Chapter 125

Shen Shuangning opened her eyes at that moment, and saw the man atop her with an ice‑sealed face, his eyes seeming to brew a storm.

She still seemed unaware of what had happened, a veil of mist in her eyes as she gazed at him in a dazed way.

When he heard her utter "Young Master Pei", the sweet tenderness in Xiao Jingyuan's heart vanished instantly.

It felt as if a slap had struck his face.

In an instant anger, resentment, jealousy, reproach intertwined, filling his chest, turning into sharp lines that tore his heart into countless bloody pieces.

"Look clearly, I am not that Young Master Pei; your husband is me." Xiao Jingyuan pinched her chin, his movement turning rough.

Given his nature, he should have withdrawn and never touched her again.

Yet he was utterly unwilling, feeling unsatisfied. How dare she mistake him for someone else? And it had to be that hateful Pei Sanlang!

Shen Shuangning winced awake from the pain, lifted a hand to push him, panting intermittently, her brows knotted.

But the more she resisted, the hotter Xiao Jingyuan's jealousy burned, as if it would scorch his reason and consume his entrails.

He longed to devour her wholly, make her wholly his, so he would have no thought for other men, nor dare think of that Pei Sanlang again.

"Your husband is only one—me." Xiao Jingyuan gripped her waist hard, asserting his claim.

Shen Shuangning couldn't push him away, so she turned her head and bit his shoulder hard enough to taste blood.

A muffled groan escaped Xiao Jingyuan's throat, yet he did not loosen his grip; instead he lifted her, letting her rest against his shoulder, uncaring even if she bit through flesh.

He simply locked his arms around her waist, as if he wanted to embed that alluring body into his very bones and blood.

After a cup of tea, amid a slight tremor, Xiao Jingyuan stopped and buried his head in her sweaty neck.

His low voice was steeped in undissipated desire, yet also revealed deep helplessness.

"Shen Shuangning, I am yours. Whatever you want, I will grant it."

Love makes the superior bow his head.

Shen Shuangning slowly relaxed her mouth, yet said nothing.

After a moment.

Suddenly, a loud "bang!" rang out.

The door was kicked open violently; the door panel slammed against the wall and rebounded, bringing a deafening hum.

The one who kicked the door was the Crown Prince; his face was ashen, veins throbbing at his temples, his eyes brimming with restrained fury, nearly bursting forth.

Just now Prince Chen said Xiao Jingyuan and Song Xizhi had a secret rendezvous at Yunxiao Tower yesterday, staying the whole night!

Who doesn't know Song Xizhi is his soon‑to‑be concubine, his woman? That scoundrel Xiao Jingyuan dares to covet her—if this gets out, will the Crown Prince's dignity survive?!

Xiao Jingyuan is simply bullying too far!

Today he must, no matter what, drag this madman out and bring him before the Father Emperor to demand an explanation!

At the instant the door was burst open, a cross‑draft rushed in, lifting the gauze at the curtain's edge.

At that moment one could clearly see the man's bare back, muscles firm and smooth, yet crisscrossed with ambiguous red marks, glaringly conspicuous.

The Crown Prince glared, eyes wide, fixed on the direction of the bed.

Xiao Jingyuan's face also slowly turned, his gaze locking onto him. There was not a hint of flirtatious tenderness; his expression was cold and devoid of feeling.

The Crown Prince shivered inexplicably under that gaze, and did not immediately step forward to seize the adulterers.

Nevertheless, through the half‑drawn curtain he clearly saw Xiao Jingyuan holding a woman in his arms.

But the woman was shielded tightly by him; aside from a few strands of soft hair falling onto the brocade quilt, not even a outline could be discerned.

Yet the Crown Prince had already decided who she was—undoubtedly Song Xizhi!

After all, in the Crown Prince's eyes, Xiao Jingyuan has always been his greatest romantic rival.

Thinking of their affair behind his back, the Crown Prince's fury surged to his head, and he snarled through clenched teeth: "Adulterous couple!"

Perhaps because his anger was too great, his voice unintentionally rose to a piercing pitch.

