Quick Wear: The Heirless Boss Wants to Get Close to Her Every Day

Chapter 471 The General's Daughter vs. the Deposed Crown Prince with No Heir (8)

“Shen Qingyi is already a discarded pawn. If you like her, you might as well marry the princess and then take her in as a concubine.”

Zhao Qiyu frowned. How could Qingyi, so noble and virtuous, possibly be willing to become a concubine? Moreover, he didn't want to marry a vicious woman like Shen Shuyi.

"Mother, you don't know this, but Shen Shuyi is a vicious person. When she was seven years old, she pushed Qingyi into the lake, trying to drown her. I..."

"You saw it with your own eyes?" Empress Cui interrupted him. "Even if Shen Shuyi is vicious, she won't turn a knife on you after you become husband and wife. As long as she is useful to you and harmless, that's fine."

She had witnessed far more vicious and sordid things in the harem, and she had never seen a woman dare to lay a hand on the emperor.

Zhao Qiyu dared not disobey his mother's orders, and left feeling very unhappy, his resentment towards Shen Shuyi, whom he had never met, grew even stronger.

Shen Qingyi's condition upon returning to the mansion was not much better than Zhao Qiyu's. Lin Shi was furious and immediately began to interrogate her.

"What exactly happened, Qingyi?"

"Didn't I tell you to be discreet and not let anyone see you?"

Shen Qingyi's face paled slightly. "Mother, I... I didn't intend to meet the Fourth Prince at the lake behind Tianxiang Tower that day. It was just a coincidence that we ran into each other. I was just out shopping that day to look at the latest clothes and jewelry."

"Besides, I was wearing a veil, who would have thought that those women would suddenly rush over? I was almost scared to death."

"Mother, what should I do now?"

Madam Lin gritted her teeth, trying to think of a solution. Things had come so suddenly, and the selection of imperial concubines was scheduled for next month.

Originally, the marriage between my daughter and the Fourth Prince was a sure thing, but now that a scandal has broken out, how will the royal family view Qingyi?

"Don't rush, let me discuss this with your father."

When Lin found Shen Jing, she was slapped across the face by him before she could even speak.

"Is this how you manage a household?" Shen Jing felt nauseous just looking at the hideous whip mark across her face.

Lin Shi clutched her face, her eyes filled with disbelief. "General, now is not the time to blame me. Qingyi has suffered such a thing, we can't wait until next month. I hope you will go to His Majesty to request a royal decree for the marriage, otherwise how can Qingyi live with all the gossip and pointing fingers?"

"You make it sound so easy to ask for an imperial decree to grant me a marriage, but you have no idea that everyone in the court is watching me closely."

"You've failed to raise your daughter properly, go kneel in the ancestral hall! Don't bother me with these things." He doesn't only have one daughter; even if Shen Qingyi is ruined, there's still Shuyi!
The most important thing right now is to bring that wild girl back to the General's Mansion; we can't let her cause trouble outside anymore.

Shen Jing dismissed Lin Shi and had someone summon Shen Feng to the study for a meeting.

……

As agreed, Shen Shuyi arrived at the Prince Su's residence, where the steward respectfully invited her into the inner hall.

"This humble girl greets Your Highness." She looked at the handsome and refined man.

Zhao Heng put down the book in his hand, looked up, and said, "No need for formalities, Miss Shen, please come and sit down."

Today I saw her with her long, glossy black hair half tied up, adorned with exquisite pearl hairpins, looking gentle and charming.

She wore a pink dress and had a blue shawl draped over her arm, walking with a light and graceful gait.

Shen Shuyi didn't exchange any more pleasantries. She deftly took out an acupuncture kit from her medicine box. "Your Highness, may I have the acupuncture done in the inner room? This process will require you to remove a section of your upper garment."

"The acupuncture point is Dazhui, located in the depression below the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra at the lower end of your neck."

"Hmm." When Zhao Heng was about to lead his men into the inner room, the head guard He Ya was still a little uneasy. The prince had been assassinated many times, so it was best to be careful.

