Chapter 652

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Shen Yao woke up to find it was already noon of the second day.

Having fooled around with Lin Xingzhi until late at night, then having to run off to Luogui City to work overtime, Shen Yao sincerely felt she wasn't here to travel for pleasure, but to bring suffering upon herself.

'Host, matters in Luogui City are settled; what do we do next?'

The system had gone on a killing spree with Shen Yao last night and was still wildly excited, now appearing not to have fully regained its senses.

'Nothing needs to be done,' Shen Yao said, standing up and raising a hand to rub her eyes as she came to sit before the dressing table; the beauty in the copper mirror had eyebrows and eyes like a painting, skin like jade, and every movement was full of charm.

'You go do your own thing, so I can keep my husband and children company.'

She rehung the earrings she had taken off last night and inserted the exquisite hairpin into her hair bun.

Shen Yao looked left and right at herself in the copper mirror, finally standing up with satisfaction and calling in the servant waiting outside the door to serve her.

The servant, moving like a swimming fish, held the washing items Shen Yao needed; once these matters were finished, Shen Yao asked about the whereabouts of Lin Xingzhi and the three children.

'Replying to the Princess Consort, the Prince took the three Eldest Misses to Que Terrace.'

Que Terrace?

It was a terrace where many birds were kept, built during the Former Emperor's reign, connected to a favored consort of the imperial harem, and a product the Former Emperor used to win favor.

With the passing of the favored consort, the Former Emperor transferred his affections elsewhere, and this Que Terrace gradually fell into ruin.

Shen Yao remembered this Que Terrace because it was adjacent to the Royal Villa and had been bestowed upon Lin Xingzhi by the current Emperor with a wave of his hand.

They had several such places; anyway, Jing Wang Fu was not short of money, so when Shen Yao ordered repairs, she had included all these places.

'Lead the way.'

Shen Yao nodded lazily, and amidst a chorus of lowered heads in agreement, she swayed toward Que Terrace.

Beneath her feet was a winding, secluded tree-lined path, surrounded by artfully arranged flowers, grass, and trees.

Que Terrace was located not far behind the villa, surrounded by various trees where birds roosted; before they even arrived, they could already hear birdsong.

Most of the birds kept here were small in size, with pleasant calls and gorgeous feathers; Shen Yao saw a palm-sized bird flashing with five-colored light fly past her.

Five-colored Feather Bird

White Jade Sparrow

Changbi Kongqing Green Bird

Fat Ball Qiuqiu

……

Shen Yao alone appreciated this playground belonging entirely to the birds, lost in delight.

'Yao Niang.'

Shen Yao looked up, her gaze meeting Lin Xingzhi as he approached holding a kingfisher.

Not seeing the three children, Shen Yao's expression was one of confusion: 'Where are Yan'er and the others?'

Lin Xingzhi smiled and casually pointed behind himself: 'They have wet nurses and servants to keep them company; as for Yao Niang,' he handed the kingfisher to Shen Yao, 'do you like it, Yao Niang?'

The kingfisher was small, with soft green feathers, and was a common material used by the Imperial Household Department for kingfisher-feather jewelry.

Shen Yao was attracted by the kingfisher's beauty and reached out to stroke it, not expecting the bird to be extremely well-behaved and not fly away in fright when touched.

'Husband.'

Shen Yao called out softly, then claimed the kingfisher as her own.

Well, a rabbit raising birds—very reasonable~

'It is a young bird raised by the palace attendants here; when we leave, I will bring it back to Qin Wang Fu, where it can keep Yao Niang company and relieve boredom in the courtyard.'

Being a favorite in the Emperor's eyes was no easy task; Lin Xingzhi's official business came one after another, and with his previous military achievements as a foundation, this Prince of his could no longer lie flat.

Shen Yao lowered her eyes, using her slender fingers to stroke the bird's tail feathers one by one: 'Husband, have you heard any rumors?'

Lin Xingzhi shook his head with a smile; such matters would not be leaked until the final moment, but based on his understanding of the Emperor, at the latest by early spring next year, he would have to leave the capital on the Emperor's orders.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao placed the kingfisher on the hairpin atop her head; from afar, it looked like a piece of green jade, adding a touch of dignified splendor.

The couple walked around Que Terrace without attendants, just the two of them, until Shen Yao said she was tired and they returned to their residence.

The three little troublemakers had already buried their heads and were fast asleep; after all, what worries could children have? Being well-fed and having someone to play with could fill their entire childhood.

In the time that followed, the family of five either toured the villa or went to the horse farm, or went to the hunting grounds for a picnic and soaked in the hot spring to relieve fatigue.

Shen Yao often dragged Lin Xingzhi to seek pleasure, and the two secretly sneaked around behind the servants and children to seek excitement, having so much fun they forgot home and were immersed in it.

'Mmm...'

The fragmented words that did not form a tune disappeared within a moment, apparently the unsaid words swallowed back into her mouth; beside a hot spring pool steaming with white mist, wave after wave of water splashed onto the stairs.

The two people entwined with each other embraced tightly, unwilling to separate for a long time.

