Consort De
February, the forty-sixth year of Zhaohua.
Inside a magnificent palace within the grand palace complex, two figures, one above the other, rose and fell, the woman's alluring breaths making one blush and their heart race.
The fragrant pink gauze curtains swayed from side to side with the rhythm, much like the shimmering waves on a lake.
After an unknown amount of time, with a low groan, the creaking of the canopy bed stopped, and the bed returned to silence.
A moment later, a large hand reached out from the bed curtains, seemingly preparing to pull back the curtains and get out of bed, but then a fair hand clung to the skin and pulled the hand back into the bed curtains.
The next moment, the man's deliberately suppressed panting and the woman's soft laughter echoed in the hall again.
Fine beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, flicked away with the man's movements, and dripped heavily onto her snow-white body, then slid down her body lines into the brocade quilt beneath her, staining it with a darker color.
Looking at the man who had used such force on her, the woman trembled as she gently raised her hand to caress his face, her smile incredibly alluring. "Brother Mingyuan, um... don't hold back, it's so boring to listen to..."
Hearing this blatant provocation, the man remained silent, only thrusting his hips forward heavily before quickly raising his hand to cover the woman's red lips, nipping those blush-inducing words in the bud.
Break with convention, break with convention again...
Finally, the rain subsided.
Looking at the person getting dressed by the bedside, Consort De, Wei Shu, lazily brushed away the long hair that clung to her body. Her face was still flushed from the lovemaking, but her words were extremely sarcastic. "Zhang Mingyuan, don't always have such a cold expression. It was clearly a matter of mutual consent, but you make it seem as if I forced you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Quan paused, slowly finished putting on the last piece of clothing, turned his head to look at the woman on the couch who was only draped in a thin veil, and asked calmly, "Your Majesty, what is it that you summoned me here today?"
"Oh--"
Wei Shu chuckled, then leaned forward with captivating charm, resting her head on the man's shoulder. Her long fingers teasingly traced his chest as she breathed softly, "Isn't it all because of your foolish son? He's not only incompetent, but he also covets the position of crown prince. If it weren't for the fact that he's a piece of my flesh and blood, and our child, I would have beaten him to death."
Zhang Quan frowned, brushed aside her hands that were trying to start fires, and said coldly, "What exactly does Your Majesty want to say?"
The first two words were deliberately emphasized, as if to remind someone of something.
Hearing such a cold sentence and being pushed away, Wei Shu was not angry. He just chuckled twice, his gaze falling on the bright red nail polish on his fingertips. He smiled slightly and said casually, "I need your help."
Zhang Quan frowned even more deeply and said in a deep voice, "This is treason!"
"Treason?" Wei Shu's lips curled up even more, and she said calmly, "Of course I know, but Zhang Mingyuan, you should know that Lin'er is your own flesh and blood. If you don't help him, are you just going to watch Zhou Ce'an investigate him and watch him die?"
After saying that, she leaned forward, smiled at Zhang Quan, and gently touched his face with her fingertips stained with bright red nail polish, saying softly, "Don't forget, this is what you owe me."
"elder brother."
Hearing her use that term of address she hadn't used in a long time, Zhang froze. After a long pause, he whispered, "I understand."
Having received the promise, Wei Shu chuckled lightly, nimbly turning back to the inside of the bed. The languidness in her tone vanished completely, turning into the melting snow outside, "Alright, I'm tired, you may leave."
They can change their minds very quickly.
Zhang Quan stared at Wei Shu's retreating figure for a long time, then got up and left.
The vast palace fell silent for a moment. Wei Shu lazily patted his waist and, without turning his head, raised his voice: "He's gone, why aren't you coming out yet?"
The beaded curtain fluttered slightly, and a figure stepped onto the couch.
"elder sister."
Hearing the sound, Wei Shu turned around and smiled, then reached out and hooked his arm around the newcomer's neck, and...
We went to Wushan again.
...
Meanwhile, under the same bright moon, watching the people busy across from her, Jie Xiangsi, for what seemed like the umpteenth time, said, "Cousin, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Zhou Yanzhi, who was making the bed, raised an eyebrow, lifted his robe, and sat down on the couch with an air of authority. Looking at Xie Xiangsi, who was filled with shame and indignation, he asked, "What's wrong with it?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi's eyes widened. In her heart, she cursed Zhou Yanzhi eight hundred times over. Hadn't the teacher taught him anything about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame?
It's late at night, and it's not a good idea for a lone man and woman to be alone in a room!
But she wouldn't say that to his face, as it would be too damaging to her image. Pointing to the dark night outside the window, Jie Xiangsi said earnestly, "Cousin, it's late. You should go back to your room to rest."
"Is that so?" Zhou Yanzhi raised an eyebrow.
Jie Xiangsi gritted her teeth and said, "Isn't that right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi pretended to think for a moment, then nodded in affirmation, saying, "What my cousin said makes perfect sense." Then, amidst Jie Xiangsi's momentarily surprised gaze, he stood up and blew out the candle with a "whoosh."
He then strolled back to the couch at a leisurely pace. Taking advantage of her disdainful expression in the darkness, Zhou Yanzhi said jokingly, "But cousin, we were also in the same room in Yangqu. Why didn't you say this then?"
Jie Xiangsi: "..."
When did he become so difficult to deal with?
With patience, Jie Xiangsi slowly persuaded, "At that time, it was to prevent Yang Hui from becoming suspicious, and we had no choice but to do so. But the situation is different now, and we can't do it like this anymore. It's not reasonable."
