Chapter 96 IF Line (7): Just Treat it as raising a free gigolo
The prince called for water and sent people in to clean up.
Cuihuan and Dongyue were both well-trained maids. They entered to serve with their heads bowed and eyes lowered. In front of their master, they would never show any surprise on their faces. All the turmoil in their hearts was hidden, but they could not hide it from His Highness the Crown Prince, who could read minds.
"Was this... a bite?"
"Hiss, there's even His Highness's fingerprint on my waist..."
"That must have happened at least three times just now. How could the Crown Princess, with her delicate and frail body, possibly withstand it?"
"Your Highness has been holding back for too long..."
The crown prince's face darkened, but he couldn't reprimand them, since they were only complaining in their hearts and it wasn't disrespectful.
He intended to simply wash up and change into his nightgown, but then, as if possessed, he remembered Qin Ge's earlier report that "Miss Sheng complains of excessive sweating and an unpleasant odor." He subconsciously sniffed the room; although there was no odor, he had indeed sweated just now. He decided to let them serve him while he went to the clean room to take a bath.
When we returned, the bedding had been changed, and the little girl must have been exhausted, because she had fallen asleep hugging the blanket.
The dragon and phoenix wedding candles had not yet burned out, and the bright yellow candlelight cast a warm glow on her face, making the girl's cheeks flush with a faint rosy blush. Her delicate skin was flawless, like goose fat, and tiny teardrops clung to her long eyelashes. He reached out his finger and gently wiped them away.
His gaze slowly moved downwards, the slightly open collar unable to conceal the dazzling white. The prince's fingertips twitched slightly as he recalled the extreme softness beneath his palm. His gaze darkened, and his body, which had only recently calmed down, began to feel again.
He suppressed his desires, warned himself not to succumb to temptation, and got up to go to his study.
Yun Kui was woken up before she had slept for an hour. On the second day of her marriage, she had to pay her respects to His Majesty and the Empress and offer them tea. She couldn't be impolite. She only stayed in bed for a short while before forcing herself to get up and let Cui Huan do her hair and makeup.
Qiu Chan came in and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is already waiting for you in the side hall for breakfast."
Yun Kui was still trembling and her lower abdomen was aching slightly. She couldn't hurry even if she wanted to, and she entered the side hall late.
His Highness the Crown Prince sat upright in a black robe embroidered with gold pythons, holding a book in one hand and a cup in the other, calmly turning the pages and drinking tea, his expression as aloof and indifferent as ever.
It was as if the person who had held her waist until dawn last night wasn't him.
Cuihuan whispered a reminder from the side: "Crown Princess, you should bow to His Highness."
Yun Kui's back ached and she could barely bend over. Just as she was about to curtsy, the Crown Prince stood up and interrupted her, saying, "I'll skip this. But when we get to Kunning Palace, in front of Father and Mother, you mustn't be so impolite."
Yun Kui: "..."
"It's all because of you!"
In the soft morning light, the Crown Princess's hair was piled high, revealing her black hair and fair skin. A pair of gold phoenix hairpins inlaid with jewels swayed gently with her steps on either side of her hair bun. Gold and ruby earrings accentuated her long, white neck. She wore a light red brocade top with a wide moon-shaped skirt, the pleats of which were shimmering with color, as bright as the moonlight.
The prince's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he looked away. "Let's eat."
The prince ate slowly and gracefully; even the soft clinking of his teacup on the table was as clear and melodious as a spring.
Having been influenced by what she saw and heard, Yun Kui, even though she had exhausted too much energy the night before and was starving in the morning, did not dare to wolf down her food. She slowly finished off the bowl of porridge, three side dishes, and four pastries in front of her.
"The Crown Princess has a really good appetite."
"Serving such a master makes one feel much better."
Crown Prince: "..."
After having breakfast, the two went together to Kunning Palace to pay their respects.
The two princesses arrived early, eager to see their new sister-in-law.
Yun Kui had visited Kunning Palace with her mother before, so she was not unfamiliar with it. However, this was the first time she had come to pay her respects as a daughter-in-law, and she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Fortunately, she had memorized the etiquette of serving tea at home. When she saw Emperor Jingyou and Empress sitting in the main hall, she bowed respectfully, took the teacup from the maid beside her, and carefully served tea to the emperor and empress.
The Empress noticed that her daughter-in-law was barely managing to stay upright, and quickly helped her up.
She was worried that her son, who was supposed to be celibate and not tempted by women, might neglect the girl on his wedding night. So she sent someone to inquire about it. But this morning, her servants came to report that the Crown Prince had been up until dawn last night and then went to his study after taking a bath.
The Empress couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that his so-called abstinence and self-control were all an illusion. Let's see how long he can keep deceiving himself.
