Lеаning аgаinst him like this was alrеаdy the grеatest fоrtunе, likе stоlеn gоods that сouldn't see the light of daу. Shе felt аshamеd уеt dеeрlу immеrsеd, unаble tо extricаtе hersеlf.
She had tried mаny times bеfore, knоwing whаt wаsn't hеrs shоuldn't bе сovetеd—it must bе sevеrеd, must bе abаndonеd. Wаlking in daylight, shе rеmainеd noble and еlegant, but in the dерths оf her bоudoir dreams, whу соuldn't she аllоw hеrsеlf оnе momеnt оf indulgenсe?
Shе held him tightly, nоt wanting tо lеt gо at аll. Не murmurеd "Your Highness," уet she wished he would сall her by hеr name dirеctlу. Shе remеmbered telling him on her fourteenth birthday, granting him this privilege—no need to be as rigid as others, fearing that with time, even she might forget her own name. But he had never complied, perhaps out of fear of imperial authority, or perhaps not wanting to become too entangled with her.
Yet he called Yin Lou by her name. The first time she heard it, she grieved for a long while... When she left the Forbidden City for her marriage to the south, what she missed most was actually him. Always longing for his sudden appearance, even if not specifically for her—even if just passing by on official business.
Now Heaven must have taken pity on her. In a daze, she opened her eyes and saw him outside the curtain. She called him in, still trying to restrain herself with just a simple "You've come." But the more she suppressed, the more painful it became. Unable to bear it any longer, she cast aside all her princessly reserve. Even if it wronged Yin Lou, let her be selfish for a while.
"I think of you every day, but I dare not say it..." Her voice choked slightly, fingers gently stroking his hair. "I fear being ridiculed if I speak, that people would call me shameless, willingly degrading myself."
She had never opened her heart to him before; today's words truly surprised him. She had placed heavy shackles upon herself—marrying him was akin to treason, so even thinking of him was impermissible by heaven and earth?
His arms encircled her slender back, half-lifting her. "You shouldn't worry so much. I'll bear all merits and faults. You just need to live steadily, taking care of your own life."
Still hesitant, she said, "It's not just about the two of us. Seeking only our own pleasure without regard for others..."
So after all, she couldn't tolerate other women. Joy gradually grew in his heart—because of love, one desires exclusivity; indifference naturally leads to willingness to share.
He had truly underestimated her, never knowing her emotions ran so deep. How many times had he felt disheartened by her indifference? It was simply because he didn't understand her well enough. No matter how high her status, she was ultimately a young girl—capable of exclusion, jealousy, and emotional turmoil. These troubles intertwined, while outwardly maintaining a facade of peace, so she could only increase her dose of coldness, finding fault with him at every turn.
The more he thought, the happier he became, almost laughing aloud. His heart, encased in ice, had long melted beyond recognition before her. For a few heartfelt words from her, even being ground to dust would be worth it.
"Rest assured, you need not concern yourself with this matter. I will handle it properly." He wished he could crush her and embed her into his very being. From Hangzhou to Nanjing was no short distance. He had set out at first light, galloping on horseback, enduring exhaustion and hunger—all truly worthwhile.Cheek pressed to cheek, yet still unsatisfied, he found her lips amidst the chaos and kissed them. Unlike last time, when merely kissing her forehead had provoked her fury, this time she actually knew how to respond, with a courage that seemed reckless.
Wanwan’s heart leaped into her throat, pounding like thunder, her thoughts growing increasingly muddled. This feeling was indescribable, truly strange… She cupped his cheeks, stroking them over and over. So this was what love felt like—so intense and dangerous.
Both of them were lost in a haze, as if the world had shrunk to this small bedroom. They could feel nothing else, teetering on the edge of life and death, with the illusion of hanging by a thread.
He undid the butterfly clasp at her collar, the silver lock suddenly coming apart with a crisp ding. Looking down at her, he saw her frowning, biting her lip, seemingly restless, yet without any sign of anger. He kissed her again, and she remained gentle, even somewhat submissive. For some reason, he felt uneasy. Testing the waters, he slowly moved downward. She tilted her neck back and murmured something. At first, he didn’t pay attention, but gradually he made out the words—she was actually chanting “Eunuch Official.”
He froze in shock, as if a thousand-pound hammer had struck his temple, leaving him dizzy and on the verge of fainting. He had been too arrogant, thinking her attitude would change after their brief separation. She was still the same as before, stubborn and unyielding, her heart set on Xiao Duo!
