Chapter 81. A forced kiss.
"Or did you dream about him last night?" Ji Lingyue asked with a half-smile.
"What...what nonsense are you talking about?"
Her heart skipped a beat, but she tried her best to remain calm.
We absolutely cannot let my brother see through our plan, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain and the whole scheme will be ruined.
"He really didn't come?" Ji Lingyue asked, his gaze fixed on her lips.
Ji Wanyuan grew increasingly panicked. Last night, she had kissed Wen Qiyan for a long time. Although she had secretly applied ointment in the middle of the night, she didn't know if the swelling had completely subsided by now.
As she pondered, Ji Wanyuan subconsciously licked and pursed her own lips.
Even without seeing it with her own eyes, she knew that the swelling had not completely subsided.
It's all Wen Qiyan's fault. He was too unrestrained, devouring her like a cabbage.
She absolutely could not admit it, and had to pretend she knew nothing. Under the man's unwavering gaze, Ji Wanyuan touched her lips with a puzzled expression.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Can't tell, can you? Even if she could, she couldn't let him expose her.
Ji Lingyue remained silent for a long time, then suddenly leaned closer.
Ji Wanyuan instinctively wanted to back away, but she was right on the bed. No matter how spacious the place was, it wouldn't matter. Where could she run to?
"We are siblings." She warned Ji Lingyue not to come over again.
Even if she wanted to get out of bed, she would have to get past Ji Lingyue, but that was obviously impossible because he was blocking her way.
She feared that if she got too close, he would grab her, because Ji Lingyue's gaze was fixed on her without wavering, and it was extremely aggressive and dangerous.
“Yuan’er used to always cling to her brother, but now that she’s grown up, she’s suddenly started to care about ethics and morality?” He said he didn’t like her constantly avoiding him and hoped that she would be as close to him as before.
Ji Wanyuan gripped the blankets tightly. "Even if I don't like it, I can't change it..."
She hesitated for a moment, but then firmly said, "We're both getting older. I'm a wife and a mother now. We should really avoid any suspicion between us."
The man didn't reply. He chuckled and leaned even closer. The maids serving beside him, including Xi'er, all lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.
The moment the man reached out and completely touched her, Ji Wanyuan began to resist fiercely.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn't compete with Ji Lingyue at all.
He pressed down on her wrist through the blankets with one hand, stopping her from getting up, and covered her cheek with his other hand.
Ji Wanyuan's heart was practically in her throat, "..."
Because the two of them were too close together.
The man's body enveloped her, and even his breath sprayed onto her face.
Unfamiliar yet intensely passionate.
The important thing is that the large hand that held half of her face was burning hot and extremely controlling. The fear spread from her face to every part of her body, and even her back trembled slightly.
Ji Wanyuan felt a pang of panic, and her abdomen began to move.
But at this moment, how could she dare to comfort him? She wasn't stupid; how could she not see that Ji Lingyue disliked the child in her womb?
He was smiling, but his eyes were filled with coldness.
I wonder what crazy thing they're up to this time?
Ji Wanyuan dared not move, her fingers unconsciously twisting under the covers, silently comforting the fetus in her womb.
It must have had some effect; he stopped making a fuss.
but……
Ji Lingyue's fingertips began to move. He caressed her cheek, feeling the smoothness of her skin and seeing the trembling in her eyes. He felt both heartache and excitement.
The man's fingertips finally landed on her lips.
He rubbed and ground his lips hard against hers, causing her a lot of pain.
Upon seeing her furrow her brow, the excitement in his eyes intensified.
Ji Wanyuan instinctively cried out in pain, her cheeks began to struggle, but he was still in control of her, gradually increasing the force, and Ji Wanyuan was almost unable to bear it.
The man drew closer, almost touching her, and just as his kiss was about to land, Ji Wanyuan suddenly opened her mouth and bit his finger.
A sharp pain shot through him, and Ji Lingyue flinched back. Ji Wanyuan seized the opportunity and instantly escaped his grasp. At the same time, she raised her hand and slapped Ji Lingyue across the face.
Snap!
The loud slap made the atmosphere between the two freeze.
