At Xiefang Hall,
night had fallen deep, and the courtyard lay quiet. Only a few lanterns hung beneath the eaves, their dim golden light swaying gently in the night breeze.
Inside the main hall, the Crown Princess sat on a couch by the window, a book clutched in her hands. She had not turned a page in ages.
Matron Zhou stood nearby, her face pale, anxiety plain in her expression.
In a hushed voice, she asked, “Your Highness, she… won’t give us away, will she?”
The Crown Princess’s fingers stilled. She glanced up at Matron Zhou, knowing how frightened she was, and replied with quiet certainty, “She won’t.”
Matron Zhou still felt uneasy. She had asked the same question at least three times over the past few days, but whenever the Crown Princess answered so firmly, it eased her worries a little.
The Crown Princess lowered her eyes and rested the book on her lap. “If she dies, so be it. Does she really think she can drag her whole family down to the depths of hell with her?”
At that, Matron Zhou’s tense shoulders relaxed. She nodded repeatedly. “Your Highness is right. This old servant was overthinking it.”
The Crown Princess said no more. Her gaze settled on the window lattice, her thoughts elsewhere.
Matron Zhou did not dare speak again. She stood with her hands folded and silently prayed to Buddha.
They had thought that once the Crown Prince dealt with the physician sent by the Madam, all would be well, and no trace or evidence would remain.
But that useless Xiaoxiang had sent word in secret that everything had been taken care of. Who could have guessed that this was what she meant by “taken care of”?
Now, every day without news left Matron Zhou on tenterhooks.
She had no idea that it was precisely because she had pressed Xiaoxiang so urgently, while the two matrons sent by Her Majesty the Empress to Haoyue Studio had been keeping such a close watch on Lady Chu due to her recent physical symptoms, that Xiaoxiang had not had a chance to act.
Afraid of being punished, Xiaoxiang had told them the matter was settled first, intending to deal with it when an opportunity arose. She had never imagined that…
For a while, the only sound in the room was the soft crackle of the candle flame.
Just then, a sudden commotion came from outside.
“This servant pays her respects to the Crown Prince—”
“Your Highness—”
Matron Zhou’s heart lurched. She looked up sharply at the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess was startled too. Before she could rise, the curtain was suddenly swept aside, and a tall figure strode in.
The night wind swept in with him, making the candle flames flicker wildly.
Cui Yu stood in the doorway, his features stern and his presence oppressively cold.
The Crown Princess’s heart began to race, but she quickly composed herself. She pushed back the thin quilt, rose slowly, and curtsied. “Your concubine pays her respects to the Crown Prince.”
Cui Yu looked at her without a word.
The Crown Princess’s expression remained unchanged. She smiled gently. “Lady Chu has safely delivered the young imperial grandson, adding an heir to the Eastern Palace. And these past few days, Your Highness has solved the case at the Capital Prefecture and earned His Majesty’s praise. I have yet to congratulate you.”
Cui Yu’s gaze was dark. He asked coldly, “Crown Princess, do you know Xiaoxiang?”
The smile vanished from the Crown Princess’s face.
Matron Zhou lowered her head abruptly. In an instant, cold sweat ran down her back!
It was over... What had His Highness the Crown Prince discovered? Did that little bitch no longer care whether her entire family lived or died?!
The Crown Princess lowered her eyes, her nails digging into her palm. When she looked up again, her expression was perfectly composed.
“Over the past few days, I did hear Matron Zhou mention that something had happened at Bright Moon Pavilion... I do not know who could be so cruel as to commit such a deed.”
As she spoke, her face took on a look of concern mingled with relief.
“Fortunately, Lady Chu and her child were blessed with good fortune and came to no harm. Only then could I continue to recuperate in peace. Otherwise, I truly would not be able to set my mind at ease.”
“When Matron Zhou first mentioned it, she said that Eunuch Zheng had taken away a palace maid not long afterward. That maid seemed to be called Xiaoxiang?”
She paused, knitting her brows slightly as she looked at the Crown Prince in apparent puzzlement.
“What happened to Xiaoxiang? Did she commit some offense serious enough to warrant Your Highness questioning her in person?”
Cui Yu stared at her. After a long moment, his voice fell, cold and heavy.
“What she did, the Crown Princess should know better than I.”
The Crown Princess’s heart lurched, but she continued to hold herself together, even allowing a trace of displeasure to show on her face.
