After the head-on confrontation in Chapter 29, there was no more contraceptive soup.
Mingying tried desperately to cover herself to avoid his naked gaze, but her hands were bound and she could not move.
Pei Xiaoyun moved closer, staring at the annoying camellia, wishing he could peel off a piece of her flesh and brand it with his mark.
"Did he touch you here?" His pupils were like black jade, unfathomable.
Mingying suppressed her shame and indignation, gritting her teeth until they shattered.
Seeing that she remained silent, Pei Xiaoyun's anger intensified, and he became completely unrestrained. At this moment, he was the helmsman of the sea, sending the lone boat even further away.
Everything she had belonged to him.
Mingying bit him hard on the shoulder.
He gasped, pried open her teeth, and said with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Are you really going to fight me to the bitter end?"
Its sharp edge was fully revealed, and a torrential downpour began outside the window.
Only when the crying in his ears gradually subsided did he see the glaring stain on the embroidered quilt, and his heart was in turmoil. He draped her clothes over her shoulders and went to call He Lianqing.
—
The sound of footsteps inside the room was disordered.
After a series of cleaning, acupuncture, and medication administration, the room finally quieted down as darkness turned to the gentle morning breeze.
"Do you want to kill her?!" He Lianqing clenched her fists and shouted at Pei Xiaoyun.
Mingying was already in poor health, and when he arrived, she had already fainted, and the bedding was covered in blood. According to the maid who was serving her, when the blanket was lifted, her hands were still bound, and there was a gash on her chest; it was a truly horrifying sight.
Pei Xiaoyun sat in the shadow cast by the trees under the window, feeling a throbbing pain in her forehead, and slowly said, "I didn't mean to do this, she was the one who provoked me."
He had initially thought it was just an ordinary affair, but her words and actions had caused him to lose control. It wasn't until he saw the blood that he truly panicked.
Because of their childhood friendship, He Lianqing couldn't bear to see Mingying suffer like this, so she walked to Pei Xiaoyun's side and said, "She has suffered so much, and she finally has a good life. You just had to take away her love."
"I stole someone else's love?" Pei Xiaoyun's eyes flashed coldly, not as if she were explaining to He Lianqing, but as if she was trying to convince herself again and again, "She was originally mine. Every part of her, even a single hair, belongs to me! It was clearly Lin Xian who was reckless and tried to seduce her, and she, heartless and ungrateful, immediately sidled up to anyone who offered her a bone."
She belongs only to him.
Even if it means death, I want to die by his side.
He Lianqing looked at him helplessly, "Have you ever thought that she is herself first and foremost, that she is a person?"
"Isn't it good for her to be my woman?" Pei Xiaoyun didn't even bother to consider his words and decisively interrupted him, "I can provide her with a life of luxury, isn't that better than her having to use her looks to serve others just to survive?"
"Is she willing?"
Pei Xiaoyun chewed on the words in her mouth: "She has no choice but to agree."
From the moment she said she was willing to follow him for life in Yangzhou, they were destined to die together.
Why did she break her promise? Why did she deceive him?
He Lianqing's lips trembled, and she turned away to calm herself down for a moment. "If you force her to have sex again during this period, I can't guarantee what the consequences will be. She is weak and can't take too much medicine at once. She needs to recuperate properly. Now that things have come to this, you should treat her better."
Pei Xiaoyun had already sent people to investigate Mingying and He Lianqing's past, and knew that the two were old acquaintances, and that He Lianqing always protected Mingying.
He looked at He Lianqing coldly and warned, "You are a doctor, do your job. She is my person, you don't need to worry about her."
“You think everyone is like…” He Lianqing finally gritted her teeth and remained silent, not finishing the second half of her sentence.
A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. Pei Xiaoyun is a madman, and he wouldn't dare provoke a mad dog.
After He Lianqing left, Pei Xiaoyun didn't go to do his errands; instead, he stayed in the room to watch over Mingying.
As the sun rose high in the sky, nearing noon, she finally woke up.
Mingying moved her body slightly, and her whole body felt like it was being torn apart. Her lower body was also sore and swollen, as if it had been treated with medicine, and felt slightly sticky.
Last night, she truly believed he was going to kill her.
She opened her eyes and saw him walking towards her step by step; her eyes were filled with frost and coldness.
"Don't move around too much. Just lie down and rest for the next few days." Pei Xiaoyun looked at her still pale face, his voice tightening.
