Chapter 19 I Bow Down: I am a princess, born that way!
The sudden action startled Li Yunru. Her body stiffened, and she dared not move an inch. She held her breath, her heart pounding in her throat.
"Yan Changjun".
She called his name.
The man ignored her and tightened his grip on her hands, completely immobilizing her.
"Your hand."
His left hand was still injured. With the arrival of autumn and the cooler weather, it was already taking longer to heal. It couldn't withstand such an ordeal. When he exerted himself, his hand trembled slightly and started shaking.
But the man seemed to be possessed and didn't care. He held her captive, and when she was at a loss, he lowered his head and bit her lip.
Yes, it was a bite, not a warm kiss, but a violent and vicious tearing, little by little, until it completely covered the other side.
Li Yunru's lips were bitten until they were numb and painful, and finally she couldn't bear it anymore and blood spilled out.
"Ugh." She winced in pain, letting out a muffled groan as her limbs arched and twisted in agony.
Only then did he loosen his grip on her a little.
The taste of blood filled his mouth, and his lips were covered in blood, but he didn't seem to care much. He simply said calmly, "This is a little lesson for the princess."
He ran his index finger across her lips. "Words can be dangerous. Princess, in the future, try to say less things that have no basis in reality."
How could it be without reason?
Her father was still alive, yet the powerful families dared to treat her like that, to humiliate the crown prince, and to take the life of his unborn child. If Emperor Qi Xuan were to truly pass away, the fate of her family would be unimaginable.
Li Yunru did not participate in politics and was unaware of what her father's close friend, Prime Minister Xiao, was like.
But she knew the fate of the people in the palace after the death of each monarch.
She had also read a lot of the historical anecdotes in the book.
Not everyone is so lucky to encounter a monarch as capable and benevolent as her father, who is willing to spare the lives of the former royal family and allow them to have a peaceful end.
"Are you afraid? Are you afraid I'll die?"
Realizing this, Li Yunru's heart beat even faster, as if something was about to surge and burst forth from her chest.
"Yan Changjun, are you afraid I will die?"
She repeated it again.
Upon hearing this word, Yan Ning felt inexplicably irritated, and he subconsciously denied it, "You wouldn't."
"hehe."
Li Yunru smiled as she gazed into his eyes, those beautiful eyes that seemed to glow in the night, flickering and shimmering.
"Look, you don't even believe what you're saying. Your voice is trembling and your eyes are darting around."
"Actually, you know it will happen."
She asserted, "Even if I don't, my fate won't be good. After all, Princess Ding'an of the previous dynasty is a cautionary tale, isn't she?"
Both women married into prominent families. While their fathers were alive, they enjoyed immense prestige. However, with the change of rulers, even though Emperor Qi Xuan had issued an order to protect the lives of the former royal family, the men were imprisoned for life, and the women were demoted and sent to their fiefdoms, never to return to the capital.
Even so, the Xie family still demoted Princess Ding'an from wife to concubine, chose another woman, and ultimately forced Princess Ding'an to her death. They seized all of her stipends and fiefdoms, making the Xie family extremely wealthy and powerful. Their sons held high-ranking positions, enjoyed beautiful wives and concubines, and lived a life of endless happiness and longevity.
Yan Ning felt something stuck in his throat. He wanted to deny it, but he couldn't say a word. Finally, he said in a hoarse voice, "You are not Ding An, and you will not follow in her footsteps."
“I am not Ding’an, but your Yan family is no different from the Xie family.”
The room was dimly lit, making it impossible to see the speaker's expression, but his tone sounded incredibly heavy and sorrowful.
“You know in your heart why the Cui family sent Cui Wan to Jiankang at this time. You also understand that this is not just the Cui family’s wishful thinking, but a consensus between your two families. Demoting my wife to a concubine is probably the best outcome I can achieve after this incident.”
Even worse, there is death, or being treated as an object and given to another noble family to foster good relations between the two families.
“You know everything, but you acquiesced to it all because all you wanted was for me to live. This is something you could do effortlessly, without going against your parents’ wishes or offending other powerful families.”