The Crown Prince's men stood guard outside, not entering, yet the commotion inside had already leaked out.

Who doesn't have a bit of gossip in them? Especially regarding the private affairs of those high‑and‑mighty nobles and officials, curiosity runs deep.

At this moment the guests lingering in Yunxiao Tower all heard the Crown Prince's indignant cry of "Adulterous couple!" and instantly gathered in twos and threes at the stairwell, tiptoeing, ears pricked, holding their breath to eavesdrop.

Xiao Jingyuan furrowed his brows and said coldly, "Get out!"

Between ruler and subject there is a distinction; although Xiao Jingyuan had sometimes been disrespectful to the Crown Prince before, he always retained a modicum of surface courtesy—this blatant, undisguised insolence was unprecedented.

The Crown Prince first stared, then burst into angry laughter: Xiao Jingyuan had slept with his woman and yet acts so self‑righteous? He even dares to tell him to get lost?!

Is there anyone in this world more shameless than Xiao Jingyuan?

He only regrets not having brought his sword today; otherwise he would surely draw it and cut down that shameless pair to vent his hatred!

Thus the Crown Prince's gaze swept past Xiao Jingyuan and landed on "Song Xizhi," and he spoke angrily:

"Song Xizhi, I never imagined you would be this shameless—clearly destined to be my bride, yet you turn around and engage in this affair with Xiao Jingyuan! I once thought the daughter of the Song family, raised with such self‑respect, would be pure, but you are nothing but a wanton, base wretch!"

Song Xizhi?

Both Xiao Jingyuan and Shen Shuangning stared in surprise.

One lowered his head, the other lifted hers, and they exchanged a glance.

Shen Shuangning was mostly bewildered, while Xiao Jingyuan seemed to have grasped something.

Last night at Yunxiao Tower he bumped into Song Xizhi, who kept saying he had privately sent word to arrange a meeting.

How could that be?

He had no reason to see her, nor the slightest desire to do so.

Afterward Song Xizhi hurried away; he gave it no further thought and turned straight to Prince Chen's place.

Later… he was plied with that potent liquor by Prince Chen, muddled and fell into the trap, ending up entwined with Shen Shuangning all night here.

And now the Crown Prince storms in furious, insisting with certainty that the person in his bed is Song Xizhi.

Xiao Jingyuan instantly understood what scheme Prince Chen was hatching.

Prince Chen intended to use Song Xizhi to stir up trouble between him and the Crown Prince; once he and the Crown Prince completely turned against each other, Emperor Xuwen would surely be troubled.

By then, Prince Chen, who was sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, would probably be secretly pleased in the dark.

What a well-laid scheme!

But I'm afraid it won't go as he wishes.

Xiao Jingyuan turned to look at the Crown Prince, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Who told you she was Song Xizhi?"

The Crown Prince raised his hand and pointed at him: "You have the guts to do it, but not the guts to admit it?"

The Crown Prince, furious and flustered, after speaking made a move to step forward and lift the bed curtains to see what was going on.

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes darkened suddenly; just as he was about to shout to stop, the woman in his arms coquettishly said, "My lord, who is he?"

Xiao Jingyuan paused, lowered his gaze to look at Shen Shuangning, and saw she was nervously looking at him.

We absolutely cannot let anyone know she is here, otherwise the reputation of the Duke's Manor will be ruined.

Xiao Jingyuan signaled her with his eyes to calm down, then went along saying, "It's just a scoundrel, don't be afraid."

Upon hearing the woman's voice, the Crown Prince knew it wasn't Song Xizhi; his steps halted abruptly, and his face instantly turned somewhat unsightly.

Could it be... that he really misunderstood?

Xiao Jingyuan glanced at the Crown Prince, his brows and eyes cold, and said, "As the heir, I lack no women; why would I covet a woman about to become someone's wife? Moreover, I never had any intention toward the eldest daughter of the Song family."

"My heir's bed is not something just anyone can climb into."

Those words sounded as if he were deliberately explaining himself to someone.

