The next morning, at first light, pale gold sunlight spilled through the half-open window lattice into the inner chamber.
A mountain breeze drifted in through the gaps in the window, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees and a coolness unique to the hills, neither cold nor warm, just right.
Shen Yanshui was woken by birdsong.
She opened her eyes groggily, and the first thing she saw was the Crown Prince’s pale, rising and falling chest.
The Crown Prince was still here?
She blinked, still a little dazed, and her hand landed instinctively on his strong, firm chest. A faint scent of pine lingered at the tip of her nose, clean and pleasant. She buried her nose in the hollow of his neck and sniffed hard.
Like a puppy…
Cui Yu had been awake for a long time. Seeing that she was still asleep, he hadn’t gotten up. Now, tickled by all her rubbing, his neck went tingly and numb, and he finally couldn’t help letting out a low laugh.
The laugh carried the hoarse laziness of early morning. “What are you doing?”
Hearing him, Shen Yanshui lifted her head from the hollow of his neck and blinked. “Your Highness is awake?”
The morning light slipped through the gap in the window and fell across her face, making those peach-blossom eyes look even clearer and brighter.
Cui Yu’s lashes trembled. He raised a hand and caught her fingertips as they poked at him.
She gave a sheepish smile. Who told His Highness the Crown Prince to be so pink and bouncy? He felt amazing to touch.
She obediently withdrew her finger and smiled with her eyes curved. “Does Your Highness have nothing on this morning? You don’t need to go to His Majesty’s for the discussions?”
Cui Yu’s voice was calm. “Nothing today.”
He paused, then added, “There’s nothing major at court these past few days. There’s no need to go to Father Emperor’s every day. It isn’t busy.”
Shen Yanshui said “Oh.” If he wasn’t busy, then she could laze in bed a little longer.
Her restless hand picked up a strand of his hair scattered across the pillow and twirled it around her finger.
The Crown Prince’s hair was jet black and silky, lovely to the touch. She played with it between her fingers for a while, then held it up to her nose to sniff. It carried a faint, clean soapberry scent mixed with the pine, and it smelled wonderful. B L A C K L O T U S Novel Translation — Black Lotus
As she played, she suddenly got a naughty idea. Pinching the tip of the strand, she stealthily reached over and lightly swept it across Cui Yu’s Adam’s apple.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Cui Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed for a moment.
The hair brushed his skin like a feather, and a tingling itch spread down from his throat. He couldn’t help a muffled laugh, the sound rumbling in his chest, and he clamped a hand over her mischievous one, a touch of helplessness in his voice. “A-Yan, don’t.”
Shen Yanshui laughed and teased him again. Laughter and scuffling promptly rang out from the bed, and only after a while, once he’d caught her and given her bottom two light smacks, did she finally behave.
Outside the screen, Chunping and Dongyi had held their breath from the moment they heard movement on the bed, standing with their hands at their sides.
Now, hearing that the two inside were finally getting up, they exchanged a glance and both let out a sigh of relief. Heaven knew how long they had been waiting there.
Chunping gave a small hand signal, and the palace attendants waiting in the outer room filed in, carrying copper basins, cloths, and other washing implements. They lined up in two rows without a sound, orderly and precise.
Once the two had been tidied up, they headed for the main hall.
Breakfast was already laid out.
The moment Shen Yanshui entered the main hall, her eyes fell on the porcelain basin in the center of the table.
It was filled to the brim with wontons, the broth clear, the wrappers thin and the filling generous, each one plump and white floating on the surface, sprinkled with bright green scallions. The aroma hit her nose, and her eyes lit up at once.
Cui Yu’s gaze also landed on the big porcelain basin. “???”
Before he could speak, Shen Yanshui said with a smile, “I had Eunuch Lin make these specially a few days ago. Yesterday I suddenly craved wontons so badly.”
As she spoke she sat down at the table, picked up a ladle, and first served Cui Yu a small bowl, passing it to him. “Your Highness, try it. These are pork and fennel.”
Cui Yu looked down at the wontons in his bowl, then up at the huge basin. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing in the end and took a bite from the small bowl.
The fresh fragrance of fennel blended with the savory sweetness of pork. Thin wrapper, full filling, flavorful broth.
He nodded. “Not bad.”
Hearing that, Shen Yanshui smiled even more happily. She served herself a bowl and tried one first.
The fennel flavor spread through her mouth, and she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. Then she picked up the vinegar dish from the table, poured some into her bowl, added a spoonful of chili oil, stirred it with the ladle, and only then dug in properly.
