Chapter 23 "Crown Princess, this is adultery, good..."
The Duke of Yan's Mansion
Pei Chanlian slammed the teacup down on the table. Seeing her anger, the maidservant quickly knelt down, not even caring that the spilled hot tea had scalded her hand.
"What did you just say? Say it again!"
Her voice was very low, but her fingertips dug into her palms.
The servant kneeling on the ground trembled like a leaf: "This servant followed the master and saw with his own eyes that the master entered that villa in the suburbs. In less than a quarter of an hour, a woman entered that place... that woman..."
Pei Chanlian suddenly stood up, furious: "Who is that woman! Tell me!"
“She looks like…she looks like the Crown Princess!” The servant immediately prostrated himself.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Pei Chanlian laughed, a laugh that seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, chillingly cold.
Crown Princess, yes, Crown Princess.
She raised her hand to smooth her temples, feigning composure, but inwardly she was furious.
"Go prepare the car."
She said softly, "Send another squad of garrison soldiers, and they must sign a death contract with the soldiers."
That despicable Xue Yingyue, that two-faced slut! She kept saying to her face that she didn't know Xiao Chongheng at all, but she actually dared to have a secret rendezvous with him behind her back!
"Send someone else to inform the Crown Prince!"
Xue Yingyue, I refuse to believe I can't handle you!
*
The distant mountains, like dark eyebrows, undulate on the vast horizon, as if someone had casually smeared a few strokes with a worn-out brush dipped in light ink.
At first, it was just the slight trembling of grass blades, the arc of fingertips brushing against the waist, like the spring breeze tentatively probing the unmelted snow line.
Then came a silent collapse, the two bodies becoming intertwined roots, growing wildly in the dark soil.
The panting breaths transformed into low-hanging clouds, pressing down on the scorching earth. Each touch was like lightning cleaving the dry wilderness, igniting wildfire after wildfire.
Her taut back rose like a wave crest, while he remained like a reef, letting it wash over him. The moment his nails dug into her skin, it was as if a torrential downpour had finally breached a cracked riverbed, and all the suppressed sounds burst forth.
For a long time, Xiao Chongheng still refused to stop.
Although Ling Zhenli was in a superior position, she felt powerless and tried to let go of him, but he grabbed her again.
Why give it to me?
Xiao Chongheng's warm breath tickled her ear, his languid and ambiguous tone carrying a hint of relentless pursuit.
"Mmm... I miss you too."
"Princess Consort, are you trying to prevent me from informing on you?"
No, I still love you...
Ling Zhenli spoke sweet nothings in a soft and seductive tone, as if she were drunk and confused. The playful smile on her lips seemed to be telling Xiao Chongheng that she was lying.
It doesn't matter anymore.
He asked for nothing more than for her to be there.
Although it was to prevent Pei Xuanlin from discovering her past, she was at least willing to deceive herself, which was already quite good.
"That's not enough. You need to love me even more, otherwise I'm not careful with my words and might accidentally tell your husband..."
"It's so noisy, shut up."
Ling Zhenli didn't want to hear his threats, so she interrupted him and simply kissed him to shut him up.
It's okay, there's plenty of time.
...
The air was filled with the scent of pine resin and dew, mixed with the warmth of the sun-dried soil.
Before Pei Chanlian arrived at the villa, the guard outside had already knocked on the door to inform Xiao Chongheng.
The carriage stopped at the alley entrance, and Pei Chanlian unconsciously stroked her jade pendant with her fingertips.
Xiao Chongheng... No matter who you love, you are now my husband, so you must be devoted to me!
“Princess,” the guard whispered, “the Duke always forbids anyone from coming near this place. Are we really going to go in?”
Pei Chanlian remained silent, her gaze sweeping coldly over the ornate wooden door.
A year ago, Xiao Chongheng kept a mistress at Zuixianlou. She could overlook what happened before marriage, but now that they were husband and wife, she had every reason to care.
"Surround the villa!"
She finally spoke, her voice chillingly cold, "Not a single fly is allowed to escape."
After saying that, she got out of the car and came to the gate of the villa.
The guards at the villa greeted her and informed her that the Duke of Yan did not allow anyone to set foot in the area.
"Princess, please return!"
"How dare you! I am a princess, the lawfully wedded wife of your Duke. How dare you stop me!" Pei Chanlian said with an air of certainty. "I have important matters to discuss with the Duke. How many heads do you have to spare?"
"Your Highness, the Duke is not currently at this villa. Please go elsewhere to look for him."
"Make way for me! I'll find out whether the Duke is inside or not as soon as I go in!"
