"Then... perhaps the prince is mindful of the previous marriage agreement and wants to stay for Miss Ji for a year?"
Even after saying that, Wan'er herself felt it wasn't very reliable.
Even among married couples, husbands rarely observe mourning for their wives, let alone the fact that the prince and Miss Ji were never even married.
Chu Yan shook her head: "The reason he didn't come is because he's never one to deceive himself. He knows that Miss Ji is dead and will never come back. If the real one is gone, what's the point of keeping a fake one?"
"The reason they didn't kick me out is simply because the Prince's mansion doesn't need my food."
Wan'er felt uneasy after hearing what she said: "Then... does that mean the Prince will never come again?"
Then Chizhu will bully them every day, won't she?
Chu Yan nodded, giving her a definite answer: "Yes, the prince will never come again."
Author's Note: A quick note from the comments: The male lead is a total jerk—before taking in a concubine, he was an older, virgin in ancient times. Let me also break down the timeline: He was originally scheduled to marry Miss Ji at 17, but it was postponed to 20 due to national mourning, and then to 22 because Miss Ji was also observing mourning. Chu Yan was between 20 and 21 years old.
Chapter 19 Choice
As night fell, the entire Qin Prince's mansion fell into silence.
Although Wei Hong was born a prince, he was not a pampered and spoiled person, and naturally he would not be picky about where he sat.
But tonight he couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning in bed, feeling that something was off about the room.
The bed was too hard, the room was too hot, the light in the hallway was too bright, and the light shining in was too dazzling—nothing was right.
He tossed and turned several times, closing and opening his eyes repeatedly, before finally sitting up in frustration.
In the darkness, he could clearly feel the changes in his body, the normal desires of an adult man.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but what was wrong was the image of the slender waist that lingered in his mind, and the faint fragrance that he didn't know how it was made.
He can think of anyone at this time, but he should never think of Yao Yuzhi's daughter!
Wei Hong leaned back and lay down again, closing his eyes once more, preferring to suffer like this rather than think about that woman to relieve his pain.
When he married that woman, he was determined to make her live a life of widowhood in the inner quarters. There's no reason for him to be thinking about that woman and doing such a thing now.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself down, but his body was out of his control and still restless.
While tossing and turning in bed, a thought suddenly popped into my head: Who exactly is living the life of a widow?
The moment the thought crossed Wei Hong's mind, he froze, his eyes snapping open again.
Yes, so who exactly is living the life of a widow?
Why did he marry a wife, only to receive no care or comfort from her, and even have to give up his best courtyard, leaving him alone in this cold and desolate study, tormented by his own desires and unable to sleep at night?
Wei Hong became increasingly indignant as he thought about it, and sat up again, the muscles around his jaw twitching slightly.
The front yard had not been renovated. Although it was not leaky or drafty, it still had a somewhat old and worn feel to it.
If Yao Youqing could even maintain the inner courtyard garden so exquisitely, then the house itself would naturally be even better.
His room, which used to be similar to the study in the front yard, has probably changed drastically and is unrecognizable now. It must be much more comfortable to live in than before.
Wei Hong glanced at the dazzling lamp under the corridor, sat quietly for a moment, then suddenly stood up, grabbed an outer robe and put it on, slipped on his shoes and strode out.
The servant on night duty was dozing by the door when he was startled by the person who suddenly pushed the door open, and almost fell to the ground.
After regaining his senses, he hurriedly chased after him, calling out as he went, "Your Highness, Your Highness, where are you going?"
Unless it's an emergency, Wei Hong would never suddenly go out in the middle of the night.
The servants' shouts startled the others in the courtyard, who thought some urgent military situation had occurred. They all wanted to follow, but Wei Hong, without turning his head, said, "No need to follow!"
His words were like a military order to everyone, and the chaotic footsteps immediately stopped in unison.
But it's not appropriate to let the prince go out alone in the middle of the night, especially in such a disheveled state!
The crowd looked at each other, and fortunately, Cui Hao, who was sleeping in the side room, was also awakened. He straightened his clothes and stepped out from the crowd.
"You don't need to worry about it, I'll go and take a look."
He then chased after them.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and dispersed back to their respective positions.
Cui Hao was filled with unease, wondering what had happened to make the prince suddenly go out in the middle of the night.
His pace quickened, almost to the point of jogging, and when he saw that the King of Qin was not going out but heading towards the inner courtyard, he was completely stunned...
The servants in the front yard, seeing that he had returned shortly afterward but without the Prince of Qin by his side, hurriedly asked, "Lord Cui, where did the Prince go?"
Cui Hao waved his hand weakly: "Let's call it a day. Don't ask anymore. Just pretend nothing happened tonight."
Everyone: "?"
...
Wei Hong walked quickly, and the summer night breeze lifted the hem of his clothes, but instead of making him feel cooler, he felt even hotter, especially as he got closer to the main courtyard.
He knocked on the main courtyard gate, and walked straight in after the gate opened, leaving the exclamations and questions of the servants behind.
Tonight, Zhou Mama was on night duty beside Yao Youqing. When she heard the noise, she immediately came out from the outer room and was startled when she saw that it was the Prince of Qin.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Wei Hong ignored her and pushed open the door to the inner room, walking straight in.
As he expected, Yao Youqing had completely changed the room's layout, making it unrecognizable. The room, which originally had nothing but the necessary furnishings such as beds, tables, and chairs, now contained many more items.
