Nong Nu Jiao

Cen Lingyi walked hurriedly through the streetlights and bustling crowds, arriving at the north side of Jufu Bridge.

She lifted her skirt and climbed the steps.

On the bridge, there are elderly people making lanterns, and many young men and women gather here. There is no curfew all night during the Mid-Autumn Festival, making it a perfect opportunity for lovers to meet under the moon.

Seeing them, she seemed to see her past with Yan Chenghui.

She shifted her gaze to the south of the bridge, slowing her pace as she searched for Lu Huaiyou's figure.

"Jiaojiao".

Someone in the crowd south of the bridge waved to her.

When Cen Lingyi recognized Lu Huaiyou, her furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

She didn't answer him, but walked quickly toward him.

"Lord Lu."

As she approached, she curtsied to him.

"Does Jiaojiao have to be so formal with me?"

Lu Huaiyou reached out to support her.

Cen Lingyi withdrew her arm and smiled at him: "It's nothing."

She didn't know why Lu Huaiyou hadn't helped her investigate her father's affairs.

However, after he wrote her a note saying that he had found the child, she had come to terms with it.

Her father had helped Lu Huaiyou and her son before, and Lu Huaiyou had also helped her when the Cen family was in trouble. Now the child has been found.

They were even; Lu Huaiyou owed her nothing, and she couldn't force him to help her father overturn the verdict.

"Now that the child has been found, can you call me 'Chuanqi' like before?"

Lu Huaiyou stared at her longingly.

She's no longer a rich heiress, yet she's still so...so aloof.

"Chuanqi".

Cen Lingyi pursed her lips and called his name.

Chuanqi was his nickname, and that's what she called him during the time they were shamly married.

Under the lamplight, her long eyelashes trembled gently like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

She didn't want to call him that; it was too intimate.

But in order to see her child as soon as possible, she didn't want to dwell on the matter with him.

Lu Huaiyou felt completely relaxed and handed her a goldfish lamp with a smile: "This is for you."

At the same time, she was also given a sugar figurine shaped like a phoenix.

"Thank you, it looks beautiful." Cen Lingyi praised with a smile, then looked around and said, "I'd like to see the baby."

The goldfish lantern was exquisite, but she had no interest in appreciating it.

Lu Huaiyou seems to have come alone. Where is the child?

"Come with me."

Lu Huaiyou reached out and took her hand.

Cen Lingyi dodged it.

Lu Huaiyou looked heartbroken: "Does Jiaojiao dislike me that much?"

"No." Cen Lingyi smiled at him, her eyes crinkling with a delicate beauty. "Your wedding with Princess Anshun is coming soon, isn't it? The streets are full of people. If people see you and gossip starts, it won't be good for you."

She deliberately softened her tone, making her gentle and approachable, and her smile easily convinced people.

Lu Huaiyou looked around and agreed that what she said made sense.

"I married her out of necessity..."

He blurted out an explanation to her.

"I know you have your reasons."

Cen Lingyi still smiled, her eyes sparkling and her teeth white under the bright lights, her beauty was stunning.

Whether Lu Huaiyou marries Princess Anshun, marries someone else, or doesn't marry at all, she doesn't care.

After finding her child and family, she will no longer have much contact with him.

"Jiaojiao, it's so good that you understand me." Lu Huaiyou looked at her, his eyes shining. "Last time I came back to the manor, I thought you were angry."

"No." Cen Lingyi shook her head, looking ahead. "How much further do we have to go?"

"We're almost there." Lu Huaiyou pointed ahead: "Go in through that alley."

He was referring to a wide alleyway, where lanterns were hung, illuminating the surroundings.

Lu Huaiyou walked to the front of a house, waved to her, and lowered his voice.

"Jiaojiao, come and see."

Cen Lingyi quickly stepped forward and looked into the courtyard through the latticed window.

The small courtyard, the ordinary house, the three simple tiled houses, the osmanthus tree in the yard, which exudes the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, and the small lanterns hanging around.

In the courtyard, an elderly woman, well past sixty, was holding a small child and carrying a lantern, laughing and teasing him.

The child looked to be about the same age as Yan Huaijiao, with delicate features, and was looking at the lantern in the old woman's hand, giggling.

Is that... her child?

Cen Lingyi raised her hand to cover her lips, looking at the child, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

She thought she would burst into tears, but she didn't.

