Chapter 101 Settling Accounts (3) Nailing Feng Tan to the Golden Platform...
Before Feng Tan could process the scene of brains splattering under the Golden Platform, an extremely dangerous situation was already looming before her. This time, Xiao Yinshi clearly had no intention of letting her go. He lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Each time he would relentlessly pursue her, he wouldn't stop until he penetrated deep into her mouth. After kissing him a few times, Feng Tan figured out his preferences and clenched her teeth from the very first moment their lips met. Xiao Yinshi kissed her lips for a while, feeling increasingly unsatisfied. He looked up at Feng Tan's eyes and said, "Open your mouth."
Feng Tan glared at him fiercely, her eyes filled with the tangible power of knives and spears that seemed to pierce Xiao Yinshi's head. Xiao Yinshi looked at her stubborn resistance and spoke calmly, but upon closer listening, his voice was hoarse, "I killed them, but their entire clan is still alive. Since you're so disobedient, should I put their entire clan here too so you can learn some manners?"
The person beneath him trembled noticeably. Xiao Yinshi didn't know if she was angry or frightened, but it certainly wasn't a good mood. However, he didn't care. His dark eyes captured Feng Tan's red lips, and he commanded again, "Open your mouth."
The feeling of being forced to open one's teeth is distinctly different from the feeling of willingly exposing one's tongue to a man's advances. Xiao Yinshi's unquestionable attitude indicated that it was inevitable. The files for selecting palace maids and eunuchs were all in the Yellow Register Archives. If she didn't follow his rules, he could bring their entire families here and kill them right before her eyes.
Feng Tan's entire body was trembling uncontrollably. Her strong character allowed her to hold back her tears. Overwhelmed by a suffocating sense of humiliation and despair, she opened her teeth to kiss him again as he tried to invade her lips.
Xiao Yinshi's tongue attack on Feng Tan's mouth became noticeably fiercer, intertwining with her tongue with a punitive force. His kisses were never gentle; they were like a ferocious carnivore trying to completely devour the tender flesh in its mouth. Just as she was about to close her teeth and bite him, he withdrew, holding Feng Tan's chin and saying, "I haven't kissed you enough yet. Control your teeth."
The man's calm tone, coupled with his lustful expression, made Feng Tan truly feel for the first time the terrifying and perverse nature hidden deep within him. She was so frightened that she wanted to curl up, but the man completely restrained her. The irreconcilable, forced kiss had already made Feng Tan's back drenched in cold sweat. When Xiao Yinshi leaned down to kiss her again, she couldn't help but turn her head away, causing his kiss to miss.
Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan, who was completely enveloped beneath him. He saw that her cold face was now tinged with a sense of defiance and trembling. His warm breath brushed against her goosebumps. He stroked and kissed her neck with his fingers and lips, both to arouse her and to prepare for his impending assault. After all, it was more comfortable to have some water in this kind of thing.
When Xiao Yinshi's kiss slid to her front and his fingers began to knead, Feng Tan could no longer bear it. Compared to the physical arousal, the mental humiliation was even more unbearable for her. She struggled again and, before Xiao Yinshi could make a threat, looked at the scar on his wrist and spoke first: "Xiao Yinshi, before that, answer one question for me."
Even if she has to be violated by a man, she still wants to obtain some information that is beneficial to herself. Feng Tan will not give up any opportunity to escape Huachao.
Xiao Yinshi followed her gaze to the wrist that was controlling her body, a dark silence in his eyes, and said, "You didn't get an answer from Ban Huayun, did you?"
Feng Tan's whereabouts were recorded and reported daily by someone. No matter how busy Xiao Yinshi was with government affairs, he would read through the reports without missing a single detail. Therefore, he knew everything Feng Tan said and did after meeting Ban Huayun and Shen Shiyi during the day.
The two stood naked facing each other. Feng Tan's gaze remained fixed on his eyes without shifting downwards, and she said, "Yes."
Looking at the way she was scheming for him, her eyes clearly showing fear of him yet stubbornly defiant, Xiao Yinshi found it inexplicably amusing. He said, "Feng Tan, at a time like this, asking questions to buy time won't help much. Whether I don't tell you that you have to do it for me or I delay telling you for a while, it's just a matter of time."
Upon hearing this, Feng Tan clenched her fist into a fist, her fingertips digging into her palm from his blunt words. He had misunderstood her; she had only wanted to find a crack in Xiao Yinshi's impenetrable defense.
She looked at the man's incomparably handsome face, his lips, swollen from the kiss, moved slightly, and said, "Then will you tell me?"
There was a dark swamp deep in Xiao Yinshi's eyes, so dark it seemed to suck people in. He said, "Ban Huayun is right, this scar is congenital; you guessed right too, it's from when I cut my wrists nine times."