“What does Your Highness mean by that? I have never known Xiaoxiang. She has always served at Bright Moon Pavilion, and I have never even met her. What could her affairs possibly have to do with me?”
Cui Yu said nothing. He merely ordered in a cold voice, “All of you, leave.”
Zheng Yuande hurriedly led every palace servant in the room out, bowing as they withdrew.
Matron Zhou hesitated for a moment, casting the Crown Princess a worried glance before gritting her teeth and retreating as well.
The door curtain fell, leaving only Cui Yu and the Crown Princess in the room.
The candles burned in silence, casting their shadows upon the wall—distinct and utterly divided.
Cui Yu fixed her with his cold phoenix eyes, his voice so calm that it carried not the slightest ripple.
“Does the Crown Princess understand what it means for the Eastern Palace to have so few heirs?”
The Crown Princess froze, not expecting him to bring this up so suddenly.
Cui Yu continued, “The heirs beneath my care concern the very foundations of Great Yong—the stability of the realm and the Eastern Palace. When descendants are few, people’s hearts become unsettled, and those with ulterior motives will begin to stir.”
He looked at her, enunciating every word.
“Does the Crown Princess understand these things?”
The Crown Princess pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing.
Cui Yu went on, “And do you understand the duties that come with being the Crown Princess?”
“Managing the household affairs, maintaining order in the inner court, protecting the heirs—how many of these duties have you fulfilled?”
With each of his calm, indifferent questions, the Crown Princess’s face grew paler. Her fingers clenched tightly, her nails nearly piercing her flesh.
She lifted her head, her chin slightly raised, and met his eyes directly.
“What does Your Highness mean? Where, exactly, have I failed so badly as to incur such displeasure from you?”
“I have been recuperating in Xiefang Hall and have not involved myself in outside matters for a long time. Nanny Ling now oversees the affairs of the Eastern Palace. Something went wrong at Bright Moon Pavilion, yet instead of questioning the person in charge, Your Highness has come to question me... What sense does that make?”
Cui Yu looked at her. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were utterly cold and still.
His voice was as icy as winter.
“Stubborn beyond reason. Blindly obstinate.”
“Unfit to be... the Crown Princess.”
With that, he tossed the evidence he had uncovered onto the table before her, shot her a cold glance, and turned to leave.
The Crown Princess stared at what lay before her. The color drained from her face in an instant.
Her legs gave way beneath her. She swayed, nearly losing her balance, and caught herself on the small table behind her, her knuckles turning white.
The curtain lifted and fell. A gust of night air swept in, making the candle flames flicker violently, nearly snuffing them out.
Matron Zhou stood guard outside. When she saw the Crown Prince emerge, his expression even colder than before, his presence so forbidding that no one dared meet his gaze, her heart lurched.
Her legs nearly buckled, but she didn’t dare make a sound. She only lowered her head and trembled—until the Crown Prince paused and turned his eyes on her.
That single glance plunged her into an icy abyss.
Cui Yu’s thin lips parted. His voice was cold and hard. “Matron Zhou has conducted herself improperly and spoken out of turn. Fifty strokes. Send her to the Laundry Bureau!”
Matron Zhou’s mind went blank. All strength seemed to leave her, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Fifty strokes? There was no way she’d survive!
“Y-Your Highness—!” Her mouth gaped, but terror had drained her face of color, and she could barely form the words.
Zheng Yuande didn’t even raise his eyes. He merely turned his head slightly and signaled to the eunuchs behind him.
Two eunuchs immediately stepped forward and seized Matron Zhou, one on either side.
Only then did she come to her senses. She struggled desperately, shrieking, “Your Highness! Your Highness, spare me! I’m innocent—Your Highness, save me! Your Highness—”
The curtain was flung aside, and the Crown Princess stumbled out, her hair slightly disheveled and her face deathly pale. “Your Highness!”
Cui Yu didn’t stop.
The Crown Princess hurried after him for a few steps, her voice trembling. “Your Highness, what are you doing? Matron Zhou has served me for years and has never done anything wrong. How can you punish her without a shred of evidence? Your Highness—!”
Before she could finish, Cui Yu had already descended the steps. He didn’t look back, and soon vanished into the darkness, leaving only the sound of the night wind catching at his robes.
The Crown Princess stood frozen in place, the wind blowing through her collar, cold as a knife.
Matron Zhou’s cries still drifted from somewhere in the distance, growing fainter by the moment.
Pale-faced, she abandoned all thought of decorum and rushed toward the courtyard gate. “Your Highness!”
