Chapter 66 The Nightingale's Song It didn't matter that he was toyed with by her, but she could only…

Cui Yiluo was trembling and couldn't utter a single word.

It was indeed she who actively provoked him. Although her initial goal was to use his power to escape the marriage, she found herself increasingly amused by teasing and seducing him. The more he resisted and the more he tried to restrain her with rules, the more she exerted herself to seduce him. It was as if she was destroying a flawless piece of jade, enticing him to break the rules he had followed for over twenty years, each time going deeper and deeper.

He buried his head in her neck again. Yesterday, he had thrust so hard that Cui Yiluo knew without looking that he must have left marks. And now he was tracing the teeth marks he had left yesterday. The pain was accompanied by numbness, and Cui Yiluo was even more direct in her expression.

Suddenly, he let out a muffled groan and gripped her neck even tighter.

The door shook even more violently.

Cui Yiluo could no longer distinguish her own feelings; the pain in her neck was mixed with other sensations, and she was being driven crazy by Jiang Yunjin.

Driven by her body's instincts, her voice involuntarily trembled with tears as she cursed him intermittently, "Jiang Yunjin, are you insane! Are you taking revenge on me?"

Jiang Yunjin did not answer, but instead made her hold him even tighter.

As the sun rose high in the sky, Cui Yiluo leaned weakly against him, only managing to avoid falling heavily to the ground thanks to his strong arms.

He gently pulled at the cheese, and Cui Yiluo's fingers gripped his dark hair tightly. "Jiang Yunjin, are you trying to kill me? I'm really hungry..."

Since being brought to his private residence yesterday, she hadn't rested except when she fell into a deep sleep just before dawn. Jiang Yunjin, naturally, hadn't either. Even after she fell asleep last night, she could still vaguely sense Lang Chao. She knew Jiang Yunjin was skilled with a sword and must have practiced martial arts, but he was, after all, a civil official. Moreover, after he broke the rules for his birthday, Cui Yiluo had witnessed his energy and physique, but she hadn't expected that it was far from his limit.

Right now, she hasn't eaten or drunk anything, and her belly is full of his stuff.

If this continues, she might really die here.

Her sobs seemed to finally awaken Jiang Yunjin's remaining rationality, and he finally agreed to let her go. The place was a mess, with broken teaware and porcelain bottles scattered on the ground. The water stains had dried, and the bright red plum blossom petals were scattered everywhere, some even crushed into mud. The embroidered curtain was even torn and drooping on the ground.

This room, which had been kept tidy by the servants of Jiang Yunjin's private residence, was now in utter chaos, clearly indicating the fierce battle that had taken place there.

Jiang Yunjin carried her back to the bed, picked up the clothes that were scattered on the ground and even stained with water, and put them on. When Cui Yiluo saw the stains, she instantly remembered the situation when she first arrived in this room. She glared at him angrily from Hongzhongchun and then turned her back to him, not wanting to see him again.

Jiang Yunjin's eyes darkened instantly, and he slammed his arms down on her neck, as if punishing her for avoiding him.

Cui Yilu struggled more and more violently. In the pushing and shoving, Jiang Yunjin's clothes became more and more disheveled. Seeing that he was about to lose control again, Cui Yilu bit him hard in anger. The taste of blood spread between her lips and teeth, and only then did he let go of her.

The door opened and closed, but Jiang Yunjin did not leave the bedroom. He simply stood at the door and gave instructions. Soon after, he brought in the food.

Cui Yiluo lay in the brocade quilt, her back to him, her black hair disheveled, revealing teeth marks on her neck and specks of red and purple on her snow-white skin.

When Jiang Yunjin loosely wrapped her in his outer robe and lifted her up in his arms, Cui Yiluo instinctively pushed and kicked him, but he still held her firmly in his arms.

"what you do!"

He straightened the overturned chair, held her tightly as they sat down, his hands holding her legs, and said in his usual tone, "Let's eat."

Cui Yiluo was held tightly in his arms and unable to move, as if she had returned to the carriage yesterday, where he had imprisoned her in the same way, kissing and biting her incessantly.

In the past, he and she would sit facing each other at their meals, separated by a long table and bowls. He would sit upright, adhering to the rule of not speaking while eating, and neither of them would acknowledge the other. Although it was just the two of them, they would each use serving chopsticks to pick up their food and eat their own meals, without even the usual practice of adding dishes between husband and wife.

Right now, Cui Yiluo was sitting on his lap with her clothes disheveled, wearing a loose robe, and was locked in his arms. He even personally served her food. Looking into his dark and calm eyes, and his expression as calm as if he didn't notice anything wrong, Cui Yiluo was so frightened that she kept trying to break free.

"You really want to leave me that badly?"

Jiang Yunjin held her even tighter, so tight that she felt he was becoming part of her very being, and that she would be entangled with him for all eternity.

