The Eldest Princess was the only daughter of the late emperor. After the current emperor ascended the throne, she was granted the title of Princess Yongtao.
From the days of the Prince of Cheng's residence to the imperial palace, the Eldest Princess had always been deeply favored, enjoying the full trust of Emperor Qing. She was also in charge of the imperial treasury, making her second only to the emperor in power within the Qing Kingdom.
Although Lin Wan'er was the illegitimate daughter of the Eldest Princess and Lin Ruofu, she was still the princess's only child.
Thus, the Eldest Princess doted on Lin Wan'er immensely. To ensure her safety, all the maids and servants around her were personally selected by the princess.
Naturally, Lin Wan'er's personal maids were no exception. Well aware of the Eldest Princess's fearsome reputation, they dared not conceal the fact that Wan'er had lost her virginity and immediately reported the matter to the princess.
"How dare you, Carefree King! You even laid hands on this palace's daughter! Do you truly think I'm some pushover?"
The Eldest Princess, whose beauty bore some resemblance to Lin Wan'er's but was far more coldly enchanting, nearly cursed out loud when she learned that her precious daughter had been deflowered by Xiao Feng.
After a brief outburst of fury, the princess quickly regained her composure and began piecing together the intelligence she had gathered to deduce Xiao Feng's true identity.
Given her understanding of Emperor Qing, she naturally refused to believe that Xiao Feng had been enfeoffed as Carefree King simply for rendering a service by saving the emperor's life.
As for whether Xiao Feng could be Emperor Qing's illegitimate son—that was even more absurd.
Emperor Qing had many sons under him. Aside from the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, none of the other princes held any real significance in his eyes, let alone granting a bastard son the title of carefree king.
If the Eldest Princess's guess was correct, Xiao Feng's origins must be extraordinary—otherwise, Emperor Qing would never have shown him such favor.
Based on the intelligence she had gathered, Xiao Feng's first meeting with Emperor Qing had likely taken place at Qing Temple, which was also where he had met Lin Wan'er.
Considering that Qing Temple was said to be the only place in the Qing Kingdom capable of connecting with the Divine Temple, the Eldest Princess suddenly arrived at a bold conjecture:
Xiao Feng, like Ye Qingmei, was someone who had emerged from the Divine Temple.
"Ye… Qing… mei…"
Softly murmuring that name—one that filled her with both admiration and resentment—the Eldest Princess's eyes flickered with indescribable complexity.
Back when Emperor Qing was still the heir of the Prince of Cheng, the Eldest Princess had actually admired Ye Qingmei deeply.
Ye Qingmei was a woman of unparalleled brilliance, accomplishing feats beyond the reach of ordinary women and leaving the Eldest Princess in awe.
But later, everyone's attention became fixated on Ye Qingmei—even Emperor Qing, whom the Eldest Princess loved but could never obtain, became utterly infatuated with her.
From that point on, an unspeakable jealousy crept into the Eldest Princess's feelings toward Ye Qingmei.
Yet that dazzlingly brilliant Ye Qingmei ultimately met her end in a farcical game of power—a death so absurd it seemed like a joke.
It was also from that moment onward that the Eldest Princess became obsessed with power, dreaming of becoming the first empress in Qing history. Perhaps only by achieving that could she prove she had surpassed Ye Qingmei.
Now that she suspected Xiao Feng might be of the same origin as Ye Qingmei, the Eldest Princess felt an immense curiosity toward him. Without delay, she sent an invitation to Carefree King's residence, summoning him to Guangxin Palace for a discussion.
Soon, Xiao Feng received the invitation. A playful smile curled on his lips as he set off for the palace.
Guangxin Palace was the Eldest Princess's residence, filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs. White gauze curtains fluttered between the pavilions, casting an eerie chill over the entire palace.
As soon as Xiao Feng arrived at the palace gates, a maid with strikingly long eyebrows and an aloof demeanor approached him with graceful steps.
After bowing respectfully, she led him inside.
Gauze—nothing but gauze!
The sheer number of white curtains in Guangxin Palace far surpassed those Xiao Feng had seen in the rear garden of Prince Jing's residence. From the outside, nothing within was visible.
Passing through layer after layer of gauze, Xiao Feng was finally met with the sight of a low-lying daybed.
Upon it reclined a woman clad in a flowing pink dress, her features exquisitely painted, one arm propping up her chin—a vision of elegance.
Though this was Xiao Feng's first time meeting the Eldest Princess, her resemblance to Lin Wan'er left no doubt about her identity.
It had to be said—the Eldest Princess truly lived up to her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the Qing Kingdom!
Despite being thirty years old, her demeanor was that of a sixteen-year-old maiden. Standing beside Lin Wan'er, she would undoubtedly be mistaken for her sister rather than her mother.
Her enchanting eyes swept over Xiao Feng before she adopted a pitiable expression.
"This palace suddenly developed a headache earlier and couldn't greet the prince in person. If the reception has been lacking in any way, I beg the kings forgiveness."
"The princess is too kind. This king has heard from Wan'er about your chronic headaches—your health should come first."
Xiao Feng paused before shifting the conversation.
"By the way, this king has some knowledge of medicine. If the princess trusts me, I could help alleviate your headache."
"The prince is too modest. Your medical skills far surpass those of the imperial physicians. This palace has heard that you only treated Wan'er twice, yet her lung disease improved dramatically."
The Eldest Princess massaged her temples, adopting a posture that seemed to invite further attention.
"This palace has been suffering from severe headaches these past few days. I'll have to trouble the king."
A nearby maid promptly brought over a copper basin of water for Xiao Feng to wash his hands.
Moving unhurriedly behind the Eldest Princess, Xiao Feng threaded his fingers through her silky black tresses and began gently kneading the pressure points on her head.
From his elevated vantage point, he had a clear view of her dangerously deep décolletage and the hint of a pink undergarment beneath.
What had begun as a mere test quickly turned into something else entirely for the Eldest Princess. Xiao Feng's hands seemed magical, lulling her into a drowsy comfort. Unconsciously, she leaned her head back against his chest.
The faint fragrance of her body and the delicate sensation beneath his fingertips stirred something primal in Xiao Feng. Like a bank robber, he pressed his "gun" against her back.
"Mmm~"
The "held hostage" Eldest Princess shuddered, letting out a strange, muffled moan.
She hadn't expected Xiao Feng to be so bold as to "take her hostage" in front of so many people, nearly causing her to lose composure.
After barely steadying herself, she subconsciously squirmed slightly and probed,
"For a talented young man like the king, this palace had never heard of you before. Might I ask where your hometown is?"
"This king hails from the Divine Temple," Xiao Feng replied bluntly, cutting straight to the point.
(End of Chapter)