While Shen Youying was hesitating, Xue Shen had already entered some private room.
Unable to find anyone, Shen Youying could only ask the waiter who had led the way earlier. The waiter naturally recognized her and, remembering the two dancers that the King of Qin had summoned, his mind immediately started working. He cautiously said, "They're over there. I'll lead the Princess over there."
Shen Youying gave the tip and followed behind the waiter.
But when she arrived at the private room, her courage vanished, and she hesitated, saying, "Should I really go in? What if he's just discussing serious matters?"
Danzhu asked in surprise, "What important business could Your Highness possibly have..."
He realized his slip of the tongue as soon as he finished speaking and quickly slapped his mouth.
Shen Youying was amused by her, and her gloomy mood improved a bit. Thinking about it, Xue Shen usually didn't seem to do anything serious except for finding fun and spending money everywhere. No wonder Danzhu misunderstood him.
She gripped the handkerchief tightly, hesitated again and again, but still, with a heart full of trepidation, she knocked on the door.
Xue Shen was listening to his subordinates' reports when two dancers, who were dancing in the outer room, heard a knock on the door and announced, "Your Highness, someone is knocking."
Xue Shen frowned impatiently: "Didn't I tell you not to let anyone disturb us?"
The dancer hesitated before saying, "I peeked through the crack in the door, and it seems to be the princess who has come."
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow, puzzled as to how Shen Youying knew he was there. But since she was already there, he was determined to see her, so he told his subordinate, "Let's discuss this another day."
The subordinate obeyed and left through the secret passage.
Xue Shen then went to the outer room and opened the door.
Shen Youying waited anxiously outside, almost giving up, when the door finally opened.
Xue Shen sat in his wheelchair, looking at her with a deep smile: "Didn't Zhao Zhao accompany Madam Xie to the Ministry of Justice prison? What's she doing at Fanlou?"
Seeing that his clothes were neat and tidy, Shen Youying's eyebrows relaxed a little. But when her gaze went over his shoulder and she saw that there were only two dancers standing behind him with their heads down and eyes lowered, and no one else, her eyelashes drooped again, and she said in a low voice, "Qinglan's matter has been resolved, so she suggested coming to Fanlou to celebrate... I saw you by chance on the second floor, so I came to see you."
After saying that, he himself felt that the reason he came up with was strange.
But she couldn't find a better reason to cover it up. When she discovered that Xue Shen had called two dancers alone, waves of sadness welled up inside her, almost overwhelming her.
She told herself that she had long known Xue Shen was fond of beautiful women, and he hadn't been upset about having so many concubines in his harem, so why should she be upset now?
But reasoning is one thing, and feeling sad is another.
Shen Youying felt a lump in her throat and kept blinking, keeping her head down to prevent tears from falling. She took a quiet breath and tried her best to speak calmly, "Qinglan is waiting for me, so I'll go ahead now."
After saying that, he turned to leave without even looking up.
Xue Shen had sensed that something was wrong with her mood from the beginning. Since she had seen him by chance, why didn't she call out to him then?
It wasn't until he noticed Shen Youying's red nose that he realized what was happening. He pulled her into his arms and turned to the two dancers, saying, "You two go out and don't let anyone else disturb us."
Seeing this, the dancer understood immediately. While marveling at the King of Qin's affection for his queen, she quickly withdrew and closed the door behind her.
Shen Youying nestled against Xue Shen's chest, biting her lip to keep from crying out.
She actually felt a little embarrassed by what she was doing, but Xue Shen was strong and she couldn't break free from his arms at all. If she made a scene here and others heard it, it would be even more embarrassing.
"Why are you crying?"
Xue Shen sighed, lifted her face, and wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb.
Tears welled in Shen Youying's eyes, and the tip of her nose turned red, but she still stubbornly said, "I didn't cry, it's just, it's just..."
After stammering for a while, unable to find a suitable reason, her eyelashes trembled and tears flowed even more fiercely.
Xue Shen had no choice but to continue the conversation and coax her, "I know, Zhao Zhao just got sand in her eyes."
He gently leaned closer and lightly kissed Shen Youying's eyelids, then blew on them: "Now it's alright, don't cry anymore, hmm?"
Shen Youying sniffed and turned her face away from him: "I didn't want to cry."
I don't know why, but suddenly I couldn't hold back my tears.
Xue Shen turned her face back to him, looked into her eyes, and asked, "What did Zhao Zhao think I was doing in the private room?"
Shen Youying pursed her lips and remained silent.
"You saw I brought two dancers in?" Xue Shen asked with a hint of amusement, "Jealous?"
His bluntness stung Shen Youying, and she no longer wanted to cry. Instead, she felt a burning sensation on her cheeks. But Xue Shen held her chin, preventing her from turning her face away, so she could only lower her eyelashes.
But he did not deny it.
Xue Shen picked her up and carried her inside: "Come on, let me show you what I'm doing."
He turned the mechanism and opened the door to the secret room.
Shen Youying looked at the extra room in front of her with a surprised expression.
Xue Shen carried her inside, closed the door, and pinned her against the wall: "My subordinates were reporting to me today, and the dancer was just a cover."
When Shen Youying saw the dark room, she already believed it.
Her face flushed crimson with shame, and she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground. But not only was there no hole for her to hide in, Xue Shen was also holding her face-to-face. Behind her was a solid wall, with nowhere to retreat.
She pursed her lips and whispered, "I understand."
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow: "Anything else?"
"What else?" Shen Youying looked at him blankly, puzzled.
Xue Shen moved closer, his lips brushing against hers, and said, "Zhao Zhao misunderstood me for no reason. Don't you need to make amends?"
Feeling threatened, Shen Youying leaned back in a panic, her back pressed against the cold wall, weakly bracing against his chest, and stammered, "I'll make it up to you when we get back..."
Xue Shen refused to let go of her, licked her lips, and gently rubbed his straight nose against her neck. Finally, he said, "It's not very interesting to stay at home all the time. Let's try it outside today."
His voice was low and hoarse, like some kind of rough sandpaper rubbing against skin. Shen Youying shuddered and shook her head, pleading, "No—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xue Shen swallowed his words.
He conquered her lips, his voice muffled as he whispered, "Too late..."
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