Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C081

Others might not have known the potency of that deer blood wine, but Fusheng certainly did.

He was worried and did not leave after withdrawing. Seeing this, Linglong could only accompany him, guarding outside the hall.

As expected, before long, there was movement from within, and the commotion did not cease. At first, it seemed normal, but gradually it became increasingly abnormal. Hearing the Princess Consort's weeping, Linglong could not help but grow anxious.

It wasn't as if she had never kept watch outside overnight, but never had there been such a commotion.

"Chamberlain Fu, look…"

Fusheng was no better off than Linglong, and he considered his words carefully, saying, "We cannot intrude, nor can we disturb. His Highness would be enraged."

"But the Princess Consort's voice is already hoarse…"

Linglong's face flushed red, and after a long while, she squeezed out this sentence.

"That deer blood wine is already a highly nourishing substance, and so many precious medicinal herbs were added to it. A bowl would be enough for an ordinary person, but Prince Qin provoked His Highness into drinking three bowls. Since things have come to this, we can only wait and see. His Highness has not summoned anyone, and we must not speak out of turn, unless we no longer wish to live."

Moreover, Fusheng had another layer of worry in his heart, but he could not bring himself to tell Linglong. Therefore, he knew that this could not be disturbed, nor could it be intruded upon.

Inside the inner hall, Mei Wushuang could not restrain her trembling, her entire being as if she had been fished out of water.

Prince Wei saw that in his anger, he had truly tormented her terribly, but the fire within him had not yet subsided. He went into the bathing chamber himself and doused himself with cold water. Although he rinsed himself, the heat did not dissipate, but it was much better than before.

Upon returning, seeing her still lying there, he wanted to carry her to bathe, but before he could even get close, his blood surged and stirred restlessly, making him utterly disheveled. He could only call for someone to come in and serve her.

Linglong entered with her head lowered, her eyes fixed on the area directly in front of her, not daring to look anywhere else. Only when she arrived at the bedside and lifted the bed curtains did she see Wushuang inside the blankets.

"Princess Consort, shall this servant assist you in bathing?"

At this time, Wushuang had calmed down somewhat, but she truly could not move. Fortunately, Linglong had martial arts skills and great strength, and she half-supported, half-carried her into the bathing chamber.

Hot water had already been prepared, and Wushuang entered the bath barrel, utterly exhausted.

As Linglong scooped water to help her wash, she said in a low voice, "His Highness is a bit too..."

She did not finish her sentence, but Wushuang understood her meaning. Linglong had been by her side for two lifetimes, and she knew best what should and should not be said. For her to say such a thing meant that she truly felt sorry for her.

She lowered her head and could see the red marks on her body, truly lewd and unbearable. She silently hid herself in the water, her heart filled with complexity and utter exhaustion.

After a while, she said, "Actually... actually, he didn't want to either. It was all Prince Qin..."

Hearing this, Linglong's heart also relaxed. She had been afraid that the Princess Consort would suffer and then harbor resentment towards His Highness, and that the two of them would then have a falling out.

She tried to make her voice lighter, saying, "After you bathe, this servant will help the Princess Consort apply some medicine, and then you can have a good sleep."

But Wushuang knew that things were not so simple. She knew that Prince Wei had gone to the bathing chamber to rinse himself with cold water, but she had no energy to think about it now.

After washing herself clean and soaking for a while, Wushuang got out of the bath barrel.

She dried herself, changed into clean undergarments, and went outside with Linglong's support.

On the bed, the bedding had all been changed anew. She did not know who had come in to change it. Wushuang was now drowsy and could not bear to think about the messy state of the bed. Naturally, she could not bother with feeling ashamed. With Linglong's help, she drank some water and then buried herself deeply in the blankets.

Afterwards, all the serving people withdrew, and another body appeared behind her, both icy and scalding.

She couldn't help but shrink and tremble slightly, a lingering echo of the intense passion from before.

He said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid, this Prince will not touch you again."

Even as she told herself this, with a burning man lying beside her, how could Mei Wushuang possibly fall asleep?

Though clearly exhausted, sleep eluded her grasp.

It was Prince Wei's fault for being so restless. Even with a distance between them, she could feel the heat radiating from him, growing ever more intense, his heavy breathing, his uneasy agitation… until he rose to go to the bathing chamber. After a while, he returned, having doused himself with cold water. The heat had indeed subsided, yet it was like ice concealing a fire, and it could not be sustained for long.

