Xie Jinbai lowered his head, pressing it against her forehead. His voice was soft. "Are you upset?"
'Upset?'
Cui Lingyao curled her lip. "If Your Highness is asking whether I'm upset about you humiliating me in front of everyone for the sake of your new woman, then yes, of course I am."
"You know what I'm talking about." Seeing her contrariness, Xie Jinbai's eyes flickered. "What is there to be upset about? I asked you that day."
'Yes.
He had asked her.'
Ever since he was made a prince a year ago, he had grown busier by the day. He would return home later and later, always in a rush.
One day, several months ago, he came home unusually early and went straight to the main courtyard. But before they could even exchange a few words of affection, his expression grew hesitant. Only after she pressed him several times did he finally confess his desire to take Li Wanrong as a concubine.
He was the Empress's only legitimate son. His three older brothers were well into their twenties and still just Princes with no titles, whereas he had been made a prince for his military achievements at his coming-of-age ceremony. He was only a single step away from the title of Crown Prince.
He was of legitimate birth and had military merits. The only point of criticism against him was that he had no son.
For someone who wished to be the Crown Prince, being without an heir was, of course, a problem.
Yet, they had been married for three years, and her belly remained quiet.
The pressure was immense.
It wasn't just his advisors and Household Ministers who were growing anxious; the Empress was, too. She had summoned Cui Lingyao to the palace several times to reprimand her.
Even the Emperor, who never meddled in his son's private affairs, had begun to show subtle signs of displeasure.
'Under those circumstances, when he proposed bringing a concubine into the household, could she have possibly objected?'
'Besides, she was already counting down the days until she could leave this world. She had never intended to spend a lifetime with him, giving her even less reason to refuse.'
'So, the moment he brought it up, she had smiled, nodded, and agreed, showing not the slightest hint of unhappiness.'
'Still, she couldn't help but sigh internally. So much for a one hundred percent Love Value. After he became a prince, it didn't even last a year.'
'Fortunately, Cui Lingyao had never believed in all that sentimental nonsense about love.'
She was reasonable, understanding, virtuous, and magnanimous.
After she agreed to let Li Wanrong into the mansion, the Empress's usual harshness vanished. She praised Cui Lingyao with a smile, calling her tolerant and a model for all primary wives.
Now, hearing him bring up the past and meeting his deep-set eyes, she couldn't be bothered to analyze the emotions within them. She simply said, "Yes. You asked me back then, and I was the one who nodded and agreed."
"And now?" Xie Jinbai stared at her intently. "Do you regret it now?"
Hearing this, Cui Lingyao found the question utterly absurd.
'Li Wanrong is already his concubine. What difference would it make if she regretted it or not? Is he going to kick her out?'
'Besides, if he hadn't wanted to marry her, what good would her approval have done anyway?'
'He clearly wanted this new woman himself, yet he had to act as if it was all her fault.'
'Does he really expect her to take the blame for his betrayal?'
'Would he be happier if she showed jealousy and regret right now?'
'He takes a new wife and expects her to be miserable with regret, tormenting herself in the depths of unrequited love?'
'Unbelievable...'
Cui Lingyao suppressed her fury, took a deep breath, and said, "What's done is done. The concubine is already here. You should treat her well."
You should treat her well...
Inside the bed curtains, the air grew still. A dead silence fell.
Only the sound of their breathing, still intertwined, remained.
After a long moment, a smile suddenly twisted Xie Jinbai's stiff lips, and he squeezed three words through his gritted teeth. "You're... just... perfect."
The smile seemed to radiate a bone-deep chill that terrified Cui Lingyao. She flinched, shrinking her shoulders cautiously. "Why is Your Highness angry? Did I say something wrong?"
"How could that be? The Princess Consort speaks with perfect reason. Of course I will treat Rong'er well."
The smile in Xie Jinbai's eyes deepened. "But by the same token, I shouldn't neglect my virtuous wife, now should I?"
The moment he finished speaking, he raised his arm. An instant later, the muffled sound of tearing silk echoed from within the bed curtains.
Cui Lingyao's eyes flew wide. Before she could even react, his mouth crushed down on hers.
Stifling the gasp that was about to escape her lips.
Xie Jinbai gripped the nape of her neck, giving her no room to escape.
The kiss was punishing, almost savage.
The entire night was a tempest unlike any she had ever experienced, as if he meant to utterly break her.
