Chapter 19

Pei Yun’s mind was almost a complete blank.

In her previous thirteen years of life, she had never been held so firmly and intimately by the Crown Prince. The man’s scorching body heat radiated through her thin sleeping robe, and the unfamiliar sensation made her body tremble slightly, while the sound of his breathing above her grew increasingly heavy.

The large hand that had been gripping her waist moved to her front, undoing her robe with a speed and urgency she had never witnessed before. Had she not clearly seen the face before her, Pei Yun would never have believed this to be the once austere and detached Crown Prince.

Before she could even react, she was pinned beneath him. Thinking of what was to follow, Pei Yun bit her lips, suddenly feeling a surge of agitation. She had not expected that the Crown Prince would still have the inclination to touch her. Yet, she knew that this time, she likely could not escape.

She understood clearly that relations between a man and a woman should not be like this, yet what they truly were, Pei Yun did not know. She suddenly recalled her childhood in Wunan, when she heard the servant women in the military camp kitchen sitting in a circle, gossiping about the camp prostitutes—how they would flaunt themselves, clinging to men, their shameless cries unbearable to the ear. Those women were despised by the world, yet Pei Yun had never looked down upon them; they were all women, so who was better than whom? At this moment, she even felt she was inferior to them; at the very least, they knew how to find pleasure in such matters.

As these thoughts swirled, Pei Yun, not knowing where the courage came from, wrapped her slender arms around the man’s neck.

Feeling the weight of her arms around him, Li Changye looked startled; he had not expected his habitually dignified Crown Princess to make such a bold gesture. He frowned, as if finding it improper, and raised his hand to stop her, but then he looked into her shimmering eyes. She stared at him steadily, her wet gaze seemingly laced with a hint of supplication. Li Changye’s sharp expression softened.

The weather was still cold, yet the essence of spring was quietly stirring. Though the delicate, tender buds swayed in the fierce wind and rain, they struggled to cling to the sturdy branches, refusing to be broken. Before long, flowers would bloom upon those buds; at night, crystalline dew would condense upon them, and at a certain moment, unable to bear the weight, it would pour down, wantonly irrigating the heart of the blossom, making it appear all the more delicate and enticing.

Pei Yun was drenched in fragrant sweat, her eyes closed as she panted softly. Her legs, having been held up for too long, were limp and drained of strength, leaving her almost collapsed on the bed. Yet, today, aside from the very beginning, she did not find it painful afterward. The sensation was rather strange—a tingling numbness spreading through her limbs, a feeling she had never tasted before.

But she had only intended to trap him, to make him slow down so that she would not be in such pain.

She glanced to the side. The Crown Prince was already sitting on the edge of the bed, draped in his robe, ringing the bell to call for water. As if sensing her gaze, he turned his head to look at her. His eyes were dark, heavy, and complex, lingering on her for a long time, as if lost in thought.

***

Pei Yun had no interest in deciphering his thoughts. She turned to her side, ignoring the sticky feeling on her skin, and closed her heavy, leaden eyelids.

When she awoke again, daylight was spilling in through the dark blue bed curtains. Pei Yun squinted, feeling a persistent soreness in her legs. She lazily called for Shumo. Before long, the curtains were drawn, and Shumo leaned in. As she helped Pei Yun up, Shumo leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is outside."

Pei Yun was stunned and instinctively asked, "Did His Highness not go to the morning court?"

Shumo smiled helplessly. "Your Highness, it is already the hour of the snake (9-11 AM). His Highness came after court ended. He has been sitting there for a while, saying that he would not permit us to wake you."

Shumo had not expected her mistress to sleep until this hour; it seemed she was truly exhausted from last night. Recalling the events of the previous night, Shumo could not help but blush. She did not know if it was because the Prince and Princess had not shared a bed for so long, but the Linlang Palace, usually so quiet, had been filled with faint, unmistakable sounds. It was like her mistress’s soft moans—not loud, yet filled with an indescribable, delicate allure—that continued intermittently until the third watch, when the bell for water had finally rung.

