Chapter 13, "Who is the Second Brother?"...
Chapter Thirteen: Care ==
The candlelight in the boudoir was so dim that she couldn't see the other person's face clearly, only their eyes, like those of a leopard, as black as obsidian, as if they wanted to devour her alive.
Su Wanyue swallowed back what she wanted to say, and said in a gentle voice, "I just felt that Your Highness had worked hard and wanted to help you in another way."
Su Wanyue didn't know much about matters between men and women, but she had at least read storybooks and knew a little bit. It seemed that this was the only reason she could use to fool people right now.
Xiao Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, and the beast trapped within his body awakened in an instant, but his voice remained calm and unwavering, "No need, I am fine."
Su Wanyue had only said it casually, but seeing that he seemed unwilling to talk to her, she didn't want to make him dislike her, so she chose to close her eyes.
Neither of the couple slept well tonight. Xiao Yu got up at four in the morning to drink a cup of tea, while Su Wanyue had a dream. In the dream, she returned to the Southern Prince's Mansion. There were many people in the dream, including her father, Princess Weiyang, and... that person. Her brows furrowed uncontrollably.
Xiao Yu had exceptional hearing, and upon hearing her murmur "Second Brother," he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze, as deep as a still pool, falling upon the woman beside him.
Perhaps it was because of that gaze, but even though the woman was sleeping restlessly, she didn't murmur a sound.
At dawn, Xiao Yu went to court. Tonight, Qin'er and Chunzhi were on duty at Zixia Palace. As soon as their master came out, Qin'er and Chunzhi stopped dozing off and curtsied to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu was elegant and refined, with a tall and slender figure. He placed his hands behind his back and asked casually, "The Princess Consort has a very good relationship with her brother in Nanqiong."
This question was clearly directed at Qin'er, the maid Su Wanyue had brought from Nanqiong.
"What brother does their princess have?" Qin'er asked, looking puzzled. But in a flash, she realized who His Highness was asking about. It was Princess Weiyang's own brother, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiang. Qin'er's drowsiness vanished instantly, and she smiled and said, "In Nanqiong, the Princess Consort is His Majesty and the Empress's youngest daughter. It's no wonder that the two princes dote on her. So the Princess Consort has a very good relationship with the two princes."
That's true. The people closest to Princess Weiyang, besides King Nanqiong and the Empress, were her two brothers and her cousin, Princess Zilu.
Even if His Highness Prince Cheng suspects something, he won't find anything by sending people to investigate.
Xiao Yu nodded slightly, as if it were just a casual question.
Qin'er was still a little uneasy. Why was His Highness asking Princess Weiyang's two brothers for no reason?
The dream she had that night left Su Wanyue with unfocused pupils and a confused mind when she woke up. She momentarily forgot where she was. She closed her eyes and calmed herself for a while before calling someone in.
"princess."
Fearing something might be wrong, Qin'er had already sent Chuntang to the kitchen to get breakfast. After she came in, she quickly closed the door.
Seeing that her expression was very strange, Su Wanyue asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin'er whispered to Su Wanyue about Xiao Yu's question about Princess Weiyang's two brothers. She really felt something was wrong. Su Wanyue felt a chill in her heart and clenched her fingers. Could it be that she had said something unintentionally last night?
Su Wanyue couldn't quite recall, only remembering that she dreamt last night that she returned to the Southern Prince's Mansion and saw her father. She had married into Beili in place of her cousin, and the Empress was worried about complications, so she hadn't even let her see her father. She didn't know how her father was doing now.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it." Seeing that Su Wanyue's complexion wasn't good, Qin'er didn't dare to say more, only asking, "Is Your Highness feeling unwell anywhere? Should we call a doctor?"
The princess has a cold constitution. In the past, when she was in the Prince's mansion, she would be in so much pain during her period that she couldn't get out of bed. Qin'er was worried that something was wrong with her body.
Su Wanyue shook her head, suppressing the emotions welling up inside her. She thought that there would always be a chance to meet again in the future.
I just don't know if he noticed anything.
In the morning, the Crown Princess sent many gifts to Prince Cheng's residence, including precious Shu brocade and a lot of rare spices, all things that young ladies would like.
The visitor spoke earnestly, saying that Princess Zhaoning had been confused yesterday and did not know her own identity, which was why she was disrespectful to Princess Cheng. She hoped that Princess Cheng would not hold it against her.
After the Crown Princess's maid left, Chunzhi couldn't help but mutter to herself, "The Crown Princess comes from a military family and is meticulous in her actions. How come Princess Zhaoning hasn't learned even a fraction of what the Crown Princess does?"
"Back then, the General Who Protects the Nation and his son died on the battlefield, and the General's wife committed suicide afterward. The huge General's Mansion was still supported by the Crown Princess alone. Princess Zhaoning relied on the Crown Princess and the royal family for protection, so naturally she was more spoiled and arrogant." Xia Tang chimed in from the side.
To be honest, the root cause is that Princess Zhaoning is in love with their prince, which is why she doesn't like their princess consort.
Counting the time, Su Wanyue has been in Beili for more than two months. She has a clear understanding of the current situation in Beili and the struggle among the princes. The most intense struggle among the princes is between her nominal "husband" and the crown prince. The eighth prince was reprimanded in court last time. As for the seventh prince, Su Wanyue has neither seen him nor heard much about him since she arrived.
