Chapter 58 You Want to Be the Crown Princess?
This time I'm finally experienced.
Xiao Xuanyou couldn't help but smile, holding her wrist with one hand and controlling her chin with the other. His dark pupils were as thick and deep as ink as he looked down at her and kissed her tenderly.
Jiang Zhi could no longer bear it, and no longer cared about his noble status; her jaw clenched instantly.
Xiao Xuanyou was very skilled and seemed to know her reaction perfectly. He pinched her cheek tightly before she could exert any force.
She groaned in pain, tears of rationality welling up in her eyes. Her only free hand pushed against the flow, and she felt like a fish thrown onto the shore. The lack of oxygen made it almost impossible for her to think, and she could only endure it.
It's unclear how much time passed, but just when Jiang Zhi thought she was going to suffocate, Xiao Xuanyou finally took pity on her and released her.
"This is what you call humiliation, do you understand, Miss Jiang?"
His hoarse voice still held an unspoken passion, and his deep, repressed phoenix eyes gazed at her.
"You, how could you..." Jiang Zhi gasped for breath, her chest heaving, her eyes red as she glared at him, "As the Crown Prince, how could you do such a thing? Aren't you afraid of the Empress's wrath if she finds out?"
Xiao Xuanyou's gaze deepened. He hadn't heard what she said at all; all he could see were her slightly parted, moist, crimson lips, like a silent invitation.
He lowered his head to close the already short distance between them, their noses touching, their breaths mingling, inseparable, like intimate lovers.
Jiang Zhi turned pale with fright.
She was already somewhat afraid of Xiao Xuanyou in her past life, and if she were to get entangled with him again this time, she would be doomed.
The Empress's wrath alone is something that ordinary people cannot withstand.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
Xiao Xuanyou is a controlling person. If she keeps refusing, it will only provoke him to make even more demands.
We still need to find another way.
The fear in her eyes faded, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Your Highness treats me this way. Are all the young ladies outside not worthy of your attention? Do you want me to become your Crown Princess?"
Xiao Xuanyou stared at her, his pupils as dark as ink, his expression unreadable. "You want to be the Crown Princess?"
Jiang Zhi then chuckled softly.
"The Crown Princess is of unparalleled nobility, the future mother of the nation. What woman in the world could resist such temptation? This humble woman is naturally no exception."
"If the Crown Prince truly favors me, I urge Your Majesty to issue a decree directly bestowing upon me a title and honor, so that it may be done legitimately. Why must we do this secretly and shamefully in this side hall of Kunning Palace?"
Xiao Xuanyou was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to be so direct.
Should she be made the Crown Princess?
I did think that way.
Unfortunately, even as the crown prince, he was often powerless to control his own destiny.
He has political enemies, rivals, and an adversary who has never appeared even in his dreams, hiding in the shadows.
Later, although he eventually succeeded in eliminating his third brother and his supporters, he always felt that another force was secretly working against him.
He even suspected that the death of Li Jinyao, the crown princess whom his mother had chosen for him, might have been orchestrated.
The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. If people find out that he cares about Chanyi, it would be like putting her on the fire to roast, making her an easy target for the enemy.
Therefore, even though he knew that Chanyi had been injured some time ago, he suppressed his anger and did not visit her in person, but only had his guards report her condition daily.
He couldn't risk taking the cicada's skin.
"You have quite the appetite," Xiao Xuanyou quickly regained his composure and composed his expression. "What qualifications do you think you have to become the Crown Princess?"
Ignoring the chill in her heart, Jiang Zhi tilted her head and looked at him, saying, "Your Highness doesn't want to marry me, yet you've done this to me. Do you think I'm some kind of prostitute?"
She knew, of course, that Xiao Xuanyou would not marry her.
He had said something similar to himself in his past life.
He said her status was too low, not even qualified to become his concubine. He only told her to stay in the brothel and not to have any wild thoughts.
Xiao Xuanyou frowned deeply upon hearing this, "How could that be? I just..."
"Just what? You were so captivated by my beauty that you couldn't control yourself?" Jiang Zhi laughed. "Then it seems that Your Highness the Crown Prince is no different from Yan Wenkang."
Her smile was cold, the smile not reaching her eyes, but rather carrying a faint hint of mockery.
"You!" Xiao Xuanyou's face stiffened when he heard Chanyi compare him to the likes of Yan Wenkang, and his face turned as black as ink.
He never intended to hurt Chanyi, so how could he be like Yan Wenkang?
In their dream, the two of them were inseparable, and they did things that were infinitely more intimate than kissing.
But these are things I can't say to her outright.
Xiao Xuanyou's expression shifted, showing a hint of embarrassment and anger, but in the end he simply straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, took a few steps back, and said, "Never mind, you'll understand eventually."
Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had let go of her.
She tidied herself up a bit, gave him a perfunctory bow, and hurriedly left the side hall.
Not long after Jiang Zhi returned to the main hall, the Empress came out.
Everyone bowed in greeting.
Ostensibly, this was to pray for the Crown Prince's good health, but everyone knew it was actually to select a Crown Princess. Before coming, their elders had repeatedly told them to perform well.
The Empress first led everyone to the sacrificial altar to offer incense, where female officials recited prayers for blessings, and the young ladies bowed in order of their family status.
Jiang Zhi followed the crowd obediently, hoping to achieve nothing of note.
More than an hour had passed by the time all this was done. Just as the Empress was about to lead everyone out of the sacrificial site, the eunuch's announcement rang out, "The Third Prince's Consort has arrived!"
Upon hearing this title, Jiang Zhi paused in her tracks.
The Third Prince's Consort, Yan Liqin, is the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Zhongqin's household and the elder sister of Yan Wenkang.
Jiang Zhi had a premonition that Yan Liqin might have come for her when she arrived at this time.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. I heard that the daughters of princes and nobles from the capital have gathered in Kunning Palace today. I was so eager to come and see them, and also to pray for His Highness the Crown Prince. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me for coming uninvited."
Yan Liqin was dressed elegantly, with red lips and white teeth. She resembled Yan Wenkang somewhat, but she did not have his dejected air at all. Every move she made carried the grace and poise of a noble lady.
Although the Empress disliked the Third Prince, she was a strict and rigid person. Yan Liqin was praying for the Crown Prince, so she naturally would not refuse.
But she said calmly, "We are about to hang a blessing plaque on the prayer tree in front of the hall. Why don't you come with us?"
"yes."
Yan Liqin nodded politely, her dark, watery eyes falling on Jiang Zhi. She raised her voice and said, "Oh, isn't this the eldest daughter of Minister Jiang? I just happened to run into her today, and I haven't apologized to her yet."
The young ladies present looked surprised.
Jiang Zhi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Third Prince's Consort is too kind. I have never met the Third Prince's Consort before, so how can I apologize?"
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