Li Xuandu’s kiss began extremely gently — light lips touching, as though her lips were a delicate flower he needed to protect and tend. Afterward he took hold of that delicate flower, and as it grew more and more lingering, his lips and tongue became completely intertwined with hers.

With the deep kiss, she grew breathless, her mind growing hazy as well. She could no longer sit upright and went soft in his embrace, closing her eyes, tilting her face upward, letting him do as he pleased.

Finally he released her mouth, but the kissing did not stop. He kissed her smooth and pure forehead, her finely arched brows, her closed eyelids, her trembling long lashes, her elegantly beautiful nose… When his lips finally returned to hers, his breathing had already grown urgent, the warm breath falling on Pu Zhu’s face in waves. The arms holding her drew tighter and tighter.

Suddenly he supported her body, tipped her backward, and pressed her down onto the pillow.

He was moved.

But Pu Zhu was as if waking from a dream. The little figure in her heart waved its flag and leaped out again, pushing her and struggling with her, pulling her out of the whirlpool of temptation at last.

She shrank her neck, dodging the kisses he was trailing steadily downward, gasping: “Your Highness, are you hungry? I had someone keep a meal warm for you…”

“Not hungry!”

Pu Zhu then gripped his hand firmly: “Then go bathe first!”

Li Xuandu was finally stopped by her.

Her long hair was clean and fragrant, her skin lustrous and fair, and her whole person from head to foot was sweetly scented.

By contrast, his clothing was stained with mud and dust, and he was quite bedraggled.

Li Xuandu exhaled a long breath, suppressed the waves of emotion rising because of her in his heart, and said in a low voice, “Wait for me,” then rose and got off the bed.

Having sent him off to bathe, Pu Zhu turned over and lay face-down on the pillow, her mood extremely conflicted.

What was she to do? In a moment he would return, and he would certainly want to continue what they had been doing.

She was not averse to doing that sort of thing with him — after all, he was so handsome. She could not forget the stunning image of him in the Ziyu Daoist Temple, on that evening of wind and rain, sitting cross-legged on a rush bed, robe open, feet bare, drinking wine alone against the wind and rain.

Now this beautiful man shared her bed and lay skin to skin — merely looking at his face was a pleasure, to say nothing of the fact that he was also quite capable. She was satisfied too. When he was tender, it made her sink unwittingly into it; when he was passionate, it made her soul spin and even completely lose herself — as long as he did not again exhaust her as on the first night, spending the evening doing such things with him was actually a rather good way to pass the time before sleep.

But the problem now was… it was not that she was unwilling, but that she could not.

Having a son was something that could be taken slowly — it was not so urgent, since she was still young and had only just married him. The reason she was being so deliberate was because the coming spring was a critical juncture.

If she were carrying his child by then, she could exert even greater pressure on him.

He might not consider things for her sake as his Princess Consort, but he would have to consider things for the sake of his child, would he not?

The secret manual said: when man and woman join together, their essences contend with each other. When essence and blood congeal and unite, conception begins. The place where it is stored is called the uterus. Sleeping must be quiet and still, and within the uterus the embryo forms.

According to her understanding, this meant that after certain days had passed, a woman should not again be intimate with a man. She imagined that his essence and her blood were at this very moment fighting within her body, congealing and merging into an embryo.

Such a critical process — what if he, with his heavy-handed recklessness, disturbed it? How could the blood and essence successfully congeal into an embryo?

For her, conceiving and bearing a child was the most important matter at hand. Without the goal in mind, physical intimacy between a man and woman was nothing but a shallow satisfaction of desire. No matter how soul-stirring, she had utterly no enthusiasm for it — even if Li Xuandu was a rare beauty in the world.

This was the reason she had not gone to find him for the previous two evenings, and had in her heart hoped he would not come looking for her either. She had not expected that today this incident would occur.

