Chapter 122 Yongqi Seeks Comfort

To get a thorough wash, Yongqi went to soak in the hot springs inside Yonghe Palace.

He thought soaking in the hot spring would make him feel better, but because he kept thinking about Xiao Yanzi, the suppressed desires returned.

"Little Swallow, Little Swallow..." Luckily, he had people check the area around the hot spring and keep watch outside. Otherwise, if a woman had come in at this time, he would have been in deep trouble and would have been unable to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River!

Two hours later, outside Shenwu Gate, Xiao Yanzi, who had gone ahead, finally returned.

"Greetings, Princess Feiyan! May you be blessed!"

Upon entering the palace and dismounting, Xiao Yanzi anxiously asked, "Do you know where the Fifth Prince is now?"

"...This..." The guards of Shenwu Gate looked at each other, unsure whether to speak or not.

Seeing their hesitation, Xiao Yanzi panicked. "Has something happened to Yongqi? Tell me..."

"Princess, you should go back to Yonghe Palace and see for yourself." They hadn't been to the scene and didn't know what had happened, so they shouldn't speculate. If they said something that caused the Fifth Prince and Princess Feiyan to really separate, that would be their fault!

Seeing that they were unwilling to answer, Xiao Yanzi had no choice but to use her light-footed skills to quickly rush to Yonghe Palace.

Upon arriving at Yonghe Palace, the eunuchs and palace maids guarding the gate looked at her somewhat guiltily, saying, "Greetings, Princess!"

"Where is Yongqi?" Seeing that they were just like the guards of Shenwu Gate, she decided not to waste any more time.

The eunuchs and palace maids responded in unison, "The Fifth Prince is soaking in the hot spring in the back..."

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Xiao Yanzi no longer hesitated and headed towards the hot springs.

"Greetings, Princess Feiyan!" The guards standing outside the hot spring breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Xiaoyanzi return.

Without Xiao Yanzi having to say anything, they let her in directly.

Yongqi, who was soaking in the hot spring by the wall, was so tired that he was dozing off. When Xiaoyanzi came in, all she saw was the back of a handsome man.

She walked up to Yongqi, but noticed a bandage on his left hand. She immediately frowned. "What happened?"

Although Xiao Yanzi was whispering carefully, Yongqi still heard her.

Yongqi suddenly opened his eyes and saw the woman he had been longing for day and night squatting in front of him. "Little Swallow, you're back!"

Little Swallow grabbed his left wrist and asked, "What happened to your hand? Since I came back, people in the palace have been acting strangely. Did something happen to you?"

"I..." Seeing Xiao Yanzi's anxious question, Yongqi didn't know how to explain.

Are you suggesting he said he was caught off guard and almost got... you know... by a woman?

This is so embarrassing!!!

But if I don't say anything, wouldn't that make me seem even more guilty?

"..." She thought about how to explain to Xiao Yanzi, but the more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and tears streamed down her face again. "Xiao Yanzi, I..."

Feeling increasingly guilty, he turned his back to Xiao Yanzi and, choking back tears, recounted what had happened, "This morning, I was planning to finish things up, go to bed for a nap, and get some rest so I could welcome you back."

"But who would have thought that someone would use such underhanded tactics to seduce me and ruin our relationship..."

"Although I resisted, I still feel sorry for you!"

It would be a lie to say that Xiao Yanzi wasn't angry when she heard Yongqi's words, but her anger was directed at the person who had plotted against Yongqi.

"Yongqi, turn around." Xiaoyanzi wanted Yongqi to turn around so she could talk to him.

But Yongqi acted as if he had let Xiaoyanzi down and was too ashamed to face her, and refused to go.

Having no other choice, Xiao Yanzi took off her clothes and went into the water to throw herself into Yongqi's arms.

“Little Swallow, you…” Yongqi was quite shocked when he saw Little Swallow coming down wearing only a bellyband.

"Alright, you were tricked too. Damn it, it was the person who drugged you, the one who plotted against us. Don't blame yourself!" Xiao Yanzi whispered in Yongqi's ear as she pressed close to him.

"If you still mind, then let me help you so that all you can remember about me is how we were together."

Xiao Yanzi placed one hand on Yongqi's waist and the other on his chest, kissing his lips and leaving a mark on his neck. She smiled charmingly and looked up at Yongqi, touching his neck and tracing his Adam's apple. "Look, this is the mark I left on you. It's your talisman. From now on, you're not allowed to think of anyone else, only of me!"

"Little Swallow..." At this moment, Yongqi let down his guard, and his heart and eyes were only on the girl in front of him whom he cherished.

He put one arm around her waist and used the other to untie her bodice, kissing her neck and leaving marks on Xiao Yanzi's body as well.

After playing in the hot spring for another hour, they changed into new clothes and left the hot spring.

"Little Swallow, your mother knows you've been wronged this time. If you're angry, just give him a beating, but whatever you do, don't leave him!" When Consort Yu saw Little Swallow and Yongqi return, she quickly stepped forward, took Little Swallow's hand, and pleaded for Yongqi.

“Mother, I know Yongqi is also a victim, I won’t blame him!” Xiao Yanzi gently patted Consort Yu’s hand to comfort her.

Little Swallow looked outside and suddenly said, "At this time, the Emperor and the others should be back by now. Let's go take a look."

Yongqi pulled Xiaoyanzi back and muttered, "The matter of welcoming Father Emperor is handled by Third Brother, Fourth Brother, the Empress Dowager, and Mother Empress. Let's go deal with that palace maid now..."

He'll be in a panic until this matter is thoroughly investigated, fearing that the same trick might come up again someday. It's impossible to guard against!

"Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's go and resolve this matter first, so you can rest assured!" Xiao Yanzi smiled at Yongqi. "By the way, where is that person being held?"

"Your Highness, that palace maid has been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison," the eunuch who was present at the time reported. "Your Highness, you must avenge our Fifth Prince!"

Xiao Yanzi looked at the eunuchs and maids in Yonghe Palace, and they all echoed the eunuch who had just spoken. Clearly, they were another group of eunuchs and maids pleading for Yongqi and playing the victim!

"Okay, I'll go see who has the audacity to try and steal my man."

Little Swallow grabbed Yongqi's hand and hurried towards the inner prison.

"Greetings, Fifth Prince, Princess Feiyan." The guards watching over the prison were quite surprised to see Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi arrive.

"Fifth Prince, are you here to deal with the women who were arrested this morning? Please follow me." Apart from the eunuchs and maids who were close to Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, everyone else strictly followed the palace rules and continued to address them as servants.

Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi held hands and followed the guards to the cell of the palace maid from that morning.

The palace maid had already changed into prison clothes. She had a bandage on her forehead, but her face was relatively clean. However, she had been whipped several times, and her clothes were torn, revealing her undergarment. Yongqi immediately looked away.

The guard lowered his head and said, "Fifth Prince, after the imperial physician bandaged her wounds this morning, we interrogated her, but we haven't had a chance to find out who sent her yet."