Besides the wontons, the table held several other dishes: jade shaomai, the wrappers thin as paper, the bright green filling faintly visible inside; Shredded Chicken Congee, golden-jade soup, and two small plates of side dishes, all light and refreshing, good for cutting the richness.
After the two finished breakfast, a eunuch came in to announce that the physician had arrived to take her routine pulse check.
By the time the physician arrived, the sun outside had climbed a little higher.
The physician entered the main hall, respectfully paid his respects to the Crown Prince and Shen Yanshui, set his medicine chest to one side, took out the pulse cushion, and placed it on the table.
Shen Yanshui rested her wrist on it. The physician draped a thin cloth over it, set three fingers on her pulse, closed his eyes slightly, and concentrated on the diagnosis.
Cui Yu sat to one side. As time ticked by, his brow began to furrow without his noticing.
Was today’s pulse reading taking… a bit longer than usual?
Shen Yanshui glanced up at the physician’s serious expression, then turned to peek at the Crown Prince’s face. His brow had gradually knotted into a faint “川” shape, and his lips were pressed slightly tight… Black Lotus Novel Archive — Black Lotus Novel
She reached out and tugged his sleeve, saying softly with a smile, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. This concubine is perfectly healthy.” She hadn’t expected to frighten the Crown Prince first.
Cui Yu instinctively tightened his grip on her hand, then hurriedly loosened it. Seeing her rosy complexion and relaxed manner, the tension in him eased a little.
He said “Mm” and didn’t say more, but his gaze turned back to the physician.
The physician withdrew his hand and stood up, then bowed deeply to Cui Yu with a face full of joy. “Congratulations, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Felicitations to Liangyuan Zhuzi. The child in Liangyuan Zhuzi’s womb should be twins.”
The moment the words fell, the whole main hall went silent.
Everyone was stunned.
Chunping and Dongyi, standing to one side, froze first, and then their eyes lit up at the same moment, broad smiles blooming on their faces.
“Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Zhuzi!” Chunping was the first to react, unable to suppress the delight in her voice.
Dongyi, Quanfu, and the others followed right after, beaming until their eyes disappeared: “Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Zhuzi!” Zhuzi was carrying twins?!
Zheng Yuande’s face immediately filled with smiles, and he led the rest of the attendants in a chorus of congratulations. “Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Liangyuan Zhuzi!”
For a moment the main hall was full of congratulations, the atmosphere lively.
Nanny Wang wore a smile too and offered her “congratulations,” but her brow took on a touch of worry instead.
Shen Yanshui was rather surprised in her heart just then.
She had thought the Crown Prince would be overjoyed on hearing the news.
After all, he had been looking forward to the child inside her all these days. She figured that with two children, it would be double the surprise, double the joy.
But… the Crown Prince’s expression didn’t look like happiness at all?
It wasn’t only Shen Yanshui who noticed.
The lively congratulations that had filled the main hall a moment ago gradually quieted, without anyone knowing when.
Zheng Yuande secretly glanced up to check the Crown Prince’s face, wiped the smile from his own, and stood with his hands at his sides.
The other attendants were all sharp-eyed, and seeing the Crown Prince like this, how would they dare keep smiling? One by one they went quiet.
The physician stood in the middle of the hall, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead before he knew it.
His heart pounded. He truly couldn’t guess what His Highness meant by this. It was clearly happy news, so why was the Crown Prince’s expression even graver than it had been during the pulse reading?
The Crown Prince had clearly held Liangyuan Shen’s pregnancy in the highest regard, summoning the Imperial Academy of Medicine for questioning every few days. So why was he displeased now that it turned out to be twins?
The physician was sick with nervousness, cold sweat trickling down his temples along his hair, not daring to lift a hand to wipe it.
Shen Yanshui reached out and scratched his palm, puzzled. “Your Highness?”
Cui Yu came back to himself and looked at her sideways. He didn’t speak, only instinctively gripped her hand.
Rather tightly.
Feeling the strength in his hand, Shen Yanshui said nothing more and simply held his hand back quietly.
Cui Yu held her hand and drew a deep breath, as though pressing some emotion down, and only then looked up at the crowd.
“Reward,” he said, his voice steady. “Everyone gets a month’s stipend.”
Everyone hurriedly knelt to give thanks. “Thank you for Your Highness’s generosity!”
Even so, unease stirred in everyone’s heart. What on earth did the Crown Prince’s attitude mean?
Cui Yu turned his gaze to the physician, his expression grave, and asked in a low voice, “Is a woman carrying twins much harder and more taxing than one carrying a single child?”
