The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 168 Such refined tastes
Looking at Zhi Xing's obedient appearance, Ye Jingnian closed his eyes and gently kissed her lips. Recalling her question from yesterday, he stroked her slightly cool cheek with his palm.

"How could I bear to hate you?" Ye Jingnian bit her lips, his hoarse voice revealing his usual aggression.

He only ever regretted that he couldn't treat her any better.

The hand that was on her waist reached down to her thin back. Underneath her thin shirt, her shoulder blades were prominent and sharp, as if they could be easily broken with the slightest force.

He spread his fingers slightly and slid them from her spine to her lower back, clearly feeling the outline of her ribs. Since the Lantern Festival, she has lost at least ten pounds.

"Mmm..." Zhi Xing trembled slightly at his exploring hands, and subconsciously tried to dodge, but he held the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

He suddenly remembered that three months ago, when he held her, he could still grasp a handful of soft flesh, but now...
As their lips intertwined, his thumb measured her waist, the once-fitting ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) now hanging loosely.

Zhi Xing's ears turned bright red, and when he touched her ribs, she curled her toes in nervousness, even her breathing became erratic.

Every bit of suffering she endured was for him.

How could such a frail body endure so many hardships?

"Are you punishing yourself, or punishing me?" he asked, biting her earlobe, his hand gently stroking her sunken stomach, his tone like a sigh.

Zhi Xing looked at him with wet eyes, like a startled fawn, and said, "Zhi Xing dares not punish Your Highness."

Ye Jingnian channeled his inner energy, placing his burning hot hand on her vital acupoint on the back of her body, continuously transferring his true energy to her.

"Tell me what you want."

Before Zhi Xing could speak, he whispered in her ear, "If you cast another curse that causes me to lose control, you will die."

Zhi Xing understood, too ashamed to look up at him, and huddled in his arms, her voice trembling as she said, "Yes, Zhi Xing wouldn't dare."

The night breeze was gentle, ruffling the stray hairs at the man's temples. That warm energy surrounded her, making her feel incredibly at ease.

The Duke's Mansion.

As night fell, the mansion was lit up.

The man inside the beaded curtain sat on a throne, shrouded in darkness, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the golden nanmu wood armrests.

The steward came in from outside, stood in front of the beaded curtain, bowed to Duke Bai, and said, "Master, there has been no reply yet to the message sent to His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Duke of Bai's aged eyes gleamed with a somber light in the night. He narrowed them slightly and said, "Sheng Yunqing is to meet the Emperor tomorrow. What is His Highness the Crown Prince busy with?"

"A servant saw that the Crown Prince's carriage was heading towards the Xie residence."

"He's taken a fancy to that Miss Xie?" Duke Bai's voice was low and unreadable.

The butler lowered his head and remained silent.

"Hmph." Duke Bai snorted coldly, "Ling'er's body is not even cold yet, and he still has such refined tastes."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swept the fruit plate off the table and slammed his fist hard on the armrest.

The next day at dawn, in the Golden Palace.

Sheng Yunqing, dressed in a light blue plain dress, knelt at the bottom of the steps with her back straight and her chin slightly raised, exuding the pride of a daughter of a military family.

She held aloft a wooden tray on which lay three things: an account book, a bloodstained bronze key, and half a gilded token.

"Your humble daughter, Sheng Yunqing, stands as witness on behalf of my uncle!"

The girl's voice was clear and bright, like shattered jade, echoing in the silent hall.

She turned the yellowed pages and pointed to a line of vermilion annotation: "The Duke of Bai wrote in his own hand, 'Three hundred crossbows, one hundred actually fired.' The handwriting is the same as the Ministry of War's archived transfer order, but it uses rhinoceros horn cinnabar. This item is only kept in the Sheng family's treasury!"

The copper key struck the ground with a resounding thud: "This item was obtained from the Bai family's private vault, 'Cabinet No. 7,' which contains the true whereabouts of the northern border's military equipment!"

Then, she held up the broken gilded dragon-patterned token: "Three days ago, we intercepted the assassin. The inside of the token he was holding..." She suddenly dipped the fragment into the vinegar she had prepared in her sleeve, and the four characters "Bai Family Private Forging" appeared!
Ye Jinfeng frowned, not expecting Ye Jinchen to have found the evidence so quickly. He gritted his teeth, flicked his robe, and said sternly, "Examine!"

After the eunuch trembled as he confirmed the authenticity of the cinnabar and the token, the Duke of Bai, sitting to the side, remained expressionless.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the sharp-tongued girl in front of him, his anger surging.

Sheng Yuting, your daughter is quite capable.

Sheng Yunqing kowtowed deeply: "The evidence is conclusive that the Duke of Bai has privately transferred military equipment and framed loyal officials! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"

Looking at the displayed evidence, Ye Jinfeng on the dragon throne narrowed his eyes, his eyes filled with helplessness. Before he could speak, a eunuch's sharp voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

Ye Jingnian, dressed in a dark blue python robe, stepped into the main hall, followed by an official whose face was ashen.

Upon seeing Ye Jingnian arrive, Sheng Yunqing unconsciously frowned.

"Your subject begs for forgiveness." Ye Jingnian knelt on one knee, his voice low and cold. "Last night, during the interrogation of Zhao Yuan, the Vice Minister of War, I learned that there were other hidden details in the Sheng family case."

Zhao Yuan, forced to kneel on the ground, kowtowed frantically: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! It was I who embezzled military funds and forged transfer orders. Duke Bai... Duke Bai knew nothing about it!"

Sheng Yunqing's pupils suddenly contracted. Zhao Yuan was clearly a member of the Bai family, so why would he suddenly confess?!
Ye Jingnian presented Zhao Yuan's handwritten confession, and the handwriting was exactly the same as that of the Duke of Bai.

The grain transport official who testified against the Sheng family last night has suddenly changed his story: "It was Lord Zhao who coerced me into giving false testimony!"

The assassins, who should have died in the imperial prison, were dragged into the palace and hissed, "Minister Zhao threatened us with the lives of our families, ordering us to disguise ourselves as assassins from the Bai family!"

Ye Jinfeng fiddled with the jade thumb ring, his gaze shifting between the Crown Prince and the Duke of Bai, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since that's the case..." Ye Jinfeng said coldly without changing his expression, "The Marquis of Zhenbei shall be reinstated, and Zhao Yuan and his entire family shall be exiled."

The moment the imperial edict was issued, Sheng Yunqing saw Duke Bai playfully twirling the white jade thumb ring between his thumbs, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Sheng Yunqing closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her gaze shifted to Ye Jingnian.

As long as Ye Jingnian is around, it won't be so easy to bring down the Duke of Bai.

She clenched her fists tightly, revealing an unfathomable, cold smile.

As everyone withdrew, Duke Bai called out to Ye Jingnian, stepped forward, bowed, and said with a smile, "I thought Your Highness was worried about trivial matters, but it turns out everything is already prepared. I am extremely grateful."

Ye Jingnian understood the deeper meaning in his words, and a cryptic smile appeared in her eyes as she said, "The Duke's affairs will naturally be my top priority. As for the Duke..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "It's time to discipline the people in the manor. I wonder if they've borrowed courage from the heavens to secretly follow the Crown Prince's carriage?"

Upon hearing this, Duke Bai's smile faltered, and he lowered his head awkwardly, saying, "Your Highness is right."