A cool embrace pressed against her from behind, strong arms holding her tightly. Yan Chaoxi struggled but couldn't break free. She turned to face him, glaring at him with slight annoyance, "You're using Yan Huainan's identity to climb through windows. What if word gets out? What if people suspect you?"
Yan Wu said aggrievedly, "Isn't that because you wouldn't open the door? Besides, why should I care about his reputation? What does it matter to me whether his reputation is bad or not?"
Yan Chaoxi, “…” seems to make sense.
She was speechless for a moment, and Yan Wu's hands became restless, kneading and pinching her, unable to put them down. Before long, the person in his arms went limp.
"Don't..." Yan Chaoxi frowned slightly, her fair little hand pressing down on his mischievous big hand, and warned fiercely, "You called for water four times last night, which already made the Crown Princess think something was wrong. If you keep doing this, the Crown Princess will start to think I'm a monster who drains men dry!"
Yan Wu took a breath and compromised, "Then I'll be more discreet tonight. Even if Yan Huainan goes to the backyard, he can't just do nothing, can he? Not calling for water even once will arouse suspicion."
The more Yan Wu talked, the more he felt like the two of them were having an affair...
Knowing she was delicate, Yan Wu coaxed her, "Tonight, it'll only be half of last night. Okay? Your Highness won't refuse me even twice, will she?"
His tone was low and dejected, sounding pitiful to Yan Chaoxi, as if he had already made a huge concession.
Twice?
She hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly accepted. And then… who takes this long for a single act of kindness?!
Surrounded by a strong masculine scent, Yan Chaoxi felt her body go limp, her fair skin flushed pink, completely at his mercy. She whimpered and begged him to stop, but the man wouldn't listen, insisting on forcing her into a passionate encounter.
In the middle of the night, after the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, Yan Wu cleaned her up and then wiped himself down as well. While he went to the bathroom, Yan Chaoxi took a Dragon and Phoenix Pill and swallowed it.
Yan Wu himself was a twin. His parents were clearly emperors and empresses, yet they never thought of defying ancestral rules to keep him alive. They never raised him themselves, nor did they leave him any warmth.
His childhood was not happy. Yan Chaoxi felt that if she had also given birth to twins, Yan Wu might not have been able to treat them equally, and the elder son might have been ignored by him. She did not want her children to be deprived of fatherly love from birth because of their father's psychological trauma.
So she decided to first have twins, a boy and a girl.
After Yan Wu cleaned up and returned, he took the initiative to change the sheets to a new one, since the previous ones were no longer presentable. The two then lay back down on the bed and embraced each other to sleep.
Just before going to sleep, a question suddenly popped into Yan Chaoxi's mind: "Did you bring food to Yan Huainan?"
Yan Wu paused for a moment, "...I had no experience with imprisoning people the first time, so I forgot. It's alright, they won't die from starvation for a day."
...
For the next few days, Yan Wu stayed at Qingfeng Garden every night, and even sent people to move all his clothes and belongings to Qingfeng Garden. He ate and lived with Yan Chaoxi. Except for attending court and going out for necessary reasons, he was inseparable from Yan Chaoxi all the time.
Everyone in the Crown Prince's residence was filled with jealousy. What methods did Yan Chaoxi use to make the philandering prince stay overnight every day?
When the Crown Princess heard that His Highness would only visit Consort Yan from now on, she didn't believe it at first. According to ancestral rules, the Crown Prince was required to stay overnight in his principal wife's quarters at the beginning, end, and middle of each month. Even if His Highness favored Yan Chaoxi, would he really disregard ancestral rules?
As it turned out, this "Crown Prince" really did disregard ancestral rules. During the last two days of the month, the Crown Princess waited all night but no one came, and she cried in frustration.
She couldn't directly vent her dissatisfaction either. The Crown Prince was clearly biased towards Yan Chaoxi, and if she wanted to do something to Yan Chaoxi, the Crown Prince might actually help Yan Chaoxi instead. Heartbroken and angry, the Crown Princess went to the palace to cry to the Empress.
"Mother, you have no idea how outrageous the Crown Prince has been lately! It's one thing to favor that Princess Dongqi, but now he doesn't even come to see me at the end or beginning of the month! He's deliberately disrespecting me, and I don't know how many people in the manor are secretly laughing at me!"
The Empress was already in her early forties, but looked only in her thirties. Her face was gentle, and her expression was indifferent. "Alright, you can't even keep a man's heart, yet you come here to cry and whine. If you could cry to the Crown Prince, wouldn't he feel sorry for you?"
"This time is different, Mother. The Crown Prince has been bewitched by that vixen, and no one else can catch his eye!"
The Empress sighed. After all, she had personally chosen the Crown Princess, so she would help her this once to prevent an outsider from taking advantage of her.
"I understand. You may go back now. I will summon her to the palace to give her a good talking-to."
The next day, Yan Chaoxi was summoned to the palace.
The last time Yan Chaoxi entered the palace was when she first arrived in Daliang. It was at a palace banquet held by the emperor for the envoys from Dongqi and her. At that time, the empress was unwell and did not attend. It was the first time Yan Chaoxi had met the empress.
She also wanted to know what kind of parents would be willing to raise their son as a substitute for their eldest son and ignore him for more than 20 years.
"This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be well."
When the Empress, seated at the head of the table, saw her, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes. Her face alone could be described as beautiful as a flower and the moon, not to mention her figure. She immediately felt that there was a reason why the Crown Prince favored her.
The Empress waved her hand, signaling for someone to offer her a seat.
Do you know why I allowed you to enter the palace?
Yan Chaoxi knew perfectly well that it must be the Crown Princess who came to complain, but she pretended to be ignorant and said, "This concubine knows nothing."
"I've heard that the Crown Prince has been staying in your room lately, neglecting even the Crown Princess. This is the Crown Prince's family matter, and I shouldn't interfere. But if we go too far, it will be bad for everyone's reputation. What do you say?"
Yan Chaoxi blinked slowly. "But... his legs are on the Crown Prince's body, how can I control him?"
The Empress, "..."
Is she genuinely stupid or just pretending?
The Empress sighed, "Alright, I didn't mean to scold you. Here's what we'll do: you stay in the palace for the next few days, talk to me, and copy some scriptures to cultivate your mind and character."
The Empress's words were a notification, not an inquiry, so Yan Chaoxi was detained.
Yan Wu returned home after court and heard that Yan Chaoxi had been summoned to the palace by the Empress and had not returned. He was worried and, without thinking, immediately went to the Empress's Yikun Palace.
Yan Chaoxi was accompanying the Empress in copying scriptures. The Empress copied ten characters, and she copied one character.
She casually asked, "Why did Your Highness copy this scripture?"
The Empress said, "Naturally, this copy is for praying for the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Once you finish copying this, place it on the altar and offer it for forty-nine days. That will be the most effective time."
"When I first arrived, I heard that the Crown Prince had a younger brother when he was born, but unfortunately he died shortly after birth. Did Your Majesty copy any scriptures for him?" Yan Chaoxi casually brought up this rumor in a conversational tone.
Born but stillborn, that was the news released from the palace back then.
The Empress's expression changed, and she slowly said, "More than twenty years have passed. That child must have been reincarnated long ago. No matter how many blessings we offer, it will be useless."
At that moment, a palace servant outside the hall respectfully greeted, "Your Highness, may you be well."
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