Chi Mulin watched as his family's silver chest was carried out, feeling like a toad crawling into his belly—both frustrated and furious. He already hated Chi Yining to the core, and now he cursed the entire Prince of Annan in his heart.
He was simply indignant. What was so arrogant about a disabled prince? He had not only offended their family, but the entire imperial court.
Chi Mulin's gaze turned cold, and he said disdainfully, " The Prince of Annan will be killed sooner or later."
The servant beside him remained silent, afraid that someone might overhear him. He wondered where his young master got the audacity to say such a thing. This man was the Prince of Annan, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the Regent. Even the Emperor could only listen to the Prince of Annan.
After dinner, Chi Yining didn't cling to the prince to the bathhouse, but she still waited outside.
Perhaps the actions of the Prince of Annan today have driven some villains to desperation. Taking advantage of the weakness of the royal guards, they fearlessly charged forward and stormed into the Redbud Courtyard.
Until they arrived before the princess.
The princess lay on a rocking chair at the entrance to the prince's bedroom, dressed in a flowing, elegant outfit, her long hair hanging gracefully behind the chair. He raised the corners of his alluring lips, slowly opened his eyes, and watched as a group of black-clad men, capable of leaping across rooftops, arrived at the door.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "So eager to die, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone like that."
"She's just a useless princess, stop wasting words and attack!" A group of men in black, armed with daggers and throwing knives, now regarded the Prince of Annan as a white chicken ready to be slaughtered.
The useless princess was not angry. She looked at everyone, her smile not reaching her eyes, and raised her hand to give Ying San Ying Si a gesture, instructing them to protect the prince.
The two were communicating telepathically.
Ying San: "..." Waaah! Your Highness! No!
Ying Si: "..." The princess seems very capable and mysterious! I'm kind of looking forward to it!
The next second, the princess stood up, took out a fan from somewhere, fanned herself, and stepped onto the stone slab in front of the door with her elegant white boots.
Ying San: "... It's raining, the princess's shoes are going to get dirty!"
Ying Si: "Is that the main point? The main point is that the men in black seem unable to move! Holy crap, the princess is so strong!!"
Yan Lingyun, who had just finished showering and joined the public channel. "..."
Ying San: "Your Highness! How come you washed so quickly!"
Prince: "Noisy."
The chill permeated the bedroom and spread completely outside; no one could move more than a hundred meters away.
Ying Si then realized that the oppressive aura wasn't coming from the Princess, but from the Prince. "Your Highness, why have you frozen us as well?"
Chi Yining wanted to show off a bit more, but who knew that the group of men in black would suddenly freeze. A few of them were running forward, but they ended up falling to the ground, face down, like sheep that had pretended to be dead.
"Your Highness, I was just thinking of using it to practice, why won't you give me a chance?" Chi Yining turned around and looked at the prince, who was already dressed, and was a little disappointed. The prince was covered up too much.
"Come here." Yan Lingyun's voice was a little fierce. Chi Yining slowly withdrew his foot and walked towards the prince's side.
As he walked, he complained angrily, "Your Highness! They say I'm a useless princess!"
The man in black. "..." Oh no, I should have known better than to say that!
Yan Lingyun frowned when he saw that Chi Yining's white boots, which she had just changed into, were dirty again. " Fuqing, take the Princess to change her shoes."
Chi Yining: "... Alright, then I'll take my leave."
Chi Yining was unaware of the gruesome deaths of the men in black after he left. They were so horrific that they didn't even have time to close their eyes before a sharp, cold light pierced their throats, and their heads fell to the ground. A stench of blood filled the entire palace.
Ying San: "Your Highness, the evidence is quite clear; someone must have framed Grand Secretary Chen."
Yan Lingyun said coldly, "Send the head to the Minister of Ministry of Revenue's residence. Also, inform the Emperor to dismiss this person from his post, investigate him, and send him to the Court of Judicial Review."
Ying San: "Yes."
Just as one problem was about to be solved, another arose. The emperor, heartbroken, wrote an edict suspending the Ministry of Revenue of Revenue from his post and sending him to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation.
The Ministry of Revenue was responsible for matters such as household registration, finance, land tax, customs duties, transit tax, government bonds, currency, and money shops. With the Ministry of Revenue leaving, who would fill the vacancy? This was undoubtedly a highly controversial issue.
The previously relatively stable power structure between the royalists, the princes, and the neutrals has been completely disrupted.
The Minister of Ministry of Revenue is still on his side. If corruption is truly discovered, where will the emperor's dignity be?
The bloodshed outside had absolutely no effect on Chi Yining's Xuanyun Courtyard.
