Chapter 120: Longyang’s Affection

Chapter 120: The Prince’s Male Lover

The sound of footsteps startled the two on the bed as the crowd entered.

Prince Jing felt the person beneath him tremble and patted his back affectionately, like a pet.

"Don’t be afraid. I’ll take responsibility for you."

"Mm-hmm."

The male courtesan answered in a hushed tone, obediently.

Having fully asserted his masculine confidence, Prince Jing was now riding high.

Wrapped in the quilt, he pulled open the bed curtains with a dramatic flourish.

The scene inside was plainly visible to the onlookers.

"Ah!"

No one had expected the man inside to be the infamous Second Prince. Everyone knew him for his lust, and if Lady Xie had fallen into his hands, she would be as good as doomed.

The crowd felt both curiosity and pity, covering their eyes but peeking through their fingers like scandalized children at the pair.

"You and Lady Xie—?!"

As the leading force in this shameful exposure, Shen Qiuyu naturally milked her moment.

Prince Jing smirked proudly. "This prince and Lady Xie are mutually smitten. She begged me—I couldn’t resist."

So it was Lady Xie who made the first move?

The crowd’s curiosity flared even more.

Just as their words seemed to confirm the relationship between A Yuan and Prince Jing, Lin Qingshuang let out a derisive cold laugh.

"Your Highness, are you certain the person in bed is A Yuan?"

To her, it looked clearly a man.

"Of course it is!"

Prince Jing glared defiantly, angered by Lin Qingshuang’s doubt.

"A Yuan, come and let them see."

He gave the male courtesan’s buttocks a cocky pat.

The courtesan turned his head, wrapped in the quilt, revealing an effeminate face to the crowd.

"Ah... this..."

The crowd stammered, speechless. Everyone knew A Yuan’s appearance, and while this person’s figure bore some resemblance, he looked nothing like her.

Worst of all? He was a man.

Prince Jing... with a man?!

The crowd lowered their heads in pretended modesty, not daring to look further, but their insatiable curiosity itched unbearably.

Shen Qiuyu's face turned deathly pale, her legs weak as jelly.

It's over...

They've been framed again!

"Your Highness..." Shen Qiuyu choked out the words with difficulty. Prince Jing, never expecting such reactions from the crowd, even he realized something was amiss.

"You... who are you?"

He whipped his head around, staring blankly at the person beside him before demanding sharply.

The male courtesan on the bed reclined gracefully, his eyes seductive as silk. Hearing Prince Jing's cold, harsh tone, his lips quivered, looking aggrieved.

"Your servant is your darling, my lord. Just now, you swore you’d own up to me..."

As the top courtesan of the Southern Breeze Pavilion, he was no simple character. His tears streamed like pear blossoms, making him utterly pitiable.

Had he not been a man, Prince Jing might have softened.

But precisely because he was male, Prince Jing now felt as if he'd chewed on a cockroach—utterly revolted.

"You dared to scheme against me!"

The courtesan sat up, shooting him a coquettish glare. "What nonsense is this, my lord? I was peacefully sleeping in bed when you pounced on me, insisting on kisses. Weak as I am, how could I refuse? Now that you've had your fun, you accuse me of deception? Pray tell, what exactly have I deceived you about?"

With just a few words, he laid bare the truth, and the crowd quickly pieced it together.

So, Prince Jing had sneaked into the embroidery workshop's backyard, intent on forcing himself upon A Yuan, only to mess up—she wasn't there, and he ended up rolling around with a male courtesan instead.

Now, realizing his mistake, he tried to shift the blame. But everyone had witnessed his earlier undeniable pleasure.

Not only was Prince Jing lecherous and cruel, but he also had a taste for men.

Expressions around the room shifted. Prince Jing, tongue-tied, could only vent his fury at Shen Qiuyu. "Worthless!"

He could already imagine the scandal this would cause once it spread—how his political rivals, especially his beloved brother, would seize upon it.

Shen Qiuyu’s face remained ashen, her heart dead inside, hatred boiling within her.

It's all A Yuan's fault!

Yet A Yuan remained clueless.

After finishing the chicken congee, Xie Zheng demanded her pastries. The intricate lotus pastry demanded such skill and effort that she was stuck in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the front courtyard, Xie Yi sent someone to deliver a message. Upon hearing of the incident at the embroidery workshop, Xie Zheng snorted. "That’s what he gets!"

Had Prince Jing not sought to claim A Yuan by force, he wouldn’t have humiliated himself before the ladies of the court today. Within a day, rumors of his tastes would spread, earning even Emperor Chengyuan's disgust.

A prince, first caught up in scandals of harassing married women, now entangled with male courtesans—utterly disgraceful.

Great Zhou in the hands of such a man would surely fall to ruin.

Though Emperor Chengyuan grasps for power, he would never tolerate the dynasty being trashed so carelessly.

Prince Jing—not cut out for this!

"Come on, let’s check it out!"

Xie Zheng got out of bed, had a servant fetch a basin of clean water to wash the powder off his face, and changed into fresh robes.

As he stepped out, he happened to run into A Yuan carrying a food box.

"Brother, you..."

The man who had seemed weak and exhausted just moments ago now stood there full of energy—something wasn’t right.

A Yuan’s sharp eyes locked onto him, and Xie Zheng uncomfortably avoided her gaze.

"Ahem, your chicken congee worked wonders—I’m fine now."

Since when was her congee magic?

Even A Yuan, as slow as she was on the uptake, could sense something was wrong now.

Her brother was obviously keeping secrets.

"I’ve got things to do. I’ll take my leave first."

Xie Zheng hurried off with his guards. A Yuan stared at his retreating figure, frowning for a long while before turning to Chun Tao. "Go see what’s happening outside."

She was sure this was about her.

"On it."

......

Xie Zheng arrived at the embroidery workshop just as Prince Jing was just buttoning up.

Shen Qiuyu hid behind the crowd, her face pale and silent.

Meanwhile, the courtesan flaunted himself before everyone with a flirtatious air.

Prince Jing’s expression was dark as he pressed, "Speak. Who sent you to scheme against this prince?"

The courtesan looked aggrieved. "This lowly one only served Your Highness—how would I dare scheme against you? Don’t blame me unfairly!"

He refused to admit anything, and Prince Jing was fuming. But pushing harder would just make him look foolish.

"Fine. You won’t talk? Very well. Drag him out. This prince has plenty of ways to make you talk!"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. The courtesan cowered, trembling in fear.

*Slow clap* Well, well. "Quite the power trip, Your Highness!"

Xie Zheng strode in, a mocking smile on his lips.

"General..."

The courtesan, spotting Xie Zheng, immediately rushed toward him, teary-eyed.

"I almost died without seeing you again!"

He had nearly died just now.

Xie Zheng sidestepped him, disgusted. This man had been Xie Yi’s doing—they had never met before. What was this performance for?

The courtesan brushed off Xie Zheng’s indifference. Right now, all that mattered was finding someone who could protect him.

In the crowd, Lin Qingshuang watched their interaction, her heart turned to ice.

No wonder this courtesan had appeared in the embroidery workshop’s backyard—he belonged to Xie Zheng.

So then why had Xie Zheng kissed her?