I can’t leave Lanxin Pavilion?
This is exactly what she wanted.
Shen Zhi was quite pleased with this so-called punishment. She hurriedly buried her head even lower and shouted, “This concubine obeys!”
Hearing the excitement in her tone, Pei Lian frowned slightly. Why was she so happy about being under house arrest?
“Thank you, Consort Liu, for the precious blood bird’s nest; this concubine will certainly consume it properly to recover.”
After saying this, she raised her head and stuffed the spilled bird’s nest piece by piece back into the vermilion box.
After closing the lid, Shen Zhi remained sitting on the floor with no intention of getting up.
Seeing her kneeling there, Pei Lian worried. The floor was cold, and she had just recovered from a high fever. Being dressed thinly, if she caught a chill and suffered a relapse, it would truly be counterproductive.
He didn’t need her burning up again.
If she ended up unhappy and jumped into the lake to commit suicide, that would be a complete loss.
In this life, he was determined to ascend to that position of supreme power and make the Dazhao Dynasty his own.
Pei Lian took a few steps forward, reached out to help her up, and pressed her onto the bed. “Lie down. You have just recovered; you must not catch a cold.”
As he spoke, Pei Lian tucked the quilt around her with meticulous care. He took the box from her hands and passed it to Lianxin, who was standing nearby, saying, “Keep this safe for me.”
“Yes!” Lianxin received it steadily with both hands, terrified of dropping it again.
Watching this scene, Liu Yan gripped her handkerchief so hard she almost shredded it.
Damn bitch, daring to seduce the Crown Prince right in front of her—she was tired of living.
Shen Zhi lay on the bed, looking at Pei Lian with her almond-shaped eyes, and said, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Liu Yan watched them sharing an affectionate gaze and was furious.
She hurriedly stepped forward and smiled brightly. “Younger Sister Shen, are you feeling better?”
“Do you need me to call an imperial physician to take your pulse? When a woman falls into water, she must be cared for properly. If the cold settles in your body and causes palace cold (infertility), it will be much harder to conceive children later than it is for others.”
“You must take good care of your health, Younger Sister Shen.”
As soon as Liu Yan spoke, she successfully drew both of their gazes toward her.
“Yan’er, is that really the case?” Pei Lian asked, frowning.
“Your Highness, I would not lie to you. A distant cousin of mine was just like this; after falling into the water and being rescued, she struggled to conceive for years afterward.” As she spoke, Liu Yan took the opportunity to take Pei Lian’s arm and naturally led him to sit down not far away.
She looked at Pei Lian and began to chatter endlessly about her cousin’s experiences after falling into the water.
Lying on the bed, Shen Zhi rolled her eyes silently, wondering for a moment what the purpose of all this was.
After the two finished talking, Pei Lian remembered he had matters to attend to. Seeing him stand, Liu Yan stood up as well, wrapping both hands around his arm.
She rubbed against him slightly, a shy smile appearing on her beautiful face. “Your Highness, you haven’t been to Lanyue Pavilion in a long time.”
“Will you come to Lanyue Pavilion for dinner today?”
Hearing this, Pei Lian reflected and realized it was indeed true.
“Very well, I will dine with you this evening.”
Hearing that Pei Lian would come to Lanyue Pavilion for dinner, Liu Yan was ecstatic.
She pressed herself against him, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on his face with a brilliant smile. “My Pei Lang is so kind!”
After saying this, Liu Yan immediately covered her mouth, acting as if she had made a slip of the tongue.
Seeing her like this, Pei Lian smiled. He hadn’t heard her call him “Pei Lang” in a long time, and he missed it.
Lying on the bed, Shen Zhi watched this, rolled over, and thought, If you’re going to leave, then leave.
Are they treating Lanxin Pavilion as a place to flirt?
How impudent!
“Qingxue, Qingyu.” Pei Lian glanced at Shen Zhi on the bed and called out.
The two who had been waiting outside immediately entered.
“Your Highness.”
“The two of you must look after Consort Shen well. Do not let her catch a chill again. Do not forget Physician Liang’s instructions, and make sure she drinks her medicine after it is brewed.” Pei Lian gave his instructions meticulously, down to the smallest detail.
“Yes!”
Beside them, the smile on Liu Yan’s face slowly faded as she listened to these words. Looking at Shen Zhi on the bed, she felt a burning hatred.
That fall into the water didn’t take her life, but instead made the Prince pay even more attention to her.
No, I must get rid of her later.
They left, and Lanxin Pavilion finally became quiet.
Shen Zhi immediately scrambled out of bed, grumbling, “Damn it, finally gone. I was about to suffocate.”
She muttered while heading toward the chamber pot; she had consumed a lot of water today, and those two had been shamelessly flirting in her Lanxin Pavilion.
Anyone showing off their romance like that should just go die!
After finishing her business, Shen Zhi sat at the table, rested her chin on her hands, and looked at Qingxue and the other maid. “Is there anything to eat? I’m hungry.”
“What would you like to eat, My Lady?”
“Anything is fine.” Shen Zhi waved her hand.
The two then went to fetch some pastries. “My Lady, have these to tide you over for now.”
As long as it was edible, she wasn’t picky.
Shen Zhi was under house arrest in Lanxin Pavilion, so she did not need to attend the morning greetings the next day.
Without having to get up early to put on makeup and go see a group of women bickering at the Crown Princess’s residence, Shen Zhi hugged her pillow and went happily back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Lin Shiya sat in the main hall, scanning the concubines below. She saw neither Shen Zhi nor Liu Yan.
Yanyu, who was by her side, leaned in and whispered a reminder: “Yesterday, the Crown Prince placed Consort Shen under house arrest; she is not allowed to leave Lanxin Pavilion without the Prince’s permission.”
“Consort Liu has not arrived yet.”
After being updated on the situation, Lin Shiya gestured for the concubines to rise and take their seats. They had just sat down when Liu Yan slowly sauntered in.
She was wearing a light pink, cross-collared ru-qun, and a very prominent golden butterfly hairpin sat in her hair.
As soon as Liu Yan entered, she bowed leisurely to Lin Shiya and said with a smile, “Crown Princess, this consort is late.”
“It is all the Crown Prince’s fault; he insisted on keeping me with him, causing me to oversleep.”
As she spoke, she bowed her head slightly, revealing the mottled marks on her neck.
This reveal caused the women present to look at her with envy and jealousy.
“Bearing children for the Crown Prince is our blessing, but Younger Sister Liu should not forget the rules.”
“If word gets out that a girl from the Liu family is forgetting the rules because of the Prince’s favor, that would truly be counterproductive.” Lin Shiya picked up a teacup from the side, took a sip after speaking, and continued.
“I will punish you by having you copy the Classic for Women once.”
Liu Yan had come to show off, not expecting the Crown Princess to be so immovable or to punish her.
“I must serve the Crown Prince; I fear I cannot find the time to copy the Classic for Women,” Liu Yan argued, bringing up Pei Lian to refuse the punishment.
But Lin Shiya would never let her off the hook. After placing her teacup back down, she said indifferently, “Serving the Crown Prince is your duty. Do not forget the rules.”