Chapter 9 Intimately, Xie Lang pressed her hard, "Aren't you going to control me?...

Extra 9

He didn't even have time to eat dinner that night.

The main house was a wonderful place, and every time she tried to escape, he would catch her and bring her back.

"Are you still going to run away or not?"

He was using a double entendre.

"I'm not running anymore..."

I'm so dizzy from all the jolting, how can I run?

"Are you going to take care of me or not?"

Xie Lang pressed her hard, "Aren't you going to care about me?"

Liu Qingqing's eyes were filled with tears, "I'll take care of you."

Xie Lang was finally satisfied. "You must keep your word and keep a close eye on me. From now on, you must ask me three times a day where I am, what I am doing, who I am with, and when I will return home."

Liu Qingqing: ...

I have never heard of such an unreasonable demand.

Xie Lang exerted force again.

"I promise you... okay?"

Many times, it was really painful.

We're running out of water...

"Nobody outside is as good as me, do you know that?"

"..."

"I am the most suitable for you, Qingqing. Can you feel it?"

"…………"

He kept punching him, but the weak force was no match for scratching, which made Xie Lang laugh.

Even when Liu Qingqing begged him in tears, Xie Lang did not stop.

It wasn't until this day that Liu Qingqing learned that even after they reconciled, he had been holding back.

Liu Qingqing was filled with regret.

Next time, no matter what, we should learn from him and turn the tables on him first!

The next day, Liu Qingqing slept until the afternoon before waking up.

He woke up starving, feeling sore all over. He wanted to get out of bed to drink some water, but his legs were as weak as noodles and he trembled so badly that he immediately collapsed onto the bed.

Liu Qingqing's face turned pale and then red, and she clenched her fists and slammed them onto the bed.

As the events of last night flooded her mind, Liu Qingqing turned and collapsed onto the bed, pulling the brocade quilt over her face.

I'm too ashamed to show my face!

How could he be so ridiculous!

Hearing the commotion, Granny Li, who was waiting outside, quickly came in.

With a cry of "Oh dear!", she exclaimed, "Miss, why are you covering your face? Can't you breathe?"

Granny Li pulled back the brocade quilt and saw that the young lady's eyes were misty with tears. She pursed her lips and suppressed a laugh.

She whispered, "The young master is very considerate; he changed all the quilts and bedding for the young lady last night."

Liu Qingqing was shocked, and her face, which had just recovered, turned red again.

Granny Li, not knowing her young mistress well, quickly reassured her, "The young master changed it himself; he wouldn't even let us in."

"That's good," Liu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.

"He even carried the young lady to take a bath."

Liu Qingqing: ...

Pretend you didn't hear it.

Seeing her young mistress acting so girlishly, Granny Li beamed with joy.

But the young lady was concerned about her reputation, so she pretended not to know and instead brought up something else, "Qingju cooked mutton noodles for you, would you like some? The mutton soup is so delicious, it smells amazing!"

"good."

Even with incense burning in the room, the blush-inducing smell could still be detected.

Liu Qingqing asked Granny Li to open the main room door to let in some fresh air, and saw that Xie Lang was still there, talking to Xie Wu in the courtyard.

Liu Qingqing turned her face away and refused to look at him.

I saw that yesterday's house and land deeds were still on the table as they were.

Liu Qingqing glanced at it and, as if her eyes had been burned, quickly told Granny Li to put it away.

"Should we put them in separate containers?"

When Liu Qingqing saw Xie Lang looking over, she couldn't help but shudder. "Release them together."

Xie Lang looked away.

A short while later, Xie Lang finished instructing Xie Wu and then went into the main room. From the moment he turned around, his gaze never left her.

His heavy gaze seemed to be filled with sharp rivets, all piercing her body, never leaving her side.

As she was lost in thought, Xie Lang walked to the bedside, bent down and gently tucked her loose hair behind her ear. Liu Qingqing shivered, and Xie Lang paused, his eyes darkening.

He quickly suppressed his words, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Liu Qingqing glared at him, but even her glare only added to her charm. Her deep phoenix eyes brightened at his glare, and a genuine smile appeared on his handsome and alluring face.

