Chapter 129 A Long Lesson
With mixed feelings, Shen Qingci followed Chu Jichen back to the Regent's Palace.
As soon as the carriage came to a stop, Chu Jichen picked her up without saying a word and had the guards carry her and the wheelchair down the aisle.
Ignoring the curious gazes of the servants around him, he maneuvered the wheelchair and carried her all the way back to her bedroom in the main courtyard.
Shen Qingci breathed a slight sigh of relief the moment the soft brocade quilt touched her back.
Before she could fully relax, a familiar, heart-pounding heat, like a tide, slowly spread from the depths of her body once again.
"How could this be..." Shen Qingci frowned, shifting her body uneasily, feeling weak all over and her mouth dry.
She looked abruptly at Chu Jichen, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Highness, what's going on? Didn't I already... take the antidote?"
Chu Jichen's eyes instantly turned as dark as an abyss.
He slowly waved his hand, signaling Wanqing and the others inside the room to leave.
With a soft creak, the bedroom door was gently closed from the outside, shutting out all light and sound.
He maneuvered his wheelchair slowly to the bedside, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a deadly allure: "I lied to you."
Shen Qingci was taken aback.
“There is no antidote for that aphrodisiac.” Chu Jichen’s gaze was like the deepest night, locked tightly on her. “What I gave you before was just a drug to temporarily suppress the effects. Now that the effects have worn off, it… will naturally take effect again.”
As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand and untied the sash of his brocade robe.
“The only solution,” his voice grew increasingly hoarse, filled with a dangerous undertone, “is only one.”
He leaned down, his warm breath brushing against her ear, and whispered, "Qingqing, are you... willing?"
Shen Qingci felt a "buzz" in her head, and her blood seemed to boil instantly!
Looking at the breathtakingly handsome face before her, feeling the unique, cool scent emanating from him, she could no longer suppress the desire deep within her body, a desire fueled by the drugs!
She and he were already husband and wife in name and in fact, and had already consummated their marriage. What else could she possibly want?
Without thinking twice, Shen Qingci suddenly stretched out her arms and hooked them around Chu Jichen's neck, completely throwing herself into his embrace.
Chu Jichen stared at her intently, a deep meaning flashing in the depths of his eyes.
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his voice full of teasing: "You probably... underestimated the power of this aphrodisiac you found."
"But it's fine, it'll teach you a lesson."
...
It wasn't until she was tormented unconscious for the third time that Shen Qingci finally understood, in her dazed state, what Chu Jichen meant by "a long lesson."
This aphrodisiac is... way too potent!
When she finally woke up, it was already bright daylight outside the window.
She felt as if her whole body had been run over by a carriage, and she was so sore that she didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
She had only one thought in her mind: she really couldn't do such a foolish thing that would get her into trouble again.
Just then, she faintly heard voices coming from outside; it was Chu Jichen and his guards.
A guard respectfully reported, "Your Highness, the interrogation by the Censorate has been completed."
"All the trusted maids in Consort Shu's palace confessed that Consort Shu personally handed her the medicine and ordered her to put it in the incense burner in Jingren Palace. She did not know what kind of medicine it was, but she handed over the medicine packet given by Consort Shu intact."
"Imperial Physician Li has already examined the medicine packet and found that it contains two kinds of drugs: one is the hallucinogenic 'Nanke Yin', and the other is the top-grade aphrodisiac 'Hehuan San' that the princess was given."
"The incense ash in Jingren Palace has also been examined, and it does indeed contain residues of these two medicines."
Upon hearing this report, Shen Qingci understood.
All of this must have been a pre-arranged follow-up by Chu Jichen.
Chu Jichen simply hummed in response and said nothing more.
The sound of a wheelchair slowly rose as Chu Jichen returned to his bedroom.
Seeing Shen Qingci staring at him with her eyes brimming with tears, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, maneuvering his wheelchair to the bedside, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of amusement: "Awake? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Shen Qingci gritted her teeth and squeezed out a few words: "My whole body aches, does that count? There's not a single part of me that doesn't hurt!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Jichen chuckled softly: "Then... have you learned your lesson?"
Shen Qingci nodded obediently, completely convinced.
But then, she looked at Chu Jichen with some concern: "Your Highness... do you feel unwell anywhere?"
She was drugged and became insatiable. He stayed with her for a whole day and night to try and detoxify her. Could it be...?
Although Shen Qingci hadn't finished speaking, Chu Jichen already understood her meaning.
His gaze instantly darkened, and he leaned down, narrowing his eyes dangerously. His voice was hoarse: "Is the Princess... questioning my abilities?"
"How about," he reached out and gently pinched her chin, "that Your Highness try it again? Let's see if you've really drained me dry, and if... I'm not good enough anymore?"
"No, no, no! No need!" Shen Qingci was so frightened that she hurriedly waved her hand and shrank back abruptly. However, due to the large movement, the aches and pains all over her body caused her to almost faint.
She felt that the dormitory was too dangerous, and this bed was even more like a den of dragons and tigers!
She quickly became serious and said, "Now that the palace has obtained the results of the interrogation, shouldn't we go and deal with the follow-up?"
Chu Jichen gave her a dark look, knowing that she was trying to change the subject.
He didn't expose him, but simply nodded slowly, his voice carrying a meaningful tone: "Yes, it's time... to deal with it properly."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci immediately struggled to get up: "Then...then I'll change my clothes now and go to the palace with the Prince!"
Chu Jichen stopped her hand as she tried to pull back the covers, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a half-smile, "So eager?"
He extended his long, slender fingers and gently tapped her hand, his voice deep and magnetic: "Don't you... feel hungry?"
“From last night until now, although I fed you some rice porridge in the middle, so much time has passed.”
It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. Only after he did Shen Qingci belatedly realize that her stomach was already empty and was rumbling loudly.
Her cheeks flushed, and she immediately seized the opportunity he offered, nodding repeatedly and saying, "Hungry! I'm starving! Then...then let's eat first! Yes, let's eat first, and it won't be too late to go to the palace after we eat!"
As she spoke, she scrambled towards the bed, her mind focused on only one thing—she would do anything to get out of this room and away from this dangerous bed!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com