Volume One, Chapter 14: Abstained for Two Days

Upon seeing the Crown Prince suddenly enter, Yun Yuying knelt to the ground, too afraid to speak.

“It’s me. I wanted her to prepare a contraceptive soup. She said she needed the Prince’s order,” Lin Qingwan quickly explained, fearing that Chu Linyuan might be angry with the healer.

Hearing this, Chu Linyuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The healer was quite clever; she hadn’t told Lin Qingwan that he had already added contraceptive medicine to her concoction.

“Follow Qingwan’s instructions from now on. Whatever she says, just do it.”

“Yes.”

Yun Yuying knelt with her head lowered, her heart deeply shocked. It seemed Miss Lin was truly destined to soar like a phoenix. He should advise General Mo to give up early.

“How is Qingwan’s injury?”

“Miss Lin’s injury is no longer serious.”

Chu Linyuan approached Lin Qingwan, pulled her close into his arms, and smiled lightly. “And the matter of intimacy?”

“If Miss Lin cooperates, she won’t get hurt.”

Yun Yuying didn’t know what to say. Saying no would be disrespectful to the Prince. Saying yes, if Miss Lin didn’t cooperate and got hurt again, her own head might be on the line. But if she cooperated, there would be no injury.

Chu Linyuan waved his hand and embraced Lin Qingwan, inhaling the scent of her neck.

“Wan’er, the healer says if you cooperate, you won’t get hurt. I think—”

Lin Qingwan pinched Chu Linyuan’s waist softly and whispered, “Don’t. There are others in the room. Have them leave first.”

“All of you, leave.”

“Yes.”

After the healer and maidservants left, Chu Linyuan drew close to Lin Qingwan. “Is it possible, Wan’er?”

He lifted her robe slightly and placed her hand on his abdomen.

Skin against skin, feeling her soft hand, Chu Linyuan’s breathing deepened, his eyes glinting with desire as he looked at her.

“If Wan’er takes the initiative in the future, then I can do whatever I want with you. I won’t resist, won’t refuse, and won’t fear getting hurt.”

Her hand resting on his abdomen felt like it was on a stove; she wanted to pull away, but he held her hand firmly.

“No. Mother is coming tomorrow. Rest today first. If you want, it must wait until after she leaves—”

Everything now felt like a beautiful dream. She dared not believe it, but she craved his unique affection.

Why not try once more?

Perhaps fate had given her a chance to be loved again through rebirth.

As long as she kept her eyes on him, preventing him from meeting someone like Ling Ruoxue in the previous life, could they stay like this forever?

“Wan’er means after seeing Lady Lin tomorrow, it will be all right, yes?”

Lin Qingwan turned her face aside, feeling her cheeks flush again. How could she speak such things out loud?

Did he understand her so well that she had to be so straightforward?

Sighing, she truly could not resist his kindness and took the initiative to embrace him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Prince, are you really the Prince? Am I not dreaming right now?”

How could the Prince love me? How could he treat me so well? Even if it is a dream, let me dream a little longer.

“It’s certainly not a dream. Wan’er, you don’t know how much I like you. From the very first day I saw you—”

Listening to him recount their first meeting in gentle tones, leaning against him, fatigue overwhelmed her, and she closed her eyes, drifting into sleep.

---

“Sleeping?” Chu Linyuan scoffed.

He carefully lifted the sleeping woman onto the bed, looking at her peaceful face, then gently stroked her cheek.

He had thought she was a chaste and resolute woman but never imagined she would succumb to him so easily. He had overestimated her strength.

He removed his robe, pulled back the covers, and lay beside her, pulling her into his arms.

The woman, half-awake, stirred from his heated touch.

“Prince, you—”

Seeing Lin Qingwan’s flushed cheeks, Chu Linyuan lightly kissed her lips.

“I don’t want to wake you, but my body burns whenever I’m close to you. Wan’er, I’ve fasted for two days. Just once, please?”

Seeing her eyes half-closed, neither fully awake nor refusing, Chu Linyuan bent down and kissed her again.

...

When Lin Qingwan opened her eyes again, daylight flooded outside. She sighed softly.

“Miss, you’re awake? You don’t know how gentle the Prince was with you last night.”

