Chapter 22 Punishment (including announcement of entry into the VIP section)...
After comforting Aunt Xue, Chi Ying stayed with her at Chunliu Garden all night. Before dawn, she left again in the same outfit, following a maidservant, disguised as a maidservant who would help the princess wash up and prepare breakfast in the morning, and quietly returned to Chaohua Garden.
Xiangqin carefully removed her makeup, then washed and dressed her up again. She hadn't slept all night, and the dark circles under her eyes were covered with powder.
When she stepped out again, her hair was piled high like snow, and she wore brocade robes. Even the guards, with their sharp eyes, could hardly connect the thin, unremarkable girl in the dark with the incomparably beautiful princess before them.
Cheng Huai remained respectful, but a complex emotion flashed in his eyes as he watched the princess's retreating figure.
Chi Ying arrived at the Osmanthus Courtyard.
Madam Yin had anticipated that she would agree, and raised her eyebrows, saying, "What, have you thought it through? Do you want to go back to your life of luxury, or have your mother stop taking her medicine and wait to die in Chunliu Garden?"
Seeing the corners of her mouth, Chi Ying felt extremely disgusted. She took a deep breath and said, "I can continue to pretend to be the second sister and stay in the palace. However, I can use any of the money in the dowry. I will also take my mother out of the palace as soon as possible and settle her in a nearby place. From now on, my mother will not need to take care of her."
Madam Yin immediately glared angrily: "You still want a dowry? That's just wishful thinking."
Although the Changyuan Marquis's daughter was a concubine's daughter who was married off in place of another, she was presented to the outside world as the legitimate daughter. It took almost half of the manor's treasury to put together this respectable dowry. They didn't expect her to stay in the Zhaowang Mansion for long. All of this dowry had to be taken back intact. How dare she ask for such an exorbitant amount!
Chi Ying said coldly, "Mother promised to take good care of my mother, but secretly she used cheap medicine to get by. How can I trust Mother?"
Madam Yin's face was extremely pale.
Chi Ying said, "My only wish is for my mother to be healthy, but my mother can't do that. So why should I risk my identity being exposed and stay in that den of wolves for my second sister?"
She saw the hatred and hesitation in Madam Yin's eyes, raised an eyebrow and said softly, "Let me guess, why is Second Sister unwilling to return to her original place? Is it because she has found a better match?"
Madam Yin's brow twitched: "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Chi Ying laughed and said, "Second sister wouldn't even be a princess, but instead hides in a villa, not daring to show her true face and identity to anyone. And Mother not only isn't angry, but instead shows a smug expression. If she hasn't found another good match, then what is it?"
Madam Yin was so angry that her face contorted and veins throbbed on her forehead: "You..."
Chi Ying knew that she had guessed most of the truth. "If Mother doesn't want me to expose this matter, then agree to my conditions. My mother and I will just die, but the Changyuan Marquis's Mansion will definitely not escape the crime of deceiving the emperor. As for Second Sister, she will be guilty of multiple crimes. I wonder how a woman in our dynasty is punished for adultery?"
The word "adultery" pierced Yin's heart like a sharp sword. Yet the voice was terrifyingly calm, as if suppressed to the extreme, making Yin believe that she was truly capable of anything.
Chi Ying let out a soft breath and said finally, "I have said all I need to say. I believe Mother has already made her decision."
Madam Yin trembled all over, staring intently at her departing figure, her eyes almost spitting fire.
The carriage traveled all the way to Prince Zhao's residence.
Because she hadn't slept the night before and was overwhelmed with emotion, Chi Ying's head was throbbing with pain. She rested for a while, supporting her forehead with her hand, and pondered the next steps.
She wanted to buy a house for her mother so that she would not suffer any more mistreatment in the Chi family. She also wanted to have a dowry to rely on so that she would not be short of money. She could buy a few good maids to take care of her mother's medicine and daily life, and the Jiji Dan could continue to be used.
Today she took a desperate gamble, never expecting to actually have Yin Shi under her control.
Last night she guessed that perhaps Chi Yingyue had climbed the social ladder, and that person's family background and status were even comparable to that of Prince Zhao. Otherwise, why would Madam Yin's behavior be so different before and after? Today, when she tested her with words, Madam Yin's excessive emotions clearly proved that her guess was correct.
However, Chi Ying had no time to concern herself with Chi Yingyue's private affairs. The most important thing right now was to live peacefully in the Prince Zhao's residence and find an opportunity to bring her mother out of the Chi residence and settle her properly.
However, figuring out how to properly settle her mother without attracting attention was another problem.
By the time they returned to the Prince's residence, it was past noon.
Exhausted from the past few days, Chi Ying felt as if her head was stuffed with cotton, and her headache made her somewhat delirious. She simply didn't go to Yan Gui Lou to see King Zhao, and she didn't eat lunch either. She went back to Shu Yu Zhai and lay down.
Close your eyes, and dreams come flooding in.
She saw her mother being mistreated by Madam Yin, and no matter how desperately she cried and begged, she couldn't save her.
She dreamt again that her identity was exposed, and King Zhao grabbed her by the neck, smiling as he said, "Chi Ying, you deserve to die..."
Half-asleep, she felt a very light touch on the corner of her eye, a warm, moist sensation amidst the cool, refreshing scent of incense, gently licking away the tears on her face...
Chi Ying's hazy consciousness slowly gathered, and she finally realized that someone was beside her on the pillow. She almost suddenly opened her eyes.
