Before she could think it through, a familiar warm sensation suddenly flowed out.
Her period had come early.
It was not supposed to arrive at this time of the month. Perhaps it had been brought on early because she had drunk several extra cups of wine at noon.
At this moment, waves of cramping pain twisted through her lower abdomen, as though someone were gripping and wringing her insides. She curled up on the couch, fine beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Layer upon layer of curtains enveloped the carved wooden bed, casting the room in dim, soft light.
Xie Yanzhao sat beside the bed, pulling her entire body into his arms. His warm palm rested against her cold lower abdomen.
Shen Tinghe leaned listlessly against his chest. Her face had grown somewhat pale, her lips had lost their color, and the lively eyes that had sparkled during the day were now half-closed in exhaustion. Her long lashes trembled lightly, completely devoid of their usual radiance.
“It hurts…” she whimpered softly, her fingertips weakly clutching his lapel.
Xie Yanzhao frowned slightly and supported her wrist, reaching it out from beneath the curtains.
An Imperial Physician had already been waiting nearby. He immediately placed three fingers against her slender wrist to take her pulse.
After a moment, the Imperial Physician bowed and reported, “Your Highness, the Crown Princess’s abdominal pain during her menstrual period was caused by consuming too many cold foods and drinks. I will prescribe a medicine to warm the meridians, dispel the cold, harmonize the blood, and relieve the pain. She should take it for three consecutive days and rest carefully. There should be no serious problem.”
The moment Shen Tinghe heard that she would have to drink medicine, she immediately buried her face in the crook of Xie Yanzhao’s neck and protested in a muffled voice.
“I don’t want to drink it… It’s so bitter…”
Xie Yanzhao’s expression did not change. He simply said to the Imperial Physician in an even tone, “Go prepare the medicine.”
His voice was calm and left no room for argument.
“I said I’m not drinking medicine!”
Shen Tinghe lifted her head, her eyes slightly reddened, displaying the particular petulance and grievance that came with being ill.
Xie Yanzhao said nothing, but his palm slowly circulated a gentle current of internal energy. Through the fabric of her clothes, it soothed her cold abdomen.
The warmth gradually seeped in, and the cramping pain indeed eased somewhat.
Only then did he lower his head, his lips almost touching her ear. His voice was low, but every word was perfectly clear.
“Yuanyuan, if you keep misbehaving, I’ll have someone throw away every single storybook you’ve hidden in the secret compartment of the small study and beneath the pillow chest.”
Shen Tinghe’s entire body stiffened. She stared at him in astonishment.
How… how did he know so much?
Those storybooks she had secretly collected were her most important source of comfort.
Her nose suddenly tingled, and she actually began to sniffle softly.
“You’re bullying me…”
“I don’t have to drink the medicine, right?” she murmured, rubbing against his neck like a little cat begging for affection.
“Brother, just rub my tummy a little more… and it’ll be fine. It’s always been like this before.”
Xie Yanzhao’s heart had long since melted into a puddle, but he still kept his expression stern. He lowered his head and kissed her damp forehead and cold cheek.
“Yuanyuan, be good. Drink the medicine, and you’ll recover faster.”
Looking at her pale little face, he found it painfully unpleasant to see.
His Yuanyuan should always be bright, lively, and radiant, with a smile as beautiful as flowers.
Today had indeed been his oversight. He had forgotten that her period was approaching and had allowed her to indulge in too many cold drinks and too much wine.
At the official post station outside the palace, Dangyu Tuoya was utterly shocked when she heard that the Yuanxia delegation had suddenly left the capital.
Her personal maid stomped her foot angrily.
“Princess! The Prince… how could he be so unreasonable?! He actually left just like that and abandoned us!”
The master and servant had merely gone out to stroll around the market after noon. When they returned, the place was deserted, with only a few servants left behind to guard the post station.
Dangyu Tuoya took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
“No. You know what Brother Wang is like. Once he has made up his mind to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Dazhao, he would never give up halfway. And he certainly would not casually abandon a pawn like me. Something unexpected must have happened.”
The envoys from the various Southern Seas nations had already begun returning home one after another. Only the Yuanxia delegation had remained behind for several extra days because Dangyu Chaoge was still unwilling to give up.