The prince frowned, his eyes lowering subtly.
The Empress gave her daughter-in-law a set of red gold and gemstone jewelry as a gift, which Yun Kui accepted with gratitude.
Emperor Jingyou was a brilliant and powerful emperor who commanded respect from all directions. Even though he was gentle and loving in front of his wife and children, Yun Kui did not dare to regard this emperor, whom everyone respected, as an approachable elder. She was even more apprehensive in front of him and dared not make any mistakes.
Emperor Jingyou also prepared a new wedding, which included a pair of extremely precious jade bracelets left by the late Empress Dowager.
Yun Kui felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on her heart, and she hesitated to take it.
Emperor Jingyou noticed her nervousness and said gently, "Don't be shy. Treat the palace as your own home. In the future, you and the Crown Prince should live in harmony and support each other."
Yun Kui should behave properly.
"But I feel a little embarrassed to accept it."
The Crown Prince glanced at her indifferently: "Since it is a gift from Father, accept it."
Yun Kui then readily accepted the gift and thanked Emperor Jingyou for his kindness.
Then he took out the gifts he had prepared for the two princesses. He gave Xuanhe a pair of red gold butterfly hairpins inlaid with tourmaline, and Wanning a round fan embroidered with orchids on both sides. Both princesses liked them very much.
The Empress looked at them with a smile, feeling very satisfied.
Xuanhe loved hairpins and jewelry, especially butterfly hairpins. Her dressing case was filled with all kinds of butterflies. Wanning loved embroidery. This double-sided embroidered fan was clearly made by a master of Suzhou embroidery, showing that they put a lot of effort into it.
The crown prince's gaze fell on the gifts in his two younger sisters' hands, his face expressionless.
After serving tea, Xuanhe happily came up and took Yun Kui's hand: "It's so wonderful that you can be our sister-in-law! I will come to the East Palace to play with you every day from now on."
The Crown Prince frowned and said, "The Crown Princess is in charge of all the affairs of the Eastern Palace, and your marriage should also be put on the agenda. How can you play around every day?"
Yun Kui exchanged a helpless glance with Princess Xuanhe, then lowered her head and said to the Empress, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is right. Your subject is ignorant and lacks knowledge of palace etiquette and rules. I hope Your Majesty will not hesitate to teach me. Your subject will certainly study hard..."
The Empress said, "There's no rush with the rules. I'll have plenty of time to teach you later. You two are newlyweds, and nurturing your relationship is the most important thing."
He glared at his son and carefully instructed him: "According to the established rules, after the wedding, you must share a room with the Crown Princess for a month. Some unimportant political matters can be put aside for now. Also, tomorrow you will personally accompany the Crown Princess back to her parents' home. Don't forget."
The crown prince nodded in agreement.
Yun Kui's little face scrunched up.
"If we've been in bed together for a month, does that mean we'll have to... every night?"
"Waaaaah, the little sunflower is going to be smashed!"
The crown prince frowned and looked away awkwardly.
The Empress found the couple's expressions quite amusing.
After everyone had left, Emperor Jingyou sighed, "This girl from the Marquis of Wuning's family is young and naive, still childlike. Qi'an is very disciplined and cold-hearted. I'm afraid she will be wronged."
The Empress smiled and said, "I think the Crown Princess can change his aloof and cold nature. Just you wait and see."
...
While the Crown Prince was discussing matters with his court officials in the Chongming Hall, Yun Kui strolled around the Imperial Garden with the two princesses.
Princess Xuanhe was both happy that she could become their sister-in-law and felt sorry for her having such an unfeeling husband. She was afraid that her sister-in-law would back down and run away at the last minute, so she had to rack her brains to find a way to comfort her.
Wan Ning said, "My brother is always serious, and he treats everyone the same way. Sister-in-law, you don't need to take it to heart."
Xuanhe nodded. "On the bright side, not getting close to women isn't a bad thing. Although he doesn't get close to you, he doesn't get close to anyone else either. Those beautiful women wouldn't dare to approach him."
Yun Kui held her waist, thinking about how he breathed heavily in her ear last night and liked to bite her there... Could this be considered as not being interested in women?
Seeing her frowning, Xuanhe racked his brains to think of his brother's good points: "No matter what, he's still good-looking. Don't you like handsome men? Just think of it as having another handsome man to enjoy. It's only natural for handsome men to have some temper, right?"
Yun Kui thought for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement: "You're right."
The princess in the storybook had about ten male lovers. The most handsome one was also the most temperamental and often jealous, but he was still the princess's favorite.
She rubbed her stomach. Although she was very tired last night and it hurt a lot at first, it also... hehe, but because of her status as the Crown Princess, she couldn't shout out loud. It was really hard to endure. It happened so many times and it was very uncomfortable. Even now, when she thinks about it, she can't help but go limp.