It was noisy outside.
Xiao Chongheng, who was having sex inside the house, was tipped off in advance. In order to avoid being discovered, he had no choice but to hide in the secret passage with Ling Zhenli in his arms.
This secret passage connects to the tower of Huaiming Temple, and no one except him and his personal guards knew about it.
Therefore, when Pei Chanlian burst through the door, she didn't see anyone.
How could this be! How could there be no one here!
Her chest heaved violently as she lifted her skirt and hurried toward the inner courtyard.
She walked through the neatly maintained courtyard and pushed open the door, but there was still no one there.
"Search for me!" she shouted sternly. "Don't miss a single corner!"
She refused to believe that a living person could sprout wings and fly.
...
Inside the secret passage, Ling Zhenli's back was pressed tightly against the damp wall.
Xiao Chongheng covered her mouth with his hand, his warm breath brushing against her ear.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the blue bricks overhead, and Princess Roujia's sharp voice was very close.
Ling Zhenli's heart pounded like a drum.
In the heat of the moment, Xiao Chongheng pulled her into the secret room, but her clothes got caught on the door knocker and were completely torn.
At this moment, her clothes were half undone, and Xiao Chongheng's palm was pressed tightly against her bare waist, with only a thin layer of gauze separating the two.
Ling Zhenli held her breath, not daring to make a sound, when suddenly she felt a pain on the side of her neck. Xiao Chongheng had bitten her at this moment, and the sensation of his teeth piercing her skin made her tremble all over.
"How was it? Was it exciting?"
He whispered in her ear, a wicked chuckle in his voice, "Crown Princess, this is what adultery is like, isn't it fun?"
"you!"
That scoundrel is still the same as before, never serious.
The searching sounds outside hadn't stopped, and footsteps echoed intermittently. After a long while, seemingly realizing there was no one there, Pei Chanlian angrily cursed and then left with her men.
Inside the secret passage, Ling Zhenli slid to the ground, exhausted.
Her collar was wide open, and there were still traces of Xiao Chongheng's sucking on her neck, which glowed with an ambiguous red in the dim light.
Xiao Chongheng squatted down, his fingertips tracing Ling Zhenli's slightly flushed face, and chuckled, "I'll carry you to the tower for a look."
Ling Zhenli turned her head away, but Xiao Chongheng picked her up without resistance.
Afterwards, Ling Zhenli saw her daughter's memorial tablet, the statue of the deity worshipped for her daughter, and the monks who chanted sutras day and night to pray for her soul.
Xiao Chongheng put his heart into it.
very nice.
She no longer desired anything more regarding the children. Xiao Chongheng's efforts for the children were already commendable, and she could temporarily set aside her obsession and grievances.
***
When they returned to the East Palace, it was already dusk. The palace servants were all acting strangely, as if they were all terrified. Even when they bowed to Ling Zhenli, the Crown Princess, they seemed flustered.
Ling Zhenli realized something was wrong; Pei Chanlian had probably told Pei Xuanlin about her private meeting with Xiao Chongheng.
So what? Empty words are meaningless.
No matter what she says, it's all a lie.
Ling Zhenli then entered the bedchamber as if nothing had happened.
Not a single candle was lit in the bedchamber, and Pei Xuanlin sat on the bed like a ghost, waiting for Ling Zhenli to return.
As soon as Ling Zhenli entered the palace, without warning, she looked at the bed and was startled by Pei Xuanlin's appearance.
Ling Zhenli only recovered from her shock when the palace servants came in and lit the candles.
"Sanlang, why didn't you even light a candle? You scared me to death just now. I thought a thief was sitting on the bed."
She was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, her waist went limp, and she sat down on a chair to rest, supporting her forehead.
"You're back so late, where have you been?"
Pei Xuanlin's face was gloomy, as if he were asking a question with the answer already in mind.
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli smiled sweetly, as if nothing had happened, and walked over to him, snuggling into his arms: "I'm going to Huaiming Temple to fulfill my vow today."
The location is right, but the event is wrong.
Pei Xuanlin clearly didn't believe it, his face still cold: "Fulfill a vow? Fulfill what vow?"
“I heard of Sanlang’s bravery and handsomeness when I was still young, and I secretly fell in love with him. Before our wedding, I went to Huaiming Temple to pray for the blessings of all the gods and Buddhas. After the wedding, I wished that the Crown Prince and I would be deeply in love and affectionate for a lifetime. If my wish is fulfilled, I will personally go to repay it.”
She drew a circle on his heart with her fingertip, "Now that Sanlang treats me so well, it's only natural that I should go and repay my vow."
