Chapter 70 His Highness showed off his affection for her in public!
"Okay!" he replied, his voice becoming even deeper and more magnetic with emotion.
The next moment.
He bent down and picked her up in his arms.
The young girl before me had slightly disheveled hair, dreamy eyes, and a blush on her cheeks; she was breathtakingly beautiful.
He stretched out his slender fingers and, with boundless affection, gently stroked Qian Yueqiu's cheek.
Then he bent down and directly seized those alluring lips.
His kisses began to slowly move downwards, patiently covering her entire body...
The ties of Qian Yueqiu's nightgown had been undone at some point and slipped off her shoulder.
Xie Jingxing moved very slowly.
He wanted to completely captivate Qian Yueqiu and make her remember this moment.
But the little girl's reaction was much more enthusiastic and eager than he had expected.
His slow, deliberate kisses.
For Qian Yueqiu, it became a sweet torment.
Her hands, no longer resting obediently at her sides, ran through his thick hair, gently tugging with a hint of anxious force: "Ah Xing... stop torturing me... hurry up...!"
The way he called out "Ah Xing" was soft and sweet.
Um!
It sounds even better than when she calls him "husband".
Qian Yueqiu had never called him in such an intimate and urgent tone before.
He looked up and met her shimmering, watery eyes…
Xie Jingxing felt that all his reason and restraint had crumbled at this moment.
The bed curtains swayed, and the two people's hair became entangled!
The Qian family mansion.
Qian Yueshu was taking a nap in the courtyard when someone came to deliver a message: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is waiting for you at Mingyue Tower."
Mingyue Tower.
Qian Yueshu originally thought that the Crown Prince wanted to experience the charm of the window with her again at Mingyue Tower.
She deliberately wore a rather alluring halter top under her proper skirt...
After all, he's been acting incredibly boldly lately.
What carriage and meadow...
He not only tried them all, but he also enjoyed them immensely!
She never expected to find such a scene when she arrived at the private room of Mingyue Tower.
It wasn't just Xiao Qingxuan, but also his entire staff.
Is the Crown Prince going to introduce her to all his friends?
Qian Yueshu recognized most of those people.
Or rather...
She had seen them from afar in the Eastern Palace, sometimes hurrying along, sometimes deep in thought.
They are the shadows of Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan.
He was his strategist.
It was his arm.
That was the source of his confidence in vying for the supreme position.
Is the Crown Prince going to introduce her to all his friends?
Qian Yueshu's heart melted instantly.
Previously, only Liu Yu was able to witness such scenes.
She was merely a parasitic plant he kept in the Eastern Palace; all she needed to do was please him.
At that time, he had to maintain face for Liu Yu, his legal wife, in all formal occasions.
Liu Yu was allowed to participate in all these important discussions with his advisors, since at that time Prime Minister Liu was one of the Crown Prince's two major supporters.
But now it's her turn...
The gazes of the staff, whether overt or covert, scrutinized or probing, sometimes carried a barely perceptible hint of contempt.
Qian Yueshu could feel those gazes scrutinizing her appearance, her clothes, and her overall demeanor.
What are they thinking?
A beautiful woman is a source of trouble?
Charming Lord?
I still feel that she only deserves to be a favored concubine and should not appear on such a solemn occasion.
She dared not think too deeply about it.
Since His Highness the Crown Prince is paving the way for her to become the Crown Princess, she must seize this opportunity.
Xiao Qingxuan sat in the main seat, his posture relaxed yet dignified.
When he saw Qian Yueshu coming over, he immediately beckoned her to sit next to him.
Qian Yueshu sat down as instructed, her back ramrod straight.
The staff began to report on the matter.
The drawbacks of the Grand Canal, border conflicts, the Ministry of Personnel's performance evaluations, the movements of certain officials...
Unfamiliar terms and complex events unfolded around her like a vast, invisible net.
She could understand each word individually, but she couldn't comprehend how they were put together.
Qian Yueshu could only keep drinking water to cover up her embarrassment.
Xiao Qingxuan would occasionally interject, his voice steady and his decisions decisive.
Sometimes he would turn his head and glance at her, his eyes seeming to soothe her, yet also carrying some kind of expectation she couldn't understand.
What is he expecting?
Do you expect her to fit in?
Tai quickly finished discussing business with his advisors and followers.
His Highness the Crown Prince proudly boasted to them, "Today I'm treating you to a good meal."
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
Zhou Wenyuan paused slightly as he stroked his beard, and a hint of surprise flashed across Zhao Qing's resolute face.
This was certainly not something their familiar Crown Prince would say.
The main problem is that His Highness the Crown Prince is simply too poor!
Normally.
Unless it was in the Eastern Palace, all expenses were covered by the palace.
If it's outside.
Even if the meeting went on until late at night, His Highness would at most order someone to prepare some simple late-night snacks, or simply have everyone go back to their residences for a meal.
It's unprecedented for someone to proactively suggest "having a good meal."
After a brief silence.
A young man sitting to Xiao Qingxuan's lower left broke the silence first.
The boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with handsome features, bright and sparkling peach blossom eyes, and a naturally upturned mouth, carrying a touch of carefree nonchalance.
He was none other than Lin Shaoyao, the eldest grandson of the late Duke Lin and the cousin of Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan!
Because of this blood relationship, and the fact that they grew up together, he was always the most casual in front of the Crown Prince.
Lin Shaoyao practically leaped off his chair, shoved his way to Xiao Qingxuan, widened his eyes, and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "My dear cousin, did the sun rise in the west today? Or have you struck it rich?"
He made faces and winks as he spoke, his teasing tone undisguised.
Xiao Qingxuan wasn't annoyed by his cousin's teasing; instead, his smugness deepened: "Get rich? Not at all."
Then.
Xiao Qingxuan paused, his gaze seemingly lingering on Qian Yueshu's face for a moment, with an indescribable intimacy and trust, and a boastful tone, and said, "But I have someone to take care of me."
"Is someone taking care of it?"
Lin Shaoyao repeated it aloud, his eyes widening even more as his gaze darted back and forth between Xiao Qingxuan and Qian Yueshu, before suddenly realizing what had happened.
He slapped his thigh suddenly, "Oh—! I get it now, this Mingyue Pavilion belongs to Miss Qian Er!"
He darted to Qian Yueshu, his face beaming with a smile that was almost obsequious: "Miss Qian! From now on, I... can benefit from His Highness's favor and enjoy the finest food and drink at Mingyue Tower?"
His eagerness was like that of someone who had been starving for three days and suddenly saw a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
It's not entirely fair to blame Lin Shaoyao for losing his composure.
He comes from a noble family, which sounds prestigious.
However, my grandfather, the Duke Lin, commanded a border defense army of 300,000 men. The military pay allocated by the imperial court was often insufficient. In order to stabilize the morale of the army, the Lin family secretly contributed a considerable amount of their family property.
Therefore, Lin Shaoyao, this young master, was far more strapped for cash than outsiders imagined.
He usually socialized with the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families) in the capital, always "eating and drinking for free".
Getting him to offer to treat everyone is harder than climbing to heaven.
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