Chapter 32: Lip Balm

Chapter 32: Lip Rouge

It was so thin and delicate that a single gentle tug from him would send it scattering.

And then he would be able to...

A dark gleam entered Xiao Hang's eyes as he couldn't help but look at the girl's face—bewildered and dazed, clearly still out of it, surely wouldn't refuse him.

His long, knuckly index finger lifted the pinkish-white sash, slowly gathering strength.

This slight force was imperceptible to Liu Yun, still lost in her haze. She was still catching her breath, recovering from the lingering sensations Xiao Hang had stirred in her.

Suddenly, through her daze, Liu Yun felt a numb, tingling sensation at her waist and lifted her eyes to look.

In one glance, she saw the Crown Prince tugging at her sash, his gaze dark and unfathomable.

Liu Yun's addled mind snapped to attention instantly.

Mother was right—the Crown Prince really did want to take off her clothes!

There was no way she was going to let that happen!

Just as Liu Yun's mind raced, trying to figure out how to stop him, the Crown Prince suddenly got up.

With a pained, restrained expression, he climbed off her and rushed into the bathing chamber without looking back.

Leaving Liu Yun all alone on the couch, feeling at a loss.

This Crown Prince is so weird.

Having just endured that torment, Liu Yun feared he might come back and do it to her again. Without a second thought, she got up and retied her sash, and while the Crown Prince was off doing who-knows-what in the bathing chamber, she opened the door and made to leave for home.

The creak of the door startled Su Lin and Jin He, who were on guard outside.

When they saw Liu Yun come out, both looked surprised.

"I'm heading home. Please let His Highness know for me, Attendant Su."

With that, without waiting for Su Lin to react, she grabbed Jin He and ran off.

"Milady..."

Su Lin called out softly, a resigned smile on his face.

From what he knew of His Highness, Miss Liu shouldn't have left so soon.

He feared something had happened.

He just couldn't figure out what it was.

After watching Miss Liu leave, Su Lin waited outside for a long time before he heard sounds coming from inside.

"Su Lin!"

The Crown Prince's voice was hoarser than usual, but the impatience in it was unmistakable.

Su Lin immediately pushed the door open and asked respectfully, "I'm here. What is Your Highness's command?"

"Where is she?"

He asked, wiping his hands with a silk handkerchief.

He didn't say her name, but it was obvious who he meant.

Su Lin's head was spinning, and he answered honestly, "Miss said she had gone home."

Xiao Hang frowned when he heard this and asked, "Why? Did she mention anything?"

Su Lin shook his head. "No, I only saw Miss push the door open in a panic and leave."

As if something suddenly dawned on him, Xiao Hang let out an awkward "Mm," then said indifferently, "In that case, let's head back to the Eastern Palace."

Since the person he wanted to see was gone, Xiao Hang had no interest in staying.

In the Liu family carriage, after admiring the pair of fine mutton-fat jade bracelets Liu Yun had just received, Jin He asked curiously why her mistress had left in such a rush.

The moment she was asked about it, Liu Yun's heart started racing. She was too embarrassed to speak for a long moment before finally whispering, "His kissing made me so uncomfortable. I was afraid if I didn't leave, he'd come at me again."

Jin He laughed at this, enjoying the drama. "No wonder I noticed your lips were a bit swollen, miss. I thought you'd eaten something you were allergic to in there!"

"So it turns out you were eating the Crown Prince's lips, haha~"

Jin He had grown up alongside Liu Yun, and they had shared countless intimate secrets, but even this remark was too much for Liu Yun to bear.

"Jin He!"

Flushed with embarrassment, Liu Yun swung her arms and pummeled Jin He, screams filling the carriage.

Perhaps due to Jin He's nonsense, Liu Yun began to overthink after that remark, feeling increasingly self-conscious about her mouth, even overthinking when she swallowed.

And the Crown Prince—what a lecher he was too!

Upon arriving home, just in time for lunch, Liu Yun had a good appetite and ate with relish.

Zhang Yuhua was equally surprised that her daughter had returned so early.

She had thought the Crown Prince might keep her for a meal.

At the table, noticing the pair of exquisite mutton-fat jade bracelets on her daughter's wrist, Zhang Yuhua went to her daughter's courtyard after the meal to ask questions.

