Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 114

Yiliu and the maids moved quickly, and soon the hot water was ready. Shen Xingyue bathed together with her little kitten, then changed into clean inner robes. Only after that did she carry Su Muyu back to bed. No matter how luxurious the beds in the palace were, they could never compare to the comfort of her own.

As soon as Shen Xingyue sat on the bed, Su Muyu slipped right into her arms. Maybe she was still scared from the night before, but today she was especially clingy. Even during the bath, she had been unusually quiet and obedient, letting Shen Xingyue hold her close without protest. Shen Xingyue had no resistance to this soft and sweet version of her kitten. She gently wrapped her arms around her and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“I just want you to hold me while I sleep,” Su Muyu murmured, snuggling into her embrace. She had gotten used to falling asleep in Shen Xingyue’s arms, and after barely sleeping at all the night before, exhaustion had finally caught up to her.

Shen Xingyue kissed her gently and whispered, “Okay, let’s sleep together.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Yunqing had been worried and sent someone to invite them for lunch.

Yiliu spotted Madam Wang, the trusted maidservant by Zhou Yunqing’s side, and stepped forward to say politely, “The princess and her consort are feeling a bit tired. They’ve just fallen asleep. What do you think?”

“Oh, I see,” Madam Wang replied, immediately understanding. She gave Yiliu a knowing look and returned to report back.

When Zhou Yunqing saw only the servants come back, she asked, “Where are Yue’er and her consort?”

Madam Wang smiled and replied, “The princess and the princess consort have already gone to rest.”

Zhou Yunqing let out a quiet cough to settle herself. Her daughter truly spoiled her wife. She had only just returned and had already gone to bed? But since she seemed healthy and energetic, Zhou Yunqing decided not to say anything more.

Shen Xingyue slept soundly, holding Su Muyu all the way until late afternoon. She finally felt like she could fully relax. The night before, she had barely slept at the palace, worried about her cousin’s fever. But now, holding her little kitten in her arms, she finally got a peaceful rest.

Looking down at the girl still asleep in her embrace, Shen Xingyue reached out and gently brushed Su Muyu’s eyelashes. Every part of her was just so lovely.

Su Muyu stirred slightly and let out a soft sound, burying her face deeper into Shen Xingyue’s chest before slowly opening her eyes to look up at her.

Shen Xingyue smiled and gently stroked her hair. “It’s still early. Sleep a little longer.”

She was thinking of letting Su Muyu continue resting while she got up to find something to eat. She was starting to feel hungry.

But just as she was about to move, Su Muyu wrapped her legs around Shen Xingyue’s waist and hooked her arms around her neck, refusing to let her go. Shen Xingyue laughed softly at how clingy her kitten was being.

She adjusted Su Muyu’s position in her lap and said gently, “How about you rest a little more by yourself? I’m just going to eat something. I’m really hungry.”

“No, I want to be with you,” Su Muyu whispered as she nestled closer, clearly unwilling to be separated from her even for a moment.

Shen Xingyue smiled helplessly, then leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

Once Su Muyu was completely breathless from the kiss, Shen Xingyue coaxed her again. “Alright, then let’s get up and eat something together. After that, I’ll hold you again, okay?”

“Okay,” Su Muyu finally agreed, her voice sweet and soft.

Elsewhere in the palace, Zhou Zixuan had stayed at Shen Yining’s bedside the entire day. The sun was beginning to set, but the young Crown Princess still hadn’t regained consciousness.

An attendant brought over a bowl of herbal medicine. Zhou Zixuan reached out to take it and gently began feeding Shen Yining, carefully helping her sip it little by little.

Since Shen Yining was still unconscious, Zhou Zixuan had no choice but to gently pry open her mouth with one hand and slowly feed the medicine with the other.

Afraid that the Crown Princess might choke, she fed her very slowly, carefully wiping the medicine from the corners of her lips with her own handkerchief.

Shen Kaiyuan and Ye Yuran observed everything in silence, both feeling deeply satisfied with Zhou Zixuan’s care and dedication.

As the sky began to darken, Shen Kaiyuan said, “Zixuan, it’s getting late. You’ve been here with Ning’er all day, and it’s been hard on you. Let me have someone escort you home so you can rest.”

Zhou Zixuan looked at Shen Yining, still unconscious, and hesitated. She was worried Ning’er might get another fever during the night, but she also didn’t want her parents at home to be anxious if she didn’t return.

Seeing her hesitation, Shen Kaiyuan added gently, “You’ve already stayed with her for the entire day. Why don’t you rest for tonight? Tomorrow, I’ll have someone bring you back to the palace to visit her again. How does that sound?”

Zhou Zixuan nodded and immediately bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I’ll come again tomorrow to be with Her Highness.”

“Good,” Shen Kaiyuan said with a nod, then turned to Wenjing. “Wenjing, arrange for someone to escort Miss Zhou home.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Wenjing replied respectfully. She led Zhou Zixuan out of the Hall of Diligent Governance, arranged a carriage for her, and had her safely sent off. Just as she finished, a few eunuchs came with a new message, and Wenjing quickly returned to the hall.

She bowed and said, “Your Majesty, General Wang and Minister Cui are waiting outside the palace gates, requesting an audience. What are your orders?”

Because of the recent riots, officials couldn’t freely enter the palace without direct permission from the Empress. For the past day or two, formal court had been suspended. With Shen Yining still unconscious, Shen Kaiyuan had no desire to deal with the persistent voices of the court.

