Jiang Yiâs body stiffened slightly, but he had always been fearless. Otherwise, he wouldnât have been able to disguise himself as a palace maid and enter the harem.
He turned around, put his hands down, and took small steps to walk in front of Li Hongyuan.
Jiang Ning took a bite of the mooncake and said, âYour Highness the Crown Prince, are you trying to lay your eyes on my palace maids? Concubine Li is still eagerly waiting for you.â
Li Hongyuan smiled, âI havenât even touched you yet, how could I touch your palace maids? Princess Consort, you must be overthinking.â
âIn that case, Your Highness, please leave if you have no other business. I have a headache and want to rest for a while.â
âDidnât you say you were feeling unwell and resting before I came here?â
âYes, I did.â
âLooking at you, it doesnât seem like you were resting.â Li Hongyuanâs gaze circled around her.
Her attire had always focused on comfort, but today was Mid-Autumn Festival after all, and she had been hoping to see her family, so she dressed more formally.
Her clothes were neat and tidy, not at all like someone who had been lying in bed resting.
Jiang Ning reached out and pulled at her clothes, âIsnât it because I heard that Your Highness was coming, so I hurriedly put on my clothes? The inside is still a mess.â
âInside?â Li Hongyuan raised his eyebrows, âProve to me that youâre not lying.â
âWhat?â
âDonât you know how to prove it?â Li Hongyuan tilted his chin, âTake off your outer garment. Let me see how messy it is inside.â
Jiang Ning was stunned.
Of course, she was only casually making excuses.
Although she and Li Hongyuan already had two children, it was under the Emperorâs scheming. She didnât know if Li Hongyuan had any feelings for her, but she certainly didnât remember it herself.
From the time they got married, she gave birth to their children; he went to guard the tomb until now, moving into the East Palace.
Li Hongyuan once confessed his feelings, saying he liked her.
But he basically didnât ask for more.
Except for that one time after getting drunk.
But it was only that once.
And it wasnât a pleasant memory, making her unwilling to recall it.
So much so that Jiang Ning almost forgot that they were husband and wife and still needed to do some marital things.
When she suddenly heard Li Hongyuanâs demand, she was a bit flustered and somewhat unable to react.
Thinking about the man who always dealt with her in an official manner suddenly asking her to take off her clothes?
Jiang Ning was only startled, but she quickly reacted.
It was Jiang Yi, who was disguised as a palace maid at the side, that was provoked.
He knew that his sister had married the Crown Prince, and it was natural for husband and wife to have intimate matters. But knowing it in his heart was one thing, and seeing it in front of him was another.
As an elder brother, he really couldnât tolerate another man making such demands on his little sister.
At that moment, he wanted to smash his tray against the Crown Princeâs head.
However, Jiang Ning shot him a glance, stopping him.
Jiang Yi was not impulsive; he bowed his head even lower, hiding the coldness in his eyes.
Jiang Ning sat still, eating her mooncake at a leisurely pace, smiling as she said, âYour Highness must be joking. Do you really need to make someone spell it all out for you?â
âWhat?â Li Hongyuan stared at her.
âWould you rather hear me say I was resting, or would you rather hear me say I didnât want to see you, so I asked Gucheng to guard the door?â
Li Hongyuan laughed, âOf course, the former. However, I prefer to hear the truth, even if itâs unpleasant.â
âThe truth is, I wasnât resting. I just had a drink, and I want to be alone for a while. I donât want to see you.â
âI understand.â
Li Hongyuan put the teacup on the tray in the âpalace maidâsâ hand and stood up, âSince the Princess Consort doesnât welcome me, Iâll leave.â
As he said this, he stepped away, walking past the âpalace maidâ and suddenly remarked, âThe palace maids here are quite tall.â