A vase filled with the latest flowers, a soft carpet that treads silently, an exquisite embroidered screen painted with birds, a curtain interwoven with pale pink and light gold, and so much more...
It's obviously a girl's room.
Wei Hong knew without a doubt that this must be decorated according to the style of her boudoir in the Yao family mansion, just like the garden.
He glanced at these things, then his gaze froze on the girl on the bed who was sitting up rubbing her eyes after being woken up.
It was a hot summer night, and she didn't draw the bed curtains when she went to sleep. Perhaps she had just washed her hair before bed, because her long hair, which she usually wore up, was now smoothly draped over her sides, making her small, delicate face look even more exquisite.
The dim light left on by the bedside illuminated her sleepy eyes, making them appear blurry and only adding to the innocence of her bewildered expression, as if...
Like a fairy who had accidentally fallen to the mortal world, she was filled with confusion about this mortal realm, looking around with a bewildered expression, as if she did not belong to this world.
If it weren't for the constant barking of dogs in his ears, he would have thought he had picked up a fairy.
Wei Hong looked down and saw the puppy that Yao Youqing had bought earlier standing a few steps away from him, barking incessantly. Not far behind it was its den, a den made of several layers of soft blankets, with a small blanket next to it and a few toys in the corner.
In other words, even a dog has taken up a place in his original room, while he sleeps in that dilapidated, unrepaired house in the front yard!
Yao Youqing had regained consciousness by this time and asked the exact same question as Zhou Mama: "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Wei Hong shifted his gaze from the dog to the slender girl, his eyes unconsciously warming slightly. He said, "Get out."
These words were naturally not spoken to Yao Youqing, but to Zhou's mother behind him.
Madam Zhou looked at him nervously, then at her young mistress: "Your Highness, you..."
"go out."
Wei Hong repeated himself, his voice carrying an undeniable chill.
Zhou's mother has been through this before, how could she not see what he was trying to do?
During the day, when the young lady accidentally fell and the prince went to help her up, she felt that the way he looked at her was a little strange. She never expected that he would come tonight.
Yao Youqing and Wei Hong are already married. Even if Wei Hong said before that the inner courtyard was for Yao Youqing to live in, it doesn't mean that he, as the male head of the household, can't come, nor does it mean that they can stop him when he wants to have marital relations.
Madam Zhou knew she couldn't stop him, but the prince and the master had a grudge, and she was really worried that he would vent his anger on the young lady during the act. So before leaving, she pleaded, "Your Highness, the princess is delicate, please... please be gentle with her."
After saying this, he glanced at Yao Youqing with concern one last time, then bowed and withdrew.
Before he could even leave the door, Wei Hong called out to him, "Take this dog with you too."
Zhou's mother agreed, walked back, and bent down to hug the little cutie.
The little cutie, protective of its master, took a few steps back and continued barking wildly at Wei Hong.
Wei Hong glanced at the little cutie, who let out a whimper, shrank her neck, and let Zhou's mother carry her away.
The door closed, leaving only Wei Hong and Yao Youqing in the room.
Yao Youqing now understood what he was going to do. She sat on the bed with her legs curled up, feeling lost and helpless.
Wei Hong walked over, and because of the close proximity and his familiarity with the dim light in the room, he could see her more clearly.
Her eyelashes were long, casting a shadow on her eyelids when she lowered her eyes. Her nose was straight and delicate, with a small tip. Her lips were neither thin nor thick, soft and moist, and if he wasn't mistaken, they were a light pink during the day.
Her chin was also pointed, completely different from the oval face he preferred, making her look too thin, but together they looked exceptionally pleasing to the eye, though he had never noticed it before.
Wei Hong's breathing became heavier, and he brushed aside one side of her hair, revealing her equally small and delicate ear.
The girl flinched at his movement, but it only fueled his racing blood, making him feel like a wild beast spotting its prey, extremely excited.
Wei Hong gently tugged at the corners of his mouth, ran his tongue around his teeth, pulled the blanket off her tightly clutched hand, and pressed himself against her.
The two of them fell onto the soft bed. He didn't rush to enjoy his delicious meal, but instead buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath.
It smells so good...
Then he slowly placed his hand along her side to her waist. Whether it was his imagination or because she was wearing thin clothes at night, she seemed even thinner, and her slender waist trembled slightly in his hands.
Wei Hong trembled along with her because of the trembling, feeling as if all the hairs on his body had grown out. He wanted to devour her immediately, but he teased her like a prey, making her hide in fear for a while, until she was exhausted, before slowly enjoying her.
The girl beneath him was very obedient, just like her appearance. Although she was trembling with fear, she let him do as he pleased without crying or begging him to let her go.
He tore open her clothes a little and nibbled at her sharp collarbone, leaving shallow teeth marks, then looked up to admire his masterpiece.
It felt wonderful to have my mark placed on a pure, otherworldly fairy.
He reached out and touched the mark, then looked up at her delicate face. She had her eyes closed and her lips pressed together, looking both frightened and restrained, as if... as if he was forcing her and she was being forced to endure it.
This thought made Wei Hong pause, and his body stiffened slightly.
He was the son of Emperor Gaozong, born a prince, and the entire Shuozhou and even Lingnan were under his control. If he wanted a woman, would he need to force her?
Besides, this woman was his lawfully wedded wife!
The current situation seems as if he is unilaterally insisting on consummating the marriage with her, and she has no choice but to agree.
For the first time, Wei Hong felt humiliated in front of a woman, and this humiliation came from Yao Yuzhi's daughter!