Chapter 12: Gentle Words Pouring into Ears

Lihua stood there emanating a chilling aura, keeping others at a distance.

Gan Qiongying had no idea what he was thinking. She simply found his eyes truly beautiful—clear and distinct, with a rare depth yet transparent clarity—so she casually complimented them.

Who would have thought she had inadvertently touched the dragon’s scale of the God of Wealth?

Truth be told, Lihua didn’t have many such sensitive spots. He had always been good-natured, spoke little, never mistreated those around him, and rarely revealed his true emotions.

Yet the few sensitive spots he did have were all poked by Gan Qiongying within less than a day of being with her.

Lihua glared at Gan Qiongying. Last night, he had bitten his tongue so badly that he couldn’t speak now. Furious, his ears flushed a deep red, and his breathing grew rapid.

Gan Qiongying, however, maintained a deliberately gentle expression. “Sit down,” she said.

“Does the Prince Consort need this Princess to personally help you up?”

Lihua took a step, intending to walk out. Beyond his anger, what filled his heart was a deeper sense of desolation.

Since birth, he had been the one abandoned by his own parents. For so many years, it seemed he had never truly had a self, nor dared to have one.

Forced by his birth mother to come to the Nanzhao Kingdom, he secretly assisted his younger brother, Zhongli Zhengzhen, in stirring up the internal affairs of Nanzhao.

But who cared whether he was willing? Who cared whether he lived or died?

To help Zhongli Zhengzhen, he had even used his own marriage as bait, bound by a marriage decree to become the Consort of the notorious Princess Duanrong.

He had thought that by enduring humiliation and abuse, he could wait until the grand plan succeeded, fake his death, and escape far away—finally living for himself, free as the sky and vast as the sea.

But how cruel fate had been to him, denying him even the chance to keep to himself.

He didn’t hate his wife for looking down on him, humiliating him, or berating him. He didn’t hate her for keeping a crowd of male consorts, making him a laughingstock in the eyes of his friends.

He could hate nothing at all. But why did she have to treat him as a substitute for Zhongli Zhengzhen?

Lihua truly didn’t want to stay here for another moment. For now, he could care less about the grand scheme or enduring humiliation. All he wanted was to return to his own quarters.

But before he could reach the door, the shadow guard who had stopped him from harming Gan Qiongying the night before suddenly descended from above. Two shadow guards, dressed like black crows, blocked Lihua’s path from left and right.

Blocked by their crossed long blades, he turned back and glared furiously at Gan Qiongying.

Gan Qiongying set down her chopsticks and slowly smiled.

She spoke, her tone carrying both affection and the unique condescension of Princess Duanrong. “I really don’t know what to do with you.”

She lifted her slender, jade-like fingers, rolled up her sleeves, and rose to her feet, truly intending to help Lihua up.

“Come, husband, let me help you sit down.”

As Lihua watched her approach, it was as if he were facing some monstrous beast.

The resentment in his eyes, for a moment, grew so thick it seemed to sharpen into blades.

Gan Qiongying paid it no mind. She wasn’t in a hurry to make Lihua understand her sincerity and goodwill. There was plenty of time ahead. Eventually, he would realize that they were a married couple, united as one, and that sticking together was the only way to survive the messy twists of fate.

She walked up to Lihua but didn’t actually touch him to avoid causing further aversion. Instead, she said, “Your people are waiting outside the estate, anxiously waiting for you all night. They even brought a physician, afraid I might have tortured you to death. You truly have a group of loyal servants.”

“At least sit down and drink the ginseng soup. It should have cooled to the right temperature by now. Your health is weak—you mustn’t go without food.”

Gan Qiongying’s genuine concern only made Lihua feel terrified.

To Lihua’s ears, Gan Qiongying’s words were nothing short of a threat.

After all, Princess Duanrong could not only beat or kill a few servants with impunity—even if she were to kill two sons of powerful nobles, given that she had just been forced into marriage with a merchant and the Emperor was feeling guilty, there would likely be no one to seek justice from.

Gan Qiongying was indeed threatening him. She had never intended, nor dared, to show any difference from the original owner of this body.

Gan Qiongying continued, “After you drink the ginseng soup, I’ll have the mansion physician examine your tongue. If it’s fine, you can take the medicine, and then I’ll let them in.”

“Otherwise…” Gan Qiongying turned to Silver Moon and asked, “What is the punishment for a group of lowly commoners gathering at the Princess Manor with the intent to assassinate?”

Silver Moon bowed and replied in a soft yet firm voice, “Your Highness, threatening the safety of the royal family warrants being beaten to death with clubs.”

Upon hearing this, Lihua’s angry expression froze.

In that moment, as he looked at Gan Qiongying’s face, which was more enchanting than spring peaches, he felt as though he were staring at a brightly colored, venomous snake.

He experienced a chilling fear, as if bitten and slowly constricted by that snake.

After a moment, he reluctantly sat down opposite Gan Qiongying.

He could not risk his attendants’ lives just to defy Gan Qiongying.

Seeing him sit, Gan Qiongying also breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

If he had truly remained stubborn to the end, she wouldn’t have known how to resolve the situation. She couldn’t possibly beat or kill his attendants—firstly, she wasn’t the kind of ruthless person who disregarded human life.

