Chapter Fourteen: “Brother saying all this—could it be that you were listening to me…”
After the banquet, Pei Xuanlin was a little drunk. Xue Wenmian asked Ling Zhenli to take him to rest in the boudoir where she had once lived. Ling Zhenli nodded in agreement.
Originally, six palace maids were accompanying them to care for the inebriated Pei Xuanlin, along with two maids from the Chancellor’s residence to lead the way. However, Pei Xuanlin dismissed them all, allowing only Ling Zhenli to guide him to her former room.
As they passed through the moon gate, Ling Zhenli, supporting Pei Xuanlin, failed to watch her footing. She stumbled and fell straight into his arms.
Seizing the chance, Pei Xuanlin held her tightly and would not let go. His voice carried a hint of drunken amusement as he teased her.
“My beloved consort, this is the Chancellor’s residence, not the Eastern Palace. Be careful—if Father-in-law and the others see us, they’ll say we husband and wife have no sense of propriety in broad daylight.”
“Your Highness, it was an accident,” Ling Zhenli said with mock annoyance.
“I know, I know. I just wanted to tease you. Look at you—already upset.” Pei Xuanlin lightly tapped her cheek, coaxing her.
“I’m not upset,” Ling Zhenli said, though her expression still showed displeasure.
Pei Xuanlin took advantage of the moment to wrap an arm around her waist. “Come, come, to the boudoir, to the boudoir. I can’t wait to see the place where you used to live.”
The warmth of his palm seeped through the thin gauze to her skin. Ling Zhenli looked up at him and realized that there was not the slightest trace of drunkenness in his eyes—he was perfectly clear-headed.
The anticipation in his gaze, however, did not seem fake. He truly cared about the place where she had lived in the past.
Unfortunately, he had come to the wrong place. If he wanted to see where Ling Zhenli had truly lived as a child, he would have to look for it in the confiscated official residence.
The boudoir in the Chancellor’s residence was still kept exactly as it had been before Ling Zhenli’s marriage. It was clean and orderly, clearly swept and arranged daily—someone had put in the effort.
Pei Xuanlin reached back and closed the door. His gaze swept over the desk by the window, then shifted to the large bed. At a glance, it was clearly a young woman’s bed—soft, comfortable, and faintly fragrant.
Ling Zhenli removed her outer robe, standing before the dressing table in only an apricot-colored undergarment.
The bronze mirror reflected her slender waist and the tall figure of the man behind her.
“Husband, am I beautiful?” she asked.
As she spoke, she pulled out the gold hairpin, and her dark hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
What man could withstand such provocation from his newlywed wife? Overcome with desire, Pei Xuanlin stepped forward, grasped the back of her neck, and pressed her against the mirror. His movements were rough yet careful not to hurt her. He bent down, intending to bite her ear, his scorching breath burning against her earlobe.
“My wife is breathtakingly beautiful.”
Just as Pei Xuanlin thought Ling Zhenli would submit passively, she reached back and yanked open the jade belt at his waist. The clasp struck the floor and shattered into two pieces.
The sound was like a signal. Pei Xuanlin suddenly began tearing at her clothes…
Outside the window, the begonia tree swayed gently.
Ling Zhenli knew exactly what Xue Haoting had meant today—he wanted her to wait for him in her boudoir and then seek pleasure with her in this very room. Unfortunately for him, his plan was doomed to fail.
Thinking of this, Ling Zhenli curved her lips into a smile, having come up with an even better idea.
She softened her body and let out a sweet, clinging moan. “Husband, love me more…”
Hearing this, Pei Xuanlin grabbed her waist and tossed her onto the bed. The brocade quilt rippled with wave-like folds.
He pulled open his own robe, revealing his firm chest, and leaned down to please her. Ling Zhenli deliberately raised her voice.
“Husband, spare me… how can you still do this…”
“My beloved consort seems particularly eager today,” Pei Xuanlin said.
“I have admired you for so long. In this maiden’s chamber, how many secret thoughts of mine have been hidden…”
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Xuanlin thrust into her. The pain made her fingers dig into his back.
