Chapter 3 Two Concubines

"Wait!" Yi Shao couldn't help but speak again as her hand touched the door.

Ling Wei turned around.

In the candlelight, he was trapped in bright red silk and sticky restraints, like a beautiful yet wretched trophy.

He looked at her, his eyes gleaming, and finally, he forced a smile that held a complex meaning, and asked softly:

"Your Highness...aren't you curious about what I would do next if I failed to anger you or get your attention?"

Ling Wei returned his profile view, her lips curving slightly.

"Not curious."

"Anyway, there's nothing you can do right now."

The door was opened, and her figure disappeared into the shadows under the outer porch. The door was then gently closed again.

The new house suddenly fell silent.

Yi Shao's smile slowly faded, and the complex emotions in his eyes settled into a deep stillness.

He tried to move his bound wrists, but the sticky sensation made him freeze in disgust.

His gaze fell on his beautiful but now stained cuffs, then glanced at the horrible medicine jar not far away. Finally, he closed his eyes and sighed resignedly.

The warmth and force of her fingertips seemed to linger in his throat.

He lost tonight.

That was... kind of interesting.

As Ling Wei stepped out of the threshold of the new house, the night wind was blowing through the red silk under the corridor, creating a loud rustling sound.

"Your Highness."

The servants at the door bowed in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, the only sound in the silence the soft rustling of their clothes.

The woman waiting under the eaves stepped forward.

She was tall and straight, dressed in a dark blue outfit, with a sword at her waist, her long hair tied up high, and her eyes and brows showing the sharpness honed by years of battlefield experience.

This is Qing Shu, the commander of Ling Wei's personal guards. He has followed her in battles for many years and is both her confidant and her right-hand man.

The moment the dark figure pounced down inside the room, Qing Shu's sword light pierced through the window.

Ling Wei rubbed her temples; the effects of the alcohol hadn't worn off, and her head was throbbing with a dull ache.

"Your Highness, the man has been taken to the dungeon." Qing Shu's voice was steady. "Should I interrogate him tonight?"

"No need," Ling Wei waved her hand. "Just keep it locked."

"yes."

Qing Shu took a half step back in response, his gaze lingering for a moment on Ling Wei's slightly tired face, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, tonight... are you going to Minister Shen's courtyard?"

Ling Wei paused in her steps.

By the way, Yi Shao wasn't the only one I married today.

"Let's go." Ling Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Qing Shu's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately signaled to the servants behind him. The group moved silently, with the lantern bearer leading the way and the others spreading out three steps away from Ling Wei, their footsteps so light they were almost silent.

This is the Great Chen Dynasty, a world where women reign supreme.

Women in this world are born with spiritual power, while men do not have this talent. Furthermore, under the influence of a woman's spiritual domain, their actions are naturally suppressed, as if they were in an invisible cage.

The Ling royal family's bloodline is unique, possessing not only spiritual power far exceeding that of ordinary people, but also the ability to condense tangible spiritual totems.

Totems can be manifested in battle, symbolizing the pinnacle of royal martial prowess and serving as the most direct proof of the divine right of kings.

The reigning emperor, Ling Jiming, had the reign title Jinghe and six children.

With the Crown Princess Ling Hua deceased, the most likely successors to the throne are the Second Princess Ling Yao and the Third Princess Ling Xuan. As for the Fifth Princess Ling Wei…

Three years ago, during the battle in the northern border, she led her troops deep behind enemy lines, cut off the enemy's supply lines, and made an unparalleled contribution. However, she was also seriously injured due to exhaustion of her mental strength. After that, she indulged in pleasure and became a famous playboy prince in the capital.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

Qing Shu's voice pulled her back to reality.

Ling Wei stood under the plaque of "Jingwu Courtyard" and looked up at it.

The courtyard was dark, and the festive red candles under the eaves had been extinguished, but a faint light shone through the window, as if a small lamp had been left on.

The red silk wrapped around the pillars swayed gently in the night breeze. The entire courtyard was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of leaves in the wind, clearly indicating that people had already settled down and rested.

The attendant leading the way stepped forward and knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, revealing half of a young face. He was a boy of about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a silver-red sash around his waist that indicated his position as the person in charge.

Upon seeing that it was Ling Wei, he was taken aback for a moment, then quickly opened the door and bowed, saying, "This servant, Yun Sui, greets Your Highness. I was unaware that Your Highness was coming so late at night and was unable to greet you. Please forgive me."

Yun Sui lowered her head, not daring to get up, but her hand in her sleeve clenched tightly.

“However… my young master, seeing that it was late and His Highness had already made his way to rest elsewhere, has taken his leave. He is likely already fast asleep, and if he were to rise hastily, his appearance would be disheveled, which would be impolite. Your Highness, what do you think…”

He thought of his young master, a man of extraordinary talent and brilliance, who, even standing beside the late Crown Princess, was like a bright moon, his radiance shining forth.

Now, however, he is to be appointed as a concubine alongside others, carried into the mansion on the same day, and even the red silk ribbons and auspicious characters must be placed in two separate locations.

That was bad enough, but this Fifth Prince even put the young master last in the order of consummating the marriage.

He had been by the young master's side since childhood, and the young master treated him kindly, so he cherished the young master like a precious jewel.

How could he remain calm seeing his son being treated so coldly?

That bit of resentment involuntarily seeped out from his tone.

Qing Shu's expression turned cold, and he took half a step forward.

An invisible pressure, like ice water, quietly spread and enveloped Yun Sui.

Yun Sui's breath hitched, and his face turned pale instantly. He looked up in alarm and met Qing Shu's cold gaze.

This is the suppression of mental power.

In Da Chen, women have an innate ability to suppress men's mental power. An ordinary woman's release of her aura is enough to make an ordinary man slow down and feel fear.

A martial artist like Qing Shu, whose mental power has been honed to perfection, can easily make a defenseless man feel as if he has fallen into an ice cave with just a slight release of his power.

"Steward Yun," Qing Shu's voice was low, carrying the coldness honed by battle, "With His Highness's arrival, everyone in Jingwu Courtyard should be awaiting his orders. Minister Shen's actions, without His Highness's explicit instructions, constitute negligence. As steward, instead of advising your master and preparing for his arrival, you have made excuses and presumptuously speculated about His Highness's intentions—"

The mental pressure intensified.

"Who gave you these rules?"

Yun Sui was drenched in cold sweat, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to her knees.

He suddenly came to his senses. The person in front of him was a prince, a princess, the wife his young master now had to rely on... and a superior who could decide his life or death with a single thought.

The courage that had just arisen from indignation was instantly crushed, leaving only a chilling sense of lingering fear.

Ling Wei stood to the side, gazing absently at the sycamore tree in the courtyard. The night breeze rustled the leaves, and she squinted slightly, letting her hair be ruffled by the wind.

Just then, the door to the main house in the courtyard creaked open.

A figure strode out, crossed the courtyard, and hurried toward the gate.

The moonlight fell perfectly on him.

The person seemed to have only hastily tied up their hair, leaving their long, jet-black hair half-draped over their shoulders. They had put on their bright red wedding dress again, neatly and properly, without a single wrinkle on the collar or cuffs.

He walked quickly, his clothes fluttering lightly in the night breeze, like drifting clouds brushing against the moonlight.

Upon approaching, he slowed his pace, bowed, and performed a smooth and elegant bow, without the slightest flaw.

He looked up.

Ling Wei met a pair of eyes, their light color like glass reflecting in a cold pool.

With a straight nose and pale lips, her entire face resembled a meticulously sculpted jade statue, serene and untouched by worldly dust.

Shen Zhilan, once a stunningly handsome young man.