At first, she endured it stoically, but eventually she couldn't stop herself from trying to push him away.
But the man on top of her had lost all of his usual restraint.
He was like a ravenous demon, a devil bent on devouring her.
There were several moments when Cui Lingyao truly believed she would not live to see the dawn.
'That she would die right here, the night before she was supposed to go home, in his arms...'
Not until the sky turned the pale white of dawn did the weight on her suddenly lift, allowing her to finally breathe.
The hand clamped around her waist loosened. Utterly spent, Cui Lingyao collapsed limply onto the bedding, half her face buried in the pillow.
Xie Jinbai propped himself up and reached out to cup her chin. He looked down at the woman—her face flushed, her gaze unfocused—and a smirk curved his lips.
"You're always most obedient like this."
Cui Lingyao's eyelashes trembled, and a tear slid from the corner of her eye.
"What are you crying for?" Xie Jinbai brushed away her tear with a soft chuckle. "Careful you don't get dehydrated. Why don't you have some tea before you continue?"
His mocking words and ambiguous laughter echoed in her ears.
Her slender fingers curled into fists, nearly tearing through the soft pillow.
Over the past year, Cui Lingyao had often wondered what their last night together would be like.
She wasn't made of stone; with their parting so close, she knew she would feel a pang of reluctance.
She imagined she would say sweet things, coax him with gentle words, and leave him with a tender, loving memory.
Then she learned he was taking a concubine, and she thought, 'Perhaps there will be no tenderness after all.'
He would have his new love, and she would leave this world. They would owe each other nothing.
But no matter how she'd imagined it, Cui Lingyao had never thought their last night would be so… degrading.
That she would suffer this at his hands...
"Don't cry," Xie Jinbai said, leaning in to kiss her again. "I didn't hurt you, so what is there to cry about?"
'Aside from being a little rough at the start, when had he truly been cruel to her later on?'
'At most, he had simply not been considerate.'
He pulled her into his embrace, his hand sliding down her spine to her lower back, rubbing it gently. "If you're tired, don't go out today. Just rest here at home."
Cui Lingyao kept her eyes tightly shut, saying nothing.
Xie Jinbai rubbed her back for a while. Outside, the sky had grown bright. Seeing that the woman in his arms was ignoring him, he sighed. "Fine. You get some rest."
He had been up all night, and now he had to attend morning court.
He threw back the covers and got out of bed. Without calling for a maid to help him dress, Xie Jinbai put on his robes himself. When he turned back, he saw that the woman on the bed hadn't moved at all.
His brow furrowed slightly. He walked back to the bed. "What are you sulking about? We are husband and wife. Even if I was a bit excessive, what of it?"
Naturally, there was no reply.
The woman on the bed remained as still as a corpse.
Xie Jinbai was filled with displeasure, but there was nothing he could really do to her.
He bent down. "Stop sulking. I'll bring you back some Cloud Cake when I return."
Back when they had first fallen in love, the high and mighty, aloof prince had somehow taught himself how to coax her, learning to buy tasty treats for the girl he loved.
'But in the future, there would be no more Cloud Cake.'
'For them, in this life, this was the end.'
...
Not long after Xie Jinbai left, Xia Zhi entered.
Seeing her mistress on the bed, hair damp with sweat at her temples, Xia Zhi's face broke into a happy smile. "The Prince still has you in his heart, Your Highness."
He came to the main courtyard on the very day the new concubine arrived!
There is nothing more humiliating for a woman than to be left alone in an empty room on her wedding night.
Compared to this, what did that cup of wine yesterday matter?
Cui Lingyao ignored her and ordered, "Bring me the box from under the vanity."
It was called a box, but it was actually quite small.
It was a perfectly square sandalwood case, small enough to be held in one hand, and it was fastened with two locks.
As a dowry maid, Xia Zhi naturally knew what was kept inside.
The eldest legitimate daughter of the Changping Marquis Mansion had married into the Royal Family, so her dowry had been substantial. It included dozens of servants alone, and all their indenture contracts were in that box.
Cui Lingyao opened the box. From a thick stack of papers, she pulled out a few sheets and handed them to Xia Zhi.
"These are the indenture contracts for you, Dongzhi, and the others. I won't call them in one by one. You can give these to them."
Xia Zhi's face went pale with shock. "My Lady, are you... sending us away?"