Chapter 47 I want to marry you and make you the Duchess of the State…

Ever since the news of Pei Xiaoyun punishing the two maids spread, everyone knows that the woman living in the courtyard is not to be offended.

Therefore, no one dared to get close to or speak to Mingying.

After Mingying got up, she sat there blankly, being watched by the servants as she ate her three meals a day, watching the sun rise and set as if there was no end in sight.

The servants finished serving her and hurriedly left. No one was willing to say more than a few words to her. The only one who persistently spoke to her every day was Pei Xiaoyun.

But she was unwilling to say much to him.

"You only drank half a bowl of the donkey-hide gelatin chicken soup that was simmering in the kitchen?"

Pei Xiaoyun dined with her as usual. She became taciturn, but he preferred to deceive himself into believing that she was just sick and that he would make her go back to how she used to be.

He found a mild and gentle poison from the Wuhuan people, called Nianchen San, which was colorless and odorless.

This medicine will not harm the body. Just take a few drops of fresh blood as a guide and add it to her food for seven consecutive days. This will make her dependent on it and forget the sad things of the past, including people.

Plant this poison so that she will forget Lin Xian and start anew with me.

Everything can go back to the way it was before.

He kept a close eye on her diet, both to help her recover and to help the medicine take effect sooner.

"I can't drink it." Mingying pushed the soup bowl away.

She didn't notice anything wrong with the food; it was just that too many sad and complicated old memories were piling up in her mind, and she had no appetite at all.

"You have to drink it even if you can't." Pei Xiaoyun slowly filled her bowl to the brim and said gently, "Your health is too poor, it's not good to get pregnant. What will happen in the future? We only have one daughter. Don't you want to have a bunch of children to dote on you?"

Mingying's lips trembled, and her face flushed red with excessive anger.

How could he be so shameless?

"Don't go too far," she said through gritted teeth, her words ringing out.

It's already come to this; it's just a tragic love affair.

He actually wants a child, to use an innocent life to fill the gaps in his broken heart and achieve his goal?

Seeing her angry expression, Pei Xiaoyun's pale and lifeless face finally regained a bit of life. He suddenly laughed heartily, the sound echoing in the empty room, sending chills down one's spine.

"Alright, we'll talk about the child later. You should focus on getting better first. Good news has come from the Northwest, and I'll reunite you and your siblings soon."

He knew how to manipulate her.

He could manipulate her heart at will, find her fatal flaws, and crush her one by one.

This silent coercion made Mingying's heart pound.

Yes, she still has her brother. Even if Pei Xiaoyun won't do anything to her brother, she absolutely cannot let her family suffer any more harm because of her.

She glared at him, then reached out her cold fingertips, touched the hot bowl, and drank the soup in one gulp.

Pei Xiaoyun's gaze lingered on her sipping soup, his dark eyes deep and confident.

Fearing she wouldn't eat properly, he ordered someone to add medicine to her tea and medicine.

With such meticulous planning, Mingying naturally couldn't escape his scheme.

A few days later, for some reason, she felt sleepy and drowsy all the time, and each time she slept, her mind became more and more confused.

On Lin Xian's birthday, she was somewhat bewildered. She still remembered his name and appearance, and how he had died.

But her eyes only stung slightly, and the piercing pain gradually faded away.

She felt she was ill, and without Pei Xiaoyun having anyone urge her, she would take her medicine on her own every day.

The more medicine she drank, the more hazy her memory became. Among those past memories, only two people were deeply imprinted in her mind—one was her brother, and the other was Pei Xiaoyun.

Why did she become like this?

She knew there were some people she could never forget.

While her mind was still relatively clear, she took out a pen and paper and wrote Lin Xian's name on it, forcing herself to recall the mountains and rivers they had traveled together and every little thing about him. But as she thought about it, when she looked at the words on the paper again, she found that she had to try hard to recall his facial features.

Large tears fell onto the paper, and she sobbed on the table, but she couldn't tell where the pain came from.