Ji Wanyuan was panicked and scared, but mostly she was angry.
She used a lot of force, slapping Ji Lingyue's cheek so hard it turned to the side, leaving a handprint on his handsome face. Even her own palm was numb and painful.
The maids serving outside were all trembling with fear upon hearing the noise.
Ji Wanyuan was furious, so angry that she was trembling all over.
After Ji Lingyue came to his senses, he turned to look at her. The handprint on his face was so obvious, lying across his face, that it was even a little frightening.
Ji Wanyuan was startled when she saw it. Did she really use that much force?
After the initial anger came overwhelming panic, and Ji Wanyuan began to shift the blame, "It was...it was you who attacked me first!"
Ji Lingyue reached out and touched his face, feeling the swollen handprint. "Little sister really hit hard. Do you consider your brother an enemy?"
"You were the one who tried to take liberties with me first!" She pulled the blanket from the side, covered her own body, and stood between the two of them.
"How can my brother's closeness to you be considered frivolous?"
Ji Wanyuan was furious at the moment, but she knew she couldn't provoke him, so she forcibly suppressed her emotions and didn't argue with him, but just glared at him.
Ji Lingyue looked at her lips and said, "Okay."
“It’s understandable that you can’t accept me as your brother now, but Yuan’er, you’d better get used to it sooner or later, because we will become husband and wife sooner or later.”
He looked at her.
Ji Wanyuan bit her lip, wanting to argue, but she forced herself to hold back. It was at this moment that the baby in her belly gave a jolt.
The commotion was so loud that Ji Lingyue could see it even through the blankets.
She immediately covered her stomach and looked at him warily.
Ji Lingyue's gaze immediately shifted downwards, looking at her protruding belly, making Ji Wanyuan feel extremely uncomfortable.
She kept backing away until her back hit the bed and she could go no further. Her legs also curled up involuntarily.
Ji Lingyue looked at her stomach, his eyes filled with an obvious desire to eliminate her.
Ji Wanyuan warned, "If you hurt my child, I will fight you to the death."
Ji Lingyue laughed, "Really? My sister wants to fight me to the death?"
“If that’s the case, this child could be a turning point between you and me,” he said meaningfully.
"Ji Lingyue!" She couldn't stand him anymore.
The man chuckled softly, "If this child were younger, I would have killed him."
“But he’s far too far along in his pregnancy. If he were to act rashly, it could cost you your life. Your brother won’t do that.”
"Therefore, I will ensure his safe birth, but after his birth..."
Before Ji Lingyue could finish speaking, Ji Wanyuan already understood his meaning: he would take action after she gave birth.
"Are you... are you insane?"
“He is Wen Qiyan’s bloodline.” Ji Lingyue said this, which meant he could not tolerate him.
"But he's my own flesh and blood too!" She couldn't help but argue with Ji Lingyue.
"You're only focused on killing Wen Qiyan's child, but have you ever considered that this is also the child I carried for ten months and gave birth to?"
Isn't it said that you should love everything about someone you love?
If your brother loves her, why can't he even tolerate her child?
As if anticipating what she was about to say, Ji Lingyue spoke in a tone that was half threat and half intimidation: "So, if you don't want this child to die, Yuan'er had better behave."
"If you behave, your brother might consider letting him stay."
Ji Wanyuan was so angry she gritted her teeth. From the past to the present, no one had ever dared to threaten her so openly.
Even Lin Nianxi, whom she disliked the most, could only be sarcastic and sarcastic because of her status. As for the princesses and nobles in the palace, because her father was the prime minister, they would still be polite to her even if they were unhappy.
Unexpectedly, the first person to treat her so rudely was her good brother, who had always been obedient to her.
How can I make her not angry?
She was furious.
As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart.
But that despicable man, Ji Lingyue, was still provoking her. "Little sister, don't be angry. It would be bad if it affected the baby."
Ji Wanyuan, "..." She really swallowed her anger.
Ji Lingyue came over to have breakfast with her, but she didn't want to eat and simply didn't touch the food.
Who knew that he would completely break off relations, saying that if she didn't eat this meal, she wouldn't need to eat any more food afterward.
