"Since your parents are so eager for you to work in the palace, how about I keep you here and assign you to Wan Sheng Palace next year during the selection of palace maids?" Cui Jie said, moving a few steps forward as if he intended to see her appearance around the screen.
Chi Ying jumped off the couch and ran towards the window.
Cui Jie laughed behind her, "Where are you going? Do you not fear being seen in that state?"
Chi Ying clenched her hands over her chest, her knuckles turning white. She dared not turn around or run naked outside; she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
The sound of footsteps approached, seeming to indicate that Cui Jie was getting closer. Chi Ying's mind blanked, trembling where she stood.
"You…" Cui Jie stared at her back, puzzled. The lines of her body wrapped in cloud-patterned clothes were graceful, and the exposed nape peeking through her half-disheveled hair was more seductive than nudity itself.
Unlike Queen Changsun Ling Fang's innocence, this body was mature, exuding allure even from just the back, like ripe fruit on a tree branch in late summer, tempting to pluck.
Cui Jie was genuinely impressed. He hadn't expected Fan Shi's barrel-shaped figure to hide such a captivating niece.
His previous words, whether true or false, aimed to gain sympathy from this humble-born girl, making her believe he was a victim and they were alike. A bit of tenderness usually won over a maiden's heart. He had done this many times, and it was second nature to him.
As long as he could lure her to his side, he could better monitor the Changsun family's movements. So regardless of beauty, he always acted tenderly.
But he hadn't expected this girl to be such a beauty. It seemed Changsun Tai had exerted considerable effort to find a beautiful woman among poor relatives. Cui Jie inwardly rejoiced, feeling a sense of profit. He intensified his sweet talk: "What is your name, miss? Why do I feel like I've met you somewhere before? Just now, chatting with you felt like meeting an old friend after many years. Could you please turn around so I can see you?"
What should I do! Turn around or not? Chi Ying's mind was in turmoil.
If she turned, Cui Jie would likely recognize her immediately, and what awaited her would undoubtedly be imprisonment, torture, and possibly worse humiliation. If she didn't turn, he would eventually see her face anyway, merely delaying the inevitable—she couldn't bear to run naked outside due to her upbringing.
Cui Jie was patient, waiting for her to turn around. Chi Ying, exhausted from the mental struggle, decided that death was inevitable sooner or later, so she might as well face it head-on.
She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and turned around.
In the next moment, she saw Cui Jie gasp in shock.
"You—!" Cui Jie recognized her immediately, equally shocked as she had been when he first spoke.
Seeing his stunned expression, Chi Ying calmed down. It seemed Cui Jie hadn't expected her parents to offer her up. His astonishment included a hint of disbelief, indicating that what awaited her would be torture and imprisonment, which she could endure.
After the initial shock, Cui Jie's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, "So it's you."
Chi Ying pursed her lips and remained silent.
Cui Jie turned and left, seemingly angry, his sleeve movement rough. Chi Ying sighed in relief, finding it amusing. She thought sarcastically about how Cui Ren Yu had brought this upon himself, trying to seduce an innocent girl and ending up revealing his own infidelity to his enemy. Where was the flawless version of him from the previous life?
With Cui Jie gone, tonight's crisis was resolved. Relaxing, Chi Ying began to feel drowsy, a genuine fatigue from the night's events. She returned to the couch and dozed off.
How long she slept, she didn't know, but when she woke up, it was already light outside. A blanket covered her, and her sister, Changsun Ling Fang, sat beside her, her eyes red from crying. Seeing Chi Ying awake, she sobbed, "Sister."
Chi Ying sat up, stretching her stiff body from the hard couch.
"Sister, do you want to take a bath? I can call someone to help you bathe," Changsun Ling Fang asked, wiping her tears.
Chi Ying retorted coldly, "Bath? What bath? Didn't we wash enough last night?"
Changsun Ling Fang lowered her head, ashamed, her tears falling onto her skirt. Chi Ying, initially furious, softened seeing her pitiful state. She couldn't bring herself to yell at her. Instead, she asked angrily, "Did the Emperor come last night? Was this your doing? Luring me into the palace, the hot spring, and the An Xi Xiang incense—was all this your scheme?"
"Sister…" Changsun Ling Fang covered her face with a handkerchief and cried, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Sorry? What good is sorry? Do you think I'll forgive you unconditionally like before? Changsun Ling Fang, I'm your sister, yet you set this trap to harm me. What do you think of me?" Chi Ying scolded, her voice rising.
Changsun Ling Fang hung her head, crying repeatedly, "I'm sorry."
