The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

When Xie Yanzhao stepped back into the inner palace, he immediately noticed that Shen Tinghe had changed her clothes.

She was dressed in a pale yellow palace gown and sat on a soft couch by the window.

Xie Yanzhao: "Why are you up? Didn't you say you weren't feeling well?"

Before he could finish speaking, a soft pillow flew towards him.

Xie Yanzhao reacted quickly, catching it and setting it aside.

He wasn't annoyed at all; on the contrary, he found her little, temperamental gestures lively and adorable.

"What's wrong with Yuan Yuan this time?"

Shen Tinghe did not lean against him as usual, but instead raised her eyes and spoke in a cold voice.

Why did you have Chen Ziye arrested?

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

The smile on Xie Yanzhao's face vanished like the tide, leaving no trace.

He stood there silently, his posture still upright, yet he resembled an iceberg that had absorbed all light and heat, emanating only a deep, chilling aura.

He looked into Shen Tinghe's eyes, which were now filled with clear anger and questioning, and after a long while, the corners of his mouth twitched very slowly.

That wasn't a real smile, but a dangerous curve.

He spoke, his voice low and almost hoarse: "Yuan Yuan, are you going to argue with me over a complete stranger?"

Shen Tinghe: "You were the one who made the mistake first!"

She understood him; his love was passionate and intense, but it was also accompanied by an equally astonishing obsession and possessiveness.

In the past, she mostly chose to be tolerant of his excessive tension and occasional unreasonable jealousy, and even took the initiative to soften her tone to coax him.

Those minor unpleasantnesses always eventually dissipated in her gentle words and his doubly pampering.

But this time is different.

If Chen Ziye's matter was just a normal fit of jealousy, she might still find a way to appease him after she calmed down, just like before.

But what truly stung her was something else entirely.

She had clearly instructed Qinglan, who was accompanying her, not to say anything about what happened in the Imperial Garden, but Xie Yanzhao still found out.

So much so that last night he had to resort to such a punitive method to determine her ownership.

This can only prove one thing.

Qinglan, and perhaps Qingdai, did not truly obey her completely.

They remained Xie Yanzhao's eyes, silently growing beside her.

The feeling of being monitored was far more chilling and disheartening than Chen Ziye's imprisonment itself.

"What did you say when you sent Qinglan and Qingdai to me? You said they would be my people from now on, and would only obey my orders. What is this now? Are you having them spy on me? Reporting every little thing to you?"

Xie Yanzhao's eyes suddenly darkened. He reached out and grabbed Shen Tinghe's slender wrist, his strength somewhat out of control.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, suppressing the surging violence in his chest, and tried to reason with her.

"Yuan Yuan, you promised me we wouldn't have any secrets between us. Why did you deliberately hide what happened in the Imperial Garden yesterday from me?"

"Having no secrets doesn't mean I should live under your surveillance!"

Shen Tinghe forcefully shook off his hand, leaving a faint red mark on her wrist.

She stood up and confronted him: "Is this trust? Xie Yanzhao, this is blatant distrust! What do you take me for? A plaything that must be constantly under your watchful eye, with no freedom whatsoever, and whom you can control at will?"

Shen Tinghe was angry, and her words were somewhat sharp.

The word "plaything" pierced Xie Yanzhao's heart.

The dangerous and oppressive aura emanating from him suddenly exploded, revealing only a terrifying surge of shock and deep pain in his eyes.

"plaything?"

Xie Yanzhao took a step forward, his tall figure looming over him, his eyes revealing undisguised hurt.

"Yuan Yuan, how could you hurt me like this?"

He cherished her like a cloud, carefully protecting her and showering her with love and pampering, wishing he could offer her the best of everything in the world.

But she misinterpreted his almost burning love as control over a "plaything".

Tears rolled down her cheeks silently. Shen Tinghe turned her head away, not wanting him to see her tears.

"Your Majesty, my words and actions have been improper and have displeased you. I request to return to Kunhua Palace for confinement and reflection."

After saying that, she walked straight toward the palace gate.

As he passed Xie Yanzhao, he forcefully grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.

Before she could struggle, she felt a pressing sensation on the back of her neck.

Xie Yanzhao pressed his thumb on a certain acupoint, and Shen Tinghe felt her consciousness gradually blurring.

Darkness enveloped them, both gently and forcefully.

Xie Yanzhao caught her as she collapsed, and he looked down at her tear-streaked face.

Her long eyelashes drooped wetly, and there were faint marks on her lips where he had bitten her.

However, Xie Yanzhao's aura did not ease as a result; instead, it became even more gloomy and oppressive.

He leaned close to her ear, his touch so gentle it was almost chilling.

"Yuan Yuan is so disobedient, her brother has no choice but to discipline her properly."

When Shen Tinghe regained consciousness, she was still greeted by the familiar bright yellow canopy in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, just as she had been before she lost consciousness.

However, when she tried to move her body, she felt a cold touch and heard a crisp metallic clanging sound at her ankle.

She sat up, and the brocade quilt slipped off.

Looking down, she saw that her slender, fair ankles were fastened with a pair of exquisite golden shackles.

The chain was short and exquisitely decorated, with the other end firmly locked to the heavy dragon bedpost.

The bed was so short that it only allowed her to move around within a small space; it was simply wishful thinking for her to get off and walk to the window or the door.

The dragon bed where Xie Yanzhao had embraced her every night and given her endless tenderness had now become a magnificent golden cage.

Shen Tinghe stared blankly at the circle of gold, feeling more and more aggrieved the more she thought about it.

She hugged her bent knees, buried her face in her arms, and began to sob softly.

The man who would hold her in his arms and soothe her with gentle words was not by her side at this moment, and the empty palace deepened her sense of isolation and helplessness.

Xie Yanzhao was right next door. He had been keeping a close eye on the movements inside the hall, and the suppressed sobs felt like needles pricking his heart.

He closed his eyes briefly, then pushed the door open and entered.

What came into view was his Yuan Yuan, curled up in a corner of the huge dragon bed.

Her black hair was disheveled, and a small section of her neck was exposed, revealing a fragile and easily broken neck.

The striking gold ring around her ankles contrasted sharply with her pale skin.

She looked so pitiful, so helpless, like a fledgling bird shivering in the rain, trapped in the cage he had built himself.

In that instant, all anger and the ruthless intent to "discipline" vanished almost completely.

All his toughness crumbled before her like this.

Xie Yanzhao silently walked to the bedside and sat down, very close to her, but did not immediately embrace her as he usually did.

"Why are you crying? Weren't you quite imposing when you argued with me before?"

These words only exacerbated Shen Tinghe's grievances, pushing them to their peak.

She turned away and refused to acknowledge him.

As Xie Yanzhao watched her completely resistant back, the last bit of coldness and hardness he had been holding onto crumbled.

He sighed softly and muttered to himself, "You're just taking advantage of how much I dote on you."