Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Indeed, there's something special about it.
The fear she felt in bed last night far outweighed her doubts about the Crown Prince's ability to read minds.
Yun Kui dared not test the waters again, and picked up her rice bowl to eat in silence.
"Why does it feel like he can read minds, yet he can't?"
"I uttered so many treasonous words in my heart, and he just let it go so easily? He even tolerated calling her Consort Xiao?"
"Where exactly did things go wrong...?"
She muttered something random to herself, when suddenly she met the Crown Prince's cool gaze. Her legs went weak, and she begged for mercy, tears welling up in her eyes: "Spare me, Your Highness..."
Compared to that incredible mind-reading ability, my own life is more important.
If he continued to torment her so recklessly for another night, she might really lose her life.
Yun Kui's small face was wrinkled, and her hoarse voice had a slight nasal tone: "Your Highness, please allow me some time. May I return to the side hall to rest tonight?"
His Highness the Crown Prince was ruthless: "No."
Yun Kui had no choice but to settle for second best: "Then I will sleep in the warm pavilion. If Your Highness has any orders, I will be there at your beck and call."
After a moment of contemplation, the Crown Prince suddenly said, "Accompany me out of the palace tonight."
Yun Kui's eyes lit up instantly. Could she leave the palace again?
But when she thinks back to the Lantern Festival, she not only witnessed the collapse of the Qiandumen Lighthouse, but also encountered a thrilling assassination attempt. It was the first time in her life that she had to flee in such a sorry state amidst the clash of swords. She still feels lingering fear.
The Crown Prince glanced at her and said, "Don't worry, you'll be safe with me by your side."
Yun Kui: "..."
She hasn't said anything yet!
Is this mind reading again?
Or perhaps the Crown Prince simply noticed her unusual expression and guessed that she was recalling the accident she had encountered last time she left the palace?
She returned to the warm pavilion full of suspicion, changed into an apricot-pink jacket and skirt that would be more convenient to wear when leaving the palace, and boarded the carriage at the Donghua Gate.
My lower body was still very sore, and it was difficult to even sit on a thick, soft cushion.
Especially as the carriage swayed and rocked along, all the beautiful memories from the Lantern Festival night flooded back.
She fiddled with it for him the whole way, and in the end, her face was covered in dirt from the thing...
Yun Kui subconsciously licked her lips.
That thing was fat and ugly. She could only eat a little bit even when her mouth was almost open to its maximum. She held it in her mouth so shallowly that her jaw almost dislocated. She couldn't imagine how the women in the Fire Avoidance Picture managed to eat it.
Like a long candied hawthorn, it doesn't taste bad, but swallowing the whole thing... Yun Kui really can't imagine how difficult that would be.
The prince kept his eyes closed, but the veins on his forehead, hidden in the shadows, throbbed. Hearing her fantasizing about how to make a move on him again, he felt a burning heat rising in his lower body.
He now regrets bringing her out of the palace; he really doesn't know who is suffering.
The prince lifted the carriage curtain. It was truly a chilly spring day, and the cool night breeze blew in, slowly calming his restless thoughts.
Yun Kui felt a shiver when the cold wind blew on her head.
"If he can read minds, then all those bittersweet feelings I had just been feeling, even down to talking about using my mouth... wouldn't he have heard them all!"
Yun Kui immediately became uneasy and cautiously looked at his expression.
From her angle, she could only see his profile, his face grim as he looked out the window, his lips taut, his features sharp, exuding the imposing and aloof air of a superior.
As my gaze moved further down, the large, stiff black robe, hidden in the dim candlelight, made it impossible to discern anything unusual about the young prince.
Yun Kui then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was thinking about how to devour the little prince, and he didn't react at all! Mind-reading? He must be overthinking it!"
"Alright, it's always better to be careful with your words and actions, just in case. It's best not to overthink things in the future."
"If he hears me spouting nonsense in my mind someday, I'll probably be killed first and then killed!"
"Ahhh, stop thinking! Don't let your imagination run wild! Watch your words, watch your actions..."
The prince clenched his fists secretly. His reaction, which had finally subsided, suddenly became active again. However, she looked at him without any restraint, always trying to probe his lower body.
If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have revealed even a hint of my mind-reading ability to her last night, lest she keep testing me without any limits in her mind.
Those almond-shaped eyes blinked and then glanced over secretly.
He gritted his teeth, his anger rising. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, staring at her audacious little face, and said in a deep voice, "If you dare to look at me like that again, you'll have to clean up your own mess."
As Yun Kui sat on him, she almost immediately felt his burgeoning erection. Her legs trembled involuntarily, and she dared not move.
Thinking about it carefully, he said "dare to look at me inappropriately again" instead of "dare to think nonsense again." Could it be that he reacted simply because she was looking at him inappropriately?
That's way too sensitive!
Fortunately, we arrived at our destination shortly.
Yun Kui never expected that the Crown Prince would bring her to a decadent and dissolute place.
Entering through the hidden side door, one can faintly hear the noisy voices inside the building: people urging others to drink, singing songs, serving wine and dishes, and the magnificent and melodious sounds of string and wind instruments. One can easily imagine the wealth and prosperity beyond the wall.
She roughly knew what kind of place it was, because after she ran away from her uncle's house when she was a child, she was tricked into coming here by the madam of a brothel.
She hadn't eaten for three days when a beautifully dressed woman approached her, saying she felt sorry for her and could take her home. She said there were many delicious dishes at home, and she could have whatever she wanted to eat. She also said that she was beautiful and wanted to adopt her as her daughter.