After enduring such torment three times, even Wushuang, who wished to feign indifference, could no longer bear it.

In such cold weather, what if he caught a chill from rinsing himself with cold water? What if a cold entered his body? Especially with the injuries he still carried.

She knew she shouldn't, yet she couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness and heartache. She recalled how she had wept and begged him, yet he had shown her no mercy. She remembered him saying, with reddened eyes, that he had meticulously considered everything for her sake, yet she favored one over the other. She could not answer those accusations, nor could she voice them, so she remained silent, and he grew all the more resentful.

As he rose once more to wash himself with cold water, Wushuang reached out and grasped his hand.

Prince Wei's gaze was obscure, his jaw tightly clenched, his expression resolute.

"What are you doing? This Prince has said I will not touch you again."

For a fleeting moment, Wushuang even considered shaking off his hand, but after a moment's thought, she softened her tone and said, "Your Highness, if you continue to wash yourself with cold water like this, what if you catch a cold? It is such a cold night."

"For now, this is the only way."

Wushuang suppressed her shyness, not daring to look at him, and said, "Your Highness could perhaps try other methods; it doesn't necessarily have to be cold water."

"What methods?"

Her gaze shifted and flickered, clearly embarrassed to speak of it: "It's just… it's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just that Your Highness could try… your… uh… with your hand…"

"Wouldn't that be self-gratification?" Well, what Wushuang was stammering and too embarrassed to say, he stated without hesitation. "This Prince is a member of the Imperial Family; how could I engage in self-gratification!"

Indeed, as a prince, after experiencing his first emission, the palace would arrange for palace women to teach him about carnal matters, and he would never lack for concubines. Prince Wei's circumstances were different from others, which was why he had no concubines by his side. In truth, even Wushuang could not imagine Prince Wei engaging in self-gratification.

But weren't these circumstances different from the norm?

"Rest assured, this Prince has said I will not touch you again tonight."

Wushuang did not notice the "tonight" in his words, only thinking that Prince Wei was refraining from touching her because he was worried about exhausting her, which was why he was enduring the cold water again and again.

She was Prince Wei's Princess Consort, and the only person by his side who could serve him, yet she had allowed him to fall into such a wretched state. She also thought of the assassination attempt Mei Wuxia had spoken of, and how this place, though seemingly peaceful, was actually fraught with danger. She thought of what would happen if he truly fell ill, how others would seize the opportunity to exploit his weakness… and so, suppressing her shyness, she said, "This concubine can help Your Highness…"

"But this Prince has said I will not touch you again tonight."

Wushuang lowered her head, only hearing Prince Wei's righteous and stern voice, not seeing the profound gaze that was fixed upon her, unmoving.

She was only preoccupied with her embarrassment and shame, and cried out in a low voice, "Not that kind of method."

Wushuang had never been so ashamed in all her life. As soon as she cried out, she regretted it and shrank back into the blankets, wanting to hide herself.

But alas, she could not hide, and was pulled out.

The man who had just been so outwardly proper now whispered, "What method?"

Afterwards, Wushuang experienced an unspeakable torment, truly beyond words.

It was not until the outside was already bright with dawn that she finally fell into a deep sleep.

When she awoke again, she couldn't tell what time it was. The winter light was cold and dim, and generally, the inner chambers were always lit.

She lowered her head and looked at herself. Her clothes had been put on for her. She tried to sit up, and apart from some soreness in her body, there was nothing else amiss.

She lifted the bed curtains and called out, "Linglong." Raising her eyes, she saw Prince Wei sitting on a low couch on the other side.

Why was it Prince Wei?

Because his clothes were neat and tidy, and he was sitting on the low couch. That place was temporarily being used by Prince Wei as his office, and Ji Yang would never sit there.

Seeing him, Wushuang's face alternated between green and white. The help she had offered later last night had completely changed the nature of the matter. To help him, she had used almost all her strength, which was useful but limited. In the end, he had broken his promise and touched her.

Although it wasn't as intense as it had been at the beginning, it was precisely this that made it unbearable.

Just thinking about what happened in the latter half of the night, Wushuang couldn't stop her face from burning with shame.

But she couldn't say that he had forced himself on her. Even if he had forced her a little at the beginning, she had willingly helped him later.