He moved like a ferocious beast. Ling Zhenli bit her lip and shook her head, only to have her chin gripped and forced open, broken moans spilling from her lips.
Pei Xuanlin turned her over, bracing her open with his knee, going deeper. Ling Zhenli pressed her forehead against the bedpost, closed her eyes, and sank together with him.
…
When the storm finally subsided, dusk had already stained the window gauze.
Pei Xuanlin sat at the edge of the bed, robe draped over his shoulders, using a handkerchief to wipe the scratch marks on his waist.
Ling Zhenli lay lazily against a bolster, hair loose, reaching out to lightly touch the wounds she had left on his back.
“Your Highness, does it hurt?”
Pei Xuanlin caught her wrist and smiled. “It’s nothing. It’s rare for my beloved consort to be in such high spirits today. Naturally, I’d risk my life to accompany you.”
Ling Zhenli withdrew her hand, pouted slightly, then unhurriedly tied the straps of her undergarment. “Is Your Highness hungry? Shall we have the evening meal?”
“Do you wish to stay in the Chancellor’s residence, or return to the Eastern Palace to dine?”
Feeling lazy, Ling Zhenli moved over and hugged his waist, resting her head against him as she said softly, “I only want to be with you. I don’t want anyone else.”
“If Father-in-law and your brother heard that, they’d probably scold me for leading you astray,” Pei Xuanlin said gently, tapping her nose.
Pei Xuanlin had always been considerate to Ling Zhenli on the surface, but cool beneath. These rare moments of private intimacy were few and precious.
“They wouldn’t,” Ling Zhenli replied.
“Rest here for a while. I’ll go pay my respects to Father-in-law and then come back to fetch you. We’ll return to the Eastern Palace for dinner.”
“Alright.”
Ling Zhenli smiled as she watched Pei Xuanlin leave. Even as he went, he kept turning back, clearly reluctant to part. Such was marital affection.
Not long after Pei Xuanlin left, Xue Haoting entered.
From the looks of it, he had been waiting outside all along.
At this moment, Ling Zhenli was wearing only a spring-green undergarment, covered by a thin quilt, lying on the bed to rest. Seeing Xue Haoting enter, she was not surprised.
“Shameless.”
He opened with an insult, and Ling Zhenli frowned irritably.
“Indulging in debauchery in broad daylight, and in my sister’s boudoir at that. Ling Zhenli, are you doing this just to disgust me?”
“Brother, are you insane? I am your sister. Why would I try to disgust you?” Ling Zhenli sneered, still not opening her eyes. She did not want to see Xue Haoting.
“Get up!”
Xue Haoting strode over and ripped away her quilt. Ling Zhenli’s body, clad only in an undergarment, was instantly exposed to his view. Humiliated and furious, she slapped him across the face.
“Outrageous! How many lives do you have, daring to insult the Crown Princess!”
“Heh.” Xue Haoting covered his face, clearly shocked that Ling Zhenli dared to strike him. Anger surged. “You really think just because you’ve risen to the skies you can forget who you are. Without me bringing you back, could you be sitting in the position of Crown Princess today? Don’t forget who gave you this status.”
Ignoring his threats, Ling Zhenli mocked him coldly. “Brother saying all this—could it be that you stood outside all afternoon, listening to me and the Crown Prince being intimate? Well? His Highness the Crown Prince is far more capable than you.”
The next second, Xue Haoting viciously clamped his hand around Ling Zhenli’s throat, the pain stealing her breath.
“You reckless bitch. I might as well kill you. At worst, when the Crown Prince returns and sees that I’ve killed you, I’ll be sentenced to death along with you. How about that? Your worthless life can at least be exchanged for dying together with me. Happy?”
Xue Haoting showed no mercy, gripping her throat tightly. No matter how Ling Zhenli pushed and struck him, he would not loosen his hold.
Even so, Ling Zhenli glared at him defiantly. The harder he squeezed, the fiercer her gaze became, as if given the slightest chance to live, she would tear him apart alive.