"So that's how it is..." Pei Xuanlin's scrutinizing gaze hadn't subsided, and he deliberately asked, "Did you run into the Duke of Yan when you went to the temple today?"
"The Duke of Yan?" Ling Zhenli's heart jumped to her throat, but she still pretended to be calm. "He wanted to pay his respects to me, but I didn't want to talk to him because my hand was injured when Princess Roujia played polo with me. So I deliberately gave him a hard time. Could it be that he spoke ill of me to you?"
"No." Pei Xuanlin was a little embarrassed by the question and chuckled.
Seeing this, Ling Zhenli pretended to turn the tables and said unhappily, "What do you mean there was nothing? Otherwise, why would you bring up the Duke of Yan for no reason? It must have been something he said. Otherwise, how would you know that I saw him today?"
"No, I just heard that he also went to Huaiming Temple today, and I was just asking..."
He almost forgot that Pei Chanlian didn't like the Crown Princess at all. His cousin had always been suspicious since she was a child, always thinking that others wanted to harm her or steal her things, and she had an inexplicable possessiveness towards things that didn't belong to her.
This time, they must have heard that Xiao Chongheng was paying his respects to the Crown Princess and then imagined that the two of them were having an affair. They even sent someone over to tell him in a big way. It's really shameful.
The most important thing is that he actually believed it.
Thinking about it carefully, the Crown Princess never left the palace before her marriage. How could she have known Xiao Chongheng? She just talked nonsense all day long.
Thinking of this, Pei Xuanlin's brows relaxed; it seemed to be a misunderstanding.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and found a gift to apologize for his mistake.
Pei Xuanlin magically produced a brocade box from his sleeve and handed it to Ling Zhenli.
Ling Zhenli took it and curiously opened it. Inside was a piece of mutton-fat jade bracelet, which shimmered softly in the moonlight and fit her wrist perfectly.
He took her hand, picked up a silk handkerchief from the box, and used it to protect her wrist before putting the bracelet on her wrist.
"This is a jade bracelet that I specially selected for you from the national treasury today. It seems to suit your outfit very well."
Ling Zhenli glanced at her clothes and couldn't help feeling guilty.
When she left the East Palace, she wore a banana-colored dress embroidered with lotus patterns. When she returned, she changed into a peach-colored dress. Fortunately, Pei Xuanlin didn't see what she wore when she went out this morning, otherwise it would have been hard to explain.
"Why the sudden gift of this?" Ling Zhenli looked at the mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist, feeling puzzled.
"I thought of the character '润' in your name, which means 'gentle and smooth like jade,' which is the perfect match for this mutton fat jade."
"So that's how it is."
Seeing that Ling Zhenli seemed quite happy, Pei Xuanlin felt relieved and realized that his cold questioning earlier was wrong.
"Haven't you had dinner yet? I heard Qionglin Pavilion just launched some new dishes, shall we go and try them?"
When Pei Xuanlin mentioned it, Ling Zhenli realized she hadn't eaten anything that evening and her mouth started to water, so she agreed.
***
In the private room of the restaurant, apart from the new dishes, everything served was Ling Zhenli's favorite.
"Why isn't Sanlang's favorite braised mutton served?"
"Oh, I forgot."
Pei Xuanlin slapped his forehead, smiled, and looked happy, as if he hadn't forgotten at all.
He wanted to see if Ling Zhenli remembered what he liked to eat.
"Sanlang must have gone crazy from eating so many white radishes in the palace," Ling Zhenli joked with him, a rare occurrence for her.
Pei Xuanlin was even happier.
She even remembered that he often ate white radishes.
Ling Zhenli didn't know what Pei Xuanlin was so happy about; he probably encountered something good today.
"What could have made Sanlang so happy?" Ling Zhenli asked with a smile as she poured him a drink.
"Isn't going out for a trip with my beloved concubine enough to make me happy?" Pei Xuanlin teased her.
"When did Sanlang become so glib?"
Although it was a joke, Ling Zhenli found it very amusing and immediately burst into laughter.
Halfway through the meal, someone came to announce that Xie Yu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was requesting an audience. He had not yet congratulated the couple on their marriage, but had come today to pay his respects.
"Let him in." Pei Xuanlin didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Xie Daojian was the stepson of the Empress's brother. Although he was the son of Emperor Rui, as everyone knew, he was temporarily registered under the names of Emperor Xuan and Empress Hui. Therefore, he and Xie Daojian were cousins in name only.
"Your subject pays respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."