Feng Tan was completely bewildered, her understanding a jumbled mess. How could the scars she was born with be from wrist-cutting? Had she been consciously cutting her wrists since birth? This was utterly absurd.
The candlelight shone on Feng Tan's face, clearly illuminating the confusion in her eyes. Xiao Yinshi looked at her, his heart softening involuntarily. A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips as he said, "Listening to stories comes at a price. After all, these are not pleasant memories."
She's been reduced to this point where she has no human rights, so what price could she possibly pay? She said, "Go ahead and tell me."
Xiao Yinshi's demeanor was already profound, and after falling into distant memories, his dark aura made Feng Tan feel even more oppressed. This story was indeed quite ancient, after all, several hundred years had passed since the first life.
When Xiao Songyun plotted her rebellion, Xiao Ying had just turned five. On that day, he stood in the blood-soaked Eastern Palace and saw the corpses of his brother and father, filled with fear and dread. Fearing eternal infamy in history, Xiao Songyun grabbed Ban Huayun by the hair and forced Xiao Ying to become a hidden pawn in Dahuang.
For a five-year-old boy to infiltrate the officialdom of the Osaka government in a foreign land with a white-clad identity, and even rise to the position of cabinet member, is something that can never be accomplished unless he has exceptional talent and luck.
But the young man with his hair in a bun possessed extraordinary talent and political acumen. When he entered officialdom at the age of fifteen, having achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, the political situation was undergoing reform. In order to solve the long-standing problem of complacency and laxity in government affairs, the Grand Secretary Zheng Guanhe introduced new laws to restrain officials. Without political achievements, there would be no way for scholars to advance. On the contrary, those with outstanding political achievements would be promoted one rank every three years.
Japanese pirates frequently raided the southeastern border of Huachao. Xiao Yinshi, who held the rank of fifth grade official at the time, volunteered to go to the northwest to find the power of the Da Ming tribe and persuade them to join forces with Da Huang to attack the Japanese pirates. He won a great victory in this battle, and Emperor Chongming promoted him to the rank of third-grade commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Xiao Yinshi served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for nearly eight years, during which time he experienced the Nuhua case and the Chu Prince's rebellion. In the Chu Prince's rebellion, he was the main force in annihilating the Chu Prince's rebel army, thus gaining the appreciation of Emperor Chongming and being promoted to the second-rank Left Censor-in-Chief, responsible for investigating all officials.
In his first life, Xiao Yinshi served as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a long time without ever having the opportunity to be promoted to the second-rank Left Censor-in-Chief, and his martial arts skills only reached the seventh rank. After returning to Dahua from Dahuang, he was limited by his martial arts skills, witnessed Ban Huayun die before his eyes, and died peacefully in his old age after reigning as emperor for more than sixty years.
But when he opened his eyes again, he was back more than eighty years in the past, once again watching his family die tragically before his eyes, powerless to do anything about it. The only difference between this life and the previous one was that the person in charge of the "female calamity case" was a different woman, but her fate remained the same: she died tragically in the imperial prison. In this second life, he used some means to deal with the then Left Censor-in-Chief, so that he could successfully rise to the rank of a second-grade official. In this life, when he returned to the capital to attack, he still couldn't save Ban Huayun, and then began another decades of imperial service.
In these days that seemed to stretch endlessly into the future, Xiao Yin shrewdly glimpsed the secrets of heaven. He realized that his rebirth was not accidental, so he decided to commit suicide to observe the heavens and see the way of heaven once more.
Sure enough, when he opened his eyes again, he was back to the time when he was born, experiencing the same process as in his previous life. The only difference was that the person in charge of the female calamity case was a different woman again, but her ending was exactly the same as the previous two: she died tragically in prison.
In the darkness, he sensed a special force guiding everything, but that force was too hidden for him to detect. He approached the head of the female culprit case and discovered during his investigation that the woman indeed possessed a mysterious power, and that she knew a great deal of advanced knowledge and technology.
In the subsequent third, fourth, fifth, and so on, up to the tenth life—this very life—Xiao Yinshi's political skills had become quite sophisticated, and his martial arts, honed through each lifetime, had reached the Grandmaster level. This life differed even more significantly from the previous ones. The fact that the head of the female calamity case had changed nine times was no longer surprising; what truly astonished him was that Emperor Chongming no longer had a large family of children. He now had only one daughter, and this daughter had repeatedly stirred his desires, and now, she had even moved him to love.
Xiao Yinshi looked at Feng Tan, who was pinned beneath her. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment. Of course, ordinary people would think of the person involved as a monster when they heard such an outrageous story.
“So,” Feng Tan rolled her eyes, locking onto Xiao Yinshi’s face again, and said, “you are actually... several hundred years old?”
