He turned and ran away.
Chu Yao reacted quickly, pulling her back in one swift motion and pressing her against the four-panel sandalwood carved screen: "I prefer a different kind of repayment."
Before Wushuang could react, he captured her small mouth and began to suckle.
The screen, unable to bear the weight, collapsed and crashed onto the bluestone floor with a loud "boom".
The servants and maids guarding the door rushed in, and Wushuang, her open collar revealing her clothes, hurriedly hid behind Chu Yao.
"It's nothing, I just accidentally knocked over the screen while I was changing." Chu Yao was completely at ease, showing no sign of guilt. "You can all leave now. After I'm done changing, I'll call a few strong, rough-looking old women to come in and help me up."
After everyone left, Chu Yao carried Wushuang horizontally to the bed.
Wushuang was both embarrassed and annoyed. Afraid of making another fool of herself, she deliberately changed the subject, saying, "That...that Fifth Prince is quite pitiful. He just married Yu Xiangxiang, and then this happened to the Yu family..."
Chu Yao interrupted her with a cold laugh: "What's there to pity? He's just an opportunistic little man. A prince, instead of taking the right path, he wants to rely on his wife's illustrious family to get ahead."
The cousins usually seemed very close, but no one expected that Chu Yao would be so disdainful of Chu Yun.
Before Wu Shuang could react, Chu Yao had already placed her on the bed, leaned over her, and gently kissed her petal-like lips.
Wushuang tried to push him away but couldn't. Her face turned as red as a ripe pomegranate. She said incoherently, "But Wu Hui said that Chu Yun treats Yu Xiangxiang very well."
The He family and the Yu family are related by marriage, so Wu Hui will naturally associate with Yu Xiangxiang.
Chu Yao scoffed: "That's only because she was useful in the past. Just wait and see if Fifth Brother will still treat her well in the future."
Wushuang was half-believing and half-doubting.
Yu Xiangxiang did not enter the palace during the Chinese New Year.
In Cining Palace, Chu Pei and Chu Wan sat on a brocade stool drinking tea and eating cakes. The stern-faced old princess went to the small Buddhist hall to help the Empress Dowager copy scriptures, while Consort Jing, Wuxia, and Wushuang played cards with her.
As everyone chatted and laughed, the conversation naturally turned to Yu Xiangxiang.
“She sent me a letter saying that her grandfather and father and brothers had committed many unjust acts. She understands the reason, but they are still family. Seeing them end up like this, she is heartbroken and has fallen ill. She is afraid that her illness will affect me, so she will not come to the palace to pay her respects for the New Year. She will come to see me in a special way after she recovers.”
The Empress Dowager felt great sympathy for Yu Xiangxiang's plight.
"When a man is successful outside, his wife and daughter are just living their lives in that small courtyard. But when a man makes a mistake, even if the woman knows nothing, she will suffer along with him. This child's life is so hard."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager was somewhat saddened, Consort Jing comforted her, saying, "Speaking of which, she married the Fifth Prince earlier and was not sent to the brothel because her father and brothers were convicted. She was fortunate to be able to live a good life as a princess."
"That's true." The Empress Dowager nodded and turned to the Wushuang sisters, saying, "You are both sisters-in-law, so visit her more often when you have time, and keep her company and help her relieve her boredom."
The words "unparalleled" and "flawless" should be used in unison.
Since the Empress Dowager had given the order, they dared not neglect it, and arranged to go to the Fifth Prince's residence together the next day.
Chu Wan, who loved to stick close to Wu Shuang, wanted to go too, and when Chu Pei heard about it, she also insisted on going.
Wushuang simply invited Wuhui as well, because it's more lively with more people, and when it's lively, there's no time to think about other things or sigh and feel sad.
When Chu Yun got married, everyone offered their congratulations and saw the bride. However, only two months later, Yu Xiangxiang had become so thin that she was almost unrecognizable, her face was haggard, and she was always absent-minded when she spoke.
Wuxia was always lively and generous, and having been a princess for many years, she was very good at socializing. She would say one witty remark after another, making everyone laugh. However, Yu Xiangxiang seemed not to understand and just stared blankly.
Having no time to spare, he could only wink at his cousin.
Wu Hui stepped forward and took Yu Xiangxiang's hand: "We were all very worried when we heard you were sick. Now that you seem to be feeling better, and it's the New Year, with all the families lining up to host banquets, why don't you come out with us and get some fresh air, so you don't stay cooped up at home alone with no one to talk to?"
Yu Xiangxiang shook her head and smiled bitterly: "I understand this principle perfectly well. But the prince said that since something happened to the Yu family, if I go out, I will only be talked about and ridiculed. It's better for me to stay at home. He is doing this for my own good."
Since everyone had come to persuade her, they couldn't help but agree and say how good Chu Yun was to her.
Because of Chu Yao's words, Wu Shuang somewhat disagreed.
If you truly care about Yu Xiangxiang, why don't you try to protect her from gossip?
Even if they don't have that ability, they can at least help arrange for a few of Yu Xiangxiang's genuine friends to visit her, or personally take her on a trip to the countryside to relax.
There's always a way to cheer her up; what's the point of keeping her locked up at home?
Unfortunately, she and Yu Xiangxiang had only met a few times and were not particularly close. Moreover, saying these things would inevitably raise suspicions of sowing discord between the couple, so she could only remain silent.
After the New Year, the days flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the Shangsi Festival.
Wushuang's coming-of-age ceremony was scheduled for the day after the Shangsi Festival.
Because she and Chu Yao were to consummate their marriage after the coming-of-age ceremony, the event was exceptionally lively.
Wushuang also sent an invitation to Yu Xiangxiang, but she still refused to go out.
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Chapter 144 | Table of Contents
Chapter 144:
As night fell, the Prince of Ying's mansion remained brightly lit and festively decorated. [www.qiushu.cc Lots of great novels]
In the clean room of Yuanxiang Hall, Wushuang was soaking in the bathtub, her little face flushed, whether from the hot water or the reflection of the dragon and phoenix wedding candles, it was hard to tell.
After a long day, she was a little tired. She yawned lazily and said, "Qiqiao, please add some more hot water."
Should we add more water?
Qiqiao said helplessly, "Your Highness, you've been soaking for half an hour already."