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

In the ensuing silence, all eyes were fixed on the entrance.

At the brightest point of the palace lanterns, a figure slowly entered.

The man was dressed in a plain white brocade robe, without any jade ornaments or crown. He had a string of sandalwood prayer beads wrapped around his hand, and his dark hair was tied up with a simple ebony hairpin.

Yet, even in such a minimalist outfit, he exudes an air of refined elegance that transcends the mundane world.

Su Yaoyao looked up and tightened her grip on the wine glass.

—What kind of human masterpiece is this!

Having spent so much time in the world of fame and fortune in my past life, what kind of handsome men haven't I seen?

But this one in front of me... the epitome of aloofness and asceticism, with an aura of Buddhist saintliness, yet she has a face that makes it impossible for anyone to resist.

He was tall and slender, with a very handsome face, a high nose bridge, and pale lips.

What's most amazing are her eyes—the shape is exceptionally good, but the color is lighter than most people's, like black jade immersed in a cold pool. When she looks at people, she glances at them lightly, without any waves or ripples, yet she has a kind of penetrating insight into people's hearts.

The lamplight fell on him, and he seemed to dim his own light.

But what attracted Su Yaoyao the most was not his outstanding features, but the contradictory yet harmonious temperament he possessed.

Aloof. Abstinent. Untouched by worldly affairs.

Like a Buddha carved from white jade, it compassionately looks down upon all living beings in the mortal world.

Su Yaoyao blinked, her desire to conquer suddenly ignited.

interesting.

That's so interesting.

If such a man could have his cold eyes filled with desire, his indifferent lips curved into a smile for her, and his calm heart stirred with ripples for her…

Just thinking about it made her heart race.

The higher the difficulty and the greater the challenge, the more she likes it.

Xiao Chenyuan seemed to have sensed something, and his gaze swept across the entire room indifferently.

Wherever he went, the noble ladies lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

Some of the bolder ones secretly glanced up, but when they met those deep, abyss-like eyes, they hurriedly lowered their gazes.

His gaze finally settled on Su Yaoyao.

A very brief glimpse,

But Su Yaoyao keenly caught a very faint hint of...surprise in that gaze?

Then, her gaze shifted away, as if she were no different from everyone else in the garden.

Xiao Chenyuan walked to the seat below the main seat and sat down, whereupon palace servants came forward to serve him tea.

He picked up the teacup, his fingertips long and slender like jade, his movements unhurried and deliberate, even the curve of his sleeves exuding a sense of Zen.

He didn't utter a single word throughout, yet he became the center of attention.

Su Yaoyao withdrew her gaze, a slight smile playing on her lips.

well.

The more a man is like this, the more satisfying it is to flirt with him.

As she was thinking, a slight commotion suddenly came from across the street.

A noblewoman dressed in a pale yellow palace gown, perhaps encouraged by her elders, wanted to try her luck in the future. She mustered her courage, stood up with a cup of wine in hand, and gracefully walked towards the Crown Prince's seat.

"This humble woman...this humble woman offers a toast to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

But she "accidentally" slipped and fell on top of Xiao Chenyuan with a cry of surprise.

She was dressed lightly today, with her collar deliberately loosened; if she fell, she would be absolutely alluring.

The entire audience held their breath.

Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow, ready to watch the show.

Xiao Chenyuan didn't even lift his eyelids.

Ling Feng, the stern-faced guard beside him, swiftly stepped forward, grabbed Miss Sun's shoulder with one hand, and shoved her backward—

With such precise control of his strength, the young lady staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground, her hair disheveled, yet not a single hair touched the prince's robe.

"Do not be presumptuous before His Highness." Ling Feng's voice was as cold as ice.

Xiao Chenyuan then turned his head slightly and glanced at the young lady who was slumped on the ground, her face deathly pale.

His gaze was so indifferent, devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking not at a person, but at a speck of dust.

"Drag it down."

He spoke, his voice indifferent yet authoritative, "For disrupting a palace banquet, you are to be confined for three months."

Two eunuchs immediately stepped forward, covered the mouth of the young lady who was still trying to cry and beg, and swiftly dragged her out.

The entire room was completely silent.

The noble ladies who had been eager to make their move just moments before all fell silent, staring down at their skirts, no longer daring to glance at the Crown Prince.

Su Yun'er took in all of this and was overjoyed.

Very good!

As rumored, the Crown Prince was indeed averse to women to the point of being harsh! He even had beauties who took the initiative to throw themselves into his arms dragged away without showing any mercy.