Cui Yiluo pushed him away forcefully, but he easily subdued her. He held her in his arms and fed her some food. Once she felt better, she tried to break free again.

"Jiang Yunjin! What do you want in return for letting me go?"

“Aro,” he said, holding her close, a gentle kiss on her lips that was different from his forceful actions, yet it enveloped her like an invisible net, “Promise me you will never see him again.”

Cui Yiluo was so flustered that she forgot about everyone else. It took her a while to realize who "he" was in Jiang Yunjin's words. But during this time, she seemed hesitant to others. Jiang Yunjin kissed her more and more intensely, and his anger surged more and more fiercely.

She turned her head away, trying to get a breath of fresh air, but he grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her again. She felt like she was sinking into a deep tide, about to suffocate.

"Do you care about him that much?"

He bit down punishingly, his dark eyes reddening, his voice muffled and hoarse.

Cui Yiluo's chest heaved with excitement, and she scratched another mark on his neck with her fingers. "Are you crazy! When have I ever cared about him?"

She didn't understand a word he said in the carriage yesterday, and even doubted whether she had misheard. She couldn't understand how Jiang Yunjin could have connected Yuan Ling with her.

Jiang Yunjin paused for a moment, his dark eyes fixed on her. He suddenly chuckled, but there was no smile in his eyes, only sarcasm and self-mockery.

Even knowing that Yuan Ling was nothing more than a toy in her heart, someone she would discard like him once she grew tired of him, not occupying any place in her heart and not much better off than him, and that he felt no joy in her heart either. It didn't matter that he was being toyed with by her, but she could only toy with him, could only have him in her eyes, and could only have him by her side.

Cui Yiluo looked at him and saw a hint of obsession in his eyes that she had never seen before. She repeated, "Promise me, A-Luo, that you will never see him again."

Cui Yiluo turned her head away from him.

The icy fingers traced her face, a chill spreading through her. The extremely light touch brought a ticklish sensation, and Cui Yiluo tried to back away even more, but her evasive actions undoubtedly broke the camel's back.

The empty bowls and cups fell to the ground and shattered, blending into the other broken objects scattered around the room. Cui Yiluo sat facing him, her back against the table.

He placed his large hand on her back to prevent her from getting hurt from the table, while his other hand gripped her waist tightly, leaving her no room to break free.

As if to comfort her, as if to provoke her, he looked at her with heavy eyes, taking in everything about her, and said in a stammering tone, "Isn't this what you like?"

Cui Yiluo remembered the past, perhaps out of anger, she couldn't speak, her legs kept struggling, but she still sat steadily.

She used to like being in control, but now she's not actively in control; she's forced into it, and she doesn't even have to put in the effort.

In just a few days, Cui Yiluo felt that her memory was blurry and unclear. She seemed to have never been sober. But she was certain that although Jiang Yunjin was out of control, he was perfectly lucid.

Amidst the turmoil, he continued to pressure her to promise never to see Yuan Ling again.

In her dazed state, she couldn't remember anyone else, only that the person in front of her was a madman. Her rebellious nature was stirred up, and the more he pressured her, the less she would agree. In the end, the two fought fiercely, and neither of them came out on top.

During meals, servants would place the food outside the courtyard, and Jiang Yunjin would put on his outer robe and take it back to his room. Only at this time would Cui Yiluo feel that he had regained a trace of his former aloof and ascetic demeanor. But only at this moment, after the meal, everything would be different.

To prevent her from escaping, he even locked all the doors and windows, including the bathroom doors and windows, leaving her no chance of escape.

Even during meals, he would hold her in his arms and feed her himself. At first, Cui Yiluo tried to struggle, but she was too exhausted to do so and could only nestle in his arms and eat with his help.

On the fifth day, through the window, it seemed the snow that had been falling intermittently for several days had stopped. After Cui Yiluo had been bathed in his arms, he finally withdrew, and she slumped into the brocade quilt, utterly exhausted. In her drowsy state, she heard him order someone to bring clean robes, and before leaving, he seemed to caress her lips again, as if reluctant to part.

After the door opened and closed, the messy room fell into complete silence. Cui Yiluo knew that he must have locked the doors and windows, so she stopped trying to escape and fell into a deep sleep wrapped in the brocade quilt.

On the other side, a tall figure sat on horseback, driving his horse away from Qingchi Lane and heading towards the Jiang residence.

In Madam Jiang's courtyard, ever since the day the eldest son sent people to forcibly return Miss Wang's belongings along with her, Madam Jiang was furious but couldn't find her for several days. She even smashed several medicine bowls in anger. As a result, the servants in the courtyard dared not breathe loudly, for fear of being punished by Madam Jiang if they made a mistake. Even Madam Jiang's personal maid, Minggu, was extremely careful when serving medicine.

