Chapter 15 Why are you treating me so well?
The palace banquet ended, and night had fallen. The magnificent carriage drove away from the palace, shutting out the hustle and bustle behind it. Inside the carriage, warm yellow palace lanterns cast a soft glow, illuminating a quiet and private space.
As soon as he got into the carriage, Xiao Jingzhan waved away the palace servants who wanted to follow him inside, and personally lowered the heavy carriage curtain.
Then, he stretched out his long arm, pulled Su Jingyu into his arms, hugged her tightly, and affectionately rubbed his chin against her temples, which exuded a delicate fragrance, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Are you tired?" His voice, slightly tipsy from the banquet, was more magnetic and husky than usual, and his breath brushed against Su Jingyu's sensitive earlobe.
Su Jingyu was a little breathless from his embrace, and gently struggled: "Your Highness... I'm fine."
"My goodness, you've really made me proud today." Xiao Jingzhan chuckled, not letting go but instead holding her even tighter, making her sit sideways on his lap, facing her.
Under the lamplight, her fair cheeks were flushed with a faint pink from the banquet and their intimacy, her eyes were like water, and her lips were rosy red, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
He gently stroked her delicate cheek with his fingertips, his gaze burning with undisguised pride and admiration: "You played 'Lotus Picking Ballad' well, and you sang it even better. I have never heard such a moving Jiangnan folk song before."
In particular, her words to Princess Yongjia were neither humble nor arrogant, but reasonable and well-founded. She not only maintained her own dignity but also demonstrated her broad-mindedness, which even made him secretly applaud.
Su Jingyu was a little embarrassed by his praise and lowered her eyelashes: "Your Highness is too kind. I was just speaking the truth and did not want to compete with anyone."
"It's not an overstatement." Xiao Jingzhan lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes, his tone earnest. "It's just that my darling is exceptionally intelligent and naturally gifted. The Empress Dowager is also very satisfied with you today." He recalled the Empress's last words of protection, and felt even more pleased.
"Your Majesty the Empress is kind and compassionate; it is my blessing," Su Jingyu replied softly. The Empress's attitude today had indeed put her at ease.
“Not only the Empress Dowager,” Xiao Jingzhan’s lips curled into a playful smile, “you didn’t see it? Those usually arrogant brothers are staring at you like head to toe. It’s a pity…” His tone shifted, carrying an undeniable possessiveness, as he lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips, then deepened the kiss, “No matter how stunning you are, you’re still all alone.”
The kiss carried a faint scent of alcohol and his unique ambergris, gentle and lingering, unlike his previous forceful and plundering kisses, more like a cherished savoring.
Su Jingyu's body went limp from his kisses, and she could only weakly cling to his shoulders, awkwardly responding.
When the kiss ended, both of them were slightly out of breath. Xiao Jingzhan held her tightly against his chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat, his own heart pounding like a drum.
"Yu'er..." he called her in a hoarse voice, his burning lips brushing against her earlobe. "At the banquet today, I just wanted to hold you like this." Heaven knows how much he wanted to hide her away, to let only him admire her, as he watched her calmly deal with all the gazes from all sides and her charming smile.
Su Jingyu nestled in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, her nose filled with his reassuring scent, an unprecedented sense of security enveloping her. Today's palace banquet, seemingly calm, was actually rife with undercurrents; if it weren't for his repeated overt and covert protection, she might not have been able to get through so smoothly.
"Your Highness..." She hesitated for a moment, then softly asked the question that had been bothering her, "Why... do you treat me so well?" She asked herself if there was anything special about him besides the insignificant "life-saving grace." Yet what he gave her was such an extreme and unsettling favor.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingzhan tightened his arms around her, as if trying to meld her into his very bones. He remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, his voice carrying a rare, almost fragile emotion: "Because only when I hold you do I feel... that this place is warm."
He paused, seemingly unsure how to describe the feeling: "The Eastern Palace is vast, the Imperial Palace even larger, yet everywhere is cold. Endless memorials to review, countless schemes to deal with... Only here is it warm, a place where I can rest in peace."
These words don't sound like something a high-ranking crown prince would say; they sound more like a weary traveler who has finally found a safe harbor.
Su Jingyu's heart was struck hard by those words. She looked up into his deep eyes, which no longer held his usual calm and composure, but instead carried a hint of barely perceptible dependence and... loneliness.
She suddenly understood. The extreme pampering he gave her was perhaps because he was desperately lacking warmth. And she, by some twist of fate, became the only source of warmth he could grasp.
A mixture of pity, heartache, and indescribable emotions surged within her. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his strong waist, burying her face deeper into the warmth of his neck, her voice soft yet firm: "Then Your Highness, please hold me a little longer... Your Majesty... I'm warm here."
This was the first time she had responded to his dependence so clearly.
Xiao Jingzhan was stunned, looking down at her in disbelief, meeting the obvious tenderness and determination in her clear eyes. Overwhelming joy instantly engulfed him!
He stopped talking, but hugged her even tighter, as if he were embracing a rare treasure that he had lost and then regained.
The carriage traveled smoothly along the quiet street. Inside, a couple embraced silently, yet it seemed as if a thousand words flowed between them. Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a gentle silver hue over their embracing figures.
At this moment, Su Jingyu clearly felt that the wall in her heart called "reason" and "distance" was quietly collapsing in a corner under this man's domineering and clumsy pampering.
In late spring and early summer, the weather was fine. After finishing his urgent official duties, Xiao Jingzhan saw Su Jingyu doing needlework by the window, her brows and eyes carrying a faint weariness and longing that even she herself was unaware of. His heart stirred. His Yu'er was, after all, at a lively age, and being confined within these four palace walls for so long was bound to make her feel stifled.
That morning, he did not wear the Crown Prince's usual robes, but only a black brocade robe, his hair tied up with a jade crown. He looked less like a prince and more like a refined and handsome young nobleman. He entered the inner palace and embraced Su Jingyu from behind as she was putting on her makeup in front of the mirror.
"My dear, I'm taking you somewhere today."
Su Jingyu saw his smiling eyes in the bronze mirror and turned around in surprise: "Where will Your Highness take me?"
"Leave the palace." Xiao Jingzhan lowered his head and stole a kiss on her lips, pleased to see her cheeks flush. "Change into something more ordinary, and we'll go out in casual clothes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com