Pei Yun did not know why the Crown Prince had come specifically. Even if he had business, he had only ever come at night before. She was not in a hurry; she calmly finished dressing and grooming before walking to the outer hall to pay her respects.

However, as she stepped out, she saw the man turn to look at her. His ink-black eyes met hers for a fleeting second, then slowly drifted downward, lingering for a moment on her chest in a calm, unhurried manner.

Pei Yun’s ears turned as hot as if they had been scorched by fire. Only she knew what that look meant. Yet, with so many people in the hall, she had to endure the soreness and pretend nothing was amiss as she bowed before the Crown Prince.

Looking up again, she saw the man sitting there with a cool, composed, and elegant air, as if he were not the same person who had gasped and gripped her waist with such intensity the night before. Pei Yun suddenly felt curious: besides in the bedroom, what could possibly make the usually unflappable Crown Prince lose control? After all, even at the late Empress’s funeral, he had remained silent without shedding a single tear. If he could be like that toward his own mother, surely, after she herself died in her past life, he would not have felt a shred of sorrow. As for that Shen Ningjia, whether the Prince had been heartbroken by her death, Pei Yun did not know.

"Even if you wake late, you must eat something to settle your stomach, lest you harm it."

Before Pei Yun could probe why the Crown Prince had come, a bowl of congee was pushed before her.

***

The congee was still steaming, evidently freshly served. Pei Yun was indeed famished. After acknowledging him, she sat down obediently and began to eat slowly.

She had only taken two spoonfuls when a cry suddenly rang out. The wet nurse carried Li Chen in, looking at Pei Yun with a troubled expression. Pei Yun made a move to stand, but a pair of large hands beat her to it, taking Chen'er away.

Li Changye held the child on his lap, but Chen'er did not cooperate; he cried with tears and snot running down his face, staring longingly at Pei Yun, struggling intensely. Pei Yun, seeing this, did not step forward but instead sat back down and continued to drink her congee as if nothing had happened. Chen'er was used to being held by her, which was why he was so dependent on her. But he did not lack a father. In her previous life, Pei Yun had felt that raising the child was her responsibility and almost never let the Crown Prince interfere. But now, she understood—he might be the Crown Prince, but he was also the boy’s father. There was no reason for him to be so comfortable.

Seeing that his mother, who usually doted on him, remained indifferent, Li Chen cried even harder. Li Changye, however, showed no sign of impatience; he gently patted Chen'er’s back to soothe him, his movements quite clumsy. A moment later, Chang Lu, who was standing to the side, could not bear to watch any longer and quickly signaled Shumo to fetch the toys Chen'er loved.

Once the cloth tiger was in his hands, Chen'er gradually stopped crying and nestled obediently in his father’s arms. Li Changye took the handkerchief from Chang Lu to wipe the child’s face, and his gaze drifted downward, landing on the royal blue sachet with the auspicious bat pattern at the child’s waist. He pressed his thin lips together and looked up, casting a deep, meaningful glance at Pei Yun.

Chang Lu was an observant man. Even though the Crown Prince had not said a word, he immediately understood his master’s intention. He had heard the Second Princess mention yesterday that the Crown Princess had embroidered a sachet for the Crown Prince, but the Crown Princess had not yet presented it—perhaps she had forgotten, or perhaps she was too shy to find the right moment. And the Crown Prince was not one to ask for it himself.

Chang Lu felt that this was precisely the moment for a servant to shine. He first leaned in as if to examine the sachet Li Chen was wearing, then remarked casually, "The embroidery on the Third Imperial Grandson’s sachet is truly exquisite. I wonder which needlewoman in the palace possesses such skill."

Chang Lu’s sudden praise made Pei Yun’s eyelids twitch. The next moment, she heard him deftly turn the conversation: "It seems to this servant that our Prince’s waist is also lacking a sachet."