Xue Shen observed her expression and saw that she still looked like she didn't believe him. He said helplessly, "I frequented brothels and later opened this Red Brothel. Although I didn't have a wife to try it with me, I know what I need to know, and I know more than others."
He took Shen Youying's hand and placed it on his body, saying with a mixture of helplessness and pride, "As for being better than others in this aspect, that's just a natural talent."
Shen Youying was burned and quickly withdrew her hand. She didn't know if she believed it in her heart, but she certainly didn't dare to disbelieve it aloud. She mumbled "I...I understand."
Seeing that there were no more tears in her eyes, but instead her face was turned to the side, her delicate cheeks flushed, Xue Shen's eyes deepened. He deliberately lowered his voice and whispered in her ear, "It's a pity we got married too late. In the past, when I was in pain, I could only endure it or use my hands."
As he spoke, he scanned Shen Youying with a blatant gaze, his lips lightly brushing against her flushed neck, saying, "Zhao Zhao made me endure for so many years, how will you make it up to me?"
Shen Youying's ears were tickled by his breath, and she involuntarily shrank her shoulders. Shocked by his distorted words, she turned to glare at him, almost incoherent: "We didn't know each other back then, what does this have to do with me?!"
Why should she be asked to compensate?
Thinking of the compensation Xue Shen demanded last night, her legs went weak again, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Xue Shenyou liked her appearance very much; she was like a soft, sweet osmanthus cake, white and tender, fragrant and tempting to taste.
Thinking this, he grabbed her wrist, held her tightly in his arms, and kissed her deeply.
The wheelchair made things a little inconvenient, so Shen Youying sat sideways in his lap, her legs bent and resting on the armrests. He held her waist and pressed her down, kissing her so hard she could barely breathe.
She tried to push against the man's chest, but her weak arms had no strength at all. She made muffled pleas for mercy, which only aroused the man's predatory desire.
After a long while, Xue Shen reluctantly released her, wiped the moisture from the corner of her lips with his thumb, brought it to his lips and tasted it lightly, sighing, "So sweet."
Shen Youying's lips ached from his kisses. She gave him a weak, reproachful look, as if afraid he would want to continue. She gave him a soft push and said, "I haven't had lunch yet. I'm hungry."
Xue Shen supported her back and helped her sit up. He saw that her long hair, which had been loosely tied up, had come loose and her black hair was scattered messily behind her, which made her small, delicate face even more exquisite and beautiful, with unparalleled beauty.
Xue Shen stroked her long hair. His gaze swept around, and he picked up the long hairpin that had fallen into the snow. He wiped it clean with a handkerchief and then re-tied her hair.
Shen Youying turned her head and let him do as he pleased, completely unaware that a few charming red plum blossoms were imprinted on the small section of her snow-white nape that was exposed.
After Xue Shen finished tying up her long hair, Shen Youying stood up and touched it with her hand, asking with some concern, "Is there anything wrong?"
She was quite worried about Xue Shen's hair-tying skills.
"Don't worry, no one will see."
Xue Shen stared intently at her, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear.
Whether it's because Shen Youying has grown up more in the past year or because she's been too pampered lately, the childishness in her eyes has completely disappeared. The once bright and beautiful girl has transformed into a woman whose every smile and gesture exudes charm and allure.
Even Xue Shen, who sees her every day, would sometimes be momentarily lost in thought when he looked at her.
However, she was completely unaware of this, her long hair loosely tied back, unconsciously revealing a seductive charm.
Xue Shen sighed, took her hand and said, "Let's go. Lunch has been prepared a long time ago. After we eat, we'll go back to the manor."
Shen Youying blushed under his direct gaze, gave a soft "hmm," and was led by him to the hall.
*
After lunch, the two took a carriage back to their residence.
On the way back, Xue Shen explained the situation in the backyard of the Prince's mansion to her again: "Consort Xiao, Lady Wen, and Lady He are all my people. The remaining concubines were bestowed by the Emperor and the Empress, offered by others, and some were brought in to cover up the truth. The sources are too varied for me to go into detail about. I specially arranged for Lady Xiao and the other two to be placed in the backyard to keep an eye on the remaining concubines and prevent any trouble. Lady Xiao was originally someone who served my mother, and later she was transferred to serve me. She knows relatively more things, so before I married, I put her in charge of the household affairs of the Prince's mansion."
Shen Youying listened attentively, taking it all to heart. When she heard him mention Consort Xiao in a completely emotionless tone, she couldn't help but recall what Consort Xiao and the other two had said when they came to find her last time, and a strange feeling immediately arose in her heart.
"The maids that the mistress usually assigns to the young master are for his early education..."
Now that the topic has come up, she has no doubts about Xue Shen, but she is somewhat puzzled by Xiao Xueying's previous behavior.
"That's usually how it is, but my mother wasn't like that. It was only because she saw that I was surrounded by eunuchs and guards that she was afraid they wouldn't be attentive enough, so she assigned Xiao to the East Palace to take care of my daily life. Over the years, she has been loyal and has done nothing wrong, so I have kept her by my side."
Shen Youying felt increasingly strange, but thinking of Xue Shen's much gentler expression when he mentioned the late empress, she did not speak rashly.
Although Xue Shen had no romantic feelings for Xiao Xueying, after so many years of following her and being someone left behind by the late Empress, the bond between master and servant must have been deep. She was unwilling to let Xue Shen send away his useful subordinates because of some uncertain speculations, as that would seem petty.
Shen Youying thought she should observe for a while longer.
Seeing that she remained silent, Xue Shen misunderstood and said, "For now, I can only ask you to make do. Once everything becomes clear, I will arrange new places for the people in the back courtyard."
Shen Youying glared at him and said, "I'm not thinking about that. Given your bad reputation, those women who were sent here might not have been there willingly. The Prince's mansion is so big that you might not even run into them once a month. It's just feeding a few more mouths. I have no reason to be jealous."
Xue Shen suppressed a laugh and pinched her waist, echoing, "Yes, that's right, our Zhaozhao never gets jealous."
Shen Youying realized he was teasing Fanlou, and blushed with embarrassment, giving him a glare.
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