At the very least, she needed to know what her daughter had experienced there to feel at ease.

For Liu Yun, she truly didn't want to speak of such embarrassing matters, but since the one asking was someone close to her, she reluctantly answered, fidgeting all the while.

Hearing that the Crown Prince was so impatient in getting close to her daughter, Zhang Yuhua felt both worried and pleased.

Before she could fully process these mixed emotions, Zhang Yuhua heard her daughter mention the Crown Prince untying her sash. Startled, she grabbed her daughter's shoulders, looking her over left and right. "He didn't actually take you, did he? Let Mother see!"

Seeing that her daughter's neck and chest were fair and unmarked, with no traces of a man's sucking or biting, she finally relaxed.

"He didn't take them off—he only tried to untie them, but then gave up for some reason and ran to the bathing chamber. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to slip away so early."

Looking quite clever, Liu Yun's demeanor made Zhang Yuhua laugh. She couldn't help but ruffle her daughter's hair, praising her cleverness while inwardly muttering about the Crown Prince.

At least he was a proper gentleman.

Had something actually happened, it wouldn't have been a great disaster—the imperial decree had already been issued, and the marriage couldn't be denied—but taking his fiancée's virtue so wantonly before the wedding would hardly be honorable.

As dusk fell, the Eastern Palace sent more gifts, and Liu Yun took it in stride.

However, when Jin He, trying to stifle a laugh, said that what was delivered was a box of lip rouge, Liu Yun felt embarrassed again.

Opening the box, there was also a note inside, with a few words written in wild, flamboyant calligraphy that made Liu Yun's cheeks burn.

"I accidentally consumed some of your lip rouge, and I offer this new makeup to make amends."

"Shameless! Shameless!"

Flustered and annoyed, Liu Yun crumpled the note into a ball and stomped on it furiously, until the round paper ball was squashed as flat as it could possibly get, only then did she stop.

She even wanted to stomp on the few porcelain boxes of lip rouge, but it was Jin He, feeling sorry for those lovely items, who rescued them.

"These colors all look lovely, miss. Please let them live."

Liu Yun hadn't truly meant to destroy them, so she accepted them with feigned reluctance.

The next morning, waking up and facing the natural daylight streaming in from outside, she shyly tried each color one by one before the mirror.

No wonder she was pleased—just as Jin He had said, every color looked lovely on her lips!

Women dress up for those who admire them, and Liu Yun was no exception.

She just couldn't figure out how the Crown Prince, a man, had managed to pick out such pretty colors.

Ordinary men couldn't even tell lip rouge colors apart, let alone choose good ones.

Perhaps it was one of his bed-serving maids in the Eastern Palace.

As she thought about it, Liu Yun's thoughts took a turn for the worse, and she began to feel uneasy.

No woman in the world would willingly share her husband with other women.

Even if, in this day and age, the Crown Prince was entitled to rule the world and enjoy countless beauties.

Liu Yun was unwilling.

She would rather find an ordinary husband and live a plain life, as long as he stayed faithful to her for life.

That would be better than marrying a distinguished husband and having to share his tainted, meager affection with a crowd of women.

Inexplicably, Liu Yun's impression of the Crown Prince took another hit, and she even stopped reading the letters the Crown Prince sent.

In the past, she would jot down a few brief lines and have someone deliver them to the Eastern Palace, but now she couldn't be bothered to write even half a word.

The day after returning from Tianqin Tower, the Wen family brought Wen Yuzhu to their door to make amends.

Liu Yun didn't like meeting people who bore ill will toward her, and even though Wen Yuzhu had come to apologize, Liu Yun knew it wasn't genuine, so she couldn't be bothered to see her.

She simply had her mother receive them and send them packing.

Just as the Crown Prince had said, she wouldn't see Wen Yuzhu again this year.

On the twenty-third of the month, a senior seamstress from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau came to take Liu Yun's measurements for her wedding dress as the future Crown Princess.

Liu Yun docilely let the matron measure her with a soft tape, unable to tell whether she was happy or not.

She was about to get married, and although her husband-to-be was exceptionally outstanding, she still felt lost about what lay ahead.

