Chapter 23 "Whom does the Princess intend to meet?"
==Chapter Twenty-Three: First Signs Emerge==
Desire instantly filled the entire bedchamber. The candlelight flickered, and the woman's fair, snow-white skin gradually flushed red under the man's broad hands. Su Wanyue had not expected things to turn out this way. Was he drunk?
In the instant she lost her focus, Xiao Yu gave her a heavy pinch along that spot, causing Su Wanyue to straighten her back even more, her forehead glistening with sweat, and she could only cling tightly to the man's shoulder.
Her voice was as gentle as a nightingale's song, carrying an indescribable softness, "Your Highness."
"Does Your Highness have anything to say to me?" Xiao Yu asked slowly, his slender fingertips gently caressing her flushed cheeks and her moist almond eyes.
"What does Your Highness want to know?" Su Wanyue keenly sensed that something was wrong with the man. As her mind gradually cleared, she asked somewhat nervously.
At this moment, her eyes held less of their springtime allure and more of a calm composure. Xiao Yu's lips curved slightly, and his voice rose gently, "This prince wants to know how much affection the princess holds for me."
He was really drunk...
Su Wanyue's eyes were clear as she leaned against the man's chest, creating a slight distance between herself and Xiao Yu. "As Your Highness's consort, I will naturally serve you wholeheartedly."
If you listen carefully, you can tell that her answer is perfunctory. She is devoted to him only because of his status as the Princess Consort, not because of him as a person.
Xiao Yu suddenly smiled, slightly closing his eyes. His warm fingertips covered the woman's bright and lively eyes, and his thin lips kissed down her neck. The tingling sensation made Su Wanyue let out a soft moan, and her whole body felt like it was being roasted on a grill.
This feeling lasted for almost half an hour, until Su Wanyue was almost out of breath, and Xiao Yu finally gave her a "pleasure," and the two of them felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
Su Wanyue was burning up, her forehead dripping with sweat, while Xiao Yu's brows held a hint of satisfaction, the intoxication in his eyes almost gone. His slender fingertips caressed her flushed cheeks, his eyes filled with a tenderness and passion he hadn't noticed before.
He darkened his eyes slightly, gripped her waist, and tightened his grip, as if he wanted to crush her in his arms.
It seems we should have someone investigate her relationship with Zhou Heng in Nanqiong, and also Lu Qingchen on the wedding list—is she really not familiar with them at all?
Suddenly, a strong wind picked up outside the window, and the sky darkened quietly, as if a storm was about to break.
Standing outside the hall, Qin'er glanced into the hall from time to time, revealing her worry. Mo Yu and Qing Yi, whose personalities were just like their master's, stood like wooden stakes, staring straight ahead at the scenery in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, in the guest room, the butler had the kitchen prepare a bowl of hangover soup for Zhou Heng. Upon seeing the soup, Zhou Heng picked it up without hesitation and drank it all in one gulp. In a short while, Zhou Heng was completely sober. His throat was a little dry, and when he thought about the "switcheroo," he clenched his fists.
The steward noticed Zhou Heng's unease. "If Lord Zhou has no further instructions, I will take my leave. These two maids can stay and take care of you."
Zhou Heng was well aware of his current situation. He nodded slightly and thanked the butler, who quickly waved his hand, not daring to be presumptuous.
The two maids assigned by the steward to serve Zhou Heng were both of excellent appearance and figure, but their looks were actually inferior to Zhou Heng's. The maids suppressed their shyness and said, "This servant will serve Lord Zhou his bath."
"No need." Zhou Heng picked up a folding fan, feeling irritated, and shook it. "There's something I'd like to ask you about."
The two maids exchanged glances, then finally nodded. "Please speak, Lord Zhou."
Lord Zhou is an envoy from Nanqiong, and is naturally a distinguished guest of the Prince's Palace.
Zhou Heng's first words were: "How does Your Highness treat the Princess Consort?"
