Chapter 3: No Sooner Is One Trouble Over Than Another Begins

Xingsheng Palace.

Led by the cool and aloof woman, Ye Cheng arrived at the Crown Princess’s quarters.

In the bright candlelight, a girl with luminous eyes and pearly teeth sat upright in a violet robe and skirt. She was strikingly beautiful: her complexion was fair and radiant, her lips a tender red, her nose delicately sculpted, and her eyes shone like crystal-clear springs, bright and captivating.

She had likely just bathed, for her jade-like feet were bare, pale as snow, slender and soft. They were exquisite enough to be admired for years on end.

And the curves of her chest were truly a sight to behold.

This little beauty was almost devastating in her loveliness, possessing a subtle magnetism that could enchant an entire nation.

Though her features were slightly less refined than the false Crown Prince’s, her beguiling allure was something the imposter lacked.

Ye Cheng found himself utterly transfixed. The women of the Eastern Palace were each more beautiful than the last.

Lin Yaoxue coughed softly. “How did you fare with the task I assigned you?”

“What?” Ye Cheng was taken aback. Was he truly one of the Crown Princess’s people?

“Ye Cheng, why do you not answer Her Highness?” The aloof woman shot him a cold glance.

“What task?” Ye Cheng asked, for he had no recollection of such a thing.

“Whether the Crown Prince prefers men or women. Today you attended him at his bath, did you not? Did you not find anything out?”

Lin Yaoxue bit her tender lip, displeasure on her face.

“I did serve the Crown Prince at his bath and while he dressed, but I noticed nothing unusual,” Ye Cheng replied, not daring to tell the truth. If the impostor found out, it would cost him his head.

“Nothing unusual?” Lin Yaoxue’s brows drew together, deepening her suspicion.

She was a princess of Yan, married off to the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou and had resided in the Eastern Palace for a year, yet the Crown Prince had never once touched her.

She had long suspected he fancied men—or perhaps was even a woman in disguise.

To leave such a beauty untouched, was it because he was impotent? Or was her own allure insufficient?

“Xiao Chengzi, am I beautiful?” Lin Yaoxue pressed her delicate lips together and asked.

“Your Highness possesses the beauty that shames the flowers and eclipses the moon,” Ye Cheng hastily praised.

“But the Crown Prince hasn’t visited my chambers for a month now.” Lin Yaoxue gave a charming, if somewhat bitter, smile.

“Perhaps the Crown Prince has been preoccupied with affairs of state. Surely, when he has time, he will come,” Ye Cheng said.

“You do speak up for the Crown Prince. I hear you were just promoted by him—not long after serving him, no less. Or did you betray my secrets?” Lin Yaoxue’s enchanting face suddenly darkened, her eyes turning cold, the candlelight throwing flickering shadows over her shifting expression.

Ye Cheng sensed danger. How could this little beauty change her mood so quickly? Faster than flipping a page in a book!

He dropped to his knees at once. “Your Highness, I only served the Crown Prince well; I would never reveal a word of your secrets.”

“Oh? Served him well—in what way?” A cold smile played on Lin Yaoxue’s lips.

The aloof woman beside Ye Cheng drew her sword, its cold blade gleaming, sending a chill through the air that made Ye Cheng shiver.

“Massage! I can massage—the Crown Prince was pleased, so he promoted me,” Ye Cheng blurted out, thinking quickly.

“Massage? You mean kneading shoulders and pounding the back?” Lin Yaoxue asked, though she had only heard of such things.

“Yes, exactly that,” Ye Cheng nodded.

“Well, Ye Cheng, to think a former crown prince of the previous dynasty would know such servant skills.” Lin Yaoxue’s soft features twisted with scorn.

The words struck Ye Cheng like a thunderbolt. This little beauty knew his true identity!

If his identity were exposed, it would mean certain death. The Great Zhou had shown no mercy to the former royal family.

Ye Cheng surmised that perhaps his predecessor had approached the Crown Princess for some alliance and revealed himself willingly—otherwise, she could not possibly know.

“Your Highness, you don’t know the hardships of common life. Though I was once a crown prince, these years I’ve lived worse than a dog, hiding and blending in with common folk. I’ve had to do whatever it took to survive,” Ye Cheng said with a pained expression.

Lin Yaoxue considered this and found it plausible—the Great Zhou had indeed been ruthless with the former royals. Though Ye Cheng was born a prince, a fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken.

“Then I have wronged you. Rise. You must remember, our goals are the same—I too wish to see the Great Zhou fall. If chaos erupts, I will support your restoration,” Lin Yaoxue promised, painting grand visions for Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng, seasoned by years in society, would not so easily trust the words of this cunning beauty.

But he kept his composure and nodded. “I will do my utmost.”

“Very well, you may go. If you have further contact with the Crown Prince, report to me at once and you will not go unrewarded. Ye Rou, give him two hundred silver notes,” Lin Yaoxue instructed.

“This is a reward from Her Highness,” the aloof woman said, handing Ye Cheng a thick wad of silver notes.

Ye Cheng was secretly delighted—free money was not to be refused. He could use these funds to win support. In any case, there was little to spend money on in the Eastern Palace.

Once Ye Cheng had gone, Ye Rou asked, “Your Highness, do you trust him?”

“Trust is irrelevant. He is but a pawn—he dares not defy us, as we hold his secrets,” Lin Yaoxue replied, her eyes narrowing with a beguiling smile, as if all was within her grasp.

The next morning.

Ye Cheng had only just awakened when Eunuch Wang arrived again, this time breathless with urgency.

“Eunuch Wang, what is it?” Ye Cheng inquired.

“Ye Cheng, the Crown Prince summons you,” replied the eunuch.

“Me?” Ye Cheng wondered if last night’s meeting with the Crown Princess had been discovered.

Indeed.

When he reached the Crown Prince’s chambers, Ling Xiaoyue smiled and asked, “The Crown Princess summoned you last night—what did she want?”

Ye Cheng dared not hide anything and recounted the events of the night in detail—except, of course, his true identity as the former crown prince.

“That wretch! She truly harbors wicked intentions, even seeking to overthrow the dynasty—how laughable,” Ling Xiaoyue snapped, her exquisite face flashing with murderous resolve, sending a chill down Ye Cheng’s spine.

“If Your Highness knows her schemes, why not deal with her?” Ye Cheng ventured.

“Hmph, matters of state are not for petty eunuchs like you. But you handled this well—I shall not forget your service,” Ling Xiaoyue said, waving her delicate hand to dismiss him.

No sooner had Ye Cheng left the Crown Prince’s residence than a red-robed eunuch approached him. “Xiao Chengzi, you’re doing well for yourself, being summoned by both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.”