Li Yunru's voice trembled slightly as she said, "Actually, I'm quite happy. At least you know everything, yet you're willing to lower yourself and coax me until now. My mother said that you weren't entirely indifferent to me, and I believe her."
Yan Ning didn't say anything, but you could tell that she was also emotionally turbulent, and her body trembled as she spoke.
She paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I'm somewhat honored to have been so captivated by your handsome and pure heart, going to such lengths to win me over, but..."
Li Yunru's expression suddenly turned serious. She stared at him intently and said, word by word, "But what I want is not just to live. If I lose my parents and relatives, lose everything, and can only rely on your Yan family and the little bit of kindness you give me to survive, then I would rather be dead."
“Yunru”.
He called her name in a hoarse voice, his voice as beautiful as ever, filled with tender affection, but Li Yunru interrupted him this time.
She told him, "Yan Changjun, I am a princess, I was born that way, and I have my own pride."
The autumn night wind blew coldly, and the bamboo leaves in the courtyard were scattered all over the ground. They drifted around with the wind, rolling and tumbling in the yard. Some of them managed to sneak in through the cracks in the window, but they didn't make it and were left there. After some time, they dispersed again, and the area by the window returned to its pristine state, with only the sound of the wind continuing.
The two people inside were in an awkward position. He was on top of her, and she lay there blankly, staring straight at him. They both seemed to be holding their breath, and their heartbeats were almost inaudible.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Yunru spoke again.
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, she withdrew her hand, wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head back, and pecked him on the lips.
With a smile on his face, he said, "But I've made up my mind. If I'm going to die, I'll take you with me. Why should someone else benefit from my person?"
"puff."
Yan Ning laughed out loud.
It was somewhat inappropriate, but undeniably true; she heard him laugh, a low, light laugh.
Following that laugh came immense gravity.
His entire body collapsed as if all his strength had been released, pressing down on her. Their skin touched, and the thin undergarment couldn't conceal the intense heat. At that moment, their heartbeats and breaths began to intertwine and overlap once again.
"ah!"
Li Yunru was bitten on the shoulder, the bite was very hard, the delicate skin was broken, leaving a clear tooth mark and a red mark.
She groaned in pain, and before she could react, she heard someone say, "I know what you're thinking and what you're worried about, but... I can't do it."
Yan Ning said, "My parents and relatives have lifted me up to this point, and I cannot completely abandon them and disregard everything to fight for your concerns."
"I know."
The answer was as expected.
She never dared to hope for it.
As she indifferently accepted all of this, she heard a voice coming from the darkness.
"I will do my best."
"???"
What should we try our best at?
Is it what she thinks?
Yan Ning quickly confirmed her guess, saying, "I will do my best to fight for you."
He stroked her face, nuzzled his cheek against hers, and whispered, "Can you give me some time?"
"good."
...
Yan Ning seemed to have taken this matter to heart, and in the days that followed, she was busy from dawn till dusk every day.
He didn't elaborate on what he was busy with, and Li Yunru didn't ask, since she also had a lot of things to do.
He would enter the palace every few days to serve medicine.
I also went to Chengen Temple a few times with my elder sister.
Another consequence of the decline of the royal family was the exposure of Princess Hua'an, Li Zhijun's, true parentage.
She was not born to Emperor Xuan of Qi, but was the daughter of Prime Minister Xiao. The two of them led troops in an uprising at the same time. Later, Xiao Yuanshan suffered a defeat in Licheng and disappeared. His wife, Wu, took their young daughter and went to live with the two of them.
Wu refused to believe her husband was dead. After giving instructions to the two men, she went to Licheng to find him. The hardships she faced along the way are unknown. By the time Emperor Qi Xuan ascended the throne, news had already arrived that he had passed away. So, the two men adopted Li Zhijun. To make it legitimate, they claimed that she was born to the beauty. Unfortunately, she died and was raised under the care of Empress Zhenyuan.
Later, Xiao Yuanshan returned as the son-in-law of the Yang family of Hongnong. Because he had a wife and children, it was not appropriate for him to acknowledge his relatives. So Li Zhijun stayed in the palace. However, this matter became a big deal and could not be kept secret. So the news spread.
