“Your Majesty, His Highness is your own flesh and blood. Of course, you cherish him. Whoever brought him back to consciousness is deserving of merit. This old servant understands your heart as a mother. Liangdi Xiao is a good one, and Your Majesty has already treated her very well.” Nanny Qin, who had long served the Empress closely, naturally understood her thoughts.
“Nanny…” The Empress’s voice choked. “Only you understand me.”
When the Crown Prince lay unconscious, the Empress’s helplessness had been plain for Nanny Qin to see.
After Liangdi Xiao entered the palace, the Crown Prince awoke. For the Empress, that was a blessing beyond measure.
“This servant understands you, Your Majesty. Rest assured, Liangdi Xiao is fortunate. His Highness will not neglect her. Do not worry too much.”
“There is no other way.”
On the way back to the Eastern Palace, the two walked in silence. It was the first time they had been so wordless.
Shen Qingchen walked ahead, while Xiao Hanyan followed quietly behind, head lowered. She was recalling the original story: in it, she had managed everything sensibly, nearly exhausting herself. On the day of the Crown Prince’s wedding, she had suffered alone, sleepless and sorrowful. Though her heart ached, she dared not voice it.
But this time, Xiao Hanyan was not that Xiao Hanyan. When the Crown Princess married, she would make sure to leave her with an unforgettable memory.
Shen Qingchen’s brows furrowed. The silence of the woman behind him weighed heavily on his chest.
They returned to the Eastern Palace in silence. Shen Qingchen’s face was dark, and servants quickly withdrew to avoid him. Xiao Hanyan stood quietly to the side.
Qingdai and Fushun dared not speak. After serving hot tea, they retreated outside.
Shen Qingchen lifted the cup and drank. The woman beside him remained motionless. He set the cup down heavily, the sound sharp.
Xiao Hanyan looked at him timidly, not understanding what had upset him now.
“Do you still see me at all?” Shen Qingchen’s voice carried reproach. When they had gone to the palace earlier, she had been affectionate, even coquettish. But now, returning, she had changed.
“Your Highness, what mistake have I made?” Xiao Hanyan’s face showed panic. “Please make it clear.”
“Why will you not speak to me?”
These past days, Liangdi Xiao had never been like this. Whenever they were together, she always had endless words. But today she was silent and withdrawn.
Shen Qingchen felt unsettled.
“I… I was thinking, when Your Highness weds, how I should arrange things. At that time, I may need to seek guidance…”
“Silence!” Shen Qingchen angrily swept the teacup from the table. With a crash, shards scattered across the floor.
Qingdai and Fushun heard the noise and wanted to rush in, but hesitated. Remembering the Crown Prince’s temper today, they dared not intrude.
Xiao Hanyan, terrified, pleaded: “Your Highness, calm your anger. Did I say something wrong? If Your Highness…”
“Who told you to arrange it?” Shen Qingchen’s face darkened as he glared at her.
Xiao Hanyan’s face turned pale, her lips trembling. “The Empress ordered me to manage the Eastern Palace. These matters, I ought to prepare them properly…” Her voice faltered, trembling badly. “If Your Highness dislikes what I prepare, then I…”
She could not finish. Her frail body shook, her pale face full of sorrow, standing there pitiful and helpless.
Shen Qingchen’s handsome face was taut, his chest rising and falling. The frustration in his heart had no outlet, and anger threatened to break through.
Then came the sound of soft sobbing. He turned his head—Liangdi Xiao, head lowered, shoulders trembling, was crying.
“Why are you crying?” Shen Qingchen’s voice was low and stern.
Xiao Hanyan flinched, about to kneel in apology, but Shen Qingchen quickly pulled her up. The floor was littered with shards—kneeling would injure her.
“Does Your Highness not want me to prepare?” Xiao Hanyan asked timidly, her voice still tinged with tears.
Shen Qingchen pressed his lips tightly together. The thought of his wedding, with Liangdi Xiao preparing everything, only made him feel stifled.
“My wedding—you are not sad?”
Xiao Hanyan forced a smile, trying to steady her voice though it still trembled: “It is right for Your Highness to marry the Crown Princess. I dare not be sad.”
In the original story, Shen Qingchen had pitied Xiao Hanyan. Before the Crown Princess entered the palace, the two had been sweet together. But Xiao Hanyan’s timid nature kept her from speaking her heart, and the Crown Prince, not understanding women’s feelings, allowed the Crown Princess’s arrival to drive a wedge between them.
“So Liangdi has only been deceiving me all this time?” Shen Qingchen nearly ground his teeth, furious. She had spoken so sweetly before—claiming her heart held only him, that she liked only him—and now she treated him this way.
Xiao Hanyan’s lips stiffened, tears spilling from her eyes, her body trembling violently.
Shen Qingchen grew flustered. His earlier reproach vanished, leaving only tenderness. “What’s wrong with you?”
Xiao Hanyan buried herself in his arms, crying uncontrollably, sobbing between breaths: “Your Highness… I deserve death. I should not… Your Highness is to marry the Crown Princess, and I feel so sad. I know I have no right, but I cannot help my sorrow.”
“I don’t want to prepare any of it. I only feared Your Highness would think me ignorant, would dislike me, and once you had the Crown Princess, you would forget me. I thought if I acted sensible, Your Highness might pity me a little more.”
In the original story, Xiao Hanyan never dared to voice her true feelings. She kept them bottled inside until they consumed her.
“Mother would not have you prepare, nor would I. Have I treated you poorly that you held it in until now?” Shen Qingchen believed he had been good to her, but her cautious heart kept too much hidden.
“I know I was wrong.” Xiao Hanyan lifted tear-filled eyes to him.
Shen Qingchen’s heart softened. He wiped her tears gently. “Don’t cry. I will not stop cherishing you.”
“Mm.” Xiao Hanyan nodded obediently, holding back her tears. Her reddened eyes, with strands of hair falling messily at her cheeks, made her look fragile and pitiful.
Shen Qingchen’s heart trembled. His warm lips pressed against her damp lashes, kissing away her tears again and again.
“Mmm…” Her soft moan escaped, and Shen Qingchen pulled back slightly, his eyes already burning with fire.
He lifted her steadily into his arms and carried her inward. Xiao Hanyan gasped: “Your Highness…”
Shen Qingchen laid her on the bed, then leaned down, his hot breath brushing her skin. “Call me husband.”
“No… I dare not… That is only for the Crown Princess…”
Xiao Hanyan timidly resisted.
“I decide. Hurry and call me.” Shen Qingchen’s breath was heavy, his tall frame overwhelming.
Xiao Hanyan’s beautiful eyes shimmered with tears, her cheeks flushed red. Her rosy lips parted, and in a soft, tender voice she whispered: “Husband…”
Shen Qingchen’s body jolted violently, and he bent down to claim her lips with fierce urgency. As the bed curtains fell, his hoarse, urgent voice followed: “Say it again.”
“Husband…”
“Once more.”
“Husband… be gentle…”