For some reason, he felt somewhat guilty towards her gaze.
But when he thought of what she said last night, all the guilt in his heart was swept away.
If she hadn't been so stubborn and unyielding, he wouldn't have treated her that way.
Mingying's eyes were lifeless, like a dried-up spring, and her lips moved slightly: "I want to drink contraceptive soup."
Pei Xiaoyun seemed to be stung by those words, her eyelids twitching slightly: "Your body is weak, you can't drink that stuff, you won't drink it anymore."
These days, he hasn't paid special attention to this matter. If she asks for contraceptive soup, the servants will probably prepare it for her.
He remembered He Lianqing's words: she couldn't even drink highly nourishing medicine immediately, so how could she drink a contraceptive soup that was harmful to her health?
Besides, he used to coax her into drinking the contraceptive soup.
She was still young that year, and the first time she drank that medicine, she was afraid to drink it. He patiently coaxed her to finish it.
And now, she actually asked for it to his face.
Does she really not want to have his child?
“I want to drink the contraceptive soup,” Mingying repeated.
That's just how her body is; she'd rather her body collapse than have him conceive again.
“From now on, there will be no more contraceptive soup.” Pei Xiaoyun stared at her, each word shattering her hope. “I will instruct the servants not to brew that kind of medicine for you again.”
He sat down and, as usual, applied the medicine to her face.
This time, he also had the scar on his chest. His words were as casual as his actions: "If you are pregnant, I will tell Lin Xian the good news so that he won't worry about you."
Once she had his child, even if her heart wasn't with him anymore, she wouldn't have the face to be with Lin Xian anymore.
"You...you shameless!" These words exhausted Mingying's strength, and she broke down in tears, her tears washing away the cream on her face.
They're over; how can she possibly have his child again...?
Pei Xiaoyun gently wiped away the tears welling up in her eyes with her fingertips and said softly, "Alright, don't cry anymore. I won't do anything to you these days, so don't make me angry again."
He assigned several more maids to look after her, and even specially transferred the maid named Yu'er from Lanqingzhuoyuan back then to Hangzhou to accompany her.
He had done everything he could for her.
Mingying didn't want to get out of bed, so she stayed by the headboard all day, watching the flower petals fall one by one outside the window.
The arrival of the fish brought her a slight joy, and she would only talk to the fish every day.
As night fell, the fish came in to prepare their meal.
She is now seventeen years old. She made a mistake back then and was assigned to do odd jobs in the warehouse. She was only recently sent to Hangzhou.
Upon hearing that she had come to accompany Miss Ming, she was initially shocked. She had also thought that Miss Ming had died in childbirth and had been saddened by it for a while. Now that she had seen her alive and well, she was overjoyed.
"Miss Ming, your master won't be back tonight. He sent someone to bring you your favorite osmanthus honey lotus root and plum duck. Get up and have some."
Mingying's expression shifted slightly. Now, only Yu'er would call her by her real surname; no one else in the mansion dared to.
"I'm not hungry." Mingying glanced at him briefly before looking away.
She stays indoors all day and doesn't need much stuff. Besides, she doesn't want to eat the things he buys.
The fish said with some concern, "If you don't eat, the old man will blame you when he gets back."
Upon hearing this, Mingying gave a bitter smile.
Yes, she's like she's in prison now. What she eats and wears is entirely her prerogative. She can't say a word against it.
She forced herself to get up, enduring the greasiness, ate two pieces of duck meat, and covered her mouth with a handkerchief: "Yu'er, go and invite Doctor He over. If Yuechan asks, just say I'm not feeling well."
She couldn't just sit and wait to die.
She was constantly uneasy. Pei Xiaoyun hadn't touched her these past few days, but that didn't mean he wouldn't in the future. He had stopped taking the contraceptive, so if she really was pregnant...
The fish avoided the cicada and went to invite He Lianqing.
Mingying cut to the chase and pleaded with him: "Could you help me and prescribe some methods to prevent pregnancy?"
He's the only person she can turn to for help now.
He Lianqing understood her feelings, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes, there is, but your body..."
"It doesn't matter. My body is like this. What's the point of getting better if I live like this?"
Hearing her say this, He Lianqing took out a jade porcelain bottle from the medicine box. "Take this. Its effects are the same as the contraceptive decoction. Just take one pill each time."
Mingying clutched the porcelain bottle tightly, hiding it in her sleeve, as if she had found a lifeline.
