Chapter 55 The Crown Prince's Arrogance Due to Favor
Yun Kui felt that something was very wrong.
When he mentioned "well water," she was already deeply suspicious, and now that he mentioned "mnemonic rhyme," she was even more doubtful.
How could he know that she had been silently reciting an incantation in her mind the whole time!
Before she could even ask for clarification, the man had already gently kissed her ear.
She shivered and curled her shoulders, trying to push him away. "Your Highness, do you know what I'm thinking?"
The crown prince's face darkened: "Is it so hard to guess what you're thinking?"
Yun Kui began to doubt herself again.
After all, mind reading is a mysterious and mysterious art, and it has only appeared in some strange tales she has read. If she hadn't encountered it repeatedly just now, she would never have thought of it in this way.
If he really had the ability to read minds, wouldn't he have heard all the impolite and offensive things she had done to him in her mind?
From the first moment she saw the Crown Prince, she began to fantasize about his body. When they slept together, her mind was almost entirely focused on his pectoral muscles. Needless to say, when they bathed together, she imagined she could devour him from head to toe, leaving not even bones behind...
She knew her own worth. If her thoughts were put into action, the Crown Prince wouldn't be the Crown Prince, but rather she—the most favored Consort Xiao of the Great Zhao Empress Sunflower Emperor! Why not make him Empress? Because she feared he would become arrogant and presumptuous…
Crown Prince: "..."
This was the first time he had ever heard that phrase.
Not only did she often refer to herself as "I" in her heart, but she also feared that he would become arrogant because of her favor, so she only granted him the title of "Consort".
Okay, very good.
He suppressed his anger, but his knuckles couldn't control their strength, and he pinched the soft snowball hard. Yun Kui immediately bit her lower lip.
"Your Highness?!"
The crown prince reminded her in a deep voice, "Concentrate."
The man's warm breath brushed against her ear, and Yun Kui felt a chill run down her spine.
She calmed herself down and tried to think positively, deceiving herself into believing that there was no such thing as mind reading. Otherwise, the Crown Prince would have dragged her out and beaten to death on the very night he recovered from his serious injuries, instead of keeping her alive until now.
It's either that His Highness the Crown Prince is too clever, or that she accidentally let something slip while she was infatuated, and he overheard it!
Yes, that must be it.
But she was still unsure, so she asked tentatively, "Your Highness, how did you know about the few incantations I had memorized?"
The Crown Prince suddenly changed his mind and wanted to hear just how audacious she could be, and how much of the flattery and praise she gave him was genuine.
He changed his tune, saying, "What books did you buy on the Lantern Festival? Do you really think I don't know?"
Yun Kui's face flushed instantly, and she subconsciously denied it: "That was a gift from the shopkeeper because he saw that I bought a lot... Maybe he took the wrong one! Yes, he must have taken the wrong one."
The Crown Prince sneered: "I may pretend to be deaf and dumb, but I am not completely ignorant of how many times you have looked through it these past few days and how you have studied it."
Yun Kui was increasingly confused. Could it be that she had been reading it aloud when she was watching it? No way!
Before she could think any further, the man pulled her close again, beginning a new round of passionate lovemaking.
Yun Kui was forced from her side to her prone position by him, and was pushed towards the head of the bed by the big waves. He then grabbed her legs and dragged her back hard. Under the violent impact, her pupils almost lost focus, and she completely lost the ability to think. She no longer cared about her inner thoughts.
No amount of "store's prized possessions" or "secret recipes" are enough anymore.
Just when she was exhausted and thought she could finally rest, the man came back and lifted her legs.
Yun Kui was completely exhausted. She swayed back and forth with his violent movements, unable to string together a complete sentence. Even her cries had changed tone, and her eyes were filled with tears as she pleaded for mercy.
But it was no use. He only said one thing: "Try a few more times. You said it yourself."
She even felt that he not only wanted her, but was especially ruthless, like a punishment filled with anger, as if he wanted to devour her whole, skin and bones, before he would stop.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince had to attend court at dawn and couldn't be delayed, so he patted her soft, fleshy belly before reluctantly letting her go.
Yun Kui finally escaped a disaster and lay on the bed, sobbing.
He took her casual remark to heart and put it into practice tirelessly, ultimately causing her to suffer the consequences.
She bit her lip tightly and secretly vowed in her heart that from now on she would be careful with her words and never speak recklessly in front of others again!
...
The Empress, confined to Kunning Palace, finally received news today that the Marquis of Ningde had his property confiscated and was beheaded, and that the entire Xie clan had been exiled.
After much pleading, Emperor Chunming finally came to Kunning Palace to see her.
Despite being married for many years, his face showed an unprecedented indifference. "The imperial decree has been issued, and there is no going back."
The Empress knelt before him, pleading, "Huaichuan's crimes are unforgivable, and he truly deserves to die. I only beg Your Majesty to consider our marital bond and spare my brother's life. He was unaware of the situation! He has devoted himself to the affairs of state for many years and has been utterly loyal to Your Majesty. If my brother dies, how will I maintain my position in the harem? The second and sixth princes have no maternal clan to support them and are completely isolated. Wouldn't this just be a waste of the Crown Prince's favor? Your Majesty, please don't fall into the Crown Prince's trap!"
