chapter 5

I became the Consort of the Crown Prince Grandson.

That night, Aunt Yuchun washed me clean, dressed me up beautifully and fragrantly, and sent me to the Crown Prince Grandson’s bedchamber.

The Crown Prince Grandson truly kept his promise. There were six kinds of pastries on the table, plates piled high with longevity nuts, dates, and longan.

Oh, and a pot of wine, as well as a large red wedding candle burning brightly.

When the Crown Prince Grandson pushed open the door, I was stuffing my mouth full, patting my bulging cheeks, grinning foolishly.

He raised an eyebrow, a glimmer in his eyes, and came forward to sit at the table, pulling me into his arms.

His palm caressed my face, and he teased, “Where did this little mouse come from, stealing food again?”

I glared at him, swallowed what was in my mouth, and said seriously, “I’m not a mouse, and I’m not stealing. Aunt Yuchun said all of these are mine.”

“Mm, they’re all yours. Are they tasty?”

“Delicious.”

“Let me have a taste.”

I sat on the Crown Prince Grandson’s lap. Hearing this, I reached for the pastries on the table, but he caught my hand. In the glow of the red candle, he looked at me, his eyes full of laughter.

A little surprised, I hesitated, “Do you want to taste what’s on Ah Wen’s lips?”

“Yes.”

“But I already finished eating, I swallowed it all.”

With that, I opened my mouth to show him.

The Crown Prince Grandson laughed again. He seemed especially happy tonight, the corners of his lips never falling.

“Did Ah Wen put on lip balm?” His voice was gentle.

I nodded quickly, annoyed, “Yes, yes, Aunt Yuchun helped me put it on. She said to let the Crown Prince Grandson see, but I ate it all.”

“No, there’s still some on your lips. Ah Wen is so good, you saved some for me.”

His voice was low, his thumb brushing over my lips, his gaze deep and flowing.

My eyes turned, as if I realized something: “Does the Crown Prince Grandson want to taste Ah Wen’s lip balm?”

“I do. Will Ah Wen let me?”

“Mm-hmm, of course.”

I nodded solemnly, then stared at his rosy lips and leaned in to kiss him.

But the Crown Prince Grandson pinched my cheeks with two fingers, turning my face toward the table.

The table was full of fruits and pastries, the red candle burning, and a pot of jade-like wine.

The Crown Prince Grandson poured a cup and brought it to my lips: “You’ve eaten all the pastries, how can you not drink the wine? Be good, Ah Wen, open your mouth.”

His voice was coaxing. The jade cup came close, and I instinctively opened my mouth.

It was the first time I’d ever drunk wine. As soon as I swallowed, I regretted it. It was so spicy that my little face scrunched up, and I kept blowing air.

“Spicy…”

Before I finished speaking, the Crown Prince Grandson kissed my lips.

Maybe it was the wine, but I suddenly felt hot.

In my dazed confusion, I vaguely remembered Aunt Yuchun saying that the wine on the table was Nuptial Wine, meant for two people to drink together.

“Crown Prince Grandson, the wine…”

“I don’t need it.”

His warm breath fell on my neck, his voice hoarse: “Ah Wen, tonight, please bear with me.”

…………

In the 16th year of Jing Shou, Emperor Jing fell ill. After recovering, he entered the royal Daye Xuan Hall to fast and cultivate himself.

The Crown Prince’s Administration was abolished and replaced by the Crown Prince’s Celebration Office. The Crown Prince Grandson was promoted to Second Rank, and together with the Crown Prince, governed the country.

The court was turbulent. Anyone with eyes could see that the Emperor was delegating power to the Crown Prince, deliberately testing him.

The Crown Prince dared not slack off in the slightest. He burned the midnight oil, worked tirelessly, and simply moved into the Crown Prince’s Celebration Office.

During that period, the Crown Prince Grandson rarely came home.

I was quite at ease eating and drinking in Chonghua Palace. Aunt Yuchun joked that I had gained a lot of weight and would soon need new clothes tailored.

She also said my cheeks were rosy and I looked very healthy.

I thought about it and said seriously, “Because the Crown Prince Grandson isn’t here, I sleep well. Sleeping with him is too tiring. Every time, my legs are so weak in the morning that I can’t get up. Last time, he said he was exhausted from working at the Crown Prince’s Celebration Office for days and wanted to sleep early, but in the end, it was only when Ah Wen cried and begged that he stopped. He really wore me out…”

I was talking enthusiastically when Aunt Yuchun quickly covered my mouth: “My dear ancestor, don’t talk about such things outside.”

