Chapter 1: Forced to Marry
"Tell me, are you going to marry or not?"
Yu Yunxi, who was lying on the ground, was whipped again. Her hair was disheveled, and her back was bleeding, dyeing her plain dress red. She raised her head with great difficulty to look at Madam Chen before she said, "I'm not going to get married."
Madam Chen scoffed as she bent down and lifted Yu Yunxi's chin and said, "You're just the daughter of a concubine in the Prime Minister's residence, and you're destined to be a concubine yourself. However, I've arranged such a good marriage for you with the Prince Regent. You should feel honored."
At the same time, Madam Chen thought to herself viciously, 'This little sl*t's face is exactly the same as that of her mother. She looks like a vixen, making people feel like destroying her immediately!'
Yu Yunxi's gaze was determined and stubborn; there was no compromise at all. She endured the pain and panted slightly as she said, "When the imperial edict came from the palace, it clearly stated that the Imperial Preceptor had taken a liking to my sister. This 'good marriage' that you speak of originally belongs to my sister, right?"
Swoosh!
The whip landed on Yu Yunxi's back again, bringing with it searing pain.
"Your sister will be the future Crown Princess. How can she marry a dying person? Let me tell you, if you refuse to get on the bridal sedan, your wet nurse will die," Madam Chen said before she laughed disdainfully.
Yu Yunxi spat out a mouthful of blood. At this moment, a hint of anxiety could finally be seen on her face as she asked, "What are you going to do to Nanny?"
Yu Yunxi's mother had passed away many years ago, and 'Nanny', her wet nurse, was the only person in the world who treated her well. She could not let anything happen to her wet nurse.
"If you obediently get married, I'll get a doctor to treat your sick wet nurse. Otherwise…"
"Fine, I'll marry him," Yu Yunxi said as she clenched her fist. Her voice betrayed her unwillingness, but she finally compromised.
"You should've just listened to me earlier…"
Yu Yunxi looked at Madam Chen stubbornly and said, word for word, "I have conditions. First, the Yu family must take good care of Nanny. Second, return me the jade pendant my mother left me back then."
Before Yu Yunxi's mother died, her mother had repeatedly told her that the jade pendant was very special and could save her life at critical moments. However, after her mother died, Madam Chen came to her mother's courtyard and took everything of value, including the jade pendant.
Upon hearing Yu Yunxi's words, she laughed and said disdainfully, "It's just a worthless piece of jade. Do you think I'll covet such a thing?"
"These are my conditions. If you can't fulfill them, don't even think about getting me into the bridal sedan," Yu Yunxi said unyieldingly. Although Madam Chen had threatened her with her wet nurse's life, she was not someone who would compromise easily.
"You…"
Yu Yunxi interjected coldly, "If you continue to waste time, the Prince Regent's Residence will become suspicious. At that time, you won't have it easy either, and the entire Prime Minister's Residence will be buried with me and my wet nurse. It'll be worth it…"
"Enough!" Madam Chen snapped as she glared at Yu Yunxi. She did not expect Yu Yunxi, a concubine's daughter who had always been at her mercy, to have the audacity to threaten her at this moment. However, she also knew that she was truly pressed for time now.
Madam Chen took a deep breath to calm down and resisted the urge to kill Yu Yunxi before she said to a servant harshly, "What are you doing? Hurry up and bring the jade pendant over!"
After the jade pendant was brought over and handed to Yu Yunxi, the servants at the side moved forward to tie her hands and gagged her with a piece of cloth. In just a few moments, she became dizzy and gradually lost consciousness.
Subsequently, Yu Yunxi was dressed in a wedding dress. The sounds of gongs and drums resounded through the Prime Minister's Residence as she was carried into the bridal sedan.
Half a month ago, the Emperor's most trusted brother; the ninth prince, who was also known as the God of War and widely respected by the people of Tianxia, was plotted against. As a result, he fell into a coma. The Imperial Preceptor claimed that the ninth prince had to marry a woman with a compatible birth date for him to regain consciousness. At that time, it was discovered that the birth date of Yu Wanrong, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister, was compatible. However, the people from the Prime Minister's Residence insisted that the birth date belonged to Yu Yunxi.