Her words were sincere and heartfelt, but Zhou Yanzhi wouldn't listen, only replying, "I'm afraid you'll do something foolish."
In short, it directly kills the ethical competition.
After a long silence, Jie Xiangsi whispered, "I won't do it again, I swear."
"Oh--"
Hearing her aggrieved tone, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled softly, turned his head slightly to look at the person on the opposite couch, and said calmly, "Cousin, you'd better not make any more vows. I won't believe you."
Having said that, in order to prevent the villain from making false accusations first, he began to slowly bring up old grievances.
"On New Year's Eve, you swore you would wait for me in the same place, but you disappeared after I left, intending to leave the city."
Hearing this, Jie Xiangsi felt a little guilty, but still whispered and tried to argue, "I already said that I left because I was too bored."
Having witnessed Jie Xiangsi's ability to distort the truth, Zhou Yanzhi chose to ignore it and continued, "Yesterday, you said you wouldn't try to kill yourself again, but last night you cut your wrists, almost severing your tendons."
Jie Xiangsi: "..."
It certainly sounds like they're in the wrong.
However, Jie Xiangsi is the kind of person who will always have a mouth to hold up even if the sky falls down.
After a moment of silence, she called softly, "Cousin."
"Um?"
"You hold a grudge so badly."
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
You underestimated her; even when she's in the wrong, she still has the audacity to file a complaint.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi said in a deep voice, "Go to sleep."
"oh."
...
The next morning, Jie Xiangsi was awakened by a loud cry of an eagle.
As soon as she opened her eyes, a magnified falcon came into view. Seeing that she was awake, Wu Goulang's little black eyes lit up, and he cooed as he tried to rub against her face.
Jie Xiangsi: "...?"
When did they become so close?
Just as Wu Goulang's disheveled eagle-like hair was about to reach out, Jie Xiangsi quickly reached out to stop him. Fortunately, the falcon's owner came to her rescue the next second.
“Wu Gou Lang.” Zhou Yanzhi’s voice carried a hint of coldness.
Just as Wu Goulang was about to give Jie Xiangsi a warm welcome, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Zhou Yanzhi with a puzzled expression.
Didn't the master say that this woman would be under his command from now on?
In Wu Goulang's eyes, since its master gave such an order, it meant that she would be the second person it had to obey, so of course it had to show her how much it liked her.
So why did the owner stop it?
Unfortunately, Wu Goulang's little brain couldn't understand these complicated human thoughts. Although it really wanted to nuzzle Xie Xiangsi, it had to obey its master's orders.
So, Wu Goulang could only reluctantly coo twice at Jie Xiangsi, then flapped his wings and stood on Zhou Yanzhi's arm.
Looking at the person and bird in front of her, Jie Xiangsi couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, what's going on here...?"
Why are there birds chirping so early in the morning?!
Her morning grumpiness is about to kick in.
Perhaps because she had just tried to stop Wu Goulang, the brocade quilt covering Jie Xiangsi was wrinkled to one side, revealing a section of her snow-white undergarment.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanzhi quickly turned away to avoid looking at him, coughed lightly, looked up and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, cousin, I didn't keep a good eye on Wu Goulang, I'm sorry."
Then he said, "A letter just arrived from the capital. Do you want to take a look?" Without waiting for Jie Xiangsi's reply, he said, "Go wash up first, I'll show it to you in a bit." Then he hurriedly left with Wu Goulang.
Jie Xiangsi: "...?"
Has he turned back into the innocent Lord Zhou?
Thinking about what he had just said, Jie Xiangsi stopped thinking about it and put on her coat before getting out of bed.
After quickly washing up, Jie Xiangsi, with her hair tied up to the side, strode over to Zhou Yanzhi's side, raised her eyes, and called out, "Cousin, I want to see the letter!"
Seeing her anxious, Zhou Yanzhi couldn't help but chuckle. He picked up a piece of paper from the table and handed it to her, saying, "Here."
He hurriedly opened the letter and quickly scanned it, reading ten lines at a glance. The more he read, the more serious his expression became. By the end, his brows were furrowed.
Raising her eyes, she couldn't help but ask again to confirm, "The Sixth Prince broke his leg in a riding accident?"
"Hmm." Zhou Yanzhi's tone was somewhat somber.
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi's heart tightened.
This incident isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either. Normally, a broken leg is just a broken leg; it can be reattached, and it would heal in about a hundred days.
But the current timeframe is rather intriguing.
With the Crown Prince currently imprisoned and the people's support waning, there is bound to be a trend in the court to establish another heir apparent. Among His Majesty's princes, only the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince are of suitable age.
Having broken his leg, the Sixth Prince was already at a disadvantage compared to the Fourth Prince in terms of prestige. Moreover, if someone with ulterior motives were to manipulate the situation, the Sixth Prince's leg might not heal properly and could even leave him disabled.
Compared to a normal prince, the court would certainly not want a lame crown prince, so the fourth prince might be the best candidate for the crown prince position.
Jie Xiangsi didn't believe that the Sixth Prince had fallen off his horse by accident.
But given the Fourth Prince's personality, she didn't believe he would do something so stupid. The current situation of the struggle for the crown prince was so clear; if he were to target the Sixth Prince, it would only eliminate him from the competition and bring him no benefit whatsoever.
So, who could it be?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
