Qinfang Ju, Main Chamber.
Cao Liangyuan’s two senior palace maids and the steward matron were also speculating about which courtyard the Crown Prince would visit tonight.
Seeing their mistress still in the mood to play chess,
Fuqin couldn’t help but wonder: “Mistress, aren’t you anxious at all?”
Cao Liangyuan didn’t even lift her eyelids.
“Why should I be anxious?”
“No matter what, that Song Zhaoxun is the Crown Princess’s person, and it was Dianxia who decided to elevate her. What if Dianxia goes to her place tonight!”
Nongmo: “That’s right, tonight is your turn to Serve in bed. If Dianxia goes to her side, wouldn’t that be a slap in your face?”
Fuqin whispered indignantly: “And that one, why did she think of pushing such a person to serve Dianxia?”
Cao Liangyuan smiled meaninglessly: “What kind of person?”
Fuqin recalled the little palace maid’s bulging chest and the buttocks faintly visible beneath her skirt when she walked!
The word “seductive” slipped out.
“This servant hasn’t read many books and truly doesn’t know how to describe it, but she really… no proper young lady carries herself like that.”
Cao Liangyuan chuckled lightly.
Her jade-like fingers held a white piece, placing it on the chessboard.
“Dianxia won’t go to her tonight.”
“How can you be so sure, Mistress?”
How indeed?
Cao Liangyuan laughed inwardly.
Naturally because she knew that she was actually a spear raised by Dianxia to balance the inner household.
What conflict existed between Dianxia and that Zheng woman, Cao Liangyuan didn’t know, but she was happy to be this spear.
Dianxia would never slap his own face, no matter whose face he might slap.
From Cao Liangyuan’s perspective.
That one would most likely not visit anyone’s courtyard tonight…
“Mistress, the young eunuch from Yuan Chun Palace has come to collect the lantern! Dianxia is already on his way!” Before Cao Liangyuan could finish her thought, the running eunuch’s announcement echoed through the courtyard.
Fuqin and Nongmo were overjoyed.
They eagerly showered her with flattering words.
Cao Liangyuan chided them lightly, smoothed her hair and adjusted her clothes, then hurried out with her two maids to welcome him.
The night was deep.
The lanterns under the eaves illuminated the courtyard brightly.
The man emerged from the darkness.
His posture upright, tall and majestic.
He wore a wide-sleeved casual robe of dawn-white background embroidered with hidden dragon patterns, crowned with a gold filigree cap inlaid with jade and dangling tassels. His handsome face bore its usual cool indifference.
With just one glance, everyone dared not look directly at him, bowing respectfully in unison with utmost deference and solemnity.
Cao Liangyuan walked gracefully to the man, her voice sweet and delicate: “Your humble consort pays respects to Dianxia. May Dianxia enjoy golden peace.”
Today she wore a summer jacket with peach blossom and peony patterns, paired with a hundred-pleated skirt edged with golden thread the color of courtyard grass. An exquisite silver-gilt jade hairpin adorned her falling horse bun.
A faint blush on her fair cheeks added a touch of charm to her elegant and refined features.
Luo Xun’s gaze swept over the hairpin.
“Rise.”
Entering the room, the Crown Prince headed straight to the study as usual.
The corners of Cao Liangyuan’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Fuqin and Nongmo quietly brought in tea and snacks.
Luo Xun stopped before the Luohan bed by the window.
Cao Liangyuan smiled as if embarrassed:
“To pass the time, I’ve been amusing myself with this, but there are a few points I don’t quite understand. Might I trouble Dianxia for some guidance?”
Luo Xun glanced at the chess game that appeared leisurely on the surface but concealed hidden dangers, not exposing her clumsy excuse.
He turned and sat down.
In his youth, his chess style had been fiercely aggressive.
After being admonished by the Grand Tutor that “a ruler should not wage war over trivial gains,” Luo Xun subsequently adopted the middle path and began playing benevolent chess.