"No need for formalities. We're all family here, so please relax." Pei Xuanlin waved his hand, indicating that Xie Daojian should make himself at home.
Xie Daojian's gaze swept over Ling Zhenli, and he bowed, "Yes."
"Please sit down, my lord, and dine with the Crown Prince and me." Ling Zhenli extended her hand, inviting him with a smile.
Pei Xuanlin did not stop him, so Xie Daojian respectfully complied.
"Thank you for your kindness, Crown Princess."
At the dinner table, Pei Xuanlin casually said to Ling Zhenli, "General Chen seems dissatisfied with the Princess's disaster relief plan."
Xie Daojian gave an awkward laugh: "Everyone knows that Princess Yongtai is incapable of writing a disaster relief plan. Princess Wuyang loves her daughter dearly and wants to portray Princess Yongtai as exceptionally intelligent, but she has misplaced her efforts."
"That's true, but who in the court would dare to reject such a good plan? I wonder who presented the strategy to the Princess. It's so intricate that even you and I probably couldn't have come up with those methods."
"Your Highness is too kind. In our dynasty, only the daughters of the Crown Prince can be granted the title of Princess of the County, the daughters of Princes can be granted the title of Princess of the County, and the titles of the daughters of Princesses follow their family... The title of Princess of Yongtai is already an act of grace and overstepping boundaries. Forgive my bluntness, but the Eldest Princess feels dissatisfied with her four brothers, who are either Crown Princes or Emperors, so she wants her children to be granted the titles of Princes and Princesses as well."
Upon hearing Xie Daojian's words, Pei Xuanlin's eyes darkened, and he hesitated to move the wine glass in his hand. Ling Zhenli was terrified, shocked that he dared to say such a thing.
"Young Master Xie, you have quite the audacity to speak such words in front of me." Pei Xuanlin's gaze was scrutinizing, but he did not take any action to punish him.
Ling Zhenli stared wide-eyed, ready to kneel down and plead for Xie Daojian at any moment.
However, Xie Daojian remained calm and composed, saying, "Your Highness is wise. I have only spoken the truth. I am devoted to Your Highness and dare not conceal anything."
"Okay, you can continue." Pei Xuanlin knew that Xie Daojian had no disrespectful intentions towards him.
"When Emperor Wen was alive, Princess Wuyang held immense power. Her power peaked when you beheaded Emperor Wen. Although she was meritorious for supporting the current emperor, since his ascension to the throne, she and my father have repeatedly disagreed on political matters and argued endlessly in court. My father did support Princess Jin'an, but he supported His Majesty and the Empress even more. However, Wuyang is not loyal to you, let alone His Majesty and the Empress. It's just that His Majesty is too lenient and has always indulged his only brother."
Hearing these words, Ling Zhenli didn't dare to breathe loudly and could only bury her head in her food.
Pei Xuanlin actually let her listen to these things. Is this something the Crown Princess should be listening to?
What's even more peculiar is that if Pei Xuanlin dared to let her listen, Xie Daojian dared to tell her.
"It sounds like Young Master Xie also harbors some resentment towards the Princess because of General Chen," Pei Xuanlin deliberately probed.
"That's not the case. My father rarely mentions politics in front of my mother and me. However, what Your Highness said about my father and the Princess having differing political views is a fact."
After speaking, Xie Daojian glanced at Ling Zhenli.
Ling Zhenli looked up and met his gaze, then hurriedly looked away and looked at Pei Xuanlin.
Pei Xuanlin was still considering which side the Chen family should take: "Since His Majesty appointed me as Crown Prince, there have been many calls in the court to replace me with Princess Jin'an. Emperor Wen set a precedent for women to become emperors, so I'm sure there will be many talented women among the emperors of future generations."
"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. More than who becomes emperor, the people care about the stability of the country and the harvest. Whether it is Your Highness or Princess Jin'an, regardless of gender, if you can wholeheartedly serve the people, the people will think you are a good emperor."
These words were too bold; Ling Zhenli was worried for Xie Daojian.
Pei Xuanlin, however, acted as if nothing was wrong, leisurely picking up a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth.
"The anniversary of Emperor Wen's death is approaching. Emperor Wen's achievements were extraordinary. Even my father, who was on the throne for a short time, was posthumously honored as Emperor Wuzongrui. What do you think His Majesty will posthumously honor Emperor Wen with?"
"Your subject dares not speak presumptuously."
“I dare not speak presumptuously, but you have already spoken presumptuously in many ways, so why worry about these few words?” Pei Xuanlin smiled.
Just as Xie Daojian was about to reply, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the private room.
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