Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 193 Cai Yuan: Who knows who will become Your Highness's principal wife?
The next morning, the faint morning light shone through the carved window lattices and into the bedroom, casting dappled shadows.

Cai Yuan slept soundly with her eyes closed, her head resting on a soft, embroidered pillow. Her pretty face, glowing with a light pink luster, had lost the reserve and naivety typical of young girls, and her eyes and brows were filled with a soft, lazy charm.

Her hair was loosely tied up, and her dark blue hair meandered across half of her snow-white shoulders. Her slender, jade-like fingers unconsciously caressed the lotus pattern embroidered in gold thread on the brocade quilt. From time to time, soft murmurs escaped from her red lips, as gentle and long as a dream.

However, her lips were a darker color than before, like a cherry that had been repeatedly bitten and sucked. If you looked closely, you could see faint teeth marks.

Her thin silk nightgown was loosely tied with a mandarin duck knot, her waist was still slender and delicate, and the spring scenery shrouded in the light gauze was even more mature and charming than the night before.

Her already fair and snow-white skin, as if bathed in moonlight, now shone with a warm and lustrous glow like white jade.

The only flaw is that the finger marks and teeth marks, like fallen red plum blossoms, are quietly turning from crimson to bluish-purple, like tiny imperfections on a jade disc.

But it is precisely these minor flaws that make this jade figure, which looks as if it were personally sculpted by the Heavenly Emperor, more like a real beauty in the mortal world, rather than an ethereal fairy who can never be seen.

Whether she noticed Liu Bian's gaze or not, Cai Yuan, who was fast asleep, trembled her eyelashes and gradually woke up. She unconsciously curled up her body, and the brocade quilt slipped down a little with the movement, revealing more of her snow-white skin.

Her beautiful eyes opened slightly, her pupils filled with a misty, watery light, carrying the confusion and bewilderment of someone just awakened. Her lips parted slightly, uttering a soft, languid whimper tinged with contentment.

Suddenly startled by the warm arm and the gaze so close to her, Cai Yuan's almond-shaped eyes widened, a hint of panic flashing in them. She then realized that she was no longer at home, but had become the Crown Prince's concubine. Her warbling stopped abruptly, her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and she lowered her head shyly, her fingers nervously twisting the corner of the quilt.

The immature shell is peeling away piece by piece, revealing the lustrous jade inside. The girl's innocence and the woman's charm blend together to create a strange aphrodisiac.

Liu Bian leaned down slightly, his gaze fixed on Cai Yuan, his eyes filled with amusement and doting. He gently pinched her delicate cheek, a cheek that seemed to hold water if squeezed, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he teased, "General Cai was so dashing last night, how come you seem so frail now?"

Cai Yuan let out a sob and buried her pretty face in Liu Bian's chest, as if trying to avoid his teasing gaze. Her slender white fingers gently pinched Liu Bian's arm, as if in silent protest, while she also gently twisted her body, as if she were being coquettish.

Perhaps it was because I had been burdened by life's pressures for so long, and had accumulated too many unspoken sorrows in my heart, but they all dissipated last night.

Thinking of this, Cai Yuan's ear tips flushed red, and she buried her head even deeper.

"My name is Yu Huan. Your Highness may call me Yu Huan."

Cai Yuan lay on Liu Bian's chest, her head slightly raised, looking up at him. Her beautiful eyes, half-majestic, held tender affection, as clear as the water of a spring pool. As her gaze shifted, the shyness of a young girl faded, and she resembled a peony after a night rain, its petals unfolding layer by layer, turning the dewdrops that were about to fall into thick, lustrous honey.

When Cai Yuan first revealed her nickname to a man outside her family, her eyes held both anticipation and a hint of shyness.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian raised an eyebrow slightly. The word "small" was quite interesting. He reached out and gently stroked Cai Yuan's hair, his movements tender and affectionate.

Yuan is a type of jade disc.

A wall is formed when the edge is large and the hole is small; a ring is formed when the hole is large and the edge is small; and a ring is formed when the edge and hole are roughly equal.

The name "Xiao" (小) suited Cai Yuan's name well, and it also stirred a strange feeling within him. "Yu Huan, I still have official business to attend to today." Liu Bian rose from the warm, soft body, gently kissing the corner of her lips, which still bore faint teeth marks, before leaving the bed where he had spilled countless bodily fluids. He looked at Cai Yuan, who was struggling to get up to dress him, and gently pressed her back down. He flicked her smooth forehead with his index finger and smiled, "You are not feeling well, so please rest in the palace. The palace maids will take care of changing your clothes. I will dine with you and Lianyi at noon and in the evening."

Gentle Township, Hero Tomb.

Despite the allure of such beauty, it's essential to prioritize certain things.

At least during this turbulent period of political turmoil, he cannot afford to be too complacent and continue his activities without further action.

With the court stable and the emperor's power firmly established, how could he lack women, or lack the opportunity to linger among them?
If the court collapses and the imperial artifact changes hands, then sooner or later the tender beauty he craves will become someone else's plaything.

Cai Yuan didn't mind. Although her temperament allowed her to quickly adapt to the change in role, she still needed more time to settle down before she could fully adapt.

Leaning against the headboard, Cai Yuan watched Liu Bian leave, fully dressed. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of reluctance, yet also a touch of joy at Liu Bian's remarkable self-control.

There was no court assembly today, so Liu Bian could rest for an extra hour without any problem. After all, he had just taken her as his concubine, and even the officials would not criticize him.

An incompetent and foolish monarch could not protect her from the storms of life, nor would she despise him.

Otherwise, given her background and beauty, she would have married a powerful and dissolute young man long ago to gain his protection.

Furthermore, the Crown Prince would not be swayed by her, nor by any other woman; he would not have exclusive favor, but would naturally treat everyone equally.

Having married into the royal family, how could one possibly hope for a lifelong, monogamous relationship?
No... Even ordinary noble families have many wives and concubines. Apart from the common people, who can have only one partner for life?
This is nothing more than a beautiful fantasy that a woman cherishes most.

As long as one doesn't end up destitute and alone, as long as one doesn't spend every night in solitude, one can be considered fortunate by God.

Cai Yuan took a small bronze mirror from the palace maid and observed the delicate skin reflected in the mirror, which glowed with a rosy luster. She couldn't help but gently stroke her cheeks, her lips unconsciously curving upwards, and her eyes flashing with a glint of ambition.

However, although Cai Yuan did not expect the emperor to favor her exclusively, as a woman, she naturally longed to receive more of her husband's affection.

Whether she is now the Crown Princess or the future Empress, Liu Bian is required by law to keep his principal wife in his bedchamber every five days to sleep with her, and she is destined to be the most favored person.

The Crown Princess or the future Empress's throne... if given the chance, she would not hesitate to seize it.

Before the Crown Prince has made a clear statement, how can we know whether His Highness will choose the lowly or the noble?
Even if His Highness the Crown Prince wants to choose a concubine from among the commoners or the nobles, who can say for sure who His Highness will ultimately choose as his principal wife?

Cai Yuan herself certainly had a chance to compete for the position of the principal wife!

(End of this chapter)