Bullying the Bully Princess consort.

The moment the Crown Prince heard the report from the Empress Dowager's banquet, a chill settled behind his eyes.

He sat in his study, fingers curled around the edge of a jade seal. Jun You stood before him, arms folded neatly, his expression unreadable.

"She slapped her," Jun You said, quiet but firm.

Crown Prince Li Shenyuan's gaze sharpened. "In front of the Empress Dowager?"

"Yes, Your Highness. In front of everyone. Zhen Liya didn't retaliate, didn't raise her voice. She apologized, bowed, even tried to defend Consort Ning Xue..but the Empress saw through it."

The jade seal cracked under the pressure of his grip.

The room was silent for a moment.

"She didn't say anything cruel back?"

"No, Your Highness. Not even once."

He stood, robes rustling, expression darkening with something unreadable. Jun You stepped aside, already sensing the change in the air.

Back at the Celestial Pavilion, Ning Xue was nestled among her silks and pillows, her expression a mask of fragility.

When Li Shenyuan entered, she rose delicately, her sleeves slipping down to show the faintest bruising along her arm..applied by her own fingers just minutes before.

"Your Highness," she whispered, lowering her eyes, "you came..."

He said nothing at first, simply studying her. She looked soft, pale, a perfect picture of injured elegance.

"Are you unwell?" he asked flatly.

She offered a weak smile. "A slight headache. The events today... I'm still shaken. Liya is very clever."

He said nothing.

She reached out and lightly touched his sleeve. "Stay with me tonight. Please. I need your warmth..."

He didn't respond immediately. Her fingers curled gently around the fabric. "I feel so alone lately. You used to visit me more. Do you... no longer care for me?"

A flicker passed over his face, then disappeared. He sat down beside her, nodding once. "I'll stay until midnight. There are matters at court I must attend to."

Her eyes brightened, though only slightly. "That is enough."

She leaned against his shoulder, her expression triumphant, satisfied.

But the moment shattered with a knock on the outer screen. Jun You entered, bowed, and leaned in to whisper something in the Crown Prince's ear.

Ning Xue's smile faltered. She tried to listen, but the words were too low.

The Crown Prince's eyes sharpened. He stood swiftly.

"Something urgent has come up at court. I must go."

She rose quickly. "Wait. What happened? Can it not wait until morning?"

He didn't meet her eyes. "No. This cannot wait."

He left without another word.

The door shut behind him like a judgment.

Ning Xue stood frozen for a heartbeat, then her face twisted. She threw a nearby teacup, the porcelain shattering against the floor.

"Mei Hua!" she hissed.

Her maid appeared instantly.

"He left because of her. That wretched little snake. Go forward with the plan. I don't care how it's done. Tonight."

Mei Hua hesitated. "But the Empress…"

"The Empress confined me to quarters, not to silence. Now go."

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince moved swiftly down the lantern-lit corridors toward the Eastern Wing.

His jaw was tight, his eyes dark.

Jun You trailed a few steps behind. "She fell ill shortly after returning from the banquet. Her maid Yan'er says she refused to rest properly, but she was flushed and weak."

"And she forgave Ning Xue."

"Not only forgave her," Jun You said. "She even worried for her health. Said she might have reacted badly to the soup ingredients."

"The same soup she was slapped over."

"Yes."

He said nothing for a moment.

"Has she eaten tonight?"

"Not yet, Your Highness. Yan'er was preparing a light porridge."

They arrived at her quarters.

He dismissed the guards outside and stepped into the warm, jasmine-scented chamber.

Liya was seated by the window, wrapped in a pale robe, her cheeks flushed with heat. Yan'er was just bringing over a bowl when she noticed them.

She hurriedly bowed. "Your Highness!"

Zhen Liya turned, eyes wide.

"Y-Your Highness... I didn't know you would come."

"You should have sent word," he said, moving closer. "Why didn't you?"

She lowered her gaze. "I didn't want to trouble you."

His eyes dropped to her wrist. Faint red marks lingered there.

He gently took her hand, running his thumb across the skin.

"You're my consort. It is not trouble."

She said nothing.

He turned to Yan'er. "Bring warm water. And have the palace physician come immediately. Quietly."

Yan'er bowed and scurried off.

He turned back to Liya.

"Did she hurt you elsewhere?"

Liya hesitated. "It was only a slap, Your Highness. I understand she was upset."

He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I do not want you to tolerate cruelty just to keep peace. Not with anyone."

She blinked. "But the Empress Dowager.."

"Has already passed judgment. And if I had been there... it would have ended far worse for her."

Her breath caught.

He took her silence as acceptance and let her chin go slowly.

"You are kind, Zhen Liya," he murmured. "And there will be those who try to punish you for it."

She looked at him carefully. "Then what should I do?"

He didn't answer right away.

Instead, he reached forward, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Let them underestimate you. And when the time is right, let them regret it."

