My enemies became my companions

Chapter 737 You've Gotten It (Part 2)

The anticipated scene of three women lying face down, embarrassed and helpless, did not materialize.

The room was unexpectedly quiet.

The scattered pieces of clothing and overturned wine jugs and glasses from last night seemed to have been roughly cleaned up. Although traces of the revelry still remained and a decadent smell lingered, it was far from the unsightly scene she had imagined.

more importantly,
There was only one person in the huge room.

Chen Yi sat alone on the edge of the bed, holding a teacup in his hand, his posture relaxed and even a little lazy.

At that moment, he slightly raised his head and looked at him with a smile.

Yin Weiying's heart skipped a beat.

Xiao Yin knew that his smile was particularly ominous, and Yin Weiying, who often suffered, knew it even more so; a chill inexplicably ran down her spine.

Moreover, none of the three women she had anticipated—Qin Qingluo, Min Ning, and Lin Wanguan—who were supposed to be here, whether asleep, ashamed, or helpless, were to be seen!

Yin Weiying came here to reap the rewards of her victory, but her indulgent and unrestrained behavior during the New Year left her unable to get out of bed for a long time the next morning...

But right now, there's only Chen Yi.

Where did they go? Did they wake up and leave on their own? Or... were they deliberately sent away by Chen Yi long ago?
Yin Weiying immediately sensed something was wrong.
All the previous scheming, self-satisfaction, and the sense of superiority of "keeping one's achievements hidden" were suddenly replaced by vigilance at this moment.

Oh no, we've walked into a den of wolves!

Her throat was a little dry, and she tried her best to remain calm, but her voice trembled slightly, breaking the silence.
"...Husband, why are you all alone here..."

Chen Yi remained smiling. He didn't answer immediately, but gently put down his teacup. The bottom of the cup collided with the table, making a crisp sound that seemed particularly jarring in the overly quiet room.

Then, he spoke slowly, his tone calm, yet each word clear:

"What do you think, Yin Weiying?"

He called her by her full name.

It wasn't her courtesy name "Luanhuang," but her full name, "Yin Weiying."

Upon hearing this sound, the color drained from Yin Weiying's face.

What happened last night...?

Perhaps due to too many unexpected situations, Yin Weiying suddenly felt that she might have made another miscalculation. She feigned composure while slowly inching backward.

"...I came to visit you out of my leisure time. Since you are well, my heart is at peace."

The more she called him "husband," the more Chen Yi sensed her guilty conscience.

Unlike the little fox who calls out "husband" when she's trying to please and beg, the female Taoist priest, with her proud and aloof nature, rarely calls out with genuine sincerity.

Yin Weiying's fingertips trembled slightly. Seeing that Chen Yi had not yet spoken, he slowly said, "Since that's the case, then I'll take my leave first..." As he spoke, Yin Weiying tried to step out of the door.

thump.

Chen Yi lightly tapped the bed with his finger. Although the tap was neither too light nor too heavy, it still startled Yin Weiying, who quickly said:
"Husband..."

"How dare you say you're leaving first?"

Chen Yi gave a mocking smile and slowly said:
"Should we take a good look at everything and see where the loose ends are, and where the underlying issues lie?"

Last night, he finally managed to subdue the two women, and his sincere words softened their hearts. However, Lin Wanguan's sudden appearance almost caused him to die before they could consummate their marriage. If it weren't for Qin Qingluo's magnanimity in persuading Min Ning, he would have been resented for life even if he had actually shared a room with all three women.

Yin Weiying's scalp tingled, and she felt incredibly guilty. She quickly did some quick calculations with her fingers. Chen Yi had indeed had a great night of good fortune, so where exactly did things go wrong? The female Taoist priest lowered her voice involuntarily:

“Last night, last night I helped you appease that prince.”

"What happens after appeasing the prince?"

“I…I managed to keep Min Ning with me.”

"Both of them are fourth-rank officials, Yin Weiying. Did you deliberately set them up to fight and make fun of me?"

Yin Weiying's eyes widened, and she dared not answer. She had indeed expected the two women to clash, otherwise she would not have arranged for Lin Wanguan to come over.

She unconsciously pursed her lips slightly, her voice becoming even softer.

"How could I do it on purpose? If I really did, I would have stirred things up long ago. I just didn't want them to leave you like this, after all, it's our wedding night, so I called Lin Wanguan over to keep you company and mediate from the sidelines..."

As Chen Yi listened, his gaze grew colder and colder. The doubts in his heart were eventually dispelled. Now that he heard it, it was indeed Yin Weiying who was up to no good behind the scenes.

