After the officials finished their discussions at Chongming Hall, Sheng Yu remained behind and brought up the matter of the troublemaker from the previous day on the imperial street.
"That man spread malicious rumors in public, tarnishing Your Highness's reputation. This humble official had him detained at the Northern Garrison Command and interrogated overnight. Eventually, he confessed that someone had approached him, promising to secure the best physician for his ailing son if he spoke those words in public. However, he had no idea who was truly behind it."
The Crown Prince smirked coldly. "Emperor Chunming and the Empress have never missed an opportunity to smear my name over the years."
Sheng Yu replied, "Your Highness was previously occupied with military campaigns and plagued by chronic illness, leaving little time to address such matters. Now that this humble official serves in the Imperial Guards, I will not allow these slanderous rumors to spread among the people and harm Your Highness's standing."
The Crown Prince said, "I must apologize for troubling General Sheng with such petty matters."
"Still, I find myself curious. General Sheng was once renowned as a refined scholar-general—hardly the type one would imagine meting out harsh punishments in the damp, shadowy confines of a prison cell."
Sheng Yu lowered his gaze. "A parent's love for their child is universal. He was merely manipulated, desperate to cure his son's ailment. Once we exploited that vulnerability, he confessed everything."
"A parent's love?" The Crown Prince smiled faintly, as if the thought amused him. "If General Sheng were to become a father, I imagine you would be quite doting."
Sheng Yu chuckled ruefully. "Alas, fate has granted me little familial warmth. It seems I am destined to remain alone for the rest of my days."
No sooner had he spoken than Cao Yuanlu's inner voice chimed in mockingly.
"Little does he know—he’s about to gain not just a daughter, but also the title of Imperial Father-in-Law!"
The Crown Prince shot him a frosty sidelong glance.
Cao Yuanlu, who had been smirking to himself, shuddered under the sudden glare.
Only then did the Crown Prince look away and say, "General Sheng is still in the prime of life. Nothing is set in stone—it’s too early for such conclusions."
Sheng Yu took it as mere concern from a superior. After all, at his age, he could well have been a grandfather by now, and his lack of marriage and children was indeed unusual.
He shook his head. "This humble official has long grown accustomed to solitude. My sole wish now is to serve Your Highness faithfully. As for Your Highness, having passed the age of twenty, it is high time to take a wife and secure the imperial lineage."
The Crown Prince absently twisted the jade thumb ring on his hand, considering how to respond, when Cao Yuanlu’s inner voice snickered again.
"Just wait until you find out about your daughter—you won’t be saying that then!"
The Crown Prince: "..."
Meanwhile, Yun Kui had finished her evening meal and bathed meticulously, hesitating over whether to wait for his return before dressing or to prepare herself in advance. In the end, curiosity got the better of her, and she sneaked back to the warm chamber to put on the golden chain.
Peering at her reflection in the bronze mirror, even she couldn’t help but marvel—this was the very image of a seductive enchantress!
It was breathtakingly beautiful. The way it draped on a woman was entirely different from how it looked on a man. The delicate fringe accentuated the curves of her full bosom and slender waist. After a winter of careful care, her skin had become as fair and smooth as fine jade—so radiant she could hardly tear her eyes away. No wonder the Crown Prince loved kissing every inch of her.
She didn’t dare wear the neckpiece, afraid the palace maids outside might catch a glimpse.
As for the smaller chain reserved for the "Little Highness," it remained unused for now, left hanging in place.
But the memory of the last time that slender chain had brushed against her most sensitive spot sent a rush of warmth pooling between her thighs, a tingling sensation creeping up her spine.
Once adorned, however, the Crown Prince still hadn’t returned. Yun Kui grew restless—the chain’s constant friction against her skin was becoming unbearable.
She stepped out to the corridor and asked Deshun to hurry him along. "Tell His Highness I’ve prepared a surprise. If he doesn’t return soon, he’ll miss it."
Deshun was stunned. Since returning from outside the palace, the young lady had grown bolder than ever! The Crown Prince was still handling official business, yet she dared send someone to rush him—even issuing a veiled threat!
Wearing a troubled expression, he replied tactfully, "This servant will first consult my master."
Yun Kui smiled. "Thank you."
Cao Yuanlu, standing nearby, immediately schooled his disciple: "She is the future mistress of this palace. From now on, whatever she commands, you obey without question."
Deshun knew Yun Kui was destined to become a consort, but even so, wasn’t this pushing the limits of favor? Even a Crown Princess wouldn’t dare speak to His Highness so flippantly!
Cao Yuanlu patted his head and whispered, "Outside these walls, His Highness refers to her as 'Madame.' Understood?"
Deshun’s eyes widened in shock before he nodded vigorously. "U-understood!"
Only then did Cao Yuanlu turn and enter the hall with a knowing smile.
Finding the Crown Prince still seated at his desk, visibly displeased, he approached cautiously. "The young lady sent someone to ask when Your Highness will return to the bedchamber."
When no reaction came, Cao Yuanlu coaxed gently, "She mentioned preparing a surprise for you. Won’t you go and see?"
The Crown Prince’s lips twitched.
A surprise?
What could she possibly have prepared?
Cao Yuanlu pressed on, "She knows she upset you earlier. Today, she made peach blossom pastries and now this surprise. Won’t Your Highness set aside your anger and go take a look?"
The Crown Prince scoffed. "Am I to come and go at her beck and call?"
Cao Yuanlu: "..."
"Well, if you don’t go, it’s your loss."
Distracted, the Crown Prince flipped through the case files in his hands, his agitation growing.
With a dark expression, he finally rose and returned to Cheng Guang Palace. By the time he finished bathing, it was nearly midnight.
