Chapter 51: Why Doesn’t Your Highness…

Chapter 51: Why Isn't Your Highness Saying Anything...

With things weighing on his mind, Xiao Hang finished his official duties early today and rushed straight back to the Eastern Palace.

Striding quickly through the courtyard, Xiao Hang stepped into the Hall of Inherited Grace and asked the approaching palace maid Fanghua in passing, "Where is the Crown Princess?"

Fanghua lowered her eyes and dropped into a curtsey, replying, "The Crown Princess is in the inner chamber."

With just a nod, Xiao Hang said nothing more and strode off toward the inner bedchamber.

From a distance, Xiao Hang could see his wife and her maid squatting by the bedside like two stunned birds, gawking at something.

"What's got you two so absorbed? Let me see."

The moment he saw Liu Yun, most of his weariness melted away. Xiao Hang broke into a light, carefree smile and walked over completely off his guard.

The first thing that met his eyes was a pale, startled face, and then his smiling gaze drifted downward. When he saw what was inside the box, his smile disappeared in an instant.

The silence was suffocating. A strange stillness pervaded the bedchamber, so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Jin He was the first to break. After all, she was an outsider and had no business staying here.

Not daring to make a sound, she hastily bobbed a curtsey and scurried out in a panic.

Sorry, but you're on your own for this one, mistress.

After Jin He left, only the married couple remained in the chamber, and the air itself seemed to freeze.

Liu Yun finally broke the silence. She took the plush fox out of the box and checked its ear. Sure enough, there was the character "Yun" embroidered on it, confirming her suspicions.

"Your Highness, how did Nian Nian's little fox end up with you?"

Even though some wild guesses had already formed in her mind, Liu Yun wanted to ask first.

Maybe there's some hidden explanation.

Clutching the plush fox, Liu Yun stood up, her expression tinged with curiosity.

She watched as Xiao Hang's face visibly reddened, little by little, like a boiled shrimp.

His lips moved, but for a long moment, no words came out. Xiao Hang was completely at a loss.

Xiao Hang was not a talkative Crown Prince, but when facing his ministers, he was always articulate, second to none among the advisory officials.

But at this moment, his tongue felt like it was tied in knots.

Liu Yun stepped closer, the pink fox in her arms vividly bright.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Your Highness?"

Liu Yun tilted her head and asked with utter sincerity, not a trace of mockery or ridicule in her eyes—but Xiao Hang's composure cracked.

"She left it here with me."

"You dare question me? What nerve!"

Feeling guilty, Xiao Hang couldn't produce any reasonable explanation. His shame turning to anger, he decided to pull rank, hoping to brush the matter aside.

Liu Yun found his explanation unconvincing, but seeing the Crown Prince's expression, she knew she couldn't push it any further.

Her mind felt like mush—she was thoroughly confused.

The one in County Princess Kangning's hands was fake, while the one in the Crown Prince's hands was real. So did that mean...

"Enough, I'm hungry. Have the kitchen send in the meal."

As if he had caught sight of the speculation in Liu Yun's eyes, Xiao Hang cut her off mid-thought and changed the subject.

Delicacies were brought in one after another, and Liu Yun could only wash her hands and start dinner.

Sitting across from the Crown Prince, she noticed how unusually quiet he was tonight—he hadn't even picked food for her like he usually did. She kept glancing up at him, her thoughts racing in a hundred directions.

Xiao Hang's nerves were already stretched taut, and with Liu Yun subjecting him to repeated questioning looks, he could no longer hold his composure.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

Even in his guilt, he had to maintain the dignity of a Crown Prince, without showing a single crack in his composure.

This gave Liu Yun an absurd but plausible idea.

"Since Your Highness likes such little trinkets, why didn't you say so earlier? I could have made you one. Why go and take it from a child?"

Indeed, a dignified Crown Prince fond of plush toys—pink plush toys, no less—would certainly be laughed at if word got out.

But in Liu Yun's view, it wasn't such a big deal. If anything, it made him seem more human.

Just like how Lady Fan, that cold, ethereal beauty, also adored little rabbit plushies—everyone's the same.

Her confusion cleared, and Liu Yun smiled brightly at Xiao Hang.

Seeing Liu Yun interpret it that way, Xiao Hang's expression shifted uncertainly before he finally decided to go along with it.

Better she think he had a weird quirk than discover the truth and laugh at him.

"Hmph."

Xiao Hang let out a soft snort and picked up a braised chicken wing, so tender it was falling off the bone, and dropped it into Liu Yun's bowl, saying coldly, "Just eat your food and mind your own business."

Liu Yun giggled, bit into the chicken wing he had given her, and chewed with her cheeks puffed out, mumbling, "Got it, got it."

Assuming he was just embarrassed, Liu Yun dropped the subject and focused on her meal.

Contrary to what she had expected, the Eastern Palace wasn't as strict as she'd expected. Aside from having to face a husband she barely knew every day, everything else was fine.

After dinner, the leftovers were cleared away, and after washing up, the two of them climbed into the brocade bed together.

Liu Yun knew she couldn't escape this time. Fearing she might end up like last time, she grabbed his pinky finger with flushed cheeks once he was completely naked, and pleaded, "Could you be a little gentler this time, Your Highness?"

"...Like on our wedding night, when I got hurt."

She hesitated before adding the last part, feeling she'd made herself perfectly clear.

If he was as rough and relentless as on their wedding night, she'd be applying ointment for days again.

"Alright, I'll be gentle."

He untied the girl's delicate sash with a light touch, and with a gentle tug, her fair, rounded shoulders were bared.

