“Crown Princess, This Is Adultery—Quite Exciting, Isn’t It…”
Duke Yan’s Residence
Pei Chanlian slammed the teacup heavily onto the table. Seeing her anger, the maid immediately knelt, not even caring that the splashed hot tea had scalded the back of her hand red.
“What did you just say? Say it again!”
Her voice was pressed extremely low, yet her fingers dug into her palm.
The servant kneeling on the ground trembled like a leaf in the wind. “This servant followed the Duke with my own eyes and saw him enter that residence outside the city. Less than a quarter of an hour later, a woman entered as well… that woman…”
Pei Chanlian abruptly stood up, furious. “Who was that woman? Speak!”
“She looked like… like the Crown Princess!” The servant immediately prostrated himself after speaking.
The room fell into dead silence.
Pei Chanlian laughed—a laugh squeezed out from between her teeth, chilling and sinister.
The Crown Princess. Very good. The Crown Princess.
She raised her hand to smooth her hair at the temples, pretending to be calm, though her heart was boiling with rage.
“Prepare the carriage,” she said softly. “And mobilize a squad of household soldiers—those who have signed death contracts.”
That detestable Xue Yingyue—two-faced wretch. In front of her, she insisted she had nothing to do with Xiao Chongheng, yet behind her back she dared to meet him in secret!
“Also send someone to inform the Crown Prince!”
Xue Yingyue, I refuse to believe I can’t deal with you!
Distant mountains lay like dark green brows, undulating along the vast horizon, as though someone had dipped a blunt brush into pale ink and casually smeared a few strokes.
At first, there was only the faint trembling of grass leaves, fingertips skimming the curve of a waist like a spring breeze testing snow that had yet to melt.
Then came a silent collapse—two bodies becoming intertwined roots, growing wildly beneath the dark soil.
Breaths turned into low-hanging clouds, pressing down upon heated earth. Every touch was like lightning splitting a parched wilderness, igniting clumps of wildfire one after another.
Her tensed back arched like a rising wave; he was like a reef, enduring its relentless crash. The moment nails sank into skin, it was as if torrential rain finally broke through a cracked riverbed, all suppressed sounds bursting forth.
For a long time, Xiao Chongheng still refused to stop.
Though Ling Zhenli was on top, her entire body was weak. She tried to pull away, only to be caught by him.
“Why did you give it to me?”
His warm breath brushed her ear, ticklish. His lazy, ambiguous tone carried a trace of relentless insistence.
“Mm… I missed you too.”
“Crown Princess, is this because you’re afraid I’ll inform on you?”
“No… I still love you…”
Ling Zhenli’s voice, when she spoke such sweet words, was soft and alluring, hazy as though drunk. The playful smile at the corner of her lips seemed to tell Xiao Chongheng that she was lying.
It didn’t matter.
As long as she was here, he asked for nothing else.
Though it was to keep Pei Xuanlin from discovering her past, at least she was willing to lie to him. That was already enough.
“It’s not enough. You need to love me more. Otherwise, I have a loose tongue—one slip, and I’ll tell your husband…”
“So noisy. Shut up.”
Ling Zhenli did not want to hear his threats and cut him off, simply kissing him to seal his mouth.
It was fine. There was plenty of time.
…
The air was filled with the scent of pine resin and dew, mixed with the warmth of sun-baked earth.
Before Pei Chanlian arrived at the residence, the guards outside had already knocked to warn Xiao Chongheng.
The carriage stopped at the mouth of the alley. Pei Chanlian unconsciously rubbed the jade pendant in her fingers.
Xiao Chongheng… no matter who the person in your heart is, you are my husband now, and you must be devoted to me alone!
“Commandery Princess,” a guard said in a low voice, “the Duke never allows anyone near this place. Are we really going in?”
Pei Chanlian said nothing, her cold gaze sweeping over the ornate wooden door.
A year ago, Xiao Chongheng had kept a courtesan hidden away in Zuixian Pavilion. She could overlook matters before their marriage, but now that she and he were husband and wife, she had every right to care.
“Surround the residence,” she finally ordered, her voice icy. “Don’t let even a fly escape.”
With that, she stepped down from the carriage and walked to the entrance.
The guards stationed there saluted her and informed her that the Duke had forbidden anyone from entering.
“Your Ladyship, please return.”
