Chen Wanjun disliked her, so naturally she wouldn’t restrain her servants. As for Ying Chun’s insinuation that she had been with another man, it was impossible to believe—the Eastern Palace was full of eunuchs; aside from the Crown Prince, where would any other man come from!
Could it truly be that His Highness had wronged her? But His Highness clearly had never visited her Huilan Garden. Chen Wanjun felt somewhat suspicious, but without evidence, she couldn’t speak recklessly. However, now that Lady Liu had dragged the Crown Prince into the matter, she had no choice but to reprimand her servant.
“Ying Chun, if you continue speaking nonsense, I will send you back home. Liangdi Liu, after all, is a concubine and half a mistress of the Eastern Palace. How dare you slander her! Hurry and apologize to the Liangdi!”
Though it appeared she was disciplining her servant, in reality, she was implying that Liu Fuyin was nothing more than an insignificant concubine.
Ying Chun quickly knelt down. “This servant knows her mistake. Please forgive me, Liangdi!”
Having completed the superficial formalities, Chen Wanjun finally restored her smile and said, “Sister, this girl Ying Chun is just like that—she speaks without thinking. I have some excellent ointment here, specifically for treating insect bites to prevent scarring. Consider it my apology to you!”
Ying Dong hurried into the room to fetch the ointment, and Chen Wanjun even personally stood up to hand it to her. In truth, her eyes were fixed intently on the red marks on Liu Fuyin’s neck, as if trying to bore holes through them.
The more Chen Wanjun looked, the colder her heart grew. These marks didn’t look like insect bites at all!
She could go and make a scene with His Highness, but she needed to see solid evidence first. Chen Wanjun temporarily held back, especially since early in the morning, Aunt Minghua had come to notify them that the Empress had summoned them for an audience, and they had to go together to pay their Morning Greetings.
“There’s nothing major in calling you here today. It’s just that the weather is getting hotter, and His Majesty, out of consideration, has said that in a few days we will go to the summer retreat. As the Crown Prince’s inner household, both of you will naturally accompany him. Especially you, Chen—as the primary wife, you must arrange all matters concerning the rear courtyard before departure and start packing early.”
“Yes, your daughter-in-law understands.”
After discussing the official matters, the Empress spoke some words encouraging them to strive to Expand the Family Line for the imperial family. Of course, these words were mainly directed at Liu Fuyin, since the Imperial Physician had already diagnosed that Chen Wanjun would have difficulty conceiving again.
“Chen, if you, as the Crown Princess, aren’t attentive to certain matters, then I will have to take the trouble to arrange them myself. When the time comes, there will be new additions to the Crown Prince’s side. As the principal wife, you must not monopolize the Crown Prince as you did before. You should be more generous and not always hold him back. Otherwise, when will the Emperor and I ever get to hold a grandchild!”
“Alright, I am tired. You may all withdraw!”
This time, the Empress was not negotiating but notifying—clearly indicating that new women would be added during the trip to the summer retreat.
Returning to Guanju Hall, Chen Wanjun was so angry that she smashed another vase. She and His Highness were husband and wife—was it wrong for them to live together every day? In the end, it was all that wretch Liu’s fault. If she hadn’t entered the household, none of this would have happened!
“Could it be that I really have to push my husband into the arms of others?” Chen Wanjun covered her face and wept bitterly.
It was at this moment that the Crown Prince entered. “What’s wrong?”
Chen Wanjun threw herself into the man’s arms with a pitiful expression. Remembering the marks she had seen on Liu Fuyin’s body, she cried even more sorrowfully. “Anlang, tell me the truth. Do you also think I shouldn’t monopolize you? Have you actually wanted to go to Lady Liu’s place all along?”
The Crown Prince’s face instantly darkened, suspecting that perhaps she had found out about his affair with Lady Liu. Otherwise, why would Wanwan be crying so bitterly?
Chen Wanjun wept bitterly as she recounted the Empress’s warning to him. The Crown Prince immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “You don’t need to take Mother’s words to heart.”
“But my heart aches! Just thinking about a group of new women entering the palace later makes me unbearably sad. The Empress is right—I am jealous. I can’t bear to see you, Anlang, with other women. Even if you just exchange a few words, my heart feels like it’s dying!”
Wanwan had already cried to him many times about this matter of taking in new women. He had even spoken to his mother, telling her not to discuss it with Wanwan—just send them in directly. Once it was a done deal, he could coax her later, and it would be fine.
The Crown Prince helplessly turned her face toward him. “Wanwan, I have already assured you many times that even if those women enter the palace, they are merely tools for carrying on the lineage. Only you are my wife, my beloved. Don’t you trust me?”
“I… I’m just a little uneasy.”
“Don’t worry. Even if new women enter, I will still give you enough face in the first month and won’t touch them.”
The first month? Chen Wanjun’s heart sank halfway. Hadn’t he previously said he wouldn’t touch them unless she approved after observing them? Had he changed his mind just because of one Liangdi Liu?
“What about Liangdi Liu?” Chen Wanjun wanted to ask if he had already touched Lady Liu, but she couldn’t—not yet. She couldn’t alert him prematurely. Only by catching them in the act would she have a justified reason to make a scene, and he would feel guilty!
“What about her?” The Crown Prince looked at her suspiciously, growing even more convinced that their affair had been exposed.
“Nothing much. It’s just that when she came to pay her morning greetings today, her neck was covered in marks. She said they were mosquito bites. Could it be that her quarters are too remote? Otherwise, why would there be so many mosquitoes?” As she spoke, Chen Wanjun stared at the man, trying to read something from his expression.
Suppressing his guilt, the Crown Prince chuckled lightly. “Why is Wanwan so concerned about her? Do you think she seems honest?”
At these words, Chen Wanjun immediately objected. “No, not yet. I still can’t quite accept it.”
Chen Wanjun nestled into the man’s arms, coquettishly, not noticing the flicker of displeasure in his eyes. After all, Lady Liu had already been in the Eastern Palace for a month. Could he really never touch her?
And that Lady Liu—didn’t she know to cover up the marks on her body? If she couldn’t manage it, she shouldn’t have come out to be seen. Wasn’t she deliberately trying to anger Wanwan?
Deep down, the Crown Prince still cared about Chen Wanjun. Although somewhat dissatisfied, he wouldn’t truly blame her for anything, nor would he immediately warn Lady Liu and risk arousing suspicion. For three consecutive nights, he stayed to comfort her. However, he was genuinely busy during this period, and after those three days, he rested in his study again.
Originally, he truly intended to rest in the study, but remembering what Wanwan had said about the marks on Lady Liu’s body, he decided to go and reprimand her.
Just as he reached the door, he heard noisy clamoring inside. Then, he saw the young woman running out with tears streaming down her face. As soon as she spotted him, she threw herself into his arms.
The Crown Prince felt somewhat displeased. If word got out that they were embracing in public and it reached Wanwan’s ears, she would surely make a scene again.
Just as he was about to scold her and tell her to stand properly, the woman in his arms said tearfully, “Your Highness, I’m so scared… there, there’s a snake…”
As if truly frightened, she even fainted.
At this point, the Crown Prince could no longer care about anything else. He immediately carried her back to the front courtyard and ordered some people to catch snakes. Unexpectedly, they actually managed to catch several. Now he was truly alarmed and hurriedly sent people to thoroughly inspect the entire Eastern Palace, fearing it might have been a deliberate plot by someone with ill intentions.
However, it was also strange—only the Huilan Courtyard had a few snakes, and all of them were of the venomous kind. Several palace maids had died on the spot.
“What happened to Liangdi? Could she have been injured too?” The Crown Prince suddenly recalled the pale face of the young woman when she ran out crying, and a wave of anxiety washed over him.
Imperial Physician Chen examined her carefully, making sure there was no mistake before speaking: “Congratulations, Your Highness! Liangdi is already over a month pregnant! She only fainted due to the fright!”