The clothes were still drying by the fire, while Su Xiaoqi was completely submerged in the crystal-clear water.
After finishing the chicken leg, it was time for someone to eat her.
"Mmm, Husband, I'm still hungry."
"Am I not delicious?"
"I want to eat chicken."
"Am I not delicious?"
"Husband..." Su Xiaoqi whined.
She pulled Shen Yun's hand and placed it on her flat stomach.
Her stomach was so empty it was caving in.
She even looked at him with a pleading gaze, as if to say that following him out meant she couldn't even get a full meal.
Shen Yun, looking at her tear-filled eyes, chuckled helplessly and reached out to help her out of the water.
Before his hand could reach her, Su Xiaoqi skillfully dipped her head into the pool and swam away.
Once she reached the middle, ensuring he couldn't follow, she said, "Bring it here and feed me."
She said it as a matter of course.
"Yes, my lady!" Shen Yun responded loudly.
He obediently tore off another chicken leg, knowing she disliked the un-charred skin. He first peeled it off himself, then tore the lean meat into small strips to feed her.
Su Xiaoqi then swam back, eating with satisfaction.
After eating her fill, Su Xiaoqi was tired and thought she would have to sleep on the ground that night.
To her surprise, there was a stone bed inside.
It was just large enough for two people to sleep on.
Although she still hadn't figured out why Shen Yun had brought her out, she was sleepy.
She put on her dried underclothes and fell asleep in Shen Yun's arms.
That night, Su Xiaoqi slept soundly, without even a dream.
When she woke up, the sun was just showing its first light.
She instinctively scanned the cave.
She found that Shen Yun was not there.
A strange sense of panic arose in her heart.
Just as she was about to call out to him, she heard someone entering the cave.
A deep, gentle voice spoke.
"My wife is awake. I've cooked you some porridge."
Su Xiaoqi looked up to see Shen Yun holding a small ceramic pot, from which the aroma of rice porridge emanated.
She lingered on the stone bed, letting Shen Yun feed her.
After filling her stomach, she finally remembered to ask why he had brought her here.
Shen Yun's eyes flickered: "You've been too tired these past few days, so I brought you out to relax."
The words sounded reasonable.
But Su Xiaoqi didn't believe them.
"No, that's not it at all. Tell me, what's really going on?" Su Xiaoqi was incredibly sharp.
The atmosphere between them last night had been so good, she hadn't wanted to disturb it.
But now that day had broken, and a new day had begun.
She had to ask.
"Consort Li is ill. Someone suggested that you be summoned to the palace to treat her."
"So, you don't want me to treat her?" Su Xiaoqi asked.
Shen Yun nodded. Yesterday, he had been in the palace, and a familiar eunuch had informed him of Consort Li's intentions.
And it wasn't just about treating an illness.
There were other motives behind it.
He didn't want Su Xiaoqi to be involved in any matters of the court or the imperial family.
Especially when there was risk involved.
Naturally, he didn't want her to be implicated.
"Then, this place, was it a spur-of-the-moment decision, or had you discovered it long ago..."
This was a question that could cost him his life.
A spur-of-the-moment decision?
Impossible.
If he had discovered it long ago, why hadn't he brought her here sooner? Why now?
Shen Yun furrowed his brows, seriously contemplating the answer to this question.
Su Xiaoqi tilted her head, watching him, quietly waiting for the answer.
Then, she saw Shen Yun's throat bob as he said in a hoarse voice:
"My wife, you eat the porridge. I haven't eaten anything yet, and I'm still hungry..."
Su Xiaoqi was still waiting for an answer when she was suddenly pounced upon. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already been "taken apart and eaten."
Then, the exhausted Su Xiaoqi forgot all about the answer to her question.
"Mmm..."
The two of them spent the entire day indulging in each other.
They ate when they were hungry, and they ate even when they were full.
Or they would soak in the hot springs, sitting by the cave entrance to look out at the canyon below.
Green waters and lush mountains, beautiful and serene.
The chirping of various birds and insects sounded like musicians, composing nature's symphonies.
Su Xiaoqi was sitting on Shen Yun's lap, resting her head on his shoulder, and said faintly, "You have the day off today, but what about tomorrow?
We can't hide forever."