The moment she heard who was asking for an audience, she already knew what they wanted—it could only be about Shen Yiqian and Shen Yijia. Her expression tightened slightly as she said, “I won’t see them. At a time like this, I have no energy to deal with their concerns.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Wenjing answered and quickly sent word back through the eunuchs.

With that taken care of, Shen Kaiyuan walked to Shen Yining’s bedside. Her gaze fell on the row of little pig-shaped sachets lying by the pillow. Her expression softened.

“Ning’er, open your eyes and take a look. These are the little pig sachets your sweetheart made for you. I remember you’ve always loved pigs, haven’t you? My good girl, please wake up soon. Everyone is so worried about you.”

The Crown Princess remained unconscious, drifting in and out of a daze. It felt like someone was speaking to her, but their voice was muffled, like separated by a thin veil. She couldn’t quite hear the words clearly, and her shoulders felt like they were broken—every movement sent waves of pain through her body. Before long, she sank back into a deep sleep.

That night, Ye Yuran, still worried about her daughter’s condition, insisted that Shen Kaiyuan rest in the side hall. She herself stayed behind to keep watch.

Shen Yining’s fever spiked again during the night. The imperial physicians quickly prepared another round of medicine. Ye Yuran followed Shen Xingyue’s suggested method, using white liquor to wipe down her daughter’s body to bring down the temperature. It took most of the night, but eventually the fever was brought under control.

At dawn, Shen Kaiyuan got up early to take over from Ye Yuran and insisted she go rest in the side hall. The two of them, like any ordinary couple outside the palace, took turns sitting by their daughter’s bedside, watching over her.

Morning in the Palace

Early in the morning, the imperial physicians came once again to check Shen Yining’s pulse. The lead physician bowed respectfully to Empress Shen Kaiyuan and said, “Your Majesty, it’s time to start feeding Her Highness some rice porridge. Giving her a little now will help her regain some strength.”

“Good, good. Have someone prepare it right away,” Shen Kaiyuan quickly ordered.

When the eunuchs brought the rice porridge, Shen Kaiyuan carefully fed it to her daughter herself, spoon by spoon, clumsy but cautious, like an anxious and protective mother. She was afraid of making her choke and handled every movement with care.

At Zhou Residence

That same morning, Zhou Zixuan had woken up early, her heart still full of worry for her little piglet. Although she had spent the entire previous day at the palace taking care of Shen Yining, she had struggled to fall asleep at first. But once she lay in bed, fatigue took over, and she ended up sleeping straight through the night.

After having breakfast with her parents, she waited anxiously in the front hall for the palace eunuchs to arrive and escort her back.

Her parents, unaware of her private relationship with the Crown Princess, found her restlessness confusing. While it was understandable for any loyal subject to worry about the Crown Princess’s condition—especially given how serious it was—Zhou Zixuan’s behavior was clearly more intense than what they expected.

Her mother, Jiang Zhe, watched her pacing and finally asked, “Xuan’er, you’ve never met the Crown Princess before, right? Then why are you so anxious about her? I’m not saying it’s wrong to worry, but it just feels… a little unusual.”

Zhou Zixuan quickly responded, “Mother, you’re overthinking it. The Crown Princess’s safety is tied to the peace of the entire kingdom. How could I not be worried?”

She was someone who always followed the rules, and the few times she had ever lied had all been for the sake of her beloved little pig.

Jiang Zhe believed her without hesitation. “That’s true. You’ve never been good at lying.”

Soon, the palace eunuchs arrived to escort Zhou Zixuan back to the palace. She turned quickly to her parents and said, “Father, Mother, I’m heading off to see Her Highness. Just like yesterday, I should be back before dark. Please don’t worry.”

With that, she hurried off with the eunuchs.

Outside the Palace Gates

When Zhou Zixuan arrived at the palace gates, she saw a crowd of officials gathered outside, demanding to see the Empress. The guards, however, refused to let anyone in.

General Wang Mingda saw the palace carriage approaching and immediately pointed to it. “Why is the person in that carriage allowed to enter while we’re stopped out here? I’m a second-rank official of the court! Why is Her Majesty refusing to meet with me? What is she hiding?”

His emotions were clearly boiling over, and his words became increasingly reckless.

The guard standing nearby warned him quickly, “General Wang, please watch your words.”

“Watch my words?” Wang Mingda snapped. “The capital has been filled with rumors for days now. Doesn’t Her Majesty owe her ministers some kind of explanation?”

He had already heard the news—his nephew, Shen Yiqian, was dead, and his sister had been placed under house arrest. He was desperate to get answers and couldn’t stay calm.

“Yes, we’ve been waiting here since yesterday,” Minister Cui Can added, stepping forward. “How much longer does Her Majesty intend to avoid us?”

For him, the death of Shen Yijia had been a crushing blow. She had been the great hope of the Cui family.

As Zhou Zixuan was quietly allowed through the gates, the guard captain addressed the crowd firmly, “Gentlemen, please be patient. Her Majesty is aware of the situation. I ask that you return to your estates and wait for her decision.”

“Patient?” Wang Mingda shouted. “If this continues, Her Majesty is going to lose the hearts of every loyal scholar and official in the empire. We’ve given our all to serve her, and now we can’t even get a meeting?”

What troubled him most was that the capital had been sealed off for several days. Without imperial permission, no one could enter or leave. His five regiments stationed near the outer districts hadn’t been heard from in days. With his nephew dead and his sister imprisoned, he felt more isolated and uncertain than ever.

“We’re only following orders,” the guard captain said firmly. “Please don’t make things difficult for us.”

Despite the growing unrest among the officials, the guards stood their ground, refusing to let anyone pass.

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