Chapter 72 I love you, regardless of your status...
After the officials who had been discussing matters in Chongming Hall left one after another, Sheng Yu stayed behind and mentioned to the Crown Prince the people who had caused trouble on the Imperial Street the day before.
"This man spread rumors in the street, defaming Your Highness's reputation. Your Majesty, I took him to the Northern Garrison Command and interrogated him all night. He finally confessed that someone had approached him and said that if he said those things in the street, they would hire the best doctor to treat his young son's leg. However, he did not know who had secretly instigated this."
The Crown Prince coldly curled his lips: "Over the years, Emperor Chunming and the Empress have done no shortage of things to slander my reputation."
Sheng Yu said, "Your Highness was often away on campaigns and suffered from chronic illnesses, leaving you no time to take care of yourself. Now that I am serving in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I will not allow these slanderous rumors about Your Highness to spread and damage your reputation."
The Crown Prince said, "I apologize for making General Sheng laugh."
"However, I am quite curious. General Sheng was known for his elegant and refined demeanor. I can only imagine how he could inflict such severe tortures on people in that dark and damp prison."
Sheng Yu lowered his eyes and said, "Everyone has the heart of a parent. He was instigated by someone and just wanted to treat his young son's leg. By taking advantage of this weakness, he naturally confessed everything."
"A father's love for his child?" The Crown Prince smiled seemingly casually. "If General Sheng were a father, he would surely be a loving one."
Sheng Yu smiled helplessly, "It's just a pity that I have few family ties, and I'm afraid I'll be all alone for the rest of my life."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Yuanlu, who was standing to the side, chuckled to himself.
"You didn't expect this, did you? Not only are you getting another daughter, but you're also going to be the emperor's father-in-law!"
The crown prince gave him a cold look.
Cao Yuanlu, who was smiling, instinctively shivered when he was suddenly glared at.
The Crown Prince then withdrew his gaze and said, "General Sheng is in his prime; anything is possible. It is not advisable to draw conclusions prematurely."
Sheng Yu took it as him showing concern for his subordinates. After all, at his age, he was old enough to be a grandfather, and it was extremely rare for him not to be married and have children.
He shook his head: "Your Majesty, I have long been accustomed to this over the years, and now I only wish to serve Your Highness. Your Highness, on the other hand, is over twenty years old and should marry and have children as soon as possible to continue the royal bloodline."
The crown prince skillfully fiddled with the jade thumb ring on his thumb, pondering how to respond, when he heard Cao Yuanlu chuckle to himself.
"Once you find out about our daughter, you won't think that way anymore!"
Crown Prince: "..."
After having dinner, Yun Kui went to the clean room to bathe and wash herself clean. She hesitated whether to wait for him to come back before putting on her clothes or to put them on and wait for him. In the end, she couldn't resist her curiosity and secretly went back to the warm pavilion to put on the gold chain.
Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, she couldn't help but exclaim that she was simply a femme fatale who brought ruin to the country!
She looked absolutely stunning. The way she wore it was completely different from how a man would wear it. The draped tassels perfectly accentuated her full breasts and slender waist. After a winter, her skin had become snow-white and delicate. Even she herself couldn't take her eyes off her. No wonder His Highness always liked to kiss her.
She dared not wear the neck collar, for fear that the palace servants in the corridor would see it.
As for the necklace that belongs to the young prince, it has no use, so let's just leave it hanging for now.
Just thinking about how that thin chain had scraped against her back and forth there last time made her feel a warm current flowing out from below, and even her tailbone felt a tingling sensation.
The chain was on, but the prince was still nowhere to be seen. Yun Kui was getting impatient, as the scraping sensation on her skin was quite uncomfortable.
She got up and went to the corridor, asking De Shun to urge him, "Just tell him I've prepared a surprise for His Highness. If he doesn't come back soon, he won't get to see it."
