Their eyes met, sparks flew, and for a moment, time and space seemed to stand still.
As the autumn wind rises, it blows down ginkgo leaves from the courtyard, some of which accidentally land on the woman's shoulder, but no one notices.
The man's tall figure loomed over the delicate Crown Princess, and the sunlight cast a shadow that completely concealed her.
Tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he was much stronger than the Crown Prince, who had been frail and sickly since childhood. Just by looking at his physique, Liu Lingxi felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.
It felt like being stared at by a wild beast, with an intense, aggressive gaze that made it impossible to look directly at them.
"Father Emperor—"
When Liu Lingxi met Sheng Jin's dark, unfathomable eyes, she felt as if her soul was being sucked away.
She murmured to herself, seemingly frightened and unable to move, only daring to stare blankly.
Meeting the woman's helpless gaze, Sheng Jin immediately gripped her hand even tighter.
It felt like something had gently tickled my heart, so lightly, yet so delightfully.
It felt like drinking honey, or fine wine; the wine didn't intoxicate, but the person was already drunk.
However, the words "Father Emperor" were like an alarm bell, pressing heavily on Sheng Jin's heart.
These two words were a stark reminder of the vast chasm between him and her.
Can--
I really, really want to pin her against the wall and kiss her fiercely, openly and honestly being jealous.
Especially now, looking at those red lips so close to hers and smelling the fragrance of peach blossoms, Sheng Jin's heart was filled with longing.
But he couldn't. Being able to feel her body temperature through the fabric was already the greatest intimacy he could achieve!
Jealousy, bitterness, and anger raged like a fire, constantly burning away his reason.
He almost lost control completely and went insane!
Fortunately, Sheng Jin managed to suppress her irrational emotions thanks to her strong self-control.
He lifted the person up with a forceful movement, spoke softly, his gaze never leaving the woman, still greedily fixed on her.
"You don't need to kneel anymore, you can get up too."
"yes."
Upon hearing the order, Liu Lingxi tried to pull her arm back, but failed.
She looked up at Sheng Jin again, and when she met his burning gaze, a blush flashed across her cheeks. This time, her movements became even more exaggerated.
Fortunately, they succeeded before the crown prince got up.
For some reason, Liu Lingxi felt a rare sense of guilt, and her heart started racing.
Sheng Jin kept a close eye on her, and when he saw the emotions in the woman's eyes, a smile flashed in his own.
At the same time, the large hand behind his back rubbed together, greedily savoring the lingering warmth on his fingertips.
Just then, the Crown Prince's voice snapped Sheng Jin out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you."
The crown prince had just knelt upright when he vaguely saw his father, the emperor, approaching him, but he had no idea what the emperor wanted.
Therefore, he missed the truth that his father had designs on his young crown princess.
When they finally realized it, they were filled with regret and secretly hated themselves for being so stupid, even less intelligent than a pig!
He was overjoyed and still considered himself his father's most beloved son; his happiness was written all over his face.
"Father, I know I was wrong, and I will be more careful in my words and deeds in the future."
"Yes, let's go into the hall."
Sheng Jin didn't even spare a glance for him, but instead noticed Liu Lingxi's overly rosy complexion under the sun.
He thought that the woman's skin was still too delicate; even a light tan caused it to turn red.
If she were with me, I wouldn't bear to let her be exposed to the sun. The Crown Prince is still not as good as me.
Thinking this, Sheng Jin gave the Crown Prince a deep look, then turned and walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
When Crown Prince Sheng Changfeng saw that his father had given his permission, he excitedly took Liu Lingxi's small hand and wanted to lead her into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
However, Liu Lingxi grabbed her hand and gently stopped her.
"Your Highness, it is inappropriate for a woman like me to enter Father Emperor's Hall of Mental Cultivation. Since there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
"No need, let's go in together, I grant your permission."
Before the Crown Prince could reply, Sheng Jin, who was walking ahead, immediately turned around, trying to dispel the Crown Princess's doubts.
"yes."
Liu Lingxi could only nod, and at the same time, the strange feeling in her heart became even more obvious.
She wondered if she was overthinking it, but she always felt that her father seemed to be more lenient and attentive to her.
Could it be... because of His Highness the Crown Prince?
Thinking this, Liu Lingxi turned her gaze to the Crown Prince, who was looking at her tenderly.
"What's wrong?"
The Crown Prince met his Crown Princess's gaze and quickly asked with concern.
He was completely unaware of his father's attention towards his crown princess.
He was completely captivated by the woman beside him, leaving him no time to look outside.
Now, facing the gaze cast by his own Crown Princess, he was even more curious about what was wrong with her.
It can be said that the current crown prince is like a bewitched man, with only his own crown princess in his heart, and he doesn't even care about his father, the emperor.
"But you feel unwell, do you want to rest for a while?"
"No need. Perhaps it's because I didn't have breakfast, but I feel a bit weak."
Liu Lingxi shook her head, suppressing her doubts, and made up an excuse.
Meeting the Crown Prince's concerned and loving gaze, she felt a little more at ease.
She kept thinking that she was overthinking things, and that the Crown Prince valued her so much that her father was only being kind to her because of the Crown Prince.
Thinking this, a gentle smile slowly appeared on her lips, giving her a graceful and dignified appearance.
Neither of the two whispering noticed that the Emperor had stopped walking again and turned to look at Xiao Yezi beside him.
"Go and serve breakfast."
"yes."
Xiao Yezi was immediately shocked. She never expected that the Emperor would show such favor to the Crown Princess.
It was just a single sentence from the Crown Princess, perhaps just an excuse, but the Emperor took it to heart.
If the Emperor didn't have this strange illness, would he still be so restrained?
Little Yezi dared not think any further and hurriedly ran to the imperial kitchen to serve the meal.
Bai Qing, who had been waiting in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation since the end of the court session, observed the Emperor's various courtesies towards the Crown Princess, which far exceeded the level of attention he showed to a junior...
Considering that Xiao Yezi has gradually gained the Emperor's favor recently, it's all related to Chonghua Palace.
An unbelievable thought gradually crossed his mind—
Could it be that the Emperor has truly fallen in love with the Crown Princess?
He originally thought that the emperor valued the crown prince, which was why he paid attention to the crown princess.
Now that the Crown Prince has been punished, the Emperor has exempted him from kneeling as soon as the Crown Princess arrives. Isn't this all because of the Crown Princess?
Bai Qing carefully recalled everything that had happened since yesterday, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.
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