Half an hour later, Yan Lingyun came over in his wheelchair quite consciously. Chi Yining was very satisfied and wanted to pat him on the head as a reward, but then remembered that you can't touch a tiger's head.
So he touched Yan Lingyun's cheek.
Yan Lingyun, caught off guard. "..."
Why is he being tortured again...? His body seems completely out of his control.
"Rest."
"Your Highness has had a hard day, going out to supervise even in the rain. It must have been tough. I've found you a jar of ointment today; I guarantee it will keep your rheumatism at bay tonight and allow you to get a good night's sleep. How about you try it?"
Yan Lingyun glanced at the flat, white jade hexagonal box in Chi Yining's hand, then looked away, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Rest."
"Try it, Your Highness. Do you want to have trouble sleeping tonight?"
Yan Lingyun's knuckles were white as she rested her fingers on the armrests of her wheelchair.
His queen was truly audacious; she was genuinely unafraid that he would snap his slender neck.
He looked down at his powerless legs, gave a cold laugh. Legs covered in scars, what's the point of saving them? At least they can feel some pain.
Chi Yining didn't care what this arrogant guy was thinking and simply carried him to the bedside and put him down.
The newly arrived Ying Yi: "..."
Ying Er: "..." As expected of a princess, she's so domineering!
The prince looked at Chi Yining in disbelief again. His princess was not begging him, but informing him.
His fists were pounding with rage, but his body could only allow the princess to do as she pleased.
The prince's shoes were removed, and his trousers were rolled up, exposing his mottled scars to the air.
Yan Lingyun turned his bloodshot eyes away, the veins on his neck bulging, but he couldn't bring himself to push Chi Yining away.
Chi Yining stretched out her jade-white hands and gently laid him flat on the bed.
"Alright, let's start applying the medicine!" Chi Yining looked at the obedient prince, feeling even more delighted.
He opened the hexagonal box, which contained a milky-white ointment. He spread it evenly on his index and middle fingers, then placed his fingers on the prince's knee, which the prince found extremely ugly, and gently massaged it, as if he were caring for a precious object.
Yan Lingyun, perhaps due to a busy day, slowly drifted off to sleep.
Chi Yining smiled slightly, and after applying the medicine, she gently covered him with the blanket.
Ying Yi: "Waaah, Your Highness is so good! The doctor said to apply medicine, but Your Highness just wouldn't."
Ying Er: "That's because the prince felt hopeless and gave up on himself. It turns out the princess is the only cure for the prince!"
next day
The prince did not attend court and was confined to his home by the princess, who told the public that he had been attacked and injured.
Yan Lingyun watched helplessly as his princess fed him breakfast, and sighed softly, "Isn't the princess being a little too clingy?"
Chi Yining pleaded pitifully, "We're newlyweds, so what's wrong with being a little clingy? I don't want those overly polite couples; I want Your Highness to be with me! Besides, Your Highness was attacked yesterday, yet you stood unharmed in court. Doesn't that make the situation seem less serious? The Emperor will probably think you're easy to bully and make you do everything..."
Watching his princess chatter on and on, her words seemed to make perfect sense.
Yan Lingyun: " Fuqing."
Fuqing: "Yes, Your Highness, please give your orders."
Yan Lingyun: "Pass down the order: I am seriously injured. If there are any urgent matters to attend to, send them to the Prince's residence. Furthermore, I will suspend attending the morning court indefinitely."
Fuqing: "Yes, I will take care of it immediately."
Chi Yining watched as the prince finished speaking, his demeanor calm and collected.
"Your Highness slept so soundly last night, you didn't even notice when I kissed you."
Yan Lingyun turned her head away from him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense."
Chi Yining looked at the prince's ears, which had turned slightly red, and his neck had also turned red.
"Hahahaha 8845, are people from ancient times so easily amused? Your Highness is so innocent." Chi Yining smiled as she watched Yan Lingyun's " Blackening Value" drop to 70.
8845: "... Host, you're amazing."
Chi Yining: "Sigh, one generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade. Looking at the notes Feifei gave me, I know that men like to say one thing and mean another."
News of Yan Lingyun's injury quickly reached the emperor's ears.
He's no longer going to court!
The emperor thought that a one-day rest would suffice, since the two had just gotten married and were bound to be a little clingy.
Who knew that Yan Lingyun would send someone to inform him that his return to court was indefinite.
The emperor felt dizzy and lightheaded. What was his nephew up to now? If it weren't for the poisoning, ordinary assassination attempts would be completely ineffective against him!
"Go, arrange for the prince to visit and comfort the sick."
Zhongquan: "Your Majesty, is there a designated prince?"
Speaking of princes, I heard before that the princess was in love with the eldest prince... but Zhongquan didn't dare to say it in front of the emperor.
