Shen Yanshui lowered her head slightly and secretly glanced up at him, saying nothing.
One look at her crystal-clear eyes, in which every thought was laid bare, and Cui Yu could practically read everything on her mind. He couldn’t help finding it amusing.
At last, seeing that his mood seemed to have improved somewhat, Shen Yanshui said earnestly, “Your Highness, playing cuju and polo isn’t merely for amusement. It also helps strengthen the body and makes one less prone to illness. It accomplishes several things at once—what could be better?”
Cui Yu lowered his eyes to her eager expression. This time, he did not try to frighten her again. He smiled and said, “As you say, it is indeed a good thing. There is an open space in the garden of the Palace of Eternal Celebration. If you have nothing to do, you may go there and play.”
Shen Yanshui’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Her voice was filled with such delight that even those who heard it couldn’t help feeling their own spirits lift.
Shen Yanshui was not merely happy because she would now be able to play cuju and polo openly.
It was because, through their brief exchange just now, she had discovered that the Crown Prince was not quite as she had imagined.
Compared with the Crown Prince of the rumors—strictly bound by rules, self-disciplined, respectful of propriety, and dignified to the point of severity—the man before her was indeed imposing and intimidating when expressionless, but he had not held her several lapses in etiquette against her.
Some of those lapses had been unintentional and caught her off guard, while others had come from the cautious little tests she had deliberately made afterward.
Naturally, this kind of Crown Prince pleased her far more than the one in the rumors. At the very least, her days in the Eastern Palace would not be too difficult.
However, the peculiar concern he had shown just now, both in his words and his expression, for cuju and polo suddenly reminded her of some scattered rumors about him from five years ago, before the emperor had formally made him Crown Prince…
In the Great Yong, the appointment of a crown prince followed ancestral custom: if there was a son born to the empress, he was to be made crown prince; if there was no such son, the eldest son would be chosen.
The current emperor, Emperor Pingyuan, had many children, but the empress had only one son among them—the third prince.
Because the third prince had been born with a congenital weakness and had often fallen ill as a child, there had been concerns that he would be unable to shoulder the responsibility of becoming the heir to the empire. Thus, he had not been made crown prince at the time.
It was only after the empress sent the young third prince to be raised for several years at her maternal family’s residence, the Duke Fengguo’s estate, that his health gradually improved.
The Duke Fengguo’s family had been hereditary nobles and military commanders for generations. By the time the third prince was a teenager, after spending several years at their residence, his martial skills had already become quite impressive. At fourteen, during a hunt at the Western Hills, he had outshone all the sons of the noble military families and single-handedly hunted a bear, winning first place.
For a time, his fame was unrivaled.
Yet it was said that because of this, the third prince had instead been harshly reprimanded and punished by Emperor Pingyuan.
As for cuju, polo, and the like, those were merely games he had long since mastered. Otherwise, she would never have dared bring them up so casually.
After he was made Crown Prince at the age of fifteen, however, the Crown Prince spoken of by those around him grew more and more composed and measured with each passing year. Several years had gone by, and she had nearly forgotten those old rumors about him in the capital.
A cool breeze swept past, and Shen Yanshui shivered instinctively.
Cui Yu reached out and took her hand. “It is getting late. Go back and rest.”
Shen Yanshui froze for a moment. Her hand, which had been somewhat chilled, was now completely enclosed in his broad, warm palm. Taking advantage of the situation, she moved closer and pressed herself tightly against his arm. The next moment, she clearly felt his arm tense for an instant, as though on instinct.
She lifted her head and blinked at him as if nothing had happened. “Your Highness, it’s warmer this way.”
Cui Yu: “…”
He raised his eyes and glanced around. Night had already fallen, and they were within his own palace. With the evening dew growing heavier, he ultimately said nothing.
Walking behind them, Zheng Yuande clicked his tongue softly.
So the Crown Prince liked this sort of empty-headed girl?
Could Lady Shen really be one of those fools blessed by sheer luck?