"You have a full bust, a slender waist, and rounded hips—a figure like that suits clothes perfectly. You'll look stunning in a wedding dress!"

While measuring, the matrons praised her with words of dubious sincerity, their expressions friendly and warm, looking quite genuine.

"Thank you, matron."

Liu Yun always sincerely thanked those who praised her.

Even though the words were rather embarrassing.

After the matron from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau left, Liu Yun received another letter from the Eastern Palace, along with a luminous pearl the size of a palm.

It was said to be for her to use when she rose at night.

Liu Yun immediately tucked the pearl under the bedcovers, and she and Jin He stuck their heads under to see if it really glowed.

The Crown Prince hadn't lied—the pearl gave off a soft, beautiful glow, and Liu Yun was dazzled at first sight.

A gift makes one beholden, and with her mood lifted, Liu Yun made a plate of golden milk pastries and had Su Lin deliver them back to him.

Having heard the Crown Prince didn't care for sweets, Liu Yun had even cut the sugar in half, hoping only that he wouldn't let her pastries go to waste.

The Crown Prince must have liked them, for another batch of trinkets arrived that very night.

They were the twelve jade zodiac animals, the most popular item in Yanjing this year.

Carved from jade and precious stones of various colors, each one palm-sized, exquisitely detailed, and adorably endearing.

Set by the bedside, all twelve little creatures were exquisite and adorable—no lady could resist them.

This had originally been the birthday gift Liu Yun wanted most this year, but the twelve jade zodiac animals were a limited edition and quite pricey, so Liu Yun hadn't managed to snag a set.

Now that she had a set, she was over the moon.

Just as she was agonizing over whether to write the Crown Prince a thank-you note, word came from the palace that Empress Dowager He wished to see her.

Empress Wen had passed away long ago, leaving Empress Dowager He as the true mistress of the palace—her exalted status went without saying.

Liu Yun suddenly thought of County Princess Rong'an and found herself unsure of why Empress Dowager He had summoned her.

Empress Dowager He had failing eyesight and was advanced in years, and her usual favorite was her grandniece from her natal family.

Empress Dowager He surely knew that Rong'an was smitten with the Crown Prince, and that Liu Yun had taken the Crown Princess position.

She wondered if the Empress Dowager might vent her anger on her and deliberately pick a fight.

But whatever the outcome, Liu Yun had to go and present herself before Empress Dowager He.

Early on the morning of the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month, Liu Yun put on a dress newly tailored from gossamer brocade and, with a smile, followed her mother into the palace.

She had wanted to wear her usual clothes, but her mother said that when going into the palace to meet the Empress Dowager, one should dress more formally, and that the gossamer brocade had been meant for her dresses all along—if not now, when would she wear it?

After a few words, Liu Yun gleefully put it on.

Beautiful new clothes always bring a huge boost of emotional satisfaction, and Liu Yun, clutching the gossamer brocade dress, was delighted the entire way.

Today's outfit was made from a bolt of blue-green gossamer brocade.

With a dark crow-blue base, emerald green fabric, and gold jacquard patterns, in the sunlight it shimmered with a lake-blue sheen, elegant and refined—the perfect color for such sweltering summer weather.

To match the gossamer brocade, Liu Yun also wore the set of headdress ornaments the Crown Prince had given her—truly dignified and resplendent.

Riding in a palanquin through the long corridor of the imperial palace, the mother and daughter happened to bump into Princess Changyang at the entrance of Empress Dowager He's Palace of Longevity.

And the adorable County Princess Kangning was there too.

At that moment, County Princess Kangning was holding a handmade fox plushie in her arms, her face lit up with a bright smile as she called out something to her.

As they got closer, Liu Yun finally understood what she was shouting.

"Auntie, auntie~"

Liu Yun really wanted to clamp her hand over her mouth and tell her to lower her voice.

Author's note:

Here's the update.

Honestly, I didn't write anything inappropriate in the last chapter. The original version and the current one aren't much different—it's just that we hit a strict censorship review, and revising it nearly wore me out.

Yesterday I tried to recreate the premise of this story, attempting to write a similar pre-order piece, but I failed. Maybe it's because this story's inspiration came from a Mary Sue dream of mine—that unique feeling isn't easy to replicate. This is probably the only story of this type I'll ever write.