Chi Ying comforted Concubine Xue and stayed with her in Spring Willow Court throughout the night. Before the sun rose, she donned her maid’s disguise once more. She followed an older servant woman, acting as a lowly girl tasked with the Princess Consort’s morning wash and breakfast, and quietly slipped back into Zhaohua Court.

Xiangqin meticulously removed her disguise and began the process of washing and re-dressing her. Having not slept all night, the dark circles under Chi Ying’s eyes were heavy; Xiangqin used thick layers of powder to hide them.

When she stepped out of the room again, her hair was piled high like snowy clouds and she was draped in magnificent silks. Even with the guards’ hawk like eyes, it was impossible to link the thin, unremarkable servant girl from the night to the peerless Princess Consort standing before them.

Cheng Huai’s attitude remained respectful, yet a flicker of complexity crossed his eyes as he watched her back.

Chi Ying arrived at Osmanthus Court.

Madam Yin had expected her to agree. She arched an eyebrow and said, “So, have you come to your senses? Will you return to your life of luxury, or will you let your mother die in Spring Willow Court without her medicine?”

Looking at the woman’s expression, Chi Ying felt a wave of nausea. She took a deep breath and spoke firmly: “I can continue to play the part of Second Sister and remain in the Zhao estate. However, I will have full access to the silver in the dowry. I will also be moving my mother out of this estate as soon as possible to settle her elsewhere. From then on, Mother will no longer need to trouble herself with her care.”

Madam Yin’s eyes widened in fury. “You want the dowry? You are dreaming!”

Though the Marquis of Changyuan’s estate had sent a concubine’s daughter as a substitute, they had claimed she was the legitimate daughter to the world. They had emptied nearly half the family treasury to cobble together a respectable dowry. They never intended for Chi Ying to stay in the Zhao estate for long; they expected every piece of that dowry to be returned intact. They hadn’t expected her to have the gall to demand it!

Chi Ying’s voice turned cold. “Mother promised to take good care of my mother, yet you secretly used cheap prescriptions to brush her off. How can I possibly trust you?”

Madam Yin’s face turned an ugly shade of gray.

Chi Ying continued, “My only wish is for my mother’s health. Since Mother cannot manage even that, what right do you have to ask me to risk my life in that tiger’s den in place of Second Sister?”

She saw the hatred and hesitation in Madam Yin’s eyes. She tilted her head and whispered, “Let me guess why Second Sister is so unwilling to return to her proper place. Has she found a better match?”

Madam Yin’s brow twitched. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Chi Ying laughed. “Second Sister refused to even be a Princess Consort, choosing instead to hide in a private villa, afraid to show her true face or identity. Yet Mother is not angry; instead, you look quite satisfied with yourself. If it isn’t because she found a better prospect, then what is it?”

Madam Yin’s features twisted with rage. The veins on her forehead pulsed. “You…”

Chi Ying knew her guess was close to the mark. “If Mother does not want me to blow this matter wide open, then agree to my terms. At worst, my mother and I will simply die, but the Marquis estate will never escape the crime of deceiving the Emperor. As for Second Sister, her crimes are even greater. I wonder, how does the law of our land punish a married woman for adultery?”

The word “adultery” struck Madam Yin’s heart like a sharpened blade. That voice was terrifyingly calm, as if suppressed to an extreme, making Madam Yin believe that Chi Ying truly was capable of anything.

Chi Ying exhaled softly and said one last thing: “I have said my piece. I trust Mother has already made her decision.”

Madam Yin shook all over, glaring at the girl’s retreating back with eyes that could have spit fire.

***

The carriage rumbled back toward the Prince Zhao estate.

Chi Ying had a lingering headache from the lack of sleep and the emotional exhaustion. She propped her head on her hand and rested, her mind already planning the next steps.

She needed to buy a residence for her mother so she would never be mistreated by the Chi family again. With the dowry money, she wouldn’t be short on funds; she could hire reliable maids to look after her mother’s medicine and daily needs, ensuring the Jiji Pills were never cut off.

She had gambled everything today, and she hadn’t expected to actually get a hold over Madam Yin.

She had suspected last night that Chi Yingyue had climbed a higher branch, perhaps with someone whose status could rival Prince Zhao’s. That was the only thing that could explain Madam Yin’s drastic change in attitude. Today’s verbal test and Madam Yin’s extreme reaction confirmed her suspicions.

However, Chi Ying had no heart to care about Chi Yingyue’s private affairs. The most important thing was to live peacefully in the Zhao estate for now and find an opportunity to move her mother out of the Marquis estate.

But how to settle her mother without drawing attention was a difficult problem.

By the time they returned to the Zhao estate, it was past noon.

Exhausted from the past few days, Chi Ying felt as if her head were stuffed with cotton. Her consciousness was a bit hazy from the pain. She didn’t go to Yangui Tower to see Prince Zhao, nor did she eat lunch. She went straight to Shuyu Pavilion and lay down.

As she closed her eyes, dreams flooded in.

She saw her mother being mistreated by Madam Yin. She saw herself crying and begging until her heart broke, yet she couldn’t save her.

Then she dreamed her identity was exposed. Prince Zhao was strangling her, saying with a pleasant smile: *Chi Ying, you deserve to die…*

In a state of half-sleep, she felt a very light touch near the corner of her eye. Amidst the clear scent of Galan incense was a trace of warm moisture, slowly licking away the tears on her face…

Chi Ying’s chaotic consciousness slowly coalesced. She finally realized there was someone by her pillow and snapped her eyes open.

The sky was already dark, and the room was brightly lit by candles.

The man’s exquisite, painted features were right before her eyes.

Their breaths mingled. His warm, deep, and magnetic voice was pressed against her ear.

“In your dreams, you called for ‘Mother’ twelve times, and for ‘Your Highness’ seven times… Were those calls for Your Highness meant for me?”

Chi Ying stared at him in shock. Her back was pressed against the warm, soft silk quilt, yet she felt as if she were lying in snow. A sudden chill rose within her.

How long had he been here? Had she spoken in her sleep?

Had she mentioned her mother?

Sensing the girl’s breath hitch and her lack of response, the smile on Yan Xuecuī’s lips deepened.

Chi Ying felt her skin crawl at his smile. Pushing down her panic, she hurriedly replied, “Your Highness… this concubine dreamed of you…”

“Liar.” Yan Xuecuī’s fingertips covered her neck as he let out a cold, soft laugh. “How should I punish you?”

Chi Ying’s eyelashes fluttered. Before she could react to his meaning, the man’s warm lips and tongue took her ear into his mouth.

It was not a gentle kiss. It was punitive; his teeth ground against the curve of her ear inch by inch.

The moist heat of the itch intertwined with the numbing pain, acting like a crawling electric current that instantly surged through her entire body.

Chi Ying’s ears turned beet red. She bit her lower lip hard, but she couldn’t hold it back. A soft, thin moan escaped her throat.

***

Footnotes:

TN1
Jiji Pill (既济丹): A potent, expensive tonic meant to restore the balance of the body. The name “Jiji” comes from the 63rd hexagram of the I Ching, meaning “Already Fording” or “Completion.”

TN2
Adultery (通奸): In this legal context, since Chi Yingyue is technically “married” to Prince Zhao by imperial decree, having an affair with another man is considered a capital crime and a grave insult to the royal family.

Translator’s Note: It looks like our MC has survived the Marquis estate only to walk into a whole different kind of danger. Enjoy, and drop feedback.

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