Just look at her background. She was already a source of considerable trouble. Noble Consort Lan and the fourth prince were both eager to pull their Crown Prince down and seize his position for themselves.
Lady Shen’s elder sister had lived in Noble Consort Lan’s Palace of Abundant Blessings ever since entering the palace. Though she was only a minor figure, she was still one of Noble Consort Lan’s people.
Wasn’t this move nothing more than an obvious attempt to disgust the Eastern Palace—a clear effort to plant a pawn there? Yet it had been approved by His Majesty himself, so the Eastern Palace could not do anything to her.
At least for the time being, the Eastern Palace could not show any dissatisfaction openly. Otherwise, Noble Consort Lan’s faction would surely stir up trouble before His Majesty again.
Even so, barring any unexpected turn of events, Lady Shen was destined to spend her entire life without favor, growing old alone.
And yet, the Crown Princess had inadvertently struck a tender spot in the Crown Prince’s heart. The Crown Prince had ignored the courtyards of the two higher-ranking ladies from distinguished families and had instead come to the residence of Lady Shen, the daughter of a noble military family.
If that wasn’t a fool’s good fortune, what was?
Shen Yanshui had no idea that others now regarded her as a fool.
After bathing and changing, she walked around the carved rosewood screen depicting lakes and mountains. To her surprise, she found that the Crown Prince was already lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
She muttered instinctively, “He fell asleep rather quickly.”
According to the rules, she should have bathed and dressed herself early, then waited in exquisite makeup for the Crown Prince’s summons. When it came time to attend him, there was no reason for a mere concubine like her to make the Crown Prince wait.
It was just that tonight had not gone according to plan.
Seeing Chunping’s anxious expression, she waved her hand and dismissed everyone. Zheng Yuande, meanwhile, had withdrawn with great tact as soon as she came out and had ordered people to prepare hot water.
Quanfu, who had been waiting respectfully with his back bent, immediately went downstairs to make the arrangements. Then, smiling obsequiously, he said in a low voice to Zheng Yuande, “Eunuch Zheng, you’ve been working hard all day as well. I’ll wait here, so why don’t you go to the tea room and rest your feet over a cup of hot tea? If His Highness needs anything, I’ll send someone to call you.”
Zheng Yuande cast him a sidelong glance. “You seem fairly quick on the uptake. In that case, this household will go rest for a while. Make sure you all keep your eyes open and be careful.”
Quanshou, who had been standing nearby, immediately bent forward and came over with a broad smile to lead the way.
Only then did Zheng Yuande’s face relax into a smile. He nodded in satisfaction.
There were plenty of people who wanted to rack their brains to curry favor with him in his position. He was not afraid of those who eagerly rushed to flatter him. What he feared were people without sense, whose eyes were fixed only on ingratiating themselves with him while forgetting who their true master was.
In Lady Shen’s residence, the maid named Chunping appeared reasonably steady. That round-faced young eunuch, on the other hand, knew how to handle people and had a sweet tongue. Yet he did not seem like the sort of shortsighted person who cared only about his own interests. Otherwise, the one he had led to the tea room would have been himself.
Inside the room, Shen Yanshui slipped forward in her soft-soled embroidered slippers. She craned her neck to look at him, finding him with his eyes closed, apparently already asleep. Unable to resist, she studied him carefully for a few moments.
His brows and eyes were deep-set, and his lashes were very long. With his eyes closed, they resembled two little fans. Looking at them made her fingertips itch, as though she wanted to reach out and touch them.
She had noticed from the side earlier that the line of his jaw was sharp yet smooth and graceful. She hadn’t expected him to look so handsome even while lying down.
Most importantly, the color and shape of his lips were beautiful too…
Cui Yu was not asleep, he was just resting his eyes in quiet repose. Just as he was about to open them, he keenly caught the sight of her gaze, which had suddenly frozen on his face. Thinking of her status, he held still for a moment.
Then... his brows drew together.
He opened his eyes abruptly, looking right at her pair of eyes that had widened in a flash, his own gaze momentarily confused, even at a loss for words.