De Shun was completely stunned. This girl has really become bold since she came back from outside the palace. His Highness is still dealing with official business, and she is already in a hurry to send someone to urge him. She even dares to threaten His Highness!
He looked embarrassed and could only say tactfully, "This servant will go and ask Master first."
Yun Kui: "Thank you for your trouble."
Cao Yuanlu stood under the corridor. When he saw Cao Yuanlu come to deliver a message, he immediately instructed his apprentice: "This is the future mistress. From now on, just do as she says if she gives any orders."
De Shun knew, of course, that Yun Kui was going to become a concubine, but she couldn't be too arrogant and presumptuous. Even if she were the Crown Princess, she wouldn't dare to speak to His Highness like that.
Cao Yuanlu patted his head and lowered his voice, "When our prince is outside, he always calls young ladies 'Madam,' understand?"
De Shun was immediately dumbfounded, and after regaining his senses, he nodded repeatedly: "I understand!"
Cao Yuanlu then turned and entered the hall with a smile.
Seeing that his prince was still sitting at his desk with a displeased expression, he cautiously stepped forward and said, "The young lady sent someone over to ask when you will return to your bedchamber."
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Cao Yuanlu gently persuaded him, "The young lady said she has prepared a surprise for you, won't you go back and see it?"
The crown prince twitched his lips.
surprise?
What kind of surprise could she prepare?
Cao Yuanlu said, "The young lady knows she has upset you. Today she made peach blossom pastries and prepared a surprise for you. Please calm down and go back to see her."
The Crown Prince: "Am I supposed to be summoned and dismissed at will by her?"
Cao Yuanlu: "..."
"Anyway, if you don't go back, you'll be the one who suffers."
Distracted, the Crown Prince flipped through the case files in his hand, and suddenly became agitated.
With a sullen face, he got up and returned to Chengguang Hall. After taking a bath and washing up, it was almost midnight.
There was no sound coming from inside, so the person must be asleep.
Is this the surprise we prepared for him?
Through the tent curtain, he glimpsed a small, indistinct mass within the brocade quilt. He gritted his teeth, recalling the heart-wrenching pain she had caused him the previous night. If she dared to tease or fob him off again today, he was determined to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget...
"Hurry up, hurry up, why aren't you coming in yet!"
"Oops, after holding back for so long, I still accidentally let my true feelings slip out..."
The crown prince chuckled, realizing that she was indeed pretending to be asleep.
He lifted the curtain with his fingertips, and before he could take a closer look, the brightly lit little girl suddenly threw off the covers and pounced on him.
He instinctively reached out and caught the person, holding them steadily in his arms.
Even knowing she was prepared for the night, the scene before him still delivered a tremendous visual shock, as well as the intense impact of skin touching skin—
She was only wearing this "armor".
Apart from that, everything is on full display.
The young girl had fair skin and a beautiful face, like snow-white blossoms. In the dim candlelight, she looked like the glow of dawn on a snow-covered mountain. The delicate gold chain resembled a continuous mountain range of snow. The intense red of the gemstone contrasted with the delicate and soft white. Every inch of her skin shimmered with a jade-like luster. Her full and soft skin warmly pressed against my palm, making my heart tremble.
The crown prince frowned slightly, his throat bobbing: "Why are you dressed like this?"
His expression remained almost normal, only his eyes were slightly darkened, and his hands supporting her body gripped her tightly.
Yun Kui blinked her dark, watery eyes at him: "Your Highness, don't you like it?"
Her slender, white arms encircled his neck, and her soft, crimson lips gently kissed his, her voice trembling: "Your Highness, kiss me."
The crown prince ignored her, freeing one hand to lift the brocade quilt and wrap her inside.
Yun Kui, unwilling to give up, reached out and hooked his fingers, "Your Highness, please don't be angry, hug me, I'm so cold..."
Crown Prince: "It's cold, why aren't you wearing clothes?"
Yun Kui pursed her lips. "I'm just reflecting on my actions because I displeased His Highness."