“My parents gave me life once, and I will be reborn nine times as cause and effect… Since cause and effect are fixed, all things are in one state, and life and death are the same. I will no longer interfere with your path.”
"Suicide to glimpse the heavens and explore the cycle of reincarnation."
[Xiao Yinshi, influenced by a cosmic wave that travels through time and space, has honed his political skills for nine lifetimes, making him unparalleled in his abilities. He is now bound to the identity of the Imperial Tutor.]
All the doubts along the way were resolved. It turned out that Xiao Yinshi's life was a series of heart-wrenching tragedies. He watched his father and brothers die in front of him time and time again, but he was powerless to do anything about it. As a result, all his emotions began to dull. Therefore, the people of the capital praised Xiao Yinshi for his intelligence and filial piety when he was young. However, after he came of age and regained the throne, his temperament became extremely cruel.
That's because there might be hundreds of years between the young Xiao Yinshi and the adult Xiao Yinshi. People experience reincarnation repeatedly, witnessing tragic scenes replayed time and again; they either become corrupted or go insane. Xiao Yinshi, however, becomes utterly inhuman, possessing pitifully few of the emotions humans have. If the system hadn't forcibly bound the two together, he wouldn't have felt any desire, let alone emotions. His ability to ruthlessly climb upwards, like a tree that doesn't compete with grass, has been honed to perfection.
How could someone so ruthless have any emotions?
So much so that in his later lives, he no longer cared about Ban Huayun. She was his mother, but whether she died in front of him or was saved by him, it was all up to her fate. He no longer regarded his father and brothers as his father and brothers. Therefore, when Ban Huayun said that Xiao Yinshi was unmoved when they died in front of him, he was indifferent.
"Several hundred years old?" Xiao Yinshi didn't expect Feng Tan to be focused on this question. The corners of his lips curved into a wide smile. "If you think about it that way, it really is. He's quite a bit older than you."
The fear in Feng Tan's eyes had faded a bit. After understanding the reason why he was so terrifying, he began to think of a way to break the deadlock.
The light from the magnificent pink and red curtains shone on her cheeks, neck, collarbone, and undulating curves. Xiao Yinshi pulled himself out of his memories, his gaze once again becoming deep, and he said in a deep voice, "The case of the female calamity has changed ten times in a row. In this life, it is Feng Youming. Feng Youming should have told you why I have been overturned again and again in life."
He spoke with certainty, convinced that Feng Tan's persistence in this question stemmed from some insight. Xiao Yinshi did not believe that a young official renowned in the capital for his exceptional crime-solving skills would lack even this basic ability.
Feng Tan's eyes narrowed as she looked at Xiao Yinshi, and she whispered, "No."
You can't exactly tell him that in every reincarnation of yours, the initial attraction you had to me was because our system programmed you into its execution. The reason you suffer so much, to the point of cutting your wrists to glimpse the secrets of heaven, is because the system has locked you in as the Imperial Tutor, and your skills require repeated tempering before you can master them.
If she were to reveal everything, Feng Tan was certain that Xiao Yinshi would be so enraged that he would devour her completely.
"No?" Xiao Yinshi chuckled softly, lowering his head to nibble on her earlobe, biting it lightly with his teeth a few times, causing Feng Tan to tremble all over again. "Didn't I just say that listening to stories comes at a price? I'm explaining the reasons to you, but you won't tell me anything. That's not how things are discussed, Feng Tan."
Xiao Yinshi clenched the words "Feng Tan" between his teeth, his voice laced with intimate affection as he whispered them into Feng Tan's ear. Feng Tan struggled, then said with difficulty, "Wait, I have another question."
Xiao Yinshi's eyes gleamed with such intense lust that they seemed to drip onto Feng Tan as he asked, "Why are you asking so many questions?"
Feng Tan held her breath, afraid to relax, her heart pounding rapidly. A muffled groan escaped her throat. She said, "Xiao Yinshi, do you know who killed my master?"
Xiao Yinshi said, "I know."
...
Feng Tan was moved to tears and asked with difficulty, "Who?"
Xiao Yinshi knew that the timing wasn't right yet, and that forcing it would hurt her. He gently moved away the large hand that was restraining Feng Tan, took out the pill from the Imperial Green Jade Bead, and said, "Didn't you ask Shen Shiyi?"
With her wrists finally free to move, Feng Tan pressed against his strong chest, controlling her strength to prevent him from pressing down, and asked persistently, "She won't tell me, but you all clearly know who it is... it's... you?"
Could Xiao Yinshi be the person Shen Shiyi feared so much that he would go against his straightforward nature and refuse to confess? Rational analysis told Feng Tan that he didn't need to do that. Their bargaining chips at the time were enough to satisfy him; he really didn't need to kill Feng Youming.
