Chapter 14 "Brother, you didn't say all this because you heard it from me..."
After the banquet, Pei Xuanlin was a little drunk. Xue Wenmian asked Ling Zhenli to take him to Ling Zhenli's old boudoir to rest, and Ling Zhenli nodded in agreement.
Originally, six palace maids were supposed to accompany and take care of the drunken Pei Xuanlin, along with two maids from the Prime Minister's residence to lead the way. However, Pei Xuanlin dismissed them all and only allowed Ling Zhenli to lead him to her boudoir.
As they passed through the moon gate, Ling Zhenli, who was supporting Pei Xuanlin, didn't watch where she was going, tripped, and fell into Pei Xuanlin's arms.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Pei Xuanlin held her tightly, his voice slightly drunk as he teased, "My dear consort, this is the Prime Minister's residence, not the Eastern Palace. Be careful that your father-in-law and the others don't see us and say that we're being improper in broad daylight."
"Your Highness, it was an accident," Ling Zhenli said angrily.
"I know, I just wanted to tease you. Look, you're still angry." Pei Xuanlin gently pinched Ling Zhenli's cheek and coaxed her.
"I'm not angry." Ling Zhenli said this, but her face still showed displeasure.
Pei Xuanlin took the opportunity to put his arm around her waist: "Come on, come on, to your boudoir, to your boudoir. I can't wait to see where you used to live."
The warmth of her palm seeped through the light gauze and onto her skin. Ling Zhenli looked up at him and found that there was no trace of drunkenness in the man's eyes; he was clearly sober.
The expectation in his eyes didn't seem fake; he genuinely cared about the place where she used to live.
Unfortunately, we came to the wrong place. If we want to see the place where Ling Zhenli actually lived when she was a child, we have to go to the official residence that was sealed off.
The Prime Minister's boudoir remains exactly as it was before Ling Zhenli's marriage, clean and tidy, and is maintained daily by someone who takes good care of it.
Pei Xuanlin closed the door behind him, his gaze sweeping over the desk by the window before shifting to the large bed, which was clearly a young woman's bed—soft, comfortable, and fragrant.
Ling Zhenli removed her outer garment, standing before the dressing table in only an apricot-colored bodice.
The bronze mirror reflected her slender waist and the tall figure of the man behind her.
"My lord, am I beautiful?"
As she spoke, she pulled out the gold hairpin, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
What man could resist such teasing from his newlywed wife? Pei Xuanlin was overcome with desire and grabbed the back of her neck, pressing her against the mirror. His movements were rough yet careful to protect her from injury. He leaned down to bite her ear, his hot breath burning her earlobe.
"My wife is extremely beautiful."
Just as Pei Xuanlin thought Ling Zhenli was about to passively endure it, she turned around and ripped open the jade belt around his waist, the buckle smashing to the ground and breaking in two.
The sound seemed to be a command, and Pei Xuanlin suddenly began to tear at her clothes...
The crabapple tree outside the window swayed gently.
Ling Zhenli knew Xue Haoting's intentions today. He wanted Ling Zhenli to wait for him in her boudoir so they could enjoy themselves in this bedroom. Unfortunately, his plan was about to fall through.
Thinking of this, Ling Zhenli's lips curled up, and she thought of an even more ingenious method.
She softened her body and let out a sweet, soft moan: "My lord, please love me more..."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanlin grabbed her waist and threw her onto the bed, causing the brocade quilt to ripple like waves.
He ripped open his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, and bent down to please Ling Zhenli, who deliberately raised her voice:
"My lord, please spare me! How can you do this..."
"My beloved concubine seems to be in a very good mood today."
"I have always admired you. I wonder how many secrets I have kept hidden in this secluded room..."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Xuanlin entered, causing her to dig her fingertips into his back in pain.
His movements were as fierce as a beast. Ling Zhenli bit her lip and shook her head. He grabbed her chin and forced her to open her mouth, letting out broken moans.