So all those words were meant for that fake eunuch, and when she kissed him, she was seeing someone else. Suddenly consumed by jealousy, he wondered just how far things had gone between her and Xiao Duo. Were there things he still didn’t know? He could tolerate her vague infatuation, but he couldn’t accept her lingering attachment to him even now. Her charm and allure weren’t for him. What did he, a dignified Feudal Prince, mean to her? A substitute? Or some pet she could toy with whenever she pleased?
He abruptly stood up, unable to blame her. Clenching his teeth, he stood there for a moment before storming off with a flick of his sleeve. The person on the bed remained dazed, lamenting the “end of the dream.” After a while, the sorrow faded, and she curled up and fell asleep again, this time until the sun began to set.
Outside, there was the faint sound of windows being closed. Leaning against her pillow, still drowsy, she saw a round glow beyond the Goryeo paper rising and then descending past the eaves. Had the lamps already been lit?
She pushed herself up to sit. Tong Huan and Xiao You were just coming in to hang the curtains, surprised to see her bewildered expression. “Your Highness, you’ve slept until this hour! The night-duty Nurse Matron is already waiting in the duty room, wondering if you’ll sleep straight through until tomorrow morning.”
She rubbed the back of her neck, her head throbbing painfully. The dream from the afternoon still lingered in her memory, and even now, thinking about it made her heart flutter.
If only he had really come… Unwilling to give up, she cautiously asked Tong Huan, “While I was resting, did I have any visitors?”
Tong Huan glanced back at her. “Yuwen came by. He wanted to enter the garden, and I couldn’t stop him.” Recalling the anger on his face when he left, she hesitated before adding, “Were you awake then, Your Highness? Did you speak to him? I saw him leave after just a short while and thought you must have quarreled with him again.”Wanwan was muddled for a while, sitting like a clay or wooden statue. After thinking for a long time, she couldn’t recall ever meeting him or offending him anywhere. In any case, she was too lazy to pursue the matter—let it be!
“He truly doesn’t take anyone seriously, still coming and going freely as he pleases, without distinguishing between the Eldest Princess Residence and the Princely Mansion,” she complained, lazily shifting down to sit before the mirror to comb her hair. As the comb passed by her ear, she suddenly noticed a red mark the size of a fingertip on her neck, looking as if it had been stained with rouge. She rubbed it hard a couple of times but couldn’t remove it.
Xiao You, who was uncovering the Boshan incense burner to clean the ashes, began to grumble incessantly, “Once out of the palace, everyone’s become lax, handling things more and more carelessly… Who knows who bought this incense? The ashes it produces have all turned black. I’ll have to ask properly later—trying to deceive the mistress like this! If we don’t make an example of a couple of them, they’ll only grow bolder and more insolent.”
Wanwan paid her no mind and called Tong Huan over to show her neck. “What is this? Was I bitten by an insect? It doesn’t hurt or itch, but there’s such a large red patch.”
Tong Huan pulled her under the lamp and examined it carefully in the light for a while, unable to figure out what it was. Worried that the climate in Jiangnan might be unsuitable and had caused a rash, she decided to summon the Imperial Physician to take a look and determine what exactly was going on.
Yu Xixia led the residence’s Imperial Physician inside. The physician first checked her pulse, which showed no abnormalities, and then examined the rash on the Princess Royal’s neck. At the sight, he immediately fell silent and glanced back at Yu Xixia. “Lord Yu, take a look…”
Seeing him like this, Wanwan’s heart sank. She feared she might have contracted some serious illness, so much so that the physician was hesitant and seemed to be concealing the truth about her condition.
Her face darkened. “What exactly is going on? Speak truthfully. If you delay or mislead, I will hold you accountable.”
The physician, looking extremely awkward, repeatedly agreed. After thinking for a moment with his hands tucked into his sleeves, he said, “Your Highness, this condition is commonly known as ‘purple sand.’ It is caused by external force applied to the skin, resulting in congealed blood. Let me give you an analogy: when someone suffers from heatstroke, there are treatments like gua sha or cupping. Your condition… is equivalent to cupping.” He gestured awkwardly. “Placing a vessel here and applying suction… that’s how it appears. This is not an illness and will not cause any harm to Your Highness’s precious health. With a few days of rest and care, it will gradually fade away, leaving the skin as it was before, without any marks. Please rest assured, Your Highness.”
Only then did Wanwan breathe a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t caused by insects biting her in her sleep, it was fine. Otherwise, the room would have to be fumigated, and quicklime would be scattered everywhere—far too troublesome.
Tong Huan accompanied Yu Xixia to escort the Imperial Physician out of the inner gate. Yu Xixia stopped, his expression rather embarrassed. “Even if Her Highness doesn’t understand such matters, how could you not know either?”
