Chapter 104: Who’s the One That Can’t Get Enough

Thinking back to what Xie Yao said yesterday, Xiao Ji still decided to stay angry even if it was just an act.

The next morning, when Xie Yao woke, the space beside her was empty. She looked around but found no trace of him. “Did His Highness come back last night?” she asked.

Zhuqing lowered her voice carefully, “No, he didn’t.”

Really? Was it just her imagination? She had the distinct feeling that he had come back…

“Your Highness, the young ladies are here to pay their respects,” Yuyan reported, and Xie Yao of course had to see them.

The moment they entered, Xie Yuru immediately looked around the room, clearly searching for someone. Not seeing the Crown Prince, disappointment flashed across her eyes. Her resentment toward Xie Yao deepened and was convinced that Xie Yao had deliberately stopped her from meeting him. Such scheming!

Without spotting the prince, Xie Yuru only sat briefly before leaving. Xie Yao noticed Lin Panpan curl her lip in disdain at Xie Yuru’s departure, clearly unimpressed. Lively Lin Panpan soon left too, with Xuan Yue following right after, leaving only Wei Chan behind.

“Crown Princess,” Wei Chan said directly, “coming to the Crown Prince’s Palace yesterday was not my choice.” Her eyes were clear and honest; accustomed, perhaps, from life at the frontier to saying things bluntly. Xie Yao blinked, slightly taken aback, and then smiled faintly, “I know.”

After all, Wei Chan had helped her once before, even before they formally met, when she was still in the Princess He Yi’s residence.

Wei Chan let out a breath of relief. “That’s good. Since I’ll be staying here for a while, if there’s anything I can do for you, please say so. Anything at all.”

Her words carried weight. The Emperor’s intentions in sending these women were obvious, and there were matters the Crown Princess herself could not say or do. Wei Chan was willing to take on that role. Her sincerity was almost confusing to Xie Yao. Did she really do this… for His Highness?

Just then, Yuyan hurried in, face tense, and whispered into Xie Yao’s ear, “Third Lady Xie has gone to the study.” The Crown Prince was in the study. Though Yuyan spoke softly, Wei Chan’s sharp hearing caught every word. She looked to Xie Yao, questioning silently, should she intervene?

Xie Yao didn’t hesitate, shaking her head. For someone as petty as Xie Yuru, why would Wei Chan need to step in?

But it wasn’t only Xie Yao who despised Xie Yuru but Xie Yujiao did too.

These past days, Xie Yujiao had been living quite proudly. Her husband, Song Wenbo, treated her exceedingly well, almost to the point of spoiling her, aside from not letting her go out.

Now, reclining against him, she peeled a grape and fed it to him with a smug smile. “As if the Crown Prince would ever fancy Xie Yuru,” she scoffed. “He didn’t even want me, how could she have a chance?”

Song Wenbo bit her finger lightly while eating the grape, making her blush crimson and melt into his arms. He was well-practiced in such tricks after all, he had spent years currying favor with Princess He Yi.

“Then why,” he teased, hand wandering lower as he stroked her, “did you still send her there?”

Just the smallest touch had her breathing uneven, voice breaking into little pants. “Because I have you, husband. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

For her, both Xie Yao and Xie Yuru were thorns in her side. Sending them to the Crown Prince’s residence meant they could conveniently accompany him… to his grave in two years.

But Song Wenbo didn’t stop. Continuing his teasing, he asked, “And what about that matter you mentioned last time? Did you see it clearly in your dreams yesterday?”

Xie Yujiao’s smile froze. Clearly? She couldn’t remember a thing. As she scrambled for an excuse, she suddenly felt his hand withdraw. “Husband…” she whispered nervously, shifting closer to him.

But Song Wenbo stood coldly, pulling away without mercy. “I’m tired.”

“Please, husband…” she clung to him, her face filled with fear. She dreaded his displeasure more than anything.

Seeing her still unwilling to confess, he casually picked up her pink embroidered handkerchief, wiped his fingers clean, and tossed it to the floor like garbage. His gaze was lofty and disdainful. “If you can’t remember, then keep dreaming until you do.”

In his eyes, she was nothing more than a greedy, insatiable woman; always needing extraordinary things to satisfy her.

“Please, husband…” Xie Yujiao knelt on the bed, clothes half undone, desire still lingering in her eyes, reaching for his sleeve. But he yanked it away with disgust. “Think carefully. Come to me only when you remember.”

It wasn’t the first time. Recently, he had treated her like this often. She no longer even thought that it was strange and only blamed herself. She was useless, unable to recall what he needed, unable to make him happy.

No sooner had he left than her maid Qiucha entered quietly, head bowed. Qiucha looked gaunt and lifeless these days, ever since her “betrayal,” Xie Yujiao had tormented her relentlessly, even after being restored to favor.

Wordlessly, Qiucha tidied up the messy chamber, while Xie Yujiao sat dazed, muttering over and over: “What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…”

Suddenly she slapped Qiucha across the face. “Wretched girl!”

Qiucha dropped to her knees instantly, kowtowing in practiced submission: “Please forgive me, madam, forgive me…”

But Xie Yujiao’s fury didn’t abate. Whenever Song Wenbo turned cold, she always vented on Qiucha.

Crying, Qiucha remembered what someone had once whispered to her. Crawling closer, she begged, “Madam, I have served you since I was young. Please give me another chance. Let me share your burdens.”

Xie Yujiao sneered in disdain. “You? What can you possibly do?”

“Can you predict the future?” she mocked cruelly.

Eyes red, Qiucha murmured, “I am only human, madam. Of course I cannot. Surely no one can know what will happen in the future…”

Her voice was faint, but Xie Yujiao heard every word. She froze for a second, and then broke into a triumphant smile. “Not necessarily.”

Glancing down at Qiucha with feigned generosity, she barked, “Get out!”

As soon as Qiucha left, she heard her mistress laughing from inside.

Yes, Xie Yujiao was in a very good mood now. After all, no one else knew the future. Only she did.

Which meant that whatever she told her husband, no one could tell whether it was true or false. Even if she lied, with how much he doted on her, would he really dare scold her?

Her hand drifted to her slightly rounded belly. She was carrying his only child.