The chest wrap had been pulled down to her waist, leaving her feeling unbearably hot. Liu Fuyin’s face flushed crimson, yet her words were filled with urgency.
“Your Highness, please don’t do this.”
The Crown Prince still retained a shred of rationality. His sudden loss of control made him suspicious—he had never been one to act on impulse. Could it be that this woman had cast some spell on him?
At this thought, his expression turned grim, but he could neither control the sensations coursing through his body nor restrain his own actions.
Liu Fuyin struggled desperately. After leaving several bite marks on her chest, she finally managed to push him away, staggering backward until she reached the table.
She grabbed a pair of scissors and was about to slash her arm when Li Yu’an stopped her in time, leaving only a shallow cut that still oozed blood.
The Crown Prince’s last shred of rationality vanished completely. Gripping her arm in disbelief, he said, “Didn’t you say you loved and adored me? Now, to keep me from touching you, you’d rather die to prove your point? Could it be that the love you spoke of was nothing but a pretense?”
Liu Fuyin’s face was filled with terror. She wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness but was unable to move because her wrist was held firmly. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “How could Your Highness misunderstand my feelings? I only knew that Your Highness acted that way because of the wedding handkerchief. I didn’t want to put Your Highness in a difficult position. This way, we could satisfy the Empress without angering the Crown Princess.”
It was true that the Crown Prince favored Chen Wanjun, but he was still the Crown Prince. Hearing this, it seemed as though the Eastern Palace was ruled by the Crown Princess, and even he, the Crown Prince, was made to feel inferior. At these words, even if he had originally intended to leave her untouched, he now felt compelled to assert himself. He couldn’t help but sneer:
“I had no idea that in just two days, my Liangdi could become so considerate, even putting herself in others’ shoes. Since that’s the case, Liangdi, you must keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone hear.”
Liu Fuyin stared at him wide-eyed, as if she didn’t understand his meaning. But the next moment, the chest wrap crumpled around her waist was torn in two and stuffed into her mouth.
Her undergarments were violently ripped apart, and what followed went without saying.
With her mouth gagged, she bit down hard on her lips, barely making a sound—truly obedient in every sense.
Half an hour and countless times later, Liu Fuyin was finally tossed onto the bed, her knees bruised and her eyes red. The man stood over her, pinching her chin as he looked down. “Keep today’s matter well hidden, Liangdi. Don’t let anyone find out.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes were filled with contempt. He might have refrained from touching her for various reasons, but as a mere concubine, what right did she have to refuse him? It was nothing but a coy act of playing hard to get.
Yet he had to admit that while her figure was not obvious when clothed, once undressed, her body truly had its allure—enough to captivate and intoxicate.
“Your Highness.” Liu Fuyin struggled to sit up, reaching out to embrace the man who was about to leave.
On the bed, the woman’s hair was disheveled, her body covered in the marks he had left behind. The wound on her wrist still showed traces of blood. The two soft, hoarse words she uttered were filled with lingering tenderness and pitiful vulnerability.
Liu Fuyin was experiencing such intimacy for the first time, and the man showed no tenderness at all—he was nothing short of a brutal beast. As a result, her entire lower body felt as if it had been crippled. Trembling, it took her a long while to kneel properly on the bed. “Your servant’s heart and eyes are wholly devoted to Your Highness,” she said. “How could I ever refuse you? Serving Your Highness is my greatest honor. It is only because Your Highness cherishes the Crown Princess that I, out of love for the one you love, care for her as well. For only when the Crown Princess is happy can Your Highness be happy. I never wished to cause Your Highness any distress, which is why…”
Her tears fell like broken strings of pearls, pattering down incessantly, and her words were filled with confusion and grievance.
“Lady Liu, remember this—I am the master of this Eastern Palace!” the Crown Prince warned, gripping Liu Fuyin’s chin.
“Yes, your servant understands her mistake. I beg Your Highness to punish me.” Liu Fuyin lifted her head slightly, meeting the Crown Prince’s gaze as she forced a semblance of delight.
If the Crown Princess was radiant and striking, then she would become a gentle, understanding flower—soft, kind, pure, and lovely—yielding entirely to his whims.
Having already tasted her sweetness earlier, the Crown Prince had begun to feel a twinge of pity for her. Now, hearing her words, he realized he had misunderstood.
Seeing her tears, instead of annoyance, he felt an uneasy stirring in his heart. Why was this Lady Liu so docile and easy to bully? How could she be so considerate of others to such an extent?
Men under the sway of male chauvinism are like this—they never believe themselves to be at fault. Even if they hurt you, they will only find excuses for themselves.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, referring not only to his earlier roughness but also to the blisters from the morning’s scalding.
“Your servant is fine,” Liu Fuyin replied, her body swaying unsteadily—clearly not fine at all.
The Crown Prince felt even more guilty and pained. He scooped her up and carried her into the inner chamber, gently laying her on the bed.
He then stepped out to instruct Tian Zhongshun to fetch some ointment from the front hall, explaining that the burns on Lady Liu’s hands had worsened.
Outside, the servants only heard the clattering sounds of objects falling inside, with no idea what had happened. Yun Xing and Yun Tao, in particular, wore expressions of concern but dared not barge in.
“The meal was spilled all over the floor, and even my robes are stained with the smell. You all, go in and clean up, then bring some hot water,” the Crown Prince ordered.
After a quick wash, he had Yun Tao and Yun Xing attend to Liu Fuyin’s bathing.
Behind the screen, Yun Tao’s eyes reddened instantly. “How did our mistress end up covered in injuries? How could His Highness lay a hand on her!”
Yun Xing: There’s something I’m not sure I should say?
Once washed, only the two of them remained in the chamber. The Crown Prince applied ointment to Liu Fuyin’s wrists and burns, then reached to pull aside the blanket covering her.
Blushing furiously, as if her face could drip blood, Liu Fuyin pressed down on the blanket in shame. “Your Highness, let your servant do it herself.”
“Yourself? How could you possibly reach? I remember it looked quite red. Is there any part of you I haven’t seen? What use is your shyness now?”
In the end, Liu Fuyin could not resist him and obediently lay down, though she covered her eyes in embarrassment, like the proverbial ostrich hiding its head in the sand.
The Crown Prince suddenly found her rather endearing.
Pulling back the blanket, he applied the ointment to the bruises from her chest downward. Especially when he saw that particular area—it was not just red but severely swollen—his eyes held a rare trace of heartache.
“I was too rough.”
Liu Fuyin shook her head. “It is not Your Highness’s fault. Your servant’s body is simply too weak.”
“Why can’t you even feign pitifulness properly? Don’t you know you should say it hurts a few more times to earn my sympathy?” The Crown Prince stared straight at her, wanting to see what she would say.
Liu Fuyin pretended to pout and went along with his words: “Then it hurts so much, Your Highness. Please pity your humble concubine.”
She truly couldn’t even pretend convincingly. The Crown Prince couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt in his heart—how could he have suspected such a simple and innocent woman?
“I must return to the front hall now. Rest well, and do not let this lead you to covet anything beyond your station.”
The tenderness from moments ago seemed like an illusion, as the Crown Prince’s expression instantly darkened when he spoke these words.
Liu Fuyin obediently replied: “Your humble concubine understands. I am already content to have married into the Eastern Palace. My affection for Your Highness is my own affair, and I would never dare to entertain any improper thoughts.”