Drip-drip—

Water droplets from her hair fell along the hair tips onto the ground, staining patches of water.

Shen Yao turned her head and leaned against Lin Xingzhi's shoulder, her whole body held in his arms.

'Let go of me.'

Shen Yao raised her head and glanced at Lin Xingzhi with annoyance; her coquettish and alluring posture had no killing power at all.

Lin Xingzhi:...

His Adam's apple moved involuntarily; Lin Xingzhi lowered his head and smiled, kissing Shen Yao's overly red and moist lips.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao turned away in anger, refusing to pay attention. Just now had truly been excessive tomfoolery; if not restricted, she truly worried about their two physical conditions.

"Not afraid."

Lin Xingzhi leaned close to Shen Yao's ear and said some idle words, causing Shen Yao to pinch her pink fist and pound his chest hard, "Nonsense."

What dual cultivation of absorbing Yin to supplement Yang, absorbing Yang to supplement Yin? She is a proper rabbit demon, alright?

Lin Xingzhi laughed even more gleefully, his hoarse voice emerging from his throat, vibrating nonstop around his entire chest cavity.

Mm.

Although somewhat perverted, seeing Yao Niang annoyed, he seemed to love her even more!

"Yao Niang, Yao Niang, wife."

Lin Xingzhi couldn't help but chant Shen Yao's name, and even more excessive was that this fellow actually spoke the terms of endearment between the bed with a serious expression.

Shen Yao was simply stunned by Lin Xingzhi's thick skin; she hadn't discovered before that he was such a person, and now it truly opened her eyes.

Holding Shen Yao all the way back to the residence to rest, Lin Xingzhi only then reacted that he had teased a bit too harshly, and hurriedly knelt to apologize.

Shen Yao hummed twice, ignoring the person, only managing to send him into exile to accompany three little demons in tomfoolery, letting Lin Xingzhi's various pleas be useless, until her anger subsided in her heart, did she allow Lin Xingzhi to stay overnight.

After eating something good once, she had to eat plain food for several days; Lin Xingzhi no longer dared to be as unrestrained as before, wearing the skin of a gentleman and persisting with effort, finally breaking his restraint due to the matter of returning to the capital soon.

"Yao Niang, Yao Niang."

Light entered the room through the system window, making the entire layout clearly visible.

Inside the bed where the bed curtain was drawn to cover the scenery within, Lin Xingzhi called out to the woman full of love.

The woman was somewhat muddled, her eyes confused and dazed, only able to barely rely on bodily instinct to constantly cooperate with movements.

Lips kissed the forehead, spreading all the way down to kiss the heated cherry lips; Lin Xingzhi's heartfelt love words and affection seemed to swallow Shen Yao whole.

Responding vaguely to this affection, Shen Yao was happy like a butterfly dancing gracefully, circling and lingering around the flower she regarded as home.

After a long while, as the drawn bed curtain was opened from inside.

Lin Xingzhi wearing quilt carried Shen Yao, and the two walked to the adjacent side hall to bathe; when they returned refreshed to the sleeping hall, it had already been cleaned by the servants.

A faint fragrance was seen in the air; Shen Yao leaned in Lin Xingzhi's arms, mentioning returning to the capital tomorrow, they had to enter the palace to give thanks.

"Leave the Emperor's side to me; Yao Niang has worked extremely hard this month and should rest well."

Lin Xingzhi was unwilling to let Shen Yao endure the Empress's cold words; that person simply couldn't learn to speak properly, thinking everyone had to cling to her to survive.

Truly ignorant and presumptuous!

"Not angry," Shen Yao gently rubbed Lin Xingzhi's chest, "I also want to see the Empress Highness; now that the Qin Wang Fu has so many manors needing management, it's time to enter the palace to ask for some experience."

Lin Xingzhi laughed out loud upon hearing this, "Mischievous."

The Empress was probably going to be angered into illness; who didn't know her palace authority wasn't complete? The Emperor used his own art of checks and balances to redivide palace authority; the high-ranking consorts split half, and the Empress exclusively enjoyed half.

Shen Yao felt her mischievousness was forced by the Empress; all day she concerned herself with interfering in other families' inner households, and even dared to wield a chicken feather as an order arrow, heh~

Wasn't she thinking of sending them a concubine for their Wang Fu? She probably wouldn't mind being stabbed in the heart by herself.

After a month, the Jing Wang family returning from their outing smoothly returned to the Wang Fu.

The mansion had not changed much from when they left, only the trees and flowers in the garden had withered many, appearing even more desolate compared to the previous cluster of flowers.

The family rested one night first, then got up early the next day to enter the palace.

"Greetings, Jing Princess Highness."

The palace attendants of Fengyi Palace smiled and invited Shen Yao into the hall.

Shen Yao took off another jade bracelet and stuffed it to this palace attendant, saying she looked kind-faced, perhaps it was fate.

"This servant thanks the Wang Fei Highness for the reward; please be careful, Your Highness."

The palace attendants knew best how difficult the Empress was, and also felt heartache for the Jing Wang Fei who was about to be made things difficult for; the kinder and gentler a person was, the more they ended up with such a moody master in their own household.

