Xie Yuancheng winked at me. I pulled the thin blanket tighter, my heart pounding. I must never talk to anyone in front of Xie Yuancheng again, or he will scheme against me.

"Ying'er~ Don't be afraid of me, I won't say anything to you~"

The closer he got to me, the more I wanted to back away. "Okay, back away a little, or I'll yell."

"Huh? What are you shouting for? If you get misunderstood, you'll have to go out with your head down again, and I'll feel so bad for you."

Xie Yuancheng was smiling at me. I closed my eyes and begged for mercy, saying I would do whatever he said, just please stop looking at me like that. Luckily, he had a conscience; he just let me lean against him and checked me over to see if anything was wrong.

"My hair is all messed up. Look, there's my hair all over the carriage!" My hair is already quite long, and I don't tie it up properly. As long as I'm lying down, it's all over the place.

"It's all thanks to my good care that Ying'er's hair is so shiny~" He started boasting again. I buried my head in his arms, thinking that was enough to let me off the hook.

Thankfully, Xie Yuancheng didn't do anything else after that, which was a relief. He's really outrageous when he's angry. But since I was the one who started it all, I just have to put up with it.

After three long days, under Xie Yuancheng's intense control, I finally arrived safely in the capital. Seeing the familiar city gates, I really wanted to go home.

"Yuancheng~" I lifted the carriage curtain to look at him. Xie Yuancheng, that bastard, all he knows is to look into the distance. I still wouldn't give up and continued, "I'm going back to the manor. You go to the Ninth Prince's manor first, and I'll go later, okay?"

"No!" came the curt reply. Before I could say anything, he rode off on his horse. His bad temper hasn't improved at all these past two days; I'm so angry, I'm hugging my pillow.

"Phew~ I can finally get out." The kingfisher flew out, and I reached out to tug at its wing. This little bird flies so fast. "Don't be angry. It's not like I offended Marquis Anle. Don't worry, I'll go and take a look for you."

It really did fly away. I still had so many complaints to say to it, so I could only sulk in the carriage. I must come up with a plan to make Xie Yuancheng pay for all the suffering I've endured, so that he won't have me completely under his thumb in the future.

The carriage kept moving without stopping. Xie Yuancheng rode his horse in front and didn't come to the carriage. I used this time to think slowly, occasionally lifting the curtain to look out.

As the carriage turned the corner, I heard voices. When I lifted the curtain, I saw the main road opposite. Was it the Second Prince? Had he been released?

The Second Prince saw me too, his eyes crinkling with laughter. I quickly closed the carriage curtain. What bad luck! Why did I have to run into him? Was the woman next to him just now Caiwei?

Wait a minute, didn't Caiwei already go back to Chequ Kingdom? Why is she still clinging to the Second Prince? Even if the Second Prince is handsome and charming, he's still a scoundrel. How could he possibly be sincere towards her?

I was thinking about something when the carriage curtain was lifted. I was very curious about how Xie Yuancheng managed to get in from the outside without the carriage stopping.

"You're not even curious about me anymore? Who was talking to me just now?" Humph! Why didn't you come earlier? What are you doing here now? I'm not telling him.

"Ying'er~ We're in the capital, not Linyang. You can go wherever you want."

"Also, now that you're married, you're mine. Don't always think about coming home, making it seem like I'm mistreating you. Master is already at the manor; I'll wait until I get there to explain things to him."

"You're ignoring everyone. Who was it that promised to listen to me on the way?"

"Still not going to speak? We really can't go to the Ji residence, but I promise you'll see them when we leave in five days, okay?"

"Ying'er." Xie Yuancheng, seeing that I didn't reply, sat obediently next to me. "You really can't go. Just bear with it for a while, and we'll meet again later. Yu'er will take it back to us. Don't worry, I'm not lying to you about this."

"Hmph~" I rolled my eyes at him and went to sit by the carriage. Before I could move, Xie Yuancheng pulled me over.

"Don't be angry. You were the one who made the mistake these past few days. I was just punishing you according to the original plan. I didn't do anything else."

He was rubbing my hair, but I wouldn't look at him. Xie Yuancheng then reached out and pinched my cheek, forcing me to look at him, but I wouldn't listen.

"You're always like this. If it were someone else, we probably would have started arguing by now. Look how good I am to you and how understanding I am."

"I think even if you search every corner of the Great Zhao, you won't find anyone who treats you as well as I do. If you still ignore me, I'll get off the carriage and leave you all alone!"

Hmph! Fine, I'll go then. I can only play in the Ninth Prince's mansion anyway. I'll make him pay for all the humiliation I've suffered these past few days, so he won't dare to act arrogantly in front of me!

"Ying'er~ Don't ignore me~ Every time I come to the capital, I always think about how you broke up with me. You were so mean back then~" Xie Yuancheng leaned on my shoulder like a little darling, blowing on me from time to time.

I was holding back a laugh, determined to make him pretend to be really obedient, otherwise I wouldn't tell him what I had just seen.

"Ying'er~ Look at me, I'm so pretty~" Xie Yuancheng came and took my hand, blinking at me like Yu'er. I just wouldn't lower my head, but he still reached out to make me look at him.

"I'm tired, I need to rest~" I leaned to the other side to rest, and Xie Yuancheng teased me with the jade pendant in his hand. He could definitely tell that I was pretending to be angry.

"Ying'er~ How can you be tired? Did you forget what you promised me?"

"No! I'm exhausted. Go sleep over there. I need a room. You're not allowed in, and you can't sleep or wake up with me!"

"What did you say?" I wanted to cover my mouth, but I blurted out my angry words. Xie Yuancheng's tone was not good. I turned to look at him, his face was uncertain, and then I nodded.

It's so frustrating! He's clearly being overbearing, so why should I have to compromise? Xie Yuancheng helped me up, saying we'd be at the Prince's mansion soon, so I'd better just bear with it for now.

"I'll give you a good wash and massage your shoulders in a bit. You've worked so hard outside, I can't let Ying'er get tired."

He's so talkative. I don't know who made me so upset. I propped myself up on my hands and didn't say a word. I can't go back to the Ji residence, and I can't sleep on the fragrant bed I've lain on for eighteen years. I'm so heartbroken.

"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng told me to lie on his lap to rest. I covered my face with a handkerchief and didn't look at him. "You little rascal, you just know how to threaten me. This time it's really not going to work. We still need to be careful."

"You talk too much!" That's what he used to say about me, so I'll just give it back to him. Xie Yuancheng laughed and said I was petty. I snorted and tried to lift the carriage curtain, but he stopped me.

"I just saw someone, which is very strange. What if someone is watching outside?"

"Who?" Xie Yuancheng narrowed his eyes. I deliberately smiled and turned to the other side, letting him scheme against me on the way. Now it was my turn. "Look at your smug little face. Are you going to tell me or not?"