Pu Zhu racked her brains thinking of how to put him off without offending him, only to feel that time seemed to fly by — in what seemed like a blink, he had finished his bath and returned, wearing a loose white sleeping robe that Luo Bao had hurriedly brought over to this side, the sash untied, his robe slightly open at the chest. As he walked toward her, an unwiped glistening water droplet rolled from his neck, fell to his chest, slowly soaked the garment, while his brows and eyes held a smile, his masculine beauty captivating.

Pu Zhu saw it all perfectly clearly and grew even more nervous. She hurriedly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

He came to her side, got into bed gently, lowered the bed curtains, and the light inside became dimmer.

Pu Zhu felt him take her into his embrace, his palm resting against her body. A moment later, he lowered his head, and with his chin gently nuzzled her forehead.

“Is Zhuzhu sleepy…”

He called her pet name again in a low voice and asked her, his voice containing a restrained thread of emotion.

Pu Zhu could not hold out, opened her eyes, and with her lip between her teeth, haltingly said that she hurt down there.

Li Xuandu was momentarily taken aback, immediately withdrew his hand, changed it to hold her shoulder, and asked: “What happened? Have you had the imperial physician come to look at it?”

His expression was slightly anxious. Pu Zhu knew she had caused a misunderstanding, and hurriedly shook her head: “There’s no need for the imperial physician…”

He pressed the question. Only then did she press her lips close to his ear and say a few words in a voice as tiny as a mosquito’s.

“…Having rested until today, there is still some discomfort…”

The fiery burning sensation from the first night’s later hours had in reality long since disappeared and everything had fully recovered.

She felt a little guilty, and simply did not look at him, hiding her face in his embrace.

Li Xuandu, of course, knew nothing of the twists and turns in her mind. Looking back on those two nights, he had indeed lost all restraint and been rough with her. She was delicate and fine-skinned, tender and soft, having only recently been introduced to intimacy — how could she have withstood such treatment from him? He could not help but feel tenderness and pity for her, along with deep regret. He immediately dismissed the notions that had just arisen in his heart, pulled her gently into his arms with tender care, and blamed himself: “It is all my fault. Rest well — I won’t touch you.”

Pu Zhu quietly let out a breath, made a sound of agreement, and continued to be held in his embrace as she drifted to sleep, sensing that he too had grown calm and still, and had not touched her further.

After Pu Zhu’s whole body had completely relaxed, she thought of the day’s events and began to speak.

Li Xuandu gave a brief account of what had happened.

Pu Zhu listened and was filled with alarm. She held him tightly, and said indignantly: “The Crown Prince is truly bringing ruin upon himself — actually doing such a thing, and in the end even needed you to save him! From now on you must be doubly careful. I’m worried that rather than being grateful, he will only get worse. The next time anything like this comes up, even at the cost of offending him, I won’t agree to let you go!”

Li Xuandu looked at her steadily, and after a moment said: “Today, if you hadn’t brought the Prince of Yutian, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to get out of that situation so easily…”

He paused.

“Why were you in such a hurry, trying every means to save me?”

Pu Zhu was startled. She was just thinking of how to respond when she heard him say further: “I thought you must be disappointed in me. I cannot help you achieve your desire.”

Pu Zhu raised her head from his embrace, and happened to meet the two eyes that were looking down at her steadily.

The tent was perfectly quiet — it seemed she could almost hear her own heartbeat.

She met the gaze of the man lying beside her, those eyes carrying a faint cloud of melancholy, and said softly: “I dare not deceive Your Highness. In the beginning, when I first married Your Highness, there was indeed some disappointment. But gradually growing familiar with Your Highness, Zhuzhu came to understand what manner of person Your Highness truly is, and sincerely fell in love with Your Highness. Besides, Zhuzhu has also thought things through. When I was in He Xi, I often heard the neighboring women say: for a woman, to follow her husband wherever he goes is good fortune. At the time I did not understand, but now I comprehend this truth. Before, I was without support or refuge, and so my head was full of wild and foolish thoughts — now when I think back on them I find them laughable beyond measure. I am different now. Your Highness is my support. From now on I will contentedly follow Your Highness. If Your Highness has food to eat, would I ever go hungry?”