She just stared at the child with wide eyes, unable to look away.

He doesn't look like Yan Chenghui, nor does he seem to resemble her much.

Who did he take after?

Perhaps she is like that, but she herself cannot see it.

"Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao?"

Lu Huaiyou's voice came through.

Cen Lingyi came back to her senses, recalling the months of longing she had felt, and her eyes finally welled up with tears.

"Can I go in and hug him?"

She wanted to hug him and kiss him.

"No." Lu Huaiyou pulled her aside. "This elderly couple was found by the Second Prince. I went to great lengths to find this place. You can't expose yourself yet, otherwise the Second Prince will move the child elsewhere."

Cen Lingyi leaned against the wall, her hand on her chest, her mind a jumble of thoughts, unable to speak for a moment.

The only thing that put her mind at ease was that the child had been found.

Lu Huaiyou said the old couple meant that the old woman and her husband took care of her child together.

The old woman seemed very kind, so she probably wouldn't treat the child badly. I wonder what the child ate to grow up?

She looked rather thin, unlike Yan Huaijiao who was fair and delicate.

"Young Master, Princess Anshun is looking for you."

The servant reported this at the entrance of the alley.

"Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Lu Huaiyou responded.

Cen Lingyi couldn't help but glance at him sideways.

"I came out with Princess Anshun, and I came to see you while she was shopping."

Lu Huaiyou explained to her.

"Then you should go quickly, don't delay."

Cen Lingyi urged him on.

"Jiaojiao, I've already bribed this old couple." Lu Huaiyou held her hand, his eyes reddening. "I've made up my mind. After I marry Princess Anshun, I'll secretly prepare a house for you. Then you and the child can move in and won't have to stay in the East Palace to suffer anymore."

He couldn't take it anymore.

Every day when he opened his eyes, he thought of Cen Lingyi right under Yan Chenghui's nose.

That day, Cen Lingyi returned to the Lu residence on her day off, and Yan Chenghui followed her, feeding her lychees in front of him.

Given time, what will Yan Chenghui accomplish?

They already had feelings for each other and had done the most intimate things. Cen Lingyi even secretly gave birth to Yan Chenghui's child!

He can't think about it.

Cen Lingyi is his, and he will hide her away!

"Do you want me to be your mistress?"

Cen Lingyi tilted her head to look at him, her clear eyes reflecting the lamplight as if they held a sky full of stars.

She endured the discomfort and did not pull her hand away.

She wasn't an innocent young girl; how could she not know Lu Huaiyou's feelings for her?

Even if a girl from the Cen family doesn't get married, she can never become a concubine, let alone a mistress who can't be seen in public.

"No, how could I? How could I be so abrupt with you?" Lu Huaiyou released her and waved his hand. "I just wanted to protect you and prevent you from suffering in the Eastern Palace. Look at your hands."

He grabbed her wrist and held it up to his eyes.

Her delicate hands were covered in wounds, a truly pitiful sight.

Once he reaches a high position, he will naturally divorce Princess Anshun and marry Cen Lingyi.

She was the person he cherished most in his heart since he was young.

"He's making things difficult for you again."

His eyes were filled with heartache.

"Being a servant always involves some hardship." Cen Lingyi withdrew her hand, looked up at him with a smile, her dark eyes brimming with tears: "Only you in this world are so foolish as to be willing to rescue me. But buying a house will cost a lot of money, right? I don't have that much money to pay you back."

Now that the child has been found, she naturally wants to leave the East Palace. She wasn't born liking to be abused, so who would want to stay there and be bullied by Yan Chenghui every day?

However, she will not stay at Lu Huaiyou's house.

"You don't need to spend any money; what's mine is yours."

Lu Huaiyou was overjoyed and took her hand again.

He thought that Cen Lingyi wouldn't agree easily.

After all, she was the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor, with a proud spirit; how could she easily bow down to him?

Perhaps life in the Eastern Palace was too grueling, which is why she compromised so easily.

Yan Chenghui indirectly helped him in a way.

At that time, besides the child, Cen Lingyi will only have him by her side.

Why would he be afraid that she wouldn't fall for him?

"Thank you." Tears streamed down Cen Lingyi's cheeks at just the right moment. "Now that the child has been found, my biggest worry is my parents. Could you tell me where they are?"

She needed to find out where her parents were so she could take the child to find them.

"them……"

Lu Huaiyou hesitated for a moment.

