Shen Yanshui walked over lightly. Only when she drew close, under the somewhat dim light, could she clearly make out his expression. Something about him seemed a little strange...
“Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” she asked with concern.
Cui Yu glanced up at her but did not answer for a moment.
He had never expected his body to react simply because she came so close to him. Naturally, he would never say such a thing aloud.
Seeing his cold, expressionless face, Shen Yanshui had initially felt somewhat uneasy. But when her gaze inadvertently swept over a certain place, her mind went blank for a moment.
Shen Yanshui: “...” What happened? Had someone drugged the Crown Prince?
A foolish thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Fortunately, she only thought it and did not say it aloud. After all, this was the Eastern Palace. Who would dare drug the Crown Prince? Did they have a death wish?
In the blink of an eye, she quickly racked her memory and finally realized what was probably going on.
But looking at his cold, impassive face as he sat there in silence, she suddenly felt an irresistible urge to tease him.
With a worried look on her face, she went over and sat down beside him. Resting one hand lightly on his shoulder, she asked gently, “Your Highness, what’s wrong? Are you still angry?”
Before he could answer, Shen Yanshui lightly patted his somewhat tense chest. “Anger is bad for your health. Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. How about I massage your shoulders as an apology?”
When Shen Yanshui saw his ears suddenly turn red, she found it immensely amusing. At that moment, she felt just like a little temptress clinging to him, eager to see how long this Crown Prince—always so serious and aloof by day—could keep enduring it.
Suddenly, her wrist was seized by a large, finely jointed hand. Cui Yu’s gaze was deep and dark.
“An apology?”
Shen Yanshui’s heart jolted. For some inexplicable reason, she felt as if she had suddenly fallen under the dangerous gaze of a ferocious beast.
Before she could respond, the force of his hand pulled her abruptly into his arms, leaving her seated on his lap.
The next moment, she felt it with startling clarity.
Shen Yanshui: “...” That change was a little too fast, wasn’t it?
Cui Yu had never considered himself a gentleman. It was simply that he had never been particularly interested in matters of the bedchamber.
Yet at some point, something seemed to have changed.
Cui Yu raised a hand and pulled at her sash.
Shen Yanshui’s hand shyly slipped through the opening in the hem of his black robes. At the same time, unable to resist the sight of his handsome features, she lowered her eyes and kissed him.
Cui Yu: “...”
The instant their lips touched, Shen Yanshui noticed that his entire body suddenly stiffened. He stopped moving.
Shen Yanshui: “...?”
She looked at him. His brows were slightly furrowed as he lowered his eyes to stare at her, his gaze as black and fathomless as an abyss. She suddenly felt that perhaps she could not continue kissing him...
Uneasily, she drew back a little. Sure enough, being close to the ruler was like sleeping beside a tiger—the ancients had not been wrong!
Her fingers also unconsciously began to slow.
“Your Highness?”
She truly could not tell whether he was refusing her or what he meant. His inexplicable reaction left her completely bewildered.
Cui Yu caught the hand she was preparing to withdraw. “Continue.” His voice was so hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable.
Shen Yanshui: “...”
What was he trying to say? Was he treating her like nothing more than a tool, yet refusing even to kiss her?
For once, she was furious—but in the end, she only dared to be furious for a moment...
Then she suddenly remembered that, the last few times, he had never kissed her on the lips either. Every time, he had started from...
She let out a cold huff inwardly. Hmph. Men!
She couldn’t help grumbling to herself: If you’re so capable, then don’t use your mouth anywhere at all! I haven’t even complained about you, and you’re already finding fault with me?
As if she cared about kissing him!
Shen Yanshui secretly cast a glance at his neatly arranged clothing, then opened her mouth and bit him on the neck. Listening to the change in his voice from its usual cool composure, she began tormenting him with her hands, taking a rather malicious pleasure in getting her revenge...
Then she suddenly felt his entire body stiffen like stone, the muscles in his legs becoming especially taut.
Cui Yu buried his face against her shoulder to regain his composure. After a long while, he put an arm around her slender waist and slowly straightened up.
A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead, yet the expression on his face had already returned to normal—calm and unruffled as ever. Shen Yanshui secretly curled her lips.
As though by accident, she waved her still-moist hand beneath his eyes and said, with a bashful, troubled air, “Your Highness, what are we to do?”