To reconcile...that sounds nice.

She always says such nice things.

"You knew they would fight, yet you still sent Lin Wan-guan over, adding fuel to the fire, huh?"

As he spoke, Chen Yi slowly stood up.

His movements were not fast, even leisurely, but in the eyes of the female Taoist priest, they were like dark clouds obscuring the sun, casting a shadow.

Yin Weiying's pupils contracted slightly, and almost instinctively, he took a half-step back with his toes.

“I…I didn’t…” she tried to explain.

Chen Yi ignored her faint, mosquito-like denial and took a step forward.

His steps were steady and silent, yet they seemed to strike the taut strings of Yin Weiying's heart.

Yin Weiying's breath hitched, and she took a step back, her back almost touching the cold door frame. Her fingers, hidden in her sleeve, curled up quietly, her knuckles turning white.

"First, I persuaded Qingluo to remember our past relationship, and then I was lured into the trap..." Chen Yi stated in a straightforward tone, and then took another step closer.

Yin Weiying retreated further, her heels already touching the threshold. With nowhere left to go, she felt like a trapped beast forced to the edge of a cliff. Every time Chen Yi uttered a word about the tricks she had secretly played, it was as if a rock had been removed from her feet.

"Then, we need to keep Yuechi here, using ambiguous words to stir up her resentment and old feelings, so that she'll stay and face this most awkward situation..."

He went further.

She took a step back.

His waist was slightly bent backward, and the fabric of his Taoist robe rubbed against the door frame, making a soft rustling sound.

"Finally..." Chen Yi finally stopped in front of her, so close that she could clearly see the undercurrents surging in his eyes and feel the heat emanating from him, a mixture of faint tea fragrance and the lingering scent of last night's decadent atmosphere. "It was to guide Lin Wanguan, so that she would knock on this door at the most crucial moment... Yin Weiying, your mediation was truly painstaking."

He leaned down slightly, his gaze sharp and intense, locking onto her flustered eyes.

"Tell me, do you want to help me enjoy the bliss of having two women, or... do you want to see me overwhelmed by their wrath, and how... I'll be utterly ruined?"

Yin Weiying was trapped in the narrow space formed by the door and his body, with nowhere to escape. "I...I didn't mean it that way, I...I just wanted to give you a chance to be with someone beautiful."

"What a lucky woman!"

His tall figure completely enveloped her, and the shadow he cast swallowed her whole; Yin Weiying was almost bloodless.

But at this critical juncture, should we really just give in and accept our fate...?

If that's the case, not to mention regaining her position as the First Madam, Yin Weiying immediately felt a dull ache in her buttocks, like a phantom pain.

Thinking of this, Yin Weiying felt a thousand kinds of panic and grievance in her heart, and said with a slight tremor:

"My husband, believe me, I just... I just wanted to help you..."

"Help me?" Chen Yi scoffed.

"You, you... don't you think about it? If it weren't for me... how could you have... slept in the same bed with me last night..."

With nowhere left to retreat, Yin Weiying's legs trembled as he raised his hands and said:

“There are still three!”

Chen Yi was taken aback by her words, both angry and amused. He continued to approach, reaching out his hand, not to touch her, but to gently brace it against the door panel beside her ear, completely eliminating any possibility of her dodging.

"Yes, three. You used three women to roast me over a fire?"

Yin Weiying looked up at his face, which was so close to hers. All her scheming and self-righteousness were seen through by those eyes at this moment.

She is finished.

It was like being doused with ice water, chilling her from head to toe. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her throat was blocked by something, and she couldn't utter a single word.

They pressed forward relentlessly, while retreating step by step.

Chen Yi's mocking smile slowly faded, and he finally said coldly, "Take it off."

Yin Weiying's pupils contracted slightly. He had finally resigned himself to his fate. First, he loosened his belt, and the wide-sleeved Taoist robe fell silently down, revealing his knife-cut shoulders. Then, he bit his lip slightly and lifted his clothes one after another. Before long, he fell to the ground like a cloud.

The goddess's beauty was revealed to him without reservation. Chen Yi's face remained cold. He was about to slowly reach out his hand, but before he could, unexpectedly, Yin Weiying stepped forward and hugged him tightly, pressing herself against his chest.

Her snow-white shoulders trembled slightly, and she said in a trembling voice:

"My lord, I truly didn't mean any harm to you this time... I've really changed..."

She spoke in a trembling voice, and Chen Yi's expression remained unchanged. He felt that these were crocodile tears, but after she trembled for a while, tears actually streamed down her face.