"Your Highness, you may not know this, but His Highness the Seventh Prince was ordered by His Majesty to go to Qingzhou several months ago to defend against the bandits from the north. Last month, His Highness the Seventh Prince was ambushed in Qingzhou and was seriously injured. His Majesty summoned His Highness the Seventh Prince back to the capital. His Highness the Seventh Prince submitted a memorial stating that the people of Qingzhou would not have peace until the bandits in the north were eliminated. He said he would return to the capital after he had cleared out the bandits in Qingzhou."
The Emperor was overjoyed upon seeing the memorial, declaring that he would reward the Seventh Prince according to his merits upon his return to the capital. Therefore, the Seventh Prince would not be the same Seventh Prince he was today upon his return.
Su Wanyue chatted with Chuntang and the others in a daze, but she was exhausted and soon got tired. Qin'er helped her back to her room to rest. When she woke up again, it was already evening. Su Wanyue's mouth was dry, and she licked her delicate lips.
Xiao Yu, who was reading a book inside the room, spoke up, "The Princess Consort is awake."
"Why did Your Highness come here?" Su Wanyue thought to herself, wondering if it was done without anyone noticing.
"I heard that the princess slept all day, so I came over. How is the princess feeling now?" The man casually tossed the book aside, glanced at her, and walked towards her.
In the morning, Su Wanyue felt tired and weak all over, but after a nap, her lower abdomen was no longer so painful. On the contrary, she felt refreshed and energetic. The woman smiled slightly and said, "I am no longer in pain."
Xiao Yu remained noncommittal.
"If you feel unwell, just say so."
It was dusk, and the light outside was dim, which made the room dark as well. It was rare for the couple to be talking so tenderly. Su Wanyue looked up at Xiao Yu and saw that his brows were slightly furrowed. She asked, "Is something troubling you, Your Highness?"
Xiao Yu glanced at her, "There's just one thing I don't understand."
Perhaps because the atmosphere inside was just right, Su Wanyue followed his lead and asked, "What is it?"
"If you catch a criminal who clearly hates you to the core, yet tries to curry favor with you, why does Your Highness think this is?"
He was troubled by matters concerning the court.
Su Wanyue subconsciously wanted to answer, "Then the prisoner must have something to gain," but for a moment, she suddenly felt that the "prisoner" the man was talking about was her. This thought was absurd and inappropriate, but she was very flustered. Su Wanyue coughed lightly and said, "I don't quite understand either. Perhaps the prisoner had no other choice."
Xiao Yu pondered the last few words repeatedly, and commented lightly, "The princess is kind-hearted."
Because of his fickle attitude, Su Wanyue dared not respond to him, and the atmosphere turned cold. Xiao Yu, on the other hand, remained calm and ordered the meal.
He ate slowly and deliberately. Su Wanyue hadn't eaten lunch, but she had a great appetite for dinner and even had an extra bowl of bird's nest soup.
Xiao Yu suddenly spoke up: "Let's use this chef from now on."
"Yes, Your Highness." The maidservant beside her curtsied and explained to Su Wanyue, "Your Highness, today's cook was sent by the Duke of Zhou's mansion. She is said to be a famous cook in Jiangzhou City."
Unexpectedly, there was another reason behind it, and Su Wanyue nodded gently.
Seven days later, Xie Cheng and the others were discussing matters in the study when Xiao Yu, unusually absent-minded, noticed something amiss and asked, "What is Your Highness thinking about?"
Xiao Yu toyed with the teacup in his hand, appearing nonchalant. "It's nothing."
Xie Cheng and the others left at 5 PM. Xiao Yu handled some official business in the study and then came to the main room.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and the stars twinkle.
The pink gauze curtains obscured the candlelight, but couldn't hide the alluring spring scenery. Xiao Yu was inherently strong, yet gentle enough in bed. But for some reason, his strength was unusually fierce tonight. Su Wanyue's slender figure was completely enveloped by him. The man's hot breath sprayed on her neck, and Su Wanyue's jade shoulders turned a deep pink. She shrank back slightly.
This scene caused Xiao Yu's Adam's apple to bob violently, and the veins on his arm holding her were faintly visible. He covered the woman's watery eyes with his hand, and the force and movement became even stronger.
He wasn't particularly interested in women, and he did go a bit overboard tonight, but she was his wife, so what could he do about it?
He changed his position while holding Su Wanyue. Sweat dripped from Su Wanyue's forehead, her cheeks flushed, and she couldn't help but moan.
That night, Zixia Palace called for water four times, but the maids kept their heads down, pretending not to know anything.
===
In mid-June, the capital city gradually became hot, especially at noon. Under the blazing sun, even standing outside for a short while would make one's cheeks burn and cause one to sweat profusely.
Su Wanyue didn't leave the house for half a month, only practicing calligraphy and calming her mind at home. On this day, the steward came in with a smile, "Your Highness, Zhang Mama, who serves the Imperial Concubine, has arrived."
Su Wanyue was taken aback. Apart from going to the palace to pay her respects to the Imperial Concubine at the beginning of each month as required by custom, she rarely had any contact with the Imperial Concubine on ordinary days. The Imperial Concubine suddenly sent someone over, and Su Wanyue was worried that something was wrong. "Please invite the nanny in."
Zhang Mama entered with a beaming smile and an extremely kind expression. "Your Highness, I am here on the orders of the Imperial Concubine. His Majesty has granted permission for the Imperial Concubine to return to Min Temple to offer incense in three days. The Imperial Concubine wishes for Your Highness to accompany Miss Qin."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
