The prince longs for me every night after mastering thought-reading
Chapter 223 - 222: Shocked After Seeing the Evidence of the Mischief

Chapter 223: Chapter 222: Shocked After Seeing the Evidence of the Mischief

Shen Chuwei was engrossed in her drawing when a pleasant and familiar voice suddenly came from above her head. Startled, she lifted her head and saw Xiao Jinyan standing behind her, his gaze fixated on her sketch.

Getting caught by the very person she was sketching—how embarrassing.

"Your Highness, when did you arrive?" She stood up to greet him, silently turning the sketchboard face down on the desk.

"I just got here. I hadn’t realized you enjoy painting so much," Xiao Jinyan said, glancing at the sketchboard on the desk. He remembered correctly that the style was identical to one from last year, a technique he had never seen before.

"Just practicing to pass the time," Shen Chuwei said with a forced smile, hurriedly packing up her paints and brushes.

Xiao Jinyan asked, "Why have you stopped painting?"

Feeling guilty, Shen Chuwei responded, "The day has grown late; it is time to rest. I will paint again when I have time tomorrow."

Xiao Jinyan remembered the time of his arrival. Usually, at this hour, Shen Chuwei would already be asleep.

"Indeed."

Shen Chuwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, planning to hide the painting tomorrow, "Your Highness, you’ve been so busy lately, have you had your evening meal?"

"I have," Xiao Jinyan replied, having rushed over immediately after finishing his work. Fortunately, his quarters were just next door.

Shen Chuwei offered, "May I help Your Highness loosen your clothing?"

Xiao Jinyan replied, "Mhm."

Shen Chuwei stepped forward and deftly began to help Xiao Jinyan out of his clothes.

As she removed his outer garment and started to loosen his inner clothes, her hands tugged open the lapel, and she saw the marks on his neck, causing her to pause.

She always remembered her drunken brawl with Xiao Jinyan.

She had offered several times to apply medicine for him, but he had always refused.

She thought he was too shy to let a woman tend to his wounds because it would be embarrassing.

But it seemed that she was wrong.

The marks didn’t look like they were from a fist but were more akin to hickies.

It wasn’t just hickies; there appeared to be bite marks...

The location was definitely not self-inflicted by Xiao Jinyan; it was out of his reach.

Shen Chuwei thought for a moment. Xiao Jinyan had not visited any other halls to stay overnight for the past few days. Liu Xi had reported that Xiao Jinyan had been busy dealing with the corruption case in Luozhi County and had no time to visit other women.

Xiao Jinyan noticed that Shen Chuwei was not moving, "Weiwei, what’s wrong?"

Following her gaze, he looked down and guessed what she had seen.

Shen Chuwei timidly pointed at the marks, looking up at Xiao Jinyan, "Your Highness, this wasn’t my doing, right?"

Xiao Jinyan countered without answering directly, "What do you think?"

Shen Chuwei wished to deny it, but the look in Xiao Jinyan’s eyes made her instantly admit, "It seems there’s no one else but me."

Xiao Jinyan huffed, "At least you’re aware of it."

"Does it hurt?" Shen Chuwei asked, immediately regretting it—it had been several days, and it surely didn’t hurt anymore.

But on second thought, if after several days the marks were still so vivid, it suggested that the encounter had been intense.

Xiao Jinyan gazed steadily at Shen Chuwei, involuntarily recalling her bold moves and her kitten-like pleas for mercy.

"If I said it hurt, would you have a remedy?"

Shen Chuwei nodded, "...I do."

Xiao Jinyan suddenly looked at her expectantly, "Do you?"

Shen Chuwei’s eyes fell on the marks, and with her hands on his shoulders, she stood on tiptoe and gently kissed them.

As Shen Chuwei rose to tiptoes, Xiao Jinyan’s eyes followed her, feeling the soft kiss land.

The warmth of her breath left him stunned for a good while.

Shen Chuwei nervously watched Xiao Jinyan, "Is that better?"

"Not enough." Xiao Jinyan’s eyes darkened, and with the two words barely out, he bent down, scooped her up, and strode toward the bed.

The next second, Shen Chuwei guessed that she was about to serve him again. She clung to Xiao Jinyan’s hand, gazing at him with her lovely, starry eyes.

"Your Highness, this concubine..." her last words whispered close to Xiao Jinyan’s ear.

Xiao Jinyan hesitated, his mind calculating the timing—it had been the same time last month when she had experienced severe abdominal pain.

"Does your stomach ache this time?"

Shen Chuwei nodded, "It’s sore, but better than last time."

"I’ll warm it for you." Xiao Jinyan hugged her close, his large hand reaching under and pressing his hot palm against her cool abdomen, which indeed felt better than the previous time.

Shen Chuwei lay still as the heat from his hand atop her stomach was unmistakable, and the pain seemed to dissipate.

Warming the stomach seemed to be effective.

She looked up at Xiao Jinyan, her gaze again landing on his neck, and seeing the Adam’s apple, she curiously reached out to touch it, fascinated by its bobbing movement.

Xiao Jinyan’s breathing grew heavier, "Don’t move about."

"Oh." Shen Chuwei obediently withdrew her hand and, seeing a strand of hair resting on her, revealed that it belonged to Xiao Jinyan. She took it and played with it in the palm of her hand.

Xiao Jinyan said, "When I returned, I heard about the plans to establish Lady Liang as the Crown Princess. I have no such intentions."

Shen Chuwei paused in her play, "This concubine understands."

Xiao Jinyan looked down at the person in his arms and sighed internally. He didn’t even have the right to decide who would become the Crown Princess.

Lady Liang was using her uncle to exert pressure while the Empress Mother favored her.

The situation was somewhat troublesome.

Xiao Jinyan didn’t voice his troubles and, listening to the evenness of her breathing, knew she had fallen asleep.

He too closed his eyes, yet he could not fall asleep, for if he did, his hand would leave her abdomen.

The next day, when Xiao Jinyan awoke, he gently placed the person in his arms back on the bed before getting dressed.

After he was properly attired, Xiao Jinyan was about to leave and caught a glimpse of the sketchboard on the desk. His steps faltered, and he turned back to approach the desk, picked up the sketchboard, turned it over, and saw the drawing on it.

The eyes and brows were clearly somewhat like his own.

Was Shen Chuwei drawing him?

Xiao Jinyan’s lips curled into a slight smile, looking forward to seeing the finished piece. He put the sketchboard back in place and left.

Today was sunny, and Shen Chuwei had someone move the rattan chair into the courtyard, where she lay back, her stomach not as painful thanks to Xiao Jinyan’s warmth from the night before.

Xuetuan was chasing a little gray rabbit around the yard early in the morning, like a dedicated trainer pushing a student.

Concubine Xu and Tao Chenghui hurried over early in the morning.

Watching the two approach hastily, Shen Chuwei’s voice carried a lazy tone, "What’s the rush for?"

Concubine Xu moved a stool next to Shen Chuwei and sat down, her face beaming, "I’ve brought something wonderful."

If Shen Chuwei hadn’t seen Concubine Xu’s empty hands, she might have thought it was some tasty treat.

Nevertheless, she was curious, "What wonderful thing?"

"Look." Concord Xu excitedly pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, unfolding it and showing it to Shen Chuwei, "Look, this is a prescription I got from the Imperial Doctor yesterday, a fertility prescription. The Imperial Doctor said many concubines are using it."

Tao Chenghui also added, "Try this first. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have my father seek other prescriptions outside and send them to the palace."

...