“Serving the bed?!”
Those two words struck like twin thunderbolts, leaving Lin Yao utterly stunned.
She suddenly recalled the harsh words Chu Liyuan had spat in front of the Crown Prince that day: “She is the consort bestowed upon me by His Majesty’s golden decree, the lawful wife recorded in my Chu Liyuan’s Imperial Genealogy!”
This petty little brat… could he actually be planning to “go all the way” with her just to spite the Crown Prince?!
This was bad, really bad—she was about to be in over her head!
Lin Yao’s original intention in staging this scheme of sowing discord was to make Chu Liyuan despise her, thereby protecting herself, and then find an opportunity to conceive the Crown Prince’s “child,” forcing Chu Liyuan to abandon any such notion entirely.
If he truly forced himself on her, how could she continue to coast through life in this godforsaken place?
And most importantly… if Chu Liyuan discovered that she and the Crown Prince had never actually consummated their marriage, how could she possibly play both men against each other and bear the Emperor’s eldest grandson?
Not to mention—if she accidentally conceived Chu Liyuan’s seed, that would be a humiliation worse than death!
Seeing Chu Liyuan sneer and turn to pick up the dusty nuptial goblets from the table, advancing step by step, she knew escape was impossible and fighting was futile.
Lin Yao steeled herself. “Oh? His Lordship is in such high spirits tonight?”
She gave Chu Liyuan a deliberate once-over, letting her gaze linger briefly on his waist and abdomen, then said airily: “How convenient—I’d like to compare too… whether my husband or the Crown Prince is the more formidable man?”
The air froze instantly.
Lin Yao could clearly feel the pressure around Chu Liyuan plummet. His handsome face turned ashen before her very eyes, and the veins on the hand gripping the goblet bulged visibly.
Seeing him unmoving, Lin Yao decided to pour fuel on the fire.
Her eyes were seductive as silk, but her words were sharp as knives: “That day, the Crown Prince drank wine I had specially prepared. Today, without that little helper…” She deliberately fixed her gaze on his waist. “I wonder if my husband can still muster the same enthusiasm!”
“Lin Yao!!” Chu Liyuan ground out the words through clenched teeth. “You truly have no shame!”
“Shame?” Lin Yao laughed as if she’d heard a joke. She suddenly remembered that in her dream, the triple-dose aphrodisiac wine that had killed A-Yao was administered by Chu Liyuan himself, and the men who had torn A-Yao’s clothes to shreds were sent by him as well. Yet here he was, concerned about whether she’d actually had an affair with the Crown Prince.
So Lin Yao said coldly: “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to see?”
By now, Lin Yao had completely thrown caution to the wind. She squared her shoulders and met Chu Liyuan’s murderous gaze head-on: “When you swapped me into the Crown Prince’s bridal chamber, didn’t you already drug me? Didn’t you originally want to see something happen between me and the Crown Prince, so he’d be stuck marrying a blind, mute waste?”
“Too bad you missed that show. But no matter—if my husband insists on me serving the bed tonight, at least I’m ‘battle-hardened’ and quite experienced!”
“CRACK—!!”
A sharp sound rang out as the unfortunate goblet was hurled to the ground by Chu Liyuan, shattering into fragments!
Wine splashed across the floor, mingling with the earthy smell of mud in the leaky, dilapidated room—a scene of utter disarray.
Chu Liyuan recoiled two steps as if looking at something filthy, his chest heaving violently, disgust so thick in his eyes it threatened to spill over.
“Don’t call me husband! Absolutely disgusting!”
Just then, Li Cai knocked on the door: “Your Lordship… the Crown Prince has come to deliver wedding gifts to you and the Consort…”
The Crown Prince?
A flicker of delight passed through Lin Yao’s eyes, and she put on a sneering, provocative expression: “The Crown Prince is quite considerate of his younger brother… Shouldn’t we go out and express our gratitude?”
The thunderstorm had just subsided, and a few splashes of brilliant sunset glow appeared on the horizon.
By all rights, on the day of a prince’s wedding, the courtyard should be filled with guests, goblets clinking, red lanterns illuminating laughter and joy.
