Chapter 34: The Little Boat

Chapter 34: The Little Boat

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun's inner alarm bells immediately rang, and she instinctively went on the defensive.

Ever since the Crown Prince had kissed her at Tianqin Tower last time, Liu Yun had come to fear him.

But this fear was different from before.

It was more like the worry that if she got too close, it would end up like last time—before she knew it, he'd catch her lips with his own.

Then he wouldn't let her escape, kissing her senseless until he was satisfied.

Although many days had passed, Liu Yun could still recall the haze of that day, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her body, leaving her utterly unable to resist.

That wasn't the Eastern Palace—it was a wolf's den!

Liu Yun didn't want to go. Her mind raced, trying to come up with a suitable excuse.

What if she claimed she wasn't feeling well?

She'd probably be carried straight to the Eastern Palace.

What if she said she'd lost something in Wanshou Palace?

With so many servants around, she probably wouldn't be the one sent back to look for it.

What if she said it wasn't proper for an unmarried woman to set foot in the Eastern Palace?

Even Liu Yun knew that was a stretch.

After racking her brains, Liu Yun could only come up with one last excuse that might work, and she said, a hint of nervousness in her voice: "Your servant... your servant hasn't finished digesting yet. How about we walk a little more?"

A few more laps, and maybe she could wander farther away—farther from the Eastern Palace.

"Oh?"

The Crown Prince let out a questioning sound, a faint smile playing on his lips, and countered: "My Eastern Palace is quite large too—more than enough for you to walk off your meal."

With that, he fixed his gaze on Liu Yun without blinking. Though there was no threat in his gaze, Liu Yun felt immense pressure bearing down on her.

At this point, Liu Yun's last shred of resistance crumbled under the Crown Prince's gaze.

She really was no match for him.

"Your Highness is right."

Liu Yun stopped resisting and bowed her head in defeat.

Only then did Xiao Hang nod in satisfaction, a pleased smile curling at the corners of his lips.

"Come."

The single word fell, and a hand appeared before Liu Yun.

Long fingers, distinct knuckles, palm facing up.

Clearly, the Crown Prince was waiting for her to place her hand in his own.

Liu Yun was naturally gentle and obedient toward someone who meant her no harm—especially when that person carried enough authority.

She awkwardly reached out her hand. It was immediately grasped, enveloped in a warm palm with a few light calluses.

Their sleeves brushed together, concealing their clasped hands.

And so Liu Yun was led into the Eastern Palace.

Liu Yun had imagined the Eastern Palace would be grand, but seeing it in person still left her stunned for a long while.

The Eastern Palace sat on the eastern side of Chang'an Palace, where the Son of Heaven resided. It followed a symmetrical axis, with court in the front and residence in the back, divided into three sections with the Left and Right Spring Mansions flanking either side.

On the west side was the Jianchun Gate—the gate Liu Yun had passed through to enter the Eastern Palace—which led directly to Chang'an Palace, allowing the Crown Prince to visit the Emperor at any time.

The Crown Prince's bedchamber was Chengen Hall. To the east was Yichun Palace, where the Crown Princess resided, and to the west was Yiqiu Palace, which housed the rest of his consorts.

The Right Spring Mansion housed Chongren Hall, Bafeng Hall, Archery Hall, and other venues for horseback riding and martial practice.

The northernmost courtyard was reserved for leisure gardens.

The Shanchi Courtyard featured garden waterscapes, and there were also the Pavilion Courtyard, the Buddhist Hall Courtyard, the Eagle and Falcon Courtyard for training hunting birds, and the Changsheng Courtyard—all places where the Crown Prince would relax on ordinary days.

The servants of the Eastern Palace had been going about their duties, but when they caught a glimpse of His Highness walking in holding a young lady's hand, they all instinctively held their breath and stole glances.

To be so intimate with His Highness at this hour, she must be the future Crown Princess—the young lady of the Liu family.

It was just... well...

When the servants of the Eastern Palace got a clear look at the future Crown Princess, a flicker of surprise passed through each of their hearts.