So-called benevolent chess emphasizes position over slaughter.
However, one’s inherent nature cannot be changed at will, so over time Luo Xun developed his own unique style of playing chess.
It appeared to be a loose formation, but in reality, it was a large-scale offensive and defensive strategy intricately linked together. By the end, Cao Liangyuan couldn’t even comprehend how she had lost.
Yet, her mind was no longer focused on the game.
The room was quiet.
The faint glow of the candlelight and the subtle fragrance lingering in the air added a touch of tenderness and charm to the tranquility.
Cao Liangyuan’s gaze was drawn to the large, distinct hand holding the black piece, and she slowly trailed her eyes upward.
To the clear and strong wrist.
To the broad shoulders, long arms, and upright, robust physique.
Judging solely by his build, the Crown Prince resembled a young military general more than anything else. His tall frame stood there.
Like an unyielding, ancient pine.
But the Crown Prince, having been born into the royal family, was well-versed in literature and possessed an extraordinary elegance. Coupled with his exceptionally handsome face.
Even with his imposing stature.
His demeanor remained dignified and noble, without a hint of coarseness.
At that moment, he casually propped his head with one hand.
While the other placed a chess piece.
His thick, dark eyelashes cast a butterfly-wing-like shadow under his eyes, exuding a unique warmth and refinement.
Cao Liangyuan did not harbor affection for the Crown Prince.
Having grown up watching the wives and concubines in the Back Palace vie for favor, she knew all too well that the root of turmoil in the inner quarters throughout history lay with men.
Thus, she vowed never to develop feelings for a man.
And she had succeeded.
Yet, she still willingly entered the Eastern Palace, became a Liangyuan, and began competing for favor with the women in the Back Palace, just as her mother had.
All because she admired Empress Pei.
She aspired to be like Empress Pei.
To ascend to that revered position!
So, when she realized the Crown Prince was setting her up to rival the Crown Princess, Cao Liangyuan accepted it naturally.
So far, the Crown Prince had visited Jin Chenghui only once.
And Qin Zhaoxun twice.
On the days it was her turn to Serve in bed, the Crown Prince came three out of five times.
With only three concubines in the Eastern Palace, Cao Liangyuan was clearly the favored one, and she relished this feeling.
Holding a fourth-rank position, she enjoyed luxurious clothing, fine food, and a life of ease. She didn’t even have to actually Serve in bed to receive a monthly salary and rewards.
Such a life was something many could only dream of.
But the problem was, she sought more than just this!
“Dianxia…”
As the Crown Prince was about to withdraw his hand after placing the piece, Cao Liangyuan lifted her slender, delicate hand and gently covered his.
Her voice was seductive to the extreme.
Fuqin and Nongmo, standing nearby, instantly blushed and then discreetly and silently withdrew.
Hai Shun was startled.
At such a moment, he ought to leave, but their Dianxia…
Luo Xun lifted his eyelids.
His beautiful phoenix eyes, bathed in the candlelight and shadowed by his lashes, seemed less cold and distant, and instead carried a hint of depth and gentleness, giving off an illusion of profound affection at first glance.
Under normal circumstances, Cao Liangyuan would never have mistaken this.
But perhaps the Crown Prince personally granting her a position had unconsciously made her feel an unprecedented pressure.
Or perhaps his choice to come to her on the very night a new concubine entered the palace had stirred a vague longing within her.
So much so that when she met the man’s deep, cool gaze, instead of feeling the awe she had during the day, an indescribable impulse surged in her heart.
Cao Liangyuan did not remove her hand.
Meeting his gaze, she gently held his hand, her fingertips lightly brushing over the back of his hand as if by accident.
Luo Xun withdrew his hand, his gaze turning completely cold.
But Cao Liangyuan, still lost in her own thoughts, failed to notice.
She stood up.
Swaying her hips, she took a few steps toward the man.
Two slender jade-like hands rested on the man’s shoulders, fingertips painted with Kou Dan slowly trailing toward his chest.