If she were alone, it wouldn't be a problem if she didn't eat, but she has a baby in her belly, so she has to eat.
With a cold expression, she allowed the maid Xi'er to wash and apply makeup for her, and then she sat down at the round table to eat.
Ji Lingyue not only made her dine with him, but even served her food.
She had to eat whatever he put on her plate, and he even made her thank him like she did in the capital, otherwise he would start threatening her again, saying he would kill the child in her womb.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
What else could Ji Wanyuan do but agree to him with a cold face?
Even after having breakfast, Ji Lingyue still refused to leave.
Ji Wanyuan couldn't just kick him out, because once she said it, who knew what else he might say?
Moreover, she vaguely sensed that there were many more guards around her, which meant that her brother was suspicious of her.
Wen Qiyan fell off a cliff and her whereabouts are unknown. Her brother noticed that her mouth was swollen and suspected that she had returned.
They've sent so many people openly; who knows how many more are behind the scenes?
My brother has already become suspicious. Will he find out about the shadow guards that Wen Qiyan sent to protect her?
Even though she knew that worrying was useless, Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but feel anxious.
She wondered why Ji Lingyue hadn't left after breakfast. Could it be that he was keeping watch over her to try and get Wen Qiyan's whereabouts out of her?
But she didn't even know Wen Qiyan's whereabouts.
But... if he just wanted to find out Wen Qiyan's whereabouts, why did he keep asking about family matters?
Ji Lingyue kept trying to make conversation with her, bringing up what had happened in the capital.
She recounted her past with him, as well as her relationship with Prime Minister Ji and his wife.
Trying to find out Wen Qiyan's whereabouts by bringing up past events?
This isn't right.
If it weren't for Wen Qiyan's whereabouts, could it be to maintain her relationship with him?
Ji Wanyuan was still speculating in her heart.
She felt something was very wrong.
If you're trying to maintain past relationships, why drag your parents into it?
Speaking of the past, she only felt brotherly affection for Ji Lingyue, nothing more.
As she listened, Ji Lingyue mentioned the birthday gifts that Prime Minister Ji had given her in the past, and asked her if she remembered what Prime Minister Ji had said to her.
Suddenly, Ji Wanyuan had a flash of inspiration and grasped the meaning of this seemingly casual probing question.
She figured it out.
Was her brother spying on their father's troops?
Does he think she knows?
Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but mutter to herself.
How could she possibly know? Her father never allowed her to get involved in these kinds of things.
She really wanted to tell him not to waste his time, but if she did, her brother would definitely wonder how she knew about the soldiers.
If we investigate further, we might expose that Wen Qiyan had been here.
Therefore, Ji Wanyuan pretended not to know and dealt with him.
Indeed, Ji Lingyue had come to probe whether Ji Wanyuan had any chance of finding out where Prime Minister Ji had deployed his troops.
In recent days, his men have been searching outside, but they still can't find out where Prime Minister Ji's troops are located; they have only found traces of the army's encampment.
His father was indeed always wary of him.
He was initially sent to Youzhou to mine minerals under the pretext of managing the affairs of his subordinates and their families.
In reality, mining had already begun; he was simply there to supervise the work.
He was called a supervisor, but he really was just a supervisor, because he had no way of knowing the mining process of these private mines. Not only did he not know the mining process, he also did not know where the ore was exchanged.
Prime Minister Ji never considered him as his successor.
The appearance of his adopted son was more like a decoy, a pretext to ward off the flames of war from the outside world.
With his adopted son present, people would assume he was Prime Minister Ji's successor, and their attention would be focused on him. In reality...
Prime Minister Ji didn't value him at all.
The fact that his father immediately gave He Xun an important position as soon as he left the capital is the best proof of this.
Now, thanks to his sister's preferences, he even trusts Wen Qiyan.
It really broke his heart.
If he could win his sister's favor, even if his father didn't want to value him, he wouldn't be able to do so.
Because she is the apple of his eye.
Therefore, Wen Qiyan must die.
But this man has yet to be found.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Ji Wanyuan's lips.
