The next seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Yunxi hardly ever returned to the Crown Prince's Mansion ahead of schedule.
It wasn't until the morning of the eighth day that Ye Yunxi finally returned to the Crown Prince's Mansion of her own accord.
"Xue Qinghe, aren't you going to hurry up and welcome your Imperial Concubine?"
With a fragrant roast goose in her mouth, Ye Yunxi kicked open the gates of the Crown Prince's Mansion and called out.
At that moment, Qian Renxue was sitting beneath a tree, drinking tea. Seeing Ye Yunxi swagger in so brazenly, she immediately grew irritated.
Who was the master here, anyway? That girl had been gone for seven days. If Pufferfish hadn't been following her, Qian Renxue would have feared that her little darling had been lured away.
"Well, well, Xue Qinghe, having tea here?"
Ye Yunxi sat down opposite Xue Qinghe, propped her chin on her hands, and shot Qian Renxue a flirtatious look.
Xue Qinghe had been furious a moment ago, but those peach-blossom eyes left him completely unable to stay angry.
Why did she always have to do this?
"You ran off for seven days without sending me a single message. Do you still consider yourself an Imperial Concubine? Do you even remember that I'm your husband?"
Qian Renxue asked, seething with anger.
"First of all, I'm only your woman in name, not in reality. And you're only my husband in name, too—not in reality."
Ye Yunxi smiled faintly. She had never acknowledged it. Besides, Qian Renxue had dragged her here by force and then spread the news far and wide.
If it weren't for her status as an Imperial Concubine, she would have run off a long time ago.
She could hide in a corner and cultivate until she became a Titled Douluo. If she got the chance to become a god, she could ascend straight to the Divine Realm. Wouldn't that be the life?
"You always have an answer!"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, deeply displeased.
Then she told the maid beside her to fetch the book of bedroom techniques from her room.
Qian Renxue couldn't be bothered to argue with her. She gestured for the maid to bring over the booklet, then casually tossed it onto the stone table in front of Ye Yunxi. It landed with a slap and fell open to the first page, where several large characters were written:
Seventy-Two Arts of Imperial Concubine Management
"These are all the positions for bedroom activities. You'd better learn them properly."
"When your Crown Prince is in a good mood, I'll discuss the matter of having children with you."
Qian Renxue smiled faintly, her tone entirely serious.
Ye Yunxi glanced down at the booklet. The shameless positions made her ears turn bright red at once. She hurriedly snapped it shut, her cheeks burning hot enough to fry an egg, and protested in embarrassment and annoyance:
"Wait, where did you get all this filthy stuff? I'm not learning it!"
She'd lived two lifetimes and had never seen anything so brazen and explicit. And yet Qian Renxue spoke with such solemnity, as though discussing some profound aspect of Martial Soul Theory.
If she learned all that, wouldn't she be done for?
Qian Renxue gave a scornful laugh, set down her teacup, and leaned forward. Her handsome features drew close, brimming with the arrogance and domineering attitude that came naturally to the Crown Prince.
"I'm the Heaven Dou Crown Prince. How hard could it be for me to get my hands on something like this?"
She paused, her gaze settling on Ye Yunxi's flushed cheeks. The possessiveness in her eyes was so intense it seemed to fill the air. "Besides, we have to have children. Once you have a child, you'll never escape my grasp for the rest of your life."
Her words struck a nerve. Ye Yunxi jerked her head up, her peach-blossom eyes wide and round. All traces of shyness vanished, replaced by a fiery temper. She slapped the stone table, her voice clear and challenging:
"Then come at me right now, if you've got the guts!"
She stared at Qian Renxue, each word ringing out with conviction. She refused to back down even an inch. "If you don't dare, you're a coward!"
Qian Renxue was momentarily choked by her words. The teasing look in her eyes froze, then gave way to a surging blaze.
She looked at the little fox baring her claws before her. Ye Yunxi's cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes were full of defiance. That mix of timidness and stubbornness only fanned the fire in Qian Renxue's heart.
Qian Renxue slowly rose to her feet and moved closer, her tall shadow falling over Ye Yunxi as her warm breath brushed her ear.
"Are you sure?"
The sudden pressure made Ye Yunxi shrink back a little. Her heart began to race, but she still refused to back down.
"Of course I'm sure! Who's afraid of whom?"
The moment she finished speaking, she saw a dangerous curve form at the corner of Qian Renxue's lips. In the next second, Qian Renxue seized her wrist, gripping it so tightly she couldn't break free.
"Fine. Since the Imperial Concubine is so eager to get started early, we can begin right now."
Qian Renxue glanced at the maid beside her.
The maid understood at once and went to wait outside the Grand Tutor's residence.
Once the maid had left, Qian Renxue stopped holding back. She gripped Ye Yunxi's wrist and, before Ye Yunxi could make another bold threat, twisted her arm and pressed her down onto the cold stone table.
"Ah!"
Ye Yunxi cried out as her chest struck the hard stone. She sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.
No, no, this woman Qian Renxue had gone mad! And this position...
Ye Yunxi immediately began struggling with all her might. She kicked wildly and braced both hands against the table, trying to push herself up, but Qian Renxue's palm weighed on her back like a massive mountain, pinning her completely in place.
Her rose-pink gauzy dress was rumpled, and wisps of hair clung to her sweat-damp cheeks, leaving her looking disheveled yet unbearably alluring.
"Xue Qinghe! Let go of me!"
Ye Yunxi panicked. All her earlier swagger had vanished, and a faint tremor crept into her voice.
"If you dare do anything, I absolutely won't let you get away with it!"
Qian Renxue bent over her, her chest pressed against Ye Yunxi's back, her warm breath brushing her ear.
"Won't let me get away with it? Who was just shouting, 'Come at me right now'? Now that I've actually come, you're scared? Whether it happens sooner or later, we might as well settle it now."
Qian Renxue's fingertips traced Ye Yunxi's reddened ear, her touch brimming with possessiveness that would not be denied.
"Ye Yunxi, have you forgotten whose territory this is?"
Ye Yunxi's struggles grew weaker and weaker. The searing warmth against her back made her whole body go numb, and panic spread through her in an instant.
She was frightened—afraid that this obsessive Qian Renxue really wouldn't stop, and would hurt her.
Tears welled up against her will, blurring her vision at once.
Choking back a sob, Ye Yunxi's voice softened as she pleaded for mercy:
"Your Highness, please... I was wrong..."
"Yunxi won't tease you again... Let go of me. Please don't do anything..."
Her voice was soft and sweet, thick with a nasal whimper. Like a little fox that had been tamed, she no longer looked anything like the girl who had been baring her claws a moment ago.
Qian Renxue's movements stopped. She bent over Ye Yunxi, gazing at her flushed ears and trembling shoulders. The anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep satisfaction and the faintest trace of a smile.
She loved seeing Ye Yunxi like this: radiant and captivating when she acted bold, yet so pitiful when she begged for mercy. It made Qian Renxue's heart itch, and she longed to press her into her very bones.
Qian Renxue slowly released her grip but didn't move away. She simply leaned close to Ye Yunxi's ear and spoke in a low, coaxing voice:
"You should've been this good from the start."