Those who had never been tainted by women before would not know the taste of it.
Now, having suddenly tasted it, he understood why so many men enjoyed indulging in gentle love.
On this night, sleeping with a woman for the first time in years, Zhao Jinghuan, who was used to sleeping alone, thought that he would not sleep soundly.
In reality, he did not sleep soundly for another reason, not because of what he originally thought, that he was not used to having someone else around, but because the beauty was in his embrace, and the faint fragrance kept brewing inside the curtain. Turning slightly, he could easily touch her warm and tender body, making him even more alert in his sleep.
In the end, he had to get up and walk around the room until he calmed down before returning to the bed.
Sitting on the bed, he looked at the sleeping face of Su Mo'er, and his eyes softened, showing a gentleness and indulgence that had never been present in the past.
Lying down on the bed, he looked at Su Mo'er, and without knowing it, he fell asleep.
The next day, when he woke up, it was already bright outside, and he could hear footsteps walking back and forth outside.
Glancing at Su Mo'er, who was still fast asleep, he quietly got up and left the inner room.
As he opened the door, he indeed saw Li Gonggong walking back and forth outside, with a trace of difficulty on his face.
Upon seeing Zhao Jinghuan, he greeted him, "Your Highness..."
Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Jinghuan saw a slight movement in Li Gonggong's eyebrows, then threw him a glance and looked inside the room.
Li Gonggong paused for a moment, and immediately understood, lowering his voice: "Your Highness, you have finally woken up."
With these words, a trace of unnaturalness flashed across Zhao Jinghuan's face. He lightly coughed, attempting to cover it up, and said: "I have been quite tired recently, oversleeping."
How could he not be tired?! He had been busy non-stop for the past few days, and yesterday, he even engaged in that activity in the carriage on the way back.
It was said that he continued after returning, tossing and turning until late at night before finally resting. With the need to clean up afterward, how could he not be tired?!
He vented his frustration in his heart, and with a wry smile on his face, said, "Your Highness has been toiling for the people..."
Zhao Jinghuan's expression returned to normal, and he glanced sideways: "Stop flattering. Get to the point."
"..." Li Gonggong finally responded, "Yesterday, we caught the siblings from the Liu family. They are currently under custody, and all the officials are waiting for your decision."
Zhao Jinghuan fell into silence. This was indeed his neglect.
After a pause, he nodded to show that he understood: "Send word to have them waiting in the study, I will come over after I freshen up."
Li Gonggong immediately complied, then instructed someone to make the arrangements.
When he returned, the Crown Prince had finished freshening up and had left the room with determined steps towards the study.
He had not gone far when he stopped and instructed Li Gonggong, "You don't need to follow me. Bring her maid and don't wake her up, let her sleep a little longer."
Li Gonggong quickly agreed, and the Crown Prince added, "If she wakes up, have someone inform me."
"I understand." Li Gonggong did not think much and agreed, then watched the Crown Prince's departing figure.
Once the Crown Prince's figure disappeared, he promptly sent for Qingyou to wait, his thoughts kept whirling.
Having been by the Crown Prince's side for so many years, he was naturally aware of the Crown Prince's integrity and reluctance to keep company with a woman easily.
Even those with a position and status in the Eastern Palace could not compare to the woman who had truly won the Crown Prince—Su Mo'er.
As the Crown Prince's first woman, Su Mo'er was not only beautiful but also had the qualities and temperament that could not be overlooked. She would certainly hold an important position by the Crown Prince's side in the days to come.
As someone with such prospects, he naturally had to handle it carefully. Fortunately, he had established a good relationship with Su Mo'er early on. With this in mind, Li Gonggong couldn't help but feel triumphant.
...
When Zhao Jinghuan reached the study, he indeed saw several local officials led by Captain Yang Jian and Du Zhong waiting there.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince approaching, they immediately stood up to greet him. Zhao Jinghuan waved his hand, "Please, be seated. No need for formalities."
After the Crown Prince sat down, Captain Yang straightforwardly inquired, "Your Highness, we heard that you have captured the Liu siblings?"
Zhao Jinghuan did not conceal the truth and nodded, "What's the matter, do you have any doubts?"
They naturally understood that the Crown Prince had previously mentioned taking action against the prominent families of Chang Prefecture, and this matter was under his leadership.
However, there had been no movement before, so they thought the Crown Prince had changed his mind. To their surprise, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, news arrived that the Crown Prince had captured the Liu siblings.
Would this lead to a conflict with the Liu family?!
The Liu family's status was prominent in all of Dayan's prominent families, and they held a leading position in Chang Prefecture. They were influential and deeply rooted.
The Crown Prince held a high position and was not a native of Chang Prefecture, so if he made a move, it was not a cause for concern for him.
However, for these local officials, knowing the intentions, how could they not be alarmed? They looked to Captain Yang Jian, hoping for him to speak up. Under their expectant gazes, even Captain Yang felt immense pressure.