When Pei Xiaoyun entered, he heard a soft, cat-like sob. He saw her half-lying on the table, with a piece of paper under her, covered with Lin Xian's handwriting. His expression was gloomy as he slowly walked over.

"What are you doing?"

Mingying straightened up, wiped away her tears, and regained her composure.

His voice seemed to carry a silent guidance, prompting her to say the next thing.

"Practicing calligraphy."

Pei Xiaoyun was clearly shocked by her unhesitating answer. In the past, she would not answer a single question even if he said ten to her, as if she were a block of wood.

He silently counted the days. Half a month had passed since he drugged her food. Judging from the current situation, the drug was probably taking effect.

He sat down, crumpled the paper covered in writing into a ball, and threw it out the window. "The paper is dirty. Write another one."

Mingying merely glanced at him indifferently, her eyes calm and unwavering, as if what he had thrown out was nothing more than a piece of waste paper.

Seeing this, Pei Xiaoyun's eyebrows lit up with joy. He sat down beside her, put his arm around her, took her hand, and placed it on his own skin: "I'm not writing anymore, I'm a little tired. Can you give me a massage?"

When Mingying's fingertips touched his skin, she felt a sharp pain in her heart and instinctively recoiled.

The thought of his despicable and shameless behavior, his humiliation, bullying, coercion, and threats against her sent chills down her spine, and she did not want to be so close to him.

"What's wrong? You don't want to? You're mine." Pei Xiaoyun grabbed her slightly cool wrist, speaking in a seductive, low, husky voice.

Mingying's ears and mind were in complete chaos, and a booming sound gradually rose.

The hatred for him has not dissipated.

At the same time, it was as if something was gradually pulling her body and mind, shattering that slight resistance.

On one side is reason, on the other is temptation, trying to tear her whole being to pieces.

Her fingertips followed his movement and landed on his forehead.

She carefully recalled how to serve him, remembering those actions perfectly clearly.

Pei Xiaoyun had not received such attentive service from her in a long time; her slender, soft fingertips were like a stream of living water, slowly flowing into his heart.

He rested his head on her lap, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Mingying bit her lip tightly. She didn't know why she was like this, why things were so calm between her and him, or why she was willing to do this.

"Am I sick?" She kept doubting herself, kept getting lost in a daze, and finally asked this question.

“You’re not sick.” Pei Xiaoyun suddenly opened his eyes, took her hand, and said to her, “Your illness is cured. Perhaps it was just that you were not used to the climate in the north. I’m almost done with things in Xuzhou. I’ll take you back to Hangzhou in a few days.”

She was sick before.

He is now slowly healing her.

That medicine really worked; even a small amount could melt a stubborn rock into soft water.

Before long, she will be able to completely forget those people.

Although the medicine "Forget-Dust Powder" does not harm the body, it is more potent than ordinary poisons, and doctors cannot diagnose it at all. Therefore, when He Lianqing took Mingying's pulse, he did not find anything wrong with her.

Mingying trusted him, and after hearing what he said, she no longer doubted that she was sick.

But if it weren't for the illness, it would undoubtedly have caused her even more pain.

How could she have become like this? Her resistance towards her enemy is weakening...

Pei Xiaoyun felt that life had returned to normal; he would leave early and return late, and she would wait for him in the room.

She was docile and obedient, no longer strongly resisting him. Except for still not liking to talk or laugh, she satisfied him in every way.

Perhaps realizing his debt to her, he had another plan in mind.

The court is not very stable now, and some deeply rooted powerful families still hold real power. Those old men are all planning to do everything they can to send women to him.

He needs to marry the daughter of a virtuous minister as soon as possible, both to dissuade those people from having such thoughts and to gain external assistance in eliminating powerful families.

He asked himself honestly, and he didn't want to marry any other woman. At this point, marrying Mingying wouldn't be a bad idea.

But her position was too awkward; she couldn't handle that role.

