"Did he touch you?"
Caoyu, who was in a daze, had a blank mind and didn't know how to deal with Song Yinghuai at all.
She shook her heavy head, trying to sober herself up a bit, and said aggrievedly,
"I don't know..."
Song Yinghuai: ...
What a little vixen!
Wouldn't she know if a man had touched her?
She was clearly torturing him!
Song Yinghuai squinted his cold eyes, reached out and gently pinched her creamy cheek, and coaxed,
"Like this, huh?"
Caoyu winced in pain as her cheek was pinched. Her feverish and muddled mind was jolted awake a bit. She let out a "hiss" and finally opened her eyes a little.
Song Yinghuai's handsome face was a bit blurry in front of her eyes.
Caoyu pouted. "It hurts, it hurts..."
Her voice was weak and breathy, just like how she used to be after being thoroughly pampered by him.
Song Yinghuai's lower abdomen tightened suddenly. Unable to control himself, he moved closer to her, leaned in and gave her pink lips a hard peck, then continued to press on,
"Or did he touch here?"
Caoyu's lips were bitten. She tilted her head and said blankly, "Huh?"
Huh?
Just a single "huh"!
But the tone made a huge difference!
Jealousy began to surge in his chest. The Prince of Yan, who had originally decided to let it go and not ask about it anymore, darkened his eyes. The clouds in his eyes churned. His big hand uncontrollably landed on her chest:
"Then did he touch here?"
His grip was strong. Caoyu was grabbed tightly. It was both painful and numb. Her long legs hidden under the brocade quilt began to kick and thrash.
Song Yinghuai threw one of his long legs over and pinned it to the side of her legs, stopping her from flailing. His big hand slipped into the quilt and traced a fiery path along her chest.
"What about here? And here?"
His fingers lingered in the most private areas. A faint look of annoyance appeared on his usually calm face. His jawline tightened, and his dark pupils were filled with intense emotions that seemed to be overwhelming.
The more he explored, the more uncontrollable his jealousy became.
Just thinking that Sheng Jiangli's hands might have roamed over Caoyu's body just like his were now.
Just thinking that Sheng Jiangli might have tasted those two red lips of Caoyu's.
Just thinking that the mystery he was now exploring might have also been toyed with by Sheng Jiangli's fingertips...
After all, at that time, Caoyu was wrapped in his clothes but naked underneath, and they were holding each other so intimately as if they had already had their way with each other.
The anger that had been suppressed deep in his heart finally found an outlet and could no longer be contained.
Caoyu's already flushed face became even redder and more delicate under his ruthless hands. The pain in her throbbing temples was on a par with the pain below.
For the first time ever, Caoyu cried and struggled, "Get away! Get away! You lecher!"
"I'm a lecher?" Song Yinghuai was both angry and furious. He squinted his dangerous eyes and stared into her dazed and watery ones. "Take a good look at who I am!"
Caoyu burst into tears. "Daddy! Someone's bullying me... Waaah... Daddy, save me!"
As she cried, she pulled her tender arm out from under the brocade quilt and quickly wrapped it around Song Yinghuai's neck, pulling him down.
Song Yinghuai stiffened all over. He felt the long - missed softness pressed against his chest. That softness that he had always yearned for finally returned.
A soft groan escaped from the man's throat.
Song Yinghuai felt his whole body trembling.
It was just a hug...
The man squeezed his eyes shut tightly, feeling utterly defeated.
The Buddha said: There are countless troubles, all born from desires. Once you let go of your desires, you will find peace.
Fine, he wouldn't ask anymore.
Asking would only add to his troubles.
But -
Song Yinghuai still pinched Caoyu's cheeks and said in a deep voice, "Yuer, look closely at who I am?"
He had no interest in being someone's father.
Caoyu's cheeks were pinched. Her lips were distorted. She looked even more adorable. A mild fever had made her as naive as a child.
She pouted and murmured, "Husband?"
Why did she feel something was off?
Song Yinghuai's mind went "boom". He stared at her in disbelief. "You... What did you call me?"
Was the word "husband" really meant for him?
Caoyu: "My Lord."
Song Yinghuai let go of his fingers and stood there in a daze for a while.