She didn't want to have anything to do with Pei Xiaoyun anymore. She was all alone, and there would always be a time for her to leave.
"I've found out some information about Lin Xian," He Lianqing said, leaning closer. "Would you like to hear it?"
Mingying was about to ask him when he told her.
She nodded excitedly, feeling trapped and helpless, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
I don't know how he is, or if he has suffered more serious injuries.
“Lin Xian is indeed not dead. Pei Xiaoyun seems to need his help and is forcing him to draw something, but Lin Xian refuses.” He Lianqing spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear, afraid that they would be overheard.
He knew that Mingying must be worried about Lin Xian and had been trying to find out information, but his abilities were limited and he could only find out so much.
Mingying stared at the table of dishes, her vision blurring, her heart pounding.
If Lin Xian refuses to draw anything for him, will Pei Xiaoyun use torture or coercion to force him?
He used Lin Xian to threaten her, but she wasn't satisfied with just knowing that Lin Xian wasn't dead.
She wanted to see him in person to ensure his safety.
But after much thought, she realized she had no leverage to negotiate with Pei Xiaoyun. Her only bargaining chip was to gamble with herself.
She looked at He Lianqing, "Could you do me another favor?"
—
The prisons on the outskirts of the city held death row inmates. As soon as the people got close, they could hear the horrific screams from inside and see corpses being carried out.
Like a living hell, no one dares to approach.
Lin Xian is being held here; it's absolutely safe and secluded.
A young man wearing a dark blue brocade crane cloak stepped out of a luxurious carriage. He had a handsome face, sharp eyes, and a hand with well-defined knuckles that held an umbrella handed to him by a servant.
"How did it go? Did he agree?" The voice was cold and aloof, carrying a sinister sense of detachment; it was Pei Xiaoyun.
The jailer dared not look up, his face showing difficulty: "Young Master Lin refuses to paint."
Pei Xiaoyun's eyes darkened suddenly. He stepped on the congealed blood on the ground and parted his thin lips slightly: "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences."
He went deeper into the cell through a sliver of light. The entire cell was filled with a strong, foul odor, an environment he was used to.
Lin Xian was held in solitary confinement in the innermost cell. In the cold of deep winter, he wore only a thin white garment, sat upright on a haystack, and closed his eyes to rest.
Aside from her disheveled hair and dirty face, her inherent elegance remained unchanged.
The iron gate was opened, and countless lights poured in.
Lin Xian's eyelids twitched slightly, knowing that Pei Xiaoyun had arrived. Her fingers, which were hanging on her knees, moved slightly, but her left hand was missing a little finger.
Pei Xiaoyun lifted his robe and sat upright in the round-backed chair brought by the guards. He stared at him for a long time and then laughed, "We are relatives after all. I am treating you so well because of this relationship. You wouldn't even agree to make a topographical map for me?"
He has already discovered that the Kongchan Cult's hideout is located near Qingshui Bay.
However, the terrain there was treacherous, and with Shen Chun watching him closely, he dared not venture too far. He could only rely on the topographical map to set up defenses in advance.
The reason he spread the news of Lin Xian's death was because he knew that Shen Chun and the others also needed Lin Xian's drawings.
It all comes down to who gets the picture first.
Lin Xian didn't open her eyes, but squeezed out a hoarse laugh: "Don't you think it's both shameless and ridiculous for you to say such things?"
His fists were clenched tightly, and the veins on his forehead were faintly visible.
The man before him had humiliated his wife and caused his entire family to suffer undeserved misfortune. He wished he could kill him, so how could he possibly do as the man wished and paint for him?
Pei Xiaoyun stared at him intently, her teeth chattering slightly as she suppressed her anger. A smile curved her lips: "If you have any requests, feel free to tell me. Maybe I can grant them."
Lin Xian suddenly opened her eyes, her pure, jade-like eyes revealing determination: "Release Aying, and I'll paint it for you."
He didn't even know if Ah Ying was sick, bullied, eating well, or sleeping well there.
Pei Xiaoyun seemed to have heard something extremely funny, and chuckled gloomily while holding her forehead, "You two really are a pair of star-crossed lovers."
“She’s my woman.” He suppressed his smile, asserting his absolute dominance. “What right do you have to make this demand of me?”
"Stop fooling yourself, she doesn't love you at all."
Lin Xian remained calm and composed, showing no fear of him, and stated the facts he did not want to believe, word by word: "Even if you are now all-powerful and influential, she does not love you. You will never understand."