Pei Xuanlin flipped her over, his knees pushing her apart, deeper still. Ling Zhenli's forehead pressed against the bedpost, she closed her eyes, and succumbed to Pei Xuanlin's embrace.
...
When the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, dusk had already soaked through the window screen.
Pei Xuanlin sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a robe, and was wiping the scratches on his waist with a handkerchief.
Ling Zhenli, her hair loose, leaned against the pillow and lazily reached out to touch the wound on his back that she had scratched.
"Your Highness, does it hurt?"
Pei Xuanlin grasped her wrist and smiled, "It's alright. It's rare for my beloved consort to be in such high spirits today, so I will certainly accompany her even at the cost of my life."
Ling Zhenli withdrew her hand, pouted, and then slowly and carefully tied the ties of her bodice: "Is Your Highness hungry? Would you like some dinner?"
"Would you like to stay at the Prime Minister's residence, or return to the Eastern Palace for dinner?"
Ling Zhenli felt lazy, went over and hugged his waist, rested her head on his waist, and whispered, "I only want to be with you, I don't want anyone else."
"If your father-in-law and brother-in-law heard this, they would probably blame me for leading you astray," Pei Xuanlin said gently, flicking Ling Zhenli's nose.
Pei Xuanlin had always been superficially considerate towards Ling Zhenli, but inwardly lukewarm. On a rare occasion, they were intimately close in private.
"No way."
"My lady, rest here for a while. I'll go and pay my respects to my father-in-law. I'll come back to pick you up later, and we'll go back to the East Palace for dinner."
"good."
Ling Zhenli smiled as she watched Pei Xuanlin leave. He kept turning back to look at her, reluctant to part. Such was the affection between husband and wife.
Not long after Pei Xuanlin left, Xue Haoting came in.
It looks like they've been waiting outside the whole time.
At this moment, Ling Zhenli was only wearing a light blue bodice, covered with a thin quilt, and resting on the bed. She was not surprised to see Xue Haoting enter the room.
"debauchery."
The first thing they said was insults, and Ling Zhenli frowned in annoyance.
"You're engaging in lewd acts in broad daylight, right here in my sister's boudoir, Ling Zhenli. Are you doing this to disgust me?"
"Brother, are you crazy? I'm your sister, why would I want to disgust you?" Ling Zhenli sneered, still not opening her eyes. She didn't want to see Xue Haoting.
"Get up!"
Xue Haoting yanked off her blanket, and Ling Zhenli's body, covered only by a bodice, was immediately exposed to his view. She was both ashamed and angry, and went up to slap Xue Haoting.
"How dare you! How many lives do you have to insult the Crown Princess!"
"Heh." Xue Haoting covered his face, somewhat incredulous that Ling Zhenli dared to hit him. In his anger, he said, "You really have forgotten your place now that you're in power. If I hadn't brought you back, would you have been able to sit on the throne as the Crown Princess? Don't forget who gave you your position today."
Ling Zhenli ignored his threatening words and sneered, "Brother, you're not saying all this because you've been eavesdropping on my lovemaking with the Crown Prince all afternoon, are you? Well, His Highness the Crown Prince is much more capable than you."
The next second, Xue Haoting grabbed Ling Zhenli's neck tightly, making her gasp for breath.
"You shameless wretch, I might as well kill you. At worst, when the Crown Prince comes back and sees that I've killed you, he can order me to die with him too. How about that? Your worthless life can be exchanged for dying with me. Aren't you happy?"
Xue Haoting was ruthless and merciless, gripping her neck tightly and refusing to let go no matter how much Ling Zhenli pushed or hit him.
Ling Zhenli continued to glare defiantly at Xue Haoting. The harder Xue Haoting gripped her hand, the fiercer her gaze became, as if she would devour him alive if given even a sliver of hope.
Xue Haoting ultimately couldn't bring himself to use force. Seeing Ling Zhenli's face turn red and she was about to suffocate, he immediately let go of her.