The physician was taken aback, then quickly collected himself and answered truthfully. “Reporting to Your Highness, a woman carrying twins does have a somewhat harder time than in an ordinary pregnancy. The mother must nourish two children, so the drain on her qi and blood is greater and the load on her waist and abdomen heavier. In the later months she will find walking difficult, and shortness of breath and heart palpitations are more common than in others.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the Crown Prince’s face and hurriedly added, “However… Liangyuan Zhuzi’s constitution is robust and her foundation excellent. Her pulse is smooth and strong, her qi and blood abundant, far beyond that of ordinary women. As long as she walks about regularly, keeps her qi and blood flowing, and watches her food intake so the children don’t grow too large, then with Liangyuan Zhuzi’s foundation she should be… safe and sound.”
Listening, Cui Yu kept his brow slightly knit and did not relax it.
After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, “Nanny Wang.”
Nanny Wang hurried forward a step. “This old servant is here.”
Cui Yu looked at her, then at Physician Wang. “Summon Eunuch Lin. Based on your mistress’s usual food preferences, draw up a meal plan together with the physician.”
Nanny Wang bowed and answered, “Yes, this old servant obeys.” She had been meaning to do exactly that, but she hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to think of it right away himself.
The physician quickly cupped his hands. “This subject obeys your command.”
The two withdrew, one after the other. B L A C K L O T U S Novel Reading — BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
Seeing the expressions of the Crown Prince and Liangyuan Zhuzi, Zheng Yuande very perceptively signaled Chunping and the others with his eyes and slipped out quietly.
Chunping and Dongyi exchanged a glance, hurriedly curtsied, and withdrew without a sound.
That left only Cui Yu and Shen Yanshui in the main hall.
Cui Yu pulled her over, put an arm around her waist, and carefully drew her into his embrace. His other hand rested lightly on her still-flat belly, and for a while he said nothing.
Leaning against his chest, Shen Yanshui could feel that his heartbeat was faster than usual and his breathing slightly uneven.
Cui Yu’s gaze fell on her belly, and his fingers stroked lightly over the fabric.
In his mind, unbidden, the image of Chu Liangdi in difficult labor surfaced again…
Chu Liangdi had only delivered a single child.
Now A-Yan was carrying twins. When it came time to give birth…
His fingers tightened involuntarily.
Shen Yanshui knew what he was worried about. After all, when he first learned she was with child, the Crown Prince had been worried then too. It was only that in the days since, seeing him look forward to the baby every day, she had gradually gotten used to it and assumed his first reaction to this news would be joy…
Thinking of this, her heart softened.
Seeing his brow knot tighter and tighter, nearly tying itself into a knot, she smiled brightly and reached up, her fingertip gently stroking his brow, trying to smooth out the tight crease. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Look at this concubine. When have I ever sneezed once, or been sick even a day? This concubine has been sturdy since childhood.”
“Besides, hasn’t Your Highness already told the Imperial Academy of Medicine to study childbirth methods?” There was a smile in her voice. “If Your Highness is really worried, why not send someone to ask whether there’s been any progress?”
Shen Yanshui looked at his face, still faintly taut, at the shallow crease between his brows that she had smoothed away only for it to knit again. Suddenly she cupped his face in both hands and planted a kiss between his brows. “With Your Highness here, this concubine’s blessings are still to come~”
Cui Yu felt a brief, light touch between his brows. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the shadow of worry in them had dispersed by more than half.
He drew a deep breath and pressed the heavy anxieties in his heart down for the time being.
A-Yan was right. She had always been sturdy, and with the physicians and Nanny Wang watching over her, as long as her diet and daily life were properly managed, she would surely be safe and well.
Thinking this, his expression gradually returned to normal.
“A-Yan is right,” he said with a nod, his voice much steadier. “I’ll send someone to ask when I get back.”
Seeing him relax, Shen Yanshui finally smiled with her eyes curved and nodded firmly. “Mm!”
Cui Yu lowered his head, and his gaze settled on her belly again.
His eyes gradually changed, turning even a little incredulous.
Inside this flat, this tiny belly, there were actually two children of his and A-Yan’s…
“Zheng Yuande.”
Zheng Yuande had been waiting outside the door all along. Hearing the summons, he hurried in at a half-run and bowed. “Your Highness.”
He sneaked a glance at the Crown Prince’s face, and his heart settled at once, the joy returning to his own.
“Go at once and report to Father Emperor and Mother Empress.”
Zheng Yuande answered quickly, his face breaking into a grin. “Yes! This servant goes right away!” With that he turned and left, his steps light.
For the rest of the half day, everyone’s reactions from when they first learned she was pregnant seemed to replay all over again, and they treated her with excessive caution.
