Chapter 5 Yao Yao, don't even think about escaping.
She was so frightened that she kept shrinking into the wedding bed, the beaded chains and pendants around her waist jingling.
With a casual chuckle, the man knelt down and pressed her into the bed curtains. His large hands gripped her waist, immobilizing her completely. As he moved, the veil slipped down, and the soft candlelight dazzled her. Just as she was about to see the man's face clearly...
A hand with distinct knuckles forcefully covered her eyes, plunging her into darkness.
Unable to see, her senses were amplified many times over.
Warm breath sprayed on her neck, her earlobe was sucked and gently sucked, the warm and moist touch made her scalp tingle, and fear and panic filled her entire chest.
She was embraced and kissed by a strange man in the bridal chamber, and overwhelmed by a sense of transgression, she kept trying to hide further inside.
The man didn't care about her escape at all. The iron hand around her waist held her firmly, preventing her from retreating even an inch. His wet, soft tongue traced the outline of her ear, teasing her desire little by little.
Warm, wet kisses landed on her ears, cheeks, and chin. Yu Tan, lost in her dream, trembled uncontrollably, and two streams of tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks.
She was terrified; what had been a tender and affectionate kiss turned into utter plunder.
The kiss landed on her lips, gently rubbing the small mole beneath them. She didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but finally the man withdrew, and she thought she could finally catch her breath.
Her lips were captured, and the man seemed to only give her a moment to accept it.
They forcefully pried open her teeth, robbing her of her last breath and forcing her to retreat step by step.
Behind her was a sturdy wedding bed, and in front of her stood a powerful man.
Yu Tan bit down hard, tasting the bloody flavor in her mouth. She struggled fiercely, and the hand that was holding her waist loosened its grip.
The man let out a helpless sigh.
"So distant..."
"Don't even think about escaping."
The hand that had been covering her eyes was removed, and slivers of light seeped in.
*
"My lady, wake up." Qiaoxin held a lotus lantern and gently shook Yu Tan's shoulders, waking her from her nightmare.
Yu Tan frowned slightly, and her beautiful eyes opened, but her once bright and sparkling eyes became empty and lifeless.
Every time she dreamt of biting her tongue until her mouth was full of blood, Lanxin would thoughtfully stuff a handkerchief into her mouth. Yutan took the handkerchief off, and her lower lip stung. Bloodstains were left on the snow-white handkerchief. No wonder she tasted blood in her dream.
She lowered her head and calmed herself for a while before saying softly, "It's alright now. What time is it?"
"It's only the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), and it's been no more than two and a half hours since you fell asleep." Qiaoxin released the lotus lantern and brought a cup of tea. "Would you like to drink another bowl of calming soup before you sleep a little longer?"
Yu Tan took a small sip of the tea to rinse away the bloody taste in her mouth.
She shook her head; she had been having this nightmare ever since she awakened.
The figure in the dream was blurry upon closer examination, as if veiled by a misty veil.
I wonder if this dream is foreshadowing her fate. That man treated her like that on her wedding day; it was truly despicable.
She sorted through all the information she knew at the moment.
She is a villainous female supporting character in a restricted novel. Three men initially admire her, but after the real heiress returns, they immediately fall in love with her.
Teasing her, humiliating her, imprisoning her...
The more they bullied her, the happier they were, in order to curry favor with the real heiress. Unfortunately, the real heiress didn't even glance at them.
Could the person who imprisoned her be Ji Yushang?
And then there are those erotic storylines that can be triggered at any time.
She curled her fingertips, determined not to let them succeed.
"What nightmare did you have, my lady? You always get so scared. Should we call the doctor again?" Qiaoxin got up and lit the lamp in the room, making the room bright and dispelling some of the gloom in her heart.
When she first had this dream, she could only sleep for an hour at night. Now she can sleep for two and a half hours. Perhaps soon she will no longer be afraid of nightmares.
Yu Tan waved her hand: "It's okay, you won't be scared next time."