"I was wrong yesterday, I will be more careful next time."

Liu Qingqing pulled the quilt up to her chin, muttering angrily, "You want a next time?"

It's much more vibrant now, much better than yesterday when I was staring blankly at the contract on the table.

Xie Lang's hand moved down again, stroking her warm cheek. Liu Qingqing moved away, trying to avoid him.

The two of them started playing silently, neither willing to give in.

Her hair became messy again, and she was too exhausted to continue making a fuss. She buried her face in his palm.

Her breath brushed against his skin, so fresh and passionate. Xie Lang's hands, hanging by his sides, twitched. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Qingqing snapped out of her daze, rolled over to the other side, and turned her back to him. "I'll lie down for a while longer."

This is a way of telling them to leave.

"Let me apply some more medicine for you."

Xie Lang closed the door and washed his hands.

Liu Qingqing's mind was buzzing, and it was only now that he realized where to apply the medicine.

When he came over, she immediately stated her position, "I can do it myself."

Xie Lang glanced at her lightly and comforted her, "I won't look, don't be shy."

Liu Qingqing blushed, but Xie Lang seemed oblivious and sighed softly again, "You've already tasted it, look what you've done..."

Liu Qingqing leaned forward and covered his mouth with her hand. Her face was more radiant than the midday sun. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't say it."

Xie Lang smiled and readily agreed, "Okay, I won't say anything."

Just as Liu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief, Xie Lang, ever the opportunist, added, "I'm the most obedient. I'll just do it and not say anything, okay?"

Liu Qingqing choked up, staring at him in disbelief.

I really want to tear this mouth full of nonsense to shreds!

She finally understood why Xie Wanyan had told her that Xie Lang's words outside were infuriating!

This annoyed Liu Qingqing so much that she punched his shoulder again.

There was a loud banging sound coming from the main room.

Xie Lang chuckled softly, grasped her hand and placed it against his chest, the trembling in his chest spreading from her arm straight to his heart.

She looked at him; Xie Lang's eyes seemed to hold a galaxy, sparkling brightly. Liu Qingqing stared, blinked, and didn't move for a moment.

The situation at Jialan Garden has calmed down, but it hasn't calmed down in the imperial court.

Whether by coincidence or not, the backyards of the families who had secretly spread the rumors were thrown into chaos.

The man who was afraid of his wife was sent to Yangzhou to be a "slender horse" (a euphemism for a concubine). When he went to court again, he covered his face and hid it. Only when he moved his hands away did he realize that his face was scratched all over!

There were also officials who held absolute power at home, yet someone sent a handsome and refined musician to the mistress of the house.

I've heard that those musicians are young and handsome, and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are like burly warriors, some are like gentle gentlemen, and some are like snow-capped mountains.

What a coincidence! The gifts were all the favorite items that the matriarchs of each household had cherished in their youth.

The housewives loved it, but the adults in the house didn't like it, saying it was an eyesore.

The mistress is arguing, and it's all elegant for you to take a concubine and visit brothels. What's wrong with me just watching the musician play the zither? It's in public, not like I'm hiding alone in my room.

No one gives way.

Some adults couldn't bear it any longer and said they would dismiss all the concubines in exchange for the mistress sending the musician away.

The man thought he was being extremely merciful and making a huge compromise, but to his surprise, his mistress did not agree. She wasn't even jealous of taking him from the concubine, and instead sent him straight away.

As a result, several adults fell ill from anger!

Xie Wu reported to the master about the recent events that had occurred in each household.

Xie Lang was reviewing official documents, his expression indifferent, and he didn't even look up. "Ladies always seem to have some serendipitous encounters when they go shopping."

Before the adults could look up, Xie Wu bared his teeth and grimaced.

This is like sending someone home and then creating another connection outside.

Xie Lang placed the brush on the inkstone and pressed his temples. "I see they're quite idle all day. Why don't we find them something to do? Find some jobs for the most troublesome officials outside the capital and get them busy."

It's just a job search, probably lasting a few months to a year. It's not a posting to a distant area, so naturally, you can't bring your family.

