The Crown Prince Chases His Wife
Chapter 92 A Kept Man
Everything had been born in spring, thrived in summer, harvested in autumn, and hibernated in winter, including humans.
Feng Zhan was now a somewhat leisurely prince, no longer waking up early as he had before. He had been snuggling with Qin Yan on the bed, listening to the wind and rain, and only started to get up around the Chen hour (7-9 AM).
A floor heater had warmed the room, and a spring-like warmth filled the entire space.
Feng Zhan had slightly moved his smooth chin and nudged the woman resting her head on his arm in his embrace.
“Hmm…” Qin Yan had gradually woken up. She was still not used to having another person occupy most of her bed, and the hardness of the man’s body pressing against her had made her frown slightly.
Feng Zhan had lowered his head, pressing his thin lips against Qin Yan’s forehead. Seeing the exquisite woman with her disheveled hair leaning obediently against him, Feng Zhan had felt very satisfied.
Qin Yan, on the side of the bed, had used one hand to prop herself up on Feng Zhan’s chest and slowly started to get up. As she lifted one leg to get out of bed, the man grabbed her slender waist and pulled her back to his solid chest.
Qin Yan had shifted uncomfortably but had suddenly found that her position was quite suggestive. She glanced at Feng Zhan and tried to get up again, only to be pressed back by his hold on her delicate waist.
Feng Zhan had not made any other moves. His thin lips had touched Qin Yan’s slightly reddened ear, and his deep, mellow voice had murmured in her ear, “Still angry with me?”
The woman in his arms had not spoken, and Feng Zhan had realized it was probably his fault.
He had wrapped one arm around Qin Yan’s slim back, turned, and gently placed her on the soft bed. The sight before him had made Feng Zhan’s expression show a bit of guilt.
He had reached for a white porcelain medicine bottle on the pillow, opened it, and used his fingertip to take a bit of ointment, applying it gently.
“Ah…” Qin Yan had inhaled sharply; the coolness of the ointment had slightly alleviated the burning pain.
Qin Yan had allowed Feng Zhan to tend to her.
After applying the ointment, Feng Zhan held Qin Yan close and apologized in a hushed voice, “Yan Yan, it’s my fault.”
Qin Yan had given him a cold glance and had responded bluntly:
“It would have been better if you had been more genuine.”
Hearing the woman’s angry words, Feng Zhan’s eyes had darkened slightly.
Qin Yan had reached out to touch Feng Zhan’s well-defined abdomen, her voice tinged with teasing, “Your Highness, holding back for too long is bad for your health.”
Feng Zhan’s eyes had narrowed, and he swallowed hard, suppressing his desire. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “Being my taizifei, whether it’s real or not, it’s up to you.”
Qin Yan’s lips curled into a faint smile as she playfully lifted a strand of Feng Zhan’s dark hair that had fallen beside her. Half-jokingly, she had said, “Why not consider moving into my manor? Let this princess support a fallen prince for once.”
Feng Zhan had been momentarily stunned. He had always known that Qin Yan spoke casually, but now she seemed even more audacious.
He reached out, affectionately ruffled Qin Yan’s hair, and responded gently, “It’s not impossible. From today on, I’ll move into your mansion.”
————
In the moment when their eyes met, Qin Yan’s expression had taken on a more serious tone.
“Feng Zhan, I’m not interested in sharing a man with other women.”
Feng Zhan’s gaze had deepened, fixed on Qin Yan’s phoenix-like eyes.
“In this lifetime, there is only you for me.”
Qin Yan looked at Feng Zhan’s deep eyes, her red lips slightly parted as she had softly uttered a single word, “Sure.”
Feng Zhan’s pupils had constricted, seemingly in disbelief. Qin Yan, was this her way of agreeing?
Feng Zhan suddenly leaned in, covering Qin Yan’s full, moist lips with his own, engaging in a deep kiss.
When their lips had parted, both had been overwhelmed with emotion.
From that moment on, their relationship had changed.
———-
Suddenly, a somewhat disruptive voice came from outside the door, “Master, Shizi Xie of the Marquis of Yongding Mansion requests to see you.”
Shen Ying didn’t want to disturb the two, but Shizi Xie insisted on seeing her master outside the main entrance, nearly coming to blows with the guards. Shen Ying worried that the commotion would tarnish her master’s reputation, had no choice but to report it.
The two on the bed instantly composed themselves. Feng Zhan, with a stern face, pinched Qin Yan’s side waist. Though he did not speak, Qin Yan understood the meaning in his eyes.
Go see him if you dare.
Qin Yan reached up to gently touch Feng Zhan’s chiseled cheek and softly said, “There are some past matters I need to resolve. I will go and meet him.”
