Song Chengyuan turned his head and looked at Sheng Jiangli.
There was a chilling glint in his eyes, a mix of suspicion and bloodlust.
"No," Song Chengyuan sneered wickedly. "Just let her stand here and undress herself!"
He propped his head on his hand and tilted it to one side, showing a meaningful smile to Caiyu and Sheng Jiangli. "You, take it off piece by piece, slowly... Let me and Sheng Jiangli have a good look."
As soon as he said this, he watched with satisfaction as Caiyu's face suddenly turned pale.
Looking at Sheng Jiangli again, apart from a hint of gloom on his face, there was no other expression.
Since Song Chengyuan couldn't detect any flaws in Sheng Jiangli, he stared straight at Caiyu and ordered, "Take it off! Right now!"
He didn't believe it.
He didn't believe that he couldn't find any flaws if he made Caiyu take off her clothes piece by piece!
Facing Song Chengyuan's intense gaze, Caiyu gritted her teeth and summoned up her courage. Her fingertips slowly touched the first frog fastener on her clothes.
Then.
The second one.
The third one.
...
The thin and sheer gauze she wore to deceive Song Chengyuan fell to the ground in just half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, even though her movements were extremely slow.
A small patch of fair skin on her shoulder glistened like snow on a flower tree in the light.
Her slender legs were faintly visible through the gauze.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly due to anger and shyness.
She was truly an extremely beautiful girl, and her beauty took on different charms in different circumstances.
At this moment, because of her forbearance and humiliation, her eyes shone brightly and firmly, presenting an even more breathtaking beauty. It was as if the beauty in the painting had come to life after her eyes were painted.
Sheng Jiangli's pupils were deep, and flames of anger shot out from his eyes. He gritted his teeth and wondered in his heart if he should take the risk of poking out Song Chengyuan's eyes.
Song Chengyuan looked at Caiyu's half - hidden and half - revealed delicate body, his eyes full of admiration and greed.
It was said that Caiyu looked somewhat similar to Lü Baiwei and was a substitute for the Lü family.
However, looking closely today.
How could Lü Baiwei compare to Caiyu's radiance?
Clearly, Lü Baiwei was the substitute for Caiyu!
He had really been blind.
No wonder Song Yinghuai didn't want Lü Baiwei but regarded Caiyu as a precious gem.
"Why don't you take it off anymore?" Song Chengyuan urged Caiyu impatiently, almost forgetting about his search for flaws.
At this moment, he was more eager to savor the beauty of the woman in front of him.
Caiyu's lower lip was almost bitten through. She glanced at Sheng Jiangli, whose veins were bulging with anger.
Brother A Li looked like he couldn't hold back his punches anymore.
If one couldn't bear the small things, one would mess up the big plans.
Brother A Li had been a secret agent beside the Crown Prince for many years. He must not expose his identity and offend the Crown Prince because of her.
Caiyu made up her mind and with trembling fingertips, she reached for the knot casually tied at her chest.
Song Chengyuan's eyes almost popped out.
As long as that finger gently pulled, a large expanse of scenery would be immediately exposed in front of him...
Suddenly.
There came a series of screams and crashing sounds outside the meditation courtyard.
Song Chengyuan's pupils constricted. Before he could even shout out, the door was roughly kicked open!
Song Yinghuai's tall and imposing figure appeared at the door, like a god.
Caiyu suddenly turned around. The heavy stone in her heart dropped, and she blurted out:
"My Lord!"
At this moment, Song Yinghuai was like a savior in her eyes.
Tall.
Majestic.
Irresistible.
There was a thin layer of sweat on Song Yinghuai's body, soaking through his thin outer robe and making it slightly damp. A few strands of black hair fluttered on the side of his face.
It was obvious that he had rushed here at the fastest speed.
His black eyes quickly scanned everything in the meditation courtyard. When his gaze fell on Caiyu's half - hidden body, it suddenly turned as sharp as a knife.
He took a step forward, quickly took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Caiyu. Then, with anger on his face, he looked darkly at Song Chengyuan:
"Elder Brother, I've said before that if you touch the maid in my mansion, don't blame me for being rude!"
Song Chengyuan was just wondering why Song Yinghuai would come to his residence. Seeing him so angry, an evil thought welled up in his heart, and he was about to open his mouth to tease.
Unexpectedly, a powerful palm wind struck out from Song Yinghuai's hand!
The tea table beside Song Chengyuan and Sheng Jiangli shattered with a bang!