“Your Highness—”

She called to him softly.

“Zhuzhu has already become Your Highness’s person. Encountering what happened today — how could my heart turn to outsiders and leave Your Highness to face danger without caring?”

Li Xuandu gazed steadily at her eyes for a long time. Suddenly he lowered his head again and kissed her deeply, then released her and told her to sleep first, saying he needed to go out for a moment and would be back shortly.

Pu Zhu did not know what he needed to go out for. She watched him get out of bed, put on his clothes, and walk quickly out the door.

Roughly two quarters of an hour passed, and he returned.

“Your Highness, where did you go?” She sat up to ask him, somewhat puzzled.

Li Xuandu took out a small porcelain bottle.

“Didn’t you say it still hurts there? I just went to Physician Zhang — he gave me this medicine, and said that as long as you apply it twice a day, morning and evening, the swelling and pain will subside quickly. Tomorrow we set out on the road, and the journey will be very taxing. If your body is uncomfortable, and you’re too shy to go to the imperial physician yourself, you must tell me early, and not endure it alone.”

His tone carried a slight note of reproach. He went to wash his hands, came back, and was about to apply the medicine for her himself.

Pu Zhu had not expected that he had gone just now to find the imperial physician and get medicine, and now intended to personally apply it for her. She was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.

Then thinking again — she had long since fully recovered, and if he were to look, he would discover that. Would he not then know she had been tricking him?

Pu Zhu panicked and quickly snatched the medicine bottle from him, pulled out the stopper and sniffed it, wrinkled her nose in distaste at the ointment’s smell, and absolutely refused to apply it.

“Your Highness, be at ease — I am truly not seriously hurt. I just need to rest on my own for a few more days and I’ll be fine.”

Li Xuandu watched her clamp her legs tightly shut and grip her skirt hem with both hands in a determined refusal to let him look — a sight that was both funny and exasperating. He coaxed her: “You and I are husband and wife. Be good — don’t be so stubborn.”

Pu Zhu truly could not put him off.

She was the one who had said she was in pain. He had even gone and gotten the medicine for her. If she still refused, she feared he would grow suspicious. So she changed her tone, insisting she would apply the medicine herself and would not let him look.

Li Xuandu had no choice. He laughed and shook his head, relented to her wishes, and stood with his back turned outside the curtain door.

Pu Zhu pretended to apply the medicine, and after a while announced she was done, then dove quickly into the quilts and lay down.

Only then did Li Xuandu return to the bed, put his arms around her and told her to sleep.

His sweet little wife was right there in his embrace, pressed against him as she slept.

Li Xuandu forced himself to calm his mind and tried to sleep alongside her early. Yet for no reason he could fathom, when he closed his eyes, his mind kept floating up the image of a moment ago — her embarrassment, her insistence on turning her back to him to apply the medicine herself, refusing to let him look. His blood stirred, his heart and mind were restless and turbulent, and he could not fall asleep at all. He was just feeling somewhat uncomfortable when suddenly a soft hand stealthily stretched over and gently caressed him.

He was momentarily taken aback, opened his eyes and looked at her — saw that she still had her head buried in his embrace, and could not hold back the low utterance of her name: “Zhuzhu…”

Pu Zhu’s face was red and she did not dare meet his gaze.

She had used coaxing and deceiving and managed to get through the situation. But he seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable.

The two of them lay pressed close together. How could she be unaware of the person beside her’s unusual state?

Thinking of all his thoughtfulness and his giving way to her this evening — how he had been completely led around by her, she felt a little bad about it in her heart, and could not bear to just leave him behind like this and go to sleep by herself. She thought that there were other ways she could help him. So she boldly reached her hand toward him.

She initiated the intimacy, doing her utmost, and he quickly could not hold on any longer. Accompanied by a long exhalation of release, the tent finally fell quiet again.

