The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

On the day of the winter hunt, the weather was perfect.

A light snow fell last night, but the sun came out this morning.

A circle of felt tents had already been set up in front of the training ground in the royal hunting grounds.

Su Yaoyao stepped off the carriage, and before she could even put her footing on the ground, she was firmly supported by a hand.

Xiao Chenyuan held her hand, his brows furrowing slightly: "The ground is slippery."

"Not slippery."

"It's windy."

"There's no wind."

"It's cold there too."

Xiao Chenyuan took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders, adjusting the collar. "Put it on."

Su Yaoyao looked down at the black fox fur coat she was wearing—his, carrying his body heat and sandalwood scent—and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I'm not cold."

"My hands were cold."

"I was covering it up in the carriage just now."

Xiao Chenyuan didn't reply, but instead took her hand in his palm and tucked it into his inner garment.

A small, cool hand touched his firm abs: "Why is Your Highness being so clingy today? Didn't you cling to me enough last night?"

Xiao Chenyuan looked down at her, his gaze moving from her curved eyes to her lips, pausing for a moment.

"Not enough," he said. "It's so cold in here, can you handle it?"

Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "When did Your Highness become my mother? You're so long-winded."

Xiao Chenyuan paused in his actions and glanced at her.

His eyes were indifferent, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

"I can call you 'Mom' if you want," he said, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear, "in bed."

Su Yaoyao: "..."

Looking at the aloof face before her, she couldn't tell whether this person was a Buddhist monk or a demon.

This person has really gone completely out of control lately.

Before, she was the one who flirted with him, making him blush. Now, he's the one flirting with her, and his skills are getting better and better. He remains calm and collected, leaving her completely defenseless.

No.

We cannot lose.

Su Yaoyao tiptoed and leaned close to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids:

"Alright, Your Highness. Next time I want to be on top, and then—"

She paused, then deliberately softened her voice even more, "Can you call me 'Little Mother'?"

Xiao Chenyuan's ears turned red in an instant.

It was a deep, translucent red.

Su Yaoyao watched with satisfaction as the blush spread from the tips of her ears to her neck, her heart filled with joy.

"Is it alright, Your Highness?" she asked deliberately.

Xiao Chenyuan didn't speak, but he tightened his grip on her hand even more, as if he wanted to knead her into his bones.

After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out four words through clenched teeth:

"...We'll talk about it when we get back."

Su Yaoyao smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Really, a little white rabbit pretending to be a shrew.

---

This scene, witnessed by someone not far away, left a bad taste in their mouth.

Xiao Qiming stood in front of the Second Prince's tent, his hand gripping the riding whip tightly.

Su Yaoyao was dressed in a fiery red riding outfit today, her black hair tied up high, making her face even more beautiful and captivating.

She stood beside Xiao Chenyuan, looking up with a bright smile. She said something, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on the Crown Prince's usually aloof face.

Did she ever smile like that when she used to follow behind him?

Xiao Qiming couldn't remember.

Back then, he thought she was fat, stupid, and lacked charm. He would throw the pastries she sent to the servants; he would discard the sachets she embroidered without even glancing at them.

He thought she would keep pursuing him.

He thought that as long as he turned around, she would be waiting in the same spot.

But she didn't wait.

She rejected him and instead climbed a higher branch than him.

Xiao Qiming stared at the fiery red figure, feeling as if a fire was burning in his heart.

"Brother!"

A crisp sound interrupted his thoughts.

Xiao Yue, who had somehow gotten close to him, followed his gaze and pouted, "Looking at that Su Yaoyao again? What's so interesting about her? She's just dressed a bit too flashy..."

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze suddenly froze.

In the distance, a jet-black horse is slowly approaching.

The man on horseback was dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, with a long sword at his waist, his posture as upright as a pine tree. Sunlight fell on his cold, hard profile, making him incomparably handsome.

Xiao Yue's eyes lit up instantly.

"Brother," she grabbed Xiao Qiming's sleeve, "who is that?"

Xiao Qiming, already annoyed, casually asked, "Which one?"

"That one! The one riding the black horse!"

Xiao Qiming looked in the direction she was pointing, and his expression darkened even further.

"Su Yaoyao's brother," he said irritably, "the current Marquis of Yongning, Su Qingrun."

