Chapter 255 World Ten (Twenty-Six)
Chu Boyu's voice seemed to freeze with ice as he said coldly, "Why are you so far away?"
Bao Shan raised her beautiful eyes slightly, her crow-feather eyelashes trembling, and she explained timidly, "If your Majesty doesn't like it, I should stay away."
Upon hearing this, Chu Boyu's eyes froze slightly. He shifted slightly, moving closer to the treasured fan. With a single stretch of his long arms, Chu Boyu easily embraced the beauty once again.
Bao Shan raised her eyes tenderly and looked at Chu Boyu, but he avoided her gaze and said in a cold and hard voice: "Whether I like it or not, you should stay by my side and not leave for a moment."
Baoshan naturally responded softly.
Although the precious fan had returned to Chu Boyu's arms, it was unusually docile and obedient. The usual intimacy and closeness were now gone. In the past, the precious fan would nestle in Chu Boyu's arms, wrapping its pale jade arms around his neck, softly telling him, "Today, several flowers are in full bloom in the Zhilan Palace, their beauty and fragrance." Or, as Chu Boyu concentrated on a memorial, the precious fan would lie softly on his knees, its slender fingers skimming the outline of his legs like a dragonfly skimming the water.
Until Chu Boyu's eyebrows twitched, he reluctantly put down the memorial and grabbed the rebellious soft hand in his palm.
Chu Boyu leaned over, bit Baoshan's white and soft earlobe, and warned in a deep voice: "Nonsense."
Since the precious fan was misbehaving, it must suffer severe "punishment" from the emperor.
A few hours later, Chu Boyu had a satisfied look on his face, while Baoshan's eyes were filled with tears and her body was weak and powerless, and she was held in Chu Boyu's arms.
But now, although Baoshan was nestled in Chu Boyu's arms, she refused to make any move that would infringe the law.
I think it was Chu Boyu's harsh scolding just now that frightened Baoshan.
Chu Boyu grasped the delicate hand of the fan and played with it in his palm. He frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What do you think of Prince Gong Chu Shi?"
When she heard these words, all the doubts in Baoshan's heart dissipated, and she finally understood why Chu Boyu was so weird.
Bao Shan could naturally express his feelings immediately, claiming that he had nothing to do with Chu Shi, so that Chu Boyu could put aside his doubts and the two of them reconciled.
But how could love without a sense of crisis make Chu Boyu cherish her more and value her more?
But if the words were too harsh, Chu Boyu would be certain that Baoshan and Chu Shi had an affair.
An ordinary man would be angry and ashamed if he saw his wife having sex with another man, let alone the emperor Chu Boyu.
When the time comes, if the emperor gets angry, it will take a lot of effort for Baoshan to appease him.
Therefore, Baoshan did not answer directly, and his words were full of ambiguity.
"Prince Gong has a gentle temperament. I heard of his reputation when I was a dancer.
Moreover, I was framed by Tang Xiunu, and it was only with the help of Prince Gong that I was able to successfully prove my innocence."
Chu Boyu increased the strength of his palm stroking the waist of the precious fan.
Tang Xiu Nu falsely accused Bao Shan of stealing the jade hairpin, but after Chu Boyu left the court, she learned that the matter had been settled.
But Chu Boyu never thought that Chu Shi was also involved and even helped Baoshan a lot.
Chu Boyu's thick brows furrowed as he thought of the high praise Chu Shi received from the palace. There were even palace maids who, considering the gentle and polite Chu Shi their dream lover, were willing to become his concubines, just to be by his side.
Chu Boyu leaned over, his thin lips almost touching Baoshan's earlobe.
The warm breath fell on Baoshan's fair skin, stirring up a bright red color.
Because of the tingling and numbness on her earlobe, Baoshan's soft body trembled slightly, and she subconsciously shrank into Chu Boyu's arms.
Such a familiar and intimate gesture actually made Chu Boyu's brows slightly raise.
"Prince Gong is not young anymore, and it's time for him to have a wife.
But Prince Gong is ill, and I'm afraid the daughter of a good family would be unwilling to enter his home."
Baoshan raised her porcelain-white face, her watery eyes filled with pure innocence.
As if she hadn't noticed the probing tone in Chu Boyu's words, she softened her voice and said slowly, "Prince Gong is handsome, kind-hearted, and gentle and respectful in his dealings with others.