As those who served in the Eastern Palace—especially the veterans—they knew best how particular His Highness was.

His standards were impossibly high—he had turned his nose up at every young lady in the capital, worrying the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to no end.

When they suddenly learned that His Highness was to marry the daughter of Vice Minister Liu, the servants had discussed it privately, all wondering what kind of extraordinary beauty could have moved His Highness to seek her hand.

Now that they saw her, she was not what they had expected.

She was no rare beauty, nor could she even be called a great beauty.

She was merely a fair-skinned, delicate young lady, reserved and quiet. Compared to the other renowned beauties of the capital, she didn't stand out at all—she was almost ordinary.

But such an ordinary young lady was being led into the Eastern Palace by the Crown Prince himself, with an intimacy that made her impossible to underestimate.

With just that one scene, the servants of the Eastern Palace understood: the Crown Princess was deeply favored by His Highness and must never be slighted.

And so, whenever the young lady of the Liu family passed by, the servants would set aside their work and bow deeply, calling out: "May the Lady be blessed."

This embarrassed Liu Yun the entire way—unsure whether to respond, inevitably feeling ill at ease.

"May the Lady be blessed."

Su Lin emerged from His Highness's Chengen Hall and immediately greeted her respectfully upon seeing her.

Liu Yun had always had a good impression of Su Lin. She liked people who were gentle, easygoing, and knew proper boundaries.

It was hard to imagine that someone like the Crown Prince would have such an attendant.

The contrast was stark.

Liu Yun thought that the Crown Prince's attendants should be just like the Crown Prince himself—arrogant, cold, and whose word was law.

Because her mind had drifted off thinking about this and that, Liu Yun's gaze lingered on Su Lin a bit longer than usual.

This obviously did not escape Xiao Hang's sharp eyes. His expression darkened, and his gaze pierced Su Lin like sharp arrows, like a storm about to break.

"What's got you so captivated? Come on, tell me."

Unlike Liu Yun, who was a beat behind, Su Lin immediately lowered his head, clasped his hands, and remained silent, sighing inwardly.

Youthful impulsiveness, indeed.

Just because Lady Liu stared at him with a dazed look for a few moments, he became this upset—where had his usual dignified composure gone?

Su Lin knew the Crown Prince wouldn't truly misunderstand or punish him over such a trivial matter, but he still had to put on a show.

"Nothing, nothing~"

Liu Yun snapped back to attention, somewhat unable to fathom the Crown Prince's intentions, but her gut told her the mood had turned sour, and she'd better not so much as glance at Attendant Su again.

"Hmph..."

Xiao Hang didn't intend to pursue the matter either, only tightening his grip on her hand and pulling her toward Chengen Hall.

Suddenly, a matron walked out of Chengen Hall, holding an object that faintly showed a pinkish hue.

Just as Liu Yun felt a sudden pang of curiosity and wanted another look, her vision went black—all light snuffed out, leaving only darkness.

Someone had clamped a hand over her eyes, and seemingly afraid she might run away, they even leaned in and wrapped an arm around her waist.

She heard footsteps pass by in front of her, along with the matron's half-uttered words.

"Your Highness, this old servant will..."

The words cut off abruptly, as if strangled, with no continuation.

Then came the sound of footsteps hurrying away.

"Your Highness, what are you up to?"

Why cover her eyes all of a sudden—was there something she wasn't supposed to see?

Could it be that the Eastern Palace also had some sordid secret that couldn't be revealed?

Her eyes blinked, her delicate eyelids brushing against the thin calluses on the young man's palm, creating a peculiar, almost magical sensation.

As for Xiao Hang, the soft lashes repeatedly sweeping across his palm made it tingle unbearably.

He had forgotten—last night he'd had someone take the item to be washed, and it had to show up right at this moment. If he hadn't reacted so fast, it would've been caught.

Facing Liu Yun's question, Xiao Hang racked his brain for an idea and said with a smile, "I was planning a surprise for you."

Liu Yun looked up slightly, as if she could see the Crown Prince, and asked in a lively, charming voice, "What surprise?"