Noticing the man's gaze, Ji Wanyuan panicked. She tried her best to suppress her emotions, not wanting him to see through her.
For the next few days, Ji Lingyue stayed with Ji Wanyuan, talking to her and bringing up old stories.
Because of his presence, Wen Qiyan did not appear.
Ji Wanyuan remembered Wen Qiyan saying that he had secretly sent people to protect her, so even without any news, she felt at ease.
That day, after lunch.
Ji Lingyue led her through the flower hall, and Ji Wanyuan pulled her cloak tighter to cover her belly.
"Are you tired?" Ji Lingyue asked her.
Ji Wanyuan glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Ji Lingyue didn't seem annoyed by her ignoring him.
He led Ji Wanyuan to sit down in the pavilion in the courtyard.
He originally wanted to hold her hand, but Ji Wanyuan ignored him and resisted fiercely whenever he touched her, so Ji Lingyue temporarily stopped touching her.
After sitting down, I poured myself a cup of tea.
Ji Lingyue suddenly spoke up, "Was Wen Qiyan here some time ago?"
Caught off guard by the question, Ji Wanyuan's pupils suddenly contracted. Fortunately, her eyes were lowered and her long, curled eyelashes concealed her reaction; otherwise, Ji Lingyue would have noticed.
Calming her panic, she looked up at Ji Lingyue, "What's wrong with you now?"
"Hasn't he come?" the man asked.
"When did he come?" Ji Wanyuan asked in return.
Ji Lingyue looked at her face. She hadn't been eating much these days, but because of her pregnancy, she had still gained a lot of weight and looked increasingly plump.
Even though she has become plump, she still retains the delicate charm of a young girl.
"What are you looking at?" Ji Lingyue suddenly stopped talking and just stared at her quietly.
"I'm trying to figure out if my sister is lying or not," Ji Lingyue suddenly laughed.
Ji Wanyuan was terrified, but she maintained a composed expression when facing him.
She scoffed, her mockery laid bare.
The man was not angry at the woman’s provocation. He poured her a cup of hot tea and moved the pastries that the servants had brought over to her.
"A few things have happened recently. Would you be interested in knowing about them, little sister?"
She didn't speak.
Ji Lingyue's gaze shifted from her face to the tea and pastries.
He had been forcing her to eat these past few days, and Ji Wanyuan knew very well what the man's eyes were trying to convey.
He just wanted her to eat it.
He wouldn't say anything if she didn't eat.
But she really didn't want to give in, so she simply stopped moving.
Wen Qiyan said, "It's news about Mother and the Wen family. Don't you want to know, little sister?"
Mother?! And Wen Qiyan?!
Ji Wanyuan immediately lost her composure.
Ji Lingyue raised an eyebrow at the pastries and tea, picked it up angrily, took a sip, and ate slowly.
"After the Empress recovered, the Emperor fell ill again. Originally, Mother feigned illness to avoid the task of attending to the Emperor in the palace, but... in order to control the Ji family, the Emperor ordered Mother to come to the palace to take his pulse. Guess what happened?"
Ji Wanyuan's heart pounded with fear. "Has something happened to Mother?"
"My mother is under house arrest."
"What?!" Ji Wanyuan stood up in shock.
My mother has been placed under house arrest?
Why is there no news coming in?
"Is your sister very worried?"
She really couldn't stand Ji Lingyue using her own flesh and blood to hurt her, especially in such a nonchalant tone.
"That's my mother, of course I'm worried!" After saying that, she glared at Ji Lingyue.
"Yes, she is also my mother. Although she is not my biological mother, she raised me after all." Ji Lingyue accepted her sarcastic remark.
Ji Wanyuan sneered, "It's a shame you still remember that she's your mother."
"My sister is angry."
Ji Wanyuan ignored him, her inner turmoil continuing.
She wondered if Wen Qiyan knew about this matter, and whether he had sent anyone to rescue her mother.
“Sister, don’t be angry. I will naturally rescue our mother.”
"Is Mother really alright inside the palace?" She's been under house arrest; how could she possibly be alright?
She didn't know what to do. "Where's Father?"
