Ye Luan glared at him, "Without me, you and he would still be enemies. Besides, he covets what's yours. Can you tolerate that?"
"This King truly cannot tolerate it. I wish to kill him."
His voice was dark and bloodthirsty, and Ye Luan felt a tremor run down her spine.
Suddenly, he scooped her up and carried her towards the washroom at the back.
Ye Luan was pinned against the washbasin by him, her limbs restrained. Her tender hands were forcefully held in the water and scrubbed.
The skin on her wrists instantly turned red.
Ye Luan felt only weariness, a weariness of the heart, both painful and exhausting.
She let him wash her, biting her lip and remaining silent.
By the time Xiao Chizhan was satisfied, her clothes had also been torn off by him and thrown into a silver basin, all burned to ashes.
She was thrown onto the couch naked and tucked into the covers.
"Lie here and wait for me to return."
Ye Luan's eyes darkened slightly, and she looked at his departing back, a cold smile curling her lips.
The atmosphere in the room was quiet, a faint fragrance emanating from the brazier.
She felt drowsy and slowly drifted off to sleep.
The night deepened.
Xiao Chizhan entered from outside, carrying a chill with him.
Ye Luan slept lightly and, in her daze, opened her eyes. Seeing him sitting by the bed, his face filled with a bloodthirsty aura, she was slightly startled.
"Where did you go?"
Seeing she was awake, Xiao Chizhan pulled her from the covers, pinned her down, and kissed her with intense passion.
His hands were chillingly cold, making her body tremble and feel a chill.
Ye Luan couldn't help but shiver.
"Luan Luan, perhaps this King should not have indulged you. If you were confined, you would only be mine."
The voice that reached her ears was deep and terrifying, like a binding shackle.
Her heart was filled with fear.
No!
Absolutely not!
She had finally escaped the prison of Youzhou, free from those humiliating shackles. To be confined by him again would drive her mad.
"I hate those covetous gazes, I hate anyone seeing you."
Ye Luan could deeply feel the killing intent emanating from him.
She felt like laughing inwardly. Did he want her to willingly become his prisoner and be bullied by him?
"Anyone who covets you, I want to kill them, slice them into a thousand pieces."
His voice was too terrifying.
Ye Luan quickly suppressed the emotions in her heart, wrapped her arms around his back, and said softly,
"Chizhan Gege, you are the one I love. No one else catches my eye."
As she spoke, she sealed his cold lips, slowly licking and enticing him.
The desolate moonlight shone through the white paper window, casting a cold, silvery glow that pooled on the floor.
His kiss was fierce and brutal, as if he wanted to devour her.
Ye Luan's eyes turned slightly red from the pain, but she could only respond.
After a long while, silence fell within the dimly lit tent.
Xiao Chizhan leaned against the bedside, stroking her cheek. His red pupils were alluring and deep, lost in thought.
Fearing he was contemplating confining her, Ye Luan quickly changed the subject, "Aren't you supposed to go to the palace?"
"Mm, get up and get dressed."
"Can I not go?"
Her lips were so swollen. Would she be laughed at if she went?
Xiao Chizhan said nothing and looked down at her.
Ye Luan sat up, wrapped in the quilt, and tugged at his clothes, smiling, "It's too late, and it's so cold outside. I don't want to go out. I'll accompany you to the formal palace banquet tomorrow, okay?"
Her coquettish demeanor was too alluring.
He had always hated娇滴滴 (嬌滴滴 - delicate and charming, often used to describe women) women before, but why did he find her fierceness, stubbornness, coquettishness, and weakness all equally beautiful?
"But this King wants to have you by his side at all times."
Ye Luan was momentarily stumped and coughed lightly, "Don't you understand? You need to maintain freshness. Being together all the time gets tedious."
"Tedious?" He reached out and touched her, "Are you tired of this King?"
"----"
"No, I was just afraid you would get tired of me?"
Xiao Chizhan suddenly smiled, "Fine, if you don't want to go, then keep sleeping." He paused and added, "Don't go anywhere without me accompanying you."
Here, everywhere was filled with his hidden guards, and she dared not go out on her own.
She nodded obediently, "Okay."
"Kiss this King."
Ye Luan rolled her eyes inwardly, but her face was wreathed in smiles. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.
As soon as he left, she flipped off the bed, took out the geography book from her bundle, and sat on the soft couch, reading quietly.
After flipping through it for a while, she felt something was amiss. Before, she always read with Xueqiu. Now, she felt something was missing in her arms.
Alas.
She wondered what would happen to Xueqiu after she left. Given Xiao Chizhan's nature, he would definitely not care about a small animal's life.
Would the people in the Youzhou Prince's Mansion treat Xueqiu well?
But she couldn't take an animal with her to escape.
As she thought, she couldn't help but glance at the ring on her hand.
The Gemini Ring?!
Why couldn't she pull it off? It seemed etched into her flesh, which was annoying.
Just then, outside the window, a melodious and clear bamboo flute melody suddenly sounded, echoing through the quiet night, as if lingering by her ear, like heavenly music.
Ye Luan's hand paused, and she squinted towards the window, then chuckled.
Not long after, she heard a commotion outside. The flute music stopped, and the room returned to silence.
'This flute music is indeed beautiful.'
She murmured, continuing to read.
The candlelight flickered and crackled.
Ye Luan felt sleepy, hid the book, went to the bathroom to wash up, and then went to bed.
She was utterly exhausted!
During the night, she didn't know when Xiao Chizhan returned. While sleeping soundly, she felt his hot body enter.
The night passed without incident.
-----
The next day, Emperor Mingji hosted a banquet at Xingqing Hall to entertain honored guests from various countries. The Dragon Pool played music, accompanied by singing and dancing, with toasts and clinking of cups, creating a lively atmosphere.
In the great hall, songs and dances filled the air.
Ye Luan, dressed in a magnificent crimson gown with gold thread, sat quietly beside Xiao Chizhan, eating pastries and sipping fruit wine.
The palace banquet was indeed elaborate; even the wine cups were inlaid with jade, and the golden and silver cups were made of ivory.
She had no interest in listening to their exchanges and contests. She squinted, enjoying the singing and dancing.
"A'Luan, look, how resonant the percussion is from that person playing the jiegu."
Lan Murou had often accompanied Tantai Ye to banquets before. The people of Daliang were skilled in singing and dancing and enjoyed elegant gatherings like "Flowing Wine Cups" and "Pitch-pot."
However, this banquet in Zhongzhou was truly lively, featuring not only singing and dancing but also acrobatics and beast fighting, which were quite fierce.
The event involved thousands of people and was extremely luxurious.
Ye Luan followed his gaze and nodded slightly, "Indeed, it is impressive."
Their hushed conversation was very subtle, and the grand scene meant no one noticed them.
However, Xiao Chizhan's power was immense, leading to many people offering him toasts.
Ye Luan could clearly feel them subtly sizing her up.
She felt a little uneasy. To be honest, she hadn't married Xiao Chizhan, and sitting beside him without status made her scalp tingle.