“Dianxia, would you permit your humble consort to attend to your rest?”
She did not love this man.
But she loved the glory and power he could bring her.
To secure that position, merely contending with Zheng Shi would never suffice—she needed a fundamental foothold.
He had elevated that Song Kan’er to Zhaoxun.
This indicated his consent for that palace maid to bear children on Zheng Shi’s behalf. Since that was the case, he ought to grant her a child as well.
She wanted no empty title without substance.
She wanted his genuine favor!
The longing in Cao Liangyuan’s heart grew even more intense. Her pale, delicate hands sought the Crown Prince’s collar, preparing to slip inside.
Hai Shun hastily turned his back.
At that moment, a sudden exclamation rang out.
Hai Shun turned to see Cao Liangyuan collapsed on the Luohan bed.
“You have overstepped.”
The Crown Prince stood with his hands behind his back, his clear, sharp eyes remaining utterly unruffled, revealing no trace of emotion.
Yet the calmer he appeared, the more intimidating his imposing aura became—like a slumbering dragon suddenly opening its eyes, where a single breath could reduce one to dust in an instant.
“Dianxia…”
Cao Liangyuan’s face paled with fright.
Her lips parted as she reached to grasp the hem of the Crown Prince’s robe, but she failed to even touch the edge of his garment before he departed.
“Master, what happened!”
Fuqin and Nongmo rushed in.
Cao Liangyuan sat back in a daze, taking a long moment to collect herself before looking up and asking, “What time is it?”
Nongmo: “It has just reached Hai hour.”
Cao Liangyuan nodded in understanding.
“One hour isn’t too short. When he visits the Jin and Qin households, he typically stays about an hour before leaving as well.”
Fuqin and Nongmo exchanged glances, their emotions complex.
Unlike other imperial princes, to avoid indulging in pleasure and damaging his foundation, the Crown Prince usually did not stay overnight in his consorts’ quarters after visiting them.
This rule was not explicitly forbidden.
But rather a subtle expectation the imperial family had cultivated in crown princes across dynasties.
Since it was not mandated by orthodox law, there were those who disciplined themselves to comply and those who indulged negligently—the Crown Prince was clearly the former.
Over the past six months, aside from the first, fifteenth, and tenth days of each month when he would stay overnight at Jiarong Hall, the Crown Prince had never lodged in any other consort’s residence. However, each time he visited Qinfang Ju, his stays here were consistently the longest.
“Tell me,”
Cao Liangyuan suddenly spoke.
“Why would Dianxia rather grant a servant the chance to bear imperial heirs than give me a child?”
No one could answer that question.
Fuqin and Nongmo dared not speculate recklessly and could only offer soft words of comfort.
Cao Liangyuan stared at the chessboard.
For a long while.
Then she said, “Go and find out why Dianxia came to Qinfang Ju tonight.”
.
“Dianxia, be careful!”
Yuan Chun Palace, rear Qin Dian.
The Crown Prince, who had been walking with steady and vigorous steps moments before, staggered violently the moment he entered his bedchamber.
Hai Shun swiftly supported him.
Then signaled to his adopted son Yuan Bao with his eyes.
Yuan Bao turned and found an excuse to dismiss the several young eunuchs in the room, then helped his adoptive father assist the Crown Prince to a nearby daybed to sit.
Multiple crystal palace lanterns illuminated the room as bright as daylight, clearly revealing the Crown Prince’s current state.
He sat upright, his handsome eyes tightly closed.
His broad chest heaved with rapid breaths, and a fine layer of sweat glistened on his stern, cold face.
Veins bulged on his temples, neck, and the backs of both hands resting on his knees, clearly enduring some unspeakable agony.
Suddenly.
The Crown Prince turned sideways.
He vomited violently into the spittoon Hai Shun promptly held out for him.
Simultaneously, several alarming red rashes visibly emerged on his hands, face, neck, and behind his ears.