After tidying up, Li Xuandu kissed her forehead with tender affection, and said in a hoarse voice: “You must be tired. Sleep.”

Pu Zhu was indeed somewhat tired, but she could sense his complete contentment. She too felt sweet inside. She lay languidly against him, closed her eyes, and was just thinking about setting out for home tomorrow when she suddenly remembered something. After mulling it over, she opened her eyes and said: “Your Highness, I don’t like that Luo Bao. Get rid of him from now on — I don’t want him anymore. I’ve already thought of someone to replace him. I think that Ah Liu is quite good — he is very attentive and careful.”

Li Xuandu lay back on the pillow, had just closed his eyes, and upon hearing this, opened them, looking at her with incomprehension: “How did he offend you?”

Pu Zhu climbed up onto his chest, propped her lovely face on her jade-white arms, and acted spoiled: “Does he need to have offended me? I just don’t like him! The look of him — it grates on my eyes!”

Li Xuandu was silent.

Seeing him say nothing and close his eyes again pretending to doze, she wrapped her arms around him and pestered him without letting go: “Your Highness! I truly cannot stand the sight of him! It’s not as if it’s some great matter — just promise me!”

Li Xuandu could only open his eyes again and explain: “He has followed me for many years and has always been conscientious and devoted in his work. You must have some misunderstanding about him. If he has offended you, I’ll have him come and apologize to you — would that be all right?”

Pu Zhu stared at him, bit her lip with an aggrieved air, released the two jade-white arms she had been holding him with, and said: “All right then, if you can’t do without him, just keep him. Anyway, in Your Highness’s heart, I am less than even a servant.” Having said this, she lay back down, no longer leaning against him, and closed her eyes with a sulky expression, stubbornly pretending to sleep.

Li Xuandu saw her moping, throwing a sulk, clearly pulling the trick of the spoiled favorite — yet somehow could not bring himself to reproach her. The standoff went on for a moment. Seeing that she continued to ignore him, he had no choice but to pull her back into his arms and coax her: “All right, if you truly can’t stand to look at him, starting tomorrow he won’t come personally to serve you anymore — I’ll give him a different assignment…”

Seeing that she still seemed to want to say something, his expression grew slightly stern: “I’ll tell him he is not to appear before you. Now stop making a scene!”

Pu Zhu paused, and immediately said obediently: “I understand — I’ll do as Your Highness says.”

Li Xuandu cast her a sidelong glance and let out a noncommittal grunt.

Pu Zhu felt assured that he had relented, and knowing to stop while she was ahead, her face broke into a smile. She hugged him again, kissed him, and said with a sigh of happy contentment: “Your Highness, you really are so good to me!”

She knew that Luo Bao had followed him for many years, from the Wuyou Palace all the way to the imperial mausoleum. Her demand was truly unreasonable.

But who had told that attendant to be so snobbish, and to have witnessed the single most embarrassing moment in her life?

In the past she had no choice but to endure it. Now that she had such a good opportunity, if she didn’t try blowing a little wind in his ear to drive the man away, was she supposed to keep him around and let him continue to be an eyesore?

Moreover, through Li Xuandu’s reaction, she had also confirmed that in his heart at this point, she should now have some weight when she spoke — compared to when she had first married him, this was incomparably better.

Though he had not completely dismissed the man as she had demanded, agreeing to this concession was already quite a large step.

How could she not be happy?

Looking at her childishly gleeful appearance, Li Xuandu felt in his heart both a slight dejection at having surrendered to her “unreasonable scene-making,” and also a sense that as long as he could make her happy, it was worth it.

A few parts helplessness, and also a few parts satisfaction.

He reached out and gently pinched her cheek: “All right, now that you’re satisfied, go to sleep. We have to rise early tomorrow for the journey.”

Pu Zhu answered him sweetly, snuggled up beside him, closed her eyes obediently, and lay quietly in peaceful slumber.