009 No Next Time +1
Zhao Xuanzhen had long known this concubine-born daughter was a flighty and restless character, which was why he held her in particular contempt. Yet, he had to admit that with such outstanding beauty, her flirtatiousness was especially alluring.
Su Wantang acted pitifully aggrieved: “Heir…”
Zhao Xuanzhen glanced at her, but his movements did not stop.
Such a woman was not worth his tenderness. His own pleasure and the continuation of his lineage were what mattered.
A moment later, the warm fragrance in the room took on a different quality.
Zhao Xuanzhen considered himself devoid of pity for this concubine-born girl, but seeing her biting her lip as if to cry, he found it difficult to be overly rough. He forcefully suppressed his impatience, using one hand to hold her elbow—on the side of her injury—to keep her steady so she wouldn’t pull at the wound.
Su Wantang’s eyes welled with tears, and in her weeping, she turned her head and bit down on the wrist supporting her face.
Zhao Xuanzhen hissed. He was unexpectedly goaded into a low grunt by the sharp sting and the look of small, beast-like grievance and venting in her eyes…
Su Wantang cried again: “The wound was so hard to treat, and now it has to be moved and wiped again. Heir, you are too much of a bully…”
Zhao Xuanzhen’s voice remained hoarse as he warned her: “Shut up.”
She was merely a plaything, after all. Did she really expect him to be tender?
Rebuked by him, Su Wantang bit her lip and dared not make another sound. That pathetic, spineless appearance made Zhao Xuanzhen feel strangely amused. Perhaps it was the physical release, but his mood was excellent. He benevolently helped the girl clean up and wipe herself down again, once more admonishing her: “No next time.”
Su Huajin, not seeing Zhao Xuanzhen in the study late that night, had an ominous feeling and marched straight to Cuiwei Pavilion.
Xiao Tao saw Su Huajin entering from the veranda and immediately hid herself without a sound; thus, Su Huajin walked straight into the room.
After a few steps, she saw Zhao Xuanzhen actually holding Su Wantang on the couch… He clearly looked as if he had just bathed and was in the middle of checking Su Wantang’s wound.
Any person with eyes could tell exactly what they had been doing just moments before.
The expression on Su Huajin’s face cracked instantly. She instinctively stepped forward: “Heir…”
As she spoke, she realized her voice was a bit sharp. Su Huajin forcefully suppressed her simmering anger and curled the corners of her mouth: “I came to see Wantang, I didn’t expect the Heir to be here as well.”
Facing Su Huajin’s implied accusation, Zhao Xuanzhen felt a belated sense of unease, but his expression remained unchanged. He rose from the couch with indifference: “Then you sisters talk; I will return first.”
Su Huajin had not come to see Su Wantang in the first place, so naturally, she would not stay to exchange intimate sisterly talk. The moment Zhao Xuanzhen stepped out, she glared coldly at Su Wantang and turned to chase after him.
Zhao Xuanzhen was still staying in the study, so he headed back directly. Just as he entered, he saw Su Huajin following him in.
He glanced at her: “It is getting late; why have you not retired yet?”
Su Huajin stepped forward and sat beside him, smiling with an ambiguous tone: “I saw the Heir could not sleep late at night and thought I would keep you company.”
Having been married for two years, Zhao Xuanzhen naturally sensed the displeasure in her tone. Sitting across from her, he raised an eyebrow: “Why do you seem to be in such a bad mood?”
Su Huajin seethed with hatred inside, but on the surface, she wore a mocking smile: “The Heir cares little that Wantang has a wound, and even goes to be with her late at night. It seems I was indeed very farsighted to place her so nearby…”
Zhao Xuanzhen laughed: “Are you jealous?”
Su Huajin hummed and turned her face away: “I dare not…”
Zhao Xuanzhen reached out to her. Su Huajin’s expression was indignant, but her actions were docile; she pouted in a huff and walked over, only to be pulled by Zhao Xuanzhen onto his lap.
Zhao Xuanzhen curled his lips, his tone casual: “It is only for the sake of conceiving a child early… Was it not you who insisted on doing it this way? Why are you unhappy now?”
Su Huajin was displeased: “It is true that she is meant to bear a child for you and me, but… for the Heir to ignore that she is still recovering from a wound and go there late at night—is it possible you have developed a taste for it and cannot let go?”
Zhao Xuanzhen frowned abruptly: “What ‘taste for it’!”
Because his father had concubines everywhere, Zhao Xuanzhen had watched his mother shed tears in secret since he was a child. From the time he was old enough to understand, he had told himself that he would have only one wife for the rest of his life, a relationship of mutual respect, and would never keep concubines to make his rightful wife suffer.
It was precisely for this reason that when Su Huajin had a miscarriage and could no longer conceive, Zhao Xuanzhen felt just as frustrated as she did.
He did not want to take a concubine, but the Heir to the Ding Prince Residence could not be without an heir—otherwise, his father would have a reason to promote the lowly offspring born to that woman.
How could he allow the low-born child of his father’s secondary consort to stand side-by-side with him? That was why, when Su Huajin proposed using her younger sister to conceive the child on her behalf, Zhao Xuanzhen had easily accepted.
He knew it was the best path for them as a couple.
Favoring Su Wantang was only for that purpose… Otherwise, why would he ever touch such a self-deprecating, vain woman who abandoned her fiancé to climb the social ladder and broke her word?
Even though she was born with skin like cream and a beauty so rich and vivid it almost made him lose his soul… it was merely a temporary indulgence for release and the continuation of his bloodline.
Could Su Huajin really suspect him of developing a taste for it?
Zhao Xuanzhen’s expression was grim, but considering his wife was indeed feeling aggrieved, he patiently coaxed her: “She is merely a plaything meant to carry a child for you and me. What is there to care about whether she is injured or not? Is that really worth bringing up?”
With those words, the dark clouds in Su Huajin’s heart dissipated. She leaned into Zhao Xuanzhen’s arms coquettishly: “I thought that perhaps the Heir had been moved by her sacrificing herself to protect you, and seeing that she is delicate and charming, you could not control yourself…”
An image of Su Wantang’s foolish, panicked face as she closed her eyes and smashed the table at the assassin flashed through Zhao Xuanzhen’s mind.
His eyes flickered, and he chuckled: “What are you imagining?”
He was not like his father; how could he be easily swayed by female beauty? Moreover, she was merely superficial, shallow, and common trash…
Su Huajin saw the indifference and contempt in Zhao Xuanzhen’s eyes toward Su Wantang and felt much better. Thinking of something, she leaned in and whispered an invitation for him to return to the main room to sleep.
“I am clean now…”
She looked shy.
Zhao Xuanzhen revealed a soft smile: “Your body has only just started to get better; we must not be careless.”
He pinched Su Huajin’s cheek: “Resting well and recovering completely is what is most important.”
Su Huajin bit her lip in secret, but looking at the tenderness and concern on Zhao Xuanzhen’s face and remembering how indifferent and contemptuous he was when mentioning Su Wantang, her heart was finally at ease.
She understood Zhao Xuanzhen’s nature better than anyone. He was never a man lustful for pleasure; he had always criticized his father’s many concubines and detested those vulgar, shallow women.
If not for the sake of securing an heir for her and solidifying her status, he probably wouldn’t touch a finger of Su Wantang.
It was she who had been overthinking…