Su Xian clung tightly to Xiao Yi’s neck, pressing her body against his.
Xiao Yi’s gaze darkened as he planted his seed deep within her.
When their passion finally subsided, Su Xian buried her head shyly in the blankets, too embarrassed to look at Xiao Yi.
After being intimate with him a second time, even someone as slow-witted as Su Xian could tell.
Xiao Yi’s legs seemed to have recovered.
The way he had powerfully parted her legs—if he hadn’t healed, Su Xian would never have believed it, even if someone beat her to death.
Thinking of this, Su Xian quietly reached out and touched him.
Xiao Yi immediately caught her hand. “Don’t start something you can’t finish!”
Su Xian’s face instantly turned scarlet.
She drew her hand back and stammered, “Prince, have your legs… already recovered?”
Xiao Yi was silent for a moment.
This was also one of the reasons he had refused to be intimate with her.
There was no way for two people to be so close without the other noticing something.
So it had only been a matter of time before Su Xian discovered the truth.
The last time, Su Xian had passed out.
This time, she had unexpectedly remained conscious.
Naturally, she had sensed that something was different.
“Yes.” Xiao Yi did not deny it.
Guessing was one thing. Hearing him confirm it was another.
Su Xian excitedly sat up and turned to look at him.
“Prince, is it true?”
She had only gotten halfway through her question when she suddenly felt the cool air against her body.
She also noticed a deep, intense gaze fixed on her.
Su Xian lowered her head and finally realized that, in her excitement, she had forgotten she was completely naked.
“Ah!”
Like a slippery little fish, Su Xian instantly slid beneath the covers.
Xiao Yi was startled by her sudden movement.
“Stick your head out. You’ll suffocate under there!”
As he spoke, Xiao Yi reached over to pull away the blanket.
Su Xian clutched it tightly and refused to let go.
At that moment, she wished a hole would open in the ground so she could crawl into it.
“What part of you have I not already seen?” Xiao Yi said as he lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
Now that Su Xian already knew about his condition, there was no need for him to hide it anymore.
After a night of exertion, his body was uncomfortably sticky.
Su Xian cautiously lifted one corner of the blanket and peeked out.
What she saw was Xiao Yi walking naturally, just like any other able-bodied man.
Tears of joy filled her eyes.
Wonderful!
The Prince’s legs had truly recovered!
Xiao Yi picked up an outer robe and draped it casually over himself.
Hearing sobs behind him, he turned around.
“Why are you crying all of a sudden?” Xiao Yi asked as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.
Su Xian was crying so hard she could barely speak.
“Prince… Prince… your legs…”
Xiao Yi cut her off by covering her mouth.
“Don’t say anything!”
“Pretend you know nothing.” Xiao Yi released her.
Su Xian’s sobs died in her throat.
She covered her mouth and nodded vigorously.
“Mm! I won’t say anything!”
Seeing his wife’s swollen, red eyes and her bright-red nose, Xiao Yi was reminded of Duoduo whenever she cried.
He sighed, picked up Su Xian’s clothes from the side, wrapped them around her, and carried her out of bed.
“Ah!” Su Xian cried out in alarm.
Xiao Yi carried his wife into the side room.
Su Xian happily looped her arms around Xiao Yi’s neck, her face glowing with bliss.
The Prince was all right now!
She finally had something to look forward to!
She also had her sweet little daughter!
And perhaps… there was already another little baby growing in her belly!
Summoning her courage, Su Xian lifted her head and kissed Xiao Yi.
“Thank you, Prince!”
Xiao Yi felt his entire body jolt. He glanced at Su Xian with an amused, knowing smile.
“How do you plan to thank me?”
Su Xian froze for a moment. Without saying a word, she cupped Xiao Yi’s face in her hands and kissed him.
The spark between them instantly became a raging fire.
There was no way Xiao Yi would let her off easily this time.
From that day onward, Xiao Yi understood one thing clearly: whenever Duoduo set her mind on accomplishing something, she would never give up until she got her way!
And when it came to the daughter he had raised himself, he could only swallow the bitter consequences.
The following day, the people throughout the city were all closely watching Prince Rui’s rain-prayer ceremony.
Prince Rui’s procession had set out for the Imperial Ancestral Temple early that morning.
The Imperial Guards cleared the way ahead of him, ensuring an unobstructed journey.
The Minister of Revenue also accompanied him.
Duoduo and Lüdou stood beneath the eaves, both gazing up at the sky.
“Commandery Princess, do you think Prince Rui will succeed in praying for rain?” Lüdou asked.
Duoduo shook her head.
“Our tutor once taught us that several conditions have to be met for rain to fall.”
“The weather today is extremely dry.”
“There isn’t even any wind.”
“I tink it’ll be difficult.”
Lüdou lowered her head and glanced at Duoduo.
She remembered very clearly what had caused the Emperor to successfully pray for rain that day.
It had been because of the Commandery Princess!
Did Prince Rui really think that being the Son of Heaven meant he could successfully pray for rain?
That might not be the case!
Hadn’t the Emperor failed to do so as well?
The sunlight shining down from the sky dazzled Duoduo’s eyes. She lowered her head and rubbed them.
“The sun is really bright today!”
“If Fourth Uncle fails to bring rain, I’m afraid things will be difficult for him!”
There was a hint of schadenfreude in Duoduo’s voice.
Lüdou nodded. “This servant thinks so too!”
“Lüdou, did you deliver the message I asked you to give Shitou and the others?” Duoduo suddenly remembered something else.
“I did. Oh, right—this is Shitou’s reply!”
Lüdou pulled a slip of paper from her sleeve.
Duoduo immediately became interested. “Quick, let me see.”
The note listed the major events that had recently taken place in the capital.
It also included news about the shops and mentioned that Shitou and the others had bought yet another property.
The characters were tiny, as though Shitou had been afraid he would run out of room.
One sheet of paper had been filled on both sides.
The writing was so dense that it would be easy to miss a line.
“Shitou’s handwriting is far too small,” Lüdou couldn’t help complaining.
Duoduo finished reading the last character before handing the note back to Lüdou, satisfied.
“Shitou and the others can’t enter the Prince’s residence. They originally planned to put the messages in a bamboo tube and have carrier pigeons deliver them.”
“But the carrier pigeon he bought is still being trained by Liqing.”
“Once the pigeons are properly trained, they’ll be able to use them to send us messages!”
Lüdou beamed at once.
“Looks like Shitou and Liqing aren’t idiots after all!”
Duoduo nodded. “Shitou said business at the shops is doing very well, so they’re preparing to open another one.”
“They’ve already found a storefront and are renovating it.”
“He also said that once they’ve arranged the staff, you’ll have to go and teach them.”
Lüdou immediately nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”
“Commandery Princess, look. Shitou wrote that the people from the palace are now in charge of Prince Ling’s residence?”
Duoduo nodded. “Mm, I saw that too.”
Lüdou was puzzled. “Doesn’t Prince Ling have a princess consort? Why would he let a palace matron manage the household?”
“Isn’t Prince Ling afraid that people will laugh at him? How strange!”
Duoduo pulled Lüdou over to sit on a bench in the covered corridor.
“That isn’t strange at all!” she explained.
“Second Aunt and the secondary consort kept scheming against each other. In the end, Second Uncle became so furious that he simply took over the household authority and handed it to the palace matron.”
“By doing this, Second Uncle is warning Second Aunt to behave.”