In the end, Xue Haoting could not bring himself to go through with it. Seeing her face turn red, on the verge of suffocation, he immediately released his grip.
“Cough—cough—cough, cough, cough…”
Having narrowly escaped death, Ling Zhenli gulped in air, coughing violently, venting the pain of the abuse.
Bright red fingerprints were left on her pale neck, marks that would not fade for quite some time.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
Seeing her suffering, Xue Haoting regained his senses and felt a twinge of regret. Out of jealousy, he had come to hurt Ling Zhenli. He had personally delivered her to the Crown Prince’s side, yet resented the Crown Prince for taking her, and even beat and scolded her for it—what kind of logic was that?
Realizing he had done wrong, Xue Haoting softened his tone.
“I lost my temper just now and hurt you… Stay tonight. I’ll send someone to summon the imperial physician to examine you…”
“I don’t need your false concern!” Ling Zhenli slapped his hand away in disgust. “I’ll return to the Eastern Palace with the Crown Prince. The Eastern Palace has its own physicians.”
Ling Zhenli was too focused on venting her anger to notice the dimming of Xue Haoting’s gaze. He let out a self-mocking smile.
“It’s clear the Crown Prince treats you extremely well.”
“Of course.”
A sour, indescribable feeling welled up in Xue Haoting’s heart. It was no longer appropriate for him to stay here, and he also wanted to leave this room.
“Rest well. I won’t disturb you.”
With that, he left. Ling Zhenli ignored him completely, utterly indifferent.
Xue Wenmian kept Pei Xuanlin talking for quite some time. By the time Pei Xuanlin returned to fetch Ling Zhenli, the marks on her neck had mostly faded.
On the way back to the Eastern Palace, Ling Zhenli remained silent, not even sparing Pei Xuanlin a glance.
Seeing her like this, Pei Xuanlin assumed she was unhappy from waiting too long. After returning to the Eastern Palace, he did something unprecedented—he personally went to the kitchen, imitating the way she had once coaxed him, hoping to please her.
Unfortunately, after a long bout of clumsy effort at the stove, the dishes he produced were truly hard to look at.
In the end, he had no choice but to rush to a restaurant and buy ready-made dishes to bring back.
That detour only made Ling Zhenli wait even longer.
After the palace maids laid out the dishes, they bowed and withdrew.
Seeing Pei Xuanlin return in a hurry, Ling Zhenli picked up a silk handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, speaking gently.
“Your Highness, what were you busy with? Why did it take so long? The meal is ready—come, sit and eat.”
Pei Xuanlin smiled and took her hand. “I saw that you were in low spirits tonight, so I went to the kitchen and personally cooked some dishes for you.”
“Personally cooked?” Ling Zhenli was both surprised and delighted. She turned to look at the table of fine dishes. “I never expected Your Highness to be willing to do such trivial things for me. I am deeply grateful.”
“…Mm.” Feeling guilty about lying, Pei Xuanlin could not keep it up and quickly changed the subject. “Sit, sit. Let’s eat.”
“Alright. I’ll serve you.”
Warmth spread through Ling Zhenli’s heart as she attentively served Pei Xuanlin.
She never imagined that the dignified Crown Prince would do so much for her. She did not even know how she could ever repay him.
“In a few days, Princess Wuyang will be hosting a polo gathering and has invited us as a couple to attend,” Pei Xuanlin said. “On the surface, it’s a gathering of the imperial nobility. In truth, it’s to choose a husband for County Princess Yongtai.”
“County Princess Yongtai? I spoke with her briefly at the flower banquet. She has a bright, cheerful personality—surely many young men in the capital admire her,” Ling Zhenli replied.
Her last remark was purely polite. She had no interest in who Xiao Chongheng’s sister married.
“In fact, the Grand Princess is jealous that I married you and gained the support of both the Xue and Cui families. That’s why she wants to marry Yongtai off to win allies. As for whom she’ll marry… it will most likely be among your cousin Cui Haoxu, your brother Xue Haoting, or General Chen’s adopted son—Xie Daojian.”
“General Chen’s adopted son… Xie Daojian?”