Anyone would be curious if they heard there was a surprise in store for them.

Xiao Hang's temples throbbed nervously, and he finally came up with a half-baked plan.

Leaning down, he quickly pressed a kiss to the girl's soft pink lips, then, once he was sure the matron was out of sight, he let her go.

His hand withdrew, revealing the girl's round, stunned eyes, as if she couldn't quite believe it.

"That's it?"

Liu Yun had expected some amusing trinket, but instead got a sudden kiss.

This wasn't a surprise for her—it was more like a surprise for him.

Perplexed, Liu Yun's reaction took on a different meaning.

Especially in Xiao Hang's eyes, it became a look of dissatisfaction.

His mind wandering down a crooked path, Xiao Hang raised his thick, long brows and shot a pointed glance toward Chengen Hall, asking, "What, not enough?"

"If not, we can go inside—I can be even more generous."

The suggestive, ambiguous words immediately made Liu Yun realize what he meant, and her face flushed red as she pushed him away.

"That's enough, that's enough! No more, no more!"

The Eastern Palace was vast and unfamiliar, and Liu Yun was terrible with directions. If it happened again in this Eastern Palace, she wasn't sure she'd be able to get away in time.

Xiao Hang couldn't help but laugh, not pressing her further. He first led Liu Yun to see the little emerald parrot beneath the covered walkway.

The parrot had been sleeping peacefully, but the moment it saw Xiao Hang approach, it immediately fluttered its wings and stood up, its plump little body utterly adorable.

Liu Yun let out an "ah" and leaned in for a closer look with sparkling eyes, unable to hide her delight.

"What an adorable little bird! How long have you had it, Your Highness? Does it have a name?"

The girl's cheerful tone, largely free of the usual nervous timidity she showed around him, pleased Xiao Hang greatly.

"About two years. It's called Qingtuan."

That year, when he was sixteen, he had been struck by a single glimpse of Liu Jiayunniang during the spring outing, and later that same day, he encountered this parrot.

Like her that day, it was covered in emerald green, with round, lively eyes that were especially spirited and lovely.

As if possessed by some inexplicable impulse, Xiao Hang bought the parrot.

As memories resurfaced, Xiao Hang was astonished to discover that this parrot, which had been timid for two years, was now ingratiatingly rubbing against the girl's fingertip, looking lively and obedient.

After a moment of surprise, Xiao Hang said with a slight smile, "It seems Qingtuan likes you."

"I like Qingtuan too."

The girl's charming words reached his ears, and Xiao Hang couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy and jealousy toward this damned bird.

After seeing the bird, Xiao Hang wanted to pull her into his private chambers to sit, but she refused, saying she wanted to keep walking to aid digestion.

As they strolled along, the two arrived at the largest lotus pond in the Eastern Palace.

The lotus flowers hadn't fully withered yet; the emerald waves rippled, and the pink petals stood upright, still full of grace.

"How come there's a little boat here?"

Suddenly, Liu Yun spotted a small boat by the shore. She pointed at it and asked, her eyes lighting up again.

Perhaps she didn't realize it herself, but whenever she saw something she liked, her eyes would brighten a few shades more than usual.

Xiao Hang immediately had an idea.

"I had this brought here just for fun—want to take a look up top?"

This hit Liu Yun right in her sweet spot. She really wanted to know what it'd be like to drift across the lotus pond, cutting through those endless green waves.

Plus, if the two of them went out on a boat, they'd need a boatman—so they wouldn't be alone.

With an outsider present, Liu Yun didn't believe he could do anything.

But reality came back and slapped her hard, and she regretted it instantly.

There was no boatman. The Crown Prince was the boatman himself.

"I do take the little boat out on this pond myself from time to time, so I'd say I'm pretty good at rowing. Yunniang, what are you waiting for? Get on board."

Liu Yun stared in disbelief. The little boat only had room for the two of them—and she immediately knew this was bad news.

Author's note:

New chapter!

Today I watched an animated series; in short, it's about a domineering prince falling for a gorgeous nanny. But honestly, it's really good.