What could Shen Yanshui do?
She could only obediently go along for now, to avoid an earful of nagging.
Hearing the news, the Empress wore an unconcealed look of joy. “She’s carrying twins?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it’s absolutely true,” Wang Chun said, beaming. “The physician has just confirmed it.”
The Empress’s face relaxed at once, full of smiles.
Aunt Qing, beside her, was beaming too, and said with a smile, “The Crown Prince is blessed, and Liangyuan Shen is a blessed one as well. Who would have thought this pregnancy would turn out to be twins.”
The Empress agreed wholeheartedly and promptly ordered with a smile, “Reward—”
Aunt Qing answered with a smile and hurried off to make preparations.
…
When the news reached the Emperor, Emperor Pingkang looked up, somewhat surprised. “Twins?”
“Yes,” Chief Eunuch Cheng said with a smile.
Emperor Pingkang was silent for a moment. “She is a blessed one, indeed.”
Without Shen Yanshui knowing, her news spread faster than the wind.
With Emperor Pingkang’s and the Empress’s rewards pouring into Chengxin Hall like a stream, before half a day had passed the news that Liangyuan Shen of the Eastern Palace was carrying twins had spread through the entire retreat palace.
For a while, no one knew how many people were green with envy.
“She won the Crown Prince’s favor the moment she entered the Eastern Palace, which is one thing, but now she’s even carrying twins. How much fortune does that take?”
“Isn’t that the truth? Such luck, and she just happens to be the one who catches it.”
Some grumbled sourly behind her back, and in the end could only sigh: “This Liangyuan Shen really was born lucky…”
…
When Shen Ronghua heard the news, her face darkened.
She set the teacup in her hand down heavily on the side table with a sharp “crack,” and a few drops of tea splashed out and soaked into the tabletop.
Xiangmo’s heart jumped, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to breathe loudly.
Shen Ronghua sat there, drew a deep breath, then another, pressing down, bit by bit, the emotion churning in her chest.
Enough.
Even if she was smug now, how long could it last?
Whether that child could be born safely was still unknown. Carrying it was hard, and giving birth was fraught with danger.
Even if she did give birth safely, even if both children grew up healthy and sound… the Crown Prince could not escape that plague.
It was only that, with children to secure her position, her lowborn younger sister would surely never end up in the state she had in her previous life…
As she thought this, the resentment in her heart surged up again.
She closed her eyes and hid the flash of gloom in them.
Xiangmo stood to one side, not daring to breathe. Back at the Shen residence, the Fourth Miss had been nothing but a daughter of a concubine, with no birth mother and no one’s regard. How could she compare to their own young lady? Outstanding in every way, first-rate in every respect, raised with painstaking care by Madam, and everyone in the capital praised the Shen family’s legitimate daughter for her looks and talent.
But now…
She dared not think further and only lowered her head more.
Shen Ronghua stayed silent for a good while, then suddenly spoke in a low voice. “Go find out where the Sixth Prince has been lately.”
Her voice was pressed very low, as if squeezed out from between her teeth. Since the Sixth Prince wasn’t coming to find her himself, she would have to go find him…
Xiangmo’s heart leapt. “Yes.” For months now her mistress had kept having her ask after the Sixth Prince’s whereabouts. What on earth was she trying to do?
In just one day, Shen Yanshui felt she was about to be drowned by the tiptoeing, overly careful fuss all around her.
She was still thinking about how to bring it up with the Crown Prince when footsteps sounded outside, and Zheng Yuande came in to report that General Qi had arrived and was looking for His Highness to go horse racing.
Shen Yanshui’s eyes lit up in an instant.
She quickly turned to Cui Yu, her face full of smiles. “Go quickly, Your Highness. Don’t keep Little Uncle waiting.”
“…” Cui Yu looked at her and lightly rapped her forehead. “If you go out, remember to bring more people.”
Shen Yanshui clutched her forehead and grinned at him, nodding repeatedly. “I know, I know. Your Highness, hurry and go.”
Cui Yu gave her another look and only then turned and went out.
Shen Yanshui turned to Chunping and Dongyi, her voice tinged with excitement. “Come on, let’s go pick pomegranates.” Because of the Crown Prince’s words, she made a point of bringing a few more people this time.
North of the retreat palace lay a wide expanse of meadow, open and green.
At this hour the sun was fine, and several fine horses were galloping across the meadow, their hooves drumming on the turf like sudden rain and kicking up a haze of fine dust.
The one running at the very front was jet black from head to tail, its mane glossy. It was the Crown Prince’s mount.
