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

Chapter 174 My hands are so cold
The afternoon weather brought a touch of warmth.

When Duke Bai entered the inner room leaning on his sandalwood cane, the young girl was sitting at the table brewing tea.

“Your Excellency, Duke,” Zhi Xing raised her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips, “please sit down.”

Duke Bai looked at her and felt she looked familiar. After a moment, he suddenly remembered, slammed his cane heavily on the ground, and said, "You lowly servant! It's you?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he gritted his teeth in anger and raised his hand to slap Zhixing.

At the birthday banquet that day, poisoning Ye Jinchen was a major event, and Ye Jingnian paid special attention to everyone around him.

This face is clearly that of Zhi Xing, the one Ye Jingnian mentioned who left halfway through their affair!
No wonder... no wonder the maid who came to apologize was beaten so badly she was unrecognizable, a bloody mess!
The hand that was slapping out somehow froze in mid-air, unable to move for a moment. He struggled to break free in an instant, almost falling to the ground from the force of his own slap.

Zhi Xing gently raised her lips and said, "Your Excellency the Duke suddenly felt unwell this morning and should not go out today, lest you develop a chronic illness."

The Duke of Bai, realizing what was happening, looked at Zhi Xing. She actually knew mystical arts?
No wonder the night scene party doted on her so much...

Duke Bai snorted coldly and said, "Do you think you can get away with this by changing your identity?"

The water in the teapot bubbled and gurgled. Zhi Xing raised her slender hand, held the teapot, and slowly poured a cup of tea. The tea's aroma was delicate and refreshing, just like the calm and peaceful weather.

"Your Excellency should be careful with your words. Zhao Zhi is now the legitimate daughter of the Xie family and the Crown Prince's chosen concubine."

"Insolence!" Duke Bai slammed his fist on the table. "You are clearly the one!"

"Was he a witness to Bai Muling and the scholar Liu Chuan's secret engagement?"

Suddenly, Zhi Xing pulled a slightly wrinkled marriage certificate from her sleeve, gently pushed it on the table, and raised her bright, beautiful eyes to stare at him: "Or... a witness to your daughter's premarital loss of virginity?"

Duke Bai's pupils suddenly contracted. The testimonies of Liu Chuan and Bai Muling's love written on it had all become evidence of their crimes, punishable by the extermination of their entire families.

He snorted coldly and looked away, saying, "Absurd! Even if Liu Chuan wrote this marriage certificate, what does it have to do with the Crown Princess? Is there any trace left by the Crown Princess on it? You are falsely accusing my daughter of losing her chastity. I will definitely take this to the Emperor and punish you severely!"

“Speaking of marks…” Zhi Xing opened the brocade box placed to the side and took out a white silk handkerchief with mandarin ducks on it, which showed mottled and indescribable marks.

She raised her lips in a cold smile and said, "Does the Duke remember this handkerchief?"

She specifically pointed to the Bai family crest embroidered on the silk handkerchief.

That handkerchief was once a chastity handkerchief prepared by the Duke's mansion for his daughters before their marriage, but the red bloodstains that should have been on it were nowhere to be found...

"The Bai family only had one daughter, so naturally they only made this one handkerchief. Has the Duke figured out how to explain this to Zhao Zhi?" Zhi Xing looked at him with a smug contempt.

If this matter were to get out, the Bai family's reputation would be completely ruined, and they would be guilty of deceiving the emperor and facing the punishment of having their entire clan executed!
His pupils, widening with lingering fear, and his voice hoarse, asked, "What do you want?"

Zhi Xing slowly put away the handkerchief and marriage certificate, a mysterious smile appearing between her brows: "Of course, we should help Your Highness and not oppose you. As for this secret... Your Highness and I will naturally keep it safe for the Bai family."

Duke Bai was shocked to realize that the maid he had regarded as an insignificant ant was actually a venomous snake in disguise.

He felt deep regret whenever he thought of Bai Muling complaining to him that the Crown Prince was getting too close to a maid, and how he had scolded his daughter for being so inconsiderate.

This scourge should have been eliminated long ago!

After a moment's hesitation, Zhi Xing raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Zhao Zhi and her father, together with the Duke, have devoted themselves to assisting His Highness. How could His Highness treat you unfairly?" The Duke of Bai narrowed his eyes slightly, his deep voice revealing his anger and resentment: "I... understand."

Watching the Duke of Bai's departing figure, Zhi Xing smiled beautifully.

In this way, she truly succeeded in shedding her skin.

Suddenly, a warm, large hand landed on her shoulder. As Zhi Xing turned her head, Ye Jingnian's hand gently stroked her face.

Zhi Xing looked up at Ye Jingnian, her eyes filled with adoration: "Your Highness."

Ye Jingnian gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips and said, "You should have taken out that marriage certificate a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Zhi Xing bit her lip with a hint of grievance, a look of melancholy flashing in her eyes, and said, "Zhi Xing is afraid that Your Highness will show favoritism towards her."

Ye Jingnian chuckled softly, then suddenly tightened his grip on her chin, a faint glint in his eyes: "Fool..."

He leaned down close to her, the scent of ambergris mixed with the stench of blood hitting her face: "If I were truly biased towards her, you would have been thrown into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs long ago."

Ye Jingnian tightened his grip, leaving red marks on her pale skin: "Not allowing you to die is my greatest favoritism."

Zhi Xing's eyelashes trembled violently, and she softened her voice: "But Your Highness, in the past..."

Ye Jingnian walked up to her, leaned over and rested his head on the armrest of the wooden chair, his black python robe pressing down on her plain white skirt: "If I let you kill her, you will be the one whose body is exposed in the mass grave tomorrow."

His warm lips brushed against her ear, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, saying, "Do you understand now?"

Zhi Xing's heart skipped a beat. She slowly lowered her head and whispered, "It's Zhi Xing... stupid..."

“Indeed stupid.” Ye Jingnian released his grip on her, then pressed his thumb heavily against her bitten red lips, his icy tone tinged with a barely perceptible hint of indulgence, “If I were to say that I truly favor her…”

He leaned close to her ear, his tone as cruel as ever: "Given your repeated disrespect towards the Crown Princess, I should have snapped your neck on the very first day she entered the palace."

The bloody undertones in his words sent chills down Zhixing's spine, yet she was also captivated by the trembling pleasure emanating from the ambiguous pressure of his fingers.

She gazed intently at the man's sharp features and said, "Yes."

Ye Jingnian suddenly grabbed the back of her neck, pulling the girl into his arms, his canine teeth dangerously brushing against her earlobe: "Right now, all I want to do is lock you in my bedchamber..."

"Let me teach you a lesson on what it means to be arrogant because you're spoiled."

Zhi Xing bit her lip, her face turning red.

When he kissed her lips, Ye Jingnian's warm fingers intertwined with hers, but he was startled by the icy temperature and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He opened his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers, his fingers kneading her palms, and said, "It's sunny now, it's not cold today, why are your hands so cold?"

Upon hearing this, Zhi Xing lowered her head and said softly, "It's too cold for Your Highness..."

She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter and gently breathed on it.