Shen Yun didn't want Su Xiaoqi to go to the palace to see Consort Li, so he brought her out to have fun.
But she couldn't stay here forever.
A day or two of this kind of life was fine, but any longer, and well, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to take it.
Shen Yun said calmly, "Tomorrow, my wife will be the Crown Princess of the Ning King's Estate, and also Princess Anqi of the Great Liang Dynasty. She's not a medical practitioner, so she won't need to go in to see her."
"What?" Su Xiaoqi exclaimed in surprise, almost jumping out of Shen Yun's embrace.
Shen Yun's arms tightened around her waist, holding her steady. She couldn't break free.
"He has already agreed," Shen Yun told Su Xiaoqi.
He had been busy with this matter for the past few days, and it was finally coming to fruition.
Not only did the Emperor, the Ning King, and the Old Ning King have no objections, but as soon as the imperial edict was issued, everything would be settled.
Su Xiaoqi's face was full of confusion.
Her clear eyes seemed to sparkle with little question marks.
Shen Yun found it amusing and leaned down to kiss her lips.
A mountain breeze blew, bringing a slight chill.
Shen Yun, fearing she would catch a cold, held her tighter.
He told Su Xiaoqi that the Empress of Northern Chu had already confessed her identity to the Emperor, and that Mr. Gu and Yu Changfeng had revealed her previous submissions of horseshoes and farming machinery blueprints.
Also, Minister Du had spoken of the grain she had provided to the disaster victims in Yizhou Prefecture.
And during the famine last year, she had wholeheartedly participated in disaster relief, treating the sick with him, solving problems for the people, and sharing the worries of the ruler...
The Duke of Yu's Estate, the Grand Princess, the Du family, and the Gu family had all petitioned for her merits.
The Emperor had agreed to bestow upon her the title of Princess Anqi.
"Princess?" Su Xiaoqi said faintly.
"Yes, my wife was always a princess," the scion of Northern Chu.
"But I don't want to be a princess," Su Xiaoqi felt it was somewhat surreal.
She thought that becoming a princess in the Great Liang Dynasty was too easy.
Shen Yun, seeing her expression, knew what she was thinking. He said, "The Emperor doesn't want you to return to Northern Chu."
He wanted to keep her here.
"Is he afraid I'll elope with you?" Shen Yun winked.
Shen Yun chuckled softly, flicked Su Xiaoqi's nose, and nodded.
"There's a bit of that, but it's not entirely that. It's mainly because my wife is so charming." Shen Yun praised Su Xiaoqi without any hesitation.
He knew exactly how wonderful his wife was.
Su Xiaoqi looked up and sealed Shen Yun's lips.
She couldn't let him say any more, or she'd get too carried away.
In the evening, they returned to the Zhuangyuan Estate, dressed and neat. When they inquired, it turned out that people from the palace had indeed been sent to summon Su Xiaoqi to the palace for treatment.
But she was not there.
The palace staff had no recourse.
They had to return to the palace to report.
"It seems it's not a serious illness after all," Su Xiaoqi remarked.
"It's a heartache," Shen Yun chimed in.
Consort Li's body could withstand more than ten years of exile. Now, living in luxury and comfort, she wouldn't fall ill so easily.
It was simply that the whispers in her ear had not been effective recently.
"Is it about Prince Zhou's affairs?" Su Xiaoqi asked.
"No," Shen Yun denied, but did not elaborate.
"Then what is it?" Su Xiaoqi was not so easily appeased.
Shen Yun fell silent.
Su Xiaoqi blinked her eyes, then suddenly stood on tiptoe, pinched his chin, and bit his lip precisely:
"Is it also about Princess Yijiang?"
Shen Yun had a headache. His wife was too intelligent; there was no way to keep anything from her.
Since the incident at the Ning King's Estate, Yijiang had been resented by the Ning King's Consort, who had lost her beloved daughter.
But given her background and status, the Ning King's Consort ultimately dared not do anything to her.
However, they were no longer in league with each other.
In fact, the two had gradually become rivals, though they dared not show it openly.
Their shaky alliance had thus been broken.
This brought relief to Su Xiaoqi and the others.
However, Yijiang's desire to marry Shen Yun remained unquenched.
After her previous plan failed, she had turned her attention to Consort Li in the palace.