The chamber was silent—she must have fallen asleep.
So this was the promised "surprise"?
Peering through the bed curtains at the small, indistinct lump beneath the brocade quilt, he gritted his teeth, recalling how she had driven him to fury the previous night. If she dared toy with him again today, he would make sure she learned her lesson—
"Hurry up, why isn’t he coming in yet?"
"Ah! I held back for so long, but my thoughts slipped out..."
The Crown Prince smirked. So she was pretending.
As he drew back the curtain, Yun Kui suddenly threw off the covers and lunged at him.
Instinctively, he caught her, holding her securely in his arms.
Though he’d anticipated some preparation on her part, the sight before him still struck him like a thunderbolt—both visually and physically.
She wore nothing but the "armor" of golden chains.
Every other inch was laid bare.
Her skin was like purest jade, flawless under the dim candlelight—like the first snow atop a mountain bathed in dawn’s glow. The delicate chains traced the contours of her body like mountain ridges, the vibrant red gems stark against her soft, creamy flesh. Every curve shimmered with a pearly sheen, her warm, pliant body melting into his palms, sending tremors through him.
The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed slightly, his throat bobbing. "Why are you dressed like this?"
His expression remained composed, but his eyes darkened, his grip tightening around her.
Yun Kui blinked up at him with dewy eyes. "Does Your Highness not like it?"
Her slender arms looped around his neck as her petal-soft lips brushed his, her voice trembling. "Your Highness... kiss me."
Ignoring her, he freed one hand to pull the quilt over her.
Unwilling to relent, Yun Kui caught his fingers. "Don’t be angry anymore. Hold me... I’m so cold..."
The Crown Prince: "If you're cold, why aren't you wearing more clothes?"
Yun Kui bit her lip. "Isn’t it because I upset Your Highness and am now reflecting on my mistakes?"
The Crown Prince stared at her intently. "Do you know why I’m upset?"
"I do," Yun Kui replied, "but... come inside first."
The Crown Prince: "..."
He was determined to hear what nonsense she’d spout this time.
As he lifted the blanket and settled in, her soft body immediately coiled around him like clinging seaweed. The delicate chains adorning her scattered with the movement, revealing flawless, porcelain-like skin—smooth as the finest sweet white glaze, without a single blemish.
The Crown Prince tore his gaze away from the gem-studded gold ornaments and said coldly, "Speak."
"He’s jealous, what else could it be?"
Even now, she was still deflecting with jokes.
His jaw tightened.
Yun Kui hadn’t meant to blurt out her thoughts and quickly tried to recover. "It’s my fault—I forced the jealousy down Your Highness’s throat!"
She slid into his arms, nuzzling against him, and guided his tense, veined hand to rest on the curve of her waist.
The man’s throat bobbed slightly, but he pushed her slender figure away with a cold, mocking laugh. "This is my own doing. How could it be your fault?"
Yun Kui rarely took the initiative like this, yet he remained unmoved.
Frustrated, she lay back in silence before murmuring after a long pause, "You never trust me. You think I’m heartless, that I don’t care for you. But... I truly enjoy being close to you. When you’re hurt, I worry. When I learned I could ease your headaches, I feared you only favored me for that—yet part of me was secretly glad, because it meant you needed me. It let me stay by your side without guilt, and it made up for..."
The Crown Prince: "Made up for what?"
Yun Kui pressed her lips together. "For my shameful origins, my lowly status as a palace maid."
Suppressing his anger, the Crown Prince said darkly, "Even now, you still believe I’d scorn your background?"
Yun Kui shook her head. "I know you don’t, but you’re the heir to the throne. Even if you don’t care, others will."
The Crown Prince scoffed. "So what if they do? Should I live by their opinions?"
Yun Kui sighed softly. "But you stand so high above me—I have to crane my neck just to see your face. If you were just a minor official or a common merchant, and you called me your wife in public, I could happily call you ‘husband’ in return. No matter how well you treated me, I wouldn’t feel this constant unease..."
Admittedly, the Crown Prince’s hardened heart wavered imperceptibly at that tender word—husband.
"Besides," she continued, her voice growing quieter, "aren’t you also investigating who my birth father is? Does it... really matter?"
The Crown Prince glanced at her. "I’m not searching for him to determine your status based on his identity."
Yun Kui froze. "Then why?"
Instead of answering directly, he asked, "Have you ever imagined what kind of man he might be?"
Her eyes dimmed. "No," she whispered. "Some say he was a passing merchant, others a bandit or a deserter—nothing good, in any case."
The Crown Prince: "What if he wasn’t? What if he was separated from your mother by circumstance, or never even knew you existed? Would you still want to meet him?"
Yun Kui’s heart raced, leaving her speechless.
In the past, she would’ve dismissed her father entirely, no matter who he was. But now, in the Eastern Palace, everyone needed a clear lineage.
Her voice trembled. "Your Highness... found something?"
The Crown Prince squeezed her hand, noticing how cold and clammy it was. "Don’t be afraid. He might not be as wretched as you think."
Her pulse thundered as she gripped his hand tighter.
The Crown Prince said, "If you’re willing, I’ll arrange for you to meet him."
Yun Kui pressed her lips together in silence.
"If you’re not ready, that’s fine too."
After a pause, he added, his throat working, "Whether he’s a high official or an outlaw, it changes nothing. Just remember this: I love you regardless of status, and no one in this world dares dictate whom I choose to spend my life with."
(The Crown Prince isn’t rushing her to reunite with her father—he wants to gauge her feelings first, ensuring she’s prepared. He’d never force the meeting or withhold it out of petty jealousy.)