Among the powerful and influential people in Huachao who could accomplish this, she couldn't think of anyone else.
But what if it's because he wants to kill Feng Youming and disrupt what he believes to be the "Way of Heaven"?
With the crimson pill held between Xiao Yinshi's slender fingers, he stared at her lips and said, "Open your mouth."
Feng Tan pressed her finger against the pill, her eyes still brimming with tears as she stubbornly asked again, "Who killed my husband? Was it you?"
Xiao Yinshi said, "It's partly my fault. As for who it is, she's useful to us now, so you can't kill her."
Feng Tan's eyes immediately reddened, but these weren't the physiological tears from before; they were tears of resentment and utter helplessness. He had already investigated and found out who it was, and then watched her run into obstacles everywhere like a clown, showing no remorse whatsoever for her master's death. Indeed, in Xiao Yinshi's eyes, Feng Youming was nothing more than a worthless life; he didn't care.
How could someone who would use even her own mother as a pawn to lure her into a game care about her closest relatives and loved ones? When people are in high positions, human life is of little importance in their eyes.
Xiao Yinshi's heart was so cold-blooded that Feng Tan began to struggle fiercely. Rather than submitting to him and having her body used as a tool for the venting of power, she would rather fight one last time.
...
Xiao Yinshi's patience ran out after a series of questions. The throbbing pain made him want to intensify his enjoyment of the body beneath him. His back muscles bulged, forcing Feng Tan's jaw to open her mouth and swallow the aphrodisiac.
Concealing his sharpness and restraining his ambition could not soften his heart in the slightest. Xiao Yinshi himself was a wellspring of malice and evil thoughts, a ruthless tyrant who was decisive in killing. He did not have the awareness of a high-ranking person to step down from the altar for love. He made it clear that he wanted to nail Feng Tan to the golden platform tonight.
The name "Golden Terrace" originally meant "to repay the emperor's kindness on the Golden Terrace," but Xiao Yinshi played a different game, "locking up the two Qiao beauties in the depths of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace," which is why he was willing to slowly and patiently negotiate with her.
Forced to open her jaw, Feng Tan was fed a crimson pill by Xiao Yinshi as she opened her mouth. This was humiliating enough, but to make her take an aphrodisiac was to see how she would react. After he withdrew his fingers, Feng Tan leaned over and spat the pill hidden under her tongue onto his face. "Xiao Yinshi, you are fucking shameless."
She was about to start cursing him again. Unlike Xiao Yin, Feng Tan was not one to be extremely patient when necessary, nor ruthless when required. She wanted to be submissive, but her inherent pride would never allow it. It was fine if he didn't admit to being involved in Feng Youming's death, but his open admission, coupled with his "I can't tell you right now" attitude, was enough to make Feng Tan's chest heave with rage.
Therefore, it will not be so easy for him to force Feng Tan to submit.
Feng Tan spat in his face, and the crimson pill bounced off his face and quickly landed on the side of the bed. Xiao Yinshi sneered, his dark eyes gathering into an icy mist that enveloped Feng Tan. "I think you're courting death again."
Looking into his almost tangible, burning gaze, it would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid. Ever since she first came to the capital two years ago and fought with him, she had been wary of him. Now, after witnessing his dark nature, that wariness had turned into fear. But even if she was afraid of Feng Tan, she still had the ability to stand up to power. "If you can't make me fall in love, you can force me, but I absolutely will not take this medicine."
She already has no dignity left; she can't become a slut who only knows how to cling to men and have sex with them.
"If you feel better, I'll feel better too." Xiao Yinshi's hot breath enveloped her, and the surging anger and astringency on his body struck Feng Tan's skin together. He rolled the pill between his tongue and leaned down to kiss her.
The pill rolled between their lips and teeth, slowly dissolving after being soaked in water. A bitter taste filled their throats. Feng Tan tried to push it away, but Xiao Yinshi pinched her chin and pressed his tongue against hers, successfully pushing the partially dissolved pill into Feng Tan's throat. He then held her tongue in his mouth, not giving her any space to spit the pill out.
His burning fingers landed on Feng Tan's throat, and he withdrew them after feeling her swallow uncontrollably. He stroked her face and said, "Feng Tingxiao, Zheng Qingru, Jin An... there are many people who covet you, but they can't risk everything. Only those who dare to risk their lives are qualified to eat meat. Feng Tan, tonight I'm not going to give you any right to resist."
...
Author's note: All deleted, reviewers please!
I'm still not finished writing. My darlings have been incredibly busy with work lately, so updates will be irregular for the next few days. Please don't wait! Updates will be more consistent by next Saturday, when I'll have mostly finished up my work! Sorry for the inconvenience!
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