After much thought, he decided to take this opportunity to give her a completely new identity, so that she wouldn't have any wild thoughts and feel that she was of low status, saying that she was no different from a prostitute, and that he might not treat her well.

When he returned home, Mingying was reading a book. The orange-yellow light shone on her face, making her look serene and beautiful.

Upon seeing him return, Mingying put down her book, and the maids filed in and smoothly set out the meal.

She was like a puppet, but now she would take the initiative to repeat her daily actions, going over to have a meal with him.

Pei Xiaoyun opened a bag of pastries, revealing the translucent pastry skin: "Mian'er, I brought you your favorite translucent glutinous rice cakes."

As Mingying gazed at the few pastries, memories of the translucent glutinous rice cakes flooded her mind, surging like waves.

She unconsciously recalled the days she spent with him in Yangzhou, when he would bring her glutinous rice cakes after returning from his official duties.

She had clearly sealed these memories away, making them the most hated taboo in her life, yet for some reason, they would uncontrollably leak out again.

"Eat."

Urged on by him, she picked up a piece, took a bite of the soft, chewy skin, and her lips were stained with some sticky red bean paste.

The skin is thin and the filling is fragrant, and the red bean paste is also very smooth and creamy, but it just has no flavor.

She stuffed her mouthfuls in, her cheeks bulging, swallowing with difficulty.

Pei Xiaoyun took a clean handkerchief and wiped her mouth, causing her to back away slightly. He then pressed her shoulder and said, "Why are you dodging? Let me wipe it for you."

Mingying froze into a stone, and the force that had driven her to dodge was strangely dispelled by his words.

Pei Xiaoyun looked closely at her face; it was serene and beautiful, indescribably pleasing to the eye.

She did whatever he said; she ate whatever he bought.

She wouldn't resist, wouldn't struggle, and wouldn't speak ill of him; this was the kind of woman he wanted to see.

"Mian'er, I want to marry you and make you the Duchess of the State, what do you say?" he suddenly said with a smile, looking at her reaction with anticipation.

She didn't want to be his concubine, yet he bestowed such great favor upon her. Now that Lin Xian, that eyesore, is dispensable in her heart, she would be extremely willing to accept it.

Mingying's fingertips trembled, and the half-piece of translucent rice cake fell onto her shoe, landing on the ground covered in dust.

Marry her? Make her the Duchess of the State?

These words were like a dense net, coming from all directions and binding her tightly.

She suppressed her ragged breathing; her head was spinning.

When she met his dark eyes, which gleamed with an eerie light, she felt as if she had been struck hard with a club, and with all her might, she dispelled the fog of confusion.

A rare glimmer of clarity appeared in her eyes as she spoke, word by word: "I—don't—want."

Why not?

Pei Xiaoyun's voice suddenly deepened, and overwhelming darkness entered his eyes. He forcefully pulled her into his arms, his voice hoarse: "You're willing to reject me? Are you willing to watch me marry another woman?"

Mingying's heart pounded, and she felt waves of sharp pain.

He was the person she hated most, and she would never agree to be with him.

"I don't……"

Pei Xiaoyun sealed her lips with his fingertip and whispered in her ear, "Mian'er, in this world, only I love you. No other man will treat you so well. If you become my wife, I will never take a concubine. In a few years, when the Northwest is stable, I will transfer your brother back to the capital and promote him. Then, with our daughter, our family will be reunited. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Don't you want that?"

Mingying was stunned. For a moment, she actually went along with his words and looked forward to that kind of day.

To be his lawfully wedded wife, not a servant who pours tea, fetches water, and orders him around...

Ice and fire intertwined within her body, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Pei Xiaoyun was losing patience and was unwilling to wait for her answer any longer.

Once he's made up his mind, no one can refuse him.

He placed a document in Mingying's hand and guided her to open it: "This is your new identity. From now on, memorize it. You are no longer a lowly maid; you are a noble lady from a prestigious family. We are a match made in heaven."