“How dare you! I am a Commandery Princess, the Duke’s lawful wife by proper marriage. How dare you stop me!” Pei Chanlian looked determined. “I have urgent matters to discuss with the Duke. How many heads do you have to delay me?”
“Reporting to Your Ladyship, the Duke is not presently at this residence. Please go elsewhere to seek him.”
“Step aside! Whether the Duke is inside or not, I’ll know once I go in!”
Outside, the noise escalated.
Inside, Xiao Chongheng, who had already been warned, had no choice but to carry Ling Zhenli into a secret passage to avoid discovery.
This passage connected to the pagoda at Huaiming Temple. Aside from him and his personal guards, no one knew of it.
Thus, when Pei Chanlian burst in, she saw not a single person.
How could this be? How could there be no one?!
Her chest heaved violently as she lifted her skirts and hurried toward the inner courtyard.
Passing through the meticulously tended garden, she pushed open door after door—still no one.
“Search!” she shouted sharply. “Search every corner!”
She refused to believe living people could simply sprout wings and fly away.
…
Inside the secret passage, Ling Zhenli’s back pressed tightly against the damp wall.
Xiao Chongheng’s hand covered her mouth, his warm breath brushing her ear.
Above their heads came the chaotic footsteps on the stone bricks, Princess Roujia’s sharp voice close at hand.
Ling Zhenli’s heart pounded like a drum.
In the rush earlier, Xiao Chongheng had dragged her into the hidden chamber, but the hem of her clothes caught on the door ring and tore completely.
Now her garments were half undone, Xiao Chongheng’s palm pressed against her bare waist, with only a thin layer of gauze separating them.
Ling Zhenli held her breath, not daring to make a sound. Suddenly she felt pain at her neck—Xiao Chongheng actually bit her at such a moment. The sensation of teeth piercing skin made her whole body tremble.
“Well? Exciting, isn’t it?”
He whispered by her ear, his voice carrying a malicious laugh. “Crown Princess, this is adultery—fun, isn’t it?”
“You—!”
Shameless. This damned man was exactly the same as before.
The searching outside continued, footsteps coming and going. After a long while, it seemed they found no one. After hearing Pei Chanlian curse in frustration, she finally led her people away.
Inside the passage, Ling Zhenli slid to the ground, all strength drained.
Her collar gaped open, marks left by Xiao Chongheng’s sucking still visible on her neck, glowing an ambiguous red in the dim light.
Xiao Chongheng crouched down, his fingers brushing her flushed face, chuckling softly. “I’ll carry you to the pagoda to take a look.”
Ling Zhenli turned her head away, yet when he lifted her, she did not resist.
Afterward, Ling Zhenli saw her daughter’s memorial tablet, the statue enshrined for her, and the monks who chanted sutras day and night for her repose.
Xiao Chongheng had truly put his heart into it.
That was good.
As for the child, she no longer asked for more. For Xiao Chongheng to do this much already showed sincerity. This obsession and grievance could be set aside for now.
When she returned to the Eastern Palace, dusk had fallen. The palace attendants all seemed strange that day—each one appeared fearful, even bowing to Ling Zhenli with visible unease.
She sensed something was wrong. Pei Chanlian had most likely told Pei Xuanlin about her secret meeting with Xiao Chongheng.
So what? There was no proof.
Anything Pei Chanlian said would be mere slander.
Thus, Ling Zhenli entered the sleeping chamber as if nothing had happened.
Not a single candle was lit. Pei Xuanlin sat on the bed like a ghost, waiting for her return.
The moment Ling Zhenli stepped inside and glanced toward the bed, she was startled by his silhouette.
Only when attendants came in to light the candles did she recover from the fright.
“Sanlang, why didn’t you light even one candle? You nearly scared me to death. I thought a thief was sitting on the bed.”
She was covered in cold sweat. Wiping her forehead with a handkerchief, her legs went weak, and she sat down to rest.
“You came back so late. Where did you go?”
Pei Xuanlin’s expression was dark, as though he already knew the answer.
Hearing this, Ling Zhenli bloomed into a sweet smile, acting as though nothing had happened. She walked over and nestled into his arms. “I went to Huaiming Temple today to fulfill a vow.”
The place was correct—the events were not.
Pei Xuanlin clearly did not believe her. His face remained cold. “Fulfill a vow? What vow?”
“Back when I was still at home, I heard of Sanlang’s valor and handsome bearing and secretly admired you. Before our wedding, I went to Huaiming Temple to pray to all the gods for protection—that after marriage, the Crown Prince and I might share deep affection and lifelong harmony. If it came true, I vowed to go and repay it myself.”
