she woke up this morning had a strange meaning to it.
"Does Your Highness have the morning court session today?"
The crown prince looked away. "No need."
Emperor Chunming originally intended to demonstrate his diligence in governing by holding court every three days, but unfortunately, he often lingered in the inner palace and lacked the energy, so he shelved this idea.
Yun Kui leaned closer and said with a smile, "I learned how to do hair from Granny Yan yesterday. Your Highness, would you allow me to try it today?"
She was so close that her warm breath fell on his neck, and she had an expression that seemed to be watching a show.
The prince gave her a cold look, but when he turned his shoulder, it bumped into the fullness beneath her slender neck, followed by a soft gasp.
Today she is wearing a red dress with a pomegranate pattern on a red background. The continuous vines tightly entwine the abundant and plentiful fruit, which is a common pattern in the imperial harem and symbolizes many children and many blessings.
But the thin little garment could not cover her round, snowy breasts at all. The pomegranate branches were graceful, and the pomegranate flowers were delicate and charming. The prince's eyes darkened, and his breathing became heavy.
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