As she spoke, she cast a pointed glance at the noticeably darker patch spreading across his clothing.
Fortunately, he was wearing dark robes today. Unless one looked closely, it was impossible to notice.
There was a fleeting trace of awkwardness on Cui Yu’s face, though it vanished almost at once. After all, this was the first time they had indulged themselves in broad daylight...
He calmly reached for the teacup. Glancing at her flushed palm, he said without batting an eye, “Rinse it.”
Shen Yanshui: “...”
Fine. At least this counted as the Crown Prince personally attending to her while she washed her hands.
After she had quickly rinsed her hand, she saw him pour another cup of tea over himself with the same smooth, natural efficiency.
The tea immediately soaked into the fabric, leaving his clothes thoroughly damp. The indescribable scent lingering in the air was diluted considerably by the fragrance of the pre-rain Longjing tea.
Shen Yanshui merely gave him a soft snort at this entire cleanup operation and said nothing. She hurriedly slipped down from his lap.
Though, truth be told, her own clothes were hardly in any better condition.
Her cross-collared jacket had somehow become a front-opening garment, while the begonia-red bodice beneath it had long since been pulled far from where it belonged. Her clothes were wrinkled everywhere, and she could hardly bear to look at herself. She felt a pang of distress as well—these garments were made from fine, expensive materials and needed to be carefully tended. Now they had been ruined by him...
Cui Yu looked up and caught the faintly accusing glance in her eyes. Then he looked at her clothes...
Cui Yu: “...”
He turned his head away and coughed lightly before saying in a low voice, “I’ll have some fabric sent to you later.”
Only then did Shen Yanshui finally smile. “Thank you, Your Highness. Please summon Eunuch Zheng to attend to you at once. You mustn’t catch cold. I’ll go inside and change first.”
With that, she swayed gracefully into the inner room.
Cui Yu: “...”
However, he did not immediately summon someone to attend to him. Instead, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, his brows drew together slightly, and he raised a hand to touch his lips without thinking.
He had never kissed anyone on the lips. Yet he knew of such things; he had seen men and women feeding one another with their mouths and tongues. Even a single extra glance had disgusted him, as though it sullied his eyes.
Nor had he ever entertained such a thought.
Cui Yu unconsciously pressed his lips together. Yet that brief sensation just now... seemed not to have repulsed or disgusted him as much as he had imagined it would.
Still, deep down, he instinctively felt that it was somehow unclean.
“Your Highness?” Zheng Yuande’s cautious voice suddenly sounded from outside.
Cui Yu’s voice darkened. “What is it?”
Zheng Yuande promptly replied, “Your Highness, Cao Zhongda has just sent word that Lord Xiao is currently waiting in the front hall.”
Cui Yu frowned. Lowering his eyes and finding that there was nothing obviously amiss, he rose and left the room. Before departing, he turned to the eunuch waiting deferentially to one side and said, “Tell your mistress that I have official business to attend to in the front hall, and will be leaving first.”
He had not intended to leave any particular instruction. But he had originally come here to have lunch with her, and in the end... If he finished and left immediately, it would make it seem as though he had come solely for that purpose.
Quanfu did not dare raise his head. Bowing deeply, he answered respectfully, “Yes.”
But the moment Zheng Yuande caught sight of the disheveled state of the Crown Prince’s clothes, he cried out in alarm, “Oh dear! Your Highness, what happened to your garments? How did you get tea spilled all over yourself?”
Cui Yu frowned. The damp fabric clung tightly to his body, making him uncomfortable, and he was even less inclined to listen to Zheng Yuande’s fussing. “It is nothing. I accidentally spilled some tea just now. Let us go.”
Zheng Yuande repeatedly assented, then hurriedly instructed someone to return and prepare a fresh set of clothes. How could the Crown Prince possibly meet anyone while wearing wet garments?
He could not help grumbling inwardly. What was Lady Shen doing? Did she not know how to attend to His Highness properly? Honestly...
Then he remembered that, before leaving, His Highness had specifically instructed that little eunuch to inform Lady Shen. That was something he had never done before...
Zheng Yuande forcibly swallowed his dissatisfaction. Forget it, forget it. If His Highness himself was not angry, what right did he have to be angry on his behalf?
