Prince Rui looked at the bashful woman beside him, who was only wearing a light green undergarment, his mind completely blank.

“What… what is this about?”

“Your Highness—” Li Jiǎo called out shyly, lowering her head without another word.

Prince Rui suddenly grabbed Li Jiǎo’s wrist: “This prince is asking you—what exactly is going on here?”

Li Jiǎo’s face turned deathly pale, looking at Prince Rui in confusion: “Your Highness, don’t you remember? At that time you…”

Prince Rui’s mind finally began to form some impression, but he couldn’t accept this cruel reality. He violently threw off the brocade quilt covering them both.

The snow-white body beneath the quilt made his eyes dizzy.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong with you?” Li Jiǎo felt that Prince Rui’s reaction was somewhat abnormal and asked gently.

From the discussion between those two servant women, she knew that Prince Rui had been taking heart-clearing and desire-suppressing medicine to regulate his body, but if something like this had truly happened, why did he look as if he were mourning the dead? Even if he was regulating his body, there was no need to completely avoid women.

Prince Rui came back to his senses. Looking at the woman who appeared shy, he found her an eyesore. He raised his hand and gave her a vicious slap.

Li Jiǎo, having just experienced her first time with a man, was already weak and powerless throughout her body. How could she withstand such an angry blow from a grown man? She was immediately knocked down onto the bed, the world spinning before her eyes.

Prince Rui showed no trace of tenderness or pity. He reached out and grabbed Li Jiǎo, asking angrily: “What tricks did you pull beforehand?”

Blood flowed down one corner of her mouth as Li Jiǎo denied intermittently: “Your Highness, I… I didn’t…”

“Didn’t? Could it be that this prince is some inexperienced young boy who would go mad at the sight of any woman?” Prince Rui’s eyes were red with rage as he used force to throw Li Jiǎo directly onto the floor.

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed, and inquiries came from the servants outside the door: “Your Highness, do you have any orders?”

Hearing the voices from outside, Prince Rui regained a few degrees of composure and called out loudly: “Go fetch Physician Liang for this prince!”

“Yes.”

Prince Rui looked coldly at Li Jiǎo, who had fallen to the floor, his heart dripping with hatred.

He had faithfully followed Physician Li’s instructions for nearly a year, avoiding women completely. Just when victory was in sight, who would have thought he’d be ruined by this wretched woman!

“Your High… Your Highness…” Li Jiǎo was completely stunned by the beating. Using her hands to prop herself up, her vision kept going black.

A brocade quilt was thrown over her, and Prince Rui’s icy voice came: “Wrap yourself properly. Physician Liang will be here soon!”

Physician Liang?

Li Jiǎo’s heart panicked.

She wasn’t afraid of being discovered by some Physician Liang, but Physician Liang was a man from outside the inner quarters. For His Highness to call him over like this—what did that make her?

If she were to be seen in such a state by Physician Liang today, she could forget about rising in status in the future.

Li Jiǎo wrapped herself in the brocade quilt and scrambled to get up in panic. Because she had fallen hard, her legs were weak and sore. She hadn’t even stood up before falling again, looking extremely disheveled.

Prince Rui watched coldly, completely indifferent.

Li Jiǎo’s heart grew increasingly cold. She used all her strength to force herself up and, tears in her eyes, hid behind the screen to put on her clothes.

She had just finished tying her sash when Physician Liang arrived.

“Greetings to Your Highness.”

Li Jiǎo secretly peered through the gaps in the screen and saw a man of about forty years old paying respects to Prince Rui.

“No need for formalities. This prince called you here to examine whether there’s anything wrong with this tea.” Prince Rui had no mind for beating around the bush and spoke directly.

Reflecting on it, the problem was most likely in the tea that Lady Li had brewed for him.

Physician Liang dared not ask too many questions, acknowledged the order, and immediately began his examination.

Li Jiǎo hid behind the screen, not daring to move.

After a long while, Physician Liang’s voice rang out: “Your Highness, there is nothing wrong with the tea.”

Li Jiǎo smiled silently.

Prince Rui was stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this result, and pressed further: “Truly nothing wrong?”

Physician Liang nodded.

“Could it be that this prince has avoided women for too long and thus lost all self-control?”

Physician Liang was frightened by what he heard: “Your Highness, you—”

Prince Rui stood up: “Let’s go to the study to talk.”

Soon, the sounds of opening and closing doors could be heard, and footsteps gradually faded away.

Li Jiǎo emerged from behind the screen and leaned softly against it in a daze.

In the study, Prince Rui said dejectedly, “This prince broke his vow just now. What can be done about this?”

Physician Liang was dumbfounded: “Broke your vow? Isn’t there still more than a month left?”

Prince Rui’s face was iron-dark: “What’s the use of talking about this now? This prince wants to know—if the vow is broken now, will all previous efforts truly be wasted?”

Seeing Prince Rui’s expression was wrong, Physician Liang wiped his cold sweat and consoled: “Your Highness, please don’t be anxious. There isn’t much time left until the deadline set by Physician Li. Surely it won’t result in complete failure.”

“This prince wants a definite answer, not speculation!”

Physician Liang smiled bitterly.

He wasn’t Physician Li—how could he give a definite answer? Throughout this past year, his responsibility had been simply to prepare medicine for His Highness according to the prescriptions Physician Li had left behind.

“If only Physician Li were still here.” Prince Rui knew that pressing Physician Liang to death would be useless and sighed heavily.

Physician Liang didn’t dare respond.

Physician Li had died at sea—where could they find someone now? He’d better just remain a quiet physician.

“Someone—” Prince Rui suddenly opened his eyes and shouted.

Immediately, several servants entered.

“Confine Lady Li to the small shrine.”

When Prince Rui’s consort was alive, due to the continuous deaths of two sons, she became extremely grief-stricken and set up a small shrine in the most remote part of the prince’s residence, where she would hide all day, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers.

After Prince Rui’s consort passed away, the small shrine was left empty and gradually became the place where Prince Rui would send concubines who had made mistakes.

Although it was early spring now, the small shrine was cold and damp. Needless to say, all provisions there were of the worst quality—going there was asking for suffering.

“Your Highness, you cannot—” Physician Liang couldn’t help but speak up.

Prince Rui looked at him coldly. Seeing Physician Liang’s hesitant expression, he waved his hand to dismiss the servants who had entered.

“Your Highness, that concubine who received your favor should not be sent to such a desolate place.”

“What, are you pleading for her?”

Physician Liang quickly clarified: “This humble official is not pleading for that concubine, but just thinking of just in case…”

“Just in case? Just in case what?” Prince Rui didn’t react immediately.

Physician Liang leaned close to Prince Rui’s ear and whispered a few words.

Prince Rui’s expression changed slightly.

Physician Liang’s reminder was quite right—he did need to consider the possibility of Li Jiǎo conceiving.

If he could no longer make women pregnant because he had broken his vow, perhaps his only hope would rest with Li Jiǎo.

Damn it, clearly he wished he could kill that woman, yet he still had to take good care of her—this feeling was truly infuriating!

He would endure for one month and see. If Li Jiǎo could become pregnant, so be it. If not… then they would settle all accounts after autumn.

Li Jiǎo hid in the room, her heart in turmoil for a long time. Suddenly, the door opened, and several maids entered in single file carrying trays. The maid at the front smiled broadly: “The Concubine has worked hard. His Highness has ordered us servants to come serve you in changing clothes and dining.”

Li Jiǎo was completely confused. Enjoying the careful and thoughtful service of several maids from the prince’s residence, she felt a bewildered joy of having survived a disaster.