The Crown Prince stared intently at her: "Do you know why I am displeased?"
“I know,” Yun Kui said, “but… come in first before we talk.”
Crown Prince: "..."
He wanted to hear what kind of nonsense she could spout.
He lifted the covers and slipped inside. Her soft, supple body immediately wrapped around him like seaweed. The delicate chains detached bit by bit with each movement, revealing her fair, smooth skin, which resembled a flawless, delicate white glaze, so fine that no texture could be seen.
The prince averted his gaze from the jeweled gold piece and said coldly, "Speak."
"Jealousy, what else could it be?"
She's still cracking jokes to this day.
The prince clenched his back teeth.
Yun Kui hadn't expected that a shiver would reveal her true feelings, and she quickly tried to cover it up, saying, "It's my fault, I forced the vinegar into His Highness's mouth!"
She slipped into his arms, snuggled against him, and touched his hand with its prominent veins, carefully placing it on her lower back.
The man's Adam's apple tightened slightly. He coldly pushed away the slender, graceful woman and sneered through gritted teeth, "It's my own fault. What did you do wrong?"
Yun Kui rarely takes the initiative like this, but he remains unmoved.
She lay back down in frustration, remaining silent for a long time before murmuring, "You never believe me, thinking I'm heartless and don't care about you. But... I genuinely like being close to you. I get anxious and worried when you're injured. Knowing I can alleviate your headache, I'm both afraid that His Highness only favors me because of this, and also feel a hidden joy, feeling that I'm needed by His Highness, allowing me to stay closer to you with a clear conscience, and also making amends..."
Crown Prince: "Make up for what?"
Yun Kui pursed her lips gently, "To make up for my unworthy origins and my lowly status as a palace maid."
Suppressing his anger, the Crown Prince said in a deep voice, "Do you still think that I would look down on your background?"
Yun Kui shook her head. "I know Your Highness doesn't mind, but Your Highness is the Crown Prince. Even if you don't care, someone else will."
The Crown Prince said, "So what if I care? Do you expect me to be at their mercy?"
Yun Kui sighed softly, "But you stand too high. I have to look up to see your face. If Your Highness were just a minor official or a commoner, you could call me 'Madam' outside, and I could happily call you 'Husband.' No matter how good you are to me, I wouldn't feel uneasy..."
Undeniably, the Crown Prince's hardened heart was slightly touched when he heard that soft "husband".
“Besides, aren’t you also investigating who my biological father is?” her voice trailed off. “Is this… really that important?”
The Crown Prince glanced at her sideways. "I investigated him, never to determine your rank based on his status."
Yun Kui was slightly taken aback. "Why is that?"
The crown prince did not speak directly, but instead asked, "Have you ever thought about what kind of person your father might be?"
Yun Kui's eyes darkened little by little. She shook her head and whispered, "I don't know. Some say he was a wealthy merchant passing through, some say he was a bandit, a deserter. In short, he wasn't a good person..."
The Crown Prince said, "What if neither of those is true? Perhaps it was due to the difficult times that he was forced to separate from your mother, or perhaps it was just a coincidence that he didn't even know you existed. Would you still be willing to acknowledge such a person?"
Yun Kui was somewhat flustered and didn't know how to answer.
In the past, no matter who her father was, she would have just pretended that he never existed. But now, she had no choice. Being in the Eastern Palace, she had to have a definite origin.
She tensed up, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Highness has found a clue?"
The prince squeezed her palm and found it was cold and sweaty. "Don't be afraid. Maybe he's not as bad as you think."
Yun Kui felt her heart pounding like a drum, and unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand.
The Crown Prince said, "If you are willing, I will arrange for you to recognize each other."
Yun Kui silently pursed her lips.
"It's fine if you don't want to."
He paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and said, "Whether he is a high-ranking official or a bandit, it doesn't matter. You just need to remember that I love you, regardless of your status. No one in the world dares to influence my decisions or who I choose to spend my life with."
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