Chapter 348: Chapter 349: What’s Coming Will Come
Hua Manman immediately fell backward, looking as though she had lost the will to live.
Li Ji pushed the door open and walked in, his eyes immediately falling on a certain someone sprawled on the bed like a salted fish.
As he drew closer, he could hear her muttering to herself.
"Should I go with red? Or maybe green?"
Li Ji asked, "Red and green? What are you talking about?"
Hua Manman said despairingly, "I’m picking a color for my pig cage. Red is too gaudy, but green is too tacky."
The corner of Li Ji’s eye twitched.
’Red or green, they’re both tacky, aren’t they?!’
"Why are you picking out a pig cage?"
Hua Manman looked at him forlornly. "I heard unfaithful women are supposed to be drowned in pig cages."
Li Ji chuckled. "You sure know a lot."
Hua Manman looked at him with a pitiful expression.
"Are you really going to have me drowned in a pig cage?"
Li Ji retorted, "Did I go to all the trouble of rescuing you from Xiao Hong just so I could drown you in a pig cage?"
Hua Manman was secretly delighted.
’Oh, yeah! It looks like this jerk isn’t going to press the issue about Ah Qi.’
Hearing her inner thoughts, Li Ji’s tone shifted as he immediately asked a question.
"But you still need to come clean about what needs to be explained. What’s the deal with that Ah Qi?"
Hua Manman: "..."
’What’s coming will come. There’s no escaping it.’
She put on an ingratiating smile.
"It’s only natural for a woman as outstanding as myself to have many suitors. It just proves that you have excellent taste, Your Highness."
After speaking, she didn’t forget to give Prince Zhao a big thumbs-up.
Li Ji wasn’t fooled by her over-the-top flattery and asked calmly.
"So you’re saying that Ah Qi is just one of your many suitors?"
Hua Manman dodged the question. "Speaking of suitors, you have many admirers too, Your Highness. Outstanding people inevitably face such troubles. I’m sure you understand that well."
Li Ji: "And what if I say I don’t?"
Hua Manman offered a suggestion.
"Don’t you have many concubines in your rear courtyard? Take a stroll back there, and you’ll get a profound sense of the ’trouble’ of being pursued by so many people."
Li Ji stared at her, his face devoid of expression.
"You want me to go see other women?"
Hua Manman flatly denied it. "I do not."
Li Ji stared at her, saying nothing more.
His stare made Hua Manman feel flustered.
She said in a tiny voice, "If you don’t want to be pursued by so many women, you could just dismiss all those women in the rear courtyard."
Li Ji suddenly smiled.
"So that was your goal all along."
Hua Manman looked away, muttering under her breath, "Anyway, it was just a suggestion. Whether you listen or not is up to you."
"As you wish."
With that, Li Ji leaned down, took her chin in his hand, and turned her face toward him.
Her gaze now met his unavoidably.
In the depths of his dark eyes, she saw a profound amusement.
That amusement was like an oasis in an endless desert, like a single star in the pitch-black night sky.
She found herself somewhat mesmerized.
By the time she came to her senses, her lips had been parted.
Li Ji pressed her down onto the bed and kissed her deeply.
Madam He returned, carrying a freshly brewed bowl of medicinal soup.
The door was open, so she stepped inside without much hesitation.
But after only two steps, she heard soft whimpers and suppressed gasps.
As a woman of experience, how could Madam He not understand what those sounds meant?
She hurriedly and silently backed out of the room.
Standing at the door, Madam He’s feelings were incredibly complex.
First came shock, followed by relief.
She had been worried that Prince Zhao would grow to dislike Manman for her refusal to bear children, but now it seemed the Prince still cherished her dearly.
Finally, her feelings turned to worry and dissatisfaction.
’What is wrong with Prince Zhao? Manman is still injured! How could he do that sort of thing to her?’
’What if he aggravates her injuries? Can’t he just hold back for a few days?’
’He’s just young and full of vigor, thinking only of his own pleasure without any consideration for his wife.’
Just as Madam He was lost in her tangled thoughts, Si Yun walked over.
"Madam, what are you doing standing here? Why don’t you go in?"
Madam He quickly made a shushing gesture at her, telling her to be quiet.
However, it was too late.
Hua Manman’s voice came from inside the room.
"Mother, are you out there?"
Left with no choice, Madam He carried the medicinal soup inside.
She was terrified she would walk in on a scene she was not meant to see.
Fortunately, the two people in the room were fully dressed, and the quilt covering Hua Manman was neatly arranged. There was nothing to set one’s imagination wandering.
If one had to point out something amiss, it would be Hua Manman’s lips.
Due to her injuries, her complexion was paler than usual, yet her lips were a vibrant, luscious red.
The contrast was particularly stark.
Madam He pretended not to notice anything. She brought the medicine to Hua Manman, preparing to feed it to her.
"Quick, drink the medicine while it’s still warm."
Hua Manman pressed her lips together guiltily. "Si Yun can do this."
Si Yun quickly reached out. "Let me do it."
Madam He knew her daughter was feeling awkward, so she went along with it and handed the bowl to Si Yun.
Si Yun scooped up some medicine with a spoon and brought it to the Princess Consort’s lips.
Hua Manman opened her mouth and drank.
Suddenly, she heard Si Yun’s voice next to her ear.
"Huh? Your Highness, why are you wearing lipstick? Your lips look so red, but I remember you didn’t put on any makeup."
Hua Manman choked on the medicine and burst into a fit of violent coughing.
Madam He quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, not forgetting to chide Si Yun.
"Don’t speak carelessly while you’re feeding her."
Si Yun lowered her head resentfully. "I was wrong."
Hua Manman waved her hand. "It’s not Si Yun’s fault. I was just drinking too fast."
’Madam He knew her daughter all too well. She was terrified of bitter things; usually, making her drink medicine was like taking her life. How could she possibly have been in a hurry to drink it?’
’She was just saying that to cover her tracks, which only made it more obvious.’
Madam He didn’t expose her daughter’s little ploy.
After Manman finished the medicine, Madam He left with Si Yun.
And so, only Hua Manman and Li Ji were left in the room again.
Li Ji said, "Your mother came in for a moment while we were being intimate. She must have seen."
At the thought of that scene, Hua Manman cringed so hard her toes curled.
She said, flustered and angry, "Then why didn’t you let go of me just now?"
’I clearly told him to stop, but he just held me down and did whatever he wanted. The nerve! He’s absolutely shameless!’
Li Ji chuckled. "You can’t blame me for that. You can only blame yourself for being so lovable."
Hua Manman: "..."
’Cheesy pickup lines, right on cue.’
Hua Manman asked awkwardly, "Didn’t you complain before that I smelled bad?"
Li Ji: "You’ve already bathed. Not only do you not stink, you smell quite fragrant."
After speaking, he deliberately leaned in, the tip of his nose lightly brushing her cheek.
Hua Manman looked at him reproachfully. "You don’t actually like me, do you? You like the bathtub."
Li Ji was so amused he snorted with laughter.
He reached out and pinched her cheek.
"How can you be so cute?"
Hua Manman said proudly, "When it comes to being cute, I’m a pro!"
