Drunk on Madness - Chapter 56

Zhou Mingxuan had the palace attendants bring several blankets to spread on the floor, and the group sat down to drink tea. Li Xiang and Chen Minying sat on either side of Zhou Mingxuan. After Zhou Mingxuan introduced Chen Minying to Li Xiang, Li Xiang nodded slightly at her, hoping to make a good impression. However, Chen Minying ignored her entirely.

Seeing this, Zhou Mingxuan feared she might misunderstand. He tugged at Li Xiang’s hand, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “The four young men behind are the suitors I selected for her. Take a look and see which one is suitable.”

Li Xiang was taken aback, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

So, he had never intended to marry Chen Minying. A flicker of complexity crossed Li Xiang’s eyes. She picked up a cup of light tea from the table, using it to mask her unease.

The two little ones, unafraid of the crowd, crawled around among the people. Gu Ci took a rattle drum from a palace attendant to lure them over.

Both children scrambled for the rattle. Qingqing failed to grab it and was pushed by Yiyi, tumbling into Su Mo’s arms. Su Mo quickly caught Qingqing, who sniffled pitifully, on the verge of tears.

The nursemaid moved to comfort him, but Qingqing refused, clinging to Su Mo and crying as if deeply wronged. Su Mo, at a loss, patted his back gently to soothe him. After a moment, Qingqing looked up at him with teary eyes and suddenly planted a kiss on his cheek.

Li Xiang, drawn by her son’s crying, had been watching the children closely. She wanted to go and hold him, but with Zhou Mingxuan beside her, she feared he might grow jealous, so she stayed put.

Seeing Qingqing kiss Su Mo, she smiled faintly. Her son always expressed affection with kisses toward those he liked.

Zhou Mingxuan, slightly displeased, called out, “Qingqing, come to your father.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Qingqing immediately wobbled over to Zhou Mingxuan, wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek.

Zhou Mingxuan’s face lit up with a smile, and he gently ruffled Qingqing’s hair.

Seeing this, Yiyi crawled over as well, wanting Zhou Mingxuan to hold him.

The onlookers watched the harmonious scene of the crown prince’s family with a mix of envy and jealousy.

Su Mo smiled bitterly to himself. Seeing that they were getting along well and that Zhou Mingxuan hadn’t treated her coldly because of his momentary impulse, he felt both relieved and sorrowful.

He didn’t know how he had endured these past six months. He had relied on memories of their time together in the mountains of Youzhou to keep going. In the depths of night, he often wondered if it had all been nothing more than a fleeting spring dream.

…

That night, in the bedchamber of Shaoyang Court.

Zhou Mingxuan, bare-chested, embraced Li Xiang from behind, his skin still damp from his bath. His hands deftly undid her garments as he retrieved medicine from a hidden compartment nearby, intending to feed it to her.

Li Xiang turned her face away, pushing him back. “Not today,” she refused. Zhou Mingxuan frowned, his dark eyes fixed intently on her.

Disbelief was written in his gaze. Ever since Li Xiang had seen Su Mo earlier that day, she had started rejecting his advances. He suspected something but kept it to himself, merely hovering over her, watching her quietly.

Seeing that he hadn’t moved away, Li Xiang added, “It’s that time of the month. It’s not convenient.” Hearing this, Zhou Mingxuan lowered his head and sniffed lightly at her, as if trying to detect her scent.

After wiping his hands with a silk handkerchief, Zhou Mingxuan’s frustration remained unappeased. He gazed at Li Xiang on the bed, lost in thought.

Li Xiang straightened her clothes, picked up a pillow beside her, and hesitated before saying, “I’ll go sleep with the children.” With that, she made to leave.

Zhou Mingxuan grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Li Xiang had no choice but to lie down again. Zhou Mingxuan pulled the thick quilt over both of them. Li Xiang turned on her side, staring blankly at the patterns on the mosquito net.

Deep down, Li Xiang knew that Zhou Mingxuan was becoming increasingly domineering toward her, sensitive and irritable. Today, after seeing Su Mo and refusing to be intimate with him, he believed it was because of Su Mo and insisted on personally verifying it before letting it go. If she hadn’t actually been on her period, there would have been no avoiding it tonight.

Suddenly, Zhou Mingxuan turned and embraced Li Xiang, asking, “What are you thinking about?”

Li Xiang stiffened. “Nothing.”

He stared at her, a playful smile on his lips, but in his pitch-black eyes, a warning and indifference flashed for an instant.

Beneath the soft silk quilt, Zhou Mingxuan’s hand began to fumble with her clothes.

Li Xiang pressed down on his hand, nervously shifting back slightly, a flicker of fear in her eyes.

Seeing her fearful expression, Zhou Mingxuan inwardly mocked her clumsy acting. His gaze turned cold as he reached out, tossed her nightgown off the bed, and said, “You should learn to remember.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Zhou Mingxuan carried her to wash up.