Chapter 42: The Seductive and Shadowy State Preceptor

Jiang Li curved her lips in a subtle smile and took two steps back, putting some distance between herself and the overly intimate proximity. She lifted her gaze to Lu Yihuan’s face, her expression carrying just the right mix of curiosity and amusement.

“Truly, absence makes the heart grow fonder—’a day apart feels like ages.’ To think the Regent King found herself a lover in just one night.”

Lu Yihuan’s fingertip twitched slightly. She was still playing coy. Watching Jiang Li’s charming smile, as if she had no idea what was being implied, Lu Yihuan tugged at the corner of her mouth. The act was so convincing that Lu Yihuan almost believed she’d mistaken someone else for her last night.

But she was certain she hadn’t made that mistake.

“Is that so?” Lu Yihuan replied with an ambiguous smile. Her brows furrowed in evident distress as she eyed Jiang Li’s utterly sincere expression. “Yet I can’t shake the feeling that the lover I met last night was none other than Your Highness.”

Whatever her feelings were, Jiang Li kept smiling, firmly denying Lu Yihuan’s suspicions on the spot.

“The Regent King must have mistaken me for someone else. This Princess didn’t leave the palace last night—I spent the entire evening quietly within these walls.”

If it were a simple denial, Jiang Li knew Lu Yihuan wouldn’t buy it easily. That’s why she had already prepared her full alibi earlier, just waiting for Lu Yihuan to press further.

“The Regent King had a one-night fling last night and is understandably eager to find her paramour today. It seems you’ve confused me with that person.”

A misunderstanding? Lu Yihuan inhaled the fragrance wafting in the air—the same scent from last night. Even the faint, watery freshness mingling in the atmosphere was identical.

The aroma wasn’t just a light floral note; there was another subtle undertone Lu Yihuan couldn’t quite place. She suspected it was Jiang Li’s natural body scent or something similar.

She stared at Jiang Li, letting out a soft hum of skepticism, her eyes tinged with doubt. Various thoughts bubbled up in her mind, patiently waiting to see what else the Eldest Princess might say.

Seeing that flicker of genuine hesitation on Lu Yihuan’s face, Jiang Li let her long robe sleeve slip down slightly. The look she gave Lu Yihuan carried a knowing, flirtatious ambiguity as she murmured her words.

“This Princess truly never left the palace last night.” She deliberately exposed the finger marks on her wrist—the bruises from where Lu Yihuan had gripped her tightly against the bed last night. Jiang Li had tried her best to conceal them today, but in the end, she could only hide them with an oversized robe.

Those marks had later sparked an idea in her mind.

“Last night, this Princess… shared an intimate moment with a new arrival.” She paused deliberately before flashing a roguish smile and winking at Lu Yihuan. “We exchanged some affections.”

Exchanged affections. Lu Yihuan took a deep breath, her face twisting into a smile of exasperation thanks to Jiang Li. Fine, fine. What she and the Regent King had shared was apparently too scandalous to admit outright—better to pair herself with some other male concubine instead.

Well played, Eldest Princess. Jiang Li.

A surge of anger welled up inside her, like a volcano brewing under pressure, its magma simmering, ready to erupt with a muffled roar at any moment.

The fire burned in her chest, and Lu Yihuan’s gaze toward Jiang Li grew icier. Even Jiang Li felt a chill, unconsciously shifting her feet back a few steps. She had known how Lu Yihuan would react to this, and pulling off such a bald-faced lie left her feeling a twinge of guilt.

But no matter what, Jiang Li could never admit that she was the one who had shared that passionate night with Lu Yihuan.

Her loose hair draped down, hiding the faint flush at her ear tips. She silently scolded herself for dwelling on last night’s vivid memories. Yet that morning, as Jiang Li inspected the marks all over her body, she had clutched her dishonestly pounding heart and admitted the truth.

Aside from the regret of not finishing what she started, Jiang Li was thoroughly satisfied with everything else—especially Lu Yihuan.

She was like a massive, drifting glacier: breathtakingly beautiful on the surface, every edge and facet flawless. And unexpectedly, the waters flowing from such a glacier burned scorchingly hot.

So hot that, as Jiang Li dressed that morning and stared at the marks she wanted to hide, she found herself lost in those delightful memories.

Her excuse had come to her in a flight of fancy, inspired by those handprints.

Since she couldn’t fully hide Lu Yihuan’s marks, why not leave them be and weave a different story around them? It would dispel any lingering suspicions from Lu Yihuan.

The problem was, watching Lu Yihuan’s exasperated amusement now, Jiang Li’s guilt swelled uncontrollably. Claiming those marks came from someone else—didn’t that undermine Lu Yihuan entirely?

And indeed, it did.

Lu Yihuan glanced at the lingering scratches on her own wrist from where Jiang Li had clawed her, and her smile grew colder. She suppressed the trembling urge to throttle Jiang Li right there.

She shot a look at the wrist marks Jiang Li had just flaunted. Since Jiang Li insisted on denying it time and again, determined to distance herself, Lu Yihuan didn’t hold back either. She let out a sharp scoff.

Lu Yihuan knew exactly how much force she had used last night.

