130 Cuckolded?

The one who heard it most clearly was the man whose nose had been struck, causing a nosebleed. As that vivid, suggestive sound reached his ears, his imagination involuntarily filled in the blanks, and—splash—the nosebleed only worsened.

The guards exchanged glances for a brief moment, and upon seeing the shared, profound understanding in each other’s eyes, they silently turned back around.

Inside the room, Guan Shiyin noiselessly slid the bolt into place.

Fang Rulai finally identified who this person was. Clenching her hand into a fist, she raised it and smashed it toward the "pig face" rubbing against her collar. "You..."

"Shh." Guan Shiyin blocked her mouth with his own, taking the opportunity to nuzzle her twice. Before Fang Rulai’s anger could flare up again in her eyes, he hurriedly pulled back and shouted toward the door, "Ah, Eunuch, don't... not here, ah, go, go to the inner chamber... ah—"

The ending was another scream, a shriek filled with genuine pain. The guards couldn't help but exchange knowing smiles, convinced that this Eunuch Lu, much like the Crown Prince, certainly had a penchant for the perverse.

Inside, Guan Shiyin hopped around clutching his foot. Mindful of the guards outside, he dared not make a sound despite the agony that made him grimace. He used lip-reading to signal to Fang Rulai: *Why did you step on me? Do you have any idea how much danger I risked to get here?*

Fang Rulai had no time for him. Reaching out, she snatched up a delicate vase standing on the cabinet near the door—it held no water or flowers, serving only as an ornament, yet it was worth a thousand gold pieces.

She grabbed it and headed toward the inner chamber, not forgetting to sweep up other small, easily portable, yet undeniably precious items along the way. Once inside, she dumped what she was holding onto the bed and turned to grab the expensive jewelry from the vanity.

Crown Prince Li Yincheng’s provisions for her food, clothing, housing, and transportation were truly on par with an Empress’s standards. Look at those pearl necklaces and bracelets—every one of them was radiant; one didn't need to look closely to know they were no common trinkets.

Ah, and that emerald ring—that absolutely could not be left behind. The end of this affair was near, and Zhu Xishi’s remarriage was just around the corner. She couldn't go into it without a few valuable items to her name! This ring was perfect; whether for home or travel, or to pass down to future children, it was a rare and exquisite piece.

Take it! Fang Rulai reached out, but the ring was snatched away by another hand.

It was Guan Shiyin.

"Give it back!" Fang Rulai lunged to snatch it.

Guan Shiyin pulled her to one side with one arm while holding the ring high with the other. His height advantage made it impossible for Fang Rulai to retrieve it.

Guan Shiyin scrutinized the emerald ring, and the more he looked, the darker his expression grew. "Didn't I present this to the palace a few years ago? And now he’s using it to coax a woman? And the woman he’s coaxing is *my* woman!"

Fang Rulai clawed at his collar for leverage, her other hand straining upward to reach the ring. "Stop babbling! Regardless of who it belonged to before, from this moment on, it belongs to me! And don't talk nonsense. How many people have missed their best chance to escape because they were busy talking nonsense? Give it back! Once I’ve packed everything up, I can leave!"

Guan Shiyin held it high, refusing to let her have it. "Why do you want to keep this? Do you want to keep it as a memento? Absolutely not! You aren't allowed to keep it!"

Seeing she couldn't reach it no matter how she jumped, Fang Rulai stepped onto a nearby round stool. "Memento my foot! Can't I sell it to buy braised pork? That thing is worth a fortune, give it to me!"

She jumped too vigorously, causing the stool to wobble. Fearing she would fall, Guan Shiyin hurriedly turned to catch her. "Is the gold I gave you not enough to buy braised pork? I’ll double it when we get back! Either way, you are not taking this!"

That was a ring given by another man! Even if it were his originally, it didn't matter! She was only allowed to wear things belonging to him!

Guan Shiyin gripped the ring tighter in his palm.

Fang Rulai finally managed to reach his hand, but could go no further because his fist was clenched tight. In desperation, she opened her mouth wide and leaned in. "You’re being unreasonable! Guan Shiyin, are you going to give it to me or not? If you don't, I’m going to bite!"

Guan Shiyin wouldn't let her bite him, so he pulled her arm forcefully toward his chest. "You wouldn't dare!"

But he forgot that Fang Rulai was standing on a stool, and it was only because he was holding her waist that she stayed steady. Now, not only did he stop holding her, but he also pulled his arm back. Consequently, Fang Rulai, who was tightly clutching his arm, was pulled along by the momentum. The first consequence of losing her balance was that she slammed into Guan Shiyin.

"Careful!" Guan Shiyin hurriedly reached out again to catch her, partly to prevent her from getting hurt, and partly to keep her from making noise upon falling that would alert the guards.

His embrace was timely, halting her fall. However, the stool under Fang Rulai’s feet, no longer supported, tipped over.

Fang Rulai shrieked, "Save the stool!"

Guan Shiyin hurriedly let go with one hand to reach for the stool. His fingers touched the edge just before it hit the floor. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, his vision blurred, and he tipped over sideways with a "whoosh."

His first instinct was: there are guards outside, so I cannot make a loud noise; Fang Rulai is on top of me, so I cannot let her get hurt. He abandoned his plan to spring up, and instead arched his back to shield her, letting himself fall without resistance.

The moment before his back hit the ground, he channeled his internal energy to protect himself, landing quietly.

His back was fine, but a dull grunt escaped him as Fang Rulai hit him solidly in the chest—she was quite heavy.