It was already dark, but the candlelight inside the room was bright.
The man's handsome features were right in front of me.
Their breaths touched, and his warm, deep voice almost brushed against her eardrums.
"In your dream you called out 'Mother' twelve times and 'Your Highness' seven times... Were you calling me 'Your Highness'?"
Chi Ying stared at him in astonishment. Her back was pressed against the warm and soft brocade quilt, but she felt as if she were in ice and snow, and a chill suddenly rose in her body.
How long has he been here? Did she speak in her dream?
Did they also mention his mother?
Noticing that the person beneath her was breathing heavily and remained silent for a long time, Yan Xue's smile deepened.
Chi Ying felt a chill run down her spine from his laughter. Suppressing her panic, she quickly replied, "Your Highness, I dreamt of you..."
"Lying." Yan Xuecui's fingertips traced her neck, a cold chuckle in her voice. "How should I punish you?"
Chi Ying's eyelashes trembled slightly. Before she could react to what he meant, her earlobe was captured by the man's warm lips and tongue.
It wasn't a gentle kiss, but rather a punitive one, as the teeth nibbled and ground along the earlobe inch by inch.
A hot, itchy sensation intertwined with a tingling, numbing pain, like a whistling electric current instantly coursing through my limbs and bones.
Chi Ying's ears turned bright red, and she bit her lower lip tightly, but in the end she couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
A note from the author:
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Hooray! [Laughing][Laughing] The next chapter will finally be a VIP chapter! [Heart][Heart] 100 random red envelopes will be given away for the VIP chapter! [Kiss][Kiss] The writing progressed rapidly after Aying's identity was revealed, and I had so much fun writing it! I hope everyone will support Qingqing! [Shy][Shy]
Just a heads up about the update schedule after the VIP chapter begins. There will be no update tomorrow night at 10 PM, but a two-hour delay of 10,000 words, meaning the update will be at midnight tomorrow night. For the first three days of VIP chapters, all updates will be at midnight. Remember to come and support me, my darlings! [laughing emoji]
Please add my pre-order novel, "Waking Up Next to My Fiancé's Brother's Pillow," to your favorites! [Purple Heart]
One-sentence summary: After being forced into love, lie down and let yourself be pampered.
When Pei Yaoyin woke up, she found herself lying next to her fiancé's powerful older brother.
(Shocking triple image.jpg)
I dare not open my eyes, hoping it's just my imagination...
She adjusted her sleeping position, opened her eyes again, and saw it was indeed him... Ahhhhhh!
The man's eyes were like icy pools, and he gave a sinister smile: "Yaoyao doesn't want to see me?"
Pei Yaoyin then realized that she had been knocked unconscious and kidnapped, and given as a wedding gift to her fiancé's cousin, Marquis Jingbei, Xiao Liyuan.
This powerful minister, who was usually indifferent and distant towards her, seemed to have no intention of sending her home to marry, but instead kept her locked up by his side.
According to the storybooks, this is called forced love, or keeping a mistress in a golden house.
She...she's been imprisoned!
Pei Yaoyin's eyes lit up. How terrifying! How thrilling! How exciting!
Marquis Jingbei, Xiao Liyuan, is cold-faced and ruthless, with an iron-fisted approach; his reputation is so great that it can stop a child from crying at night.
No one knew that he harbored a deep affection for a woman, tossing and turning in his sleep, yearning for her but unable to win her heart, while she was engaged to his own cousin.
Until one day, someone presented her to him as a "tribute".
The young girl on the bed had snow-white skin and red lips, and her soft, fragrant body was breathtakingly beautiful.
He clenched his fist secretly, unwilling to let go.
So what if they seize by force? So what if they keep a mistress in a gilded cage?
No one can take away the person Xiao Liyuan wants.
He never expected that the little girl was not quite what he had imagined.
She settled comfortably in his mansion, ordering servants around, indulging in pleasures, and even taking the initiative to please him, and even...touching him.
On the bed, Xiao Liyuan's eyes were sinister: "From now on, you will stay by my side. You don't need to think about the people from before."
Pei Yaoyin nodded obediently: "Okay, then can I still wear fine silks and use delicacies from land and sea in the future?"
Xiao Liyuan was speechless for a moment, then said, "Of course. Whatever treasures you desire in the world, I will obtain for you."
Pei Yaoyin: Wow! Yay!
When the topic turned to her ex, Xiao Liyuan's eyes flashed with suppressed rage: "Did he ever hold your hand? Did he ever kiss you? If he did..."
Pei Yaoyin immediately sealed his lips with hers: "Don't think nonsense! I don't want to kiss him, I only want to kiss you."
Who knows? He's so handsome, he's totally her type, and his lips are so kissable!
Xiao Liyuan repeatedly tested her and discovered that she was truly enjoying herself and had no desire to return home, which made him doubt himself.
Was his method of extortion wrong?
"You... really don't want to go home?"
Pei Yaoyin sobbed, "No way, they're kicking me out like this!"
Without him, who would feed her so well!
Pei Yaoyin's inner monologue—
If you don't really like your fiancé, but his brother is powerful, incredibly wealthy, stunningly handsome, a paragon of virtue, always ready to grant your every wish, physically strong enough for you to do whatever you want, and has an eight-pack that you can touch at will, and most importantly, he's secretly loved you for years! Who could resist? Who could resist!
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