“Please stop, Your Highness.”
The two eunuchs guarding Xiefang Hall stepped forward and blocked her way, their manner respectful, but their stance firm.
The Crown Princess stopped. She recognized them as men from Xiefang Hall, yet now they stood before her, refusing to let her pass.
Her heart sank. Were the people in her own courtyard truly hers—or the Crown Prince’s?
Then, all at once, Matron Zhou’s cries fell silent.
A wave of panic surged through the Crown Princess.
“Your Highness—!”
…
Zheng Yuande followed behind the Crown Prince. Hearing the Crown Princess’s voice and recalling what she had just said, he couldn’t help curling his lip. Evidence?
Hah.
In the Eastern Palace, what mattered most was the Crown Prince’s judgment. If His Highness decided you were guilty, then what did it matter if there was no evidence?
And the reverse was just as true.
**
With a grim expression, Cui Yu strode out of Xifang Hall. He did not slow down, heading straight for Haoyue Residence. Zheng Yuande had to run to keep up, yet he did not dare make a sound.
Black clouds rolled across the night sky, pressing heavily downward and swallowing the last sliver of moonlight. Dull thunder rumbled in the distance, each boom like a weight bearing down on one’s heart.
The gate to Haoyue Residence stood ajar. Several lanterns hung beneath the eaves, swaying in the night wind. The young eunuch guarding the entrance was leaning against the wall, dozing, when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar. He jolted awake and looked up. The sight before him nearly made him fall over.
“Y-Your Highness, the Crown Prince!” he stammered, hurriedly dropping to his knees.
Cui Yu did not pause. He strode straight into the courtyard.
The palace servants inside froze for a moment before dropping to their knees in a flurry.
“Greetings, Your Highness! May Your Highness enjoy peace and good health—”
Their voices rose and fell, rousing the people inside the main room.
Cui Yu lifted his foot and walked in.
Nanny Xu had already heard the commotion and hurried out to meet him. Seeing that the Crown Prince had indeed arrived, she quickly bowed.
“This old servant pays her respects to Your Highness.”
Cui Yu stopped before her. “How is Lady Chu?”
“Your Highness, Lady Chu’s condition…” Nanny Xu answered respectfully. “She suffered quite a bit, but thankfully her life is no longer in danger. She merely needs proper rest and careful recuperation.”
She paused, then cast a quick glance at the Crown Prince. After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “However, after Lady Chu awoke and learned that she would never be able to conceive again, she could not bear it and wept bitterly.”
Cui Yu’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing. He lifted his foot, intending to enter the eastern side room.
Then a rather hurried voice suddenly came from within.
“My body is unclean and my appearance is disheveled. I am unfit to receive Your Highness. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
It was Lady Chu’s voice.
Cui Yu stopped in his tracks.
Hearing this, Nanny Xu could not help sighing inwardly.
It was only natural for a woman who had just given birth to look pale and wan, with exhaustion etched into every corner of her face.
Yet most men in the world cared only for a woman’s beauty. If they saw her looking less than radiant, she might well lose their favor.
For any woman in the palace, that was something almost impossible to endure.
Though, in Nanny Xu’s eyes, their Crown Prince was not the sort of shallow man who cared only about a woman’s appearance, she still understood Lady Chu’s fears completely.
Cui Yu’s cold tone softened slightly. “It does not matter. Your health is what matters. Rest well and recover. I will go see the child.”
“Yes. Thank you, Your Highness, for your forgiveness and concern…” Lady Chu’s voice sounded faintly choked.
She leaned against the headboard, her face as pale as paper and her lips devoid of color. Her eyes were swollen and red, clearly after a bout of heavy crying. Her long hair hung loose over her shoulders, and she looked utterly haggard.
“Still, I beg Your Highness to seek justice for me. Please find the person who secretly plotted against me and tampered with things so maliciously. From now on… from now on, I will never be able to have another child with Your Highness…” As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly desolate. In the end, she wept in restrained, sorrowful sobs.
Cui Yu remained silent for a long while.
After a moment, his voice roughened slightly. “You should rest.”
With that, he turned and walked out.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
“Yes... this concubine sees Your Highness off...” Lady Chu said softly. Tears still streamed down her face, but a shadow flickered in her eyes. Staring toward the doorway, she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tighter and tighter.
For all her precautions, she had still failed to guard against it.