Outside, Mei Hua crept through the shadows, unaware that her mistress's schemes had already started to unravel and would not go through.

And deep in the Eastern Wing, as the Crown Prince stood beside a soft-eyed consort who bore no venom in her voice, a decision began to crystallize inside him…dangerous, inevitable.

Whatever war Ning Xue was planning to wage...

He would not be on her side.

Zhen Liya smiled faintly in the Crown Prince's arms, her head nestled against his chest. The warmth of him seeped into her bones, but her mind was far from serene. This night..this very night…was the one Ning Xue had once turned into her nightmare.

In her past life, it had been tonight that the trap was sprung. She had been sick, humiliated, and discarded. The Empress Dowager's banquet had ended in disaster, and she, the unwanted consort, had been left alone to be violated by a servant bribed into her chambers.

And the Crown Prince… he hadn't come. He had heard of her illness. He had heard of Ning Xue's cruel accusation. Yet still, he had chosen to spend the night in the Celestial Pavilion.

But not this time.

This time, he held her.

The butterfly effect had taken root, unfurling its wings in unexpected ways. The banquet had played out differently. The Prince had come.

She could feel the ripple of it all in his gentle hand smoothing her back, the concern in his voice, the barely veiled anger when he'd heard how Ning Xue had accused her.

"Rest, Liya," he whispered into her hair. "You've endured too much today."

Zhen Liya smiled again…soft, serene, obedient. But beneath that delicate veil, her mind was calculating.

No, she couldn't let this moment slip by.

She needed tonight to unfold as it once had. Not exactly, of course…this time, she wouldn't be left helpless. But the illusion of helplessness, the appearance of vulnerability… That she could use.

If he saved her.

If he returned just in time.

His guilt, his fury..his protectiveness…they would cement her place.

He was already being pulled toward her. This would seal it.

But how could she get him to leave? Just briefly..five minutes was all she needed.

She gently leaned back from his embrace and let her fingers brush his chest, timid and shy.

"Your Highness," she said softly, "May I trouble you… with a small request?"

He looked down at her, his gaze sharper than she expected. "What is it?"

She lowered her gaze, twisting her fingers into the edge of her sleeve.

"There's a painting…" she whispered. "In the Eastern Pavilion, of my mother. It was sent here by my father before the wedding. I… I wished to light incense before it. Only once."

His brows drew together.

"I would have had a maid fetch it, but they don't know which scroll it is. Only a manservant escorted it. I'm sorry, Your Highness, I shouldn't have asked."

He exhaled slowly.

"No," he said, standing. "You should have told me sooner. If it's important to you, I'll get it myself."

She rose too, hands still folded. "I don't wish to trouble…"

"You're not." His voice was firm.

He cupped her chin gently and looked into her eyes, his expression unreadable.

"I won't be long."

She nodded with a demure smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

With one last lingering glance, he turned and left.

The moment the screen doors slid shut behind him, her smile faded.

Yan'er, who had remained silent in the corner, looked up with concern. "My lady?"

"Ready yourself," Liya said quietly. "He'll return soon."

Yan'er's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "It's tonight…?"

Liya didn't answer. She turned and walked to the bed, sat down with deliberate grace, and let her long hair fall over her shoulders like a curtain of silk.

She had barely counted to thirty before the sound came.

A shuffle. Then another. Soft, deliberate steps approaching the side door.

Liya's breath hitched.

Just as before.

The door creaked.

She stiffened slightly, letting her arms tremble as she turned her head slowly toward the sound.

Two men stepped inside. One dressed as a servant, the other with his face half-covered in cloth. They paused at the sight of her.

"You're early," she whispered, just loud enough for them to hear.

They froze.

But before they could react..

"HALT!"

The roar came like a blade splitting the air.

The Crown Prince's voice.

The doors burst open.

Guards flooded in behind him, Jun You at his side.

"You dare set foot here?" the prince thundered.

The intruders tried to run, but the guards were faster. Steel clashed. Screams echoed. One man was pinned down, the other knocked unconscious.

Zhen Liya fell to the floor, hands trembling, eyes wide.

"Your Highness…" she whispered.

He rushed to her, gathering her into his arms.

"Liya. Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head frantically. "No, no, they didn't touch me. You… you came in time."

His jaw clenched as he looked toward the men being dragged out.

"They will rot for this," he growled.

She let herself sob quietly into his chest.

"I was so afraid."

"I will never let anyone near you again," he vowed, holding her tighter.

Jun You stepped forward, whispering something into the Crown Prince's ear.

The prince's expression turned cold. "Celestial Pavilion."

Liya didn't lift her head, but she heard it. The weight behind those two words.

He knew.

He was putting the pieces together.

He looked down at her again, eyes softer this time.

"You're safe now," he said.

But Liya's mind wasn't on safety. It was on strategy.

The butterfly wings beat again.

And this time, she was the wind.