But that very night.
Rong Zhou physically demonstrated to her exactly what method would make her hands sore.
Yun Li whimpered as she rubbed her aching wrists.
In such matters, she had always been extremely delicate, crying for mercy after just a short while of being teased. But Rong Zhou merely gripped her waist, his hoarse voice whispering by her ear…
“Black sesame tangyuan.”
Rong Zhou gently nibbled her earlobe, kissing the small red mole on her ear with obsession, his voice growing increasingly deep, “Now do you understand the consequences of teasing your husband?”
Yun Li’s eyes suddenly widened.
She abruptly understood the meaning behind that day when she asked Rong Zhou to eat egg tarts, but he insisted on having black sesame tangyuan instead—it meant she appeared sweet and soft on the surface but was actually cunning underneath!
Ah Zhou had long discovered she wasn’t as obedient as she seemed.
But before she could voice any protest, Rong Zhou pressed his slender, pale fingers against her crimson lips…
“Be good, Ah Li, it’s not over yet.”
His voice was deep and mesmerizing as he closed his eyes, kissing her with tender affection, both alluring and lingering, “Your husband promised you a strawberry garden… I must fulfill my promise.”
As he spoke, Rong Zhou lowered his head and buried it in the crook of her neck, gently yet tormentingly sucking on her skin.
Yun Li:!!!
She trembled with pleasure, her toes curling.
The little strawberries she had demanded during the day to show off her affection to Ning Xin’er ultimately came back to haunt her at night.
But wait…
Although strawberries had been introduced to the Great Yu Dynasty from foreign lands, “planting strawberries” was clearly a modern reference—how did Ah Zhou know about it?
But Rong Zhou didn’t give her a chance to ask. Throughout the night, candlelight flickered, and beautiful, pearly-white bells tinkled amidst the trembling red bed curtains…
…
Rong Zhou had called for water five times throughout the night.
Lian Qiao and Wen Nan had stood guard outside the chamber all night. Though they didn’t fully understand such matters, they knew that each time their master called for water, it meant he needed to cleanse after…
Yet they never expected him to call for water five times in a single night!
To make matters worse, the Regent Prince was still full of energy, rising early in the morning to ride his horse into the palace for court. Meanwhile, Yun Li lay limp in bed, completely unable to get up…
Even Lian Qiao yawned as she entered the chamber.
She muttered quietly, “Your Highness, the Regent Prince is too ruthless! No wonder they call him the Living King of Hell in the capital… How could anyone survive such torment without being skinned alive?”
Yun Li’s fingertips trembled slightly.
She let out a coquettish whimper, wrapping herself in the warm blankets as she turned over, “Don’t disturb me… Let me sleep a bit longer.”
Lian Qiao looked at her master, who couldn’t even get out of bed, with heartache, silently cursing the prince for being excessively cruel—truly a tormenting and licentious tyrant!
And he claimed to cherish Her Highness…
She had heard the princess crying all night long!
That wretched man!
By noon, Yun Li was dragged out of bed like a puppet by Lian Qiao. After washing up and having some lunch, she weakly crawled back under the covers.
Rong Zhou returned later after handling some court affairs in the palace. When he arrived, he found his little Princess Consort still lazily in bed, so he sat on the edge and tucked her in.
“Ah Li?” His voice was low and gentle.
His fair, elegant fingers gently caressed Yun Li’s face, brushing away the stray strands of hair on her cheeks. The little Princess Consort’s dress hung loosely on her body, the collar carelessly open…
Revealing her pale swan-like neck and seductive collarbone.
The strawberry garden he had planted on her last night was densely scattered across her beautiful snow-white skin.The once exquisite and flawless skin was now marked with red traces. This sense of fragmented scars brought a flush of red to the corners of Rong Zhou’s eyes as he gently traced them with his fingertips…
A flicker of excited dark light danced in his ink-black pupils.
Gradually becoming infatuated, tender, and morbid, the fingers caressing the strawberries could not help but press down with a slight force…
Yun Li, who had been sound asleep, was disturbed awake.
She let out a soft whimper, “Mmm…”
In her sleep, she caught the familiar scent of cool sandalwood. Instinctively, Yun Li nuzzled lightly toward Rong Zhou’s direction, her small hand rubbing against his sleeve before grabbing hold and wrapping around his arm.
Then, in a soft and delicate voice, she said, “Ah Zhou, you’re back.”
Rong Zhou’s gaze froze for a moment, the obsessive emotions lingering in the depths of his ink-black pupils. He almost instantly withdrew that morbid gleam in his eyes.
In the next second, he transformed into a gentle and affectionate demeanor.
He lowered his gaze, looking tenderly at his little Princess Consort, restraining his voice as he softly responded, “Awake?”
Yun Li slowly opened her drowsy eyes.
Lazily rubbing her eyes, as her vision cleared, she met Rong Zhou’s gaze, which had softened almost into water. She remained completely unaware of the true look in his eyes while she had been sound asleep…
“I’m so tired, so sore.”
Yun Li pouted as if acting spoiled, chattering on with complaints, “My waist aches, my legs feel weak, and also…”
Little Pear Blossom seemed to be tinged with the colors of the evening glow.
She burrowed deeper into the covers, her voice growing even softer, “It’s sore from rubbing too…”
Rong Zhou tenderly stroked her cheek with pity.
He hummed softly in acknowledgment, then lowered his head to kiss her forehead, “This prince admits his fault. In the future, I will try my best…”
But before he could finish, he suddenly paused.
Finally, he let out a slightly helpless sigh before chuckling softly and kissing her lips again, “It seems this prince cannot promise that.”
Yun Li: “…”
She let out a huff, wanting to turn away in a sulk.
But with the slightest movement, a sharp ache shot through her soft waist, leaving her only able to mutter under her breath without moving further.
“You caused this mess, so you have to fix it.”
Little Pear Blossom lifted her face to look at him, commanding with pride and boldness, “So, hurry up and massage me, your Princess Consort!”
Rong Zhou lowered his gaze to look at her bright, proud, and delicate little appearance, a faint smile rippling in his ink-black pupils.
His long eyelashes lowered slightly, “As you command, Your Highness.”
With those words, the covers were slightly lifted, and cool fingertips slipped beneath her clothing.
Yun Li felt her sensitive waist being gently pinched.
Then, with just the right amount of pressure and a steady, unhurried motion, his hands began to slowly work their way across her soft, slender waist.
“Mmm…” Yun Li let out a contented sigh.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the Regent Prince’s massage. The man’s palms were broad, and from years of wielding swords and spears on the battlefield in his youth, they bore a few calluses.
Aside from the extremely comfortable pressure of the massage, which eased the soreness and fatigue from the previous night’s exertions, the calluses occasionally tickled Little Pear Blossom, making her squirm and whimper, “It tickles…”
She looked up at Rong Zhou with a pitiful expression.
The man lowered his gaze to look at her, his long eyelashes drooping as he chuckled softly, “Why is Your Highness so delicate?”
Yun Li shrank her waist slightly, curling up in the blankets as she shifted toward the inner side of the bed, no longer letting him massage her.
So Rong Zhou leisurely withdrew his hands.
He gently rubbed his palms with his fingertips, where the warmth of Yun Li’s skin still lingered.The man lowered his head, brought his palm close to inhale deeply, lingeringly savoring the lingering fragrance of her scent on his hand, then murmured in a hushed, enamored tone with a soft chuckle—