No, she hadn't been willing. She was only acting for the sake of the bigger picture.

Yes, that was exactly right.

But she really didn't have the courage to look at him. As soon as she saw him, Wushuang would remember everything from last night, remember his panting in her ear, all the things she had done out of pity for him, remember how she had been worn down to the point of near collapse, crying and begging him… Wushuang carefully and cautiously shrank back, unaware that her movements had long been noticed.

"You're awake?"

Wushuang, who was just about to hide under the covers, froze on the spot.

Before she could figure out how to deal with him, he had already walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you still uncomfortable? After you fell asleep, I cleaned you up and applied medicine. Does it still hurt?" His voice was low and his tone intimate. As he spoke, he used his hand to lift her loose hair and looked at her neck.

Wushuang instinctively wanted to shrink her neck from his gaze, but she forced herself to endure it. She touched it with her hand. She had a slight impression that there was a very painful spot on her neck before, but although she couldn't see what it looked like now, it didn't hurt anymore.

He pinched the fingers of her hand that was reaching up, "Don't touch it. I applied medicine there."

Wushuang obediently retracted her hand.

She kept her eyes lowered, not daring to look at him. Seeing that he didn't speak and seemed to be looking down at her, Wushuang couldn't control her face from heating up. Feeling uneasy, she tried to make conversation, "Has Your Highness not gone out today?"

Prince Wei gently smoothed her collar with his fingers and said, "It's snowing outside."

Did that mean that he wasn't going out because it was snowing?

"The snow is heavy. It just stopped a moment ago. If you want to go out and see the snow, you'll have to wait until after you've had your meal."

"What time is it now?"

"Just past noon."

So that meant she had slept until noon before getting up? Fortunately, it was snowing, so it didn't seem like she was lazy and greedy for sleep.

***

Wushuang put on a comfortable set of casual clothes, and by the time she had finished washing up, lunch had already been delivered.

They didn't go outside, but ate in the inner chamber.

She was indeed hungry and ate a lot. Prince Wei also ate more than usual. The two of them got along as if nothing had changed, as if everything last night had been a dream.

After the meal, Prince Wei asked her if she wanted to go out and see the snow.

Wushuang now felt a certain apprehension being alone with him in the same room. And whether it was the heat in the hall or something else, she felt her cheeks burning and her mind clouded. Wishing to go out and collect herself, she voiced her intention. Afterwards, she changed into a cloak and stepped out of Yuxiang Pavilion with Prince Wei.

As soon as they exited, a scene of silver-clad beauty unfolded before them. The snow had yet to cease, swirling and scattering snowflakes. The snow on the ground was thick, and perhaps due to the limited number of palace staff, it was difficult to clear. In the distance, only a few paths had been cleared in the snow, resembling a checkerboard, while the rest of the area remained enveloped in pristine white.

The two of them, one in a sable cloak and the other in a cape, were shielded from the snow by Prince Wei, who held a oiled-paper umbrella. Fusheng and Linglong followed at a respectful distance behind.

"With such heavy snow, won't it affect the winter hunt?"

"The princes' performance on the first day is the main event. As for the days that follow, it's merely to observe the performance of the various families' sons in the capital. Snow has its own way; once it stops, there will still be those who venture out."

Wushuang recounted the matter of Mei Wuxia delivering the letter.

Prince Wei did not seem surprised upon hearing this. Clearly, during Wushuang's slumber, he had been quite busy, likely informed by Fusheng.

"Plans rarely keep up with changes. There have been too many variables these past few days. Prince Qin may have other plans. The information she provided is of limited value," Prince Wei said slowly. "You need not worry; this Prince will take precautions. As for Mei Wuxia herself—"

He paused for a moment. "She can be used, but not approached closely. You need not concern yourself with this matter; I will have someone contact her separately."

Wushuang responded with a sound of agreement.

She seemed somewhat absent-minded, occasionally gazing blankly at the snow on the ground and the trees. Prince Wei appeared not to notice, continuing to hold the umbrella and walk slowly with her.

Occasionally, when the ground was uneven, Prince Wei would support her or put his arm around her to avoid it. The refreshing coolness entered her heart and lungs with each breath. Wushuang felt herself becoming increasingly clear-headed, and she knew that a certain question had to be faced.

"Your Highness."

He stopped and looked at her.

"What Your Highness said last night, that he wouldn't know... is it true?"