Xue Shen raised his eyebrows slightly and looked into her eyes.
Shen Youying pursed her lips slightly, her expression solemn and dignified. Xue Shen originally wanted to tease her and take the opportunity to get some benefits, but he was softened by her eyes. He gently touched her eyelashes that were blinking shyly, and his voice became a little hoarse: "You said it yourself. It will be too late to go back on your word later."
Shen Youying blinked again and hummed softly. When the tips of her eyelashes brushed against Xue Shen's fingertips, a ticklish sensation spread through her heart like ripples.
Xue Shen twirled his fingertips, then grabbed her waist, picked her up, and turned her around so she was facing him. He placed his palm on her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers, saying, "I want to kiss you."
Shen Youying's heart pounded wildly. She couldn't understand why Xue Shen, who had always kissed her whenever he wanted, had to ask a question today. She couldn't say yes or no. She could only bite her lower lip lightly, close her eyes, her pupils darting nervously beneath her thin eyelids, her cheeks flushed, exuding a captivating charm.
Xue Shen chuckled softly, leaned closer, and captured her lips with his.
His movements were incredibly gentle, merely licking or nuzzling lightly, without any haste. He wrapped one arm around her slender waist, pulling her closer, and with the other arm around the back of her neck, he completely imprisoned her in his embrace.
Shen Youying, like a flower that couldn't withstand the winter chill, huddled into his arms as if afraid of the cold, barely able to support herself only with his arm.
The dark clouds carried the two as they strolled aimlessly through the snow-covered forest. Occasionally, branches and leaves brushed against them, the cold snow clinging to their clothes and causing them to shiver slightly. Xue Shen wrapped her in his large cloak, his lips lingering on her neck, his hoarse voice carrying a seductive tone: "They won't dare to get too close, no one will see us."
Shen Youying's eyes were filled with water, and she shook her head weakly, her eyes reddening at the corners.
Xue Shen gently licked away the tears from the corners of her eyes, his lips and tongue lingering on her sensitive earlobe before stopping: "Really don't want it?"
Shen Youying was on the verge of tears from his torment. Her fingers gripped his clothes helplessly, and she let out a soft whimper like a small animal. But she was too thin-skinned to speak, so she could only suppress her sobs and wipe her tears on Xue Shen's chest, accusing him in a tearful voice: "You always bully me."
Xue Shen hissed, his eyes darkening slightly at the beautiful sight of the crabapple blossoms after the rain. He bit her slender neck and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Okay, then I won't bully you anymore."
...
The two wandered aimlessly through the snowy forest for almost an hour before returning.
Shen Youying felt weak all over and her limbs were powerless. Her neatly tied hair was loose and fell to her cheeks. She exuded a lazy and charming aura, like a begonia in spring slumber.
Xue Shen lifted her down from the horse, and she shrank into the large, heavy cloak, only her eyes showing as she anxiously looked around.
Fortunately, Xue Shen had already sent away the servants, and there was no one else around, so she wasn't so nervous or embarrassed.
Xue Shen carried the person directly to the bath room.
The bathhouse had a pool filled with hot spring water drawn from outside. Shen Youying refused Xue Shen's help, untied her cloak, loosened her clothes, and went into the water. She sank into the water and stared warily at Xue Shen, who seemed to want to go in as well: "Go wash behind the screen."
Unlike her frail and powerless state, Xue Shen was full of energy and laughed upon hearing this: "Such a large bath, Zhao Zhao can't possibly hog it all by herself."
Shen Youying glared at him, knowing full well that reasoning with him was useless, and she also threw a little tantrum, saying domineeringly, "I just want to soak by myself, you go to the other side."
When she spoke, her bright and beautiful eyes widened, making her look charming and adorable.
Knowing that he had indeed gone too far on horseback, Xue Shen gave her a deep look, then helplessly raised his hands and took a step back, conceding: "Okay, I'll go to the other side."
Seeing that he had left, Shen Youying breathed a sigh of relief and washed her body with a flushed face.
*
Shen Youying spent four or five days in the manor halfway up the mountain and had a very pleasant time.
She slept until late morning every day, and if there was no wind or snow, Xue Shen would take her into the mountains to hunt. The two didn't go deep into the mountains, but only hunted small animals such as roe deer and rabbits. The game was brought back to the kitchen to be cleaned and made into a hot pot, which tasted no worse than that of Fanlou.
If it was a snowy day and inconvenient to go out, Shen Youying would stay in the warm pavilion reading storybooks. Ever since she learned that the late emperor and empress had also lived in this residence, she had been somewhat curious. Once, when she went to the study, she found many storybooks there. After asking Xue Shen, she learned that most of the books were left by his parents. She guessed that they must have been collected by the late empress, so she picked out a few and brought them to the warm pavilion to read.
Most of the time, Xue Shen would stay by her side, either studying chess scores or reading storybooks with her, occasionally offering a few comments; on rare occasions, he would lead his guards and heavy bows deep into the snow forest to search for some large, rare prey.
He said he wanted to find some good furs to make clothes for Shen Youying, and he hasn't forgotten that now.
On the day Xue Shen went hunting in the mountains again, someone from the Shen family suddenly arrived.
"My lord requests that Your Highness and Princess return immediately, as a major incident has occurred in the capital."
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying immediately ordered the guards left behind to go into the mountains to find Xue Shen, and instructed the maid to pack her things: "Do you know the specifics of what happened?"
The messenger shook his head and said, "My lord didn't say the specifics. I only know that someone from the Eastern Palace also came. They said they didn't know the prince's whereabouts, so they had to come to the Shen family."
The Eastern Palace?
Shen Youying's heart skipped a beat, and for some reason she suddenly thought of the Crown Princess.
She forced herself to calm down, sent the servant down the mountain to report the news, and went to help the maid pack her things.
Actually, she didn't bring much luggage when she came up the mountain except for a change of clothes, but after staying for a few days, she suddenly had a lot more things.
As she tidied up, she listened anxiously to the sounds outside.
About 15 minutes later, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside.
Shen Youying immediately went out to greet him. She saw Xue Shen walking over with a slightly somber expression. He touched her face and said in a hoarse voice, "Something has happened to my sister-in-law. We have to go back immediately."
A vague sense of foreboding crept into her heart, and Shen Youying's chest tightened. She said, "Everything's been packed up; we can leave immediately." After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Is it serious? Is your sister-in-law alright?"
Xue Shen shook his head, his voice growing heavy: "I don't know, I'll only know when I get back to Tokyo."
Shen Youying didn't ask any more questions and went down the mountain with him.
The matter was urgent, so the two did not stop at the Shen family's residence along the way. They only sent someone to deliver a message to the Shen family before speeding back to Tokyo by carriage.
Upon returning to the Prince of Qin's residence, Wang Deshun was already waiting. He rushed to greet the two and whispered, "The Crown Princess suddenly went into premature labor, suffered a difficult delivery and postpartum hemorrhage, and is barely clinging to life. The Crown Prince suspects that someone poisoned her, and now the entire Eastern Palace is under martial law, even the Emperor has been alerted."
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