At the same time, Li Xinyue had arrived at Chu Chen's prime minister's mansion. She had heard that Chu Chen was about to lead his troops out on another campaign and felt a pang of reluctance. She wanted to discuss with Chu Chen if they could get married before he departed.
Upon arriving at the mansion, she did not see Chu Chen himself. After inquiring with a servant, she learned that Chu Chen had gone to the palace.
As Li Xinyue also wanted to see the Empress, she decided to head to the palace as well.
The Empress, seeing Chu Chen still stubbornly refusing to comply, couldn't help but say, "You brat, where did that vigor you had in the bedroom go?"
"Let me tell you, if you behave well here, how can I ensure you give Xinyue happiness? How can I entrust Xinyue to you with peace of mind?"
Hearing this, Chu Chen was dumbfounded. What did the Empress mean by this? Was she asking him to serve her well to express his sincerity towards her daughter?
Although Chu Chen's mind hadn't quite caught up, he knew that if he didn't make the Empress happy, he wouldn't get past this hurdle today.
With this thought, Chu Chen could only go all out.
He proactively embraced the Empress's waist, and she leaned into his embrace.
In just a short while, the warm pavilion was filled with the scent of spring.
With the experience of the previous two times, the Empress was now adept at it, even showing some initiative.
It was only hard on Chu Chen. After all, the Empress was powerful in cultivation, and even these most primal abilities had become much stronger. For Chu Chen to win the Empress's favor, he naturally had to put in more effort.
Fortunately, all of this was worth it for Chu Chen. After each encounter, his strength would improve to a certain extent.
Just as the two were entangled in the warm pavilion, Li Xinyue arrived outside. Seeing the closed door of the warm pavilion and the guards standing outside, Li Xinyue was momentarily stunned. Without thinking much, she intended to go in.
However, several guards extended their hands to stop her.
"Princess, you cannot enter now."
Hearing this, Li Xinyue was immediately bewildered.
After a moment, she came to her senses and said with surprise, "What did you say? You won't let me in? Are you new?"
She glanced at the guard who spoke and shook her head. She had seen this person before; he wasn't new.
"Princess, these are the Emperor's orders, and they must be carried out without fail."
"What is my mother doing that's so secret that even I can't enter?"
Li Xinyue said with great suspicion.
The guard shook his head, "This subordinate does not know."
Li Xinyue rolled her eyes, "Of course, I know you don't know. But you can tell me who my mother is with, can't you?"
The guard paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, His Majesty is with Prime Minister Chu."
Upon hearing this, Li Xinyue became even more confused, "With Chu Chen?"
Li Xinyue didn't think of anything untoward. She was just a bit perplexed. "Since it's my mother and Prime Minister Chu together, there's no need to avoid me. You should know that Chu Chen and I are engaged and will be married soon."
As she spoke, Li Xinyue tried to push her way in again, but the guards still blocked her.
"Princess, please don't make things difficult for us. We are only following orders."
"If you want to enter next time, you can ask His Majesty to make an exception for you. Otherwise, if we let you in, it would be our dereliction of duty."
Hearing this, Li Xinyue could only flick her hand and let out a huff, leaving with a hint of anger.
"What's so smug about it? It's just a private talk. It's either military affairs or important political matters, and I'm not interested in listening."
Li Xinyue said, intending to leave, but then she stopped. She went to a pavilion outside the warm pavilion and sat down.
The guards stood not far from her. Although their gazes were not directly on her, Li Xinyue could feel that they were constantly watching her, their peripheral vision never leaving her.
Li Xinyue, having nothing to do and finding it too boring to wait here, called over a guard.
"Princess, what do you need? Please, just command me."
Li Xinyue nodded, "Go and prepare some books for me. Something fun and interesting. Not too many or too thick. I just want to pass the time here."
The guard looked a little conflicted upon hearing this, then nodded.
"Yes, Princess. This subordinate will go and find them for you now."
The guard quickly left, and Li Xinyue continued to wait.
In less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, the guard returned. "Princess, these are the books we usually read. We all like these kinds of books. I just don't know if Your Highness will like them."
The princess's interest was piqued. She reached out and took the book the guard handed her. When she opened it, her eyes widened.
The characters in this book were basically all undressed, and they were accompanied by text describing various techniques. Li Xinyue almost threw it away.
"How dare you all! You guys read this kind of thing when you have nothing to do, don't you?"
Li Xinyue said to the guard in front of her, her face flushing slightly.
The guard looked embarrassed and replied, "No, Princess. We do read other books, such as battle formations, weapon usage, and techniques."
He then looked at Li Xinyue and added, "But these don't meet Your Highness's requirements. You asked for interesting books, and I figured this was the most interesting kind."
Li Xinyue snorted, "You actually read such books, it's detestable! I'm confiscating this book. You are forbidden to read it from now on, understand?"
The guard stuck out his tongue, "Yes, Your Highness."
Li Xinyue flipped through a few more pages. The more she read, the redder her face became. Finally, she closed the book and put it away.
Even though she stopped reading, the content of the book was deeply imprinted in her mind.
The various strange poses made Li Xinyue swallow. Did couples do that after they got married?
Then, would she and Chu Chen have to do that after they got married?
Thinking of this, Li Xinyue's face flushed, and her heart pounded, her mind racing.
Suddenly, she heard a faint moan, so quiet it was almost nonexistent.
But Li Xinyue was sure she had heard it.
She came back to her senses and listened carefully, realizing the sound was coming from the warm pavilion.
Li Xinyue even thought she had misheard, but after listening carefully, she was still certain she wasn't hallucinating.
Li Xinyue couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up and walked towards the warm pavilion. The guards beside her quickly stopped her.
"Princess, why are you trying to force your way in?"