Sheng Jiangli, who had been on guard, nimbly jumped up.
Song Chengyuan wasn't so lucky.
He was knocked down by the suddenly collapsing tea table and fell forward, hitting the ground hard on his face!
The broken wood chips of the tea table rained down on Song Chengyuan's head.
A painful scream came from Song Chengyuan's mouth. He almost couldn't get up.
Song Chengyuan scrambled to get up from the ground, shouting angrily, "Song Yinghuai! How dare you..."
When he looked up, the people in front of him had disappeared.
Song Chengyuan was stunned. "Where are they?"
Sheng Jiangli, who was standing beside him brushing off the wood chips, replied slowly, "He took her away."
"Hiss!" Song Chengyuan glared at him angrily. "Why didn't you stop him?"
Sheng Jiangli blinked and said, "His Highness, the Prince of Yan, attacked the Crown Prince. I had to stay here to protect Your Highness first! Your safety is the most important thing."
Song Chengyuan was fuming with anger.
It took him a while to sneer, "Let him be arrogant! He won't be able to jump around for long!"
His men had already been arranged to enter the mountain.
They would poison all the water sources tonight.
The poison wasn't extremely toxic. It would just make people vomit and have diarrhea. For the people who were already sick, after a round of vomiting and diarrhea, they would become weak, and the plague would naturally recur.
The Tartar envoys were about to enter the capital soon.
When the plague recurred, he wanted to see how Song Yinghuai would solve it!
---
Song Yinghuai took Caiyu out of the Crown Prince's residence and entered the bamboo forest.
Caiyu could feel the man's overwhelming anger almost reaching the clouds.
She stumbled along behind Song Yinghuai. She almost fell several times but didn't dare to cry out in pain.
Suddenly.
The man in front stopped and pushed her hard against a row of bamboo trunks.
"Lan Caiyu! What on earth are you doing?"
Before Caiyu could let out a cry of pain, she heard a thunderous voice buzzing in her ear.
There was a furious cold light in Song Yinghuai's eyes as he glared at her angrily.
Song Chengyuan had inexplicably sent someone to inform him to come and watch the fun. He knew something was wrong.
Apart from Caiyu, who else could it be that would make him come and watch the fun?
He just didn't expect that the scene he saw when he came in would make him want to kill someone!
What was Caiyu doing?
She was actually undressing in front of two men!
What was she thinking?
Caiyu shrank back from his roar. Her ears were almost deafened.
She looked up pitifully, facing his angry face and whispered:
"My Lord, this maid can explain..."
"Explain what?" Song Yinghuai interrupted her. His full - blown anger had nowhere to go. "Explain why you were taking off your clothes in front of them? You're too casual. You can take off your clothes in front of other men?"
"I was forced to take them off by His Highness the Crown Prince!" Caiyu shouted back at the top of her voice. "I just wanted to get close to the Crown Prince and get the prescription for the plague medicine!"
"Isn't this all for the common people and for you?"
"I don't need it!" Just thinking about the scene he saw when he first entered the door, Song Yinghuai's eyes turned blood - red with anger. He lost his reason. "I don't need a woman to worry about and help with my affairs. The common people in the world don't need a weak woman to make sacrifices either!"
"Weak woman! Weak woman!" Caiyu was also angry. "In your eyes, my Lord, am I only fit to stay at home embroidering and enjoying the lotus flowers every day? Am I good for nothing else?"
"Otherwise?" Song Yinghuai couldn't understand why she always liked to seek trouble for herself and insisted on showing her difference. "Isn't it good to stay at home quietly? Haven't you suffered enough? Do you have to look for more hardships?"
"Which woman in this world isn't raised at home to be a good wife and mother, behaving properly?"
He had already given Caiyu a lot of freedom.
She could manage the shops, go riding for fun, or go to the capital with her husband on business...
He had allowed everything he could.
He had even accepted her dressing up as a man and mingling in the army.
But her using the beauty trap to get close to Song Chengyuan.
He couldn't bear it!
Song Yinghuai's words disappointed Caiyu extremely.
So he really just regarded her as a plaything, keeping her by his side.
He would play with her when he was happy and ignore her when he was not, right?
Caiyu took a deep breath and said disappointedly:
"This maid doesn't plan to be a good wife and mother. This maid is naturally fond of freedom and realizing her own value. If you, my Lord, can't accept it, this maid doesn't plan to change either!"