"They're what I'm most worried about right now. I haven't received a single handwritten letter from my parents yet. Are you lying to me? Are they no longer alive?"

Cen Lingyi grabbed his arm, large tears streaming down her face.

These tears weren't to comfort him, but rather a reflection of his worry for his parents.

She had always suspected that Lu Huaiyou was lying to her, and that her parents might already be...

But she never dared to think about it too much.

"No, don't cry." Lu Huaiyou raised his hand to wipe her tears. "They're in Lingnan, in Lingnan. I'll have them write you a letter home soon."

Yes, just say you're in Lingnan.

Lingnan was a wild and desolate place, remote and uneducated, teeming with poisonous insects and miasma, and far away with a sparse population.

She had a child with her, so there was no way she could find her way there.

She's a smart woman; in such a big place, where could she possibly find those few people from the Cen family?

"Lingnan," Cen Lingyi murmured, repeating herself, her clear eyes glistening with tears. "You're not lying to me?"

My parents were exiled to the Wusun region in the northwest. I heard that the snow-capped mountains stretched endlessly, the weather was bitterly cold all year round, and the Gobi Desert stretched for thousands of miles. Eight or nine out of ten prisoners died on the way.

Lu Huaiyou said he had rescued them.

How could they have hidden away in Lingnan, thousands of miles away?

Is what he said true or false?

She still had to find a way to see her sister.

"Jiaojiao, how could I bear to lie to you?" Lu Huaiyou's eyes were filled with heartache. "Lingnan is mountainous and far away. If my father-in-law and the others hide in the mountains, as long as they don't come out, no one can find them."

He said this to nip her in the bud and discourage her from thinking about taking the child to Lingnan.

"As long as they are still alive, that's good. You should leave now, or Princess Anshun will be unhappy."

Cen Lingyi wiped away her tears and walked to the stained-glass window to look inside.

The old woman and the child were no longer in the courtyard; only the small lantern remained, lying forlornly on the steps.

"Stop looking. Go back to the East Palace and prepare. I'll let you know when I've bought the house. Soon you'll be able to be with the child every day." Lu Huaiyou looked at her, reluctant to part. "I'm going now."

"it is good."

Cen Lingyi nodded and watched him walk away.

She leaned against the wall, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the handle of the goldfish lantern, slowly calming herself down.

After a while, she looked into the courtyard again through the latticed window.

The courtyard was still empty; the old woman hadn't brought the child out.

She raised the phoenix-shaped sugar figurine in her hand and brought it to her mouth.

With a crisp sound, the sweet taste enters the mouth.

She carried a goldfish lantern, had honey in her mouth, and slowly walked out along the wide alley.

Previously, Yan Chenghui and his brother would also buy her sugar figurines.

She hadn't eaten this for a long time, nor had she lit a lantern.

She glanced down at the goldfish lantern in her hand. Many things are not appreciated when we have them.

I used to think it was just an ordinary thing.

After leaving Kuanxiang, she wasn't in a hurry to return to the East Palace. She walked slowly back along the street, lost in thought.

She thought she should go ahead and buy something to take back to Lingzhi.

After passing through a dark, narrow alley, a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness, precisely grabbed her wrist, and dragged her into the alley.

Cen Lingyi was startled and dragged forward. Instinctively, she raised the lantern to smash the person.

The lantern in her hand was raised, illuminating the face of the person in front of her.

A handsome, aloof face came into her view, with thick, narrow black eyes as sharp as knives, cutting straight into her face.

Cen Lingyi's hand was raised in mid-air, frozen there, her dark eyes flashing with astonishment and panic.

What's Yan Chenghui doing here?

"Bang!"

Yan Chenghui swung away the goldfish lantern that was getting in her way, using considerable force.

The goldfish lantern fell to the ground with a thud, rolled a few times, lost its light, and was completely broken.

"Your Highness, those are my lanterns!"

Cen Lingyi subconsciously widened her dark eyes and argued with him.

Even if he is the Crown Prince, he shouldn't be so unreasonable as to smash her lantern.

But as soon as she said it, she regretted it.

He has long since become unreasonable.

Why should she waste her breath arguing with him?

Yan Chenghui pursed his lips and remained silent, then snatched the sugar figurine that she had bitten and threw it to the ground.

The sugar figurine landed with a soft sound, scattering sugar fragments all over the ground.