Pei Xiaoyun's expression was cold and aloof.
The next moment, a howling blizzard will ensue.
He slowly got up and crushed the grass clippings on the ground into powder.
Thinking of Mingying's indifference, resistance, and rejection, a deep madness appeared in his eyes. How could she not love him? She clearly loved him so much.
"It's all because of your interference."
He also wanted to kill Lin Xian, to crush him to pieces like lowly grass clippings.
He won't let those who betrayed him get away with it.
Mingying didn't want to be with him, so he slowly wore her down.
Even if Lin Xian is unwilling to do things for him, he has plenty of patience to wear him down.
He turned his back, took a clean silk handkerchief to wipe his hands, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, and ordered his men: "If he refuses, torture him."
As the year draws to a close, snowflakes fall like foam.
After being drenched in a shower of hot water, Mingying curled up in a ball wrapped in a blanket, too exhausted to even speak.
When Yu'er and Yuechan saw her pale face, they were terrified and quickly sent someone to bring Pei Xiaoyun back.
Pei Xiaoyun had been investigating the hideout of the Kongchan Sect for several days in a row, sometimes working until night without returning home, and had not seen Mingying for three or four days.
That evening, while he was discussing matters at the Provincial Governor's residence, he heard a flustered report from the servants that Mingying was dying.
He slammed down his teacup, glared at the servant who had come to announce his arrival, and then stood up: "What do you mean 'it's no longer possible'?"
After speaking, he immediately took the whip, spurred his horse back to the mansion, and went straight to the inner courtyard without even taking off his snow-covered outer garment.
The fish cried so hard, tears streaming down its face, that it quickly stopped crying after being glared at by Pei Xiaoyun.
Pei Xiaoyun sat on the edge of the bed and saw Mingying silently staring at him with her eyes wide open. Her face was frighteningly pale, and her delicate features were withered and lifeless, making her look like someone who was about to die.
"Mian'er, Mian'er?"
He called her name twice, but she didn't respond.
Realizing something was wrong, he turned and shouted, "Go and call He Lianqing over here."
I had clearly recovered some energy in the past two days, so why am I getting worse and worse? What on earth is He Lianqing up to?
Mingying wasn't refusing to answer him because she was confused; she simply didn't want to.
She wasn't seriously ill; on the contrary, she was perfectly fine.
She had only taken a medicine that He Lianqing had prescribed for her. This medicine would not harm her body, but it would make her look unwell and weak.
He Lianqing was urged over and saw Pei Xiaoyun's bloodshot eyes, a look so terrifying it seemed like he wanted to peel off a layer of skin.
"How exactly did you treat her?" Pei Xiaoyun questioned him.
He Lianqing naturally understood that this was the favor Mingying had asked her to do for her that day.
He pretended to take Mingying's pulse, looking puzzled: "This is due to poor blood circulation and worry. No amount of medicine can cure her heart."
Yu'er stepped forward, choking back tears: "Master, the young lady has refused to take her medicine these past few days. She often pours it out herself when the servants are not around."
Upon hearing about this illness, Pei Xiaoyun felt a burning sensation in her chest.
He fell ill from worry.
Who is it that is worried, who is it that is thinking? How could he not know?
She couldn't stop thinking about that person, about getting this disease, and refused to take her medicine.
He gazed into her bright, shimmering eyes and asked with a hint of resentment, "Do you want to die?"
Mingying simply turned around, letting him vent his anger at the air.
Pei Xiaoyun turned her head, suppressing half of her anger because of her serious illness, and asked her in a calm manner, "Why aren't you taking your medicine?"
Do you really have to fight him to the bitter end?
If she can't reunite with Lin Xian, she'd rather die.
“Because I don’t want to stay by your side, I’d rather be dead.” Mingying finally looked at him and uttered these words dryly.
"Do you think you can just die whenever you want?" Pei Xiaoyun laughed angrily, her lips pressed into a straight line.
He was her man; she had to obey him whether she lived or died.
In his eyes, her slightest struggle was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and he had plenty of ways to make her submit.
He instructed the maid to prepare the medicine as usual. A bowl of yellowish-brown medicine was brought over, emitting a pungent, bitter smell.
"I'll give you one more chance, will you drink it or not?" He looked down at her, gazing intently.
Mingying's eyelids twitched slightly, but she remained unmoved; his commands had long since lost their effect on her.