"If you're angry, you can make as much chrysanthemum tea as you like..." Her face was wet with tears, and she pressed close to his shoulder, "...Don't be so angry that you ignore me..."

Chen Yi paused slightly. He didn't need to look to feel the tears streaming down his face, wetting his shoulder...

He tried to remain indifferent and said calmly, "Then you'd better take it."

………………

Another place.

The courtyard of the Prince's Mansion's greenhouse was filled with lively chatter.

Qin Qinglu walked through the long corridor, her steps still carrying a hint of languor and weariness. She arrived here, and before she even stepped inside, she heard her daughter Qin Yue's clear, bell-like laughter, as well as the sound of light, chasing footsteps.

She stood at the doorway and looked inside.

Qin Yue, dressed in a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), flitted and ran among the flowers like a joyful little butterfly, while the one chasing after her was none other than the royal princess, Zhu E.

Today, Zhu E was dressed in a light purple casual outfit, having shed her usual elegant and luxurious demeanor. With a doting and warm smile on her face, she deliberately slowed her pace, playing a chasing game with Qin Yue.

Sunlight streamed through the window, outlining her still beautiful profile and gentle eyes.

This scene was warm and peaceful, dispelling the lingering turmoil in Qin Qingluo's heart caused by the absurdity of the previous night.

However, Qin Yue, with her sharp eyes, stopped abruptly when she saw her father appear at the door. The cheerful smile on her face faded slightly, replaced by a look of affectionate yet timidness. She whispered, "Father."

Zhu E also stopped and looked at Qin Qingluo, her smile unchanged, filled with understanding and concern.

Looking at her daughter's eager yet somewhat reserved demeanor, Qin Qingluo felt a surge of tenderness mixed with an indescribable bitterness.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked forward, bent down, and gently picked Qin Yue up.

The little girl's body was soft and warm, which surprised Qin Yue. But she carefully reached out her little hand, wrapped it around her father's neck, rested her face on her shoulder, and secretly smelled the familiar and reassuring scent on her body.

Zhu E smiled as she looked at the mother and daughter and said softly, "Yue'er was just talking about you."

Qin Qinglu hummed in agreement, steadily supporting her daughter in her arms, her gaze meeting Zhu E's.

Zhu E carefully observed her expression. Although she noticed a hint of weariness in her brows, her eyes seemed softer than usual, less sharp. A thought stirred within her, and she casually asked in a low voice:
"Qingluo, you've married Chen Yi... How do you feel about this?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Qingluo lowered her gaze slightly, landing on the top of her daughter's soft hair. Her fingertips unconsciously twirled a strand of Qin Yue's hair. She was silent for a moment before raising her eyes and replying in a calm and casual tone:

"good."

These two simple words, when they reached Zhu E's ears, deepened the smile on her lips, and a hint of understanding and relief flashed in her eyes.

She knew that Qin Qingluo's "not bad" at this moment already meant... satisfaction.

This marriage, which began with calculation and was tinged with absurdity, did not seem to have made this proud and arrogant queen feel any regret or resistance, at least for the moment.

Zhu E was also filled with unspeakable emotions. The anxiety that had been hanging over her for so many years finally subsided, and she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Achieving this result today was not easy.

Aside from the deep-seated hatred between the two, the official's own temperament also played a significant role.

Officials rarely reveal their true feelings; even when they are naked, their hearts remain veiled.

He clearly longed for people to see what lay beneath the veil, so he often tempted them, yet he couldn't bear to let them truly uncover him, preferring to half-conceal and half-reveal. Ideally, a woman would only lift the veil for a glance before quickly covering herself again. This was the origin of his clumsiness, and also the reason why Yin Tingxue was the woman he favored the most. On one hand, deep down he was afraid that people would see through his true feelings, and on the other hand, he didn't want people to be unaware of his thoughts. It was like a piece of Song porcelain with a broken corner, showing the intact glaze to others while concealing the flawed crack.

So the female knight thought too highly of him, while the prince thought too poorly of him. Min Ning saw his lustrous glaze, but Qin Qingluo saw his flaws.

He is so complex, as deep as the sea, yet so shallow, like the sky.

Of his three married wives, Zhou Yitang, his master, undoubtedly understands him best. As the saying goes, "He who understands my heart knows my worries." However, he is unwilling to let women worry about him, so he does not show affection at this time, as if they are competing and facing each other with swords drawn.

Compared to Zhou Yitang, who knows everything about her, Yin Tingxue sometimes knows and sometimes doesn't. Sometimes she really doesn't know, and sometimes she pretends not to know. She is such a lovable girl.

As for King Jing's daughter, Yin Weiying,
She knows nothing.

(End of this chapter)