He dragged her along, continuing deeper into the alley.

"Let me go!"

Cen Lingyi realized something was wrong and struggled to stay where she was, refusing to go forward with him.

However, he was too strong, and she was no match for him. She was dragged to the end of the alley.

It was pitch black here, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, with only a sliver of dark sky overhead, and the noise from the streets seemed extremely distant.

Yan Chenghui suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Cen Lingyi struggled a few times but couldn't break free from his grip, feeling her wrists being squeezed painfully.

"Please release me, Your Highness."

She calmed herself down and spoke after taking a deep breath.

Speaking like this, Yan Chenghui would naturally remember her identity and would avoid her at all costs.

Instead of shaking her off as she expected, Yan Chenghui pushed her back with his other hand.

Cen Lingyi staggered and her back slammed against the hard wall.

Yan Chenghui pressed her hand against the wall, forcing her extremely close until their clothes touched.

His presence was overwhelming, locking her firmly within him.

She curled up, pressing her head against the wall, trying her best not to touch him.

His mind isn't clear right now. If he starts to dislike her and gets angry, he'll blame her again.

"Spit it out."

Yan Chenghui coldly gave the order.

Cen Lingyi paused for a moment, then understood.

He made her spit out the candy in her mouth.

"Your Highness's actions make this servant think that Your Highness still harbors feelings for me... um..."

She tried to provoke him.

She knew he loathed her and couldn't stand hearing this. She knew that if she said it, he would abandon her and leave her.

But before she could finish speaking, he lowered his head and sealed her lips with his.

This is not a kiss, it is crushing, it is punishment.

He was furious, grinding his teeth until they hurt, and pried them open.

It was the scent of her body, the scent of peaches, mixed with a faint milky fragrance, and the honey-like scent of her breath.

She really loves the honey that Lu Huaiyou bought!

He wouldn't let her eat it, he wouldn't allow it.

He and she fought over the nearly melted piece of candy.

Suddenly, Cen Lingyi was kissed by him. His familiar, cool breath swept over her, like a raging fire, like hot coals, pressing against her domineeringly, shamelessly stealing her piece of candy.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and after a moment of stunned silence, she reacted with a mixture of embarrassment and anger, and was about to take a bite.

He's kissed so many people—Sun Fengyi, Xia Qing, and… there are four in the backyard alone, and who knows if there are any more outside.

This is at the end of the alley, just in case someone passes by...

He didn't care about her at all, didn't treat her like a human being, and didn't care if someone saw them.

She doesn't want him to kiss her!

Yan Chenghui suddenly stepped back, pressing his lips against hers and warning in a hoarse voice, "Dare to bite me, and I'll lock you in the dungeon."

He had anticipated her move.

Cen Lingyi froze. When he spoke, his lips moved slightly against hers, and she kept her mouth slightly open, not daring to bite down.

She didn't want to be locked in the dungeon.

Now that the child has been found, she wants to leave the Eastern Palace and leave him.

Go find your parents.

Yan Chenghui kissed him again.

Cen Lingyi abruptly turned her head to dodge, spat, and her jaw suddenly clamped down, forcing her to raise her head to face him.

He kissed her again.

"I already have the candy... mmm..."

She placed both hands on his chest.

He'd already spat out the candy, so why did he still kiss her?

Yan Chenghui kissed her like a madman.

He used all his strength; he wanted to tear her apart and eat her whole.

That way, she will never betray anyone again and will never go with someone else!

it hurts……

Cen Lingyi felt a burning sensation on her lips.

He looks like he wants to devour her...

Was he going to devour her alive...?

He's having hysteria...

No, she was suffocating. Her heart was beating too fast, she was about to faint, her mind was a mess, and she couldn't think straight.

She couldn't hold on any longer, her back pressed against the wall, almost sliding down to sit. The person who had been blocking her breathing finally released her.

She took deep breaths of fresh air, her hands gripping the wall behind her, and looked at the person in front of her with lingering fear.

Can't see clearly.

It was too dark for her to see his expression.

But his eyes were incredibly bright, so bright they seemed to pierce through, like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey, ready to pounce at any moment.

She stepped back, wishing she could embed herself into the wall.

She was all too familiar with that look in his eyes.

She knew what he was going to do.

He wouldn't want to do something indecent to her in this alley, would he?

No, she would rather die than submit to him.

She thought he was dirty.

"You really like the things he gave you that much?"