Emperor Jing returned from Daye Xuan Hall four months later.

The Crown Prince Grandson returned to Chonghua Palace, but the Crown Prince was still busy. The Emperor was very satisfied with his performance as regent and continued to entrust many matters to him.

But it was well known among some officials that within the Crown Prince’s Celebration Office, the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince Grandson often clashed over political views, father and son at odds, their relationship extremely strained.

The Crown Prince Grandson was exhausted. After returning, he summoned Uncle Chen Yan to the Study Room, his face dark, saying that Yu Huaizong, the Crown Prince’s advisor, was a cunning and sycophantic villain who could not be kept.

In recent years, the Crown Prince Grandson had established himself in court and gained some power, but assassinating an Eastern Palace advisor was extremely difficult, especially since that person was the Crown Prince’s confidant and rarely left his side.

The matter would require careful planning.

After Uncle left, the hall was unusually quiet. The Crown Prince Grandson rubbed his brow in exhaustion.

I peeked in from outside the hall and imitated a mouse-

“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”

He looked up, his expression instantly softening, sharp brows and eyes blooming with a smile.

“Ah Wen, come here.”

I walked over and sat in his lap, hooked my arms around his neck, and grinned at him: “Do I sound like one?”

“No, there are no mice in Chonghua Palace.”

“Hmph, then how about this?”

I crossed my eyes, bit my lower lip with my upper teeth, and showed my two front teeth.

“Now you do.”

The Crown Prince Grandson couldn’t help but laugh, pulling me closer by the waist, his warm breath brushing my ear as he whispered, “Did you miss me?”

I felt a little ticklish and pushed him away.

He raised his eyebrows, looking at me with dissatisfaction: “You didn’t?”

“I did! But every time I miss you, I want to eat something. Aunt Yuchun and the others laugh at me for getting fat. I’m afraid you’ll laugh at me too, so I try not to think about you, then I won’t crave snacks.”

I answered him seriously, but he frowned, displeased: “I like Ah Wen no matter what she looks like. There’s no need to worry about that.”

With that, his hand moved to my waist, adding, “Even if you get fatter, I can always carry you.”

I was instantly moved, pressing my face to his: “Crown Prince Grandson, Ah Wen likes you so much. You’re the best. Now I want to eat Braised Pork Knuckle.”
The Crown Prince Grandson laughed, stood up, and scooped me into his arms, pretending to carry me toward the inner chambers.

I asked in confusion, “Hey, aren’t you taking me to eat Braised Pork Knuckle?”

“We’ll eat, but I’m hungry too. I could have held out a bit longer, but when Ah Wen suddenly said she liked me so much, I felt even hungrier.”

……

After Emperor Jing returned from Daye Xuan Hall, the Crown Prince continued to oversee state affairs. With little to occupy him, he suddenly remembered to bestow two maidservants upon the Crown Prince Grandson.

Nominally maidservants, but each was exceptionally beautiful, with skin like creamy jade and features as lovely as peach blossoms.

The Crown Prince Grandson was young and full of vigor, and since Miss Yu had not yet finished her mourning period, many had tried to send women to him.

Others could be refused, but the Imperial Grandfather’s gifts could not be declined.

Yet, he never summoned them even once.

I asked him, puzzled, “They’re very pretty. Ah Wen saw them that day too. Doesn’t the Crown Prince Grandson like them?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh, the Crown Prince Grandson likes that sister from the Yu family.”

I made my own conclusion, biting my lip, my expression a little forlorn.

The Crown Prince Grandson put down his book at my words, chuckling, “Are you jealous?”

I replied unhappily, “I suddenly thought that the Yu family sister will be the Crown Prince Grandson Consort in the future. That means she’ll be like me, sleeping with the Crown Prince Grandson, being coaxed and held by him. Thinking about it makes me feel so sad. Crown Prince Grandson, is Ah Wen wrong to feel this way? Is it not right?”

“Silly girl.”

He laughed softly, patted my head, his eyes deep and dark: “I promise you, even if I marry that Miss Yu in the future, I will never like her the way I like Ah Wen.”

“But that’s not good. She’ll be so pitiful.”

“Pitiful? No, not at all. The Yu family needs a powerful ally. She is Yu Pingzhang’s legitimate daughter; she should understand why she’s marrying me. I can give her a foundation to stand on, but beyond that, she shouldn’t be too greedy.”

