The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 180 - 179: Am I Not Gentle Enough?

Chapter 180: Chapter 179: Am I Not Gentle Enough?

Shen Chuwei was particularly sensitive to the words "serving the bedchamber." The very mention of it unsettled her.

They had just been discussing the issue of trust, so how did it suddenly veer towards serving the bedchamber?

She believed that saving a life did not require repaying with her body; being well-fed with meat and fish would suffice.

If there could be a time limit, a lifetime would be perfect.

Then she could spend a lifetime carefree, mooching off food and drinks.

Xiao Jinyan raised his hand and tapped her forehead. "Why are you not speaking?"

Shen Chuwei was a bit drowsy, but the tap on her forehead chased away some of the sleepiness, and she blinked her lovely starry eyes. "Your concubine is currently unwell and not fit to serve the bedchamber," she murmured.

Xiao Jinyan let out a light chuckle. "This palace has no intention of being so beastly as to make you serve while ill. What I meant was you should serve only after you have fully recovered."

Shen Chuwei: "..." Crown Prince, can you not say such things with such a serious face?

She sighed inwardly; it still came down to serving the bedchamber, sooner or later. You’ve just rushed it to noon, that’s all.

"Your concubine is always sleepy these days and may not recover that quickly," she said timidly.

Xiao Jinyan thought she was worried and reassured her, "You have nothing to worry about. This palace will catch the person who harmed you so that you can recover soon."

"Your concubine has faith in Your Highness’s ability and strength, surely you will catch the culprit soon." Shen Chuwei spoke flatteringly but was incredibly nervous inside; serving the bedchamber meant she truly became Xiao Jinyan’s little wife, and the chances of leaving the palace thereafter were slim to none.

In fact, leaving the palace was not that important. If she could continue like this indefinitely, mooching food and drink was quite nice.

Just as Shen Chuwei was reflecting on becoming Xiao Jinyan’s little wife, a hand touched her face, a beautiful hand with long, defined knuckles.

Xiao Jinyan gazed at the girl’s youthful face and softly called, "Little Nine."

Shen Chuwei looked up at him, confused, and saw his peerlessly handsome face drawing nearer. She instinctively stretched out a hand to his chest, feeling the solidity of his pectoral muscles through his clothing.

But this did not stop Xiao Jinyan’s approach.

His handsome face loomed larger, the thick, long lashes and flawless cheeks clearly visible.

His cold breath enveloped her, the touch was cool.

Memories of their last encounter were fresh, stirring a strange tension.

Xiao Jinyan could not help but kiss her lips, even gentler than the last time, as if afraid of frightening her.

Because it seemed he had startled her last time, he was especially tender now.

A faint Peach Blossom Fragrance wafted to his nose.

Just as he wished to explore further, he encountered resistance.

Shen Chuwei, nervous, pressed her lips tightly together. Yet she could not resist drowsiness and, with closed eyes, drifted off to sleep. Perhaps Xiao Jinyan was too gentle, and she truly fell asleep.

Xiao Jinyan savored the kiss briefly, then reluctantly withdrew. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw that Shen Chuwei’s were tightly shut, her breathing even, clearly asleep.

In her current state, once Shen Chuwei fell asleep, she tended to sleep deeply and was hard to awaken.

He gently laid her back on the bed, tucked her in, and watched her sleep, feeling a pang of heartache.

Thinking of someone purposely setting her up in her current condition, Xiao Jinyan’s eyes darkened with resolve. Anyone who dared to harm Shen Chuwei with sorcery would not be forgiven.

*

Fen Yueyue sat before the mirror, weeping, her face swollen from crying.

A woman’s face is her most prized possession; once it’s ruined, everything is lost.

As Guard Weichi led his men into the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, they could hear the woman’s cries.

At the sight of the guards bursting in, Fen Yueyue’s pretty face turned pale with fright.

"What are you doing in here? Get out immediately!"

"Subordinate is following the Crown Prince’s command to search," Weichi, who never harbored any sentiments of pity or tenderness, commanded without looking back, "Search every corner without exception."

"Yes."

A group of guards began a thorough search of the room.

The furnishings within Xiaoxiang Pavilion were sparse and mostly shabby.

Fen Yueyue covered her face, neither interfering nor able to intervene for she was unable to attend to it.

After a long search, the guards reported one after another that they had found no suspicious items.

Weichi frowned as he turned to look at Fen Yueyue.

Fen Yueyue lowered her head, her face filled with a color of fear.

Weichi stared at Fen Yueyue for a long while before coldly ordering, "Take her into custody."

Two lean guards grabbed Fen Yueyue, one on each side, and followed Weichi back to the Crown Prince’s sleeping quarters.

At that moment, in the study room

Xiao Jinyan sat upright at the desk, his eyes downcast as he dealt with the official documents in front of him.

Weichi strode in and approached to report, "Master, no suspicious items have been found during the search."

Xiao Jinyan looked up at Weichi and asked coldly, "Are you certain you’ve searched everywhere?"

"Reporting to Master, subordinate has searched every corner and found no suspicious items," Weichi replied respectfully.

Doubt flashed in Xiao Jinyan’s eyes, "Where is Fen Zhaoshun?"

Weichi answered, "Outside."

Xiao Jinyan ordered, "Bring her in."

"Yes, sir." After Weichi left, he brought in Fen Yueyue. Without a hint of compassion, he dragged her in and threw her down on the ground.

Fen Yueyue, her cheek covered with a cloth, fell awkwardly to the floor. She lifted her head to look at Xiao Jinyan sitting at the desk, his ice-cold, emotionless gaze sending chills down her spine.

She knelt on the ground with her knees together, her body prostrate, her voice hoarse and weak as she struggled, "Concubine pays respect to Your Highness, I wish Your Highness peace and safety."

As soon as she spoke, the pain in her facial nerves brought tears to her eyes.

Xiao Jinyan coldly watched Fen Yueyue on the ground and his voice was even colder, "Fen Zhaoshun, Lady Shen suffers from severe drowsiness and false pulses of joy, did you play a part behind the scenes? If you confess and Lady Shen recovers, this palace will be lenient."

Fen Yueyue cried out in her defense, "Your Highness, I am wronged, I have not done anything so outrageous, I beseech Your Highness to see the truth."

Xiao Jinyan inquired icily, "Then why did you go to the Empress to accuse Lady Shen of having an affair with a guard? If you really had seen it, how could you not have seen the guard’s face?"

"Your Highness, Lady Shen is promiscuous and unscrupulous, beneath him revelling in pleasure, putting a cuckoo in your nest. Don’t be deceived by her innocent and harmless face..."

As soon as Fen Yueyue finished speaking, Xiao Jinyan picked up a book from the table and hurled it accurately at her loathsome mouth.

"Silence!"

Fen Yueyue, whose face and mouth were already swollen from a hundred slaps earlier that day, was hit directly by the book’s corner, causing blood to flow immediately.

Fen Yueyue screamed, "Ah!!!"

Xiao Jinyan’s voice was icy, "Do you think you can fool me, as if I were a three-year-old child? I know what kind of person she is better than you do. If you do not confess honestly, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Fen Yueyue, holding her mouth, could only cry from the pain as she looked at the man sitting at the desk, unwilling to relent, she said, "Your Highness, I am not lying, Lady Shen has been unfaithful behind Your Highness’s back, don’t be deceived by her."

Fen Yueyue bore the pain as she spoke, determined to drag Shen Chuwei down, to have her despised by Your Highness, cast aside like a worn-out shoe, to suffer everything she had endured.