The four pots of golden-edged winter daphne had been a congratulatory gift from the Crown Princess. Though Lady Chu had accepted them openly, she had secretly summoned the imperial physician to examine them several times.
The physician had said that, so long as one did not inhale the strong fragrance in great quantities over a short period or for an extended time, there would be no harm.
So she had placed the pots out in the courtyard, far from her rooms, and had people watch them every day, terrified that something might go wrong.
She had thought that was the Crown Princess’s scheme.
Yet she had never imagined that it was merely a diversion.
The true poison had been hidden inside the bamboo bolster she rested against every day.
Though she had no evidence at present, she was certain that the Crown Princess was behind it!
However, behind the Crown Princess stood not only the Duke of Wen’s household, but also the Li family.
Even though Lord Li had passed away, he had once taught countless students, and the Li family still remained the foremost among the court’s civil-official factions.
Even with irrefutable evidence, shaking the Crown Princess’s position would be no easy matter.
This loss... she would remember it.
In the side hall.
When Cui Yu entered, the hall was brightly lit. Several wet nurses stood gathered around the cradle, while the imperial physician waited nearby.
At the sight of him, everyone hurried to bow.
Cui Yu raised a hand to stop them and walked straight to the cradle.
Inside lay a tiny swaddled bundle—a tiny infant.
The child was thin and small, his little face wrinkled, his skin flushed red. His eyes were shut tight, and his small mouth was open as he let out faint, fragile cries that tugged painfully at the heart.
Cui Yu stood beside the cradle, looking down at the tiny infant. His thin lips pressed into a straight line.
He reached out and lightly touched the child’s hand, curled into a little fist.
It was so tiny, so soft, with scarcely any strength in it.
A complicated expression flickered in his eyes—gloom, guilt, and emotions he could not quite name.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and turned to the imperial physician beside him.
“How is the child?”
The physician’s heart tightened. He promptly bowed and replied, “In answer to Your Highness, the little imperial grandson is somewhat weaker than an ordinary child. But so long as he is raised with attentive care, he will surely grow up healthy and strong.”
In truth, the child was not especially frail—indeed, he was in better condition than the previous little prince of the Eastern Palace. So long as he was properly cared for, there would be no impediment once he grew older.
But in these times, whether among commoners or within the palace, infant mortality was terribly high.
Even children born robust and healthy were not guaranteed to reach adulthood. A bout of cold or an epidemic could easily claim a life.
After hearing the physician’s words, Cui Yu’s expression eased somewhat, though he did not relax completely.
He looked once more at the infant in the cradle. A wet nurse had already lifted the child gently into her arms, patting and soothing him. His cries gradually subsided into soft whimpers.
Cui Yu was silent for a moment before giving his orders. “Take meticulous care of him. Whatever the child needs, provide it without reservation.”
Everyone immediately answered, “Yes.”
Cui Yu gave the child one last look, then turned and strode away.
“Respectfully seeing off His Highness the Crown Prince—”
Behind him, the palace attendants knelt in a sea and bowed in unison.
Cui Yu did not pause. He left Haoyue Studio, and the night wind rushed toward him, carrying dust and a chill.
He stopped outside the courtyard gate and looked up at the pitch-black sky, his eyes dark and unreadable.
Black clouds pressed low overhead, churning in layer upon layer, almost as if they might come crashing down on the world below. Thunder rumbled one peal after another across the horizon, making his eardrums tremble. Suddenly, a ghastly white bolt of lightning split the night, illuminating the entire Eastern Palace as bright as day—then, in the blink of an eye, darkness swallowed it once more.
Zheng Yuande followed cautiously behind him, not daring to speak.
After a long while, Cui Yu started toward Lianxin Court.
Quanshou was on duty at the gate, along with a young eunuch who served the Lady Liu across the way.
Quanshou had just been startled awake by a peal of thunder. He opened his eyes to find the Crown Prince standing before him, and his heart gave a violent thump. He hurried forward and bowed, his voice low. “This servant greets Your Highness—”
The other young eunuch was so frightened that he fell straight to his knees. “This servant greets Your Highness! Please forgive me!”
Cui Yu paused. His gaze settled on the east side room of the main quarters, where the lights had already gone out. The latticed windows were pitch-black, not a glimmer showing through.
“Has your mistress retired?” His voice was low; in the night, it was impossible to make out his mood.
Quanshou kept his head bowed, unable to see the Crown Prince’s face. “To answer Your Highness, Her Ladyship has been feeling quite weary these past few days. She retired half an hour ago.”
