When she woke, the carriage had stopped in the palace courtyard. Yan Xuan was awake, lazily resting on her leg and playing with a jade ring. Ruan Ning recognized it as the ring she had lost by the cliff, recalling her past actions towards him with despair.
“Awake?” Yan Xuan grinned, raising himself. “My beloved, it’s time to repay me.”
Before Ruan Ning could react, warm lips pressed against hers, first licking, then biting—not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a clear mark.
Ruan Ning stayed silent.
Well, if a bite could prevent him from holding a grudge, it was still a good deal.
“Let’s go wash up. We’re heading back to the palace,” Yan Xuan said, satisfied with the taste on his tongue, and pulled her up, walking hand in hand from the carriage.
Sui Huan waited by the carriage, finding reality far more cruel than his imagined scenarios of Ruan Ning’s situation with Yan Xuan. He stood nearby, separated by a curtain, watching another man with her.
Seeing the fresh tooth marks on Ruan Ning’s lips, Sui Huan’s expression changed.
Ning Ye lay on the bed, looking weakly at Ruan Ning as she entered. She had choked on water, was still taking medicine, and appeared thinner with a poor complexion. Sui Huan had found her unconscious for several days, severely weakened.
“That night, I had just gone to bed when the fire started. I called for a long time but no one came to save me, so I had to jump out the window,” Ning Ye said, staring directly at Ruan Ning. “Sister, I was calling so loudly. Didn’t you hear me?”
Ruan Ning indeed hadn’t heard anything. That night had felt very quiet, with almost no sound except for water.
“Sister, don’t you like me?”
I was missing for so long, and you didn’t even look for me, only caring about becoming an Imperial Consort,” Ning Ye’s voice grew stubborn.
“I sent a message to Father and entrusted General Sui to find you. I’ve been waiting for General Sui’s news,” Ruan Ning replied, somewhat irritated.
Ning Ye’s face looked aggrieved: “General Sui isn’t even my relative.”
Yan Xuan stepped into the room, glancing at Ning Ye. “Does my imperial consort need you to interfere with her affairs?”
Ning Ye glared defiantly: “What business is it of yours? She should have come to find me herself!”
Yan Xuan grinned, his white teeth gleaming: “Don’t want me to manage this? Very well, kill her.”
Ruan Ning shuddered, instinctively grabbing him and pleading: “Your Majesty, please don’t!”
Ning Ye was stunned, unable to believe someone would dare treat a princess like this. She gritted her teeth and shrieked: “You wouldn’t dare! I’m a princess, I don’t believe you’ll do it!”
Yan Xuan didn’t look at her. He pulled Ruan Ning up and told Sui Huan: “Kill her. I don’t want to see this person again.”
“Your Majesty!”
Ruan Ning clutched him, not daring to let go. “Ning Ye is just a child who doesn’t understand. Please have mercy and spare her this time!”
Sui Huan added, “The status of the Qingping Princess is different. Please reconsider, Your Majesty.”
Yan Xuan looked at the anxious Ruan Ning and smiled slightly. “You’re quite a good sister.” He then pulled her towards the exit, telling Sui Huan, “Send her back to Chen Kingdom. Don’t let me see her again!”
Ning Ye fell back into a coma, her condition worsening. “Stay and watch her. Send her away immediately when she wakes,” Yan Xuan instructed Sui Huan.
“Yes,” Sui Huan agreed, watching Yan Xuan and Ruan Ning board the carriage to Ji Jing.
The next evening, the caravan entered the imperial palace. Yan Xuan changed to a sedan chair, sitting with Ruan Ning until they reached his royal chambers. He ordered, “Drive out everyone from Qi Xia Palace and prepare it for the imperial consort.”
Looking at Ruan Ning, he smiled, “Imperial Consort, make do with staying here these few days.”
Ruan Ning dressed carefully, bathing and applying fragrant cream. Even at night, she remained a delicate flower.
Although Yan Xuan was impotent, he loved beautiful women. As long as she remained the most beautiful woman in the palace, he surely wouldn’t strangle her.
After changing into soft, thin sleeping clothes, Yan Xuan returned from outside, irritated after being cornered by the Grand Tutor to handle an important matter.
However, when he saw the radiant beauty, the dimple on his left cheek reappeared: “Were you waiting for me, Imperial Consort?”
Ruan Ning broke into a sweat, trying to sound seductive: “Yes, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t dare sleep before you arrived.”
“Good,” Yan Xuan pinched her chin, “I’ll take a bath first. Wait for me on the bed.”
On the bed? Ruan Ning’s heart skipped a beat, sensing the suggestive undertone. Don’t be afraid, she reassured herself. He can’t do anything; at most he might bite.
Yan Xuan suddenly said, pointing his chin towards the distance, “Trim.” Ruan Ning followed his gaze and noticed the wick of a white candle was too long. She found the candle scissors and trimmed it, then Yan Xuan pointed to another: “That one.”
With over a hundred candles, Ruan Ning moved back and forth like a butterfly, trimming the wicks. Soon, she was exhausted, but Yan Xuan never told her to stop.
After some time, Ruan Ning was suddenly shaken awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Yan Xuan bending over, looking at her with a tilted head.
She had fallen asleep in the chair.
Ruan Ning startled, quickly grabbing the candle scissors: “I’ll trim them right away!”
Yan Xuan looked at the candles dripping with wax and asked with a faint smile: “Has he been here?”
“Sleep,” Yan Xuan took away her candle scissors, pulled her towards the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
Ruan Ning lay there in a daze, watching Yan Xuan extinguish the candles and open several windows to let the smoke dissipate. He stood by the window, leisurely looking outside.
Now he felt like the A’Mo she was familiar with. Ruan Ning bravely said: “Don’t stand in the draft, be careful not to catch a cold.”
Yan Xuan grinned: “Got it, you sleep.”
Ruan Ning wanted to continue being friendly, but she was too tired. As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, Yan Xuan was gone. The windows were closed, the candlesticks had disappeared, and the room felt fresh.
That strange night was like a chaotic dream.
“I’ve always thought so,” Ruan Ning continued to flatter enthusiastically.
“Is that so?” Yan Xuan chuckled, “Don’t I remember you calling me a brat back then?”
Ruan Ning pointed to the two pufferfish by the bedside and changed her flattery: “Your Majesty is truly skilled; those two pufferfish are so lifelike, I can’t take my eyes off them.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you threw them back and hit me,” Yan Xuan pointed at her chest. “Right here.” “Well…” Ruan Ning stiffened her face and tried to explain, “It’s my fault for being dull and offending you.” Yan Xuan laughed. “No, you understood exactly what I meant, which is why you were so embarrassed that you threw them at me.” “This…” Ruan Ning played dumb, “Your Majesty is overthinking; I was just shy.” Yan Xuan laughed again: “Consort, you are truly clever and charming.” Ruan Ning, delighted, responded, “My little cleverness compared to Your Majesty’s great wisdom is like a firefly to the sun and moon. Even if I escape to the ends of the earth, I cannot escape from Your Majesty’s palm.” Yan Xuan almost burst out laughing—did she have any little cleverness? But since she mentioned “escape,” he lifted her chin: “I wanted to ask, why did you try to escape back then?” “I…” Ruan Ning realized she had misspoken—she wished she could take back those words and quickly remedied it: “I didn’t escape; I just felt stuffy in the carriage.” “Is that so?” Yan Xuan suddenly pulled her close, “Be good and stay with me, or maybe one day when I’m in a good mood, I might let you go.”