“Your Highness, please be good.”
Be good?
Feng Zhan’s expression was somewhat dark. Did Qin Yan really see him as just a kept man?
Ultimately, the two got up but did not allow Shen Ying and Song Zhi to assist with their dressing.
Although they were accustomed to luxury, they were not incapable of dressing themselves. It was not a difficult task.
The two helped each other adjust their clothing and attire, which, though it added additional time, was a matter of intimacy. They nearly got caught up in a moment of distraction.
———–
Princess Zhaoren Mansion
Since Xie Changyuan had been invited into the reception hall, it had been over an hour. Yet he showed no signs of impatience. If he could see Qin Yan today, it would be a stroke of luck.
Xie Changyuan continually rehearsed his words in his mind, thinking about how to explain everything from the past to Qin Yan, seeking her forgiveness. They…
Xie Changyuan’s keen senses picked up the sound of footsteps outside the hall. He straightened his back and looked towards the door.
In his view was a stunning woman draped in a white fox fur cloak. She wore a simple white jade hairpin to fasten her hair in a modest style. Her skin was as white as snow, making her red lips stand out even more. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Yan Yan.” Xie Changyuan rose, his voice filled with suppressed affection.
Qin Yan walked directly to the soft couch by the window and sat down. She took the intricately embroidered gold-plated hand warmer from Shen Ying, her expression indifferent as she glanced at Xie Changyuan.
Shen Ying instructed the servants to set up the brazier in the hall, but the north-facing windows remained wide open, and the door was left ajar. The cold northern wind blew through the hall, causing the temperature to rise very slowly.
Today, Xie Changyuan was dressed in a dark blue brocade robe. Qin Yan wondered if he wasn’t cold.
“Yan Yan…” Xie Changyuan spoke again, but Qin Yan interrupted him.
“Shizi Xie, my full name is Qin Yan. Alternatively, you may address me by my noble title.” Qin Yan’s voice was cold, each word widening the gap between her and Xie Changyuan.
Xie Changyuan felt a chill in his heart. How did he and Qin Yan end up like this?
He then forced a bitter smile. This was his own doing, and he deserved it.
————
Shen Ying instructed the servants to bring in tea and then stood on one side of the hall. Xie Changyuan did not touch the tea but instead turned his gaze towards Qin Yan.
“Qin Yan, there are some things I need to explain to you.”
Qin Yan took a woolen blanket and draped it over her lap, adjusting herself into a comfortable position, ready to listen to Xie Changyuan’s explanation.
Xie Changyuan continued, “Qin Yan, we have known each other since childhood and were once betrothed. That was our past connection.”
“And there is another story between us, which should also be considered a part of our destiny.”
Qin Yan raised her eyebrows slightly, curious about what Xie Changyuan was leading up to.
Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Xie Changyuan fixed his gaze on Qin Yan’s delicate face and continued, “Three winters ago, I visited Meishan Mountain. There, I was struck by snow blindness, fell into a snowdrift, and nearly lost consciousness.”
Qin Yan’s eyebrows lifted. Could it be…
Xie Changyuan continued to recount his experience, “Before I lost full awareness, a woman pulled me from the snowdrift. She tore off her sleeve and covered my eyes with it, then took me to the Wanxue House of Master Yishan.”
“Qin Yan, you should understand who that woman was.”
Xie Changyuan smiled bitterly, “That woman left me in the studio and went out alone, but when I regained my sight three days later, the woman who was before me was A Yan.”
“And A Yan did not deny that, in gratitude for saving my life, I agreed to bring her back to the capital upon her request.”
“Qin Yan, that was supposed to be our destiny, but through a series of misunderstandings, A Yan misled things, causing the situation between us…”
“Xie Changyuan.” Qin Yan cut off the end of Xie Changyuan’s explanation with a cool tone.
Qin Yan sighed inwardly, realizing it was actually him.
But this was not about destiny; she wished she had never gone to Meishan Mountain that year.
“Don’t tell me that the person who caused me to fall off the cliff on Meishan Mountain is now your current wife.” Qin Yan had already heard that A Yan was actually the younger sister of the emperor of Yizhou and now the wife of Shizi of Marquis of Yongding Mansion.
Xie Changyuan paused for a moment and explained weakly, “She said it was not intentional.”
Qin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. That settled it.
But grievances should be settled with the right parties and this debt should not be laid at Xie Changyuan’s door.
———–
Xie Changyuan’s expression was grave. Regardless of anything, he had to get his words out today, “Qin Yan, I am truly sorry for everything that happened before. I owe you an apology.”