It was still early, so Yu Tan lingered in bed a little longer. She took out the book "The Princess Returns to Court" from last night and read the first half carefully. Just as she finished reading the part where the real princess was brought back and the fake princess continued as before, the sky outside began to brighten.
Seeing that Yu Tan had put down the book, Qiao Xin extinguished the lamp and said softly, "My lady, are you getting up?"
"Okay, I'll go have breakfast with Grandma first."
Qiaoxin called Lanxin in to wash up and do Yutan's makeup.
Yu Tan sat at the dressing table, took out the longevity lock from the bottom of the box and looked at it again, her fingertips tracing every engraving.
Qiaoxin asked, "Does Madam miss you, my lady?"
"Hmm." Yu Tan responded. The girl in the mirror had her hair styled in a lily bun, adorned with three butterfly gold hairpins. She wore a short red blouse with a brocade skirt with ten patterns. The weariness on her face was covered by makeup, making her look extremely beautiful and lively.
The morning dew was heavy and the wind was cold, but fortunately she took her medicine in time last night and did not cough.
When Yu Tan arrived at her grandmother's courtyard, it just so happened that Old Madam Song was serving breakfast. Old Madam Song sat at the round table with a stern face and did not touch her chopsticks.
"Grandmother," Yu Tan called sweetly, pulling out a round stool to sit next to Old Madam Song.
Madam Song remained silent, her face stern and her lips pursed.
"Grandmother," Yu Tan called again, tilting her head, and blinked, "What's wrong? Did Granny Chang hide your desserts again?"
Madam Song was an open-minded person with a sweet tooth. However, the doctor had forbidden her from having sweets. She was only allowed a limited amount of sweets each day, and any extra sweets would be hidden away by her personal maid, Granny Chang.
Old Madam Song glanced at her, and Yu Tan affectionately took her arm, "I'll make some osmanthus cakes later, and we can eat them secretly."
"You, you." Old Madam Song pushed her away, supporting her forehead with one finger. "Have breakfast first."
Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were prepared on the small round table. Madam Song was over eighty years old, and for breakfast she could only have some soft porridge and steamed dumplings.
Yu Tan was busy serving food to Madam Song, but she herself did little. In the time it took to eat breakfast, she finally managed to coax the stern-faced Madam Song into laughing heartily.
After the maids cleared away the breakfast, Madam Song sipped her tea.
"If I don't mention it, you really don't intend to tell me. Do you think I'm senile, deaf, and blind?"
Yu Tan's heart skipped a beat, almost thinking that Old Madam Song knew about her background, and she called out softly, "Grandmother."
Old Madam Song placed the teacup on the round table and said angrily, "The Li family is going too far."
Noticing that Old Madam Song was protecting her own, a smile gradually spread across Yu Tan's face. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Grandmother, don't worry. I got my revenge last night. Anyone who dares to bully me doesn't even know who my backer is."
Old Madam Song chuckled, her composure crumbling. "I've already sent a letter to Madam Li; she has to give me an explanation. And that scoundrel, I've already spoken to him; ten strokes of the cane will surely leave him bruised and battered."
Yu Tan nodded: "Thank you, Grandmother, for supporting me."
“I took you in when you were so small, and it wasn’t easy raising you to this age. And now you’re being bullied by others.” Old Madam Song gestured with her hand, indicating an arm’s length.
Yu Tan smiled and replied, "Yes, yes, yes."
Madam Song paused for a moment and said, "You look most like your mother when you smile. She loved to smile too. Your mother passed away so early."
Yu Tan's smile froze, but the corners of her mouth remained upturned, unnoticed by anyone.
Back then, Yu Zheng was ordered to go to the border to fight off foreign tribes. Ning Weiqing, who was six months pregnant, was kidnapped by treacherous people and disappeared without a trace. Half a year later, a loyal servant brought the infant Yu Tan to Bianjing to find her relatives. Ning Weiqing was left with only a lonely grave in the desolate desert.
Yu Zheng never remarried. Yu Tan was raised in Madam Song's courtyard after being brought back to China. Madam Song raised her.
