Chapter 45: That, That… What Was It?

"Come here," Yuan Zaichun said, patting the seat beside him and beckoning Qiao Qingyun over.

Upon seeing Yuan Zaichun’s expression, Qiao Qingyun seemed to recall something. She leaned in toward him with a coquettish air, and with a flourish, she settled herself intimately at his side, clad in a brilliant red undergarment.

She went so far as to sit right on the crown prince’s lap.

"What’s this? Is Your Highness changing your ways?" she teased.

Yuan Zaichun was a bit dazed by Qiao Qingyun’s seductive manner. These past days, her figure had appeared before his eyes countless times—dancing again and again in his mind, as if she haunted his thoughts both day and night.

When Yuan Zaichun didn’t respond, Qiao Qingyun wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath soft as orchids brushing his ear. "What’s wrong? Is the crown prince afraid?"

"Me, afraid? Qiao Qingyun, don’t forget how you spoke to me at the start," Yuan Zaichun retorted.

"Ouch! Oh, Your Highness, that hurts!" Yuan Zaichun had seized her wrist, squeezing so hard that Qiao Qingyun’s eyes reddened with pain.

At the doorway, Liu Fu overheard the exchange, her face flushing deep red. Good heavens, what on earth was happening? How had things escalated so quickly—and so painfully?

"If you know it hurts, don’t move. Otherwise, you’ll regret it," Yuan Zaichun warned.

"Your Highness… be gentle, ah! It hurts, please be softer," Qiao Qingyun whimpered.

Liu Fu’s face was so red blood might have dripped from it. She hurriedly turned and fled. Inside the chamber, Yuan Zaichun flung Qiao Qingyun onto the bed.

His whole body trembled, not from anger, but from sheer restraint. He hadn’t expected Qiao Qingyun could so easily ignite his desire, making him want nothing more than to devour her whole.

Women like this, he’d always regarded with contempt, yet with Qiao Qingyun, his defenses had been shattered.

"Hehe, all right, Your Highness, I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s just sleep," Qiao Qingyun said, lying down with ease and turning her back to him. Yuan Zaichun, however, found sleep impossible.

Watching her back, he ached to teach her a lesson, but thoughts of Bu Shenglian held him back…

In the Listening Bamboo Courtyard, when Qingluo returned, Hong Ying and Zhong Shi quickly approached her.

"Where is Her Highness?"

"She was summoned midway by the prince, who asked her to come to his chambers. Newlyweds, after all—they’re bound to cling to one another more," Qingluo replied, face calm and unblushing.

"But doesn’t the crown prince have someone else he likes?" Zhong Shi asked, frowning.

"So what? Her Highness is still the consort. Even if a secondary consort arrives, the position of crown princess remains unshakable." Thinking back to when Qingluo was taken, she’d been so delighted—if Yuan Zaichun could just come to love Qingluo, there’d be far fewer crises in the future.

Hong Ying noticed Zhong Shi’s mood turning stormy and realized something was amiss. She quickly grabbed her brother’s arm and dragged him away.

"Qingluo, you should rest," she urged.

"Mm!" Qingluo waved her off and returned to her room.

Hong Ying forcibly pulled Zhong Shi into another room. Seeing his whole body brimming with anger, she felt somewhat helpless.

"Brother, what are you doing? No matter how angry you are, there’s nothing we can do," she said.

"That crown prince clearly doesn’t love our lady, yet she still had to marry him. Now he uses the title of husband and wife… What happens when that other woman returns? Will he just cast our lady aside?"

Hong Ying sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Brother, these aren’t things we can control, nor should we try, right?"

"I know! But I can’t help it," Zhong Shi trembled. "After all, our lady saved our lives. How can we just stand by and watch her be wronged?"

"What else can we do?" Hong Ying was exasperated by her brother’s inability to see things clearly.

"Brother, we’re still the children of disgraced officials. We can barely protect ourselves, let alone anyone else. Her marrying the crown prince is her lifeline!"

At these words, Zhong Shi glanced at his sister and fell silent.

"Brother, I hope you realize how things have changed. If we keep making trouble for her, we’ll only bring her harm!"

With Hong Ying’s repeated persuasion, Zhong Shi finally managed to suppress his anger.

"Brother… you shouldn’t harbor such thoughts about her. Our stations are worlds apart. Ever since our family’s downfall, everything has changed."

"I know," Zhong Shi replied, turning away before Hong Ying could say more.

The next morning, Qiao Qingyun wrote out the names of all the antidotes and sent Liu Fu to fetch the medicines. She herself began sorting and selecting ingredients in front of Yuan Zaichun.

This was all to demonstrate her utility to Yuan Zaichun—after all, they were partners now, and she couldn’t afford to show no sincerity.

"That’s it. They all need to be ground into powder. Whatever you do, don’t ingest them by mistake." Qiao Qingyun instructed.

Liu Fu paused, while Yuan Zaichun looked puzzled. "And if someone does?"

"They’ll die, of course. It’s poison fighting poison—if there’s no toxin in your body and you take it, you’ll die."

"What?" On hearing this, Liu Fu instinctively wiped her hands, afraid of any lingering traces.

Early that morning, Qiao Qingyun and Yuan Zaichun had been busy with these concoctions in their room. By the time they returned to the Listening Bamboo Courtyard, Qingluo and the others were nearly asleep.

"Blessings upon Your Highness," they greeted her.

"Mm, you may go," Qiao Qingyun replied.

Many people were stationed outside the courtyard now—everyone knew Qiao Qingyun was in high favor. Not only did the empress adore her, but even the crown prince sought her presence daily.

At the sound of the door, the three women awoke immediately. Seeing Qiao Qingyun return, Qingluo hurried to her side. "Your Highness! I told you the crown prince would come to like you."

"Like me? He just summoned me to mix antidotes for him. I was up all night—exhausted," Qiao Qingyun said as she yawned, her eyes brimming with sleepy tears.

"What? Really?" Qingluo stared in disbelief. Normally, weren’t newlyweds supposed to...

You know, do that sort of thing?

"What do you mean, really? Would I lie to you?" Qiao Qingyun glanced at her helplessly.

"No, no, that’s not what I meant," Qingluo hurried to explain.

"Enough, don’t bother me. Let me sleep for a while."

She truly hadn’t slept well. The poison last night had been so difficult to identify that she’d woken in the middle of the night to study it for hours.