Cui Yu wore a black narrow-sleeved riding outfit with a leather belt at his waist, his figure straight as a pine. Lying low on the horse’s back, his frame looked slender and crisp, one hand on the reins, the other slightly raised, his bearing easy and unhurried, yet with an abandon rarely seen in him.
The wind roared past his ears, whipping his robes with a snap.
On that face, usually so composed and cold, there was now a hint of soaring spirit, his brows open and his lips slightly upturned. — BlackLotus Novel Chapters — Black Lotus Novel
Qi Mingchuan trailed him by half a horse’s length. Seeing him like this, a smile rose in his eyes.
He urged his horse forward to catch up, and they ran side by side for a while before finally reining in.
The horses slowly came to a stop, snorting.
Qi Mingchuan dismounted, patted his horse’s neck, turned to Cui Yu, and said with a smile, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Your Highness this happy.”
As he said it, he felt a touch of emotion.
Since entering the Eastern Palace, this nephew of his had grown steadier by the day. Court affairs, Eastern Palace affairs, Father Emperor’s suspicions, his brothers’ scheming, one after another had piled onto his shoulders, wearing him down into someone more and more composed and more and more silent.
On this trip back to the capital, he had felt his nephew had grown steadier still.
It was rare to see him like today, showing such a not-so-steady side.
Cui Yu reined in, dismounted, and said nothing, his eyes full of a smile.
Now that the first wave of anxiety and worry had passed and he’d stopped borrowing trouble, a delayed joy gradually welled up in him, leaving him at a loss for how to let it out.
He and A-Yan would soon have two children…
If it was a daughter, she would surely be as pretty and adorable as A-Yan, her eyes curving like a pair of little crescent moons when she smiled…
If it was a son… he would certainly teach him well.
Behind them, the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince also reined in one after the other.
The Second Prince was wearing a sapphire-blue riding outfit. His dismount wasn’t especially smooth, but it was steady enough, and after landing he straightened his collar and walked over with a hearty smile.
The two of them had run into the Crown Prince and Qi Mingchuan on the way to the archery range. Hearing they were going to race horses, the Second Prince had volunteered to join, and the Sixth Prince had naturally followed.
“With Your Highness the Crown Prince’s riding, this subject could never hope to catch up even if I whipped my horse to death,” the Second Prince said with a smile as he approached, real admiration in his tone.
Cui Yu said, “Second Brother flatters me. I just got carried away running.”
Seeing that he was indeed in good spirits, the Second Prince added with a smile, “Speaking of which, I haven’t yet congratulated Your Highness. I hear Liangyuan Shen in your palace is carrying twins. That’s a great joy.”
As he spoke, the smile on his face grew a little more sincere. “Twins are rare indeed. It shows the depth of blessings of both Your Highness and Liangyuan Shen.”
A trace of a smile appeared on the Crown Prince’s composed face. “She really is a blessed one.”
The Second Prince was somewhat surprised inside. It seemed the Crown Prince truly doted on this Liangyuan Shen.
Looking at the Crown Prince before him, he sighed inwardly. To say he had never had any thoughts about that seat would be untrue. It was only that over these years he had gradually come to see that he wasn’t cut out to be an emperor.
He liked women, liked eating, drinking, and having fun. Making him toil away day after day over piles of government business as high as mountains was something he simply could not bear.
As for his Mother Consort and Eldest Brother…
He knew his Mother Consort and Eldest Brother had always had that ambition.
After all, before the Crown Prince was brought back to the palace, he and Eldest Brother had been the princes Father Emperor valued most.
The problem was that Eldest Brother had courage but no strategy, and was very simple-minded.
The Crown Prince, meanwhile, had grown steadier by the year, his conduct ever more watertight, leaving no handle to grab. Eldest Brother, by contrast, was still the same reckless, impulsive man.
As for Father Emperor…
Father Emperor’s attitude toward the Crown Prince, the Eldest, and the Fourth was sometimes warm and sometimes cold, now suppressing, now elevating. In the end it was nothing more than using Eldest Brother and Fourth Brother to balance the Crown Prince’s power.
Father Emperor… was getting old. His health had worsened these past few years, and he had begun to be wary of his strong, prime-of-life sons. That was only human nature.
But in the last couple of years Father Emperor had also grown obsessed with elixirs, spending his days pondering immortality and the Way… To put it bluntly, no one knew how many more years Father Emperor had.
For the rest of his life, who could he rely on if not the Crown Prince?
After all, among all his brothers, he honestly couldn’t see anyone who could rival the Crown Prince.