Therefore, upon hearing that Jiang Yunjin had returned to the mansion and had taken the initiative to see Old Madam Jiang, all the servants in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you still know how to come back?" In the hall, the matriarch of the Jiang family looked much more haggard, but her eyes still shone with sharp anger as she stared at her grandson, who stood upright in the hall. "Where have you been for the past five days?! Although His Majesty granted you a few days' leave because of your meritorious service on your trip to Yunzhou, you shouldn't have been so indulgent. Not going to the government office was one thing, but not even returning to the mansion? Do you have any respect for rules?"

What unsettled her most was that she couldn't find out Jiang Yunjin's whereabouts, which meant that he was deliberately keeping it from her.

Thinking of this, Old Madam Jiang's breathing became increasingly uneven, and she angrily slammed her ebony cane down. Minggu, who was standing nearby, was so frightened that she quickly tried to soothe her.

Jiang Yunjin stood with his back straight, his figure blocking the sunlight from entering the hall, making his cold and resolute face, hidden in the shadows, appear even more gloomy.

He said calmly, "Grandmother, I'm all grown up now, and I don't need to report my actions to you. I've come today to discuss the Jiang family business with you."

Madam Jiang paused for a moment, her attention drawn to his last sentence, and temporarily ignored his previous disobedience and disregard for rules. Her expression softened, and her tone became gentler: "It's good that you have some rationality. Grandmother knows that it was indeed difficult for you to break the family rules and take Aheng as a secondary wife, but it was unavoidable. It's good that you can understand this. Besides, Madam Cui has agreed, so you don't need to feel guilty towards her."

Jiang Yunjin suddenly let out a cold laugh, a hint of mockery appearing on his stern face. The fact that such an expression suddenly appeared on the usually polite person startled both Old Madam Jiang and Minggu.

"Shenzhi, you..."

Jiang Yunjin nodded slightly and said, word by word, "Did you force Yiluo to agree with what Grandmother said, or did she agree on her own?"

A muffled thud echoed through the hall as Old Madam Jiang slammed her ebony cane on the ground. "You mean Grandmother forced Cui Shi? Jiang Shenzhi, do you have any filial piety left?"

“Grandmother, to be honest with you, you are getting old and should be enjoying your retirement. You don’t need to worry about the household affairs. I’ve come today to take the Jiang family’s account books and the keys to the accounting office and hand them all over to Yiluo.”

Before Old Madam Jiang could speak in her fury, Jiang Yunjin continued firmly, "Moreover, when I first told you that I wanted to marry Yiluo, I said that I would only marry Yiluo in this lifetime. So, please stop deliberately targeting Yiluo in the future. I have tolerated you long enough. And please don't try to find me wives or concubines, whether they are equal wives or concubines, I will not marry any of them."

Old Madam Jiang gripped her ebony cane tightly, trembling with anger. How could she not remember that day when her usually obedient and promising grandson, who had never done anything out of line except for his rebellious act at the age of fifteen, suddenly became determined to marry Cui Yiluo, rigidly insisting on taking responsibility, rejecting her suggestion to take a concubine, and even saying that he would only marry one person in his life.

It was precisely for this reason that she used family discipline on him for the first time that day. But no matter how hard she hit him, he still wouldn't let go. People around her began to persuade her, fearing that she might hurt Jiang Yunjin, so she had no choice but to temporarily agree. But Cui was cunning and came from a humble background. How could she manage such a large family business? She had been looking for an opportunity, and since she had already taken responsibility, whether she divorced him or remarried, it would always be a win-win situation for the Jiang family.

Wang Yuheng was the perfect choice. If it weren't for her affection for her grandson, given her background, she would never have been willing to lower herself to be a secondary wife and submit to Cui, a woman from a humble family.

But she never expected that her grandson would be so determined to make her give up, and even tolerate her for so long.

Old Madam Jiang was furious with disappointment. Her hand trembled as she pointed at him: "This is disobedience! Don't you remember what happened to you last time you were disobedient? You killed your parents! Your parents died because of your disobedience. You don't remember such a terrible consequence after six years?"

Jiang Yunjin's face darkened when his deceased parents were mentioned.

Just when Madam Jiang thought his attitude had softened, he suddenly spoke, half of his face shrouded in darkness, radiating coldness: "Since Grandmother still remembers what happened six years ago, she should also remember where I went six years ago."

Old Madam Jiang paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Six years ago you went to Ning..."

Before she could finish speaking, she seemed to finally realize what was happening and turned pale with shock.

"You and the Cui family have long been..."

Jiang Yunjin slowly raised his eyes: "Yes."

Author's Note: A Luo: I never expected to provoke such a heavyweight! [shrug][heart emoji]

Thank you so much for the nutrient solution and landmines, everyone! [heart emoji]