The emperor's dignity cannot be trampled on, especially in the heart of this acting emperor, whose reputation is of paramount importance and cannot tolerate any criticism or questioning. Xie Huaichuan openly trampled on the emperor's dignity, how could Emperor Chunming let him off!
The Empress didn't even dare to mention the Ninth Prince; she only dared to plead for the Marquis of Ningde.
However, Emperor Chunming's face darkened further. "When I took Lady Yu into the palace, no one told me that the two of them were childhood sweethearts and deeply in love! Do you really think that Marquis Ningde was unaware? Lady Meng confessed everything. Even when Xie Huaichuan was drunk, he kept calling out Lady Yu's name. Marquis Ningde was right there, yet he still made Lady Meng keep quiet! This is my good minister, what a loyal Marquis Ningde!"
The Empress hadn't expected that the Marquis of Ningde actually knew the truth, but she couldn't disregard her brother or her family. She could only kneel and plead, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. My brother was only preventing the Meng family from spreading the news because he wanted to protect the royal family's reputation. The Crown Prince must have orchestrated this on New Year's Eve. They even burned aphrodisiacs in that side hall. Your Majesty knows this is a scheme by the Crown Prince to sow discord! He wants to eliminate all of Your Majesty's trusted confidants and ruin Your Majesty's lifelong reputation..."
Emperor Chunming roared, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks! If they were innocent, how could I have caught them in bed together? And the Ninth Prince! I doted on him for five whole years! They kept me in the dark for five whole years! If the scandal hadn't been exposed, wouldn't I have had to raise someone else's son for the rest of my life!"
The Empress collapsed to her knees, utterly exhausted, "Your Majesty..."
Having shared a bed for over twenty years, the Empress knew best what kind of cold and ruthless heart lay hidden beneath the warm and kind face of the man beside her!
But she also knew in her heart that the culprit who had led to the execution and exile of the Xie family was the Crown Prince! As long as the Crown Prince was not eliminated, everything she, Prince Chen, and Emperor Chunming had sought would be nothing but a mirage.
...
Yun Kui slept until noon, and finally slowly opened her eyes. But as soon as she moved her lower limbs, her whole body ached as if it were falling apart.
Lanxiu came in to help her wash up. When she saw her disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and the spots and marks all over her snow-white shoulders and neck, and recalled the soft moans in the palace last night, she couldn't help but blush.
A woman who received the Crown Prince's favor for a night and dared to sleep on his bed until noon is truly a first in history.
Lanxiu put down the tray in her hand. "His Highness left some ointment. May I apply some for you, Miss?"
Yun Kui thought it was to apply to the red marks on her body, so she agreed without thinking. Unexpectedly, Lan Xiu lifted her skirt directly, which startled her and made her shrink back. This pulling caused a dense, painful sensation.
She had never been served by anyone, and it was truly embarrassing to show that area to others, so she hesitated and said, "I'll do it myself."
Lanxiu had no choice but to put the ointment down.
Yun Kui used her fingertip to scoop out some, looking down so she couldn't see the spot clearly, but she could feel that the redness and swelling was slightly hot. After applying the cooling ointment, the burning pain subsided a bit.
It's hard to imagine what kind of situation this place had gone through. She herself was curious, looking at the small, thin place, how it could withstand his yang blade penetrating so deeply.
She remembered that he seemed to have used something last night, and it was indeed much smoother than on New Year's Eve.
At first, she experienced unprecedented joy, but later, for some reason, she asked him a few questions about her innermost thoughts, which seemed to displease him again. In short, this man is unpredictable and started to bully her endlessly again...
As she recalled this, the warm spot where she had just applied the ointment felt like it was overflowing with a secret fluid. Her face flushed, and she quickly wiped it clean with a handkerchief.
After receiving the medicine and drinking some porridge, Yun Kui regained some strength and clarity, and began to ponder whether he truly possessed the rumored mind-reading ability.
If not, how could it be such a coincidence that I could accurately see into her inner thoughts every time?
After thinking it over, she decided to wait for him to come back and test him a few more times.
As evening fell, footsteps sounded outside the palace. Yun Kui was eager to find out what was going on, but when the tall and imposing figure of the man came into view, her two legs began to tremble slightly.
The crown prince looked over calmly. "Did you apply the medicine?"
Yun Kui swallowed hard: "I wiped it off."
Voice activated!
"Ridiculous! I move freely, I can run and jump, what can a mere tree do to me? Do I need to apply medicine? Your Highness, you underestimate me!"
The Crown Prince, recalling her limp and weak state last night, scoffed inwardly and said, "Alright, let's eat."
Yun Kui: "..."
At the dining table, Yun Kui ladled a bowl of mica soup and handed it to him, saying, "Your Highness, please have some soup to soothe your throat. Eunuch Cao said that this mica soup is beneficial for Your Highness's headache."
"There's an aphrodisiac in the soup, so drink it!"
She watched as the Crown Prince took a sip with a blank expression.
No way, you're drinking this?!
Is there really no such thing as mind reading?
Just in case, Yun Kui hesitated for a moment, then boldly thought to herself, "I think your service is mediocre, Consort Xiao. Shouldn't you reflect on that? The guards outside are all better than you..."
Before the thought could be uttered, a sharp "thud" shattered the tranquility of the hall.
The prince set down the soup bowl with a light touch, a dark and unfathomable look flashing in his eyes, and stared at her, saying, "If you don't want to eat, we can continue cooking."
Yun Kui: "..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
