Chapter 78 is so fierce!
When Yan Xuecui first ascended the throne, the political situation in the capital was already stable. He took advantage of this opportunity to go south and began to reorganize Southern Zhili.
Southern Zhili, located in the Jiangnan region, was rich in taxes and produced many talented individuals. However, being thousands of miles from the capital, its officialdom resembled a small court, inevitably leading to officials who deceived their superiors, concealed the people's plight, and fabricated their achievements.
Yan Xuecui has been working tirelessly day and night to eradicate corruption and abuses with swift and decisive action. He has also entrusted many important matters, such as the salt transport, canal transport, taxation, and the imperial examinations in Jiangnan, to trustworthy and capable officials. As a result, he has inevitably been delayed for some time.
During this time, Chi Ying accompanied Aunt Xue on a tour of Suzhou, and then traveled to Yangzhou and Nanjing, tasting all the delicacies of Jiangnan and visiting all the famous scenic spots mentioned in the poems of literati.
March passed in a flash, and in mid-April, the group officially set off to return to Beijing.
Unlike the way there, the return journey was in a spacious and comfortable brocade carriage. The trip was unhurried, with Yan Xuecui personally escorting them and the Imperial Guards following along the way. The journey was uneventful and without any danger.
It was late June when I returned to the capital.
Chi Ying first went to Cining Palace to visit the Empress Dowager, kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, hoping that she would forgive her for concealing the truth and leaving without saying goodbye.
The Empress Dowager had long known that she had no choice in the matter, so how could she blame her? "Seventh Prince has already told me. You child, you were forced into such a situation. You should have told me the truth back then, and I would have stood up for you. You have been calling me 'Mother Consort' for more than half a year. Do you think I don't know your character?"
Chi Ying's eyes also reddened: "It's my fault, I've made you and His Majesty worry."
The Empress Dowager sighed and didn't hide anything from her: "Since you left, Qilang has been completely distraught, unable to sleep, worried about your safety on your journey, and afraid that he will never find you again..."
Chi Ying recalled his arduous pursuit for half a year, his journey of thousands of miles, and his appearance before her in the rainy night of Jiangnan, looking desolate and battered. A pang of pain shot through her heart, and she wept uncontrollably.
The Empress Dowager held her hand and patted her back, "Alright, it's good that you're back. Don't think about the past anymore."
Chi Ying wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly.
Three months after Yan Xue left the capital, he announced to the outside world that he was on a southern tour. Although the Grand Secretary Xun Yuanliang was in charge of the court, there was inevitably a lot of government affairs that needed his decision.
Chi Ying knew that he was busy with official duties. After all, things were different now than before, and the ceremony for the empress's coronation was complicated with many royal formalities, so she was not in a hurry.
Aunt Xue had only signed a one-year lease for her house in Liu Mian Lane, and the Chi family mansion was subsequently seized. Chi Ying had no choice but to obtain Yan Xuecui's consent to stay temporarily with Aunt Xue at the Prince Zhao's mansion.
Chi Ying still lived in Shuyu Zhai, but she never expected that the dignified Emperor Jing'an, who was clearly busy with countless affairs of state, would still come to her bed every night.
Just after her period ended, the man, who had been abstaining for several days, became unusually fierce, forbidding her from biting her lip and only allowing her to bite his fingers.
Now that he is the true emperor, how could Chi Ying dare to harm his body? She couldn't bite him properly and her outburst escaped her lips.
Aunt Xue, who lived in the side room, was startled by the noise and knocked on the door to ask what had happened.
This is why living with elders is not a good thing.
It was Yuan De, who had been waiting in the distance under the corridor, who rushed over and said that His Majesty was inside. Only then did Aunt Xue hurriedly and awkwardly leave.
It's no wonder she was worried; her daughter's voice was hoarse from screaming, as if someone was torturing her...
Inside the bedroom, Chi Ying was filled with shame and anger, on the verge of tears. She tore off the silk ribbon covering her eyes and threw it hard at him.
“So fierce,” Yan Xuecui said with a smile as she accepted the gift. “You sewed this for me yourself. I cherish it very much. When you’re not around, I rely on these things to keep me alive.”
