The morning sun shone in, and the gentle breeze made the curtains flutter slightly.
Li Xinyue opened her eyes and looked at the two hands clasped together on the pillow.
His hand was on top of hers, with prominent knuckles and distinct lines, much like his figure when he was on top of her.
She blushed but couldn't help withdrawing her hand. Then she gently placed it on the back of his hand, her fingers slowly stretching out to cover each of his fingers.
She closed her eyes and savored the moment for a while. Then she blushed all over with shyness and tried hard to drive away those wild thoughts before gently pushing him.
"Get up! It's already bright. You have official duties. Don't forget."
Chu Junyi opened his eyes. He quickly caught her small hand and held it tightly in his palm. With his other hand, he hugged her waist tightly and pulled her closer to him.
Li Xinyue felt the strong and solid touch on her back. Her heart skipped a beat, and those wild thoughts came back again. She almost lost control.
"Chu, Chu Junyi! It's daytime now!"
After saying that, she realized something was wrong. She buried herself in the quilt first, with only a red ear sticking out, trembling slightly.
Chu Junyi let out a chuckle. His eyes, as clear as if washed by a clear spring, sparkled as he stared at that ear. His Adam's apple rolled up and down. "Shall we continue tonight?"
Li Xinyue reached out and punched him in the back. "No!"
She wanted to take a break!
Last night, someone had been so wild and intense that she was almost exhausted.
She would never say "do as you like" again.
"Then tonight, I'll be the one below, and Your Highness will be on top. I'll let Your Highness do whatever you like!"
Hearing this, Li Xinyue felt as if she was going to be cooked. What was worse, someone deliberately whispered in her ear and then laughed.
When he laughed, her mind went blank. Shy again, she wrapped herself completely in the quilt and rolled inside.
Chu Junyi watched helplessly as the quilt on him was also wrapped in. Then he felt a chill, and his naked body was exposed to the air.
The sun shone on him as if gilding him. His chest rose and fell with his breathing. His long hair was casually scattered on his shoulders, showing a bit of unruly charm.
He looked at the lush bamboo forest outside the window and the warm sunlight filtering through it. Suddenly, he felt a surge of emotions. "Your Highness, you're so kind to me."
Then he looked at the person curled up in a ball. Thinking of her docility and tenderness last night, his heart was filled to the brim.
Who would have thought that he could marry a princess and become a consort? Not even he himself had imagined it, but it had become a reality.
The bastard who used to steal and was despised by everyone had one day become so glorious.
Fortune was truly mysterious.
The corner of his mouth lifted, and he lowered his eyes with a faint smile.
"Chu Junyi?"
"Hmm." Chu Junyi looked up at her.
Li Xinyue was buried in the quilt. Although she couldn't see, she could detect a hint of emotion in his words that was not easily noticeable.
That emotion made her heart ache. She felt an inexplicable urge to feel sorry for him.
She didn't know how to start. She was afraid of touching the wound buried in his heart, just like the criss - cross scars on his body. But she really wanted to ask.
"You've been reluctant to take me back and haven't revealed your background. Is there something you can't tell me?"
Maybe his parents were dead, and he was alone, wandering the world.
"Hmm."
If he told her that he used to beg for a living and lived a life worse than a pig or a dog, would she despise him?
As a princess, if she married a beggar, what would she do?
Would she kill him?
Fortunately, he had already won her heart. Maybe they would have a child soon.
Would she spare his life for the sake of the child?
Thinking about it, he felt it was ridiculous.
He had actually used the most despicable means on the one he loved most.
"Your Highness, my background is not good. And Your Highness doesn't like people from humble families."
Li Xinyue's eyelashes trembled. She closed her eyes with mixed feelings. "That's all in the past. Besides, did I have a choice? Didn't you plan everything?"
Chu Junyi let out a chuckle. Her words sounded helpless but also a bit indulgent, which warmed his heart. His nervousness and uneasiness instantly disappeared.
So, he was still the somewhat unruly yet upright gentleman, Chu Junyi.
"Another day when I'm free, I'll take Your Highness back to meet my family. For now, we'd better hurry back to the city."
"I'll get your clothes for you."
Then she rolled out of the bed and picked up the messy clothes, hairpins, and flower ornaments that were scattered everywhere one by one.
After breakfast, the carriage slowly drove out of the estate.
The carriage of Murong Xiu and his sister also set off around the same time.
Only then did Murong Xiu realize that the princess had also stayed in the estate last night. They had been so close. That feeling was like he was waiting for something but also seemed to have missed something. He lowered his eyes and closed them, hiding his dejection.
Murong Jia glanced at him and shook her head helplessly.
She had done her best, but she couldn't force the person to come. Now she just hoped that her brother could let go on his own.
After the carriage entered the city, the hustle and bustle of the city was mixed with many stories that had happened last night.
A group of black - clothed men had come to the residence of the Eldest Princess. After clashing with the guards in the residence with swords, there were also a series of fires. More than half of the magnificent residence had been destroyed in the fire.
The emperor had sent people to put out the fire. Although the fire had been brought under control, the once - magnificent residence of the Eldest Princess was now beyond recognition.
The common people sighed that the gold - inlaid floor tiles and wall columns had all been burned to ashes in the fire.
The handsome men raised in the residence had also fled one after another overnight.
It was rumored that some wealthy merchants had deliberately picked up one or two of them secretly.
It was also rumored that some of these handsome men, who were used to a life of luxury, couldn't bear to live in poverty anymore. So they went to brothels and became male prostitutes.
Overnight, the name of the Eldest Princess had skyrocketed the value of these male prostitutes.
Many merchants saw a business opportunity and fabricated a bunch of male favorites who were said to have been favored by the Eldest Princess. To make it more believable, they even made up stories about the Eldest Princess's private life.
So, in the rumors of the people, the Eldest Princess became a dirty and immoral person.
At the morning court, a minister sued the Eldest Princess for her past unmentionable crimes.
One after another, more ministers began to expose the Eldest Princess's misdeeds.
One by one, the unmentionable things of the Eldest Princess were revealed.
Emperor Mingde was furious. He deposed the Eldest Princess, imprisoned her in the princess's residence, and sent imperial guards to guard it day and night. He also dismissed all the servants and guards in the princess's residence.
She was the second princess to be deposed in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty. People had only heard of deposed crown princes and princes before. These two princesses had set a precedent for deposed imperial princesses.
But different from the deposition of Princess Yuanyang, the Eldest Princess had no chance of making a comeback this time.
The Eldest Princess was lying quietly on the couch. She turned a deaf ear to the chaos and noise outside. She seemed to be out of her body, as if she was in a world beyond the mortal realm.
The imperial guards came in as ordered. They took away the valuable things in her room. Then they looked at her sympathetically, silently stepped back, closed the door, and locked it.
The sound of the lock turning barely stirred a tiny ripple in her heart, but it soon returned to calm.
The wind gently blew up her skirt and white hair. One strand was blown to the ground and mixed with many other strands on the ground.