…
Yu Yunxi was awakened by the cold. She slowly opened her eyes and discovered that she had been casually thrown to the ground. She was still in pain from her injuries, and when she wanted to check her injuries, she realized that her hands were still tied together. She struggled briefly before she finally stood up. The first few things she saw were bright red words of auspiciousness, bright red candles, and bright red bed curtains. It did not take long before she saw the man dressed in a red groom's robe lying on the bed.
Yu Yunxi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she moved closer to have a look. As soon as her gaze landed on the man, she was stunned.
The man's face was flawless, and he had a high nose bridge. Although he was now unconscious, it was not difficult to see how fierce and valiant he had once been.
"So he's Feng Yili, my supposed husband?" Yu Yunxi murmured softly after she regained her senses.
Suddenly, a female voice said icily, "Eldest Miss, please watch your words in the future. You're only chosen to marry the Prince Regent because of your birth date."
Yu Yunxi turned around and saw a woman with an unfriendly expression walking out from behind the screen. Her expression changed slightly as she exclaimed in surprise, "Aunt Qing?"
The woman in front of Yu Yunxi was one of the Chen family's trusted aides. She had helped the Chen family do many dirty things over the years.
'Why is she here?'
As though she could read Yu Yunxi's thoughts, Aunt Qing said contemptuously, "You didn't have a good upbringing and don't know the rules. Madam was worried that you'd bring shame to the Prime Minister's Residence so she sent me here to accompany you and help you."
'Help me? More like spy on me, right?'
Yu Yunxi wanted to laugh when she heard Aunt Qing's words.
"Eldest Miss… No, Princess Consort… Although His Royal Highness is half-dead, there are still many people keeping an eye on you in the Prince Regent's Residence. Their attitude toward you depends on the Prime Minister's Residence. That's why you have to think twice before you do anything that's unfavorable to the Prime Minister's Residence," Aunt Qing said. She glanced at Feng Yili, who was lying on the bed, disdainfully before she walked over and untied the rope around Yu Yunxi's hands.
Yu Yunxi lowered her eyes and did not speak.
However, Aunt Qing did not plan to make things easy for Yu Yunxi. She caught a glimpse of the jade pendant on Yu Yunxi and said, "Madam has told me to keep the jade pendant for you first…"
As Aunt Qing spoke, she reached out to snatch the jade pendant away.
'So they want to continue controlling me?'
Yu Yunxi's eyes burned with anger as she quickly dodged to the side to avoid Aunt Qing. However, after a few moments, searing pain spread through her body from the wounds on her back. She wanted to continue dodging, but the pain made it difficult for her to move. Just as she was panicking, she saw Feng Yili from the corners of her eyes. She quickly hurried over and stuffed the jade pendant into his robe.
Aunt Qing did not seem deterred by this.
Seeing that Aunt Qing was about to snatch the jade pendant again, Yu Yunxi quickly said, "Aunt Qing, he's the Prince Regent. Are you sure you want to do that? Moreover, I heard that he was poisoned. Who knows if the poison is transferable?"
Aunt Qing's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. She hastily withdrew her hands and covered her nose and mouth as she retreated.
Yu Yunxi continued to say meaningfully, "Aunt Qing, tonight is my wedding night with His Royal Highness. Are you sure you want to continue staying in the room?"
Aunt Qing glanced at Feng Yili, who was lying on the bed, before she glared at Yu Yunxi. In the end, she could only say through gritted teeth, "In that case, I'll have to congratulate you and His Royal Highness in advance for consummating the marriage. I hope you'll give birth to a child soon."
With that, Aunt Qing flicked her sleeves and left.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yu Yunxi looked out and saw that there were many guards guarding the courtyard. She muttered wryly, "The Prime Minister's Residence is holding Nanny hostage, and there are so many guards in the Prince Regent's Residence. I really can't escape."
Yu Yunxi was exhausted, and the pain did not help matters. She touched the side of her waist and found a medicine bottle. She sighed in relief as she thought to herself, 'Fortunately, I have the habit of carrying medicine with me all these years…"
Yu Yunxi took a few pills, and the pain finally eased a little. Then, she turned to look at Feng Yili on the bed. She reached out to pull his robe aside. His body was very cold, and the jade pendant lay on his chest, warming his body.
"I finally have Mother's jade pendant," Yu Yunxi murmured with a hint of joy as she gently wiped the jade pendant. She did not notice that when she picked the jade pendant up, Feng Yili's fingers moved slightly.
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