After venting, Chi Ying found it pointless and said coldly, "Give me back my clothes."
Changsun Ling Fang peeked from behind the handkerchief, asking hesitantly, "What will you do?"
Chi Ying replied coldly, "Go pay respects to the Empress Dowager." She got up, but Changsun Ling Fang suddenly clung to her waist, begging and crying, "Sister! Please, please help me one more time! If you abandon me, I'll die! I truly will!"
Chi Ying, both angry and helpless, struggled with her. Both sisters, being delicate ladies, had equal strength. But Changsun Ling Fang, determined, refused to let go. Exhausted and sweating, Chi Ying had to sit back down.
Holding tightly to her, Changsun Ling Fang sobbed loudly. Chi Ying was utterly frustrated, worried that Cui Yi would return and find her missing. She wanted to stabilize her sister first and then find a way to escape—if the Changsun family planned to make both sisters serve one husband, the Empress Dowager would certainly disagree. If she could see the Empress Dowager, even if she was confined, she wouldn't have to worry about losing her virtue.
"Enough! Stop crying!" Chi Ying pushed her sister aside, "Explain yourself clearly. What are you planning? Bringing me back and offering me to the Emperor—what do you hope to achieve? Do you think the Emperor is stupid enough not to recognize me or foolish enough to accept two Changsun women?"
Changsun Ling Fang, who had once had beautiful eyes, looked swollen and red from crying. She sobbed, "Last winter, I gave birth to a son, but he died three days later! I… I lost a lot of blood during childbirth. When I heard the news, I fainted. They said I was unconscious for many days, continuously bleeding. The imperial doctors tried many methods, but nothing worked. I nearly died…"
Chi Ying, having given birth herself, knew postpartum hemorrhage was extremely dangerous. Hearing this, she softened slightly, "Then what happened?"
"Afterwards… afterwards, I heard that former Imperial Censor Zhai Rang heard the news and sent a prescription. The servants forcibly administered it to me, and the bleeding stopped. The next day, I woke up and heard the imperial doctor tell the Emperor… tell him…" Due to her intense crying earlier, Changsun Ling Fang struggled to speak. Chi Ying urged her impatiently, "Tell him what? Say it!"
Changsun Ling Fang took a few deep breaths and continued, "The imperial doctor told the Emperor that my condition was extremely critical, and I lost so much blood. They weren't sure if I'd ever recover, and I might never be able to have children again."
Chi Ying was shocked, "Is this true?" Then she realized, "You might not be able to have children anymore, so you decided to use me? To secure the Changsun family's position in the capital and court, you don't hesitate to sacrifice a married woman?"
Changsun Ling Fang quickly explained, "No! Father's intention was—"
Chi Ying interrupted angrily, "This was Father's plan? When did this happen?"
Changsun Ling Fang whispered, "Originally, last year, Father intended to find a suitable cousin among our relatives, someone who looked decent and fertile, unmarried. But none were suitable; most were too young, eleven or twelve, completely unsuitable. Then, in early spring, Consort Qing fell ill, and someone suggested using this opportunity to lure Prince Wu back and kill him. That's when Father turned his attention to you."
At this point, Chi Ying had completely lost hope in her father. Her own flesh and blood were merely tools for climbing the social ladder. How sad she had shed tears for his death in her past life and had prioritized protecting them in this life. If it weren't for that, she would have hanged herself long ago after being taken advantage of by Cui Yi at the carved pavilion.
Changsun Ling Fang cautiously watched her reaction, mistaking her stoic expression for hesitation. She bravely added, "Sister, Prince Wu isn't a good person. You suffer with him, and he married another woman, Xie Yuchan, without caring about you. Come back to the palace. We can support each other. I'm the queen, no one will dare bully you. If you bear a son, I'll ask the Emperor to make you a high-ranking concubine!"
"A high-ranking concubine?" Chi Ying laughed bitterly, slapping her sister's hand away, "Do you think I care? I don't even want to be queen, let alone a concubine. Are these my wonderful relatives? Enjoying wealth and glory, forgetting about me, letting me starve in Yanzhou, mocking me secretly. Now, desperate, you remember me and try to offer me to the Emperor without even asking my opinion? Is this what kind of sisters and relatives we are?"
Changsun Ling Fang looked pained, unable to find words.
Chi Ying got up again, ignoring her single-layered clothing, and walked towards the door. Changsun Ling Fang, startled, clung to her leg, causing Chi Ying to trip and knock over a small table near the couch. Items crashed to the floor, and palace maids rushed in upon hearing the noise.