Chapter 9: Is Playing with Me Really That Amusing?

Cheng Yu cried out in alarm, "I do not know how I have offended Your Highness! That cloak was a gift bestowed upon me by the Crown Prince!"

A gift?

So, in order to reward Cheng Yu, he could trample upon her taboos?

Xie Genghe, what on earth are you thinking!

Since you have already decided to accept Cheng Yu, why keep her tethered in the Eastern Palace to be humiliated? Why not part on good terms?

Wen Changying felt a sharp, hollow ache in her chest. The sudden pain spread throughout her body, making even the act of lifting her hand an agonizing struggle. She pointed toward the exit, her voice trembling. "Get out..."

"Get out and call Xie Genghe here!"

To hell with keeping a low profile. Since the sovereign is heartless, why should she have any faith in him?

Wen Changying retrieved a long whip she had kept sealed away for a long time. She walked to the outer chamber, raised her hand, and lashed out viciously.

"Ah!"

Cheng Yu’s legs gave way in terror, and she covered her face. The guards outside rushed in, fearing that someone might be injured. But by the time the young officer on duty helped Cheng Yu up, he realized the whip had only struck the fox-fur cape and sash lying on the ground.

*Swish! Swish!*

In Wen Changying’s eyes, nothing remained but the garish fox-fur cape and sash. In a few swift motions, she shredded the fine items to pieces.

The young officer’s scalp tingled. "Is Her Highness... losing her mind?"

Cheng Yu steadied herself. "Do not speak nonsense. Go and invite the Crown Prince at once!"

The guards hurried away. Wen Changying, now devoid of strength, knelt upon the fox fur. She scooped up handfuls of snow to cover it.

Cheng Yu braced herself and asked, "Your Highness, are you quite well?"

There was no response.

Wen Changying buried the fox fur in silence, only lifting her head when she heard Xie Genghe’s hurried footsteps. She looked up, seeing only the sharp, defined line of the Crown Prince’s jaw and hearing his impatient voice.

"Did we not agree that you would keep to yourself until after the New Year?"

"A-Ying, you are not one to go back on your word."

Wen Changying slowly straightened her posture, her voice light. "Boundaries are meant to be kept for others to see."

"Is that you, Crown Prince Xie?"

The palace attendants all gasped in unison. Bi Gui hurriedly cleared the guards away. Outside the Cheng'en Hall, only the masters remained.

Xie Genghe’s breathing was uneven. "I thought these few days would have been enough for you to calm down."

"For the New Year palace banquet, I specifically thought that as the Crown Princess, you would need to appear with dignity. That is why I had Cheng Yu bring you the newly tailored palace gown. What kind of dissatisfaction is this?"

Wen Changying retorted with irony, "I am dissatisfied with this entire Imperial Palace!"

"So, my loving and respectful Crown Prince Xie, could you perhaps level the palace and rebuild it to suit my whims?"

The words were grating. Xie Genghe frowned in displeasure. Thinking that A-Ying must have been under immense pressure during her confinement, he softened his tone.

"Currently, most of the national treasury has been allocated to the Yancheng defenses, and with the war ongoing, it is not the time for grand construction. Furthermore, the palace is built upon ancestral traditions; it is too difficult to renovate. If you are uncomfortable living here, why not go to the imperial villa to keep the Emperor company?"

Wen Changying looked at him coldly. "You are still playing the fool."

"Crown Prince Xie, is it fun to toy with me?"

Xie Genghe’s face darkened. "I do not understand. A-Ying, if you have grievances, you can state them clearly."

"Fine," Wen Changying said, enduring the palpitations in her heart. "Then I will give you a chance."

"You went hunting a few days ago. Did you kill a fox?"

Xie Genghe was silent.

Wen Changying gave a self-deprecating smile. "Do you still remember the palace rules you promised me back then?"

"When does Crown Prince Xie intend to honor them?"

Xie Genghe finally understood the cause, though his eyes remained puzzled. "It was merely a fox. It wasn't the one that saved the Wen family army back then; why must you be so troubled by it?"

"Because my spiritual fox was skinned and tortured to death by an envoy visiting the capital! I am not demanding that everyone stop killing, but I do not want to see people using foxes to make trinkets within the Eastern Palace—within the place where I sleep—as it sullies my eyes!"

Wen Changying’s words were laced with blood, yet they ultimately settled into a calm tone. "That is all."

It was not as if she hadn't explained the reason to Xie Genghe before. But he had never taken it to heart, and so he had never handled the matter properly. In the seven years of their marriage, her needs had never been valued.

Wen Changying suddenly felt exhausted. The fatigue surged from the depths of her soul. She even wondered if she had been cursed to fall in love with Xie Genghe, only to truly recognize him after they were married.

Xie Genghe remained silent for a long time, suddenly noticing how exceptionally frail Wen Changying looked in the snow. His eyes stung, and he reached out to pull her into his arms for warmth. "I can compensate you."

Wen Changying stepped back, avoiding his touch.

"You know what I want." Her voice trembled, devoid of strength. "Xie Genghe, let us stop tormenting each other, can we?"

"I really, truly do not have much time left."

Her brother’s fate remained unknown. The Jinwu Guards had been deployed in full force, and she did not know if there were hidden traps laid by the mastermind to intercept and kill A-Ye. How could those thirty members of the Wen family army protect her brother and bring him back safely?

She only wanted to find the truth behind the case as quickly as possible and clear her brother’s name.

Xie Genghe was silent for a long time. Finally, he took a step back. "After the New Year, I will take you to see Zhuge Shi."

Wen Changying’s eyes stung with accusation. "Will you not play tricks again and try to brush me off?"

Xie Genghe pressed his lips together. "A-Ying, are you going to question me even over such a trivial matter?"

"And who is to blame for that?" Wen Changying coiled the whip into a circle. "Your style of conduct is known to all."

On the surface, he pampered her, but in reality, he never prioritized her needs. Others could only judge by his superficial compromises and assume the Crown Prince doted on his wife without limit. The women of the capital said they envied her. But this Eastern Palace was a besieged city. She could not get out, yet others were trying to get in...

"Magpie, take your mistress back to rest."

"Make sure the floor heating in the Cheng'en Hall is burning bright. If A-Ying catches a cold, I will certainly not show you any mercy!"

Before Magpie could reach out, Wen Changying walked directly toward Cheng Yu. She narrowed her eyes, her gaze piercing and cold. "Cheng Yu, do not think yourself so careful. You will have a day when you reveal your true colors."

With those words, she turned and walked away, indifferent to the reactions of those behind her.

Xie Genghe had heard the words clearly and frowned slightly.

Cheng Yu pleaded her innocence in panic. "I was only following the rules to deliver the palace gown. There are others who can testify; I have no intention of offending the Crown Princess."

"Hmm." Xie Genghe’s brow smoothed out. "She is angry at me; it has nothing to do with you."

Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief and bowed as she retreated. Bi Gui, having understood most of the situation, saw the Prince gazing at the crudely pruned winter plum blossoms in the courtyard and could not help but step forward.

"Why did Your Highness not say that the fox was not killed by you?"

At the time, Xie Genghe had merely been chasing a deer when he happened upon a fox that no one had bothered to claim. The fox was already dead, and there was no one else around. Xie Genghe had taken it as a sign that the heavens were helping him defeat the Fourth Young Master Song. When he brought it back, Cheng Yu had asked for a reward, so he had given it to her.

Who could have known Wen Changying would see it?

"Does she care?" Xie Genghe lowered his eyes.

From the very beginning, his A-Ying had only ever thought of leaving him.