The princess married into the Meng family amidst great fanfare, while inside the palace, Empress Jin was nearing the end of her life.
Meng Ruoyun gave birth to the second prince and is now the most sought-after woman in the palace. When she came to see Empress Jin, no one dared to stop her.
Empress Jin did not lie on the couch, but instead sat in front of the prayer mat in her room, dressed in Buddhist robes.
"Were you the assassins you sent?" Meng Ruoyun looked at Empress Jin with a calm gaze, as if she knew everything.
"You wanted to harm Princess Tianfu, but you ended up injuring Abao." Meng Ruoyun said, "I used to feel indebted to the Jin family because of Young Master Jin, but now that Abao is injured, we're even."
Meng Ruoyun raised her chin again, recalling the events of that year, a hint of sorrow in her eyes: "I never intended to compete with Your Majesty the Empress for anything. At that time, I only wanted to be a loving couple with His Majesty, but the Empress and the Crown Prince targeted me and the young prince in every way..."
"I have no choice but to fight for it."
She looked at Empress Jin, a hidden smugness in her eyes, "His Majesty has already bestowed upon me the title of Imperial Noble Consort. Your Majesty did not expect this, did you? Despite all the targeting, I am the ultimate winner."
Empress Jin suddenly burst into laughter: "Haha..." She tilted her head back, laughing until tears welled up in her eyes.
Meng Ruoyun asked, puzzled, "What are you laughing at?"
"You think you've won? Coming here to show off to me?"
"idiot."
Empress Jin smiled coldly, but her demeanor remained dignified: "As Empress, I will tell you this last time. Meng Ruoyun, you will never become Empress Dowager... and you never will in this lifetime."
The downfall of the Crown Prince was not something a fool like Meng Ruoyun could have orchestrated. As for Empress Jin, it wasn't hard to guess who had contributed the most.
Meng Ruoyun's face darkened, and she was about to speak when a maid rushed in from the doorway: "It's terrible, Your Highness! The princess's bridal sedan chair has been hijacked!"
Meng Ruoyun's face darkened. Without saying anything to Empress Jin, she hurriedly stepped out of the courtyard.
Empress Jin maintained her smile, knowing she wouldn't marry Meng Abao... Tianfu, what did she, a young woman, really want?
In her final moments, Empress Jin no longer hated her. She slowly closed her eyes and passed away peacefully.
...
The man strode open the door and placed the princess he was carrying on his shoulder onto the bed.
To prevent her from struggling on the road, he tied her hands and feet with cotton cloth, blindfolded her beautiful eyes, and bound her pretty red lips with red silk handkerchiefs.
"Don't struggle, or you'll hurt yourself." The man said in a deep voice, "Let me untie your scarf first."
The voice beside me was rough and harsh; just by listening to it, I could even tell that the person was a notorious bandit.
Bai Yan's chin was lifted up, and the silk handkerchief wrapped around his neck was quickly untied.
Before she could speak, his hand gently pressed against her mouth. "Princess, you'd better not call for help, or your beautiful tongue will be gone."
His gaze fell downwards...
This face, which used to always look up at him with an air of superiority, was now forced to look up at him. Her eyes were covered, so he couldn't see the expression in her eyes, which allowed him to do what he was about to do without any scruples.
The notorious bandit, naturally acting on his own whims, lifted the princess's chin and gently massaged the slightly swollen area around her lips, which had been bound the whole way.
He quickly picked up the nuptial wine that had been prepared beforehand, took a big gulp, and then lifted her red lips to feed it to her.
She choked and coughed repeatedly, the wine dripping from her delicate neck into her gorgeous wedding dress.
Then he spoke again: "The princess's wedding night is over, how about I make it up to her?"
"However, I have heard that the princess's husband, Meng Abao, is both a scholar and a warrior. But I am a rough man and may not have the same tenderness and affection as the princess's husband."
The nuptial wine contained aphrodisiacs, and Bai Yan sensed it as soon as it entered her stomach. She collapsed onto the bed, the wine so potent it felt like it was melting her bones, causing her to involuntarily curl up, her fair neck arching delicately upwards...
"Meng... Huaiyi, you bastard..."
The man was untying the ropes binding her when he heard this, his body stiffened slightly: "What Meng Huaiyi? I don't know him."
Bai Yan was both annoyed and amused: "You blindfolded me, just because you think I don't recognize you?"
"Did I tell you I'm not Meng Huaiyi?" he said coldly. "Meng Huaiyi is nothing more than a dutiful dog by the princess's side. Would he dare to do such a thing to you?"
He lowered his head and kissed her lips, which appeared even fuller from the wine. She did not resist; instead, she reached out and hugged him, returning his kiss with even greater passion. His hands pulled off the clothes on her shoulders, and she did not resist.
"Meng Huaiyi, you still won't admit it?"
"You love me." Her face was flushed as she murmured in his ear, "So you couldn't bear to see me marry someone else, so you came to kidnap me?"
He's been discovered; his love has been revealed.
Meng Huaiyi's eyes darkened. He unconsciously recalled the day he returned to the city, when she sat in the sedan chair of the Thirty-Sixth Carriage, as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
The celestial maiden reached out her hand to him, and he couldn't help but move closer to her.
"But the princess only treats me as a plaything to amuse herself when she's bored—"
His eyes turned bloodshot as he pulled her close to his chest; "But I didn't want to. You're the one who provoked me. Don't you know I've gone mad for you!"
He didn't want to be her devoted follower; he wanted to possess her all to himself!
"Do you want power, or do you want the empire?"
"I'll call you, I'll give you anything, but you're not allowed to marry Meng Abao, you're not allowed to marry anyone else!"
Bai Yan chuckled softly, "Okay."
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