Tong Huan was baffled. “I’m not a physician—how could I possibly know such things! Fortunately, it’s been examined and there’s nothing serious. Please go about your duties; I’ll head back now.”
She hadn’t given it any thought, and it was no wonder. Such indelicate situations rarely occurred in the palace, and even if they did occasionally happen, the imperial consorts would find ways to cover them up with their collars. Although Tong Huan was older than the princess, she had no paired dining arrangement and likely knew no more about such matters than the princess did. Eunuchs, however, were different. Having moved about outside the palace, they had broader experience. If the Imperial Physician was evasive and Yu Xixia didn’t clarify matters, those inside would only grow more confused.Yu Xixia cleared his throat and pointed at the spot where the Princess Royal had just "fallen ill." "These are marks left during intimate moments between a man and a woman, likely from someone kissing her. To call an Imperial Physician over such a matter is truly... Her Highness is young and doesn’t understand, but as someone serving her closely, how could you not know? It’s practically inviting others to mock our mistress!" By the end, he felt embarrassed himself and frowned. "Be more vigilant from now on. Tomorrow, cover it with powder so those in the prince’s household don’t see it and diminish Her Highness’s dignity."
Tong Huan stood there dazed for a long while before finally understanding the origin of those marks. Overwhelmed with regret and shame, she angrily slapped her own face.
Returning to the Warm Pavilion, the Princess Royal was already seated at the dining table for supper. Tong Huan kept glancing at the purple mark on her neck. Earlier, judging from her words, it seemed as though she hadn’t even known the Prince of Nanyuan had visited. So how did this mark appear?
She held back repeatedly but finally whispered, "Your Highness, did you truly not see the Prince of Nanyuan today?"
After rinsing her mouth, the princess hummed in acknowledgment. "I went to bed early and indeed didn’t see him. If I had been awake, I would’ve argued with him properly. That lawless man pays no heed to the rules an Imperial Son-in-Law Marrying a Princess must follow. Truly, with the emperor far away, he intends to rule as a king in his own domain."
Tong Huan hesitated, swallowing the words on the tip of her tongue. After all, matters between husband and wife were not for her to interfere with, no matter how close she was. The princess’s current stubbornness was merely childish persistence. Given time, worn down by his persistence, she would eventually relent. Why should she play the villain?
As for Wanwan herself, though she didn’t voice it, she felt a bit uneasy inside. The wonderful dream she had coincided with the moment the Prince of Nanyuan entered. She wondered if she had revealed any clues, allowing him to glimpse something. Her feelings for the Eunuch Official were unspeakable, known only to Tong Huan among those around her. If this secret were exposed, she feared she’d never be able to face anyone again.
Still, she clung to a sliver of hope. How could anyone know about a dream if she didn’t speak of it? Comforted by this thought, she felt at ease. The next morning, when Lan Zhou came to pay his respects, standing by her side holding the food box and attending to her towel and comb, she smiled and invited him to sit with her. Shortly after breakfast, word came from outside that the Secondary Consorts had arrived to kowtow to her. She stood up and took Lan Zhou with her to meet them. Along the way, he kept glancing at her expression and asked softly, "E’nie, how do you view the Secondary Consorts in the household? Do you dislike my mother? Do you dislike Lanting’s mother?"
Even a child this young understood matters of status and the conflicts among women. She lowered her head and smiled. "I don’t dislike them. They came earlier, and I arrived later. Why should I dislike them? Besides, they’ve given birth to princes and hold their own ranks. Out of respect for you and the Second Prince, I cannot reject them. Moreover, we live in separate residences and rarely see each other. When occasions arise, we gather politely, and that’s enough."Lan Zhou quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His feelings toward this legal mother had shifted from initial rejection and wariness to later reverence and affection, so he did not wish for her to become an enemy of his birth mother. From his Ama’s perspective, with the presence of this Princess Royal, all the concubines in the household could be dismissed. The reason they had not been sent away yet was partly due to consideration for him and Lanting, but more importantly, because the Princess Royal had not given the order. He was young and powerless, and his only hope was that the Princess Royal would be magnanimous and not force him to resort to schemes to protect his birth mother’s status. After all, he genuinely liked this legal mother. Finding an elder with whom he could converse comfortably and get along well was no easy feat.
When Wanwan entered the Silver Peace Hall, the three Secondary Consorts were already waiting. They dared not act presumptuously in her absence, merely clutching their handkerchiefs and standing to the side. Only after she had taken her seat did they adjust their lapels and kneel, respectfully kowtowing three times and saying, “We wish Your Highness, the Princess Royal, boundless fortune and peace.”
