cold clothes

Qingchun was nearly breathless from his ministrations, lying on the bed panting like an old ox. The young master, however, remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened. He turned Qingchun's face as if to kiss her, but Qingchun quickly slapped his hand away. Stop torturing her; all she wanted now was to breathe properly…

"Your face looks like it's been injured before," the prince said calmly, carefully brushing aside the strands of hair on Qingchun's face that were stuck together with damp sweat.

"You actually noticed?" Qingchun was surprised. She only had faint scars on her face, which were not noticeable unless you looked closely. They could be completely covered with makeup. Even if she sweated and the makeup melted, the prince's eyes were still sharp.

“A maid told me that you were sick and not receiving guests, but I said I must see you, regardless of whether you are sick or not. But you don’t seem to be in any serious condition.”

Qingchun laughed: "So domineering, the maid must be terrified by you." After a moment of silence, she told the truth about her disfigurement: "When I was painting, I accidentally spilled poisonous paint on my face. During the time my injury was not healed, I lied and said I was sick and did not receive guests."

"Was it really an accident, or was someone deliberately trying to harm you?" the crown prince asked incisively.

"Oh, of course not."

Qingchun was surprised by the prince's keen insight. Wang Yiqing was primarily concerned with the fact that she had been disfigured, but the prince was more interested in the reason why her appearance was ruined.

"You spilled paint on your face, and it was poisonous paint at that. You may be naive, but you're not that stupid. But if you say it was an accident, then it was an accident. Be more 'careful' next time."

These words sounded as if he understood everything... Although his tone was cold, you could still hear the concern in his voice. Did he care about her? But she wasn't in the mood to confide in anyone right now.

Then Qingchun smiled like a lily: "So, in the Crown Prince's heart, I am a woman with a pure heart?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm attracted to you because you're so innocent." The Crown Prince said seriously. If they weren't lying naked in bed right now, you would think they were discussing politics in the imperial court just by looking at the Crown Prince's expression and tone.

"Isn't it because I'm good-looking?" Qingchun asked coquettishly.

The prince gave her a look that said, "You're so narcissistic," but still answered seriously, "No, I don't care about a woman's appearance."

"Liar, what man doesn't like a woman's beauty? If I looked like a mangled mess, you wouldn't say that," Qingchun muttered under her breath.

The prince didn't respond, knowing that he couldn't explain anything he said, and that he didn't understand or intend to understand these women's little tempers.

Qingchun, however, did not want to let the matter drop. The young master spoke so eloquently, but once he actually saw the ugly face, he would change his tune, just like Wang Yiqing had done before…

Just now, when the prince was taking off his clothes, she noticed that he had placed a dagger on the shelf by the bed. Qingchun reached out and picked up the jewel-encrusted dagger. When the blade was drawn, it shone with a blue light that seemed to make even the candlelight tremble.

This startled the crown prince, who stood up abruptly and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Qingchun pressed the sharp edge of the dagger against her cheek, her eyes alluring yet just as sharp as the glint of the blade in her hand. She didn't speak, but everyone knew what she was about to do.

Once the prince calmed down, his eyes revealed the imposing presence of a general, unwavering even on the front lines. This kind of coercion meant nothing to him; even if Qingchun were to cut open his own face, it wouldn't be worth him flinching.

However, he kindly reminded him, "This dagger is very sharp; if it really cuts you, you might never fully recover, but I don't care." Even with a scar on your face, I don't think it'll make you look bad. The prince didn't say the second half of his sentence aloud.

"How could I possibly ruin my own face? I just wanted to scare you. I admit defeat, I admit defeat. I can't beat the young master." Qingchun grumbled as she sheathed the dagger and put it back in its place.

-

Jade Steps Pavilion

Outside, the wind and snow were rustling, but inside, spring was in the air.

Wang Yiqing fell asleep, exhausted from his feast. Yunqiu rose from his arms, draped in a silk robe, and walked toward the side room. The maids in the side room had already prepared a tub of water for her to bathe in.

After serving each guest, Yunqiu would take a bath while the guest was asleep. Of course, she would give the guest a sleeping pill beforehand to ensure that they would fall asleep. Afterwards, when they woke up, they would only think that it was Yunqiu's gentle embrace that made them fall asleep.

Yunqiu bathed to cleanse herself of impurities that did not belong to her. Even though she had undergone special procedures to prevent pregnancy, she could not tolerate those things remaining in her body.

Yun Qiu let out a blank sigh. Wang Yiqing's arrival at her residence tonight meant that he had completely abandoned Qingchun. Logically, she should have felt the joy of victory and the satisfaction of letting Qingchun see the true face of a scumbag, but that was not the case. Instead, she felt increasingly heavy-hearted and... increasingly wanted Wang Yiqing to die.

She was all smiles towards her enemy…and moaned with pleasure beneath him…she wanted nothing more than to roll over and strangle him! Had things come to this? She couldn't take it anymore; she just wanted it over quickly…

"Let's finish this quickly..." Yunqiu murmured, staring at the candlelight not far away.

"What are your orders, Miss?" asked Yilian, who was serving nearby, leaning forward.

"No, it's nothing," Yun Qiu smiled enigmatically, then stroked her flat, smooth belly. "It's just that I'm pregnant, I think."

-

After finishing his business, the young master lay down for a while before leaving. He never spent the night in brothels; this was a difference between a descendant of a general's family and a dissolute youth. His father, the Marquis of Shenyong, had taught him this: a man can like women, but he cannot be addicted to them; he can like courtesans, but he must be aware of his place and not make decisions that violate his status. He always kept this in mind. Qingchun helped him dress, the loosely tied belt causing the strict young master, who resided in the military camp, to frown.

"You're doing a worse job than me... I don't think your technique was this bad before," the picky prince said unhappily.

"Well... I've just recovered from a long illness, and the young master just showed off his power, so I'm exhausted." Qingchun slumped over, looking listless, and truly resembled a frail willow in the breeze.

The prince blushed slightly and coughed awkwardly a few times. "In that case, I'll dress myself," he said, his tone rather helpless. Qingchun felt the joy of a mischievous child who had successfully pulled off a prank. She immediately tossed aside his sash and turned away lightly, wearing only a crimson outer garment, her fair skin shimmering like fresh snow. The prince was stunned. It was clearly a sensual and lewd scene, yet he felt a sense of purity and innocence within it. Perhaps it was because her skin was so fair, or perhaps it was because her posture was so natural, as if she had always been naked since birth, and not to attract his attention.