Just think of it as having a free gigolo. Not only do you not have to spend money on him, but you also have to pay him. You have to serve him diligently every night. What is there to complain about?
Thinking of this, Yun Kui felt cheerful.
That evening, De Shun came to report that His Highness was still handling state affairs in Chongming Hall and told her to make her own arrangements.
After having dinner and taking a bath, Yun Kui waited for the Crown Prince to arrive, then lay on the bed in her nightgown, looking at the list of things to do when she returned to her parents' home the next day.
The Crown Prince plans to stay at Chongming Palace tonight to prevent himself from indulging in the pleasures of the palace.
The lessons of a foolish ruler who ruined the country because of beautiful women are still fresh in his mind. He has been self-disciplined and respectful since childhood, determined to surpass his father and become a wise ruler. How could he not resist such a temptation?
But as he held the vermilion brush, the soft, gentle touch of the previous night still lingered in his palm, causing him to momentarily lose himself in thought.
Seeing that it was getting late, De Shun took the opportunity to urge, "Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that Your Highness should not sleep in separate rooms during the first month of your marriage. It's getting late, Your Highness should return to Chengguang Palace to rest."
The Crown Prince shook his head: "I will explain to the Empress Dowager tomorrow."
After pondering for a moment, De Shun hesitated and said, "Tomorrow, Your Highness will accompany the Crown Princess on her homecoming visit. If the Marquis of Wuning and his wife were to hear that Your Highness only consummated the marriage on the wedding night and then slept in separate rooms the next day, it would be rather..."
The prince paused, pondered for a long time, and finally put down the dossier in his hand.
That's all.
If some temptations require separate rooms to resist, his years of self-discipline and prudence will be greatly diminished.
Upon returning to Chengguang Palace, he saw the Crown Princess lying on the bed, her two slender, snow-white legs sticking up and swaying. A strange restlessness welled up in his heart.
Why haven't they settled things yet?
Yun Kui was startled and quickly put away her shoes, hiding under the covers. Turning around, she met the man's deep gaze and couldn't help but stammer, "I... Your Majesty is looking at the gift list for tomorrow's homecoming."
The Crown Prince took the folded page from her hand: "Is there anything that needs to be added or changed?"
Yun Kui quickly replied, "No."
She was estimating the total value in silver, which is why she was delayed until now, and the Crown Prince interrupted her as soon as he arrived... Right, how much was she calculating just now? Thirteen thousand four hundred taels?
Royal treasures cannot be measured in gold and silver. The Crown Prince frowned and said, "Now that you have seen them, you should retire for the night."
Yun Kui nodded, handed the gift list to Cui Huan to put away, and huddled under the covers. Suddenly, she remembered something else and became flustered: "Why did Your Highness come so late?"
"I thought you weren't going to come and serve me anymore."
The crown prince's face darkened. He... served him?
His voice deepened: "Newlyweds cannot sleep in separate rooms during the first month of their marriage; this is a rule established by our ancestors."
As the blankets were lifted, Yun Kui instinctively shrank back. The moment the man's breath approached, she felt a warmth beneath her and instinctively pulled her legs closer.
"The effects of last night haven't worn off yet, Your Highness, will you still want it today?"
"It's fine if you don't want it. I'll conserve my energy, and I should be able to jump around like a baby tomorrow!"
"Once isn't out of the question..."
The prince had been resting with his eyes closed, trying to ignore the person lying beside him, but unexpectedly, those filthy thoughts rushed into his ears.
He closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Calm down and get some rest."
Yun Kui: "..."
"Seriously? I didn't say anything, even breathing is wrong?"
"Little prince, how dare you speak to me like that!"
Crown Prince: "..."
"I haven't even asked you to serve me, and you're already giving me attitude!"
The Crown Prince could no longer bear it. He grabbed her slender waist and pulled her close, his hot breath landing on her lips.
Yun Kui's heart trembled as she was held tightly in the man's strong arms, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Your Highness..."
The girl's almond-shaped eyes sparkled as she looked at him innocently.
The prince leaned down and kissed her full, rosy lips, biting them hard. He wanted to bite harder, but the little girl hurriedly pushed him away, saying, "No... you'll be disfigured. How will I face anyone tomorrow?"
The crown prince gritted his teeth and had no choice but to give up.
He was about to teach her a lesson when he touched a thin, gossamer-thin nightgown. His fingertips trembled slightly, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Why aren't you wearing trousers?"
He noticed, and she blushed, embarrassed, saying, "It was a bit uncomfortable from all the rubbing, and I thought Your Highness wouldn't be coming tonight, so I didn't wear anything..."
The prince's Adam's apple bobbed, and his taut nerves seemed to snap in an instant.
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