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough cough..."
Ling Zhenli, who had survived the ordeal, gasped for breath and coughed incessantly, venting the pain of being abused.
A bright red finger mark was left on her snow-white neck, which was difficult to erase for a while.
"Does it hurt?"
Seeing Ling Zhenli's pained expression, Xue Haoting regained his senses and regretted hurting her out of jealousy. He had personally sent her to the Crown Prince's side, yet he complained that the Crown Prince had defiled her and even beat and scolded her for it. How could he do such a thing?
Realizing he had done something wrong, Xue Haoting softened his attitude.
"I got angry just now and hurt you... Please stay tonight, I'll send someone to the palace to fetch a royal physician to examine you..."
"I don't need your hypocrisy!" Ling Zhenli disgustedly shook off his outstretched hand. "I will return to the Eastern Palace with the Crown Prince, where the imperial physicians will treat me."
Ling Zhenli was so engrossed in venting her anger that she didn't notice Xue Haoting's dimmed gaze. She gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"It's clear that the Crown Prince treats you very well."
"That's natural."
Xue Haoting felt a pang of inexplicable bitterness in his heart. It was not appropriate for him to stay here any longer, and he also wanted to leave the room.
"You should get some rest. I won't bother you anymore."
He left as soon as he finished speaking, and Ling Zhenli ignored him completely.
Xue Wenmian talked with Pei Xuanlin for a long time. By the time Pei Xuanlin returned to pick up Ling Zhenli, the handprints on Ling Zhenli's neck had almost disappeared.
***
On the way back to the East Palace, Ling Zhenli remained silent, not even glancing at Pei Xuanlin.
Seeing her like this, Pei Xuanlin assumed that he had kept her waiting and upset her. After returning to the East Palace, he unusually cooked for her, trying to please her by imitating her methods.
Unfortunately, after frantically working at the stove for half a day, the dishes I made were not worthy of being looked at.
In the end, they had no choice but to hurry to the restaurant and buy ready-made dishes.
The delay at the restaurant made Ling Zhenli wait even longer.
The palace maids set out the food that Pei Xuanlin had just bought, then bowed and withdrew.
Seeing Pei Xuanlin rush back, Ling Zhenli took a handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, saying softly:
"What have you been doing, Your Highness? Why have you been taking so long? The food is ready, please sit down and eat."
Pei Xuanlin smiled and took her hand: "I noticed you were looking downcast tonight, so I went to the kitchen and cooked for you myself."
"Cooking personally?" Ling Zhenli was both surprised and delighted. She turned to look at the table full of delicious dishes. "I never expected Your Highness to be willing to do such trivial things for me. I am extremely grateful."
"...Hmm." Pei Xuanlin felt guilty about lying and couldn't keep up the act any longer, so he quickly changed the subject, "Sit down, sit down, let's eat."
"Very well, Your Highness, I will serve you the food."
Ling Zhenli felt a sweet warmth in her heart and diligently served dishes to Pei Xuanlin.
She never expected that the Crown Prince would go to such lengths for her; she didn't know how she could ever repay him.
“In a few days, Princess Wuyang will be hosting a polo match and has invited my husband and me to attend. On the surface, it’s a gathering of the imperial family and nobility, but in reality, it’s a way for Princess Yongtai to choose a husband.”
“Princess Yongtai? I spoke with her briefly at the flower banquet. She has a cheerful personality and must have many admirers in the capital.”
Ling Zhenli's last sentence was just a polite remark; she didn't care what kind of person Xiao Chongheng's sister married.
"Actually, the eldest princess was jealous that I married you and gained the support of the Xue and Cui families. That's why she wanted to marry Yongtai off to win people's hearts. As for who she married... she will most likely choose from your cousin Cui Haoxu, your brother Xue Haoting, and Xie Daojian, the stepson of General Chen, the brother of Empress Hui."
"General Chen's stepson, Xie Daojian?"
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