Chapter 24 Amidst Peril, Bonds Arise (Part 7) The eldest sister-in-law should think about what to do…
Her self-destructive behavior inexplicably irritated him.
Ye Yixiang clearly felt the cold aura emanating from the man in front of her. Seeing his brows furrow and fearing that he might do something even more outrageous on the moving carriage, she had no choice but to suppress her resistance and embarrassment. She stiffened her body and let his calloused fingertips slowly and meticulously apply the cool ointment to her cheek.
The pleasant scent of the ointment mingled with his unique masculine aroma, lingering around her nose. That gentle touch, for a fleeting moment, overlapped with a vague image from the depths of her memory…
Five years ago, there was someone who gently and patiently applied medicine to her injured eye every day. Back then, he always spoke softly and moved with utmost care, afraid of hurting her in the slightest. That gentleness was the warmest light in her life.
Ye Yixiang's vision gradually blurred, and she reached out as if possessed, wanting to grasp the hand that was applying medicine to her, as if trying to grasp the tenderness in her memory.
However, upon touching his burning hot palm, she was suddenly jolted awake. The gentleness she remembered contrasted sharply with Chu Huaili's domineering and forceful demeanor before her. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, as if electrocuted.
He grabbed her small hand, which was trying to escape, and held it tightly in his large palm with an undeniable force.
“Now that you’ve got it,” his deep voice sounded above her head, with a husky, magnetic quality, “don’t even think about giving up.”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force in his arm and lifted her directly from the side seat, easily placing her on his lap!
"Ah." Ye Yixiang gasped, caught off guard, as she was instantly enveloped in his burning breath. The powerful pounding of his heart echoed in her ears, deafening and making her dizzy. She could feel the heat emanating from him and his intense masculine scent, which made her feel suffocated.
“General, we’re in the carriage!” Ye Yixiang pushed him away in resistance, her voice trembling slightly, trying to restrain him with worldly etiquette.
"Oh? Does elder sister-in-law mean to wait until we get back to our room?" Chu Huaili's lips curled into a playful smile. He deliberately misinterpreted her meaning, his voice deep and magnetic, carrying a hint of dangerous allure.
Ye Yixiang turned her head away in anger, her cheeks burning even more.
She knew he was deliberately provoking her, but she was helpless. However, her chin was hooked by his slender fingers, forcing her to turn her head. His high, straight nose touched the tip of her nose, and their breaths mingled, ambiguous and dangerous.
His voice grew heavier, carrying an undeniable threat: "Zhao Kui has today revealed compelling evidence of my cousin's treason. Whether that evidence is true or false depends entirely on my mood. My sister-in-law should know how to please me, shouldn't she?"
Even through their thick winter clothes, Ye Yixiang could clearly feel the strange sensation coming from below. The taut muscles in his waist and abdomen, and the firm, burning touch, were transmitted through the fabric with undeniable force.
He... he actually did it!
They actually used something that concerned Lu Qingyuan's reputation, something that forced her to bow down, to threaten her... forcing her to make such a shameful compromise!
"General, aren't you afraid that your actions in Liangzhou will be impeached by the censors?" Ye Yixiang placed her hand on his solid chest, trying her best to create that heart-pounding distance. Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly as she tried to use the rules of the court to restrain this beast that seemed to have broken free of its cage.
She remembered Lu Qingyuan saying that most court officials were wary of the sharp wit of the censors. Even if they held high positions and wielded great power, if they were impeached too many times, it would leave a stain on the emperor's mind.
She meant well, hoping he would restrain himself.
However, before she could finish speaking, she clearly felt the arms around her waist tighten suddenly, the force almost suffocating her.
Looking up, Chu Huaili's handsome face was even colder, his thick, ink-black eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his deep eyes were churning with undercurrents she couldn't understand.
He felt restless and frustrated—she could speak gently and patiently to others, so why did she always raise all her sharp thorns and try to draw all lines with him?
He suddenly lowered his head and approached without warning, his sharply defined features, as if meticulously drawn, suddenly magnified in front of her.
Startled, Ye Yixiang jerked backward, her head about to hit the hard, cold carriage wall, but the expected pain did not come.
A warm, broad hand had already been placed behind her head, protecting her from any possible harm.
“Eldest sister-in-law has probably forgotten,” his warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, his low, husky voice carrying a nonchalant cruelty, “I, Chu Huaili, have never cared about my reputation.” As he spoke, his large hand, which was around her waist, moved slightly, his fingertips lightly caressing her sensitive waist hollow through several layers of clothing.