"Go ahead, I've asked them all. Whoever wants to go can go together. Having one more won't make them so afraid of dying." Emperor Li Cheng sighed helplessly, thinking of his bunch of useless sons.
The next day
The princess is facing off against seven princes by herself. She's even their cousin's wife! What's the point of her bowing? They should be grateful they don't bow to her at all.
Chi Yining was annoyed that a group of princes were getting in his way and interrupting his efforts to win over the villain.
He sat condescendingly in the main seat, his eyes cold, looking down at everyone and giving no one a kind look.
His tone was Bingbing as he said, "His Highness is injured and unable to receive guests. Too many people could easily spread the poisonous gas outside to him. Gentlemen, please return."
The princes stared in disbelief at Chi Yining, who sat on the main seat. Was this the same incompetent fool everyone used to want to insult? Was he truly just a fox borrowing the tiger's power?
If it weren't for the fact that Fuqing was by the Princess's side, they would have really wanted to curse Chi Yining for being arrogant and disrespectful to the royal family.
Chi Yining didn't care about all the twists and turns; in his view, these people were just NPCs and there was no need to deal with them.
He only had time for Yan Lingyun; he wouldn't even glance at anyone else who had no value.
For example, he might say a few more words if Madam Wang, who gave him money, gave him money.
Then he added, "The gift can stay, but you can leave."
Even the eldest prince looked at the princess with surprise, while Chi Yining's eyes, which had once been filled with infatuation and adoration, were completely devoid of their former adoration when she saw him. Even her tone was impatient, and she told them to get lost.
One of the princes couldn't stand it anymore and started cursing.
But Fuqing immediately interrupted him with a squinting smile, "Your Highnesses, please return. Our Prince's Mansion is now run by the Princess Consort, and even the Prince can only listen to her. The Prince is unwell and is unable to meet with you all. I believe you princes will understand, right?"
Fuqing has said so, who would dare not be understanding?
The princes stormed off in anger, but the eldest prince glanced at the person in the main seat.
Chi Yining got up and left impatiently, completely ignoring him.
Li Wenpei clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and a wave of resentment washed over him once more.
Chi Yining has always only had eyes for him, so why did she change her mind so suddenly?
Now, Chi Yining's eyes are no longer dark; he has become radiant, attracting everyone's attention wherever he stands.
Fuqing blocked the Crown Prince's view and gestured for him to proceed.
Even though the eldest prince was unwilling, he could only withdraw his gaze, turn around and leave, but every step he took was filled with hatred.
"Unhappy to see your sweetheart?" Yan Lingyun sneered.
Chi Yining felt a little guilty upon hearing this. "How is he my sweetheart? I don't like him at all. I've already said there's nothing between us."
"So agitated, you even admitted you used the wrong term, yet you still say it's not true?"
Chi Yining: "Your Highness, please spare me. I was young and ignorant at the time, which is why I had some contact with the First Prince."
"But that was because I had never seen anyone so beautiful. Now that I have seen Your Highness's otherworldly beauty, I feel that the whole world has paled in comparison. Only Your Highness can move my heart..."
Listening to his princess's endless expressions of love, Yan Lingyun couldn't help but reach out and cover his mouth, saying, "Shut up."
Chi Yining: "Hehe, Your Highness's ears are red, I won't say anything more."
When Yan Lingyun heard that Chi Yining was about to shut up, he withdrew his hand, but unexpectedly, Chi Yining made his palm itch.
He frowned slightly and said in a stern voice, "Mind your manners."
Chi Yining: "My identity is that of the prince's wife. Isn't it normal for me to kiss and hug the prince?"
Having lived for many years, Yan Lingyun was so angry upon hearing such bold and frivolous words that he didn't know what to say.
"You talk about these things with other people too?"
Chi Yining shook her head. "How could that be? I'm not that kind of person."
8845: "Host, please spare the prince! He's so angry his face is turning red, hahaha!"
Chi Yining: "Seriously, people in ancient times were so much fun! They didn't express their love as directly as modern people, and they were especially prone to shyness. I felt like a big hooligan from modern times. Hahaha!"
8845: "Yes, people in ancient times were very conservative. Shouldn't the host integrate into this big family?"
Chi Yining: "You're overthinking it. As long as you don't go too far, it should be fine. Besides, doing whatever you want is all about not caring about other people's lives."
After the princess fell asleep on the desk, Fuqing reported what had just happened to the prince.
Yan Lingyun lowered his eyes to look at the half of Chi Yining's face that was showing. The little flesh on his face was squeezed together like a dumpling, which actually made him look somewhat pitiful...
"Knew."
Looking at the prince's expression, Fuqing realized that even the prince himself didn't know he was smiling.