She was probably delirious with hunger, and she actually thought the woman looked kind and gentle. She went back with her full of expectations, but later she realized something was wrong. She ran away from the brothel three times before she finally got out, and she almost had her leg broken in the process.
Looking back, those escape attempts were quite thrilling; if she hadn't escaped, her life would have been ruined.
The crown prince listened to her story in silence, feeling as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart, and a strange emotion welled up that he could not explain.
He clenched his fist tightly, then took the warm, soft little hand in his, his Adam's apple bobbing as he said, "Come with me."
Yun Kui's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden touch. The man's warm palm tightly enveloped her hand, and the tingling sensation spread from her fingertips all the way to her heart.
Following a narrow path that resembled a secret passage, she looked around and couldn't help but ask, "Why did Your Highness bring me here?"
The prince said, "You'll know when we get there."
Yun Kui thought to herself, what purpose could someone have in bringing a girl to a brothel?
"You can't exactly take me to see how other people have sex, can you?"
"I suppose courtesans are well-versed in this art. Is Your Highness criticizing my performance and bringing me here to learn from you?"
Crown Prince: "..."
The prince held her hand tightly, led her through the secret passage, and finally through a hidden door, where an elegant private room slowly came into view.
Cao Yuanlu and Qin Ge stood guard outside the door, leaving only her and the Crown Prince in the room. Yun Kui looked at the pine bed behind the screen, where the bedding was neatly folded. She couldn't help but wonder if His Highness had brought her here to sleep.
Is this because I've had enough of the beds in Chengguang Palace and now feel that the beds in brothels have a better atmosphere?
The crown prince sighed inwardly.
He turned a mechanism on the wall, and two tiny holes, each the size of an eyeball, slowly appeared. The sounds of laughter and conversation from next door, accompanied by clinking glasses, drifted through the holes to his ears.
The crown prince raised his hand to her: "Come here."
Yun Kui did as she was told, pressing herself against the wall and looking into the side room separated by the wall.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out there was indeed something special on the other side.
A dozen or so people sat at an ebony round table, each wearing a jade crown and brocade robe. On the table were jade plates of delicacies, and the air was thick with the smell of wine. The beauties on either side of them were all adorned with fragrant powder and were graceful and elegant. As they chatted and laughed, they addressed each other with titles such as "Minister" and "Sir".
Yun Kui looked at the Crown Prince with a puzzled expression.
The Crown Prince stared intently at the scene inside the room before slowly speaking: "The one presiding over the banquet is the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, the one on the left wearing a dark blue brocade robe is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the one on the right is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the one in purple robe is the Director of the Ministry of Personnel, and the one in ochre-red narrow sleeves is the Commander of the Eastern City Military Command..."
As he introduced them, Yun Kui quickly recognized them.
However, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the pair of large, dazzlingly round breasts of the beauty beside the Vice Minister of Personnel. Yun Kui was immediately dumbfounded and her mouth went dry.
"This is huge! It's much bigger than me!"
Crown Prince: "..."
Yun Kui stared intently, then her jaw dropped at the astonishing scene that followed.
The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture stuffed a ripe red cherry into the ditch. The cherry was instantly squeezed and burst with juice, and then the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel licked it clean, skin and all.
Yun Kui: "..."
Crown Prince: "..."
Then look at the beauty beside the Minister of Justice, her collarbone filled with glistening wine. She dances beside these officials, acting as their walking wine vessel. The officials don't seem to mind, drinking the wine that's been offered to them...
As for the commander of the Eastern City Garrison, Yun Kui didn't see him with women on either side, so she assumed he was a man of integrity who refused to compromise his principles. But the next moment, she saw a beautiful woman crawl out from under the table in front of him, her face dripping wet...
Yun Kui: "..."
"Your Highness brought me here to see all this because you think I'm not serving you well enough, and want me to learn some of the art of seduction from others?"
The crown prince shifted his gaze awkwardly and instructed, "Remember these people's faces. Go back tonight and see if you've found anything."
Yun Kui then realized that there must be many secrets or unknown thoughts among these officials, and His Highness had brought her here to recognize them.
This place is indeed well chosen; it truly broadens one's horizons.
The crown prince sat down on the couch and said coldly, "Remember my face and come back."
Yun Kui whispered, "There are so many people next door, I have face blindness, I haven't remembered them yet."
She watched it for a while longer with great interest.
"How could anyone twist their waist like that!"
She tried it herself, but couldn't bend it into that arc at all.
Moreover, although hers wasn't small, it was also extremely soft, so it probably wouldn't be able to juice the cherries...
After observing for a while, Yun Kui herself felt embarrassed to look any longer. After memorizing the facial features of those officials, she turned around and met the Crown Prince's deep, dark eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"There shouldn't be any mind-reading abilities, right?"
"Otherwise, wouldn't he have overheard all those filthy thoughts of hers?!"
Just as I was feeling uneasy, a soft knock came at the door. "This servant has come to bring Your Highness some tea and snacks."
The crown prince lowered his gaze. "Enter."
Cao Yuanlu pushed open the door and entered. Yun Kui saw that the mahogany tray in his hand was filled with a glass of cherries!
Seeing her staring intently at the cherries, Cao Yuanlu assumed she was craving them and quickly said with a smile, "These cherries are a tribute from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Your Highness and the young lady should try them."
The crown prince looked over with a deep gaze, and Yun Kui, recalling the scene next door, couldn't help but swallow hard.
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