Xie Wanqing was startled, speaking so directly about the position of the Crown Prince.
"Rest assured," Consort Shufei said with a smile, "if one must fear eavesdropping even in their own quarters, then being a First-Grade Princess Consort is not worth it."
When the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, she was a concubine in the Eastern Palace. She fought against the other won in the harem for most of her life; without so ans, she would have long been consud by this deep palace, leaving nothing but bones.
In truth, Xie Wanqing wasn’t very close to this aunt. She seldom ca to the palace, though she did stay briefly when she was young.
Back then, Consort Shufei was just a concubine. Although the Eldest Prince had been born, he was still far from vying for the position of Crown Prince. She had considered marrying her niece to the Eldest Prince, but Xie Shu and Mrs. Zheng had only one daughter, whom they cherished, and were not willing to let her marry into the Royal Family.
Later, when Xie Wanqing and Lu Ziyuan beca engaged, this marriage was seen as a boost for the Eldest Prince, so Consort Shufei gave up the idea of a family alliance through marriage.
After that, to avoid suspicion, Xie Wanqing rarely entered the palace.
Thinking back, Lu Ziyuan might have known about these past events, and in her dreams, he was reluctant to let her enter the palace and had once told her sternly to stay away from Consort Shufei and the Crown Prince.
But by then, she had already begun to grow cold toward him. A sense of annoyance was all that remained between them, and even when they sat together, it was only to confront one another.
Hearing his unreasonable demands, she, of course, refused to comply.
Things got so bad that Lu Ziyuan even confined her, not allowing her to leave the house.
The events in the dream were vivid in her mind, and Xie Wanqing smiled bitterly in her heart; they were truly a mismatched pair.
...
In Yanxiang Palace, the aunt and niece talked happily, but at Wuyuan Marquis Mansion, chaos had persisted since last night.
Lu Ziyuan lay on the bed, bare-chested and covered with a thin quilt, eyes closed, lips white, and forehead covered in sweat.
He had been unconscious since returning last night, muttering incoherently, only occasionally calling out "Wanwan," letting people know he was calling for Xie Wanqing.
Now, she was the wife of another man and his forr fiancée.
Looking at her grandson, wounded and in such a miserable state, Old Madam Lu was heartbroken.
The elderly woman leaned on a cane, supported by her two daughters-in-law, standing by the bed, her tears falling, "Such misfortune, truly unfortunate."
She held so resentnt in her heart towards Xie Wanqing for marrying in haste.
How could there be such a heartless girl, who once seed so deeply devoted, yet, when the tie was severed, it was done so decisively. In the blink of an eye, she married, leaving not even a chance for reconciliation.
Madam Lu’s resentnt towards Xie Wanqing was no less than that of her mother-in-law, but the most urgent matter now was her son’s condition.
She looked at the Imperial Physicians, her face anxious, "How is it, is my son in serious condition?"
The Imperial Physicians discussed for a mont, and one said, "The Princely Heir’s injuries are not serious, just minor superficial wounds, already bandaged. With his constitution, he should recover in a few days."
Second Madam Lu asked, "Then why hasn’t he woken up?"
"...This," the Imperial Physician hesitated, "perhaps his mind has been struck, causing a desire to escape, hence he cannot wake up imdiately."
"When the Princely Heir cos to terms with it himself, he will naturally awaken."
The Imperial Physicians prepared prescriptions and went to decoct the dicine. They had received the imperial edict last night, so long as Lu Ziyuan remained unconscious, they were not to leave the Lu Family.
anwhile, Lu Ziyuan was in a nightmare.
A dream where he couldn’t see the images but could inexplicably sense its intensity.
It was as if he were rging into soone else’s senses, disturbed by that person’s emotions.
He furrowed his brow, feeling as though he had fallen into an icy abyss, his heart shivering continuously from the cold.
Desolate, deathly still, and densely packed with fear...
In a haze, many images flashed before his eyes, so he had experienced, and others unfamiliar.
These images flickered by, impossible for him to distinguish, but his chaotic thoughts gradually cleared.
He composed himself, enduring the deep pain to observe.
Feeling as if he had seen another world.
The story began with a sea of red—it was a wedding.
In the bridal chair, the girl holding an apple was his Wanwan.
And the man on the steed in the wedding attire was himself.
Lu Ziyuan was stunned, his inexplicable pain dissipating at once, replaced by ecstasy.
In this world, he had managed to marry Wanwan as he wished.
On the wedding night, red candles burned brightly.
In the bridal chamber, the charming girl pouted and complained to the two maidservants, "Why hasn’t Brother Ziyan co back yet? I’m so hungry."
Although she was complaining, her eyes sparkled, showing her inner joy.
She was pleased to marry him.
Lu Ziyuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, wishing to embrace her, but he couldn’t touch her, only wait with her in the bridal chamber for his other self to return.
He waited until the red candles burned halfway before his girl, with the phoenix coronet askew from leaning on the bed fra, finally saw his other self returning slowly.
That Lu Ziyuan seed slightly aloof, and upon hearing that she hadn’t eaten dinner, he instructed the servants to bring food and drink, but nothing gentler beyond that.
Lu Ziyuan was sowhat dazed, realizing that this was how he appeared to her before, despite liking and caring for her but reluctant to show his feelings.
Confident that she liked him and would always like him, he believed all he needed was her presence by his side.
But the girl was clearly very wronged, her new husband, who she had waited for so long, remained cold.
She ate alone, then slowly washed and brushed, and by the ti her hair was dry, the red candle had burned past its midpoint. The man on the bed looked a bit impatient, and as soon as she approached, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed.
His lips imdiately descended.
How does it feel to watch another self intimately with your beloved?
Lu Ziyuan frowned, trying to see if he could return to his own body, but in the end, he could only give up angrily.
The girl on the bed seed in pain, desperately pushing him away.
Lu Ziyuan’s eyes turned red, wishing he could stab the man on top of her to death.
Fortunately, he still had so humanity, eventually slowing his actions.
Their first night together ended abruptly.
He didn’t continue, but Lu Ziyuan knew himself, it cost him a great effort to endure.
Both actions showed concern, yet his face remained stiff.
The girl shed tears, but he neither comforted nor held her, even frowning as he distanced himself.
She felt even more wronged, and her temper flared. She pinched his arm hard, "Why are you so fierce!"
Lu Ziyuan pursed his lips and held her into his arms, his voice hoarse as he told her to settle down.
She didn’t know, and he had no experience.
Resisting taking her more than once on the wedding night was totally due to self-control.
Not daring to hold her too long, to distract himself, the man on the bed brought up another woman on their wedding night.
He ntioned lifting Liu Manrou’s status to take her as a concubine in a few days.
Lu Ziyuan had already experienced how much the girl cared about this, wishing he could rush up and slap himself twice to make him shut up!
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