At that, Cui Yu’s brow shifted slightly, but he said nothing and continued toward the main quarters.
Qiuru, who had been waiting beneath the eaves, had already heard the commotion. She came forward with two young palace maids. Just as they were about to bow, Cui Yu raised a hand to stop them.
“Do not make a sound,” he said quietly. “I’m going in to see her. No need to wake her.”
Qiuru froze. Her eyes instinctively flicked toward the east side room, and a trace of hesitation crossed her face.
She was on duty tonight. Sister Chunping had already retired.
Why had the Crown Prince come at this hour?
Anxious, she thought of how truly exhausted her mistress had been these past few days, and how early she had gone to bed. Her mistress was asleep now. She had no idea what business had brought the Crown Prince here in the middle of the night, but as things stood, her mistress was in no state to attend to him…
She parted her lips, wanting to say something. But when she met the Crown Prince’s cold, stern gaze, the words died in her throat.
All she could do was watch as he lifted the curtain and entered the main quarters.
The moment one of his feet crossed the threshold, rain began to fall outside.
It came hard and fast, as if the long-suffocating sky had finally torn open. Great drops lashed down, pattering against the roof tiles with a sharp, pounding clatter. In an instant, they merged into a vast white curtain of rain.
The lanterns beneath the eaves swayed wildly in the wind, their light splintering through the rain.
Qiuru took several steps back. Then, remembering something, she clutched the handkerchief in her fist and quietly resolved to listen closely to what happened inside tonight. If anything seemed amiss, she would have to go in and remind the Crown Prince…
Her mistress might well be carrying a child now. She could not let the Crown Prince get carried away with her again.
Nearby, Zheng Yuande, who had been on edge all night, could only groan inwardly.
He glanced up—and to his astonishment, the palace maid called Qiuru had already pressed her ear to the door and window, clearly intending to eavesdrop. The sight nearly made him fling away the whisk in his hand.
“Ahem.” He coughed softly, glaring at the audacious girl.
Startled, Qiuru gave a little shudder and hurriedly straightened up, offering an embarrassed smile and a few hurried apologies.
She had completely forgotten about Eunuch Zheng just now...
Zheng Yuande waved a hand, lacking the energy to hold it against her. If this girl had not belonged to Shen Yanshui’s household, he would have had her dragged away to relearn the rules properly.
Within the eastern side chamber of Lotus Heart Court, all was dark.
The bed curtains hung low. Through them, one could vaguely make out a curled-up figure, breathing long and evenly, deeply asleep.
Shen Yanshui was sleeping soundly.
Then, all at once, she dreamed that a huge tiger seized her in its embrace. It was heavy—so heavy that she could not move.
The tiger even rested its enormous head on her chest, crushing her until she could scarcely breathe!
Instinctively, she pushed at that big head.
It would not budge.
The tiger even pinned her hand down with its paw.
Shen Yanshui grew anxious and kicked hard with all her strength.
That kick jolted her awake.
Her eyes flew open, but the “big head” on her chest was still there.
In the faint moonlight, she made out the face.
The Crown Prince?
She blinked once, then again, wondering whether she was still dreaming.
Yet the warmth of the hand holding hers down was undeniably real.
...So the tiger in her dream had been the Crown Prince?
Shen Yanshui found herself rather speechless, but she quickly sensed that something was wrong.
The Crown Prince was holding her tightly. His usually cool, noble face was buried against her chest, his brows drawn together, his lips pressed into a thin line. A heavy air clung to him; he was clearly in a terrible mood.
And then... was it raining outside? She instinctively felt his clothing. The fabric beneath her hand was dry, and only then did she relax.
She shifted and wriggled backward, making room for him, and said softly, “What is wrong, Your Highness? Come up and lie down to rest.”
Cui Yu looked up at her.
She had only just woken, her eyes not yet fully open, half-lidded with lingering sleepiness.
He looked at the empty half of the bed she had made for him, gave a quiet “Mm,” removed his boots, and lay down on the bed.
Shen Yanshui nestled into his arms, finding a comfortable position before looking up at him. “Why is Your Highness still awake at such a late hour?”
Cui Yu said nothing.
Nor did Shen Yanshui press him. She simply rested quietly in his embrace, though her thoughts slowly began to turn.
Still awake so late, coming all the way here, with such a grim expression... Was it something at court?
But had the case not already been settled? His Majesty had even praised him.
Then it must be something else...