And what had settled his resolve completely was the business with Seventh Brother some days ago.
Although he didn’t know exactly what had happened, Eighth Brother had been confined and still hadn’t been released; Seventh Brother’s not-yet-wed fiancée, He Wan, had suddenly been bestowed death; and Seventh Brother himself?
He had suddenly been made Prince An.
The incidents looked unconnected, but he didn’t think so. Though Father Emperor’s temper had grown more capricious over the years, he had rarely put a noble daughter to death outright, and “offending the Emperor’s presence” was clearly just a cover story for outsiders.
As for Eighth Brother, no specific reason had ever been given for the “confinement.”
And Seventh Brother had always been an invisible man in Father Emperor’s eyes and hadn’t yet reached marrying age. There was no way Father Emperor would suddenly think of granting him a title, and skipping Commandery Duke to go straight to Commandery Prince at that.
Without someone speaking up for him before Father Emperor, this could never have happened.
And who could speak up for Seventh Brother in front of Father Emperor now?
It couldn’t be Sixth Brother, who had always looked out only for himself.
Other than the Crown Prince, there was no other answer.
In recent days the Crown Prince’s people had also been going often to Seventh Brother’s place, and hadn’t hidden it.
If the Crown Prince could treat Seventh Brother that way, then someone like himself, with no threat to the throne who only wanted to spend the rest of his life as a wealthy idle prince, should surely fare no worse.
Thinking this, the smile on the Second Prince’s face grew a little more genuine.
Beside him, the Sixth Prince had seen all of it. His face wore a mild smile, the picture of gentle, jade-like refinement, but his eyes sank slightly.
Second Brother was… leaning toward the Crown Prince?
He lowered his gaze, concealing the flash of darkness in his eyes.
It had been some time since he’d left that Consort Shen hanging. She ought to be unable to sit still by now.
When he looked up again, his face was that same gentle look as before.
Qi Mingchuan suddenly spoke. “Your Highness, that hot pot from last time, the one with the red oil broth, when will you give me the recipe? I’ll take it home and have my cook learn to make it.”
Cui Yu glanced at him, his expression flat. “Forgot.”
Qi Mingchuan’s eyes widened. “…Forgot??”
Cui Yu, calmly: “Mm.”
Qi Mingchuan: “…………” Forgot, my foot? He was clearly holding a grudge, just because he’d said he was henpecked. Was that worth it? The boy was getting pettier the older he grew.
Ah! He sighed to the heavens in dismay.
The Second Prince, overhearing, leaned in curiously. “What hot pot? What red oil broth? What is General Qi talking about?”
Seeing him ask, Qi Mingchuan didn’t hide it and answered with a smile. “Reporting to Second Prince, it’s a dish Liangyuan Shen came up with. It’s also a hot pot, only the broth is done a little differently, half clear broth and half red oil. The red oil broth has chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn in it, and the flavor is very fresh and novel. I tried it once and got greedy, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”
The Second Prince’s eyes brightened slightly, and he said eagerly, “Oh? To hear General Qi praise it so, I’m getting hungry myself.”
He turned to the Crown Prince with a smile. “Your Highness, when would be convenient for you? Let me come taste what this new hot pot is like.”
Cui Yu was about to speak when the Sixth Prince beside him added with a smile, “Hearing General Qi describe it, this younger brother is curious too. Might I have that good fortune?”
Cui Yu swept a flat glance over them and nodded slightly. “After a few days, once Seventh Brother’s leg injury has healed a bit, come over together.”
The Second Prince agreed with a smile. “Good, good. Once Seventh Brother’s leg has healed a bit, we’ll all go together.”
After picking pomegranates with Chunping, Dongyi, and Quanfu, Shen Yanshui had some sent to the Empress, His Majesty, General Qi, Younger Sister Xu, Liangyuan Zhang, the Second Prince’s Consort, the Side Consort, and the Sixth Prince’s Side Consort.
She had originally only meant to give them to Younger Sister Xu, Liangyuan Zhang, and the Second Prince’s Consort, but leaving out the Second Prince’s Side Consort and the Sixth Prince’s Side Consort seemed somewhat improper.
So she simply sent some to each of them. It was no big deal.
The Empress was drinking tea in the hall when a palace maid reported that Liangyuan Shen of Chengxin Hall had sent a basket of pomegranates. She couldn’t help smiling.
“This child is a sincere soul.” Only a few days ago she had said she’d send fresh fruit, and here it was already.
The maid presented the pomegranates. They were plump and vivid red, of excellent quality. The Empress took one and studied it for a while, then asked, “Who else did she send them to?”
