Chapter 200 - 199: The Poor Crown Prince

Chapter 200: Chapter 199: The Poor Crown Prince

Although most of the beauties felt that Xia Wuyang was too old and ugly, being summoned to his bed was by no means a good thing.

Especially since this elder Crown Prince had no future and was not far from death.

But all these beauties admitted one thing: the elder Crown Prince was a decent person. Although he was a bit senile and lecherous, he had a good temper and treated them gently enough.

This was especially true when the Ministry of Internal Affairs deducted from their monthly allowances; he would take from his own share to make up the difference for them, and even gave them occasional rewards.

To be able to do so much on the verge of death was truly not easy.

So, even if they looked down on this elder Crown Prince and were rather repulsed by his intimacy, not many of them wished for him to die so soon.

Moreover, even a brief union creates a lasting bond. They had all shared the most intimate contact with the elder Crown Prince. He was, one could say, the first man for all of them, and would most likely be the last.

Under such circumstances, how could they not have any feelings for him at all?

Even those beauties who were acting as spies for other Princes and Princesses were not so cold and unfeeling toward Xia Wuyang.

Now, seeing the elder Crown Prince’s indulgence, which seemed so joyous on the surface, everyone understood the underlying meaning. How could they not be saddened?

But all they could do was serve the elder Crown Prince well, allowing him to have a slightly better time on this last Night of Cleansing.

A hundred meters away, Yun Liyue had appeared at some unknown time. Standing in the wind and snow, she silently watched Xia Wuyang in Wenhua Hall drinking fine imported wine, and for a long moment, she was speechless.

Scenes of when they first met flashed through her mind, and she gradually became lost in the memories.

’Silly girl...’

In Wenhua Hall, holding the Black Pearl, Charle, Xia Wuyang sighed to himself. While enjoying Charle’s fragrance, with a mere thought, he activated his Sword Control Skill.

A Jade Hairpin flew up silently, tracing a graceful arc through the wind and snow before settling gently amidst Yun Liyue’s black hair.

Immersed in memories of the past, Yun Liyue didn’t notice at all that a Jade Hairpin had appeared in her hair. This was also a Top Level Mortal Artifact, capable of protecting one’s Sea of Consciousness, and was quite valuable.

An unknown amount of time passed before a crestfallen Yun Liyue returned to Lizheng Hall. Not far from her, Yan Jiuge was also hiding behind a flowerbed, watching Xia Wuyang from afar. And they weren’t the only two concubines nearby...

Xia Wuyang, however, was "immersed" in a paradise of feminine charms, seemingly unaware of the situation outside. In truth, everything within a radius of over three hundred meters was under his control.

The only one he hadn’t detected was the Glazed Jade Maiden, Song Yuyan, who was hiding over three hundred meters away.

The snow of the Night of Cleansing fell thick and fast, transforming the entire Imperial City into a world of glazed crystal, as if welcoming someone’s arrival.

On the flying eaves of a palace wall near Wenhua Hall, a slender figure stood silently, like a Fairy from a snow-capped mountain.

Song Yuyan was dressed in a plain white silk-padded jacket, covered by a light purple gauze shawl. Her ink-black hair was held up loosely by a single glazed hairpin.

Snowflakes landed on her long eyelashes, forming tiny ice crystals and further accentuating the complex light swirling in her beautiful eyes.

She stood in the shadow of the palace wall’s flying eaves, an angle from which she could just see the scene inside the hall through the window lattice.

She saw Xia Wuyang with a beauty in each arm, leaning into their embrace with hazy, drunken eyes. His fingers roamed restlessly over the ladies’ bodies, and from time to time, he would do even more forward things.

The hall was brightly lit with candles, illuminating his seemingly intoxicated face. Every move he made showed his fatuous nature, and every word he spoke was muddled nonsense.

"Your Highness..." Song Yuyan murmured softly, the white puff of her breath dissipating quickly in the cold wind.

Her voice held a pained tremor, but her gaze, gentle enough to melt ice and snow, was fixed on Xia Wuyang.

She had specially dressed up tonight, not just to welcome the coming Peace Festival, but because she had other ideas in mind.

But after thinking it over and over, she ultimately decided not to show herself. It wasn’t the right time yet; they were still not safe.

A delicate plum blossom was painted between her brows using rouge from the Western Regions, and it shimmered with a faint golden light under the lamp light.

Two Glazed Ear Rings dangled from her earlobes, swaying gently with her breath and making a faint, crisp sound that was lost amidst the falling snow and the whistling wind, unheard by anyone.

Most special of all was the Fox Fur cloak she wore, its collar trimmed with a circle of snow-white fox fur, which made her face—a blend of seductive charm and sacred purity—all the more breathtaking.

Bursts of coquettish laughter came from within the hall, where a Jiangnan Beauty was feeding a grape from her own cherry-like mouth into Xia Wuyang’s.

Xia Wuyang accepted the grape with a mouthful of praise. Seeing this, Song Yuyan felt no jealousy, but instead sighed once more.

’To stay alive, and to continue protecting us, you have to put on such a disguise, acting alongside so many women. How exhausting it must be.’

Song Yuyan murmured to herself, her exquisite face filled with heartache.

Clearly, in Song Yuyan’s eyes, everything Xia Wuyang was doing at this moment was an act; he didn’t truly want to be this way.

He had to do this to survive, to avoid suspicion, and to have the chance to save them... How could he possibly be happy with such a performance, one that went against his very nature?

The Crown Prince of the past wasn’t this kind of person. Most of his concubines had joined him out of mutual affection, unlike many Princes and Princesses who simply sought one young man or woman after another to satisfy their own needs.

The Crown Prince wasn’t like that, so how could he suddenly change? It must be an act, and it must be for their sake.

Song Yuyan once again recalled the familiar aura in the ruined temple. Who else could it have been but the Crown Prince?

Since the Crown Prince was able to give her a Thousand-year-old Glazed Fruit in that ruined temple, how could he still be a senile and incompetent elder Crown Prince?

It was all just a disguise; she was basically certain of it now.

Therefore, she believed that the Crown Prince would absolutely not die in a few months, that he still had a long time to live.

She just wondered what kind of situation would arise in a few months if the Crown Prince remained safe and sound.

So before that happened, she would also do her best to improve her Cultivation and strength to face the challenges ahead.

Facing the unfathomable Great Xia Royal Family, as well as so many Princes and Princesses who were watching like hungry tigers, Song Yuyan did not have enough confidence.

The banquet inside the hall grew livelier. Xia Wuyang, appearing even more drunk, had already pulled a newly arrived Qiuci Dancer into an embrace and rolled with her onto the bed. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Song Yuyan’s heart clenched violently, and tears welled up in her eyes.

’Your Highness, to put on this grand show, you can’t even preserve your own purity. How hard it must be for you. It’s all my fault for not being strong enough. If I were already a Celestial Human at Super Grade Perfection, I could probably keep you from having to suffer so much.’

The cold wind lifted her veil, revealing the Jade Belt tied around her waist. It was also woven from glazed silk threads and adorned with numerous Gemstones, all of which had been gifts from Xia Wuyang long ago.