The Crown Prince felt Xiao Jingyuan was making excuses, yet his expression didn't seem feigned.

Just then, his subordinate behind him hesitated before speaking.

"Your, Your Highness the Crown Prince... Miss Song is waiting for you downstairs."

Hearing that, the Crown Prince snapped his head toward the speaker and asked, "Is she really downstairs?"

The man replied sheepishly, "I dare not deceive Your Highness; Miss Song is currently waiting in the main hall."

All of the Crown Prince's anger turned into embarrassment; he immediately suppressed his hostility, could only brace himself, and clasped his hands toward Xiao Jingyuan: "It was I who listened to slander, failed to clarify the situation, and disturbed your refined pursuits, Your Highness."

Xiao Jingyuan gave a cold snort and said nothing.

The Crown Prince no longer glanced at the curtain, saying, "I will surely come to apologize another day; I take my leave now!" Having spoken, he turned and left at once, his steps somewhat hurried.

Upon reaching the door, he still didn't forget to personally close the door that had almost been kicked down.

Once the door was shut, the Crown Prince's face darkened; Prince Chen dared to deceive him, causing such a huge blunder!

But who exactly is the woman on Xiao Jingyuan's bed?

Xiao Jingyuan is so aloof that ordinary women can hardly get a glance from him; the woman he holds in his arms must be better than Song Xizhi, right?

A unbelievable thought flashed through the Crown Prince's mind; his steps halted, and he turned back to glance at the tightly closed door.

Could it be that Xiao Jingyuan, like those spoiled rich youths, has come to this Cloud Pavilion to seek pleasure?

The Crown Prince didn't think further, shook his head, and went straight downstairs.

Downstairs, Prince Chen was holding a teacup, sipping tea leisurely, waiting to watch a good show of the Crown Prince and Xiao Jingyuan fighting it out, both losing.

But after waiting a while, he saw the Crown Prince come down alone with a solemn face, no sign of a fight on him, and even his hair bun remained neat.

This situation was far from what he had expected.

The Crown Prince first went to see Prince Chen, his face dark, and said: "I never imagined that my royal uncle would have such leisurely elegance, using me to seek pleasure!"

Having said that, he didn't even glance at Prince Chen's expression, flung his sleeve, and stormed off.

Prince Chen stared, bewildered: "What does this mean? Could it be that Xiao Jingyuan and the Crown Prince didn't actually fight?"

While pondering, he inadvertently glanced down through the window lattice and happened to see, beside the Crown Prince downstairs, a slender-figured woman. If not Song Xizhi, who else could she be?

The two walked side by side; although there was some distance between them, it was clear they were leaving together.

Prince Chen was stunned again; Song Xizhi was clearly by the Crown Prince's side, so who then was the woman in Xiao Jingyuan's room?

Only then did he belatedly realize that some link must have gone awry.

After all that effort, not only did he fail to make Xiao Jingyuan and the Crown Prince turn against each other completely, but he ended up making himself a laughingstock!

A surge of resentment rushed to his head; Prince Chen was furious, and his teacup cracked with a "crack" as he crushed it.

Yet he seemed oblivious, speaking in a cold tone: "Where is that Miss Wei? Bring her to me!"

Wei Chun, after returning home last night, felt her eyelids twitch; the more she thought, the more uneasy she became, so she hastily packed her belongings, not daring to disturb the maid, planning to leave Jingcheng early the next morning to avoid trouble.

Even if Prince Chen doesn't blame her for her inadequacy, what if Shen Shuangning finds out it was her meddling behind the scenes?

The Rong Guogong Manor is nothing like the troubled Song family these days; moreover, she harmed their eldest daughter, so if the Duke's Manor wanted to deal with her, crushing her would be as easy as squashing an ant.

At the city gate, Wei Chun clutched a small bundle, hidden in the crowd, about to leave the city, when suddenly a black hand reached from behind and clamped tightly over her mouth!

Wei Chun stared wide-eyed in terror, and then a clean hand strike heavily chopped the back of her neck.

Wei Chun's vision went black, she fainted, and was then silently taken away.