Page 90

The two of them were very close, and Shen Chuwei easily achieved her goal.

She moved quickly, retreating immediately after the kiss.

As for Xiao Jinyan, he was stunned for quite a while by the sudden kiss.

Having grown up without ever being kissed by a woman, even their proximity annoyed him, yet today Shen Chuwei had crossed his boundaries.

That soft touch was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Though he appeared calm on the surface, deep down, he was somewhat shocked.

Grasping the quilt in front of her, Shen Chuwei whispered very softly, "Your Highness, that was a goodnight kiss."

To Xiao Jinyan, Shen Chuwei’s action seemed to be a display of shyness.

As for the goodnight kiss, Xiao Jinyan, interpreting "goodnight" as "I like you," concluded that a goodnight kiss meant "I like kissing you."

It was not the first time he had heard her say such unreserved words.

Only, this time her gesture was too bold, too...

Fortunately, it wasn’t as disagreeable as he imagined, or else he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

"Rest now," Xiao Jinyan said, and then he lay flat on the bed.

Seeing Xiao Jinyan lying down to sleep, Shen Chuwei chuckled inwardly, pleased that her trick had worked.

Yet the next second, Xiao Jinyan suddenly turned towards her, frightening her into shrinking her neck back.

"Let me see your wound," Xiao Jinyan said, having just lain down when he remembered that he’d been too busy lately and hadn’t checked on her injuries for a few days, so he wanted to take a look tonight.

If the scar was noticeable, he would have Imperial Doctor Wen prepare some more effective Scar Removal Cream.

Shen Chuwei almost forgot about the injury on her chest until Xiao Jinyan insisted on checking, refusing to let it go.

Shen Chuwei, to prevent Xiao Jinyan from doing it himself, unhurriedly untied her sash, revealing her lotus-pink bellyband.

Xiao Jinyan, with his sharp eyes, glimpsed the three mandarin ducks embroidered on the lotus-pink bellyband—one big, two small—clearly symbolizing a family of three.

"The embroidery on the bellyband is quite unique."

"Of course, Chun Xi’s needlework is very impressive," Shen Chuwei responded, and out of curiosity, she glanced at the embroidery on her bellyband. She was fine before she looked, but once she did, she felt anything but fine.

All of her intimate garments were prepared by Chun Xi, and as for the embroidery, she hadn’t paid attention to it before—considering the complex patterns just a trivial part of a bellyband.

She hadn’t expected Chun Xi to have embroidered such a meaningful and unique bellyband for her.

This was clearly a hint to Xiao Jinyan to work on having a baby!

And the target was precise—a boy.

Xiao Jinyan, noticing her action, said, "It’s very meaningful."

Shen Chuwei gave Xiao Jinyan a smile that was both embarrassed and politely modest, "Your Highness, do you think these three look like siblings?"

Xiao Jinyan looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, "Do you think they resemble each other?"

"I find them quite similar—older brother, older sister, and the youngest being the little brother," Shen Chuwei said, pulling at her hem to cover the bellyband, then opening her lapel to reveal the injured spot on her chest.

Raising her head to look at Xiao Jinyan in an attempt to change the subject, she said, "Your Highness, my injury has almost healed."

Xiao Jinyan’s gaze finally moved to Shen Chuwei’s chest. The light inside the bed curtains was dim, making it hard to see the scar clearly.

To better understand how the scar was healing, he extended his slender fingers to touch the scar, the cool sensation making Shen Chuwei flinch slightly.

After several days of rest, touching the injury with his fingertip didn’t cause obvious pain, suggesting the wound was healing very well and the scar would likely fade gradually.

He instructed, "Use the Scar Removal Cream for a while longer, and there should be no scars in the future."

"I understand," Shen Chuwei promptly closed her lapel as Xiao Jinyan withdrew his hand, then neatly tied the drawstrings.

During this period, Shen Chuwei had been using the ointment she formulated herself, which healed the scar quickly. The scar had already turned white and would likely return to normal in a few days.

"Sleep."

Xiao Jinyan lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Shen Chuwei hugged the bedding tightly before she peacefully went to meet Lord Zhou in her dreams.

Sleeping late at night meant waking late in the morning.

When Xiao Jinyan woke up, he found Shen Chuwei tightly clinging to his arm, her youthful appearance making her look even more like a child in her sleep.

He gently withdrew his arm, and just as he pulled away, he saw her arms unconsciously grip the blanket tightly, showing no signs of waking.

Xiao Jinyan watched her serene face for a while before he looked away, got up to change his clothes, and then left the room.

Liu Xi had prepared the washing utensils early and waited outside the door.

Xiao Jinyan ordered, "Don’t let anyone disturb her."

"I understand," Liu Xi replied with a smile, thinking to himself:

Last night, Lady Shen said she was hungry and ordered the cooks to prepare food; today, he’s worried about Lady Shen being tired and doesn’t want anyone to disturb her rest.

His Highness is becoming more and more considerate.

Xiao Jinyan: "..."

After finishing breakfast, Xiao Jinyan went to Fengyi Palace with Luluo and the little Eunuch.

The Empress had a poor appetite and had only eaten a few bites of her morning meal before she had the Maid withdraw the food. Now, she was leaning back in her Concubine’s chair, reading a storybook.

Xiao Jinyan approached and greeted her, "Your son pays his respects to Mother Empress."

The Empress lifted her eyes to Xiao Jinyan, "Why does the Crown Prince have time to come here today?"

Xiao Jinyan replied, "Mother Empress, I caught a spy from Concubine Yu’s faction in the East Palace, along with a little Eunuch from her palace. They were caught red-handed while secretly passing messages. I should be able to extract a lot of information from them."

The Empress had long disapproved of Yu Wangba, but unfortunately never had any evidence against her. Now that someone from her palace had been caught, wasn’t that equivalent to catching Concubine Yu red-handed?

"Where are they?"

Xiao Jinyan turned his head and instructed Liu Xi, "Bring them in."

"Yes," Liu Xi acknowledged the order and turned to leave. Shortly, Weichi and Qin Xiao led the captives inside.

Luluo and the little Eunuch knelt on the ground with a thud, "This servant, this slave begs for mercy from the Empress, spare our lives, please!"

The Empress glanced at the Maid on the ground, who was unfamiliar to her, but the little Eunuch seemed somewhat recognizable. After pondering for a moment, she recalled he was from Concubine Yu’s palace.

"Do you know what crimes you have committed? Framing the Crown Prince is a grave offense. At the least, it’s punishable by beheading, and at most, being torn apart by horses wouldn’t be excessive. If you want mercy from me, confess everything you know, and I can ensure you are spared death."

As soon as Luluo heard "being torn apart by horses," she trembled violently with fear and kowtowed desperately, "This servant will tell everything I know, I only beg the Empress to spare my life."

The little Eunuch also kowtowed frantically, "Your Royal Highness, I am willing to talk, please spare my life!"

The Empress nodded in satisfaction, "Qing Ying, take them down to record their confessions."

"Yes." Qing Ying took the two away.

After a short time, Qing Ying returned with two written confessions and presented them to the Empress, "Empress, here are their confessions signed with their thumbprints."

The Empress picked up the confessions and carefully scanned them. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Yu Wangba, though she had a kind-looking face, her methods were truly vicious. Let’s see how you’ll extricate yourself this time!