Furthermore, he had been recommending the legitimate daughter of the Liu family to get close to the Crown Prince. Now, with a sudden change, the woman had become a prisoner.
Not only did this leave him puzzled, but it also sent his mind into chaos. What had these Liu siblings done?
If handled poorly, he might offend the Liu family and fall out of favor with the Crown Prince. After so much effort, being in a predicament where no one is pleased, naturally made him feel anxious and disturbed.
After finally settling his thoughts, he tentatively inquired, "Your Highness... the Liu family in Chang Prefecture is indeed not an ordinary family. I wonder, what have the Liu siblings done? If it's not too serious, maybe we should reconsider."
This was a tactful reminder. If the matter wasn't significant, it might be best to let it go.
"What happened?" Zhao Jinghuan laughed and glanced at Du Zhong, "Listen to what Du Zhong has to say."
Du Zhong received the prompt and nodded. With a stern face, he said, "The Liu siblings were bold and reckless, conspiring to plot against Your Highness during the Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern Festival! They even intended to defile a woman close to Your Highness! After being discovered, they not only refused to admit it but also shifted the blame, smearing Crown Prince An. Gentlemen, based on this, do you think the Liu family has the courage to resist?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper, "This is the written confession of the Liu siblings. If you don't believe it, feel free to take a look."
After the incident the day before, Zhao Jinghuan had expressly ordered strict secrecy to prevent the Liu family from making preparations upon receiving the news.
As a result, Captain Yang and the others were completely unaware of what had actually occurred.
After Du Zhong's arrest of the siblings, he immediately conducted interrogations. At first, the siblings remained stubborn and refused to say anything.
However, when left in the hands of Du Zhong, the more stubborn they were, the more methods he had at his disposal.
Before long, as a woman, Liu Feifei couldn't endure the torture and ended up confessing everything they had plotted over the days.
Liu Yanzuo remained stubborn for a longer time but eventually succumbed.
The siblings finally confessed and wrote down their crimes in black and white. It was for this reason that Du Zhong was able to inform everyone unequivocally now.
After the officials heard this, they were all stunned, as the matters he brought up were one worse than the other. If it were true, then even the Liu family would have to let them have their way!
They were still in disbelief, but one by one they took the confession and read it carefully, finally believing it completely.
Yang Jian, after reading the confession, excitedly exclaimed, "Good! With this confession in black and white, our plan this time is foolproof!"
Zhao Jinghuan then raised his hand to silence the others immediately.
"Now that we have found a loophole, the next step is to select a few more families, and start taking action. There is very little official grain, and time is tight, so I hope you all act quickly," he said.
Yang Jian promptly agreed and mentioned several noble families, as local officials naturally held clear information about the scandals of various major families.
Originally, if it wasn't for choosing the Liu family, they would naturally choose other noble families. But now that they had chosen the Liu family, the situation had naturally changed, and they would go after the families that were close to the Liu family.
After all, the Liu family would have to endure a loss at that time, and as their subordinates, what else could they dare to say?
After hearing this, Zhao Jinghuan nodded in agreement.
This was exactly what he wanted. Now that they had taken action, they would definitely have to eliminate several families afterwards.
By weakening the power of the Liu family while also forcing the Changzhou noble families to lower their heads, they would be able to open the grain storehouse and achieve four goals in one stroke!
As for the Liu siblings...
While they had committed numerous evil deeds, their identities were still in place, and it was not suitable to push the Liu family too hard.
They could suffer some hardship, but their lives still had to be preserved.
However, even so, the later Liu Yanzai became crippled, and correspondingly, Liu Feifei's appearance was also ruined, causing their personalities to become even stranger.
These were stories for later; now they had to put them aside.
...
When Su Mo'er woke up, she felt sore all over and couldn't move without feeling like her bones were coming apart. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
Hearing this, Qingyou, who was waiting outside, immediately ran in nervously, opened the curtain, and helped Su Mo'er up, smiling, "Miss, you've finally woken up."
"Qingyou?" Su Mo'er was stunned and couldn't help but recall that she was supposed to be in the Crown Prince's residence. Upon closer examination, it wasn't the Smoke and Water Pavilion either. "Why are you here?"
Qingyou smiled, "Miss, His Highness ordered Master Li to have the maidservant come and serve you."
After hearing this, Su Mo'er understood and couldn't help but think about last night, feeling both embarrassed and sweet. She quickly changed the subject and asked, "What time is it? Where is the Crown Prince? Why don't I see him?"
Qingyou replied, "Miss, you've slept until noon. His Highness got up early and left to attend to matters."
Su Mo'er was surprised, "His Highness got up so early, and I slept until noon?" She couldn't help but look anxious, "How is this possible? When His Highness finds out, what will he think of me?"
Saying this, she struggled to get up.
Qingyou quickly helped her and comforted her, "Miss, you can rest assured. His Highness specially ordered us not to wake you and let you sleep a little longer."
...
...