Her fingers traced circles on his chest. “Now that Sanlang treats me so well, of course I must go fulfill the vow.”
“So that’s how it is…” The scrutiny in Pei Xuanlin’s eyes still had not faded. He asked deliberately, “Then when you went to the temple today, did you happen to meet the Duke of Yan?”
“The Duke of Yan?” Ling Zhenli’s heart leapt to her throat, though she maintained a calm facade. “He wanted to pay his respects to me, but when I thought of how my hand was injured because Princess Roujia insisted on competing with me in polo, I didn’t want to bother with him and deliberately gave him a cold shoulder. Could it be that he spoke ill of me before you?”
“No.” Pei Xuanlin laughed, a bit awkwardly, at her counterquestion.
Seeing this, Ling Zhenli turned the tables, pretending to be displeased. “What do you mean, no? Otherwise, why would you bring up the Duke of Yan out of nowhere? He must have said something, or how would you know I saw him today?”
“No, I only heard that he also went to Huaiming Temple today and asked out of curiosity…”
He almost forgot that Pei Chanlian disliked the Crown Princess to begin with. His cousin had always been suspicious, convinced others wanted to harm her or steal from her, harboring an inexplicable possessiveness over what was not hers.
This time, she must have heard that Xiao Chongheng paid his respects to the Crown Princess and imagined some illicit affair, then made a big show of reporting it to him—truly humiliating.
Most importantly, he had actually believed it.
Thinking it through, the Crown Princess had barely left her home before marriage. How could she have known Xiao Chongheng? What nonsense.
With this realization, Pei Xuanlin’s brow finally relaxed. It seemed to be a misunderstanding.
Fortunately, he had prepared an apology gift in advance.
As if performing a magic trick, Pei Xuanlin took a brocade box from his sleeve and handed it to Ling Zhenli.
She accepted it and opened it curiously. Inside lay a bracelet of white nephrite, glowing softly in the moonlight, perfectly fitting her wrist.
Taking her hand, he wrapped her wrist with the silk cloth from the box and slipped the bracelet on.
“I went to the treasury today specifically to choose this jade bracelet for you. It seems to suit what you’re wearing today.”
Ling Zhenli glanced at her clothes and felt a twinge of guilt.
When she left the Eastern Palace, she had worn a skirt embroidered with lotus patterns in a pale blue shade. When she returned, she had changed into peach-red. Fortunately, Pei Xuanlin hadn’t seen what she wore in the morning, or she would never have been able to explain it.
“Why give me this all of a sudden?” Ling Zhenli asked, eyeing the bracelet.
“I thought of the ‘run’ character in your name—gentle and lustrous like jade. It suits white nephrite best.”
“So that’s why.”
Seeing that Ling Zhenli seemed pleased, Pei Xuanlin finally relaxed, feeling that his earlier cold questioning had been wrong.
“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I heard Qionglin Pavilion has new dishes. Shall we go try them?”
Mentioned this way, Ling Zhenli realized she hadn’t eaten and felt hungry, so she agreed.
In the private room of the restaurant, aside from the new dishes, everything served was something Ling Zhenli loved.
“Why isn’t the hunyang mohu that Sanlang likes here?” she asked.
“Ah—I forgot.”
Pei Xuanlin slapped his forehead and laughed, looking pleased—hardly the face of someone who had truly forgotten.
He wanted to see whether Ling Zhenli remembered what he liked.
“Sanlang must have gnawed on too many white radishes in the palace and gone silly,” Ling Zhenli joked.
Pei Xuanlin was even happier.
She actually remembered that he often ate white radish.
Ling Zhenli didn’t know what he was so happy about—perhaps something good had happened today.
“What could make Sanlang so happy?” she asked with a smile, pouring him wine.
“Isn’t going out with my beloved consort reason enough to be happy?” Pei Xuanlin teased.
“When did Sanlang become so slick-tongued?”
Though said in jest, it was quite pleasing, and Ling Zhenli laughed at once.
Halfway through the meal, someone came to report that Vice Minister of Justice Xie Yu sought an audience. Having missed congratulating them on their wedding, he happened to encounter them today and came to pay his respects.
“Let him in,” Pei Xuanlin saw no issue.
