The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

She had originally come to tell Xie Yanzhao that she wanted to go out for a stroll, but she overheard a few words outside and, angered, barged straight in.

Shen Chengbo and Lin Yao bowed and said, "Greetings, Crown Princess."

Shen Tinghe, however, only stared at Xie Yanzhao, her delicate brows furrowed.

Xie Yanzhao closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the dark emotions churning within them: "You may all leave now."

As Shen Chengbo passed by his sister, he said in a very low and quick voice, "Speak properly, don't be impulsive."

Shen Tinghe didn't care about any of that, and besides, her temper was something Xie Yanzhao had spoiled her with, so she couldn't control it anymore.

The study door closed again.

Xie Yanzhao suppressed the violent possessiveness in his heart, maintained a calm expression, and reached out his hand to her: "Yuan Yuan, come here."

Shen Tinghe bit her lip and stood there for a moment before finally walking towards him.

Xie Yanzhao held her slightly cool hand, his voice gentle to the point of being almost coaxing.

Tell me, why are you pleading for him?

Shen Tinghe's small hand gripped his collar: "Because he did nothing wrong, and he even saved Lord Lin, why should he be exiled?"

Xie Yanzhao held her restless little hand, gently kneading and playing with each finger, but his tone was so indifferent that it was impossible to discern any emotion.

"Kidnapping the Crown Princess is punishable by death according to the law. I have only sentenced him to exile, which is already an act of leniency outside the law."

"You..." Shen Tinghe's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief. "You're utterly unreasonable!"

She took a half-step forward, a faint fragrance wafting from her body with her movement: "How did he kidnap me? You already know the whole story. Even if he did nothing wrong, he is absolutely innocent."

Xie Yanzhao's aura suddenly turned gloomy.

Knowing the whole story made him even more eager to kill Qi Zaiqing immediately.

Xie Yanzhao's tolerance for Shen Tinghe was always smaller than a pinhead.

The mere thought of his beloved Jiaojiao fleeing side by side with that man in a narrow passageway, spending long nights together in a desolate cave, almost caused a violent murderous intent to break free of the cage of reason.

He didn't want to hear that name again, his eyes flashing with a chilling light: "I have already made my decision. If Yuan Yuan pleads for another man again, I will commute her exile to death."

Shen Tinghe had originally intended to use gentle persuasion, but these words suddenly provoked her temper, and her words became sharp.

"You're sentencing him for kidnapping and assaulting the Crown Princess? I, the Crown Princess, haven't said anything, so why is Your Highness meddling in my affairs?"

"have a finger in the pie?"

Xie Yanzhao's face was as gloomy as the eve of a storm, and his eyes were churning with turbulent waves.

He suddenly raised his hand and pinched her cheek, squeezing out each word through his teeth, each word as if wrapped in ice shards.

Anger burned through his reason; he wanted to punish the person in front of him who only angered him, but he couldn't bear to.

"It hurts..." Shen Tinghe gasped softly, her brows furrowing. Xie Yanzhao tightened his grip, as if he were about to break her waist.

He suddenly loosened his grip, afraid that if he continued to hug her, he would really lose control and hurt her.

Shen Tinghe regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, but her pride made her hold her head high and refuse to bow her head.

Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, she shoved him away from her chest and turned to flee from the study.

Xie Yanzhao slumped back into the large chair, raising his hand to press heavily on his throbbing temples.

Some people really do deserve to die.

Shen Tinghe ran all the way to the corner of the corridor before leaning against a pillar, panting softly. Looking up, she saw Shen Chengbo standing not far away.

Seeing her like this, Shen Chengbai knew things were not going well and shook his head helplessly.

In the whole world, only his sister would dare to trample on His Highness the Crown Prince's dignity.

"elder brother……"

"Did you have a fight?" Shen Chengbo approached.

"He's being unreasonable!" Shen Tinghe's eyes were still red, but her tone was stubborn.

"Didn't you all plead for Qi Zaiqing? I don't know what's gotten into him all of a sudden!"

"Ah Yuan," Shen Chengbo said seriously, "you mustn't talk like that."

Seeing his sister turn her face away, he softened his voice: "Whether Qi Zaiqing has merits or demerits is ultimately up to the whim of those in power. Your Highness's punishment of him is ultimately because of you."

"Because of me?"

"If Your Highness were in this situation with another woman," Shen Chengbo looked into her eyes, "how would you have reacted?"

Shen Tinghe was startled. Images of Xie Yanzhao with others involuntarily surfaced in her mind... A wave of bitterness washed over her.

She would definitely mind, but—

"I will be angry, but I will never exile the innocent because of it."

"That's because you're not the Crown Prince," Shen Chengbai sighed softly.

"Ah Yuan, His Highness's love for you is so deep, almost to the point of obsession. You know better than anyone how he treats you. For him to be so angry today, you must have said something that crossed his line, right?"

Shen Tinghe pursed her lips and nodded gently.

"It's actually quite simple to appease His Highness," Shen Chengbo suddenly chuckled.

"In this world, only you can do it."

"What method?"

Shen Chengbo raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "You still need your elder brother to teach you? When you were little, you didn't want to learn the zither, so how did you beg your crown prince brother?"

Recalling her childhood, when her mother forced her to learn the zither, she would hide in the East Palace, nestled in Xie Yanzhao's arms, and refuse to come out no matter how she was coaxed.

Her little face rubbed against his clothes, her voice soft and sweet: "Crown Prince, Yuan Yuan's fingers hurt so much... I don't want to learn..."

In the end, Xie Yanzhao would always wrap her up in his arms and hold her on his lap, massaging her fingers while sending someone to the Shen residence to plead for her.

Shen Chengbo leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice filled with knowing amusement: "A-Yuan, if you use the right method, you can easily manipulate him."

Shen Tinghe's ears felt slightly hot. After hesitating for a moment, she finally turned around and went back.

Inside the study, Xie Yanzhao remained with his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair, his face somber.

Hearing the door open, his eyelashes fluttered slightly. He caught sight of her, and his fingertips curled almost imperceptibly before he regained his indifference.

He even deliberately dipped his brush in ink, as if he hadn't seen it.

Shen Tinghe walked to Xie Yanzhao's side, and he lowered his eyes and remained silent.

She reached out and tugged at his sleeve, but he remained unmoved.

Shen Tinghe bit her lip, then suddenly reached out and pushed away his arm that was holding the pen, straddled his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself into his arms.

Xie Yanzhao's hands had already honestly encircled her waist, preventing her from leaving, but he stubbornly said, "What is the Crown Princess doing? Don't you think I'm meddling in other people's business?"

Shen Tinghe didn't answer, but just looked up at him with her small face.

She took the initiative to come to him, and this man still said such things.

Shen Tinghe's eyes gradually filled with tears, which hung on her eyelashes, threatening to fall.

Xie Yanzhao stared at her for a moment, then finally sighed deeply.

"I must have owed you something in my past life."

Before he could finish speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her lips fiercely.

With lingering anger and a deep-seated possessiveness, he pried open their teeth and drove straight in.

The kiss was deep and intense, as if he wanted to convey all his jealousy to her through this passionate embrace.

Shen Tinghe's body went limp during his increasingly passionate kiss, her fingertips running through his dark hair.

As dusk settled outside the window, only soft, lingering sounds remained in the study.