The Cold King Demands Love and Pleasure

"Aren't you afraid of angering me by saying that?"

Upon hearing that he was about to get angry, Xia Tongsheng immediately lowered her head uneasily.

Seeing how frightened she was, Min Youan comforted her, "You don't need to be so careful. I didn't say I was going to do anything to you!"

She asked curiously, "Your Highness, why have you suddenly changed your ways? Weren't you always so vengeful?"

"That's for other people!"

Xia Tongsheng raised an eyebrow. What to do? She felt like she'd been flirted with...

"Alright, it's getting late, I have other matters to attend to!"

"May Your Highness rest in peace!"

Seeing her see him off so warmly, Min Youan felt somewhat disappointed and left.

Seeing Min You'an disappear through the door, Yingling hurriedly asked Xia Tongsheng, "Miss, the Prince has been so good to you, why didn't you let him stay? You still won't let him stay overnight?"

Actually, back in the military camp, Xia Tongsheng had already decided on him, but when she returned to the Prince's Mansion, his relationship with Bu Yao made her suddenly lose faith in him!

"Because he frightens me a little. If it weren't for Bu Yao's matter, perhaps I might..."

She looked up at Yingling, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears. "Do you understand how I feel? This world is so big, it's so hard to meet someone who truly cares for you. I don't know if he's the one destined for me, or if he's even right for me!"

"Miss, why are you so persistent? The Prince has so many women, what does Duobu Yao matter?" Yingling didn't know that Min Youan had never actually touched those women, which is why she said that.

"You do not understand!"

"I don't understand, but I do know that the world isn't as good as you think, Miss! Men all have three wives and four concubines. The person you want probably won't appear. Who would want to spend their whole life with only one woman?"

“Yes, who would want to spend their whole life with only one woman?” Xia Tongsheng repeated her words.

Even in modern times where monogamy is the norm, how could she expect the same from people in ancient times who practiced polygamy? All of this left her disheartened!

Gradually, she discovered that her own thinking was also being poisoned by feudal society, and she began to believe that there were no good men in the world who would remain faithful to their partners.

Realizing she might be being a bit too extreme, she asked, "Yingling, if I asked you to stay by my side for the rest of your life, would you be willing?"

"Of course I'm willing! Miss is so good to me, I have no reason not to!" From her sparkling eyes, Xia Tongsheng could tell that Yingling was telling the truth.

"Then why do you say it's not easy to stay with one person for a lifetime?"

"My lady, because I am a woman, my feelings for you are familial, while for men it is romantic love!"

"Yes, it's love!" She remained silent for a long time, her expression somber, which made Yingling dare not disturb her.

After a long while, she came to her senses and saw that Yingling was still watching over her. She quickly told her to go and rest, "It's getting late, you should go to sleep first!"

"Yes, Miss, don't overthink it. It'll only make you sad!"

Xia Tongsheng patted her arm with a smile, "Don't worry, who is your young lady? She's not that weak!"

Seeing that she was indeed not acting strangely, Yingling turned around and went back to her room.

Ever since Xia Tongsheng told her that her child would be taken away by Xia Tongsheng after birth, Gu Xue had been thinking about how to deal with it. "Hongling, come with me to see the newly promoted Consort Yao!"

Green Ping guessed what she was thinking and couldn't help but remind her, "Consort Xue, she used to be the Princess's subordinate. Have you thought this through?"

Gu Xue nodded firmly, "I've thought it through. It's worth the risk for this child!"

"Alright, since you've thought it through, then so be it!" Seeing that she had made up her mind, Lüping didn't want to stop her any further.

"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Lvping, but I will do anything to keep this child by my side!"

Seeing Gu Xue so melancholy, Hong Ling couldn't help but feel indignant on her behalf, "Your Highness, you endured such a difficult ten months of pregnancy, why should the Princess Consort reap the rewards without lifting a finger?"

Gu Xue sighed, "Let's go!"

Upon arriving at Hanqing Courtyard, Bu Yao heard a servant announce that Gu Xue had arrived, and she quickly came out to greet her, "Greetings, Consort Xue!"

Gu Xue quickly helped her up as she was about to curtsy, "Hey, since you're the prince's woman, you don't need to call me Your Highness. I'm a little older than you, just call me sister!"

"Hello, Sister Xue!" Bu Yao was quite eloquent.

Gu Xue smiled and said, "Hello, Sister Yao!"

As she spoke, she hugged her large pregnant belly and followed Bu Yao into the room. She looked around and clicked her tongue slightly in amazement.

"What's wrong, sister?"

Gu Xue pretended to be hesitant to speak, "Little sister, I'm really embarrassed to say this because you look so innocent!"

"Sister, please speak your mind!"

Gu Xue took Qi Yao's hand and said earnestly, "How long has it been since you last saw the Prince, little sister?"

Bu Yao blushed slightly, "I haven't seen Your Highness since that day!"

"I thought so too!" Gu Xue quickly pretended to know what was going on. "Let me tell you, do you know why you came to this Cold Love Courtyard?"

"Why?"

Gu Xue's eyes were filled with pity. "This 'cold feeling,' you probably already know the implication, sister!"

"So what if I know? It's just that Bu Yao is unlucky!"

Gu Xue shook her head. "How could it be that you're unlucky? If it weren't for the Princess Consort's deliberate suppression, how come you haven't seen the Prince for so long, and how come you were assigned to such a desolate courtyard?"

"Isn't this the Prince's intention?" Bu Yao asked in confusion. She had originally thought that being assigned to the Cold Love Courtyard was a personal order from the Prince, but she hadn't expected this...

Seeing that Bu Yao was determined, Gu Xue added fuel to the fire, "You're both concubines, but look at Mi'er. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities are all better than yours. Silly girl, the princess is deliberately suppressing you!"

"The Princess Consort would actually do that! No, the Princess Consort isn't that kind of person!" Bu Yao had followed Xia Tongsheng for so long that she knew Xia Tongsheng's temperament a little. She felt that Xia Tongsheng wasn't such a vicious person.

"How could it not be? Think about it, you've followed her for so long, and just because you had a relationship with the prince, she's suppressed you to this extent. Think about it, which of us wasn't suppressed by the princess back then? The original Ying Shu, because she caught her having a secret rendezvous with Lord Feng in the forbidden area, is now a pile of bones!"

Bu Yao shuddered. "Wasn't Ying Shu eliminated by the Prince? The Princess Consort wasn't involved in this at the time!"

Gu Xue patted her little hand, "That's why I said you're naive. How long had you been with her back then? Even if she wanted to get rid of Ying Shu, would she have told you? Not to mention Ying Shu, just look at Consort Fu. Consort Fu's family has such a strong backing, but wasn't it because she reported the Princess Consort for reading forbidden books that the Princess Consort held a grudge, and you know what happened to her in the end!"