Chi Ying thought to herself, no wonder the silk handkerchiefs were all wrinkled from rubbing; perhaps he had been holding them in his hands every day to ease his longing.
However, he was adept at playing the victim, knowing full well that as long as he mentioned the six months she had been gone, she would soften her heart, and then take advantage of that softened heart to push his luck.
Yan Xue Cui unfolded the silk curtains and held them horizontally in front of her. Through the thin silk, she stroked the slightly arched tips of the begonia blossoms. "I can see you like them very much too."
Although Chi Ying didn't want to admit it, being blindfolded did give her an indescribable feeling.
With the visual barrier amplifying the tactile sensation to its extreme, as his cool fingertips slowly and meticulously traced her every inch, she couldn't stop trembling. Later, as he lifted her up and repeatedly pressed her against the headboard, it was simply...
It felt like something pierced through her flesh and blood, rushing up her spine and straight to the top of her head. For a few moments, she felt her mind go blank and her voice was completely out of control.
She took a deep breath and couldn't help but sigh, "So you were always like this..."
Yan Xuecui chuckled: "What's this?"
Chi Ying found it difficult to speak, but couldn't help asking, "If it weren't me, would anyone else have given you the same pleasure..."
Yan Xue suddenly tightened her fingertips, and the silk covering her body suddenly tightened, almost deforming her pitiful soft flesh.
Chi Ying was instantly filled with embarrassment.
Yan Xuecui said in a deep voice, "If it weren't for you, no one else would have had a chance to get close to me."
Why?
Chi Ying never thought she was anything special, so how did she become the one?
Yan Xuecui pursed her lips: "Perhaps it was fate. From the night we met on my return visit, the first time I heard your voice, I felt... I really liked it and couldn't help but want to get close to you."
The ribbon was wrapped around his fingertips, and it seemed to be getting tighter and tighter. Chi Ying bit her lip and said in a muffled voice, "Untie it for me quickly."
It felt like she was tied up by him, which was strange and uncomfortable, but there was also an unbearable itch that seemed to be seeping under her skin, making her curl her toes involuntarily.
To prove that she was lying, Yan Xuecui picked up a glistening drop of water with her fingertip and showed it to her.
Chi Ying's cheeks burned bright red, and she wished she could bury herself in the blankets.
The two argued for half the night, and Chi Ying was so disturbed that she couldn't fall asleep at all.
Yan Xuecui turned her head to look at her, "Shall I take you somewhere?"
Chi Ying was taken aback: "Now?"
Yan Xuecui smiled and said, "Haven't you always wanted to know the whereabouts of the Chi family?"
Chi Ying: "I heard that you locked them up."
Yan Xuecui: "Would you like to go take a look?"
Chi Ying lay awake, unable to fall asleep no matter what, so she got up and changed her clothes.
Looking down, she saw a red mark on her chest where he had pressed against her skin. She blushed as she dressed, feeling that the friction lingered for a long time.
Yan Xuecui led her to the dungeon below Yan Gui Tower.
Chi Ying has been married into the family for so long, yet she has never known that there is a hidden secret downstairs.
It is evident that those who can become emperors possess mental fortitude and methods far beyond what ordinary people can imagine.
The Chi family dared to act so recklessly because of his blindness, and they have only themselves to blame for their current predicament.
Chi Ying followed him down the steps, and slowly the smell of blood mixed with the smell of rust wafted over, and there was even a pungent smell of rotten meat.
The cell held the entire Chi family, including Tian Mama, who used to whip her and her mother. Now, she was covered in whip marks and her hands were dripping with blood; she seemed to be crippled.
Chi Ying shifted her gaze and walked to the last cell. After looking closely for a moment, she could barely recognize the Changyuan Earl and his wife, as well as Chi Yingyue.
Yin lay unconscious in the haystack, covered in blood. Chi Yingyue seemed to be out of her mind, her black hair dry and messy like straw, her cheeks sunken and her skin sallow.
Through her disheveled clothes, Chi Ying could vaguely see a dark red scar the size of half a palm on her shoulder, which was the scar that Yin Shi had faked for her in the past.
Of the three, only Changyuan Bo remained somewhat conscious. Upon seeing her, he was initially taken aback, then crawled forward on his knees, overjoyed: "Aying, Aying, you're back..."