She thought again. Could it be that the palace maid taken from Haoyue Pavilion a few days ago had confessed to something, leaving His Highness in such a state?
If that were the case, then there were only a handful of people in the entire Eastern Palace capable of doing something that would make His Highness reveal his feelings so plainly...
Shen Yanshui did not try to guess any further. She merely wriggled upward a little more, then lifted her arms and wrapped them around his head, holding him against her chest. Like soothing a little baby, she gently patted him.
“Your Highness has something weighing on his mind.” Her voice still carried the lazy softness of sleep, gentle and sweet. “If this trouble can’t be resolved for the time being, why not get some sleep first and restore your strength?”
As she spoke, she reached up and touched the dark circles beneath his eyes. “Your Highness has dark circles under his eyes. You’ve been busy with state affairs these past few days, so I imagine you haven’t been resting properly. Why not sleep for a while first?” Even the stubble on his chin had grown out, and it was a little scratchy.
Seeing that she was still concerned about his “dark circles,” the heavy gloom in Cui Yu’s heart seemed to stall for a moment.
He suddenly spoke, his voice low. “But what if this trouble is very difficult to resolve—what if it can never be resolved?”
Shen Yanshui was too sleepy to even lift her eyelids. She replied casually, “Then just leave it there for now. Solve it when you can.” As she spoke, she came out with that famous saying: “A happy day is still a day, and an unhappy day is still a day. Of course we should spend every day happily. Otherwise, wouldn’t we be losing out?”
As she spoke, she gave a tiny yawn. “If Your Highness keeps dwelling on troublesome matters, you’ll grow old faster. Before long, you’ll turn into a little old man.”
Cui Yu: “...?”
He lowered his eyes to look at her. Her eyes were still closed, and she looked utterly exhausted, yet she continued mumbling.
He suddenly felt both amused and helpless.
He reached out and pinched her cheek.
“Mm?” Shen Yanshui winced in pain and struggled to open one eye. Her gaze was hazy and aggrieved. “Why did Your Highness pinch me?”
She looked so innocent and bewildered, with the dazed confusion of someone who had just woken up. She had no idea why she had been subjected to such cruelty. She had clearly still been trying to comfort him!
Cui Yu put on a stern expression and deliberately adopted a severe tone. “I’m troubled, and you can still sleep?”
Shen Yanshui blinked.
Her eyes, however, were bright and sparkling, as though they held a pool of spring water.
She rubbed herself against his chest, resting her face against his chin. Her voice was soft and slurred with drowsiness, unbearably sweet. “With Your Highness by my side, I sleep more peacefully.” As she spoke, she rubbed her face against his.
Her tone held a hint of coaxing and a touch of flattering sweetness, like a cat acting spoiled.
The place where she brushed against him softened Cui Yu’s heart.
The gloom that had settled deep within him dispersed considerably before he even realized it.
He lowered his head and breathed in the faint fragrance of fruit mingled with the fresh, clean scent of grass and trees clinging to her. Suddenly, he felt a little sleepy.
“If you’re tired, then sleep.” He closed his eyes and gathered her more securely into his arms. Before long, his breathing gradually deepened into a slow, steady rhythm.
Nestled in his embrace, Shen Yanshui opened her eyes. Only after hearing the steady breathing above her did she withdraw her ability. She glanced at the apocynum flowers she had placed beside the bed two days earlier.
The flowers had a calming effect, and after being stimulated by her ability, that effect became even stronger.
She did not hurry to sleep. Instead, she carefully studied his face.
The Crown Prince’s brow was still faintly furrowed, and there was indeed a trace of weariness in his eyes.
She reached out and gently smoothed the crease between his brows, murmuring under her breath, “Being the Crown Prince isn’t easy either…”
He must have had countless matters weighing on his mind when he came in. He probably had not slept well these past few days. She should let him get a proper night’s rest.
After murmuring this, she carefully propped herself up and reached for the belt at his waist.
The belt was stiff and rigid. If he slept in it all night, his waist would surely ache by morning.
Moving gently, she undid it little by little, then helped him out of his outer robe before lying back down.
Just as she was drifting in and out of sleep, an arm reached over and drew her into his embrace.
Instinctively, Shen Yanshui found the most comfortable position in that familiar hold and soon fell fast asleep.
This time, she was truly asleep.
At some point, the rain outside had eased. It pattered softly against the plantain leaves in the courtyard, while beneath the bed curtains, the two slept entwined, their breathing gradually falling into the same rhythm.