This subtle movement, however, was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up an uncontrollable shiver within her.
At the same time, the horrifying rumors about the man in front of her flooded her mind like a tidal wave.
The young general, known behind his back as the "Living Rakshasa," was said to have once fought his way out of the enemy camp and, lacking supplies, resorted to eating the corpses of his enemies alive. When reinforcements arrived, he was still holding a severed forearm of a Northern Di soldier in his mouth, and his bloodthirsty eyes sent chills down the spines of even seasoned warriors.
If he...
Ye Yixiang dared not think any further, feeling a chill run from her feet to the top of her head. If she truly angered such a reckless and even somewhat insane man, she had no idea what he would do next.
Just as her mind was in turmoil, Chu Huaili suddenly changed the subject, his voice regaining its previous coldness and carrying a scrutinizing tone: "Do you know who the rebel leader who appeared in the military camp this time is?"
Ye Yixiang hadn't expected him to ask such a question. She subconsciously raised her tearful eyes and looked at his unfathomable gaze with a puzzled expression.
“He is Xie Lingchuan, a former subordinate of your father.” He pronounced the name clearly, his gaze fixed on her reaction. “This man surrendered to the Zhenyuan Army five years ago, and now he dares to use the banner of ‘restoring the former dynasty’ to incite rebellion while I am away from the camp.”
His voice grew colder and colder, like the biting wind of December. "Xie Lingchuan is a tough nut to crack. He was tortured on the rack for three days and three nights, but he wouldn't utter a single word. Unfortunately, there are always people who aren't so tough. Someone has confessed that they... have already found the young prince of Guangling who was living in exile."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of cold amusement, "But as of now, I haven't yet found out where that young prince is hiding."
"…!" Ye Yixiang's mind went blank for a moment, as if all sounds and thoughts had been taken away.
She stood frozen in Chu Huaili's arms, and it took a long while before her unfocused gaze refocused.
A wave of overwhelming shock and unbelievable elation crashed over her heart. She abruptly reached out and gripped Chu Huaili's shirt tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her voice trembled as she stammered, "What did you say...say it again? You mean...my younger brother...Cheng'er? He...he's still alive?! Is he really alive? Are you telling the truth? You're not lying to me?!"
She clearly remembered the chaos and despair on the day Chang'an fell. Her mother was frightened during childbirth, and her younger brother had just been born. However, the day was too chaotic, and she really didn't know whether her younger brother had died under the swords of the Zhenyuan Army or had been taken away by someone to escape to safety.
For the past five years, she has never dared to hope that the little life in her arms was still alive.
“Tomorrow, you can go to the government jail yourself and ask Xie Lingchuan.” His hand, which had been resting beside her ear, slowly moved upward, gently supporting the back of her neck with an irresistible force, forcing her to tilt her head back and look directly into his eyes that seemed to see through everything.
“But before that…” His thumb caressed the delicate skin on the back of her neck intimately, his voice low and seductive, “You need to think about how… to please me.”
He spoke the last three words very softly, yet they struck Ye Yixiang's heart like a heavy hammer.
She gently closed her eyes, her thick, curled eyelashes trembling fragilely like a butterfly with broken wings.
Reputation, dignity. Even Lu Qingyuan...
Compared to her younger brother, whom she had lost and then found, all of this seemed insignificant.
Cheng'er... if he were still alive, he would be five years old this year, right? What would he look like? Would he be as gentle as his mother, or as handsome as his father? How did he get through these past five years? Did he have enough to eat and wear? Did anyone love and care for him?
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her tightly closed eyes, glistening teardrops rolling down her fair and delicate cheeks, leaving damp marks.
Her tear-streaked face, in the dim light of the carriage, added a touch of breathtaking, poignant beauty.
If she didn't look at the cold and oppressive face in front of her... if he wasn't Chu Huaili... perhaps she could close her eyes and deceive herself into believing that the person embracing her and asking for her right now was the one she had once loved and was willing to give everything to... then, even if it was an attempt to please him, it didn't seem entirely unacceptable.
This thought, like a vine growing in the darkness, quietly entwined around her heart.
She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind.
When she looked up again, her eyes still held a hint of resolute allure, though they were still moist.
She raised her slightly trembling arm, and the wide sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her fair and jade-like forearm.
She slowly hooked her arms around Chu Huaili's neck, drawing them closer. Her lips, redder and fuller with tears in them, pressed gently against the man's hard-edged face with a desperate courage.
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