Chapter 123: Pouring Great Love into the Princess Consort, Prince Qi Dares to Be Angry but Not Speak (4)
Faced with Su Qing's rare tenderness, her gaze flickered with a trace of daze.
For a moment, she felt like the one being kept as a beloved pet.
But she quickly extinguished the thought.
Ridiculous! How could she ever be conquered by a mere boy?
The true result was obvious—he had fallen under her spell, he was the one destined to be her loyal hound!
Su Qing, however, was also deep in thought.
If only she were sincere, how wonderful that would be.
Unfortunately, a venomous princess wasn't easily tamed—it would take repeated efforts to subdue her completely.
The two leaned against each other, appearing harmonious on the surface.
Yet, the distance between their hearts was wider than ever.
Compared to this intimate display, someone else was not feeling nearly as pleased.
That person was none other than the true master of the prince's residence.
Prince Qi had, for the moment, become nothing more than a guard dog, silently standing outside his wife's courtyard.
Of course, as a prince, he still carried himself with full authority and dignity.
His brows were furrowed, his expression solemn, as if deep in thought over some great national affair.
The prince's solemn and dignified appearance filled the patrolling servants with deep reverence.
As expected of a prince—such authority was unmatched!
But in reality, he had been driven out.
He had been expelled from his own chambers—just to give his princess consort and another man a private space to be alone!
Just the thought of it made him feel miserable. Naturally, he had protested.
The problem was, when had his protests ever been effective?
No matter how unwilling he was, Prince Qi dared not disobey the princess's wishes.
Even as he waited outside, his gaze frequently drifted toward the window.
The window was open, allowing him a clear view inside.
Seeing the young man shamelessly resting his hands on his wife's black silk fishnet stockings, Prince Qi's eyelids twitched violently.
His old, weathered face, dry like tree bark, turned red like a roasted sweet potato.
He was furious!
Who wouldn't be? Who could tolerate this?
What made it even worse was that his wife showed no resistance whatsoever!
If it were him? Forget touching—he would have been scolded just for looking at her the wrong way!
No… saying it would be a scolding was too mild. At the very least, it would have been a severe beating!
They had spent years together as husband and wife, yet how long had this boy been around?!
Why was there such an immense difference between them? It shouldn't be like this…
Every time Prince Qi glanced through the window, he couldn't suppress the hatred in his heart.
He loathed it!
He hated that he was powerless, reduced to peeking in from the outside.
While a mere boy had the privilege of freely laying his hands on the woman he had long desired…
This was his wife!
And yet, amidst his bitterness, something disturbing began to stir within him.
He didn't understand what was happening to him.
Could it be… that because he could never have her, he was hoping someone else would?
After all, he had utterly failed to conquer this princess himself…
As this thought took hold, his face flushed with a sickly hue.
His twisted mind suddenly formed a terrifying idea.
He wished Su Qing would do more—show him more of this exquisite spectacle!
Whether the two of them were genuine or not, he no longer cared.
True feelings or not—what did it matter when he himself had never even touched her?
All he could do was envy!
The night grew darker, the chilly breeze making Prince Qi shudder.
He no longer wanted to play the role of a guard dog!
Inside the room, the atmosphere gradually shifted from fiery to quiet.
The once heated exchange had faded into silence.
Only the slowing breaths signaled that one of them had left.
With nothing left to do here, Su Qing naturally departed immediately.
After seeing him off, Han Jin Xiu sat by the candlelight, gazing at herself in the mirror.
The usual cold and imposing beauty of her face now carried an unfamiliar charm.
Her flawless, delicate skin still bore traces of sweat.
Normally, she could perfectly conceal her emotions.
But in that brief interaction just now, she had almost lost control of her thoughts.
For a princess like her, that was utterly unacceptable.
As the night wind blew through the open window, she gently tidied her dampened hair.
She picked up a silk cloth, lightly dabbing the sweat from her face, her eyes showing a rare trace of confusion.
She had succeeded.
In this battle of wits, she had won completely, securing his absolute trust.
So why did it all feel so unreal?
As if this victory… was somehow false?
Han Jin Xiu chuckled at her own thoughts.
Where had her unwavering confidence gone? Had she been shaken?
He was just a boy—a flawed, imperfect one at that. Hardly invincible.
This move had been entirely targeted at his weaknesses, and her performance had been flawless.
Under such circumstances, how could anything go wrong?
It seemed that her recent losses had shaken her composure in front of him.
The princess, who prided herself on playing others in the palm of her hand, failed to realize who was truly being played.
Ultimately, she had been too arrogant—too convinced of her own allure.
Had she taken Su Qing more seriously, she might never have made such a mistake.
But now, Han Jin Xiu was completely at ease.
The scales of victory had tilted fully in her favor—what was there to worry about?
If it weren't so late at night, she would have thrown a proper celebration.
Yes, it was time to think about the next step in her plan.