The maid answered respectfully, “Reporting to Your Majesty, I hear she also sent some to His Majesty, the Little Uncle, Liangdi Xu, Liangyuan Zhang, the Second Prince’s Consort, and the Sixth Prince’s Side Consort.”
The Empress nodded. “She’s a thoughtful one.” She had the maid peel it open and tasted a few seeds.
The clear, sweet juice spread across her tongue…
Without her noticing, her expression relaxed even more.
…
Over at Emperor Pingkang’s side, when Chief Eunuch Cheng presented the pomegranates Liangyuan Shen had sent, the Emperor was playing a game of go with Xu Chengwen.
“Your Majesty, Liangyuan Shen of the Eastern Palace has sent a basket of pomegranates, saying they were picked fresh today and asking Your Majesty to try them.”
Xu Chengwen’s hand paused for a moment, and he glanced sideways at the pomegranates.
Emperor Pingkang opened his eyes, gave the basket a cool glance, and waved a hand without interest.
“I’m giving them to you. Share them among yourselves.”
Chief Eunuch Cheng quickly answered with a smile, “Yes. This old servant thanks Your Majesty on their behalf.”
He took the basket and set it to one side. He was about to withdraw when he saw Emperor Pingkang take a pill out of a box beside him and put it in his mouth.
Chief Eunuch Cheng stood with his hands at his sides, eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, not daring to look.
When Attendant Xu was leaving, Chief Eunuch Cheng courteously said, “Would Lord Xu care to try some pomegranates?”
Xu Chengwen’s steps halted, and he cupped his hands. “Then I’ll trouble Chief Eunuch Cheng.”
Chief Eunuch Cheng was inwardly startled. Well, that was odd. Lord Xu never took things like this ordinarily.
At dinnertime, Chengxin Hall.
The moment Cui Yu came through the door, he saw the wine pot on the table and raised an eyebrow, looking at her.
Shen Yanshui eagerly poured the Crown Prince a cup of wine and said with a smile, “Now that Your Highness knows there are two babies in this concubine’s belly, in honor of the two babies’ coming, why don’t we drink a toast to celebrate?”
Cui Yu’s brow twitched. “You’re with child. You shouldn’t drink.”
Shen Yanshui blinked, all smiles. “Then this concubine will use water in place of wine.”
Cui Yu looked at her, nodded, and said nothing more. The two raised their cups and clinked them.
Seeing that the Crown Prince suspected nothing, Shen Yanshui finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the two of them ate dinner and drank as they went.
She was especially attentive throughout. Whenever the Crown Prince’s cup ran a little low, she filled it right up, and the pot was soon empty, so she had Chunping bring another.
Cui Yu accepted every cup, drinking one after another, yet his face showed not the slightest change, still that same cool, composed look.
Shen Yanshui watched him on the sly for a long time and found that the Crown Prince seemed not at all drunk, which left her a bit disappointed.
What she’d originally been thinking was that later tonight she wanted to get the Crown Prince into that outfit, and she felt guilty about it, afraid he’d take one look and back out of wearing it.
But she had waited so long for this. If the Crown Prince refused, wouldn’t it all have been for nothing?
So she’d figured she would get the Crown Prince drunk first, then coax him into putting it on…
But who would have guessed the Crown Prince would be practically immune to alcohol? He’d drunk this much and showed no sign of being drunk at all.
She thought back to the last two banquets, where the Crown Prince had also drunk a fair amount and had, come to think of it, stayed perfectly clear-headed.
Thinking this, she felt let down, her vivid, pretty eyes drooping.
Cui Yu glanced at her, saw the disappointment and gloom on her face, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said nothing.
After the dinner was cleared away, the two went out for a walk to help digest. When the sky had darkened, they returned to the inner chamber to bathe and change.
Shen Yanshui came out from bathing, changed into a light sleeping robe, and dug out that outfit. She sat at the edge of the bed, rather nervous and excited as she waited, but after a long wait the Crown Prince still hadn’t come out of the washroom.
She listened. The washroom was quiet, without a sound.
“Your Highness?” she called.
No answer.
“Your Highness?” she called again, louder.
Still no answer.
Shen Yanshui frowned, stood up, went around the screen, and headed into the washroom.
The washroom was thick with steam, carrying a faint clean soapberry scent.
The Crown Prince was still sitting in the bath, leaning against the pool wall, both arms draped along the edge, his head tilted slightly back, eyes half closed, looking dazed.
The steam blurred his outline, only making his face look all the more refined and otherworldly, like someone stepped out of a painting.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
She hurried over and crouched at the pool’s edge, poked his shoulder lightly with one finger, and asked softly, “Your Highness, why aren’t you answering this concubine?”