Madam Song was the kindest person in the world to her.
Madam Song said seriously, "Yaoyao, you're sixteen now. I always thought of keeping you by my side, but now you've become someone else's target. It's only after this incident that I realized I should find you a good marriage."
Yu Tan smiled and said in a coquettish tone, "Grandmother, I want to stay with you for a few more years. My brother is not even married yet, how come it's my turn to ask for a wife first?"
Madam Song said, "After your brother finishes the imperial examination, I will personally choose a marriage partner. I think Jiang Tingfeng, the eldest son of the Jiang family, is quite good. He is currently the Zhenwu Colonel and accompanied your father on this trip to the border. He will have a bright future upon his return. You even met him when you were young in your hometown of Yuyang."
Upon hearing this name, Yu Tan's brow twitched violently. He was one of the three who had bullied her.
She couldn't go against Madam Song's wishes, "When my brother is getting married, I will let my grandmother arrange it. I'm afraid it's not proper for him to do it now."
“When have you ever observed propriety? You’ve started using your brother as a shield. In about six months, you won’t have any choice in the matter.”
After breakfast, Yu Tan helped Old Madam Song walk around the courtyard a few times, and then played several games of chess with her before leaving. She lingered until lunchtime, and after Old Madam Song took a nap, she left with Qiao Xin.
Yu Tan slowly turned to Feng Xu Courtyard. When Yu He'an was a child, he did not have the habit of taking a nap. This time was a rare rest time for Yu He'an. He would spend half an hour reading some strange and miscellaneous books.
When she entered the courtyard, Yu He'an was standing under the eaves, wearing a golden crown and a white robe with gold thread embroidered on the cuffs and collar. Compared to yesterday, this outfit was less aloof and more noble.
Yu Tan called out softly, "Brother."
"What is it?" Yu He'an turned to her, his eyebrows slanted and his eyes were long and narrow. When he looked at people with his eyelids half-lowered, he only made people feel indifferent. His nose was straight with a hump at the root. His lips were often pursed, without the slightest smile. Even the most handsome face was tinged with coldness, like a golden jade artifact that needed to be placed on a high shelf.
"I left the burn ointment with me yesterday, so I brought it over." Yu Tan stepped forward, stood next to Yu He'an, and looked down at the hand injury.
Yu He'an's right hand rested lightly on his left wrist. His palm was large, his fingers were long and slender, his knuckles were even, and the back of his hand was fair with smooth lines.
The perfect, jade-like hand was ruined by the wound. The black ointment in the center of the wound had dried up, the blister had shrunk a bit, and the ointment at the edges had been rubbed off, revealing red flesh.
He did not apply the medicine again after returning home.
"Come in." Yu He'an stepped into the house.
She followed Yu He'an through the front hall and into the study.
Yu He'an had already gone around to the back of the desk, which he used when he was a child, and it was a bit too low for him now.
To the left is a row of bookshelves, which contain many rare books by famous authors or manuscripts by renowned figures. At the very front is a sword rack with a long, jet-black sword on it.
A low couch was placed by the window, with a small table on top, on which were several miscellaneous books. The pages of the books were turned, and Yu He'an had just finished reading them.
At the very edge was a Xuande incense burner, from which a wisp of fragrance rose. She smelled the scent of cedar wood incense that Yu He'an often used.
Yu He'an pointed to the small table on the low couch: "Put the medicine there."
She moved closer to Yu He'an: "Brother, let me apply the medicine for you. It will help your hand injury heal faster and make it easier for you to write and practice swordsmanship."
Yu He'an looked up at Yu Tan with a puzzled expression, his brows furrowed. He'd only burned his right hand; applying the ointment to his left would suffice. "No need..."
“Brother, you’ll forget again soon.” Yu Tan sat down an arm’s length away from the desk, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Yu He'an was taken aback. What kind of peculiar hobby was this?
A note from the author:
Thank you, Angel, who's been lazing around on the roadside. I'm so happy to receive the nutrient solution! [shy]
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