“But…”

“No buts, Ah Wen. I’ve told you, I never trust anyone. The world is full of people seeking profit. Except for you, I trust no other woman.”

Thinking it over, the reason he was willing to trust me was likely because I was a pure-hearted fool.

But at that time, the fool didn’t know. She only saw the Crown Prince Grandson’s indifferent eyes, reflecting her own image. Such a gaze was hard to withstand. The fool solemnly said, “Crown Prince Grandson, Ah Wen doesn’t trust any man except you.”

……

In the 16th year of Jing Shou, at the turn of the year, disaster struck without warning.

A large force of Imperial Guard sealed off the Eastern Palace, and also Chonghua Palace.

The Crown Prince Grandson was absent; chaos reigned. Aunt Yuchun said he had gone to see His Majesty.

The Emperor received a secret report: a Dragon Robe was hidden within the Eastern Palace.

Soon after, the Imperial Guard actually found one-a Nine Dragon Yellow Robe in the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.

The Crown Prince, entrusted with governing, was found to harbor treasonous intent.

As night fell, the Crown Prince Grandson returned and stayed alone in the Study Room for a long time.

When I went to find him, I pushed open the doors and saw him sitting on the floor, raising his head with a cold, indifferent look.

His sharply defined face was half-hidden in the dim light, fierce brows and a cold jawline forming a distinct arc-half shrouded in darkness, half illuminated by a faint glow.

His strikingly handsome face was cold as frost.

He looked up at me, expressionless.

I walked over, knelt before him, and asked softly, “Crown Prince Grandson, are you hungry?”

He stared at me, his eyes icy and devoid of warmth, finally letting out a cold laugh: “Ah Wen, I have lost.”

Those who reach the heights suffer eternal loneliness.

He had prepared for this, enduring schemes and betrayal, surviving countless dangers, finally gaining a foothold-only to be dragged into the abyss.

Emperor Jing did not see him.

The Imperial Grandfather who had favored him was, first and foremost, an emperor.

An emperor in his sixties had his own suspicions, doubts, and vigilance.

Anyone who coveted his throne would taste the ruthlessness of the royal family.

Anyone.

The Crown Prince Grandson burst out laughing-cold, wild, resentful, and finally, despairing.

“To think I lost to such a fool. My fate is tied to his, our honor and disgrace intertwined. I paved the way for him at every turn, but in the end, my father is as foolish as a deer or a pig…”

I was a little afraid of the Crown Prince Grandson in such a desperate state.

I grabbed his hand and placed it on my belly-

“Crown Prince Grandson, you haven’t lost. Ah Wen has your child in her belly.”

Four months pregnant, my belly wasn’t showing yet. The Crown Prince Grandson’s expression softened for a moment, then quickly turned even gloomier.

“I have failed him.”

……

That night, Chonghua Palace caught fire.

Because the Emperor ordered a lockdown, forbidding anyone to enter or leave, the fire grew fiercer and brighter, lighting up the night like day.

It was the Crown Prince Grandson who set the fire.

I knew he was waiting for a chance.

If someone came to put out the fire, it meant his Imperial Grandfather was still willing to give him a chance.

Unfortunately, no one came.

Amidst the raging inferno, the Crown Prince Grandson picked up a sword and began killing in the palace-a burning hell shrouded in screams.

Palace maids and attendants fell one after another.

The Crown Prince Grandson was like a demon from hell, ruthless and merciless, blood splattering his eyes, yet he didn’t even blink.

I covered my ears and screamed, crouching on the ground, my body trembling.

I still remembered Aunt Yuchun saying that once the Emperor abandoned the Crown Prince Grandson, no one would leave Chonghua Palace alive.

The ending was already set; I just hadn’t expected it would be the Crown Prince Grandson who killed them all.

In my terror, my arm was suddenly grabbed.

The Crown Prince Grandson’s face was illuminated by the fire-strikingly beautiful, yet cruel.

He held a sword in one hand and dragged me with the other, resolutely walking into the burning bedchamber.

The blazing fire reflected in my eyes, scorching hot, the sound of flames licking at my ears. I clung to his waist, sobbing in his arms-

“Crown Prince Grandson! Crown Prince Grandson!

“I don’t want to die! You repay kindness with betrayal!”

“Hm?”

His expression softened a little. He lowered his eyes to look at me, stroked my face, his gaze deep: “Silly girl, you are my only woman. Wherever I am, you must be there too.”