After accepting their salutations, Wanwan rose from her seat and gestured to help them up. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Please, sit and speak.”
Lan Zhou kowtowed to each of them in turn. When Madam Tala saw her son, her eyes brimmed with a smile. Leaning slightly forward in her armchair, she said, “The Eldest Young Master is mischievous. I originally intended to keep him by my side, but I feared he might prove incompetent and trouble Your Highness. Now, seeing him after more than ten days apart, he seems to have improved considerably, all thanks to Your Highness’s guidance. Your Highness resides alone in the Princess’s Residence, and we are unable to serve you as we should. I’ve thought it over and over—having him by your side, even if just to run errands, would be a blessing. Please do not overly indulge him, Your Highness. If there is anything you need, simply give him orders. If he disobeys, I beg Your Highness to punish him severely. That would be a great honor to this humble servant.”
Her words were filled with humility and deference, but Wanwan merely smiled in response. “You are too polite. The Eldest Young Master understands propriety and knows when to advance or retreat. You have raised a fine son. Earlier, when he was ill, I kept him here out of concern. Now that he has fully recovered, if he wishes to return to the Princely Mansion, I will not keep him against his will. After all, brothers should be together, and neither his studies nor his riding and archery should be neglected. The Princely Mansion has experienced Andas both inside and out, readily available. Having him travel back and forth here would only tire him out.”
Madam Tala murmured her agreement, but Lan Zhou clasped his hands and said, “It is my fortune to fulfill my filial duties by E’nie’s side. I was already shuttling between both places, so it makes little difference where I stay. If I were to return, leaving E’nie alone in the Princess’s Residence, how could anyone feel at ease? If E’nie were to also move to the Princely Mansion, it would be the best of both worlds. This is my humble opinion, and I ask E’nie to decide.”
Wanwan found it difficult to respond and vaguely brushed off the topic with a few words.
Madam Zhou, who had been listening to the polite exchanges on the side and saw the conversation cooling, finally seized the opportunity to speak. “We have come today, firstly to pay our respects to Your Highness, and secondly to escort Your Highness to the mansion. Tomorrow is the Prince’s birthday, and the Imperial Concubine has repeatedly emphasized that in the past, without a consort, His Highness celebrated simply. But this year, with a proper mistress in the household, we earnestly request Your Highness to return and preside over the occasion. Please do not worry—there will be no trivial matters to trouble you. We humble servants have taken care of all the arrangements. Your Highness need only sit joyfully beside the Prince and accept the congratulations of those below.”Wanwan quite liked Madam Zhou's straightforward way of speaking. In just a few words, she had clearly explained the reason—neither flattering nor humble, striking just the right tone. Tomorrow was the main day, and she had already prepared to go to the Prince's residence today. However, after the unpleasant parting in the middle of the night last time, returning there felt somewhat awkward. She had originally planned to decline or wait until tomorrow before going, but just as she was about to speak, Yu Xixia came in to report that the Prince had already dispatched the imperial procession to await her at the gate. Since there was no avoiding it, she had no choice but to ask Tong Huan to prepare. Leaning on Yu Xixia's arm, she made her way to the main path.
The main gate of the Eldest Princess Residence was built according to the specifications of a Prince's residence, with five sections in total—three open and two closed, commonly referred to as "three bright and two dark." Even so, the spacious frontage was enough for her to see the scene outside the gate. The Princess Royal either did not move at all, or when she did, it had to be with great fanfare. A jade carriage was parked right outside the main gate, with attendants holding whisks, carrying golden incense burners, and bearing golden vases—not a single one missing. As she stepped out, she saw Yuwen Liangshi standing at the foot of the steps, his face devoid of any smile as he bowed to her in greeting. Wanwan had originally intended to offer him birthday wishes, but seeing him look as if a creditor had come knocking at his door, she immediately felt displeased. With a cold expression, she boarded the carriage and, without waiting for his command, tapped the carriage door with her ivory fan. The imperial procession, having received the order, promptly began moving forward.
Frowning as she sat, her mood, which had been quite pleasant, plummeted in an instant. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Where exactly had she wronged him that he had to put on such a face? It was also her own lack of resolve—why should she care whether he was happy or not? It only made her seem as if she were overly concerned about him.
She shifted her posture slightly, settling back into a calm and steady position. The bright spring sunlight streamed in through the small carved window, and she leaned closer. The pleasant weather gradually dispelled the gloom in her heart. After sitting quietly for a while, she lifted the curtain to look ahead. Yuwen Liangshi rode on horseback in front, his upright and handsome figure on the horse also carrying an air of keeping others at a distance.
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