If Su Yaoyao is made to look foolish in front of the Crown Prince and leave a frivolous and reckless impression, the Crown Prince might take offense on the spot.

At that time, not only will Su Yaoyao's reputation be ruined, but her aunt, the Empress, will also lose face!

Su Yun'er sneered inwardly.

Su Yaoyao, do you think you can catch the Crown Prince's eye just by changing your appearance?

dream!

Just wait... your time to cry will come!

She gave a wink to the maid standing behind her. The maid understood and quietly withdrew.

Su Yaoyao, however, gently swirled her wine glass, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

This Crown Prince is even more difficult to deal with than she imagined.

What can we do?

She seems to like it even more now.

Before long, music began to play, and a group of dancers dressed in light gauze gracefully entered and began to dance in the center of the banquet.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments and the graceful dances enlivened the atmosphere of the banquet.

Su Yaoyao appeared to be enjoying the song and dance, but in reality, she was keeping a close eye on everything around her.

She noticed that the maidservant who was with Su Yun'er was gone.

It was also noticed that among the dancers, there was one with an exceptionally slender figure and a particularly beautiful face. As she danced, her eyes frequently drifted towards the prince's seat, and her waist twisted with extraordinary suppleness.

I also noticed that the dancer seemed to be hiding something in her sleeve.

Su Yaoyao lowered her eyes, a playful smile curving her lips.

coming.

Sure enough, as the music ended and the dancers bowed and withdrew, the exceptionally beautiful dancer suddenly slipped and cried out in surprise, "Ouch!"

And by sheer coincidence, she fell right in the direction of Su Yaoyao's seat!

The moment she fell, a small packet of powder suddenly flew out of her sleeve and sprayed straight at Su Yaoyao's face!

In a flash, Su Yaoyao's eyes sharpened.

If she dodges, the powder will inevitably fall on her.

Today, this shimmering moonlight brocade is stained with dust, and she must look quite disheveled.

If she doesn't hide...

It's hard to say what's in that powder.

Su Yun'er is ruthless.

Su Yaoyao's mind raced. Just as the powder was about to touch her face, she suddenly cried out in alarm, and the wine glass "accidentally" slipped from her hand—

"Snapped!"

The wine glass fell to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound.

As she stood up to dodge, she flicked her wide sleeve, brushing away most of the powder, leaving only a small amount stuck to her cuff.

At the same time, she seemed to trip over something, and staggered to the side—

The direction it was tilted in, without any deviation, was precisely the direction of the Crown Prince's seat!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

All the onlookers saw was the dancer fall, powder flying everywhere, Su Yaoyao getting up in a panic, wine glasses shattering, and then she losing her balance, about to fall to the ground—

And Crown Prince Xiao Chenyuan was sitting right in front of her as she was leaning over!

If she really falls, she will surely crash into the Crown Prince's arms!

A look of wild joy flashed in Su Yun'er's eyes.

Become!

However, the next moment, everyone was stunned.

Just as Su Yaoyao was about to fall, she suddenly reached out and precisely caught the edge of the low table next to the Crown Prince's seat.

She used the momentum to steady herself. Although she looked a little disheveled, with her hair slightly messy and her hair ornaments swaying, she ultimately did not actually fall.

They didn't even touch the Crown Prince.

After regaining her footing, her first instinct wasn't to tidy her appearance, but to turn to Xiao Chenyuan, curtsy, her voice carrying just the right amount of panic and apology:

"This humble woman has acted improperly and disturbed Your Highness. Please forgive me."

She lowered her head, revealing a section of her fair and graceful nape.

Because of the "panic" just now, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were slightly red, and her long eyelashes trembled like the wings of a startled butterfly.

He looked pitiful yet extremely polite.

Xiao Chenyuan raised his eyes and looked at her.

This was the second time tonight that he had looked at her properly.

His gaze lingered for a moment on her slightly reddened eyes, then fell on the barely noticeable powder on her cuff.

Finally, he looked at the dancer who was still lying on the ground, her face pale.

"Ling Feng," he said, his voice still calm and unwavering, "Investigate."

"Yes!" Ling Feng responded and quickly walked towards the dancer.

Just then, a eunuch's voice suddenly rang out from the entrance:

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

Everyone in the room immediately stood up and bowed.

Su Yaoyao also bent down with the others, but as she lowered her head, a fleeting smile appeared on her lips.

The Empress Aunt has arrived just in time.

The real show is just beginning.