“I shouldn’t have brought A Yan back to the mansion and allowed gossip to spread without considering your position.”
“But at that time, I heard that you were the one who protected Xie Zhao when I went to the Northwest Pingxi Army to ask for him, and I thought you were involved with Xie Zhao.”
“However, I now understand that you were concerned about losing the army’s morale if Xie Zhao was handed over, rather than acting out of personal interest.”
“I was blinded by jealousy.”
“And during the Qixi Festival at Qianshui Lake, I didn’t verify the facts before assuming you had pushed A Yan into the water…”
“Xie Changyuan.” Qin Yan interrupted him in a soft voice.
“At Qianshui Lake, I am not entirely innocent. Although I didn’t push her, I certainly didn’t make an effort to save her and let her fall into the water.”
“It’s understandable that you were biased towards her, after all, she was your betrothed at the time. You don’t need to apologize for that.”
As Xie Changyuan prepared to speak again, Qin Yan preempted him, “Xie Changyuan, when I was young and fell into Taiye Pool, you saved me.”
“And three years ago at Meishan Mountain, I saved you once.”
“So, we are even now.”
Xie Changyuan’s pupils tightened, and he had a foreboding feeling.
Qin Yan’s expression remained unchanged, her tone indifferent, but it left Xie Changyuan feeling a chill.
“Past events are gone and cannot be revived. From now on, you and I should go our separate ways and be well.”
Xie Changyuan felt as if his chest was suddenly gripped tight, a sharp pain piercing through him. He struggled to hold back his bitterness and made a humble request to Qin Yan.
“Qin Yan, even if we cannot be husband and wife, can we still be friends?”
Xie Changyuan hoped to turn over a new leaf with Qin Yan and start afresh.
But he was disappointed.
“There is no need.”
After saying this, Qin Yan prepared to stand up and leave. Just then, a tall and imposing figure in dark attire stepped into the hall, radiating a cold aura as he walked towards Qin Yan.
Feng Zhan’s deep black eyes were fixed on Qin Yan’s face, his expression dark and frightening, his tone icy, “Qin Yan, did Xie Changyuan save you when you fell into Taiye Pool as a child?”
Feng Zhan had heard Qin Yan’s words about being “even” from outside the flower hall.
Feng Zhan was also reminded of another issue that irritated him deeply and spoke again coldly, “Was your engagement with Xie Changyuan because he saved you?”
Taizi’s words…
Qin Yan suddenly recalled the long-forgotten fragments from when she fell into the sea, the image of the eyes of the older boy who had saved her…
Could it be that the matter from years ago…
Feng Zhan turned his cold gaze toward Xie Changyuan, causing Xie Changyuan’s heart to shiver.
But in the end, Feng Zhan did not say anything further. He turned and strode away.
————
Xie Changyuan saw the indifference in Qin Yan’s eyes. It seemed she was waiting for him to speak.
Xie Changyuan’s mind raced as he weighed his options. According to what Qin Yan had just said, they had saved each other once, which could be considered even.
However, if he revealed the truth about what happened years ago…
There would be no “even.” Qin Yan was his benefactor, and he would have a reason to repay her.
Xie Changyuan quickly made his decision, which he believed was the best option at present.
Even if he didn’t speak now, there was no guarantee that the Taizi wouldn’t clarify things to Qin Yan, so it was better for him to be forthright.
“When you fell into Taiye Pool years ago, I had just entered the water, but Taizi had already rescued you first.”
“At that time, there was no one else around Taiye Pool. Taizi entrusted you to me and went off to find help.”
“Thus, when you woke up, you only saw me.”
What Xie Changyuan didn’t mention was that the Taizi had initially asked him to call for help, but when he saw that Qin Yan was unconscious and was scared, he stood frozen without moving. The Taizi had to go personally to get help…
Hearing this, Qin Yan pressed her fingers to her brow and then smiled.
A Yan claimed credit for saving Xie Changyuan, and Xie Changyuan claimed that the Taizi saved her.
Ah, the couple, Xie Changyuan and A Yan, were truly a match made in heaven.
Qin Yan stood up and prepared to leave.
“Qin Yan…” Xie Changyuan called after her but was stopped by Shen Ying, who raised her hand.
“Shizi Xie, please.” Shen Ying’s voice was cold as she ushered him out.
————
Qin Yan exited the hall, but the Taizi was no longer in sight.
She summoned a secret guard and asked, “Where is Taizi?”
The shadow guard reported, “His Highness Taizi has returned to the Taizi Mansion.”
Qin Yan dismissed the shadow guard and glanced towards the plum grove.
Was this meant to be her responsibility to coax him?