Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Can she watch this for free?
Translator: 549690339
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"Here."
Eunuch Liu stepped forward a few paces, picked up the wine jug, and filled the empty cup in front of Lady Xu, then stepped back to wait.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lady Xu lifted her cup with joy and took a sip. It seemed the Crown Prince wanted to invite her to share a drink, and her dissatisfaction from earlier eased considerably.
Xiao Jinyan's appetite wasn't usually good, but he ate an extra bowl of rice tonight because the Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes was very appetizing.
He put down his chopsticks, and a Palace Maid handed him a damp towel. He elegantly wiped the corners of his mouth, his gaze falling on Shen Chuwei, who was still bent over eating venison.
She hadn't stopped eating since she sat down.
Upon seeing this, Lady Xu also put down her chopsticks, and likewise, a Palace Maid presented her with a damp towel.
Chuwei didn't notice that the Crown Prince had finished eating and continued to focus on her meat.
Chun Xi, seeing this, scratched her young mistress's arm.
Chuwei looked up and saw Xiao Jinyan wiping his hands with a towel. Silently, she put down her chopsticks and began to clean her mouth and hands with the towel handed to her by a Palace Maid.
At that moment, Xuetuan, having eaten its fill, meowed at Chuwei.
Lady Xu watched with satisfaction, thinking that even the Crown Prince's favorite pet disliked her.
After meowing, Xuetuan pounced towards Chuwei, startling Lady Xu into stepping back two paces.
Chuwei saw Xuetuan approaching and instinctively opened her arms to catch him, unable to resist stroking him a few times, while Xuetuan closed its eyes in pleasure.
She stole a glance at Xiao Jinyan, who was sipping the tea newly brewed by Eunuch Liu.
She thought, since dinner was over, could she be excused?
She couldn't just stand around and watch the unseemly activities that were to follow... Er, she was still young and shouldn't watch them, not even for free.
Xiao Jinyan paused his tea drinking and looked up at Chuwei with puzzlement sparkling in his eyes. Was his mind-reading ability working on Chuwei again?
Unseemly activities?
What was she thinking about?
Lady Xu found Chuwei particularly irritating at the moment. She looked at Xuetuan in Chuwei's arms, hoping it would tear her dress or even better, scratch that beautiful face of hers, to see how she would vie for favor then.
The usually lazy Xuetuan suddenly arched its back and pounced at Lady Xu with claws bared, tearing several slashes in her pretty dress.
Lady Xu, terrified, screamed and fell to the ground.
Xuetuan's deep blue eyes glared at her fiercely, showing its sharp teeth in a threatening hiss: "Meow!"
Lady Xu turned pale with fear, her limbs trembling and weak. She wanted to run away, but her body wouldn't cooperate.
Xiao Jinyan waited a moment before speaking in a cold voice, "Xuetuan."
Xuetuan turned its head toward Xiao Jinyan and meowed innocently.
Then it walked elegantly to its little nest, as docile as could be.
With the help of a Palace Maid, Lady Xu stood up. After the shock, her clothes were disheveled, and her hair was in disarray.
When Xiao Jinyan's gaze fell on Lady Xu, his phoenix eyes were cold and distant: "Lady Xu has been frightened, Eunuch Liu, take her back, and have the Imperial Doctor see her."
"Understood." Eunuch Liu led a young Eunuch to escort Lady Xu back to Yixiang Hall.
Lady Xu was indeed scared, but even more, she was resentful. She had finally got the chance to attend the bedchamber, and it was all ruined by a cat.
Why did the Crown Prince have to keep a cat of all things?
One would think it was a tiger, as fierce as it was.
After Lady Xu left, only Xiao Jinyan and Shen Chuwei remained in the room.
The Crown Prince didn't speak, and Chuwei didn't dare to leave. She just stood quietly, waiting for His Highness to say something.
Xiao Jinyan thought about the words spoken by the Empress earlier that day. He looked at Chuwei, his eyes enigmatic: "It's time to rest."
Chuwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief and bowed: "Concubine takes her leave."
Xiao Jinyan was unsure whether she really didn't understand or was feigning ignorance because his mind-reading was failing again.
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"Remove my clothes," Xiao Jinyan's voice was clear and cold, betraying neither joy nor anger.
Shen Chuwei paused in her steps, could it be, could it be? Was this the prelude to serving His Highness in his chambers?
For the sake of a meal, she'd delivered herself to Xiao Jinyan's bed, probably a first in history.
Was this a loss or a gain?
She had no choice but to return, approaching Xiao Jinyan with her head bowed, reaching out to untie his waistband and belt, stripping off the plain long robe.
She'd never undressed a man before, and now here she was, not only undressing one but the Crown Prince at that.
Her eyes blinked nervously, sweating starting to seep from her palms.
Xiao Jinyan watched her from above, at this angle he could only see her long eyebrows fluttering like wings under the light, and her pert nose, reflecting a gleam.
Shen Chuwei lifted her head, reaching his collar with both hands, she tugged and it didn't come undone. She frowned—was it because she wasn't using enough force?
Xiao Jinyan kindly reminded her, "The sash hasn't been untied."
Shen Chuwei looked down upon hearing this, indeed the sash hadn't been untied. As expected, she made such a low-level mistake when nervous.
After undressing, Xiao Jinyan raised his eyes again to Shen Chuwei, who was standing motionless, he chuckled lightly, "Not undressing yourself, are you expecting me to assist you?"
Shen Chuwei quickly shook her head, "How dare I trouble Your Highness, I shall manage on my own."
She thought to herself, it's over...
She undressed leisurely, it was already September and she wasn't wearing much anyway.
Shen Chuwei pulled back the quilt and slid in, her heart pounding like a little deer on the loose, clutching the thin quilt tightly.
No sooner had Xiao Jinyan lain down than she began in a low voice, "Your Highness, I haven't 'bloomed' yet—"
Xiao Jinyan turned to his side, propping his forehead with one hand as he looked at Shen Chuwei lying beside him. Her clear, bright eyes were unblinkingly fixed on him, her cheeks tinged with a twin blush, making her look both charming and tempting.
His breath grew heavier, his throat moving up and down.
Shen Chuwei couldn't stand being stared at by those glittering phoenix eyes and subconsciously lowered her gaze to her hands.
Xiao Jinyan calmly reached out, pinching her chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet those shimmering phoenix eyes again, her heart pounding fiercely.
Inside, she wailed, how could she endure being stared at by such a handsome man!
"If I remember correctly, you've already come of age," he said.
"Even having come of age doesn't mean my body is fully developed, how about Your Highness waits a few more years?" She negotiated, hoping that in a few years he would just forget about her, and she could apply to leave the palace—
Xiao Jinyan looked down at her, seeing nothing through the thin quilt, he simply flipped it open. The person on the bed was wearing very little, a light pink bellyband faintly visible underneath.
That layer of gauze might as well have been nothing, adding instead a hazy sense of beauty.
He snorted softly, "Just this?"
Shen Chuwei defensively pulled the quilt back, retorting, "Concubine, that's just because I haven't 'bloomed' yet."
Xiao Jinyan let out a low chuckle then composed himself again.
"You are my lady, I will decide when we share the bed."
Shen Chuwei felt somewhat helpless, knowing of course that she was a concubine of the Crown Prince and if he truly demanded her service, she as a meek woman could never refuse.
Otherwise, would she be lying here so obediently, waiting to be devoured?
If that were the case, she'd have run away long ago—
Xiao Jinyan observed her for a good while, watching her fair little face turn from rosy to deep red, reminiscent of strawberries he'd tasted recently, very sweet.
It was unclear whether it was a test of her or if he was simply in a teasing mood, he asked, "Didn't your etiquette teacher teach you how to attend to me?"
How could Shen Chuwei dare say she remembered it very clearly?
To say so wouldn't that mean she'd have to demonstrate it in practice?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone