Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Hearing this, Ji Wanyuan felt her body go weak and tingly, tears glistening on her face, yet she couldn't help but roll her eyes hard inwardly.

Seriously? He was still hung up on it even now?

She was truly exasperated by this dog of a man's temper.

"Of course it's you."

"You... hesitated." She had only answered a little slower, and he was already picking on her again.

Ji Wanyuan panted, sniffling, "How did I hesitate?"

"Can you stop being so petty?"

The man sneered, "You think I'm being petty?"

Ji Wanyuan was left speechless, "..."

If she replied with a couple more sentences, there'd be no end to it.

So she bit back her retort, avoiding the question and deliberately ignoring the man's icy, handsome face. She lowered her gaze to look at his moon-white robe, which she had tugged into disarray. Even in such a state, he still had the mind to be jealous.

"That's not what I meant. I was just too breathless to speak earlier, so I answered a bit slower."

"In my heart, how could my brother-in-law compare to you?"

Ji Wanyuan said this merely to humor Wen Qiyan, just to soothe him.

Had she managed to placate him?

She peeked through her lashes and saw the man's expressionless face; the frosty look seemed to have melted slightly.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice flat.

"What I said, didn't you hear?" She was on edge, her patience wearing thin.

He really had stamina. She was already feeling terrible and could sense his discomfort.

Stopping midway, left hanging, and still arguing back and forth with her.

Ji Wanyuan clung to his shoulders, "Aren't you going to continue?"

"What you just said, I didn't hear clearly."

He bent over her, placing both hands on either side of her, enveloping her completely in his embrace, his gaze looking outward.

Outside the window lattice, where Wen Qiyan's gaze met, stood a man with an extremely cold and gloomy expression, "..."

He had arrived at some point and seemed to have been standing there for a while.

Hearing the man's low, husky voice and touching his vulnerable spot, Ji Wanyuan burned with shame.

She buried her face in his neck, "I said..."

Just as she was about to speak.

He lowered his gaze, cupping her face and lifting her chin.

"Say it," he urged, staring into her eyes.

Ji Wanyuan, stared at so closely by him, couldn't help but tense up instinctively, her throat going dry.

"I said—" Her mind went blank, already struggling to recall.

Noticing her speechlessness, the man caressed her flushed cheek, coaxing her, "Between me and Qin, who do you like, and who do you want?"

Ji Wanyuan pursed her lips, and as they parted slightly, she uncontrollably sucked, her mouth brushing against the man's slender, jade-like fingertips.

"I like you, I want you."

She tipped her face up to his, her thick eyelashes trembling slightly, a picture of delicate vulnerability, making the man's gaze grow even darker.

"Who am I?" he asked again.

Ji Wanyuan was getting frantic.

If it weren't for needing to coax information and for the sake of the Ji family, forcing her to placate him and reconcile, she would definitely be telling this jerk to give it a rest right now.

Ji Wanyuan sniffled, "Wen Qiyan."

"Ji Wanyuan, who do you like, and who do you want?" he asked again.

As he asked, he moved closer to her.

Pressing against her, tormenting her, "spanking" her the same way as last time.

But his touch was feather-light; Ji Wanyuan didn't feel any pain at all.

Only a tingling sensation, seeping into the very marrow of her bones, making her feel uncomfortable, wanting to get closer to Wen Qiyan, to be with him...

When she spoke again, her voice was slightly choked, broken, soft, and weak, alluring in its fragility.

"I... I, I like Wen Qiyan, I want Wen Qiyan."

A smirk played on his lips, "Good."

As if rewarding her, he moved forward.

Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but sniffle with her reddened nose. She felt her waist go weak, unable to wrap her arms around his neck anymore, so she had to settle for hugging his waist instead.

Like a beautiful, human-shaped dodder flower, she clung tightly to him, pressing against his chest, on the verge of tears, looking utterly delicate and heart-wrenchingly captivating.

"Wen Qiyan..." The tail end of her voice trembled.

She wanted to call him a bastard but couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, so she could only bite down.

Ugh...

His arms were all solid muscle; she couldn't even bite through.

"Only me, not Qin?"

This was really enough.

"Not him, only you. In my heart, he can't compare to you."

The man's smile deepened at the corners of his lips. He looked outside, through the blurred window lattice, meeting the gaze of the man standing there who bore some resemblance to him.

"Is that so?"

"Younger Brother Yunqin now holds the prestigious position of Imperial Guard Commander, wielding military power and enjoying such prominence. Does he still not measure up to me in your heart?"

"Mhm... he can't compare." She was truly about to be driven to distraction by this bastard.

He kept tormenting her, sometimes drawing close, sometimes pulling back. She could hear the rhythmic sounds, already imagining the scene of their lingering entanglement.

Glancing down, it was worse than she had imagined.

It wasn't just lingering entanglement; it was like lotus root chopped to pieces, a sticky, clinging mess everywhere.

Not only her skirt, but even her cloak was soiled with a patch of damp.

The man's large hand moved from the girl's slender waist in his embrace up to the back of her head, guiding her, pulling her whole body forward. His thin lips kissed the side of her ear, his breath hot against her hair.

"Ji Wanyuan, why are you so compliant?"

Hearing this, Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but curse him inwardly, though she showed nothing on her face.

Feeling uncomfortable, she butted her head against the man, eliciting a soft chuckle from him.

Then, suddenly, he plunged into the fragrant, alluring lotus pond, the inner sanctum.

This action made both of them gasp sharply.

"Ji Wanyuan..." He kissed her soft, dark, long hair.

Even knowing she had ulterior motives, he couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably.

When their passion was at its height, Ji Wanyuan knew she had to add a fiercer flame. She called out to him, "Brother Qiyan, Wanyuan likes you so much."

"Is that so?" The man's lips curved, but there was no smile in his eyes.

Because she was sweet like this, so sweet it was fake.

"Mhm..." she said.

"Since you like it so much, then you'll have to let me in deeper."

Ji Wanyuan understood his meaning. Things had already come to this, what else could she do?

"Then be gentle with me." She sniffled delicately, her nose red.

"Mhm." The man murmured softly.

The storm that followed, Wen Yunqin outside the window could no longer bear to listen. He lifted his foot and left with a face like thunder.

Unaware of this sudden change, Ji Wanyuan was swept into the tempest, enduring the lashing of wind and rain.

She cried even harder than before, her little face flushed, hair sticking to her cheeks, the outer corners of her eyes flushed a deep red.

"..."

Even with his good temper, Wen Yunqin couldn't restrain himself after leaving the courtyard. He smashed the marble-carved rockery beside him with one blow of his palm.

"Young Master, you..." The subordinate beside him saw his extremely unpleasant expression and didn't know how to console him.

After all, as a martial artist, he had also overheard some of the commotion inside.

"Elder brother is truly cunning. He suppressed sister-in-law, then tricked her into saying such words to wound my heart and make me retreat. He is indeed formidable."

A common tactic on the battlefield: to attack the enemy, first attack their heart.

Although his elder brother had little experience on the battlefield, he was steeped in the ways of officialdom. Who could match him in such psychological warfare? Precisely because he was so formidable, people in the officialdom were wary of him.

"How do you know the young mistress was tricked by the elder young master into saying that?" The subordinate almost blurted out that perhaps the couple was genuinely deeply in love?

But Wen Yunqin's cold glare swept over, frightening him into swallowing his words.

After a long while, he still couldn't resist adding, "This subordinate believes you should no longer interfere between the elder young master and the young mistress."

"Hah, originally I didn't want to do anything else, just wanted to probe sister-in-law's feelings. But elder brother's bullying is enough to show he isn't very confident in this marriage."

Exploiting a weakness? Anyone can do that.

"Besides, didn't father also say? To cultivate a closer relationship with your sister-in-law."

Previously, when mother wanted to select noble ladies from outside the capital for him, he knew elder brother must have had a hand in it.

Now, father didn't comply with elder brother's warning to observe the proper boundaries. Instead, he told him to get closer to Ji Wanyuan, even instructing him not to let his elder brother know.

This was surely for the sake of the Ji family's influence. Unfortunately, for now, he couldn't learn the full story from his father's mouth and could only rely on speculation.

Having been away from the capital for years, he still had some understanding of official matters. Chancellor Ji's influence was great, and the emperor was wary. His elder brother's marriage to Ji Wanyuan wouldn't be so straightforward.

She had suddenly lost affection for elder brother yet kept dealing with him. Could it be because she learned the detailed inside story and, constrained by it, had no choice?

"Go investigate the movements of the Chancellor's residence. Also trace back a bit further, see if my father has been acting privately?"

The subordinate nodded. "What about the elder young master's side? No need to investigate?"

"The people under elder brother aren't idle. Investigating him might alert the snake. Remember to avoid my elder brother."

"This subordinate understands."

Wen Yunqin lowered his gaze to the bloodstains on the back of his hand. The rage in his heart was difficult to quell, but he suppressed it.

In the study on the other side, the documents on Wen Qiyan's desk were already in complete disarray, and even the inkstone had been overturned.

Ji Wanyuan, however, was held protectively in his embrace, quite safe, though the man's moon-white brocade robe was thoroughly soiled.

She didn't know how many times she had been tricked into calling him Brother Qiyan.

Did this bastard love hearing it so much? The more she called him that, the more forceful he became, bullying her until tears streamed down.

Seeing him linger for so long, staining her skirt hem.

Ji Wanyuan felt the timing should be about right now.

Holding the man's narrow waist, pressing against his chest, listening to his erratic heartbeat, she stickily called out "brother" again.

"Mhm." The man responded to her words, using the moisture to continue bullying her.

Even pressing her lips together, Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but let out some sounds.

"You still haven't told me, will you deal with our Ji family or not."

"So, does this count as taking action against your Ji family?" After saying this, he drove into her several more times.

Ji Wanyuan had been holding back, but now she couldn't help but let out a few delicate, pitiful sobs.

"No... not this kind of bullying."

"Then what kind of bullying is it?"

She was so tired, yet she had to muster her energy to handle him and ask him.

Because if she couldn't get any results, then today she would have let Wen Qiyan sleep with her for nothing.

"Didn't my wife say the Ji family is my in-laws? If I were to deal with the Ji family, wouldn't that be cutting off my nose to spite my face? How would that look if word got out?"

Listening to his tone, it seemed he wouldn't take action?

Ji Wanyuan's heart leapt with joy. She was just about to speak when he thrust again, making her gasp.

"Slow down a bit," she couldn't take it anymore.

"What if something happens to the child?"

"Haven't I been slow enough?"

Knowing she was about to brush him off again, Wen Qiyan cut her off.

"You're not slow at all, you're so fast."

"If I go slow, you say I'm heavy." He kissed her face and couldn't resist nipping the tip of her nose.

"I..."

"Nothing ever suits you, does it?" Wen Qiyan asked.

Ji Wanyuan really didn't want to discuss this with him anymore, so she simply changed the subject.

She was almost out of energy. If this dragged on any longer, she might faint outright.

Pitted against Wen Qiyan's stamina, she was hopelessly outmatched.

"Then..." She struggled for breath for a moment, almost unable to get the words out.

Wen Qiyan also knew that since she had given him a taste of sweetness today, if he didn't reveal some information to her, she wouldn't do this again in the future.

Bait must be doled out little by little.

"Then what?" He paused, withdrew slightly to let her calm down.

He lowered his gaze to look at her, soft and fair as a spring day, covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

"Speak."

Ji Wanyuan found it strange. Why did he suddenly stop? It seemed deliberate, as if he was waiting for her to ask.

Could it be that Wen Qiyan knew?

Impossible.

She hadn't given anything away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the *Snowy Sunset Broth* porridge beside them. Not only was it cold, but it had also been spilled.

He never intended to eat it; he just wanted to devour her instead.

"If my wife doesn't ask, then I'll continue," he said after waiting a while.

"Haven't you had enough already? How many times is that now?"

"What do you think?"

She had deliberately seduced him, kissing and coaxing him. After just a few times under such circumstances, did she think she could send him away?

"I think... I think..."

She almost let him lead her astray. Ji Wanyuan shifted her thoughts. "I think it's nothing. If you want to continue, then continue."

She hadn't even gotten any information out of him yet. "I just wanted to ask you, you previously told me to advise my father to be more restrained in everything."

"What's it all about, exactly?" She had no idea if Wen Qiyan would tell her.

She just asked directly. If she beat around the bush, she might not get a clear answer, and besides, she was about to collapse from exhaustion. What if she lost consciousness?

Ji Wanyuan's heart hammered in her chest.

Unprepared for his sudden thrust again, she instantly clung to the man.

"Wuwuwu." She cried, tears squeezing from the corners of her eyes.

"Earlier, when I was at the government office, I heard some news."

"What news?" Ji Wanyuan asked, her voice trembling.

"The Prime Minister is openly recruiting a large number of protégés. The Ji family is numerous and powerful. Don't you think, wife, that some restraint is in order?"

"I... what would I know about such things?" She evaded the question.

The jade bracelet on her wrist knocked against the edge of the desk, producing a clear sound, like jade hooks on a curtain colliding.

Crisp and pleasant, ambiguous and lingering.

"If you don't understand, why ask?" he replied casually.

"What you said is puzzling. Since it concerns our Ji family, of course I have to ask!"

"Of course..." she added weakly, "it also concerns the Wen family. After all, our two families are joined by marriage. If something happens to the Ji family, do you think the Wen family can escape?"

"Indeed, there's no way to escape," the man chuckled lightly.

"My wife fears something might happen to the Ji family. Do you still want a divorce from me?"

"What?" For a moment, Ji Wanyuan couldn't understand what he was saying.

Why suddenly mention divorce? Didn't he refuse to divorce?

Could it be that after her pregnancy advanced, the Emperor had already found some leverage against the Ji family, and Wen Qiyan had changed his mind, wanting a divorce?

She had only managed to find out a little information; how could they divorce now?

"You want a divorce from me?" she asked.

"Isn't it you who wanted a divorce?" He said she had made such a fuss when she returned to the Ji family recently—it was she who wanted the divorce first.

"If the Ji family encounters trouble, divorcing me would indeed protect the Wen family."

"Only today have I come to understand. Wanyuan, my dear, you want to divorce me because you fear the Ji family's troubles will implicate the Wen family. You still have me in your heart, don't you?" the man teased.

What nonsense was he spouting?

Ji Wanyuan's body ached with weariness, momentarily unable to discern the true intent behind his words.

"You..."

"You still love me, don't you, Ji Wanyuan?" He caressed her face.

Ji Wanyuan caught a sweet, sugary scent from his fingertips.

It was hers.

Gazing into the man's deep, unfathomable eyes, Ji Wanyuan paused for a long moment before going along with his words. "Mm."

"Mm what?" he asked again.

"I still love you." She inwardly scoffed, humoring him.

Even though he knew it was a lie, the man couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

"If you love me, then don't talk of divorce."

"I... I won't divorce you." She hadn't managed to gather much information yet.

"If you don't divorce me, should the Ji family face trouble, the Wen family will do everything to protect them and will never stand idly by."

He spoke as if instructing her, yet also as if bewitching her.

"Really?" Ji Wanyuan didn't believe him. "The Wen family wouldn't kick us when we're down?"

"We're grasshoppers tied to the same string, people on the same boat. You and I are husband and wife—how could I possibly kick you when you're down?"

"You're so capable. If the Ji family gets into trouble, wouldn't you just cut all ties?"

"In your eyes, am I such a petty man?" He brought up her earlier remark about him holding grudges.

"I... I don't know." She couldn't see through him.

Even in the midst of such intimacy, with his child growing in her belly—now nearly five months along and showing a distinct curve—the distance between her and Wen Qiyan remained vast. She had her own calculations, and he had his own agenda.

"Didn't you say you could love anyone but me? If the Ji family truly faces disaster, shouldn't you divorce me, cut yourself clean, and save your own skin?"

"First, you say my father isn't acting with restraint, then you tell me not to divorce you. Are you plotting something against me?"

She deliberately tested him.

"What do you think I'm plotting?" She really had grown clever, managing to steer his words to this point.

"I don't know what you're plotting, but I think you had ulterior motives in marrying me!" She snorted, poking his chest with her fingertip, only to be met with another forceful thrust.

The sound of the rain, and the sticky, indecent sounds of their joining.

Ji Wanyuan couldn't hold back. Tipping her small face up, she sobbed several times before managing to stop the tears from falling.

She thought of what would become of her if something happened to this child. A wave of sorrow rose in her heart, her resentment toward him surfacing visibly. Her charming expression gradually cracked, momentarily twisting into something almost distorted.

The man cupped her face and kissed her lips.

"What ulterior motives could I have in marrying you?" he murmured.

At first, there certainly were ulterior motives. But now, he realized he had become utterly infatuated with Ji Wanyuan, no longer the self-restrained and proper man he once was.

Even his parents and his own younger brother had noticed the change.

Only Ji Wanyuan remained oblivious.

She took his casual jest as absolute truth, refusing to truly draw close to him, putting on a false front to fish for information.

What had he done to make her despise him so?

Since she understood the underlying circumstances of their marriage alliance, couldn't she follow that line of thought? After being married for so long, had he ever revealed even a hint of the Ji family's faults to his father or the Emperor?

Her prejudice against him ran so deep, leaving him feeling utterly powerless. He harbored resentful hatred toward her, yet that hatred was suffused with love because of her feigned smiles directed at him.

This intertwining of love and hate tormented him, twisted him, and even began to breed jealousy.

He was jealous of her relatives, who enjoyed her trust and closeness, and jealous of his own younger brother, who could converse with her.

The deeper he thought, a bizarre notion inexplicably surfaced in his mind.

Earlier, when they first began their intimacy, Ji Wanyuan had asked him with absolute certainty what would happen if they harmed the son in her womb.

She hadn't directly answered his question—whether she disliked sons and hoped for a daughter—yet she had stated with that same certainty that this was a son.

Setting that aside, what did she know?

What she knew might extend beyond just the circumstances of their marriage alliance.

"Anyway, you must have had ulterior motives, because you don't love me at all. If it were only for the child, why would you have petitioned the Emperor?"

Her father had told her this marriage was arranged by imperial decree.

That meant the Wen family had already agreed to it long ago.

"Don't change the subject. You still haven't made it clear—what exactly should I tell my father about exercising restraint? Is it just about taking in too many retainers?"

"Naturally, there are other matters as well."

Indeed!

Ji Wanyuan thought to herself that it couldn't be just that; the court must have uncovered some other information.

"Then tell me quickly." She could no longer attend to this intimacy and urged him.

The man thrust forward sharply. "This kind of quick?"

Ji Wanyuan let out a delicate cry, a tear rolling from the corner of her eye and tracing down her flushed cheek.

"N-no, not that..."

"As for the other matters, since my wife is with child, it's best not to trouble yourself with them."

The favor she granted seemed only to have earned her these few words in return.

Ji Wanyuan felt it wasn't enough, but she couldn't press further.

Excessive questioning might arouse Wen Qiyan's suspicion.

Since she couldn't ask more, she began to pull away from their physical closeness.

When he asked if he was finished, she said she was tired and wanted to rest.

"No," the man replied bluntly.

He became even rougher.

Ji Wanyuan endured the storm of his passion; her robes were in complete disarray.

Hanging loosely on her body, they revealed pale skin covered in red marks—the traces of his kisses.

"Ji Wanyuan..." he whispered her name.

His voice was low, lingering and endlessly tender.

Wen Qiyan took such pleasure in being with her, yet he had been pretending earlier. She thought with a silent sneer.

But the next moment, she heard him ask,

"Why have you never considered that my refusal to grant you a divorce might be because I've fallen in love with you?"