Pei Xiaoyun frowned, his eyes dark and pure, and ordered, "Pour it down my throat."
Yu'er couldn't bear to do it, so he called Yuechan and Zisu to come up and pour it over the fish.
Mingying knew they were all maids and didn't want to make things difficult for them, so she didn't struggle much. When the rim of the bowl touched her lips, she drank it down on her own.
Seeing that she did not resist fiercely and instead obediently finished drinking, Pei Xiaoyun's anger subsided a bit. He sat closer to her, as if soothing a disobedient cat: "We are going to spend the New Year in Hangzhou. There will be a lantern festival on New Year's Eve. Once you have recovered from your illness, I will take you out for a stroll. After the New Year, we will return to the capital. We will not mention these past events again."
I don't know what I was arguing with him about, I just made a mess of things for nothing.
He prided himself on understanding her personality well, believing that even if she had a temper, he only needed to lower his head and coax her a little.
Mingying's eyes, as black as jade, gazed at him silently as his lips opened and closed, uttering words that disgusted her.
Following He Lianqing's instructions, she pressed the acupoints on her hands, then suddenly frowned and vomited up the medicine she had drunk.
The medicine, mixed with some filth, was all vomited onto Pei Xiaoyun.
The once-precious robes were now stained with filth, and a foul odor filled the room.
"You!" Pei Xiaoyun stood up, realizing she was doing this on purpose, and the sharpness in her eyes intensified. "Are you all going to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?"
He wanted to see just how tough her bones were.
He then ordered someone to brew medicine and forced her to drink it.
Mingying drank it in front of him, but spat it out a moment later, making the bed dirty and filling the room with a strong smell of medicine.
After this was repeated several times, her face turned ashen, and she was exhausted, leaning listlessly against the headboard.
Seeing that she was extremely weak, Pei Xiaoyun dared not order anyone to force-feed her medicine.
He was filled with resentment and didn't want to stay there a moment longer; she might as well die if she didn't drink.
He turned and went out, taking off his outer robe and throwing it out, letting in the cold wind and snow through the crack in the door.
The study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Pei Xiaoyun had a terrible headache. He was troubled by matters of state. When he returned home, Mingying was again threatening suicide.
Sometimes I really want to just strangle her and end it all.
The red charcoal was hot and warm, but it couldn't melt away the two clusters of ice flowers in his eyes.
"Isn't there any other way?" he asked He Lianqing irritably.
"When you're sick, you have to take medicine, what other way is there?" He Lianqing paused for a moment, "There's also a folk remedy, bloodletting, are you willing to do that?"
Pei Xiaoyun naturally knew this was nonsense, and gave him a cold look.
He Lianqing shrugged, indicating that he was helpless: "If she refuses to take the medicine, I'm afraid her days are numbered."
Pei Xiaoyun's eyelids twitched, and he scribbled a stroke off the paper, rendering it unusable. He roughly crumpled it into a ball and threw it away.
At dawn, the ground was covered in pristine white, and the cold grass resembled jade pendants.
When Mingying woke up, her stomach felt like it was being fried in oil and roasted because of the churning she had experienced the night before. Fortunately, he didn't bother her anymore.
Instead of the maids who brought her medicine and meals, Pei Xiaoyun arrived.
He had changed into a light purple casual outfit. He seemed to have slept poorly, with dark circles under his eyes and a gloomy expression as he walked in.
Seeing that she still looked listless, her body seemed like it would fall apart at the slightest touch, and that she was a woman who always defied him, he wished he could just crush her.
Yuechan brought the medicine as usual. Pei Xiaoyun took it and looked at Mingying, "I can take you to see Lin Xian, on the condition that you drink the medicine yourself."
Mingying's eyes were like waves crashing against rocks, turbulent and turbulent, as she snatched the medicine bowl from his hand.
Pei Xiaoyun got angry when she saw her like that.
A playful smile played on his lips: "After you drink the medicine, you'll have to earn it back yourself."
Since Lin Xian is a dying woman, if it can win her submission and obedience, what harm is there in taking her to see him?
Mingying met his deep gaze, and her wrist trembled.
Ignoring everything else, she drank it all in one gulp, the medicine making her voice hoarse: "As long as you keep your word, I'm willing to do anything."
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Waving hands][Waving hands][Waving hands][Waving hands][Waving hands] [Reward]
Long chapters every day, please comment and give me nutrient solution! [crying][crying]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
