A few nights ago...

Lan Ling had just returned to her room after a cold shower like she usually does.

"I made you wait," she said as she changed into her nightgown to the young boy who was already in bed.

"Mother told me to spend the night here more," he silently spoke. 

Lan Ling looked at him blankly. She was sure she told Empress Xia that her son was too young for this stuff so to wait a little longer for a grandchild. But seeing the crown prince here and hearing him say that, she could only stare at the crown prince.

Was he lying?

Lan Ling looked into his eyes. He didn't look away or anything. There was no sign of lying. 

He also had no reason to lie about it since he disliked her. She made him dislike herself.

In the end, the only one that could be behind this was Empress Xia. Lan Ling sighed as she walked to him. For goodness sake, he's only thirteen this year. He's still just a child in puberty. 

"Let's sleep together. I'll sleep at the edge and you can sleep next to the wall." 

Lan Ling moved him over a little and blew off the light. She covered him with the blanket along with herself as she laid down next to him. 

"Are we going to make an heir?" he asked as he turned to face the closed eyes Lan Ling. 

Their faces were only a few inches apart, allowing him to feel her soft breathing.

"Are we going to kiss and touch?" He shyly asked, not hearing an answer from Lan Ling.

Hearing this, Lan Ling thought, 'If nothing happens tonight and Empress Xia finds out, she will truly be displeased.'

She really didn't want to make Empress Xia an enemy. It'd be more tiring and more work for her.

Thinking of something, Lan Ling gave him a response, "Give me your hand. We'll make babies by hold hands, okay?"

"Mn," the crown prince said shyly, handing his hand to Lan Ling. Was this another way to make babies? No one told him it was this easy.

As soon as they touched, he felt heat spread into his body. That night, he couldn't sleep at all but the one laying next to him was sound asleep. They were really making babies?

Thinking back, holding hands must have been really effective since she was expecting.

"When will the baby be born?" He asked curiously as he stared at her stomach.

Lan Ling laughed in her heart. She really fooled the poor boy.

Will it break him to say there was none?

Lan Ling chuckled. He'll just be angry for a bit if he finds out.

"My dear crown prince, there's no baby. I'm just hungry," she said laughing out loud, erasing the mature image of herself.

The crown prince's eyes widened. He was fooled by her! But she never said she was carrying a child.

"O-of course," he said in embarrassment. He tried to hide his small face but there was nowhere to hide it.

"The young lady Meirong is very attractive isn't she?" Lan Ling brought up Chu Meirong. 

Crown prince Wei didn't answer. Even if he wanted to, he didn't know what to say. If he said something wrong, Chu Meirong could lose her life.

"Do you like her?" Lan Ling asked.

"No!" he immediately answered, strongly denying the indirect accusation.

Although he said that, judging from his reaction, Lan Ling already knew. She placed her chin on her palm and smiled at him.

"If you like her, make her yours," was all Lan Ling said. 

Crown prince Wei froze. Did he hear right? Or was this a trap? This must be a trap. Lan Ling would never let anyone close to him.

Lan Ling continued, "She's the same age as you, just a few months younger. If you're going to choose a woman in your life, she's the only person you're allowed to have." 

She didn't get a reply from the young boy but a stare. The word 'Why?' was written all over his face but it's not like she'll tell him.

"What about you?" he asked. Lan Ling only said 'a woman in your life' so was she not going to be part of his? 

"Awe, have you fallen for me, my dear husband?"

Lan Ling teased him but she already knew the answer. No one would fall in love with someone seven years older than him and who stopped him from interacting with others. She could list all the 'bad deeds' she did. They were enough to make him hate her to the core in this and the next life.

"You are already my wife. I don't need to fall for you," he said, surprising Lan Ling.

Lan Ling thought: 'The young boy already knows how to flirt. He'll break many hearts in the future.'

Not a few days past, the crown prince received a few new wives given by the emperor. Everyone thought that since the crown princess could tolerate the prime minister's daughter then she could tolerate the others. It was a misguided thought. Those few new wives all passed in the following year from "natural causes". 

Of course, everything was covered up and lips were sealed. Except, sometimes, some lips didn't have to. Thus, rumors spread like wildfires once more in the palace. 

Once the officials heard of this, their faces darkened. Some of the new wives the crown prince received were some of their daughters. They could complain if they wanted to but no one dared to since the emperor himself didn't want to bring it up. They all knew that both the emperor and the empress backed the crown princess up.

Then, a year passed once more.

Night.

"Trouble sleeping?" Lan Ling asked as she felt movements next to her.

The crown prince only stopped moving and didn't reply. He didn't want to bother her sleeping time yet he had woken her up. He took a breath to calm himself down but couldn't help moving once again.

Not hearing a reply but feeling movements, Lan Ling moved closer to him and wrapped her hands around his waist to secure him in place. 

His movements did stop as he felt her soft breathing near his neck but his body burned.

"Lan Ling," he said.

"Mm," she replied.

"It's uncomfortable."

Immediately, Lan Ling opened her eyes. He's feeling uncomfortable? 

"Where?" she asked.

"Here," he shyly blushed as he stared down at his phallus. 

Lan Ling could feel his restrained movement in the dark.

"Down there?" she sat up and asked once more to make sure. 

Crown prince Wei nodded shyly as he tried to contain his breathing. 

"Do you know how to deal with it?" Lan Ling asked.

The crown prince should have been taught by his teachers already so he should know. Yet, crown prince Wei turned to face her and shook his head. His face revealed tenseness and stress in the darkness. They didn't teach him?!

"Come here," she motioned him to come sit in between her legs. Seeing he didn't move but stare at her only, she pulled him over instead. 

He sat leaning against her chest -facing the wall- as she spread his legs and started to removed his sleeping clothes. While removing his clothes, she realized he was really at that age. His body was maturing unlike 2 years ago. Though, his body was still quite small.

"Now, when you feel uncomfortable and can't sleep. Relieve yourself like this," she said. 

Her jade-like fingers wrapped around his burning phallus, causing him to groan in pleasure.

"Ah." He immediately grabbed her hands as he felt the new but pleasuring feeling spreading throughout his body.

"This will help you sleep faster," she said, putting her hands back where she placed it earlier.

"It feels weird," he replied.

This feeling felt good but made him embarrassed. He also made a weird noise he never thought he could make too.

"Don't hold it in, I'll just help this one time. You have to do it yourself next time."

Lan Ling started to move her hands in motion, going up and down slowly, after seeing him nod for her to continue.

Thinking to herself, she couldn't believe she was really teaching a boy to pleasure himself. Reading those porn books in the imperial library was really not a mistake. At least it came in handy this time. 

The crown prince continued to groan at her touch and became more excited. His hands touched hers unconsciously. He wanted more but didn't know how to get it. Feeling his reaction, Lan Ling made her strokes move a little faster and a little tighter but not too tight. 

As they finished, she placed a new blanket onto the asleep crown prince and went out to wash her hands. 

Since it was already the early morning, she decided to take a look around the palace.