"What were you... doing just now?"
Shen Yanshui withdrew the finger that had been brushing his eyelid as if nothing had happened, then kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed and tucked herself under the covers in one smooth motion.
Cui Yu turned over to face her, his voice slightly low and heavy. "Speak."
Shen Yanshui half-hid her face under the quilt, her voice muffled and halting with obvious embarrassment. "I thought Your Highness was already asleep, I had no idea you were still awake..."
With his sharp, dark eyes fixed on her from such close distance, Shen Yanshui began to feel rather pressured. Sure enough, a man was far more pleasant to look at when his eyes were closed.
"Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you are exceptionally good-looking?"
Seeing him frown, she tugged the quilt down a little at once, her tone utterly sincere, her eyes shining bright as she looked at him. "I mean it truly. Just now I was looking at you, and suddenly thought the Crown Prince is so handsome, every part of you is perfect, even your eyelashes are so thick, long and curly... I have no idea what came over my finger, it seemed to have a mind of its own..."
"..." Cui Yu stared at her pleading, fawning gaze, listening to this unblushing, unreserved compliment that left him stunned for a split second.
As the empress's own son, he had heard endless streams of praise around him growing up, but never anything as straightforward and unmasked as hers.
He was the Crown Prince of Great Yong, every word and action of his was watched by all in the court and beyond. No one ever paid attention to his looks, and even if they did, no one would ever dare say such a thing to his face.
Held by her unhidden, candid gaze, he turned back and lay down.
Just as Shen Yanshui let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking the matter was over, a tall, strong, lean figure suddenly loomed over her.
Shen Yanshui: "???" This is so sudden!
The first time, Shen Yanshui played the part of the shy new consort, making no movements of her own, strictly following the rules the palace matrons had taught her. After all, according to palace regulations, leaving any marks on the Crown Prince's body was a serious offense that harmed his noble person.
When it ended, it had seemed a little... brief. Wait? She froze all at once. That just now... was that a special ability?!
Her heart skipped a beat, but when she tried to sense that faint strange feeling again, it vanished completely without a trace.
Cui Yu noticed that she had drifted off into a trance, and frowned in displeasure...
"Ah..." Shen Yanshui yelped out in surprise when his actions caught her off guard, and her thoughts were pulled back entirely to the present.
The second time, she dropped her act halfway, deciding it was time to try something different. After all... this man's skills in bed were really far from ideal.
This was supposed to be something that brought pleasure to both people, and she had no intention of suffering through it all by herself for the rest of her days.
She stretched out her arms, wrapping them softly around his shoulders, and felt his whole body go taut at once. Her palms could clearly feel the defined, firm muscles under his skin.
In the dim moonlight, she could make out the outline of his lean, strong form, not perfectly clear, but the real, solid touch under her hands told her without a doubt that his body was more perfect than any she had ever seen before.
She whispered two soft sentences right by his ear.
Cui Yu: "...Mm."
Hearing his cool, reserved voice, Shen Yanshui had originally planned to take it slow that night, and make gradual adjustments later. After all, even though the palace matrons would instruct young ladies selected for the imperial harem on matters of the bed, it would be rather improper for an unmarried girl to know too much about them.
But to her surprise, he stopped relying entirely on brute force and reckless, clumsy movements right after that, and instead kept his eyes fixed intently on her face.
She responded to him tentatively.
Soon she realized he was carefully watching her reactions, and this small discovery made her feel quite happy.
Judging by Cui Yu's temperament as he had shown so far, he was by and large a rather tolerant man.
Her mind wandered off for a brief moment, only to be pulled apart by his movements, and she sank fully into the moment.
That night, to Cui Yu's own surprise, he called for water to be brought in twice.
For Zheng Yuande, the incident was nothing short of earth-shattering!
His master had never been one to favor sensual pleasures, one round of such activities at most was already the norm. This was the very first time His Highness had called for water twice in one night.
This Lady Shen is truly no ordinary woman!