Xiao Yue stared at the figure, her cheeks gradually turning red.

Su Qingrun.

Marquis of Yongning.

Su Yaoyao's older brother.

Several thoughts raced through her mind—

If she marries Su Qingrun, wouldn't Su Yaoyao have to call her sister-in-law?

At that time, not only will Su Yaoyao have to respect her, but even the Crown Prince won't dare to punish her easily, right?

The key point is that Su Qingrun... is really handsome.

Xiao Yue's imagination ran wild, and her eyes practically sparkled as she stared at the figure.

"Brother," she tugged at Xiao Qiming's sleeve, lowering her voice, "do you think I'm a good match for that Marquis of Yongning?"

Xiao Qiming was taken aback for a moment, then sneered: "You want to marry him? He's on the Crown Prince's side."

"So what?" Xiao Yue said dismissively. "Father is still alive, and the Crown Prince hasn't ascended the throne yet. Besides, if I marry into the family, I can help my brother keep an eye on them..."

The more she talked about it, the more brilliant she felt the idea was.

Xiao Qiming felt annoyed by her infatuated look, but he didn't stop her.

Having an informant in the Yongning Marquis's residence isn't necessarily a bad thing.

In the distance, Su Qingrun suddenly shivered.

He looked around warily, only to meet Xiao Yue's excessively eager gaze.

Su Qingrun: "…………"

He looked away expressionlessly.

Su Yaoyao noticed that her brother's expression was strange. Following his gaze, she saw Xiao Qiming and Xiao Yue standing together. One had a sinister look in his eyes, while the other had a blush on his face.

She glanced at her brother's handsome face, which seemed to say "keep away," and then at Xiao Yue's expression, which looked like she wanted to pounce on him.

In a flash, she understood.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Are these Xiao siblings planning to take advantage of them?

His Highness the Crown Prince stood beside her, his expression unchanged, but his gaze swept lightly over Xiao Qiming before quickly withdrawing.

That one glance was like looking at a dead person.

"An eyesore?" Xiao Chenyuan asked.

The voice was very soft, even with a hint of certainty.

Su Yaoyao had no doubt that as long as she nodded, Xiao Chenyuan could make those two foolish siblings "accidentally" disappear during this winter hunt.

Su Yaoyao thought for a moment and shook her head.

"No need," she said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Keep it to play with."

She paused, looking at Xiao Qiming's jealous and hateful expression, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes.

"I'd like to see just how stupid a person can be."

Xiao Chenyuan looked at the sly smile on her lips and said nothing.

He simply held her hand tightly.

—Play whenever you want.

He'll be there to back you up.

---

"Your Highness! Sister Su!"

A fiery red figure rode in, its hooves kicking up a trail of snow.

Today, Anar wore a traditional northern desert riding and archery outfit, with a red background and gold trim, which made her look heroic and dashing.

Ashina Lie followed behind her, his tall and imposing figure standing out prominently on horseback.

"You look beautiful in this outfit today, little sister!" Anar stopped in front of Su Yaoyao, her eyes sparkling as she looked her over. "This red suits you perfectly."

Su Yaoyao smiled and thanked her.

Ashina Lie dismounted and bowed to Xiao Chenyuan, saying, "Your Highness."

Xiao Chenyuan nodded in return, his expression indifferent, but without the tense hostility he had shown before.

Ashina Lie raised an eyebrow.

Your Highness seems less sour today?

His gaze fell on Su Yaoyao again, and just as he was about to speak, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind him.

Jiang Jingchen rode up, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, his demeanor gentle and refined. Behind him followed Xie Yu, the young general, who today wore a black riding outfit, a bow hanging at his waist, exuding confidence and spirit.

"Yaoyao." Jiang Jingchen dismounted and smiled at Su Yaoyao. "Have you put on the knee pads your cousin gave you?"

"I'm wearing it." Su Yaoyao patted her knee. "It's very warm."

Xie Yu watched from the side, wanting to say something, but then swallowed his words.

His gaze fell on the excessively large black cloak worn by Su Yaoyao. After a moment of silence, he simply cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Miss Su."

Su Yaoyao smiled and nodded: "Thank you, General."

Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, a commotion suddenly broke out on the periphery.

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

A pure white horse galloped through the snow.