The maid, Lianqiao, blushed as she looked at Lin Qingwan.

It was the first time she had seen the Prince attend to a woman, even helping to clean her after their intimacy.

Usually, it was the women who shared the bed that served the Prince; this was a first, and Lianqiao looked at Lin Qingwan with even more admiration.

Why didn’t she think the man was gentle?

He kept saying “enough, enough, stop,” but never really stopped...

“Did my mother say when she’d come today?”

The maid helped Lin Qingwan dress while sharing what she had overheard.

“The Prince said two ladies would come around noon, and he would have finished court by then and planned to accompany you.”

Why would he want to see her mother?

Dressed and seated by the bronze mirror, she frowned at the red marks on her neck.

Why was he always like this? Such obvious marks—what if her mother saw them?

“Wan’er, are you inside?”

Lin Feiran, brought by Ji Qingmei’s maid, shouted loudly at the courtyard entrance.

“Sister, why didn’t the Crown Prince’s concubine meet us? She just had the maid bring us here. Could it be that Wan’er offended her?”

Lin Feiran nervously clutched her handkerchief. This was her first time in the capital and she didn’t know how to mingle with the nobility.

Madam Mo patted Lady Lin’s hand and asked the guard at the door, “Is Wan’er inside?”

The guard exchanged a glance with another and did not answer, blocking the two women from entering.

The Prince’s orders forbade anyone from visiting, and though these two seemed to know the girl inside, without his permission, they could not be allowed in.

“Did someone call for me? Please check for me.”

Though the voice was soft, Lin Qingwan seemed to hear her mother’s voice.

“Yes.”

The maid saluted and stepped back.

Seeing the two outside, she hurried forward.

“Greetings, General’s Lady.”

“No need for formalities.”

Looking up at the noblewoman beside the General’s Lady, who bore some resemblance to Miss Lin, the maid said, “Is this Lady Lin your mother? Your arrival will surely make the girl happy; I will inform her immediately.”

Lin Feiran gripped the maid’s wrist, worry apparent on her face. “Is Wan’er all right?”

The maid smiled. “Miss is very fortunate. You can look forward to a happy future.”

With that, she ran back inside.

“Miss, your mother, Lady Lin, has arrived.”

“Already at the door, but the Prince forbade outsiders from entering, so your mother and Madam Mo can only wait outside.”

Upon hearing her mother’s arrival, Lin Qingwan lifted her skirt and rushed out, no longer worrying about the red marks on her neck.

“Mother.”

Seeing her mother and Madam Mo standing at the gate, Lin Qingwan ran into her mother’s embrace.

“Wan’er, my good daughter. Are you all right?”

Lady Lin’s eyes filled with tears. She had been terrified when her daughter was taken to the Eastern Palace without word.

“Mother, I’m fine.”

She spun around once so her mother could see she was unharmed.

Staring at the marks on Lin Qingwan’s neck, Lady Lin’s worry deepened.

“You and the Prince have been intimate. If things were good, why hasn’t he given you a title?”

Thinking of her daughter’s plight—losing her virginity before marriage and remaining nameless in the Eastern Palace—tears streamed down her cheeks.

“It’s my fault,”

Chu Linyuan arrived at the door, nodding to the crying Lady Lin and standing beside Lin Qingwan.

“Greetings, Crown Prince.”

Madam Mo and Lady Lin bowed to the Prince.

Chu Linyuan slightly turned aside, offering a respectful gesture.

“No need for formalities, ladies. As Wan’er’s elders, you are also mine.”

“I want to secure the position of Crown Princess for Wan’er, but this will take some effort. It may require her to endure some hardship for a while.”

“That cannot be allowed, not allowed.”

Lady Lin was startled by the Prince’s warmth.

This was not what she had expected.

Wasn’t the Crown Prince supposed to be aloof and distant? How could he be so affable toward her?

Hearing the Prince defend Lin Qingwan so ardently, Madam Mo was resolute to send her son to the frontier soon.

Even if Qingwan did not become Crown Princess, she was certain to be a consort, a fate Madam Mo’s son could never hope for.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

What Crown Princess position?

Her earlier mention of that was only to reject him.

She knew her place—how could he possibly choose her as Crown Princess?