Chapter 229: Chapter 229: "If you dare tease me one more time, don’t even think about sleeping tonight.

Cui Lingyao had a bit of a weakness for power herself.

The idea immediately tempted her, but her excitement quickly gave way to hesitation.

"Are palace banquets difficult? I’ve never organized one, and I don’t know much about the Inner Court’s affairs..."

"Not at all," Xie Jinbai said, smiling reassuringly. "Relax. You don’t have to oversee every single detail. Just pick a few capable subordinates to handle it."

He thought for a moment, then said, "I’ll pick a few people for you to start with. You can use them to get some practice, and later on, you can promote those you favor."

A person in power, he believed, only needed to know how to recognize and utilize talent.

If someone seemed agreeable, one simply used a mix of kindness and authority to win them over and cultivate their loyalty.

There was nothing that couldn’t be accomplished; there was no need to handle everything personally.

As Xie Jinbai saw it, there was no such thing as a truly useless person in this world—it all depended on how you used them.

He would teach her all of this, step by step.

As long as he could make this girl stay by his side willingly, Xie Jinbai was prepared to offer any lure necessary.

If he alone was not enough to make her stay, then he would add power, wealth, family, and kin.

Everything!

He wanted her to understand the allure of power.

He would make her ties to this world grow stronger and more numerous.

A sense of belonging was all it was.

He could piece it together for her, bit by bit.

Until she couldn’t bear to part with it, couldn’t let it go, and couldn’t leave him.

Cui Lingyao failed to grasp his ulterior motives. Hearing his words, she nuzzled his neck and shoulder dependently. "Then you have to help me. I don’t understand any of this."

She had only managed the Prince Mansion’s accounts for a few years.

The household was small, and he had thoroughly trained all the stewards before handing them over to her. Every last one of them was incredibly obedient.

None had dared to pull rank, bully her as a new wife who couldn’t read the ledgers, or deliberately try to fudge the numbers.

As for the social obligations between the various mansions, there was even less need for caution.

From such a high position, even if she made a small mistake, great scholars would come forward to justify it for her.

She wouldn’t even need to explain herself.

But a palace banquet was different. Especially her first time organizing one as the Crown Princess Consort—she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Seeing her get nervous before she had even accepted the task, Xie Jinbai chuckled. "Don’t be afraid. Just follow the established procedures. It’s not a big deal."

’As long as I’m still breathing, my woman only needs to share in my glory.’

’Right or wrong, I can always cover for her.’

"Yaoyao..." Xie Jinbai kissed her eyelashes and said, "You don’t need to care what others think, nor do you have to act according to their whims. Husband and wife are one. Even if you poke a hole in the sky, I’ll be there to hold it up for you."

His voice was soft and clear, threads of tenderness weaving a net that completely ensnared Cui Lingyao.

She felt as if she was about to drown in it.

’This man’s soft-handed tactics are becoming more and more masterful.’

’How can he be... so gentle?’

She couldn’t withstand it at all. She couldn’t even muster the will to resist; she just wanted to hug him.

Acting on impulse, Cui Lingyao wrapped her arms around his waist.

’So firm.’

She tightened her arms in delight. "Speaking of banquets, since you’ve been named Crown Prince, shouldn’t we host a banquet to celebrate?"

The appointment of the Crown Prince had been sudden, and the Astronomical Bureau hadn’t yet selected an auspicious date for the formal investiture.

But it was probably too late to do it this year.

Such a joyous occasion shouldn’t pass by so quietly.

No matter how low-key one wanted to be, this was taking it too far.

Cui Lingyao figured they still had to hold a banquet.

If nothing else, those trusted confidants serving under Xie Jinbai had to be invited for a lively gathering.

Xie Jinbai pondered for a few moments, then nodded. "Alright, let’s host one. No need for a grand affair. We’ll set it for five days from now and just invite them for a simple round of drinks."

But a banquet needed a pretext. It wouldn’t be proper to just say he’d been named Crown Prince and call people over to celebrate.

It would risk looking smug.

Cui Lingyao thought for a moment and made a decision. "Let’s just call it a plum blossom viewing party."

"Fine," Xie Jinbai said. "I’ll leave it all to you. Tomorrow, I’ll have Li Yong prepare the guest list for you. Have the subordinates write the invitations. Don’t write any yourself, except for a few close families."

The couple discussed it for a bit.

While they talked, neither loosened their arms, holding each other tightly the entire time.

Bubbles of joy began to rise unconsciously in Cui Lingyao’s heart. "Have I ever complimented you?" she asked softly.

Xie Jinbai paused. "Complimented me on what?"

"I want to compliment your excellent physique."

Cui Lingyao said with a completely serious expression, "It really is excellent."

From his neck and shoulders down to his waist, the lines were incredibly smooth. Not a single muscle was superfluous.

Even just lying there, he exuded a sense of coiled, latent power.

"..." Xie Jinbai fell silent. His tone was ambiguous as he said, "I only remember you saying I was hard as a rock, and you sounded utterly disgusted."

He also remembered her saying that in her world, naked men were a common sight, all with great physiques and beautifully sculpted muscles that were firm and springy to the touch...

It was something from long ago, something he’d never truly taken to heart, but recalling it now, a wave of bitterness still washed over Xie Jinbai.

He lifted the chin of the girl in his arms, his lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "You’d better not have touched them."

’If I ever found out...’

Xie Jinbai’s jaw tightened, a chilling coldness in the depths of his eyes.

Cui Lingyao: "..."

She cringed, cursing herself for having blurted out such things back then.

She had been so focused on relentlessly pushing his buttons, never imagining that one day she would realize she was this fond of him.

So fond that now, when he brought up the past, she felt a pang of guilt.

Her eyelashes fluttered, her gaze shifting evasively.

Xie Jinbai watched her quietly, his thoughts drifting inexplicably. He once again recalled the kiss he had witnessed by the lake that day.

The young woman had been soaked to the bone, her clothes clinging to her in disarray, yet she paid no mind to herself, her entire focus on the man beside her.

Tears streamed down her face as she repeatedly kissed Shen Tingyu’s lips.

Prying open his jaw, a frantic, desperate kind of kiss.

’Ah, yes.’

She had said it was ’artificial respiration,’ that she was saving a life.

’Saving a life... in such an intimate way.’

A suffocating panic tightened in Xie Jinbai’s chest, and he dared not think about it any further.

He closed his eyes and pulled the person in his arms tighter. "Go to sleep."

’Everything is getting back on track now. I don’t want to stir up more trouble.’

’What’s past... is past.’

If she could move on from the matter with Li Wanrong, then he shouldn’t keep clinging to the issue of Shen Tingyu.

Even if... he truly found it hard to let go.

Every time he thought of it, his chest filled with a surge of bitter resentment.

Cui Lingyao couldn’t perceive the turbulent journey his thoughts had just taken.

Still less did she expect that a single compliment could send him spiraling into old jealousies.

Hearing this, she hummed in agreement, buried her head in the crook of his shoulder, and nuzzled him affectionately. "You smell so good."

Xie Jinbai: "..."

He sighed softly. "If you dare to tease me one more time, you can forget about sleeping tonight."

Cui Lingyao hastily shut her eyes and said no more.

’How unfair!’ she thought.

’I wasn’t teasing him at all. I was telling the absolute truth.’

’I really do think he smells wonderful.’

’His scent is just incredibly pleasant.’

’So reassuring and comforting.’

As Cui Lingyao drifted into a deep sleep, she never expected that she would soon be refuting this "truth" herself.

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