When the princess learned of this, her husband Liu Qing turned against her. The princess, being a woman of strong emotions, could not accept it and ended Liu Qing's life with a single blow. Feeling deeply ashamed of her poor judgment of people, she entered Chengen Temple, shaved her head, and became a nun, spending her days with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp.
The two visited her several times, but she remained unable to let go and refused to return. They stopped trying to persuade her, since perhaps staying at Chengen Temple was better than maintaining the identity of a princess.
Aside from the matter of Princess Hua'an, Li Zhijun, the current political situation is even more worrying. In the past year or two, the aristocratic families have been using their power to attack those cultivated by Emperor Qi Xuan and Crown Prince Li Xun. Now that Emperor Qi Xuan is seriously ill and Crown Prince Li Xun is nominally in power but has been stripped of his authority, he has become even more unscrupulous. Many people have gotten into trouble, either being demoted for various reasons or getting caught up in old troubles and ending up in prison.
Even Princess Huayang, Li Jinghe's husband Qin Zhan was no exception.
He was imprisoned three years ago for a salt smuggling case.
"This is utterly absurd!"
Li Yunru said indignantly, "It's something that happened three years ago, and the person in charge wasn't even in charge at the time. Bringing it up now is just settling personal scores!"
Compared to Li Yunru's irritability, Li Jinghe appeared much calmer, as if she had expected this day to come. She looked in the direction where her husband had disappeared without saying a word.
"elder sister."
Li Yunru hugged her and said, "If you're sad, just cry. It's okay. I'm here, I'll stay with you."
She comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, everything will be alright. Yan Changjun is already making arrangements. Once my brother takes office, he will surely exonerate my brother-in-law. I... I will find a way to send a message to the prison and ask them to treat my brother-in-law leniently. All of this will pass, it will pass."
Whether Li Jinghe listened to her or not, she remained expressionless, showing no emotion. After a long while, someone finally spoke, "There's no need to go to so much trouble."
She said, "Right now, preserving myself is the most important thing."
"But……"
Li Yunru wanted to say something more, but Li Jinghe turned around. There were tears in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
The man gazed at Li Yunru and said, "Sister knows that you have grown up. You can see things clearly now and stand on your own. Sister is very pleased. But since you also know that this is a fabrication, you should understand what their real purpose is."
Only by stripping the royal family of all their wings can their plans be better implemented.
"Your brother-in-law wouldn't want you to take risks for him."
But... how could she just stand by and watch all this happen and do nothing?
That was her older sister and brother-in-law.
The two of them fed her rice porridge spoonful by spoonful until she grew up and watched her become an adult.
She's said to be the older sister.
In her heart, she held a position no less important than her mother.
"I'm not afraid of taking risks!"
She said, "And don't worry, there won't be any risks. Yan Changjun... Yan Changjun likes me quite a bit now. I can get him to step in and bail me out."
This wouldn't require much effort, since Yan An, the second son of the Yan family, was in charge of the Ministry of Justice. It was just a matter of giving instructions, and even if he couldn't get out, he could at least avoid some physical suffering.
It's just a matter of whether she's willing or not, but I think she's probably willing... Li Yunru does what she says she'll do.
After comforting Li Jinghe, the man hurriedly left the princess's residence and headed to the Yan family's villa.
Yan Ning replied to her letter, saying he would be back today. She just needed to go back and wait for him to return to the manor, then explain the matter to him and have him handle it.
However, she miscalculated.
This time, at the Yan family's villa, she didn't wait for Yan Ning, but instead received an uninvited guest—Cui Shi.
"It's been a long time, Princess."
"That letter..."
"I had someone deliver this to you."
Cui made no attempt to conceal what she had done. She said, “Princess, please don’t blame me. The situation is very turbulent right now, and it’s really dangerous outside. With you constantly moving around like this, there’s no guarantee that something might happen. Since my Yan family has taken over Emperor Xuan’s military power, we naturally have to ensure your safety.”
Li Yunru understood the meaning behind her words: Cui intended to imprison her here.
"Does the Lord know of this, Madam?"
“Of course,” said Madam Cui. “Changjun’s calligraphy was learned from a famous teacher from a young age. No one can imitate his style. The princess should know this.”
What a fine line! I've practiced it since childhood, and no one can imitate it.
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