At first, she hadn’t grabbed Jiang Li’s hands because Jiang Li’s fingers were digging into her thighs, clenching rhythmically with every gush of release. Lu Yihuan still had scores to settle over those nail marks blooming across her skin.

Later, when Jiang Li whimpered that she couldn’t go on, Lu Yihuan watched her pouty lips and arching body, as if begging for a kiss.

Only then did Lu Yihuan brace herself against Jiang Li’s shoulders and take control. Jiang Li hadn’t even gripped hard, yet her moans filled the air, her body writhing nonstop. Her hands looped around Lu Yihuan’s shoulders, leaving henna-like imprints.

Unable to bear it any longer, Lu Yihuan pinned Jiang Li’s wrists to the bed with ruthless force, forbidding her to move. Her fingers dug in hard, bruising that slender, lotus-root wrist.

That was the origin of Jiang Li’s wrist marks. Lu Yihuan doubted even Jiang Li could explain them accurately.

After all, it wasn’t Lu Yihuan who had thrown her head back in ecstasy last night.

So when Jiang Li dared use those wrist marks to refute her own whereabouts, Lu Yihuan was both angry and amused.

She knew Jiang Li’s body better than any male concubine Jiang Li might babble about—even down to the location of every single mole.

But Jiang Li’s clear reluctance to have anything to do with her stirred a wave of irritation in Lu Yihuan’s heart. She could list a dozen reasons why Jiang Li might deny it: they weren’t allies; every interaction was watched; getting too close would alarm everyone.

Jiang Li had likely slipped out in disguise without raising alarms, but if word got out, it would spark unwanted schemes.

…

In the end, it all boiled down to one truth: Jiang Li didn’t trust her. It made sense, yet in this moment, it inexplicably frustrated Lu Yihuan. She tried to talk herself down.

Yes, that’s how it should be. Jiang Li was the normal one. It was Lu Yihuan who was abnormal—harboring these strange thoughts after one night, letting her emotions sway because of Jiang Li, forgetting everything that came before.

These thoughts swirled in her mind, but Jiang Li only saw the darkening expression on Lu Yihuan’s face—colder even than the first time they’d met.

“Lu…” The name slipped out before Jiang Li caught herself under Lu Yihuan’s sharp glance. “Are you alright?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Jiang Li regretted them. “Are you alright?” It sounded so lacking in confidence.

In Lu Yihuan’s eyes, it clearly struck a wrong note. Visibly, her expression chilled further.

Heh. She’d said it, but Lu Yihuan refused to admit what name Jiang Li had nearly uttered. For that split second when Jiang Li opened her mouth, Lu Yihuan had harbored a foolish hope that she’d say her full name.

It wasn’t anything special, but she’d hoped anyway.

Jiang Li’s quick correction crushed that hope, tossing fuel onto the fire raging in Lu Yihuan’s chest.

Silence fell between them, their gazes locked.

A gentle breeze passed, followed by a deep male voice from behind.

“What are you two discussing here in front of the hall?”

It was Chancellor Ye Chengyuan.

They schooled their expressions and turned to greet the elegant scholar.

Whatever lay between them could wait. But this Chancellor had no business spectating.

“It’s nothing. This King happened to run into Your Highness here and we exchanged a few idle words. Has the Chancellor come to join us?”

Ye Chengyuan’s sideburns quivered with his light chuckle. His face was kindly as he waved it off with a smile. “That’s between you two—I wouldn’t dream of intruding.”

“I’ve come only to invite Your Highness and the Regent King to a banquet at my estate in seven days. Would you honor me with your presence?”

Seven days hence was Chancellor Ye Chengyuan’s birthday banquet.

Even without his personal invitation, Jiang Li and Lu Yihuan would have attended. With this courteous request, they promptly agreed to arrive on time.

They watched Chancellor Ye Chengyuan’s retreating figure. Though past fifty, his posture was ramrod straight, a remnant of youthful vigor still clinging to him. On the surface, no one would suspect this refined man of being the empire’s master strategist, commanding vast influence.

Lu Yihuan spared a casual glance at the distant silhouette before her eyes shifted back to the Eldest Princess. A dark glint flickered in their depths.

Just moments ago, as they’d stared at each other, Lu Yihuan had caught the fleeting embarrassment in Jiang Li’s eyes before it vanished. If the Chancellor hadn’t interrupted…

Jiang Li wouldn’t be acting so nonchalant now.

She even dared to ask casually, “What gift are you planning for that old man’s birthday banquet?”

Fine. Just like that, she wanted to brush it off. Lu Yihuan’s anger intensified, twin flames flashing in her eyes as she glared at Jiang Li.

Suppressing her fury, Lu Yihuan hurled a parting shot before striding away decisively.

“Jiang Li, go ahead and enjoy your time with your male concubine.”

The words cut like ice, lingering heavily on those final syllables. Jiang Li realized she needed to investigate thoroughly—had her Eldest Princess’s Palace truly taken in a male concubine?

If so, they had to be removed immediately.

Staring at Lu Yihuan’s resolute back, Jiang Li raised her sleeve to her chin, a thought surfacing.

Maybe she should try coaxing Lu Yihuan.