Xie Daojian was the adopted son of the Empress’s brother. Though Pei Xuanlin was known to be Emperor Rui’s son, he was temporarily recorded under Emperor Xuan and Empress Hui, making him nominally a cousin to Xie Daojian.
“This minister pays respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.”
“Rise. We’re family here—no need for formality. There are no outsiders; relax,” Pei Xuanlin waved his hand.
Xie Daojian glanced at Ling Zhenli and bowed. “Yes.”
“Please sit and dine with us,” Ling Zhenli invited him with a smile.
Pei Xuanlin did not stop her, and Xie Daojian accepted.
“Thank you for the Crown Princess’s grace.”
At the table, Pei Xuanlin spoke casually, even before Ling Zhenli. “General Chen seems dissatisfied with the Grand Princess’s disaster relief policy.”
Xie Daojian gave an awkward laugh. “Anyone can see that County Princess Yongtai could not have written such a policy. The Grand Princess Wuyang dotes on her daughter and wants to portray her as exceptionally clever, but she used the wrong approach.”
“That’s true. Yet who in court dares reject such a ‘good’ policy? I wonder who devised it for the Grand Princess—its structure is meticulous, beyond even our imagination.”
“Your Highness flatters me. By tradition, only the Crown Prince’s daughters may be titled commandery princesses; daughters of princes are county princesses; a princess’s daughter’s rank follows her natal family… Yongtai’s title itself is already an exceptional favor. Forgive my bluntness, but the Grand Princess likely feels dissatisfied that her four brothers became Crown Prince or Emperor, and thus wants her own children to be honored as princes and commandery princesses as well.”
Hearing this, Pei Xuanlin’s gaze darkened, his wine cup unmoved. Ling Zhenli nearly lost her soul—how dared Xie Daojian say such things.
“Xie, you have quite the nerve, speaking so before me,” Pei Xuanlin said, scrutinizing him, though without punishment.
Ling Zhenli stared wide-eyed, ready to kneel and plead for Xie Daojian at any moment.
Yet Xie Daojian remained calm and composed. “Your Highness sees clearly. Everything I said is the truth. I am loyal to Your Highness and dare not conceal anything.”
“Mm. Continue,” Pei Xuanlin knew Xie Daojian bore him no disrespect.
“In the past, when Emperor Wen was alive, Princess Wuyang held immense power. Her peak ended when Your Highness personally took Emperor Wen’s head. Though she supported the current Emperor’s ascension, since His Majesty’s enthronement she has often clashed with my father in court. My father does support Princess Jin’an, yes—but more so he supports Their Majesties. Princess Wuyang does not show loyalty to you, nor to Their Majesties. It’s only that His Majesty is overly benevolent and indulges his only sister.”
Ling Zhenli scarcely dared breathe, burying her head and eating quietly.
Pei Xuanlin actually let her hear all this—was this something a Crown Princess should hear?
Even stranger, since Pei Xuanlin allowed it, Xie Daojian dared to speak before her.
“It sounds as though, because of General Chen, you also harbor dissatisfaction toward the Grand Princess,” Pei Xuanlin probed deliberately.
“Not so. My father rarely discusses politics before my mother and me. It is merely as Your Highness said—my father and the Grand Princess are indeed at odds in policy.”
After speaking, Xie Daojian glanced at Ling Zhenli.
She met his gaze briefly, then quickly looked away toward Pei Xuanlin.
Pei Xuanlin was still contemplating the Chen family’s stance. “Since His Majesty named me Crown Prince, there has been no small clamor in court to install Princess Jin’an instead. Emperor Wen set a precedent for women ascending the throne; future generations will surely produce many capable women.”
“He who wins the people’s hearts wins the realm. Compared to who becomes emperor, the people care more about stability and abundant harvests. Whether it is Your Highness or Princess Jin’an, gender is irrelevant. If one governs wholeheartedly for the people, the people will deem them a good ruler.”
These words were far too bold. Ling Zhenli broke into a cold sweat for Xie Daojian.
Yet Pei Xuanlin acted as though nothing were amiss, calmly picking up a piece of meat.
“Emperor Wen’s memorial day approaches. His achievements were extraordinary; even my father was posthumously titled Emperor Wuzong Rui despite his brief reign. Tell me—what posthumous honor do you think His Majesty will grant Emperor Wen?”
“This minister dares not speculate.”
“You’ve already speculated quite a bit. Why fear a few more words?” Pei Xuanlin smiled.
Xie Daojian was about to answer when sudden commotion erupted outside the private room.