Late at night in Qixue Pavilion.
Liu Ruyan, dressed in a snow-white gown, reclined on a chaise lounge, reading a book.
When she came across the line, "Flowing water, falling flowers, spring has gone, between heaven and earth," tears streamed down her face.
Liu Ruyan closed her eyes, her pale lips trembling slightly as two clear tears fell. "In dreams, I forget I am but a guest, indulging in fleeting joy... Flowing water, falling flowers, spring has gone, between heaven and earth. In this endless night, my heart is already cold and desolate."
Xue Mei stood by, expressionless, her arms covered in swollen mosquito bites.
Those wretched mosquitoes! They never bit Liu Ruyan, only the maids who served her!
Liu Ruyan seemed to be talking to herself: "The deeper the love, the deeper the hurt. Shen Wei refuses to forgive Prince Yan. She and I are kindred spirits..."
Xue Mei slapped a mosquito on the back of her hand and spoke up: "Mistress, if you had opened the door to welcome Prince Yan back then and forgiven his mistake, he wouldn't have been so disappointed in you."
Liu Ruyan put down the book and shook her head mournfully. "Why must I forgive him? Just because he's a prince?"
Xue Mei thought to herself: Exactly, because he's a prince!
Prince Yan had already admitted his mistake and came to beg for forgiveness ten times—ten times!
Mistress, if you still refuse to see him, even the most devoted man would lose patience!
"Xue Mei, you don't understand me," Liu Ruyan sighed deeply, her breathtakingly beautiful face tinged with melancholy. "What I want isn't forgiveness. What I want is a harmonious marriage, a lifelong partnership with one person."
But alas, it was all just a fleeting dream.
Unable to attain it, she could only curl up alone in Qixue Pavilion, worn down by the relentless passage of time.
Xue Mei silently grumbled: The princess and Prince Yan are the real married couple. You're just a concubine—how can you and Prince Yan be considered husband and wife?
Besides, if you wanted "a lifelong partnership with one person," you shouldn't have married Prince Yan in the first place!
Seeking "a lifelong partnership with one person" in the royal family is as difficult as finding a man in the Land of Women—it's nearly impossible!
...
Under the moonlight, in the glazed pavilion, Shen Wei happily enjoyed a bowl of chilled brown sugar rice cake.
In the sweltering summer heat, a bowl of chilled rice cake was truly refreshing.
Cai Ping, who was serving her, said gloomily, "Mistress, Prince Yan has been turned away three times already. Shouldn't you meet him? If this drags on, it might not end well."
Prince Yan had come three times, but Shen Wei had refused to see him each time.
Cai Ping was worried.
After all, Prince Yan was a high and mighty lord. If Shen Wei kept rejecting him, she might face consequences.
Shen Wei put down the bowl of rice cake. "No need to rush. I have my plans."
Forgiving Prince Yan too easily would make him think Shen Wei was easy to control.
But refusing to forgive him indefinitely would only make him resentful. After all, Prince Yan was a man of great power and status, and Shen Wei, a lowly-born concubine, couldn't expect him to lower his noble head time and again.
So, the key was to strike the right balance.
After a while, Cai Lian entered the room carrying a set of eunuch's robes. "Mistress, the clothes you asked me to find are here."
Shen Wei stood up and touched the dark blue eunuch's robe. "Is Prince Yan in his study tonight?"
Cai Lian nodded. "Steward Fu Gui himself said so. It can't be wrong."
Shen Wei's rosy lips curled into a smile as she changed into the eunuch's clothes. She rubbed her slender waist—tonight, her waist would have to work hard again...
...
In Prince Yan's study.
Prince Yan finished handling official business and rubbed his temples wearily. An ice basin in the study emitted a cool, refreshing chill.
Prince Yan was in a foul mood.
He wanted to see Shen Wei tonight, but there was a nine out of ten chance he'd be turned away again.
Prince Yan had once thought Shen Wei was a gentle and obedient woman. But now, he realized that the seemingly delicate and docile Shen Wei also had a stubborn side.
He didn't like women who were too submissive, nor did he like women who were too headstrong. But Shen Wei was both gentle and stubborn, which intrigued Prince Yan and made him adore her even more.
However, if Shen Wei continued to refuse to forgive him, Prince Yan would grow frustrated and disappointed.
As Prince Yan was lost in thought, the study door opened. A slender eunuch entered, head bowed, and respectfully placed a bowl of chilled rice cake on the desk.
The eunuch spoke in a hushed voice, "Your Highness, the chilled rice cake is here. Please try it."
The brown sugar rice cake was a summer treat Shen Wei had invented. Thanks to Zhang Miaoyu's enthusiastic promotion in the Fragrant Courtyard, it had become a staple summer dessert in the palace.
Prince Yan picked up the small porcelain bowl and quickly finished the rice cake. The eunuch nervously stepped forward to retrieve the bowl.
Perhaps intimidated by Prince Yan's imposing presence, the eunuch's hand trembled, and the bowl fell to the floor with a clatter.
The eunuch gasped, letting out a soft, distinctly feminine cry.
Prince Yan's ears perked up at the familiar sound.
His sharp gaze fell on the eunuch—the slender figure, the slight rise and fall of the chest under the robe. Though the eunuch kept his head down, Prince Yan could still see the fair, rounded chin.
Prince Yan suddenly smiled.
This clever little minx had disguised herself as a eunuch to sneak in and see him.
Prince Yan felt both touched and amused. He deliberately said in a slow, teasing tone, "Breaking a bowl? That deserves punishment."
The eunuch stiffened, unsure of what to do.
Prince Yan pulled Shen Wei into his arms. The eunuch's hat fell off, revealing Shen Wei's delicate, beautiful face. Her wide eyes stared up at him in surprise, as if she hadn't expected to be caught.
Her dazed, bewildered expression was utterly adorable.
Prince Yan chuckled, his warm breath brushing against Shen Wei's ear. "I'll punish you, little eunuch, by having you serve me tonight."
Shen Wei's ears turned red.
She pouted angrily. "I only came to see you because I missed you. I won't serve you tonight!"
Prince Yan, delighted by her blushing, shy demeanor, replied, "Whether you serve me or not isn't up to you. I'll apologize to you through actions, my dear Weiwei."
The study was spacious, with a bed for resting.
Shen Wei was still wearing the thin eunuch's robe, her hair tied up in a masculine style, making her look like a delicate young scholar. Prince Yan found this disguise incredibly alluring, adding a new layer of excitement.
He scooped Shen Wei up and carried her to the corner of the bed.
The ice basin in the study emitted a cool chill, but it couldn't dispel the heat that filled the room.
At first, Shen Wei struggled fiercely.
But the more she struggled, the more Prince Yan's desire grew.
The women who had served Prince Yan before were either too rigid or too obedient in bed. Today, Shen Wei's rare defiance only fueled Prince Yan's appetite, making the experience all the more thrilling.
They made love passionately in the study until late into the night. By the end, Shen Wei's voice was hoarse, and she was barely conscious as Prince Yan carried her out of the study and back to her quarters in the glazed pavilion.
Fu Gui led a group of maids to clean up the mess in the study.
The room was in complete disarray—clothes scattered on the floor, books strewn across the carpet. The bed was a mess, the desk was dirty, the pillars were smudged, and the carpet was stained. It was clear that the battle had been intense.
Fu Gui clicked his tongue in amazement. Mistress Shen seemed delicate, but she could handle the formidable Prince Yan. Truly remarkable.
With her strong constitution and clever ways of winning favor, this extraordinary woman was destined to become the apple of Prince Yan's eye.
...