I heard that many women are interested, not because they can’t find a wife they like…”
After hearing Baoshan's praise for Chu Shi, Chu Boyu's brows relaxed and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
He looked gentle, but only Chu Boyu himself knew that at this moment, there was anger boiling in his heart.
Chu Boyu's words were tinged with a soft laugh. "So, you think Prince Gong is good in every way. He's handsome, kind-hearted... and he's also been a hero saving you. So, if Chu Shi were in good health, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to match him."
Bao Shan's beautiful eyes widened as she looked at Chu Boyu in surprise, her lips slightly parted: "Your Majesty... why do you think so... Even if Prince Gong has a thousand good qualities, as your Majesty's man, I have never had any other thoughts."
But Chu Boyu's mind was in a state of confusion, and his consciousness had already entered a state of confusion.
The words that Empress Dowager Zhong had said emerged in his mind, and the scene of Bao Shan and Chu Shi getting along with each other automatically appeared in front of his eyes.
They are a handsome man and a beautiful woman. One of them sits in a wheelchair with a gentle manner, while the other one has a frail figure, but uses her slender arms to gently push the wheelchair.
If you saw that scene with your own eyes, it would be breathtakingly beautiful.
At that moment, Chu Boyu felt only a rage called jealousy. It burned fervently within his chest, threatening to consume his flesh and bones, leaving only a light, floating ember that still clamored: The fan was his. From the moment it entered the palace, she was destined to be his woman, to share the pleasures of love and devotion day and night, a life of passionate love and affection.
No, on the day the precious fan came into this world, her entire body was branded with the three words "Chu Boyu", engraved into her bones, and could never be erased.
Chu Boyu held the fan tightly on his slender wrist. The delicate touch made him unable to help but rub it with his fingertips, and he was reluctant to let go.
——He didn't have to let go, because the treasured fan was his, completely and completely belonged to him.
Chu Boyu raised his slender arms over his hair and placed the delicate fan against the cold wall.
The soft couch was covered with a thin tulle curtain, which rubbed against the thin lining of Baoshan, making a rustling sound. Baoshan opened its mouth slightly, and just as it called out "Your Majesty", it was swallowed by Chu Boyu, who was radiating heat from all over his body.
Chu Boyu recalled another folk scandal told by the palace maids.
Downstairs in the West City Tower, there lived two brothers. The elder brother married a beautiful woman and cherished her dearly. However, due to his frail health, he was unable to fully enjoy the marriage. Three years after the marriage, the woman remained childless. The younger brother, being tall and skilled in sweet talk, quickly won the woman's affections.
The two were close all day long. Although his brother hated and resented her, he knew that he was incompetent, so he could only swallow his anger and dared not speak out.
Later, when the woman became pregnant, she divorced her brother and married his younger brother.
The poor brother endured humiliation for a long time, lost his beloved wife, and lost his brother. How miserable he is.
A deep laugh escaped his throat, and Chu Boyu practically wanted to embed the treasured fan into his own flesh and blood. The two of them were like two separate jade walls. Now the jade walls were tightly together, simply because they had originally been one.
Chu Boyu thought that he had been weak and cowardly in the past, and was afraid that Baoshan would look down on him.
If it was a treasured fan, then just like the folk rumours, people would despise it for being useless...
Chu Boyu shook his head gently, dispelling the self-denial in his mind. He wanted to prove to Baoshan that he, Chu Boyu, was not a useless and cowardly person.
The silver beads hanging on the gauze curtain collide with each other, making a crisp sound.
Heavy veils concealed the blurry figure.
Baoshan's lips are rosy, with slightly broken corners, and her crystal clear and watery eyes make her look even more pitiful.
If Baoshan knew what Chu Boyu was really thinking, she would surely cry out in pain.
When had she ever disliked Chu Boyu? Whether Chu Boyu was gentle or not, didn't he have any sense of propriety?
Every time the precious fan melted into water, I had no strength left in my body.
Even so, Chu Boyu still had doubts that it was not enough. He wanted to show his masculinity, so how could the fragile treasure fan support it?
Moreover, Chu Boyu was holding the treasure fan, but his expression was still cold and hard, as if he was not the one who initiated the kiss, but the treasure fan was deliberately tempting him.
Chu Boyu's tense demeanor at this moment was very much like an emperor being seduced, unwilling but helpless to be favored.
A dull voice sounded: "You are mine. You are not allowed to get close to Chu Shi in the future. Whether Chu Shi is good or bad, it has nothing to do with you and me.
Baoshan, you just need to remember that your husband is me, and my wife is you.
That's enough. Don't have any unnecessary thoughts."