But the Fourth Prince’s residence, after the drenching rain, looked more desolate than ever.
The wildly overgrown weeds in the courtyard were bent low under the weight of rainwater. The few strips of red silk meant to maintain appearances now dripped with black water, draped limply over a stone lion with a broken leg—a sight too absurd for words.
Yet into this ruin stepped a distinguished visitor who seemed utterly out of place.
The Crown Prince, Chu Huaian, was dressed today in a purple-gold brocade robe embroidered with coiled dragons in dark patterns, cinched with a white jade belt, radiating brilliance from head to toe.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the mud-splattered courtyard, yet seemed untouched by even a speck of dust—like a luminous pearl dropped forcibly into a kennel.
Chu Liyuan stood on the steps, expressionless, watching the Crown Prince. He neither bowed nor spoke, as if waiting for the Crown Prince to make the first move.
Chu Huaian’s gaze swept past Chu Liyuan and landed on Lin Yao, who stood behind him with a face full of delight. The tension in his lips finally eased.
In truth, he hadn’t felt at ease since that day. He’d been thinking of Lin Yao, but given their respective positions, he could find no excuse to visit her.
He had kept men watching the Fourth Prince, knowing Chu Liyuan hadn’t caused Lin Yao trouble, but his servants reported that the Fourth Prince’s residence was in a state of utter disrepair. He’d been mulling over finding an excuse to send Lin Yao more things…
The Crown Prince let out a light chuckle, choosing not to take offense at Chu Liyuan’s discourtesy. Instead, he assumed the air of an elder brother acting as a father figure, striding into the courtyard. “Fourth Brother, I am here today at Father’s behest. Between establishing your own household and preparing for your grand wedding, you must be stretched thin in such a short time. This place is, after all… rather crude.”
He swept his gaze across the courtyard, which resembled a haunted house, a flicker of barely concealed satisfaction passing through his eyes. Then, with a flourish of his sleeve, he declared, “As your elder brother, I cannot bear to see my sister-in-law suffer. Men—”
Before he could finish, over a dozen burly eunuchs carried heavy, large red lacquered chests into the cramped courtyard one after another.
The lids were thrown open one by one, and instantly, a dazzling array of treasures gleamed, their fragrance wafting through the air.
Chu Liyuan’s face darkened to the color of a pot bottom. Because these chests were not congratulatory gifts at all—they were a blatant slap in the face!
The first chest contained neatly arranged premium bird’s nests and century-old ginseng, accompanied by a full set of silver tableware.
The second chest held soft-as-cloud Shu brocade and fine mist silk—all excellent materials for a woman’s undergarments.
The third chest was even more absurd—it contained a basket of fresh grapes and honeydews!
The remaining chests held ordinary wedding gifts.
Chu Liyuan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the chests being carried in one by one. Suddenly, he smiled.
“His Highness seems quite attentive to my princess consort. Anyone who didn’t know better would think these weren’t congratulatory gifts, but betrothal presents.”
“Fourth Brother, don’t take it amiss.” Chu Huaian smiled with a warmth as smooth as jade, but his gaze was fixed intently on Chu Liyuan. “Our sister-in-law is of noble birth. I feared you might not attend to her properly, so I sent these specially.”
But it wasn’t over yet.
At the very end of the procession, two elderly matrons with demurely lowered eyes emerged, followed by four young maidservants.
“These two are senior matrons from the palace.” Having said this, Chu Huaian’s gentle gaze fell upon Lin Yao’s face, and he smiled. “This Fourth Prince’s residence… seems short on help. I’ve also summoned the maidservants who used to attend to A-Yao from the Prime Minister’s estate. Since A-Yao has moved to a new place, it’s better to have familiar attendants by her side for peace of mind.”
As he spoke, a young girl with red-rimmed eyes threw herself at Lin Yao’s feet: “M-Miss! Are you alright?”
Oh ho!
Lin Yao’s heart sank: This Crown Prince is certainly considerate… but the problem is, she isn’t the real “Lin Yao”—what a hassle!