"Father is doing well," Ji Lingyue replied.
Ji Wanyuan was not entirely convinced and stared intently at Ji Lingyue, trying to find any clues in his expression that might indicate he was lying.
He met her gaze. "Do you suspect your brother is lying to you?"
Ji Wanyuan turned her face away, supporting her waist and stomach as she sat down, having lost all appetite.
She was completely lost and tormented.
"Does my sister still want to hear news about the Wen family?"
Ji Wanyuan really wanted to hear it, but she still pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "Tell me if you want, or don't!"
"It seems that Wen Yunqin is not as important to my sister as Wen Qiyan."
"You...you mean Wen Yunqin?" Isn't it Wen Qiyan's whereabouts?
"You also made a move against Wen Yunqin?"
“The Wen family and my Ji family have always been enemies. Eliminating Wen Qiyan alone is not enough.” Ji Lingyue swirled the teacup in his cup. “Although Wen Yunqin is slightly inferior to his brother, he is still considered outstanding in the capital. Moreover, he holds military power over the Imperial Guards.”
Ji Wanyuan pondered the meaning behind his words.
Ji Lingyue refused to speak again.
Thinking of Wen Yunqin's past help to her, she argued with Ji Lingyue, "He was sent by the emperor. If you kill him, are you trying to expose the Ji family's treason?"
"My sister is so clever; I really do intend to do that."
"Are you crazy?" Ji Wanyuan said angrily, "Mother is still in the Emperor's hands!"
How could he directly declare war on the imperial court? If the emperor were to act desperately and make an example of him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Your mother and father have always treated you well. How could you do this while holding the title of the Ji family's adopted son? Are you trying to drive the Ji family to the brink of ruin?"
"My father forced me to do this."
Ji Lingyue looked at her questioning face, and even began to feel disgust.
How could she hate him? Couldn't she share even a little of her affection for Wen Qiyan with him?
Thinking of this, Ji Lingyue couldn't help but say, "Your sister is truly worthy of being Father's biological daughter; you're just as biased as he is."
"Where has the Ji family wronged you?" Ji Wanyuan could no longer understand the meaning behind his words.
“Although my father adopted me as his godson, he never trusted me. He adopted me only to use me. If that’s the case, why can’t I give him a taste of his own medicine?”
"What did your father use you for?" Ji Wanyuan chuckled. "Your father has always been very good to you."
"My sister is so naive." How could he tell her that Prime Minister Ji was using him?
To this day, the troops have not been handed over to him.
"Ji Lingyue, you're such an ingrate," she scolded him.
Faced with her questioning, he smiled indifferently, "If you want me to remain inactive and maintain the status quo to deceive the court, that's not impossible."
He looked at her and asked, "Tell your brother where Father has hidden the troops he trained?"
Having failed to get any useful information from her through roundabout means some time ago, has she resorted to threats?
So, are the things he said about his mother being placed under house arrest in the palace and Wen Yunqin's death true or not?
Ji Wanyuan suddenly calmed down because of his words.
"I don't know," she retorted.
"How could my sister not know? You are Father's most beloved daughter."
“Father won’t let me get involved in these things, so I don’t know. Asking me is a waste of your time.”
"Is that so?" He asked someone to bring up a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. "In that case, write a letter to ask your father."
"How am I supposed to ask?" The moment Ji Wanyuan picked up the pen, she threw it away, sweeping the inkstone, paper, and inkstone all over the ground, splattering ink everywhere.
"It seems you're not willing to help your brother."
Ji Lingyue looked at her cheeks, which were puffed up with anger, and suddenly changed the subject.
"Wen Qiyan came to see you a while ago, right?"
Ji Wanyuan remained expressionless, but her hands, hidden under her cloak, clenched tightly.
"He came over in the middle of the night and kissed your lips until they were swollen. Did you think you could hide it from me?"
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Author's Note: Just a quick plot summary [rainbow praise], and there will be random lucky red envelopes dropping in this chapter! [sprinkling flowers]
Thank you everyone for your support! The nutrient solution is about to break 20,000! Ahhhhhh, I'm so happy! [glasses] We old farmers are really happy today!
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