Xiao Hang replied in a hoarse voice, and no sooner had the words left his lips than he lowered himself onto her without another word.

After holding back these past few days, he'd read a lot and learned some tricks that could foster harmony in married life.

Tonight, he might as well try them out.

...

Liu Yun seemed to turn into a soft, fluffy cloud, blown back and forth by the wind in the open sky.

She couldn't quite put the feeling into words, only feeling that the Crown Prince had changed.

Where did he learn these tricks, teasing her until she was flustered?

As she'd requested, the Crown Prince was unbelievably gentle, almost perfectly in rhythm with her breathing—like gentle waves and soft breezes.

A far cry from his earlier urgency.

This reminded Liu Yun of the most important step before writing her storybooks—grinding the ink.

The pressure should be just right—not too heavy, not too light—and the pace slow and steady. Only then could you get ink of the right consistency, good for writing.

But this drawn-out process really tested one's patience. Not only was Xiao Hang struggling to endure it, but Liu Yun was getting restless too.

She wanted it so, so badly...

She dithered internally for a long time without saying it, until Xiao Hang caught on that something was off. Nibbling her earlobe, he murmured coaxingly, "Tell me what you want... just say it."

Liu Yun opened her mouth, not knowing how to say it, too embarrassed to speak.

She felt herself getting brazen, wanting the Crown Prince to be less gentle, less slow.

Like on their wedding night—to use more force.

Realizing what she was thinking, Liu Yun was mortified, biting her lip and staying silent.

Xiao Hang was the first to lose patience. To make her say what he wanted to hear, he imitated Yu the Great—stalling and giving her nothing at all.

Already aroused, Liu Yun couldn't take it, her eyes welling up in distress.

Xiao Hang's heart went out to her, but to achieve his goal, he gritted his teeth, veins bulging at his temples, keeping up his seduction as he kissed her, saying, "If it's hard, tell me. There's no one else here. Say it, and I'll give it to you."

Maybe it was her unbearable need, or maybe Xiao Hang's voice was just too seductive—Liu Yun, dazed and breathless, finally spoke in a shaky voice.

"...Hurry."

"Faster, harder."

Liu Yun, as if possessed, blurted out words that the world would call frivolous and shameless.

She regretted it instantly, but what was done was done—she had to own her words.

Hearing what he wanted, Xiao Hang's eyes went completely red, and he gave himself to her completely.

Liu Yun felt the same surging intensity as their wedding night.

But this time, Xiao Hang was more careful. After each release, he'd check to make sure she wasn't hurt.

If she was, he'd stop right away; if not, he'd go again.

He checked three times, back and forth, figuring out his wife's limit.

If he went again, she'd probably need ointment.

Not only that, she'd pass out, and he wouldn't get any cuddle time.

As before, he flipped her on top of him, holding the still-awake Liu Yun as they rode out the afterglow.

"See? Wasn't that much more comfortable this time?"

Liu Yun was too tired to lift a finger, let alone answer such an embarrassing question.

She just turned her head away, ignoring him.

Full and satisfied, Xiao Hang wasn't annoyed. He gently stroked the soft, delicate body on top of him, then started whispering dirty, flirtatious things in her ear.

Praising how good she was, admiring how sexy she'd been, teasing her about how easily she got flustered.

Her composure shattered, Liu Yun slapped her hand over his mouth and bit his chest.

He let out a muffled grunt, then let out a low chuckle.

The night was thick and syrupy, nearly drowning them in its depths.

...

The next morning, when Liu Yun woke up naturally, the spot beside her was empty.

Seeing the sky outside the bed curtains was still gray, she sighed at the ordeal of morning court and dozed back off.

After a night of marital intimacy, she always had trouble getting up the next day. Luckily, there was no rule requiring her to pay respects at dawn, and the Crown Prince didn't need her to get up and help him get dressed. So she could sleep in.

Sleeping until broad daylight, Liu Yun lazily got dressed and washed up, then had a warm, comforting breakfast before planning out her day.

Writing her storybooks and sewing plush dolls.

The storybooks went without saying—she'd put them off long enough and needed to get started.

As for the plush doll...

Since her real little fox had been taken away by the Crown Prince, that no-good uncle, she, as his aunt, had to make Kang Ning a new one.

A prettier, softer one.

Remembering Kang Ning was born in the Year of the Sheep, Liu Yun got an idea. She started sketching on paper, coming up with an adorable chubby little sheep.

Fluffy white fur, big round black eyes, cute little horns, and two rosy blush spots she'd drawn on its cheeks.

Clearly a cute little girl sheep.

Once the design was done, Liu Yun started cutting the fabric. Jin He quickly brought her a big wad of cotton and helped out on the side.

The other palace attendants in Cheng'en Hall found it new and kept stealing curious glances.

If the Crown Prince were here, they wouldn't dare, but the Crown Princess was gentle and kind, so they dared a little more.

Before lunch, Liu Yun got a letter from Zhen Zhen listing four young men who'd come to propose—the best four prospects she'd picked.

Third Young Master of the Chang family, General of the Cloud-Soaring Guard.

Eldest Young Master of the Lu family, Marquis of Pingguang.

Censor-in-Chief Fan's ninth son.

Vice Minister Wu of the Ministry of Rites' seventh son.

Liu Yun, fired up like she'd had a shot of adrenaline, immediately pulled out a sheet of paper, scribbled down the names of the four families, and then headed to Lizheng Hall (the main audience chamber) with dishes and soup to seek a favor.

Author's note:

New chapter up.

Back to work again, boohoo.