The two maids were quite puzzled. Lord Zhou lived in the capital; hadn't he heard the rumors circulating in the streets?
However, when their master asked a question, the servants had to answer. The two maids nodded with smiles and said, "Reporting to Lord Zhou, His Highness and the Princess Consort are a harmonious couple with a very good relationship. Since the first day the Princess Consort married into the family, His Highness has stayed in the Princess Consort's room almost every day."
Just then, a clap of thunder suddenly rang out outside the window, and rain poured down. Zhou Heng glanced out the window. He knew what was going on. Her face was rosy, and she was clearly doing well in the Prince Cheng's residence. Outsiders all said that His Highness Prince Cheng was indifferent and uninterested in women, but he didn't think so. Today, Prince Cheng's gaze was extremely sharp and scrutinizing. As a man, he understood the reason for this.
But their music was harmonious, and the couple was deeply in love...
Zhou Heng waved for the two maids to leave, then walked to the window alone, opened it, and let the raindrops fall on him.
When she was in Nanqiong, she made no attempt to hide her feelings for Lu Qingchen. Whether outside or inside the palace, whenever Lu Qingchen appeared, her eyes would immediately fall on him. Coincidentally, Lu Qingchen was also deeply in love with her. Everyone thought that Princess Zilu of the Nanwang Mansion would marry the second young master of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and even Zhou Heng thought so.
But the truth is that she married into Beili in place of Princess Weiyang. Could it be that she fell in love with the extraordinary Prince Cheng...?
Zhou Heng felt it necessary to communicate with the Crown Prince about whether the real Princess Weiyang was still in the Nanqiong Palace.
***
The next day, before dawn, Xiao Yu left the Zixia Palace, while Su Wanyue slept until the sun was high in the sky. She had a terrible headache, a dry throat, and her body felt sore and weak. She sat up, gently rubbing her chest, pondering his strange behavior the night before.
Everything was fine yesterday morning, so why did everything change by night? If his impulsiveness at the beginning was because he was drunk, then was he also drunk at the hot spring pool later?
Su Wanyue carefully recalled when he started acting strangely. It seemed to have started after Zhou Heng arrived, but Zhou Heng didn't seem to have offended him. Or had he sensed something? If he had, he definitely wouldn't let her off easily.
Qin'er was about to enter the palace to check on her mistress when she saw that Su Wanyue had already sat up. She quickly came over and asked, "Your Highness, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Su Wanyue was completely naked at the moment, her black hair hanging down to her waist. Her back and chest were covered with red marks, and her waist was covered with pink marks. The maids outside had heard the commotion in the bedroom last night, and Qin'er was very worried.
"Go get me a glass of water." Su Wanyue was fine when she didn't speak, but her throat hurt terribly when she did.
Qin'er quickly poured her a cup of hot tea, then helped Su Wanyue take a bath in the hot spring, and then helped her change into a brocade dress with a tassel jade belt around her waist, making her look elegant and refined.
Because she was preoccupied with something, Su Wanyue only ate a few bites of breakfast. Qin'er noticed her absent-mindedness and was about to tell her that His Highness might have been jealous last night when an unfamiliar maid came in and whispered something in Qin'er's ear.
Qin'er's expression changed, and she quickly dismissed the maid. Su Wanyue noticed her unusual expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
"That maid just now said that Lord Zhou wants to see the Princess." Qin'er's face was pale, and she was about to cry. It wasn't for any other reason than that His Highness was jealous last night, and the Princess couldn't go to see Lord Zhou. "Princess, is Lord Zhou out of his mind?"
Su Wanyue certainly didn't want to see Zhou Heng, but Zhou Heng had already recognized her yesterday. If she didn't contact Zhou Heng, what if the truth came out...?
Just as Su Wanyue was about to agree, the palace doors creaked open, and Xiao Yu, dressed in a dark black robe embroidered with gold and with eyelashes as black as raven feathers, appeared before her. "Your Highness, who are you planning to see?"
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