Chapter 99 Forcibly Taking a Minister's Wife
However, this time Xiao Xuanyou's kiss was different from his previous acts of abduction.
He seemed to possess endless patience, his touch meticulous yet irresistible, caressing her from her lips to her earlobe, then down her neck, causing a series of uncontrollable tremors in her. His touch was gentle to the point of indulgence, yet it left Jiang Zhi with no room for resistance. The scent of ambergris rose in the meditation room, like a gentle yet strong net, firmly trapping her all escape routes.
"Let go of me." Jiang Zhi's voice trembled as if she were sobbing, her back pressed against the hard door panel, with nowhere to escape.
Xiao Xuanyou seemed to know her body inside and out, and in just a few breaths he made her body go limp.
The delicate kisses were like silent spring rain, gradually soaking into her body, slowly enveloping and melting her.
Jiang Zhi was both angry and ashamed.
Even though they were not familiar with each other at all, why did Xiao Xuanyou know every secret feeling of hers so easily, as if they had been intimate countless times?
“Miss Jiang,” his voice was deep and resonant, as if steeped in wine, “didn’t you say that Shen Ci’an was waiting for you?”
"If you go back and he sees the marks all over your body, what do you think he'll do?"
A horrifying voice, as if from the underworld, echoed in my ears.
“Shameless…” Jiang Zhi was startled, her fingertips curling up in shame as she tried her best to slap him across the face.
But he effortlessly grabbed her wrist, slowly pushed it above her head, and pinned her against the door panel.
"Jiang Zhi, don't anger me."
His voice was gentle, yet carried the control of a superior, like a long and endless torture.
After the torture ended, Xiao Xuanyou's eyes were filled with lust.
But he wasn't in a hurry, leisurely enjoying the shame and indignation of the person under his palm.
“Promise me you won’t let other men get close to you,” he said, his profile half-hidden in shadow, exuding a sinister air, “or I can’t guarantee what I might do.”
Jiang Zhi's chest was still heaving violently, and her eyes were slightly red, whether from anger or embarrassment was unknown.
What gives him the right?
He's an absolute madman.
Jiang Zhi dared not disobey him at this time, knowing what the consequences would be.
So she said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness is overthinking it. I am still a young lady in my boudoir. How can I possibly come into contact with other men before I get married?"
"That's good then," Xiao Xuanyou said, pleased by her obedience. "Today, because of your mother, let's leave it at that."
He released her grip, straightened her clothes, and wiped away the tears that had involuntarily spilled from the corners of her eyes.
"Wait for me patiently."
Jiang Zhi sneered inwardly. Once she and Shen Ci'an were married, could Xiao Xuanyou, as the crown prince, possibly force himself on a subject's wife?
So he pretended to be meek and obedient, and agreed.
Jiang Zhi rode down the mountain in Xiao Xuanyou's carriage.
Xiao Xuanyou couldn't show himself, so he kept her in the carriage for a long time before letting her off.
When Jiang Zhi returned to the mansion, she looked at the faint red and light stains on her body and neck, and cursed Xiao Xuanyou countless times in her heart.
But there are more pressing matters at hand.
Jiang Zhengting only gave her one month to investigate the cause of her mother's death.
After her mother died, all the maids and servants around her were dismissed. She once sent Qingxing to look for them, but to no avail.
But now that she has two helpers, Dark Moon and Shadow, the outcome will definitely be very different.
She immediately took the two back to the Jiang residence and summoned all the elderly members of the Jiang family who had lived there for more than ten years, questioning them one by one.
Having been in and out of the imperial prison many times, Jiang Zhi had developed some skills in interrogation.
Smear the torture instruments he bought with chicken blood and put them in the yard, which already terrified everyone.
In addition, Dark Moon and Shadow were both former secret guards and were very skilled in interrogation.
However, within just one afternoon, they indeed obtained some clues.
The servants who used to serve my mother were all sold off in batches. Some died of serious illness on their way back to their hometowns, while others were robbed and murdered. Not a single one survived.
Jiang Zhi wouldn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on.
But there were also gains.
There was an old woman who came with her mother as part of her dowry. Because she was an expert in difficult gynecological diseases, she was immediately taken away by someone when she was kicked out of the Jiang family mansion.
Jiang Zhi pressed the old woman for details about her whereabouts, and she only said that she had gone to the Prince of Xiang's residence.
It turned out to be the Prince of Xiang's residence.
Jiang Zhi recalled the sickly prince she had seen by the Yao Guang Pond on the day of the engagement banquet.
"Dark Moon, these next few days you will stand guard at the gate of the Prince of Xiang's residence. If you see the Prince of Xiang's heir come out, report to me immediately."
Dark Moon accepted the order and left.
*
The wind at the city gate made the battle flags flutter loudly.
Xie Qi's silver armor gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and his black cloak billowed in the wind, making him appear even taller and more imposing, like a mountain.
He rode a tall horse, his sword-like eyebrows were straight, and his peach blossom eyes were slightly narrowed, appearing sharp and long. His gaze passed over thousands of troops and horses, landing on the dark mass of people seeing him off.
Upon seeing that familiar figure, a faint smile finally appeared in his dark eyes, as if he had finally met the person he was waiting for. He slightly raised his hand, and the adjutant beside him shouted loudly, "Set up camp—"
The crowd surged, and Jiang Zhi was almost knocked off her feet, but fortunately Qing Xing and Ru Ying protected her.
She stood on tiptoe and waved vigorously at the silver figure in the distance, not knowing if Xie Qi noticed.
She saw him surrounded by his guards, riding his horse across the city gate, with the army behind him in perfect formation, gradually disappearing from sight.
Who knows when he will return?
Jiang Zhi felt a void in her heart, as if she had forgotten something. It wasn't until she returned to her residence and had lunch that she suddenly stood up.
She now knew why she felt that way.
She had just seen one of Xie Qi's personal guards from afar; she had met him once in her previous life at the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion!
She finally remembered that Xie Qi had been injured at this time, not long after the army set off, in the dense forest on the outskirts of the capital!
The culprit was his own bodyguard who had rebelled.
It would have been better if she hadn't known. Just thinking about it made Jiang Zhi restless. She wanted to send someone to get the carriage ready, but so much time had already been wasted. Even if she arrived in time, Xie Qi would probably have already met with a terrible fate.
"Qingxing, go prepare the horse for me," she said through gritted teeth.
Qingxing asked in surprise, "Miss, although you have learned to ride horses, you are not proficient. What if something happens?"
"We can't worry about that now." Jiang Zhi's gaze turned serious.
If Xie Qi, as the commander-in-chief, were to be injured, it would inevitably lead to a collapse in morale. In his previous life, it was precisely because he was delayed on the road that the Northern Di had an opportunity to take advantage of him.
It is said that the people of the northern border were almost massacred by the Northern Di, but fortunately Xie Qi arrived in time with a large army to provide support.
When she was deeply involved in the Zhongqin Earl's mansion, the concubines only talked about it occasionally as a topic of conversation.
Now that she's in the thick of it, she'll definitely try to find a way to stop it.
Moreover, this matter was too secretive and bizarre, so she had to explain it clearly to Xie Qi and personally identify the guard in person.
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