There are still outsiders in this house...

Xie Wu felt worried for the adults as he listened; these past few months had passed, and he wondered what their situation was like at home.

hiss.

Adults hold grudges very much.

After finally managing to bring the lady back, these people dared to offend the master; they're really too arrogant.

Ying Yucheng didn't know how to deal with it, but in any case, the matter of the marriage alliance was no longer mentioned to the two of them.

Ultimately, a prince of the right age was selected from among the members of the imperial clan.

The matter is finally understood. Even though the officials were slow to realize what was going on, they could finally figure out what had happened. Once the destinations for the two little princesses were settled, they were truly relieved.

But in his heart he thought he dared not offend Madam Xie.

Even when there were disagreements in the court, I never saw Lord Xie resort to such ruthless measures.

With the backyard at home in chaos, there was no time to add to Lord Xie's troubles.

Some even sought Wei Mingzhao's help to mediate, pleading with Lord Xie to stop, lest the family fall apart if things continued this way! But they were blind to his true worth; how could a mere princess sent for a political marriage be worthy of Lord Xie? Only Lady Xie and Lord Xie were a match made in heaven, destined to be together for all eternity! Ordinary people had no place in this!

It's unclear which of Xie Lang's words struck a chord, but things gradually calmed down in the household.

The other adults noticed something amiss and rushed to seek advice, trying to quell Xie Lang's anger by following the same method.

This time, not only did the women in the capital know that Madam Xie was skilled at taming her husband, but even the officials secretly admired her.

I'm amazed! Before Madam Xie could even say anything, Lord Xie preemptively struck with deadly force, as if he was determined to avenge his wife.

I don't care if my wife is angry or not; I can't stand it if I feel that my wife is wronged.

Some people even went to the Regent to secretly complain, but the Regent just smiled and said, "You've come to the wrong place. Get out of here, or I can't save you."

This made the adults, who had finally mustered up their courage, deflate their nerves and become full of doubt, wondering what they meant by coming to the wrong place.

Who can make even the Regent unable to do what he wants?

I really can't figure it out.

Why is this vast capital city gradually becoming incomprehensible to people?

Li Jin was not talking nonsense. Since the war ended, the princess has been worried every day.

She wanted to see her daughter, but was worried that her daughter wouldn't want to talk to her.

Li Jin sighed deeply, realizing that he hadn't handled the matter properly.

He wasn't some upright and heroic figure; he simply didn't want the princess to have any contact with Liu Xu.

He also secretly sent people to take care of her, thinking that since she was still his own daughter, even if she wasn't favored, that would be the end of it. But who would have thought that Liu Xu, that idiot, had no brains and wouldn't do anything decent?

Liu Xu didn't even consider that the Marquis of Zhongwu's family was a distinguished and powerful clan, and the reason why the marriage between the Xie and Liu families hadn't fallen through all these years was because they were backing Liu Qingqing!

Li Jin returned to his bedchamber and saw the princess leaning weakly against the bed, utterly listless. His heart softened, and he went over to take her cold hand. "I will send someone to invite them in the name of the Regent, is that alright?"

Ying Yi's eyes were blurry with tears as she gently shook her head, "She doesn't want to see me."

Li Jin put his arm around her and said, "Let's meet her. Li Ying is back. If she won't see us, she should at least see her brother."

Therefore, when Xie Lang returned to the mansion that evening, he carefully observed Liu Qingqing's expression.

After dinner, even Liu Qingqing noticed something was wrong.

"You've been holding it in for so long, what's so hard to say?"

Liu Qingqing sized him up, determined to provoke him with a sarcastic remark, "Did someone send you a beauty?"

Xie Lang's expression immediately changed. He grabbed her hand and reprimanded her in a low voice, "You're just spouting nonsense to scare people!"

Who was being frightened? It was none other than the fearless Lord Xie, of course.

"What exactly happened?"

Liu Qingqing bumped his shoulder and asked curiously.

Xie Lang frowned and looked at her: "The Regent has invited you and me to the Prince's residence for a chat. Would you like to go?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Next Chapter Preview:

The Regent's Palace needs to be understood.