There were countless women who wanted to be the Princess of Yan, but he had always been indifferent to women. He had joined the army as a teenager and sought enlightenment as a young man.
Love had never been important to him. Marriage was just for continuing the family line.
When he was young, there had once been a Third Miss Lan who occupied a place in his heart. But with the news of her death, his heart had become even more still.
But then there was this charming Lan Caoyu who had forced her way into his life.
She was determined to drag him into the world of mortal desires and make him experience all the hardships of love.
Song Yinghuai lowered his eyes again and said in a deep voice, "Yuer, say it one more time."
Fine, he accepted it.
Even if she was just talking nonsense because of the fever tonight, he would still accept it.
All the unhappiness and jealousy brought by Sheng Jiangli could be smoothed out by that single word "husband".
As long as she said it one more time, he would accept everything.
Who would have thought that the woman under the brocade quilt had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep while he was in a daze. She even turned over and faced away from him, breathing evenly with her chest rising and falling.
Song Yinghuai: ...
Judging from her breathing, it seemed that the ginger soup had worked. The cold in her body had been dispelled and she was getting better.
But her back was bare to him. The brocade quilt only covered half of her body, revealing her snow - white and delicate shoulders. Her hair spread out on her body, making her look even more charming.
Song Yinghuai let go of all his self - restraint.
His black eyes seemed to be tinged with blood, looking both demonic and wild.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind again.
His strong arms were like iron hoops...
His gentle kisses were like spring rain...
And...
The path was dark. Only the faint light from the lantern hanging under the eaves could barely illuminate the way ahead. Suddenly, heavy rain poured down, hitting the glazed tiles with a crackling sound.
Sheng Jiangli had his hands behind his head, listening to the sound of a bamboo whip hitting flesh and the woman's mournful groans coming from the next room. A look of intense disgust flashed in his eyes.
That eunuch really had a unique taste.
He could have easily interrupted the "fun" in the next room, but then he thought of the whip marks on Shu'er's body that he had seen this morning, so he quietly lay back down.
It was karma.
Sheng Jiangli let out a soft laugh and pulled the quilt over his head, blocking out the sound.
"Lord Huang, please let me go!"
Jiang Jinyue sobbed. Big tears splashed onto the floor.
She was terrified beyond words.
She had never dreamed that an eunuch could have such perverse ways!
At this moment, Jiang Jinyue's hands and feet were tied to the sides of an official chair. All her hairpins and ornaments were scattered on the ground. Her long hair hung down on her slightly open collar.
Huang Shan held a long and slender bamboo whip and pressed it against the front of her clothes, pushing it down.
Jiang Jinyue's face turned bright red. She was both shocked and ashamed. She wanted to cover herself, but her hands and feet were tied. She could only cry pitifully:
"Lord H - Huang... What are you going to do... Waaah..."
"Don't be afraid, miss. I've always been gentle." Huang Shan smiled amiably and used the bamboo whip to open her clothes even wider, pulling off the ribbon of her bellyband and revealing the light red whip marks on her body.
The girl's fear stirred up the long - dormant sense of satisfaction in Huang Shan.
Since entering the palace and starting from the lowest - ranked eunuch, he had endured countless insults and ridicule. His mind had long been distorted.
He desperately needed to see different emotions from every woman, especially those of high status, when they were in front of him.
Such as fear, pain, and wailing...
His hand moved according to his thoughts. The bamboo whip was raised and "snapped" on Jiang Jinyue's body.
A red mark instantly appeared on her fair skin.
Jiang Jinyue let out a choking sob and tears flew everywhere.
The bamboo whip didn't hurt that much, but it was extremely humiliating.
Jiang Jinyue seemed to be able to do nothing but keep begging for mercy. "Lord Huang, please let me go... My father has money. My cousin and aunt also have money. Please let me go. I'll ask them to give you money..."
Huang Shan raised his eyebrows and laughed mockingly. "Money? If your father valued you, why would he send you into the palace?"
"If you had any status in the Prince of Yan's mansion, why would the Prince of Yan let you accompany me?"
"I think your status in the Prince of Yan's heart might not even be as high as that maid this morning!"