Chu Boyu's words were filled with warning, but when he saw Bao Shan's watery eyes and rosy cheeks, he silently added.
"Besides, Chu Shi has nothing but the empty title of prince. He can't support you..."
Bao Shan glanced at Chu Boyu with resentment, and said softly, "Your Majesty... you are wronging me... How could I have any other thoughts..."
However, Chu Boyu refused to tell Baoshan everything that Empress Dowager Zhong had said.
As for the fact that he strangled a talkative eunuch to death in a fit of rage, Chu Boyu didn't want Baoshan to know about it.
Therefore, Chu Boyu could only use other methods to divert the attention of the treasure fan.
For example, the overlapping silver beads swaying on the gauze curtain.
When Baoshan woke up, he saw Yinhua's concerned gaze.
It’s no wonder that Yinhua missed the treasure fan. After all, when Chu Boyu came last night, it was almost two o’clock in the morning.
The candlelight in Zhilan Hall had gone out by the third watch. But the commotion inside the hall showed no sign of stopping. Yinhua was waiting outside the hall, intending to keep watch, but looking at the pitch-black night, she fell into a deep sleep.
Only when she heard the sound of water did Yinhua open her eyes. However, what she saw was not pitch black, but the slowly rising red sun.
When Yinhua was wiping the precious fan, the other palace maids blushed and dared not look closely.
Yinhua touched the mottled marks and felt heartbroken.
Especially the red marks on Baoshan's slender wrist, which looked even more horrifying against her skin as white as mutton fat jade.
Yinhua rubbed it gently, but the red mark did not disappear at all.
Instead, it caused Baoshan, who was in her sleep, to call out softly.
"it hurts……"
What made Yinhua even more heartbroken was Chu Boyu's attitude when he left.
Chu Boyu's eyes and brows were cold, completely different from his previous gentle look.
Chu Boyu only looked at the marks on the precious fan for a moment and then walked away.
Not even a word of care and comfort was left.
Although the eunuch serving Chu Boyu brought a tray full of ointment for relieving blood stasis and swelling soon after, it did not make Yinhua feel much better.
Seeing that Baoshan felt sore and whimpering softly, Yinhua took out a soft gold-thread pillow and placed it under Baoshan's waist.
Baoshan held Yinhua's hand and said in a soft voice, "Yinhua, I'm so thirsty."
Yinhua thought, how could she not be thirsty? She had been calling out intermittently all night long...
Yinhua hurriedly ordered the palace maid to bring tea and put it to Baoshan's lips.
Baoshan took small sips of the liquid until her lips were moist. She looked up at Yinhua and spoke hesitantly, "Yinhua, did someone make you angry? Why are your eyebrows wrinkled?"
Yinhua said angrily, "Your Majesty...it's nothing, just some small matters, you don't need to worry about it."
Yinhua wondered how devastated Baoshan would be if she knew Chu Boyu was so ruthless. So, she decided not to say anything.
Baoshan nodded softly and was easily fooled by Yinhua.
The chief eunuch stood in Prince Gong's mansion and stood quietly aside after reading the imperial edict.
Chu Shi was wearing casual clothes. Since he was in his own palace, he dressed casually and had a calm expression.
After hearing the decree, Chu Shi spoke softly and asked the eunuch to wait for a moment while he went to change his clothes.
After Chu Shi left, the guards of Prince Gong's Mansion invited the eunuch to sit down and served him tea.
The eunuch accepted it respectfully. He gently lifted the lid of the teapot and fiddled with the tea leaves floating in the water, but he had no intention of tasting the tea.
The eunuch looked around. Although it was called the palace, this palace—
Not compared with the mansions of other princes, even compared with those of third-rank officials in the capital, it seems a bit shabby.
Although Chu Shi was a prince, he had no fiefdom and could only live on the money given by the court. Empress Dowager Zhong naturally would not grant Chu Shi a royal mansion.
Chu Shi tried his best to buy such a house and hired a few maids and servants to serve in the palace.
It was not until Chu Shi changed his clothes that the eunuch put the untouched tea back on the table.
On the way to the palace, the wheelchair made a rumbling sound. Chu Shi's eyebrows were indifferent, and he only said, "Why did Your Majesty summon me to the palace?"
It was because since Chu Boyu returned to the palace, he had never summoned Chu Shi.
Chu Boyu never made things difficult for Chu Shi, nor did he take special care of him. He just ignored Chu Shi.
Today's summons is the first time.
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