CHAPTER 205 — HIS LOVE
Ye Lanjue watched her quietly, his gaze deepening with something raw and unguarded. For so long, he had feared he wasn't giving her enough — not enough warmth, not enough reassurance, not enough of himself.
He still remembered that first night.
She had stood before him fearless, chin lifted, eyes sharp… yet beneath that defiance, he had seen it — the look of a trapped creature, cornered and alone. A loneliness so profound it had stunned him into stillness.
Even now, the memory made his chest tighten.
He had wanted to pull her into his arms then and there, whisper against her hair:
It's alright. I'm here. I'll stay.
But he hadn't.
And now, he couldn't wait any longer.
He needed her by his side — not out of duty, not out of obligation, but because she chose him. Because she loved him.
The best way to protect her… was to make her heart his.
---
Tang Kexin's breath caught.
Lonely?
No one had ever said that to her.
Not in her past life.
Not in this one.
In her previous world, she'd had only one true friend — a woman from another field entirely, someone she rarely saw but trusted deeply. And then she died. Suddenly. Leaving behind nothing but a birthday gift she'd bought months in advance.
Tang Kexin had thrown herself into psychology and medicine because she could see what others couldn't. She could mend wounds no one else noticed. She could save people.
But she couldn't bring back the dead.
When she first realised she had transmigrated, she had been terrified — but she'd forced herself to stay calm. She had arrived in a strange world with no familiar faces, no family, no anchor.
Her new parents loved each other deeply.
The Empress treated her kindly.
Dong'er fussed over her.
Slowly, she had adapted to this new life.
But opening her heart?
That was another matter entirely.
She could survive anywhere.
But she could not allow herself to be vulnerable.
Because if she cracked even a little, the loneliness she had buried for years would surge out and swallow her whole.
She, Tang Kexin, would never show weakness.
She wasn't fragile.
She wasn't helpless.
But even the strongest person had limits.
And now…
Was this man truly offering her a shoulder to lean on?
She didn't know.
She wasn't sure she could trust it.
She wasn't sure she knew how.
So she bit her lip, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep.
---
Ye Lanjue knew she was faking it.
But he didn't expose her.
As long as she heard him — as long as she let his words reach her — it was enough.
He had never imagined he would one day lie beside a woman like this, speaking softly into the quiet, holding her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
But she was.
She was the only woman who had ever stirred his heart.
The only one he wanted to protect.
The only one he wanted to spend his life with.
He tightened his arms around her, cradling her gently against his chest.
Heaven had given him many things — power, status, strength — but giving him her was the greatest kindness of all.
That night, Tang Kexin slept deeply.
For the first time in years, she felt safe.
Truly safe.
As if someone was finally standing between her and the world, shielding her from every storm, every burden, every shadow she had carried alone.
Even the strongest person grew tired.
Even the most capable had moments of helplessness.
She had simply learned to hide it better than most.
But tonight… she didn't have to.
---
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's palace was anything but peaceful.
A masked man appeared in the Crown Prince's chambers without warning.
"Who are you?"
Imperial Concubine Rong's face drained of colour. She rushed forward instinctively, trying to shield the unconscious Crown Prince.
There were guards everywhere — yet none had stopped this intruder.
Fear clawed at her throat.
"Do you think he still has a chance at the throne?"
The masked man sneered. "Even if he weren't in this state, he wouldn't keep his seat."
He placed a small white porcelain bottle on the table.
"I've come to help you."
Imperial Concubine Rong's eyes widened. "What… what do you mean?"
"A poison that kills without a trace."
Her breath hitched.
Her mind raced.
Her hands trembled.
"You— you want me to kill—"
She couldn't say it.
She didn't dare.
The Emperor.
"That's what you were thinking," the man said lazily. "Not me."
Her face paled.
"And since the Emperor is staying in Kunning Palace… who do you think will be blamed first?"
His smile sharpened. "Isn't that what you want?"
Her heart pounded violently.
If the Emperor died… the Crown Prince's path would be clear.
If she didn't act… the Third Prince would rise, and her son would be finished.
She stared at the bottle.
Her fingers curled around it.
The masked man's eyes gleamed.
He had achieved his goal.
He vanished into the shadows.
"Foolish woman," he murmured to himself.
---
In the days that followed, Tang Kexin lived a life so leisurely she almost felt guilty.
She ate.
She wandered the gardens.
She napped.
She was, in her own words, "raising herself like a pig."
But Ye Lanjue had told her to stay in the mansion — and worrying wouldn't change anything. So she waited.
And waited.
And waited.
---
"Xin…"
Ye Lanjue's voice drifted across the courtyard.
Tang Kexin sitting from her pavilion seat, an apple between her teeth, a cup of Tieguanyin at her elbow, legs crossed comfortably.
She was utterly, blissfully relaxed.