Chi Ying looked at him calmly: "Yes."
"It's so good that you're still alive!"
The Earl of Changyuan looked at Emperor Jing'an beside her, never expecting that this concubine's daughter would have such good fortune. He could only desperately grasp at this last straw, kneeling down and pleading, "Aying, please plead with His Majesty for me, so that I can leave this dark and hopeless place as soon as possible..."
Chi Ying's eyes reddened as she coldly glared at the person before her. "My mother and I begged you in the same way back then. My mother knelt on the ground and kowtowed to you countless times, until her head bled, but you still turned a deaf ear, refused to investigate the truth, and instead beat us, mother and daughter, until we were covered in bruises..."
Changyuan Earl regretted his actions: "I only wanted peace and tranquility for my family. I already know I was wrong..."
Chi Ying sneered: "Peace and tranquility in the home? When you were drunk and ruined my mother's body, did you ever think about peace and tranquility in the home? You gave birth to me, but then made my mother and me suffer all kinds of bullying. When my mother was terminally ill, you still squeezed out the last bit of value from me and forced me to marry in her place. Is your so-called peace and tranquility in the home just sacrificing my mother and me from beginning to end?!"
Marquis Changyuan: "How can this be called a sacrifice? If you hadn't been forced into a substitute marriage, how could you be a princess or an empress now?"
Chi Ying held back her tears, almost laughing in anger: "My mother and I are alive not because of your kindness, but because we have endured hardships and gritted our teeth to survive! And I just happened to meet Your Majesty and was able to stand alive in front of you today."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, the Earl of Changyuan knelt down before Yan Xue and pleaded, "Your Majesty! As Empress, how can A-Ying not have her maternal family's support? This humble subject at least holds a title, so that she won't be looked down upon in the future..."
Yan Xue curled her lips and said, "You don't need to worry about this. As the Empress, A Ying is my only wife and the most honorable woman in the entire Great Jin Dynasty. She is only worthy of respect and admiration. Who would dare to slight her in the slightest?"
Upon hearing the word "Empress," Chi Yingyue, half-mad, rose and lunged forward, frantically shaking the cell door: "Let me out! I should be the Empress! You've all made a mistake, I am the Empress!"
Looking at her current disheveled and insane state, Chi Ying was too lazy to even feel hatred.
Yan Xuecui pulled her back half a step and asked in a low voice, "What do you want to do with them?"
Chi Ying shook her head. "His Majesty has already punished them severely for me. It was more painful than death, and that's enough. I believe Mother feels the same way as me; she will never want to see them again in this lifetime."
Yan Xue glanced at the people in front of her and said in a low voice, "Then go to the Imperial Prison to die, so as not to defile the pure land beneath your feet."
Although they were said to be locked up until death, in reality, once the wound medicine and ginseng soup for the Earl of Changyuan were cut off, most of them would not live long either.
As soon as he finished speaking, the prison was filled with cries and pleas for mercy.
Chi Ying looked at several familiar faces and said softly, "As for the others, some were just forced to obey orders. They have been relatively kind to my daughter and me. Your Majesty, please spare their lives."
Yan Xue nodded: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Chi Ying stepped out of the dungeon, tilted her head back to face the night wind, and blew away the remaining tears at the corners of her eyes.
Yan Xuecui held her slightly cold hand and sighed, "If I had met you sooner, I would never have let you be bullied."
Chi Ying shook her head and said softly, "It's already good enough as it is."
Those pains, coercion, humiliation, grievances, and countless moments when I almost couldn't hold on any longer seem like they happened just yesterday.
At this moment, all the pain has vanished.
One cannot change one's origins, but one can completely say goodbye to the past.
From then on, her world consisted only of her loving mother and her husband, whose heart and eyes were always with her.
The long winter will eventually end, and withered trees will be reborn in spring.
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Author's Note: My darlings! It's almost over! [glasses] You can tell me in the comments what kind of pre-orders you'd like to read! [sprinkling flowers] Do you want something similar to "The Wicked Prince," a silly, sweet, and saccharine story like "My Delicate Cousin" or "Female Assassin, But a Silly Beauty," or something with a cunning male lead and a gentle female lead, like "The Sickly Husband's Thousand Layers of Schemes"?
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