Chapter 421.1: awkward
Concerned about her body, he made sure to move slowly, only speeding up after some time had passed. The temperature in the room rose correspondingly, sharply contrasting with the frigid temperatures outside of it.
On a small path in the backyard of the Prince Hao Residence, Wu Ling had finished dealing with the guards that had fallen unconscious on the ground. Luckily, they only fainted, and their lives are not in danger.
He was making his way through the courtyard when he noticed something shiny in the grass. Picking it up, he realised that the bloodstained hairpin in his hands belonged to Su Xi-er!
He felt a brief panic, but when he heard from his subordinates that Pei Qianhao had already entered the main courtyard, he quickly calmed down. After stowing the golden hairpin away in his sleeve, he slowly made his way to the courtyard.
However, he came to a realisation before he actually made it there that had him stopping in his tracks. It is their nuptial night. I shall give the golden hairpin to the Princess Consort tomorrow.
At this moment, a guard walked over while speaking to one of his peers. “Prince Hao has actually never touched the women in the Beauty Palace. He has protected his chastity for 25 years.” Having not studied literature, his use of the four-word idiom was flawed.
Wu Ling’s eyelid twitched upon hearing this, and he turned around to stop them. “Be mindful of your mouth. As subordinates, we can’t discuss Prince Hao’s matters.”
The two were shocked at seeing Wu Ling, and repeatedly nodded. “This subordinate won’t talk about it anymore. Please forgive me, Commander Wu.”
Wu Ling nodded. “Carefully patrol the area. Don’t let your guard down.”
“This subordinate obeys the order.” The two guards immediately became solemn and went on with their jobs.
Wu Ling was puzzled. Who said that Prince Hao hasn’t touched a single woman in 25 years? He hadn’t been in the courtyard when Pei Qianhao had spoken, and had no idea how this news had started.
The next morning, Wu Ling heard the commoners on the streets discussing the exact same thing, and that Pei Qianhao’s first time had been with Princess Consort Hao yesterday. He felt his heart drop. This isn’t a minor matter. Prince Hao is cold, and values his reputation. It wouldn’t do to have this circulating around!
Hence, Wu Ling picked up his pace as he headed for the main courtyard. The outer door was wide open, and before he walked in, he could already see Pei Qianhao feeding Su Xi-er breakfast. This…
When Su Xi-er saw Wu Ling, she signalled to Pei Qianhao with her eyes and nudged him a little.
Pei Qianhao grumpily put down the bowl in his hands before turning around and asking, “What’s the matter?”
“Prince Hao, can we bring this conversation somewhere else?” Wu Ling cautiously replied. With how much Prince Hao values his reputation, it would be best to not mention this in front of the Princess Consort.
Impatience was visible in Pei Qianhao’s eyes as his voice grew colder. “Just get to the point.”
Wu Ling looked at Su Xi-er in a daze before saying, “Prince Hao, everyone on the streets is spreading the news that you haven’t touched a woman in 25 years. They say that because it was your first time yesterday, you tormented the Princess Consort like a wolf and tiger.”
Su Xi-er burst out in laughter. Fortunately, she had already swallowed the porridge, or it would have been spat out. He was indeed like a wolf and tiger last night. Although he started slow, his speed at the end made it hard for me to keep up.
She had started in the upper position, but after tossing around for a while, he had sat up as her arms wound around his neck. They had then continued in that state for a long time.
Upon finishing his report, Wu Ling immediately observed Pei Qianhao’s expression, and saw that the latter’s dark pupils were mixed with a myriad of rapidly changing emotions.
In the end, a cold voice replied, “This Prince already knows about it. Don’t mind the gossiping of the commoners.”
“We don’t have to seal the mouths of the commoners?” Wu Ling was confused. How can I just leave it be? Even if it’s true, we can’t have it randomly spreading around!