Yan Chenghui approached her again, his voice cold and harsh.

Cen Lingyi was a little dazed from his kiss. After a moment, she realized that he was referring to the lanterns and sugar figurines that Lu Huaiyou had given her.

"Didn't Your Highness also make a lantern for Consort Sun?"

She curled her lips into a silent smile.

He was able to marry so many women, yet he doted on Sun Fengyi.

Why did she accept the gift from Lu Huaiyou?

"What I do is none of your business to interfere."

Yan Chenghui held her in his arms.

The scent of peaches mixed with the aroma of milk was enticing him, and he wanted to kiss her again.

I wanted to shut her up.

She did something wrong, but she still tried to justify herself!

"It seems that it has nothing to do with Your Highness whose things I accepted."

Cen Lingyi turned her head away, feeling a pang of heartache, as if she had eaten a raw plum, both sour and astringent.

She shouldn't have mentioned that he made lanterns for Sun Fengyi.

What does it have to do with her?

It's as if she still cares.

He already has so many new faces; she shouldn't just stand there foolishly.

"Cen Lingyi".

Yan Chenghui gritted his teeth, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Your Highness, this servant must be leaving now. You should also go and keep the Crown Princess company..."

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, Cen Lingyi raised her hand to push him away.

Yan Chenghui suddenly kissed him again.

This time, he didn't kiss her lips; instead, his lips landed behind her ear.

Cen Lingyi couldn't help but shudder and almost jumped up.

"Yan Chenghui, not that place..."

She blurted out his full name, her voice instantly changing tone, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

Behind her ears was the place she absolutely couldn't touch.

Only he knows, only he knows!

He was the one who discovered it.

You can't touch behind her ears.

In the past, she would always ask him many times before he would let her go.

After their reunion, during their several times alone together, he never touched behind her ear again.

She thought that he probably had too many women and had forgotten.

Why did he suddenly remember that again?

Yan Chenghui, filled with anger, never left the back of her ear, grinding his lips against that spot with each stroke.

His big hands were tucked into his pockets.

"Yan Chenghui, I was wrong, I was wrong..."

Cen Lingyi pleaded for mercy in a pitiful voice.

She felt as if her heart had been gripped tightly.

She is going to die.

He gripped her heart tightly, showing no mercy, and vigorously rubbed and tormented it.

The pain was mixed with a unique flavor.

She couldn't control herself anymore; her shoulders were trembling and her knees were constantly bumping against each other. If Yan Chenghui hadn't caught her, she would have already sat on the ground.

She will die.

"Go on."

Yan Chenghui's hot breath brushed against the back of her ear, then moved slightly away.

Cen Lingyi was already out of breath: "What...said...?"

Her mind seemed to be filled with water, and her vision was filled with a blur of water; she couldn't focus at all.

"Are you still going to talk to Lu Huaiyou?"

Yan Chenghui asked slowly and deliberately.

"I'm ignoring it."

Cen Lingyi readily agreed and blurted out the answer.

Should you accept the things he gave you?

Yan Chenghui slowly withdrew his hand.

"No, we won't accept it."

Cen Lingyi shook her head and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

She no longer had the strength to stand; he had drained all her energy.

In the darkness, tears streamed down my face, silently pattering onto my clothes.

He is shameless.

What kind of crown prince would use such methods to coerce her?

Yan Chenghui lowered his eyes and looked at his hands.

You can't see it, but you can feel the dampness and heat in her palm, carrying her unique scent, seeping into the wound on your palm little by little.

"Your Highness, please go first."

Cen Lingyi huddled in the corner and spoke.

Yan Chenghui stood still without moving or speaking, as if he hadn't heard her.

Seeing that he ignored her, Cen Lingyi leaned against the wall, quickly straightened her clothes, and ran outside.

With her legs weakened, she couldn't run fast, and her posture became awkward.

Yan Chenghui watched her disappearing figure at the end of the alley, slowly clenching his fist. It was as if he had captured her lingering scent, blending it into his blood and bones.

Cen Lingyi walked back to the East Palace in one breath.

She originally intended to return to the servants' quarters, but stopped when she passed the sleeping quarters and changed her mind.

"Sister Cen, you went out for a while, why are you back so early? Is something wrong?"

Xia Qinghe looked at her with surprise.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess," Cen Lingyi curtsied to her with a slight smile, "This servant has come to take her leave."