However, no matter how heartache the servant felt, it was useless; she could only silently pray in her heart that the Jing Wang Fei could pass through the difficulty safely and smoothly.

"This subject's wife pays respects to the Empress Highness; may Your Highness have ten thousand blessings."

Shen Yao didn't know she was being pitied by the palace attendants of Fengyi Palace; she smiled and faced the Empress seated in the center of the great hall, thinking to herself, how long has it been since we last met, why has she aged a few more years?

Shen Yao's way of speaking was still somewhat euphemistic; what did "aged a few years" mean? Clearly she had aged quite a lot, and with it her appearance was haggard, the wrinkles on her face obvious.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Could it be the imperial selection next spring? But the palace had already selected countless times; if the Empress truly worried about this matter, she probably couldn't worry herself to death.

Shen Yao speculated in her heart why the Empress was troubled; on the other side, the Empress was also jealous and resentful of Shen Yao's leisure—why was it that both married into the royal family, she herself lived as if each day was a year, while the other was free and at ease?

"Empress Highness, Empress Highness?"

Seeing that Shen Yao's salute had not been answered as expected, Shen Yao immediately walked to the position on the Empress's left and sat down, with a concerned expression, "It has been many days since we last met; I don't know if Empress Highness is well?"

Empress:... This palace is not well!

The Empress forced a smile, "This palace is all well; I don't know if Jing Wang Fei is well?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yao exaggeratedly patted her chest, then said embarrassedly, "This subject's wife is all well; now hearing Empress Highness personally say everything is well, this subject is even better."

Empress:...

The Empress's gaze was impatient, feeling this Jing Wang Fei was deliberately picking trouble with her.

What? Was Jing Wang Fei dissatisfied with herself? Why?

The Empress truly didn't feel there was any problem; she felt extremely good about herself and simply didn't think others would have any grudge against her.

Even if she truly felt someone had a grudge, the Empress would insist it was the other person's fault.

"This palace has one matter to entrust today; I don't know if Jing Wang Fei can agree?"

What is called straightforward? This is it—straightforward to the point Shen Yao didn't know how to respond.

She hadn't even spoken the matter yet, and already wanted her to agree; the Empress was truly... spoiled to the point she couldn't tell southeast from northwest, right?

"Your Imperial Brother, your subject brother has a wife and children, so please forgive your subject brother for being unable to accept."

Lin Xingzhi knelt upright on the ground, his face full of righteousness as he refused the official duty the Emperor arranged for him.

Anyway, one sentence: absolutely not leaving the capital before the New Year palace banquet, no matter what, it's useless.

The Emperor:...

The Emperor raised his head and coughed twice, signaling his trusted Inner Attendant Li Dehai at his side to help Lin Xingzhi up.

"This matter is not asking you to leave the capital immediately," the Emperor said, putting away the memorial on the table, "first understand, I currently have no one by my side worthy of great use; this time I guarantee to you that accidents like those before will absolutely not happen again."

"Not only you, but also my younger brother and sister-in-law and my three nephews and nieces will all travel with you."

Afraid Lin Xingzhi would refuse again, the Emperor handed him the edict with titles already written: one Prince's Heir, one Commandery Prince, one Commandery Princess.

Lin Xingzhi:...

"Your subject brother accepts the edict, thanking Your Majesty's great grace."

Leaving the palace with the titles for the three children and the news of returning to the capital next year, the couple had just sat in the carriage when they couldn't help but exchange their respective information.

Compared to Fengyi Palace where they only traded words without doing anything serious, the Emperor's side acted much faster; at least the titles were truly grasped in hand.

"Yan'er is the Prince's Heir, Jue'er is the Commandery Prince, Jing'er is the Commandery Princess."

Jue'er and Jing'er have titles but no honorific names; however, when they return to the capital next year, some honorific names with precious meanings will certainly not be lacking.

"Your Imperial Brother has always kept his word in this regard," Lin Xingzhi said, hugging Shen Yao into his arms, indicating that these days he would frequently enter the palace to strive for benefits; since leaving the capital was already settled, they could not concede too much in terms of interests.

Lin Xingzhi had long passed the time of not eating mortal food and drinking only flower dew as a little male immortal.

Right now, what he and Shen Yao talked about most regarding the palace was the Emperor's Private Treasury.

The estates and manors outside the city counted as scraps; what was truly valuable was all stored in the Private Treasury.

Like various treasures collected from all over Li Guo during the Former Emperor's reign, even though many were given to his Favored Consort, and some were even embezzled by the serving palace attendants.

When the Emperor ascended the throne, one Imperial Edict swept away the results of these people's years of effort; plus, every year on the Emperor's birthday he received thoughtful currying of favor from officials all over Li Guo and even from the front and rear palaces, so he was truly not poor.

Not only not poor, but rich to the point of oil flowing.

Shen Yao's eyes turned, and crooked ideas popped out of her heart one after another; by the time the carriage stopped at the entrance of Qin Wang Fu, the couple had already put on new faces, their dejected appearance obviously showing they had been scolded severely.