Secondly, from what Gan Qiongying understood, the attendants around Lihua had followed him through thick and thin, traveling far and wide, and each one held significant influence in merchant guilds across various regions.

In short, who were these so-called attendants around the God of Wealth?

They were like little wealth-bringing deities themselves, and naturally, they deserved to be treated well.

As Gan Qiongying watched the maidservant carefully serve him the ginseng soup at the perfect temperature, she leisurely ate her breakfast.

She observed Lihua, who at first frowned with disgust but soon relaxed slightly and began drinking earnestly.

After all, he had been through a whole night of turmoil—though he had brought it upon himself—and had lost so much blood. He must be hungry.

Gan Qiongying waited until he had finished the entire bowl of ginseng soup and seemed to be in better condition.

Only then did she speak, “Look at you. If you weren’t ready, you could have just said so. You’re a man. If you truly didn’t want to, could I have forced myself on you?”

Caught off guard by such brazen words, Lihua’s spoon clattered into the soup bowl.

He looked up at Gan Qiongying in disbelief. Though his expression remained unchanged, the shock in his eyes was almost palpable.

He couldn’t understand how a woman could utter such indecent words in broad daylight.

Did she feel no shame? Had she no sense of propriety or decency?

Seeing that both of them had stopped eating, the maidservants bowed and retreated in an orderly manner, not daring to overhear another word.

Gan Qiongying glanced at Lihua and added, “You had to bite your tongue. Now you can’t speak properly, and you can’t even enjoy your meal, can you?”

Lihua stared at her nervously. Though his expression remained unchanged, his fingers tightly gripped his sleeve, fearing that this shameless ruffian, Gan Qiongying, would take advantage of his concern for his attendants to demand that he engage in indecent acts with her in broad daylight.

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for Lihua to think this way. After all, Gan Qiongying had just threatened him into compliance and then brought up the previous night’s events—it made her seem like a lecherous fiend.

Gan Qiongying, however, sat on the other side of the table, took a napkin to wipe her mouth, and with a slight movement of her red lips, softly uttered a few gentle words: “Does it still hurt?”

Lihua, who had been on high alert, almost ready to shatter the bowl and fight to the death to protect his dignity: “…Huh?”

An uncontrollable questioning sound escaped his throat.

Only then did Gan Qiongying slowly rise and walk over to a small table beside the dining table, where she personally picked up a bowl of medicine that had been simmered and left to cool.

Dressed in luxurious attire and adorned with jewels, her appearance was utterly unsuited for serving tea or passing water.

But having eaten and drunk her fill, her complexion was rosy, and her expression had softened somewhat. She personally carried the medicine bowl to Lihua’s side.

After setting it down, she urged him, “Use this. I had the mansion physician prepare this medicine for you. It helps heal wounds and contains a small amount of Numbing Herb, which also has a slight numbing effect. Drink some first, then hold a mouthful for a while before spitting it out. That should ease the pain.”

Her beautiful eyes lowered, her tone earnest. At this moment, she showed none of Princess Duanrong’s usual aggression, appearing instead like a pure and kind wife concerned about her husband’s injuries.

Gan Qiongying even smiled at him, her gaze gentle, reassuring him: “Just now, I was afraid you’d be stubborn and refuse to eat or drink, harming your health. I was just teasing you. I won’t touch your servants—they were already properly invited in and settled in the guest courtyard by Silver Moon. Several mansion physicians have gone over and are now discussing with the doctors your people brought on how to treat your injuries.”

“In the future, don’t be foolish. No matter the situation, if there’s something you don’t want to do, just tell me directly.” Though it seemed only the two of them were left in the room, Gan Qiongying knew there were still eighteen surveillance cameras covering every angle overhead.

Thus, she dared not utter a single word about “mutual benefit and each taking what they need,” only pretending to be infatuated, showering Lihua with tenderness to lower his guard.

“I promise you, I will never force you, so you don’t need to be afraid. It’s because I like you—what is there to fear?”

Lihua was stunned by her gentle words, his entire body frozen.

He could withstand humiliation, insults, beatings, and abuse.

But he had no idea how to respond to a situation like this…

Lihua was no fool. Having been in business for years and having met countless people, whether willingly or out of necessity, he had learned to read people and discern their hearts.

He could sense that, at least at this moment, Princess Duanrong’s goodwill and concern were genuine.

She truly feared he was in constant pain, which was why she, a princess of such high status, had personally rolled up her sleeves to bring him the medicine and even specifically instructed the mansion physician to add Numbing Herb to the decoction.

Lihua remained rigid, his head lowered, unmoving.

“Hurry and drink it. Didn’t you toss and turn all night in pain?”

Lihua slowly looked up, meeting her eyes.

He had indeed been in so much pain last night that he tossed and turned, several times wanting to get up and leave. So she had known all along?

Then, when she kept hugging him over and over… was she pretending or truly asleep?

Lihua considered the possibility that she might have been pretending. After being pushed away repeatedly, she had returned on her own, leaving him with no choice but to compromise. To prevent her hands from wandering to the sensitive areas around his waist, he had even wrapped his arms around hers to keep her from moving…

A moment later, though his expression remained unchanged, his ears and neck flushed as red as ripe peach flesh.