He was the sort of person who schemed down to his very bones. How could he suddenly give up, and so abruptly that he did not even have time to take her with him?
In the capital of Dazhao, there was only one person capable of making Dangyu Chaoge disappear so swiftly with such overwhelming force…
A cold, stern face suddenly flashed through Dangyu Tuoya’s mind.
The Crown Prince of Dazhao, Xie Yanzhao.
The young man who had already taken control of the empire’s power.
A bold thought suddenly sprang up like wildfire, making her blood run faintly hot.
Dangyu Chaoge must have encountered trouble, and it must be connected to the Crown Prince.
Perhaps… this was an opportunity Heaven had given her?
Rather than remain forever as a pawn that her father and elder brother could manipulate at will and discard whenever they pleased, why not… become the one holding the pieces herself?
To depend on others meant bowing her head for the rest of her life.
Only by truly holding power in her own hands could she control her own fate.
She remembered the Crown Princess she had encountered by chance in the Imperial Garden the day before. She had sparkling eyes and a radiant smile as she flew a kite with the palace maids, looking so cherished and so carefully protected…
Dangyu Tuoya’s fingernails dug deeply into her palms.
“Help me dress and do my hair,” she said calmly.
“We’re going into the palace to request an audience with the Crown Princess.”
Inside the Eastern Palace’s sleeping quarters, the medicinal decoction was still bubbling away over the stove in the small kitchen.
In Xie Yanzhao’s arms, Shen Tinghe had been kept warm by his continuous flow of internal energy soothing her abdomen. As the pain gradually subsided, she had already drifted into a hazy sleep.
Xie Yanzhao maintained his position without moving, merely pulling the quilt over her and wrapping her snugly inside it. His gaze rested on her peaceful sleeping face, and the hard lines of his features softened unconsciously.
The medicine was ready.
A palace attendant carefully carried it inside.
The dark-brown medicinal liquid sat in a white porcelain bowl, steam rising from it as a faint bitter scent spread through the room.
Xie Yanzhao picked up the bowl with one hand and tested its temperature.
Shen Tinghe slowly woke. The moment she saw the bowl of medicine, she immediately shrank back and tugged at Xie Yanzhao’s sleeve, pleading softly.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore… Do I really have to drink it? It smells so bitter…”
“Brother… Husband… Your Highness the Crown Prince…”
She blinked her eyes, changing forms of address one after another, her soft, sweet voice almost dripping with honey.
“Please…”
Looking at her obedient and adorable appearance, Xie Yanzhao’s heart softened completely, but he still would not indulge her recklessly.
Just then, a palace attendant’s voice came from outside the hall.
“Your Highness, the Princess of Yuanxia is outside requesting an audience with the Crown Princess.”
Shen Tinghe’s eyes immediately lit up, as though she had suddenly found a lifeline.
“Quick, let her in!”
Someone had come. Perhaps she could use the opportunity to escape the medicine.
Xie Yanzhao did not even lift his eyelids.
“Dismiss her.”
Two words, leaving no room for argument.
The palace attendant outside immediately fell silent, too frightened to speak.
Shen Tinghe was already feeling irritable because of her period. Seeing this, a wave of grievance surged through her. She clenched her fists and began pounding his shoulder.
“As Crown Princess, I really have no authority at all! I can’t even meet someone without your permission! If that’s the case, why did you make me Crown Princess in the first place? You might as well find a puppet and put it here!”
Xie Yanzhao set down the bowl of medicine and helplessly caught her wrist. He did not use any force, allowing her to vent her little temper, while his other arm remained securely wrapped around her waist.
“From what I can see, the only thing this Eastern Palace is missing is the Crown Princess climbing onto my head and throwing her weight around.”
Shen Tinghe turned her face away, refusing to listen.
Xie Yanzhao let out an almost inaudible sigh.
In the end, he gave in.
“Fine. Let her come in. But Yuanyuan must obediently drink the medicine, all right?”
Shen Tinghe knew when to stop once she had gotten what she wanted. Besides, she really was curious about Dangyu Tuoya’s purpose for coming.
“All right.”
Only then did Xie Yanzhao gesture for the palace attendants to bring over a six-panel silk screen and place it between them and the outer room.