If life continued like this… she wouldn't complain.
Ye Lanjue stared at her, lips twitching.
His wife — the woman he loved — was lounging like a carefree cat.
And he…
He was utterly smitten.
——————————————
CHAPTER 206 — HIS HIGHNESS' GRIEVANCE
Tang Kexin didn't even lift her head when she heard footsteps.
"He's back," she said around a mouthful of apple, utterly unbothered.
Ye Lanjue stopped in front of her, staring at her with a look that could only be described as… wounded.
Other men had wives waiting anxiously for their return.
He, on the other hand, had a wife who lounged in a pavilion, eating fruit, not sparing him a single glance.
He thought about her constantly.
He worried about her constantly.
He missed her constantly.
And she?
She didn't even look up.
She didn't even pretend to be concerned.
She didn't even think of herself as his wife.
The injustice of it all made his chest tighten.
"Here," Tang Kexin said casually, handing him an apple without looking at him.
Ye Lanjue moved to sit opposite her, took the apple, and bit into it.
So there they were — sitting face‑to‑face, silently eating apples like two bored immortals.
It was absurd.
It was strangely domestic.
And it warmed him more than he cared to admit.
---
"Your Highness, did you find anything?" Tang Kexin asked at last, her tone turning serious.
She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was targeting the Empress — but the motive felt deeper, more tangled. And the Second Prince… something about him didn't sit right. He was too gentle, too perfect, too angelic.
"Which part do you want to hear first?" Ye Lanjue asked, lips curling faintly.
Tang Kexin narrowed her eyes. "Let's start with the Huaxin palace."
He sighed. "No one in Huaxin Palace saw anyone come or go. The maid didn't know who Noble Lady Ling met in private."
Tang Kexin's brows knitted.
Another dead end.
"It can't be that simple," she murmured. "Two concubines in a row… who's next?"
Ye Lanjue watched her closely.
She was thinking too much.
She was too sharp.
Too perceptive.
He both admired it and feared it.
"And the Northern Kingdom?" she asked, deliberately pausing, watching him with a teasing glint.
"How did you know I was investigating the Northern Kingdom?" he asked, amused.
"I was taken by them. You wouldn't just let that go. And even if they haven't interfered yet, who can guarantee they won't? You're not the type to ignore it."
Their conversations had become more open since that night.
She no longer hid her thoughts.
And he no longer pretended to be distant.
"Indeed," he said quietly.
But inwardly, he was troubled.
Why were people from the Northern Kingdom protecting her?
Why Lei Ying, the Northern King's personal shadow?
What was her connection to them?
He had found nothing.
And that unsettled him.
"But the Northern Kingdom isn't aligned with our enemy," he added, picking up her teacup and taking a sip.
Tang Kexin stared at him.
Didn't he claim to be a germaphobe?
That was her cup.
"What are you thinking, looking at This King like that?" Ye Lanjue asked, deliberately misinterpreting her expression. "Don't worry. This King won't resist."
Tang Kexin rubbed her forehead. "Your Highness, can we stop pretending?"
"But my heart keeps rejecting me," he said pitifully. "How tragic."
She nearly choked.
This man…
This shameless, dramatic man…
She handed him a banana.
If he wanted to act pitiful, he could at least eat something while doing it.
Their interactions had become easier — lighter.
But she could feel it: he wanted more.
He was getting greedy.
And she… wasn't sure she minded.
---
"Do you know anyone from the Northern Kingdom?" he asked suddenly.
"Probably not," she said honestly.
Aside from the Northern Prince and Lei Ying, she knew no one.
But why had Lei Ying treated her with such respect?
Why had her mother's attitude toward the marriage changed so abruptly?
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"The Emperor of the Northern Kingdom has no children?" she asked.
"No empress, no concubines," Ye Lanjue replied. "Only an adopted son — the Northern Prince. But there are rumours of a princess who never appears."
Tang Kexin frowned.
A hidden princess.
A powerful kingdom.
Lei Ying's protection.
Pieces of a puzzle she couldn't yet see.
"And such a man isn't married?" she muttered.
Then what about Ye Lanjue?
Would he also take concubines one day?
The thought made her chest tighten unpleasantly.
She wanted a love that lasted a lifetime — one man, one woman.
She couldn't tolerate sharing.
"Why did the Northern Prince come here?" she asked. "It can't just be for marriage."
"Of course not," Ye Lanjue said, eyes darkening. "The world looks peaceful, but every nation is restless. The Northern Kingdom is the strongest. The others are waiting for a chance to rise."
Tang Kexin watched him.
He was waiting too.
This man was far more dangerous than he appeared.
She trusted him — more than she realised.
She opened her mouth to speak—
But Ming Xun suddenly appeared, bringing Eunuch Li with him.
Ye Lanjue's expression sharpened instantly.
Something had happened.