Cui Yu turned his head slightly and glanced at her.
That glance was hazy, the corners of his eyes faintly red, as if steamed by the mist or dyed by the wine. Those usually cool, calm eyes were now veiled with a thin mist, unspeakably languid.
He didn’t answer, only rose slowly to his feet, looked down at her, and said coldly, “Dress me.”
With a splash, warm spring water poured down his body, sliding along the lines of his smooth muscles.
Shen Yanshui’s gaze fastened on him before she knew it.
She watched beads of water roll off his shoulders, slide over his full pectorals, and run down his tight abs along one distinct but not exaggerated groove after another, finally disappearing below his waistline.
His waist was lean but not slight, the muscle on both sides drawn tight, like the waist and abdomen of a cheetah…
And lower still…
Shen Yanshui’s gaze slipped downward uncontrollably, took another look, then another, and her ears went a little red.
Seeing her expression, Cui Yu couldn’t help a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Then, with one long stride, he stepped up out of the pool, his legs straight and long, the muscle lines smooth and solid, beads of water running down the sides of his legs to his ankles and leaving a small wet patch on the floor.
Shen Yanshui swallowed and looked up on instinct, and suddenly noticed that there was something not quite right about the way the Crown Prince was looking at her.
The haze in those eyes seemed deeper, a bit like the first time they met.
More coldness, less intimacy.
And just now, he had called himself… “Gu.”
The Crown Prince hadn’t referred to himself as “Gu” in front of her for a long time.
Shen Yanshui’s heart suddenly sped up for a moment, and she asked tentatively, “Is Your Highness drunk?”
Cui Yu glanced down at her, his voice flat. “Gu is not drunk.”
Shen Yanshui’s eyes lit up at once, and she nearly failed to hold back her smile, hurriedly agreeing, “Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness isn’t drunk, Your Highness isn’t drunk. This concubine will dress Your Highness right away.” Drunk people always say they’re not drunk! She knew that!
Shen Yanshui hurried to fetch the clean cloth set out nearby and dried his body.
This was her first time doing this kind of job, and she was somewhat flustered. In the end, after hesitating, she reached out and lifted it, and wiped it down.
“……” Cui Yu’s eyelid twitched, but he said nothing.
Once she had finally gotten him dry, she tossed the cloth aside, her face full of smiles. “Please wait a moment, Your Highness. This concubine will fetch your clothes right away.”
Cui Yu nodded slightly and said a flat “Mm.”
Shen Yanshui pitter-pattered out, unable to hide her smile, and soon came trotting back, holding a garment in her hands.
Cui Yu looked at what she was holding, and a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
That fabric… seemed somewhat too thin?
His eyes fell on the garment… and what was that silver chain strung with carnelian?
Before he could speak, Shen Yanshui had set the chain down on the side table and shaken the garment out, spreading it open.
Just then a night breeze slipped in through the gap in the window and brushed the flimsy gauze. The fabric instantly billowed up, fluttering and drifting.
Cui Yu saw the full form of the garment.
It was a gauze robe, or more precisely, something stitched together from a few pieces of gauze and scraps of cloth. Some places were as solid as ordinary fabric, while others were so thin as to be nearly transparent, hiding nothing at all, with the slits on both sides cut extremely high…
The garment was also strung with tiny silver ornaments and jewels that jingled and chimed softly in the night breeze.
Cui Yu’s expression went from confusion to blankness, and finally to shock.
He lowered his eyes and looked at that… frivolous, indecent garment, his lips pressed into a line.
Shen Yanshui, far too excited, didn’t notice his expression at all. She just looked at him expectantly and reached out to lift his arm, signaling him to raise it.
“Your Highness, lift your arms. This concubine will dress you right now.” Her voice was full of joyful anticipation.
Cui Yu didn’t move for a moment. He pressed his lips together and gave her a deeply complicated look.
No wonder…
He suddenly remembered how she had repeatedly told him, several times before, that he mustn’t get angry after putting it on, that no matter what he had to wear it for her…
He looked down at the garment and imagined himself in it, and his scalp went numb. It was just… too shameful.
Outrageous!
He moved his lips, about to refuse, but when he looked down and saw those eyes full of expectation…
He remembered what he had promised her before.
“No matter how this concubine does, Your Highness must not be angry.”
“Your Highness can’t go back on his word…”
He was silent for a long while, his ears burning, his lips pressing even tighter.
In the end, he closed his eyes and finally, slowly, raised his arms.