"You..." He started to make a joke, but his expression changed when he saw her clearly. "What is this you’re wearing? This isn't from my Tianxia Embroidery Shop! Who gave this to you?"

After their close-quarters struggle, Fang Rulai, focused entirely on the ring, hadn't noticed her clothes had been pulled open, her collar gaping and slipping off her shoulder.

And through her open bodice, a bright red stomach warmer embroidered with a golden phoenix unexpectedly came into Guan Shiyin’s view.

Guan Shiyin’s gaze, which should have been burning, turned instantly to fury upon seeing the pattern.

That was not the lingerie set he had once prepared for her! The ones he had prepared, though also bright red, featured exclusively paired mandarin ducks. So, this phoenix stomach warmer proudly lifting its head could only mean...

A massive, thick cloud of green jealousy descended upon him, and Guan Shiyin, overwhelmed, lost his strength for a moment.

Fang Rulai seized the opportunity to pry open his fingers, and the emerald ring finally returned to her. She tucked it away safely into her palm and glanced at Guan Shiyin, whose facial muscles were twitching inexplicably. Suddenly, she said, "Yes, everything you’re thinking is right! As a villain who wanted to keep me in his palm, did you really think he would do nothing during those twenty-four hours?"

Guan Shiyin’s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets. "I don't believe it! You would let him have his way?" This woman was no ordinary genius; would she let herself be destroyed by a rival man?

"You don't think that certain things require mutual consent to happen, do you?"

Fang Rulai turned her head away, her expression blank. To Guan Shiyin, it looked like she was ashamed to meet his eyes.

Guan Shiyin immediately felt as if it were raining green on his head. *Yes, Fang Rulai is incredibly smart, but she has no martial arts, right? She kept rejecting me because, subconsciously, I didn't want to force her. But what if she encountered a man who wouldn't hesitate to use physical possession to strike at her? A simple acupressure point strike would have subdued her instantly.*

*But... but, did she not resist at all?* Guan Shiyin still couldn't believe it.

Fang Rulai observed his devastated, disbelieving expression from the corner of her eye. She pulled her collar shut, stood up, and walked to the bed. She tossed the emerald ring onto the pile of valuables she had gathered, no longer in a hurry to pack. "So, I don't need to pack my things anymore, right?"

In this ancient society, what man would want a woman who had lost her purity? Regardless of how deeply he had loved her before.

Guan Shiyin remained lying there, unresponsive.

Fang Rulai felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes grew moist. She turned to the side, wiped her eyes with her hand, then rose and walked to the window. She pushed it open and said, "Fine, I’m not someone who can't handle a loss! You should go!"

She knew she was misleading Guan Shiyin, and she knew that if she told the truth now, everything could go back to the way it was, but she didn't want to. Life is unpredictable; she might dodge a bullet once, but not every time. What if, one day, she truly were defiled? Could the two of them, so close now—or perhaps even having children by then—still part ways as amicably as this?

Yes, she was using an unknown risk to test Guan Shiyin, which was indeed unfair to him. But once she had started with those misleading words, she found she couldn't stop. She craved so desperately for Guan Shiyin to say, "No matter what, you are still you," to soothe the fear and anxiety that had plagued her for the past two days.

Whether facing the Crown Princess, the Sixth Princess, or even Li Yincheng, she never lacked a mask to suit the situation. She played the innocent, the naive, the proud, the fearless—she played every role of composure and calm, but she couldn't pretend to be strong in front of his pained, questioning expression.

At this point, she had to secretly admit to herself that this "Guan Idiot," whom she had never once complimented, had somehow taken root in the deepest parts of her heart. She couldn't bear even a shred of his suspicion.

*Spinning a cocoon, binding oneself.* Her remaining sliver of reason warned her: don't test love with hypothetical scenarios, or you will only lose more than you gain.

She knew she was in the wrong.

Her hands gripping the window frame tightened involuntarily. Wood splinters pierced under her nails, and a bead of red blood welled up. She felt the sting and looked at it, but didn't pull her hands away, nor did she speak.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the palace hall.

"Has anyone seen any suspicious persons approaching this area?" came the voice of the guard commander, Dai Chuan.

"Reporting to the commander, no."

"Reporting to the commander, yes." Two guards spoke at once, their answers completely contradictory.

*Things are going to go wrong.*

Fang Rulai turned and urged, "Hurry and go!" Whether he still wanted her or not, she did not want him to die here.

She turned too quickly and collided with Guan Shiyin, who had just arrived. She slammed into him and bounced back.

The window behind her was open, and as she bounced, her upper body leaned out. Her vision blurred, and the scene shifted from the window frame to the sky, to the willow grove, to the flickering silhouettes of the imperial guards.

Fang Rulai swallowed the scream that reached her lips, her backward tilt freezing at a ninety-degree angle.

Inside the room, in front of her were the taut thighs of a certain man, and around her waist was the warmth of a palm that felt like it would sear her skin. In ordinary times, this would have been another bout of heated passion. But now, after the emotional wound she had just suffered at his hands, how could she be in the mood for such things?

Fang Rulai locked her hands over the large hand at her waist, exerting force, her neck stiffening. Even though she couldn't right herself, she managed to lift her head. "You... mmph!"

***

*Author's Note:*

*What on earth am I doing! I’m going crazy! When I set the timer earlier, I wanted to set it for 1:55, but when I looked at 2:00, it hadn't been published. I looked again and it had been set for 2:55! I messed up again! My apologies, everyone! My eyes have been a bit blurry from looking at the screen lately, but I didn't think it was this serious. Is this the universe telling me it's time for a rest?*