At Zhao Heng's prompting, He Ya left the inner room. The inner room was well-lit. Shen Shuyi arranged the silver needles and said to Zhao Heng, "Your Highness, please sit up straight and bow your head. And loosen your upper garment and pull it down a little."

Zhao Heng stiffened slightly. Although he was prepared, he was not used to taking off his clothes in front of a woman.

Shen Shuyi watched as the man turned his back to her, then untied his brocade robe, revealing a strong and fair back, instantly breaking the Prince Su's usual strict and gentle demeanor, adding a touch of languor.

Her gaze fell on the lower part of Zhao Heng's neck, where the protruding bone was not very obvious. She gently pressed her finger on the back of his neck and said, "Your Highness, please move your neck a little."

Zhao Heng was sitting upright, but his posture changed slightly when her fingers touched the back of his neck.

Her normally smooth back muscles twitched almost imperceptibly, as if touched by her fingers.

"Okay." He did as instructed.

Shen Shuyi picked up the silver needles. The immobile joint was the first thoracic vertebra, almost level with the shoulder. She carefully placed the needles.

The fine silver needles pierced his body, but he felt no pain. Instead, a strange, intense tingling sensation surged up his spine and flowed through his heart.

At the same time, the pent-up frustration that had been weighing on his heart slowly began to dissipate. An incredulous look flashed in his eyes; it worked too quickly.

While performing acupuncture, Shen Shuyi slowly said, "Qi and blood are solid and full of yang energy. If it is cold, acupuncture can be used to supplement it; if it is hot, acupuncture can be used to release qi. Follow the Du meridian to the head and neck to benefit qi and strengthen yang."

Seeing that she was so young yet possessed such masterful acupuncture skills, Zhao Heng could not help but admire her greatly, realizing that she was a very talented and hardworking girl.

After finishing the acupuncture, she glanced at the man who had closed his clothes and said, "Your Highness, it would be best to apply a hot compress to the back of your neck before going to sleep each day, and then I will come to give you acupuncture once every three days."

"Until fully recovered."

Zhao Heng paused in his work. "Miss Shen, then I'll have to trouble you."

Shen Shuyi didn't find it troublesome at all. The Prince Su's Mansion and Tingyu Villa were quite close to each other, and besides, her purpose in coming here wasn't simple, so why would she find it troublesome?

Before leaving, she took out a moon-white sachet and handed it over: "Your Highness, this sachet contains some herbs that calm the mind and soothe the spirit. Whenever you feel a tightness in your chest or difficulty breathing on a rainy day, you can put it to your nose and smell it to relieve the discomfort."

"Thank you." Zhao Heng reached out and took the sachet, his hand inadvertently touching the little girl's fingers, which were fair and delicate, like white jade.

Shen Shuyi's gaze fell on his hand; his fingers were long and slender, and exceptionally warm. She quickly withdrew her hand.

When Zhao Heng looked up, he met her flushed face. She was wearing a pink dress today, which made her rosy and delicate face look even more pretty.

He looked away and stood up. "It's noon, Miss Shen, why don't you stay and have lunch with us? There happens to be a chef from Jiangnan in the Prince's residence."

Out of courtesy for the prince's invitation, Shen Shuyi nodded and said, "I'm sorry to bother you like this."

The kitchen servants filed in and laid out a table full of dishes on the yellow pear blossom dining table.

Zhao Heng dismissed all the servants. Since moving out of the Eastern Palace, he had stopped having the palace servants serve him meals and had become increasingly fond of quiet.

He looked up at Shen Shuyi, "Do you need a maid to serve you?"

"No need, I'll just pick whatever I like to eat." Shen Shuyi didn't like having a bunch of people staring at her while she ate, nor did she like the servants immediately putting food on her plate whenever she glanced at it; it made her feel pressured to eat.

A faint smile appeared on Zhao Heng's lips. "Don't be shy, let's eat."

Shen Shuyi had a good appetite and picked up the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish several times. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with an orange-yellow color and a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. It was very authentic.

It's just a coincidence that Zhao Heng's palace had a cook from Jiangnan.
……

(End of this chapter)