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Author's Note: The poison was the male protagonist's last resort after running out of options; the female protagonist will later turn the tables on him.

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Recommend similar serialized novels by friends and family!

Title: Spring Terrace Imprisoned by the Moon, Author: Shui Chuying

A resilient and gentle young lady meets a mad and lecherous powerful minister. A 1v1 melodramatic, forceful, and thrilling story, full of intense emotions and a high-octane, dramatic twist! If you want to see the male lead desperately pursuing his wife, go check it out!

The following is the text of the article:

Meng Fuyue was the eldest daughter of a former prime minister. Her father resigned from his official post and went into seclusion, opening his own pharmacy in the capital.

She was dressed in plain clothes, with clear and beautiful features. She was gentle and mild-mannered, neither arrogant nor spoiled. She had a particular interest in medicine and often sat in the pharmacy to see patients and dispense medicine.

Betrothed since childhood, she and the Crown Prince were mutually in love.

On her wedding day, amidst a sea of ​​red bridal decorations, Meng Fuyue sat in the bridal sedan chair, filled with joy, believing that from then on she would live a life of marital harmony and peace.

Unexpectedly, she was attacked on the way, and when she woke up again, she was locked in a dark room.

In the dim light, she could see who had imprisoned her.

It was the boy who huddled outside the pharmacy, shivering, on that snowy day several years ago.

The boy was cold all over, as if he had contracted a strange disease. She couldn't diagnose the illness, but she still felt pity for him and handed him a bowl of medicine to dispel the cold.

Who would have thought that he would repay kindness with enmity today...

*

Xie Lingheng came from a poor family and had nothing. He wanted supreme power, wealth and honor, and to stand above all others, but he only wanted one person.

I still remember that year when it snowed heavily in Kyoto, she came walking through the snow, her beauty radiant, like a bright moon with clear and dignified light.

Later, he overheard that she was about to get married to the Crown Prince... Xie Lingheng sat alone until dawn, his eyes deep and somber.

On the day of the Crown Prince's wedding, seeing that she had been tricked and her bridal sedan chair stolen by villains, he took advantage of the chaos to devise a plan and imprison her in a small courtyard.

"What kind of betrothal gifts are these, the three letters and six rites?" That evening, Xie Lingheng's eyes flickered slightly, concealing his jealousy. "I prepared a golden cage and jade lock for Miss Meng..."

Whether she hates him or resents him, this time he will never let go.

*

Meng Fuyue never imagined that she would be trapped in a dark room by a madman, becoming a caged bird.

After her resistance proved futile, she spoke sweet nothings to him against her will and served him diligently every night, pretending to be obedient and compliant.

One day, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, she secretly slipped the prepared medicine into his tea. Watching him finally fall into a deep sleep, she fled that cage without looking back.

Meng Fuyue hid on a merchant ship heading north, and for the first time, a dream arose in her heart: perhaps in the future she could open a clinic and meet a good man to grow old with.

The next day, the coarse cloth curtain was lifted, and she closed her eyes in despair: "What will it take for you to let me go, sir?"

The man pulled her into his arms, his words ruthless and cold: "Unless I die."

*

Xie Lingheng schemed and plotted his entire life, manipulating events in the imperial court, yet he ultimately fell victim to one man.

At first, he thought, "She's just a woman; if she doesn't want to, I'll just keep her by my side." Later, he thought, "She's stubborn, so I'll tame her and make her obey and stay by my side."

But he couldn't hold her heart.

She would gently thank the servants who brought her food, and smile faintly at the birds outside the window, but when facing him, she was nothing but an empty shell.

That night she drank a fruit wine with a strong aftereffect and was quite tipsy.

He stepped forward to help her, but she suddenly grabbed his sleeve. He heard her pleading, "Please take me away, I'll go anywhere as long as I can get away from him..."

At that moment, he realized that everything can be planned and seized, but love cannot be forced.