Chapter 250 Secret Rendezvous

She sat in the meditation room of the backyard, waiting and waiting, until just before dark when the long-awaited Prince Nanxiao finally arrived.

Prince Nanxiao, travel-worn, was dressed in a purple brocade robe and wore a stylish hood.

As soon as he pushed the door open and stepped inside, Consort Li threw herself into his arms, coquettish and blushing with joy and shyness.

"Zhenglang, I missed you so much. I thought you wouldn't come to see me today."

Seeing this, Jian Lan quickly lowered her head and retreated from the room, leaving them alone.

Prince Nanxiao looked at the Consort Li clinging to him and patted her shoulder, his tone unreadable.

"You're already a mother of two. Why do you still act like a young girl, throwing yourself into my arms at every turn?"

Consort Li's heart immediately skipped a beat. Her first thought was that Prince Nanxiao thought she was old.

Although they loved each other, they had been separated for twenty-three years, unable to be together.

Consort Li firmly believed that Prince Nanxiao loved her, but she feared even more that young women other than herself might appear by his side.

She looked up with tearful, pleading eyes at Prince Nanxiao.

"Zhenglang, are you tired of me?"

Prince Nanxiao cursed inwardly. Consort Li, at her age, still acting coy toward him—it was disgusting.

When she was younger, her coquettishness had still pleased him.

Moreover, she was his elder brother's woman, and he looked forward to the day when Emperor Jingyang learned the truth.

Just thinking about it, he found it quite exciting.

But now, Consort Li's face no longer held the purity and gentleness it once did. Instead, it was full of scheming and resentment, and deep fatigue.

Compared to their meeting two months ago, she now seemed a full decade older.

Prince Nanxiao was displeased with this version of her.

But Consort Li was still useful to him. No matter how displeased he was, he had to greet her with a smile.

Prince Nanxiao pulled Consort Li into his embrace and bent down to kiss her hair.

"How could I? You gave birth to my children, with great merit. I cherish you—how could I possibly tire of you?"

"Could it be that you think I'm the kind of man who's fickle and unfaithful?"

A kiss on the hair was his usual gesture of affection, which always made Consort Li blush and get lost in the moment.

This time was no different.

Hearing this, Consort Li smiled coquettishly and lightly punched Prince Nanxiao on the chest. "You're so annoying~"

"Of course I know that Zhenglang is not like Luo Chengyuan, not the kind of man who would seduce and then abandon. I have never doubted you. Zhenglang has always been the best man in my heart—no one can compare."

Luo Chengyuan was the current emperor, Emperor Jingyang.

As for Prince Nanxiao, his name was Luo Qizheng.

Hearing Consort Li mention another man in front of him, Prince Nanxiao's face instantly turned cold, and he pushed her away from his embrace.

"Must you bring him up in front of me at a time like this?"

Although Consort Li had given herself to him body and soul, in name she was still Emperor Jingyang's woman.

Although being with her gave Prince Nanxiao a thrill of doing something forbidden,

he also felt as if Consort Li had cuckolded him.

This mix of excitement and discomfort tormented him.

Prince Nanxiao did not believe that nothing had happened between them.

Suddenly thinking of the recent rumors in the palace, he lifted Consort Li's chin with his hand and asked darkly:

"I heard that Luo Chengyuan has been doting on you lately, often going to your Weiyang Palace and staying for several hours."

"Not only that, he goes out of his way every day to please you, sending you various tribute silks and brocades, and beauty elixirs, just to win a smile from you."

"You two flirt and gave each other loving looks in the main hall, not even avoiding the Eighth Prince and the Crown Prince, making everyone envious of your relationship."

"And now, the treatment you receive in the palace has even surpassed that of the Empress and the Noble Consort?"

"Wanwan, are these things true? I want to hear the truth from you!"

Consort Li, meeting Prince Nanxiao's cold gaze, felt a shudder in her heart.

Her worst fear had come true.

But at this moment, Consort Li had no time to think further. She hurriedly explained, "That's not true. There is nothing between him and me. You must believe me."

"I threw away everything he sent. I'm disgusted by him, how could I be willing to welcome him?"

"Is that so?" Prince Nanxiao's dark eyes narrowed sharply, and the hand gripping Consort Li's chin tightened his grip, leaving red marks on her chin.

Even so, he did not let go, but said coldly, "He is the exalted Son of Heaven, while I am just an idle prince with no real power or influence. Are you sure you have not been tempted by him?"

Consort Li's hands hanging at her sides clenched into fists, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.

She had fallen in love back then with Prince Nanxiao at first sight, and she fully understood his stubborn character.

The man in front of her seemed gentle and reserved, but in reality, he was extremely suspicious and protective of his pride.

The most obvious manifestation was his possessiveness over Consort Li.

Every time after they made love, Prince Nanxiao would deliberately leave marks on Consort Li's body.

This behavior seemed childish, but it was like branding his own possession.

Or perhaps, it was akin to declaring war on Emperor Jingyang.

Recently, Emperor Jingyang had indeed sent many things to Weiyang Palace, just to speed up Consort Li's recovery.

Though she had repeatedly refused and asked him to stop, it was useless.

Emperor Jingyang's obsession with being intimate with Consort Li seemed to have reached an obsessive level.

Fortunately, Consort Li's health had been unstable recently, preventing Emperor Jingyang from having his way.

On one hand, she had to navigate her interactions with Emperor Jingyang, and on the other hand, she had to consider the feelings of Prince Nanxiao, which was truly exhausting.

All kinds of emotions welled up in her heart. Consort Li, with reddened eyes, sobbed, "You know very well how I feel about you. You said you didn't like me wearing white dresses, so I never wore white clothes again. You said you didn't like me using tulip fragrance, so I never used that scent again. Every word you said, I remember clearly."

"So what if Luo Chengyuan is the Son of Heaven? The only person I love in my heart is you. Don't you believe me either?"

Consort Li's eyes stung, and she couldn't help choking with sobs. In an instant, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Seeing her cry so sadly, and her expression not seeming fake, Prince Nanxiao instantly realized that his words had gone too far and had crossed Consort Li's boundaries.

If he continued to make a scene, he feared he would really lose control over her.

Thinking this, Prince Nanxiao immediately took Consort Li into his arms and whispered soothingly in her ear.

"Alright, alright. I was just saying that casually; it's not that I don't trust you. Why are you angry?"

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