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"Hm... What’s the matter?" Yin Tingxue asked, slightly puzzled.
Yin Weiyin, being a few years older than this young girl and quick-witted, imdiately guessed the so-called "boyfriend-girlfriend" dynamic was far more complicated than it sounded. Only this little fox would believe it so naively.
Thus, she leaned forward slightly and said softly:
"If I win, you must give up your spot as his girlfriend to ."
Yin Weiyin’s voice carried a certain mysterious clarity, reminiscent of a consort in a deep palace vying for favor.
The little fox scratched her head, vaguely understanding Sister Weiyang’s feelings and sympathizing with this cousin. But even if she wanted to relinquish the position, she did not dare to.
Besides, she did not want to. After becoming Chen Yi’s girlfriend, he treated her much better.
Yin Tingxue tactfully declined:
"A man can have more than one girlfriend, you know."
The female crown felt indignant. Since Chen Yi wasn’t present, she dared to make such a suggestion. Having said it, she grabbed the opportunity, gently gripping Yin Tingxue’s shoulders and said:
"But he doesn’t like ."
"Why don’t you try liking him first?" Yin Tingxue blurted instinctively.
The female crown furrowed her delicate brows. Under the candlelight, her silhouette reflected on the paper window. Truth be told, she was even more alluring than this princess of Xiang, her graceful figure far surpassing the poor young girl. Her ethereal deanor added an extra charm. Both were undeniably stunning beauties, but if they stood together, it was certain that the female crown would draw more gazes.
Yet, Chen Yi favored Yin Tingxue.
The princess snorted coldly, "Liking him ans nothing. Why should I bother liking him..."
Yin Tingxue, soft-hearted, felt sympathy as she listened. After pondering for a while, she whispered, "Then if you beat , I’ll... recomnd you."
The word choice made the female crown chuckle. After so thought, she eventually agreed, "Alright, let’s agree on this. If I win, you’ll put in a good word for . ’Recomnd’—that’s not quite the right term, but so be it. Just speak well of when the ti cos. Once I’m his girlfriend, I’ll say good things about you too. Agreed, agreed... Who knows, in ti, he might like better than he likes you."
Yin Weiyin said all this in one breath, like clinging to a lifeline, so much so that the little fox couldn’t help but giggle. She handed five little arrows to Yin Weiyin.
Fine snow drifted down, moistening the small courtyard, where tiny specks dusted the ears of the ceramic pots. The two Yins began tossing arrows into the pots.
Suddenly, an arrow landed, Yin Tingxue aiming directly into the center of the pot’s ears.
It was the princess’s turn. She pursed her lips and tossed her arrow forward.
The arrow traced an arc through the air, barely grazing the edge of the pot as it passed.
At that mont, Yin Weiyin suddenly realized it had been a long ti since she last played this ga.
How long exactly? She couldn’t recall... Ever since she embarked on the path of cultivation, it seed she hadn’t touched it.
Yin Tingxue had already released another little arrow.
The arrow landed in the ceramic pot’s left ear with a resounding clang, pulling the princess back to reality.
Sweat began to bead in Yin Weiyin’s palms as she stiffened and tossed another arrow.
This one missed again. Though she tried to control her strength while aiming, so inexplicable weakness sapped her energy as she released it.
The female crown grew pale in the face.
She felt fear—utterly unfounded but undeniably present.
Yin Tingxue focused entirely on the ga, unaware of Weiyin’s panic, and tossed another arrow.
The arrow landed in the right ear of the ceramic pot, three successive hits, each perfectly nestled in the ears—"triple strike."
Yin Tingxue had already won.
Realizing this, Yin Weiyin subconsciously pursed her lips. She looked at the jubilant little fox, her heart an uneasy ss. Had the fox not been younger than her, she might have burst into tears right then and there.
A good while later, Yin Weiyin shook the little arrow in her hands and said, "Let’s try again; best of three."
Yin Tingxue did not refuse. "Alright."
The snowfall seed to grow heavier, cascading down like Jiangnan’s rice and blanketing the scene. The night sky hung low with an indistinct haze; when it snowed, no stars shone.
The two ladies retrieved their arrows and resud the pots ga.
Clanging sounds echoed again, and soon the results were clear.
Great Yin lost again, with only two hits out of five arrows, while Little Yin hit four out of five.
The princess was bitterly disheartened. Truly unlucky—ever since eting him, she seed to lose out everywhere, whether to him or even to Min Ning. And now, she couldn’t even win against Yin Tingxue in a simple ga.
She handed the little arrows back to Yin Tingxue and said, "Forget it, that’s enough. I won’t be his girlfriend."
Yin Tingxue saw this and was about to say sothing when footsteps sounded outside the door.
Chen Yi and Zhou Yitang entered the courtyard one after the other.
Chen Yi lifted his head and spotted the two Yins in the courtyard, recalling it was a day of leisure.
"What are you doing?" Chen Yi asked.
"Playing pitch-pot," Yin Tingxue replied.
Chen Yi noticed Yin Weiyin handing the little arrows back to Yin Tingxue and asked, "Done playing?"
Swept by his gaze, Yin Weiyin instinctively shivered. She pressed her lips together but said nothing.
Yin Tingxue answered instead, "Sister Weiyang says she’s done playing."
Chen Yi acknowledged with a soft "Oh" and turned to look at the female crown.
Yin Weiyin shrank back slightly, her willow-like neck bowing as she avoided his gaze.
Chen Yi walked up to her, casually twisting a lock of her hair in his fingers.
"Being quite disciplined today, aren’t you? Been waiting for almost the whole day, huh?"
Yin Weiyin allowed him to toy with her hair, her expression a mixture of sha and fear, as she muttered under her breath, "You... If you want to co, I’ll co."
"Then keep company while I bathe tonight," Chen Yi remarked, patting her back.
Yin Weiyin flushed red, but she didn’t dare utter a "no."
She had co to this courtyard with the full expectation that she’d be treated like a kept woman, entirely at his disposal.
Chen Yi started a fire to heat water. The room for heating the water and the bathing room were separate. In the early winter, water cooled quickly, requiring constant reheating. Once the water in the bath grew cold, fresh hot water would be brought from the heating room and poured in, creating a new pocket of warmth.
Pouring in the freshly heated water, Chen Yi ran his hand over the wide bath barrel to check the temperature, then stepped into the bath.
He hadn’t even finished exhaling in relaxation when a knock sounded at the door.
"Co in," Chen Yi called.
Yin Weiyin steadied herself against the wall, cautiously inching her way inside. Amid the steamy haze, she saw the man in the bath barrel, her cheeks turning rosy.
"Don’t be shy," Chen Yi said casually.
Hearing this, Yin Weiyin bit her silver teeth before slowly shedding her garnts. The pale-blue Taoist robe and sky-blue long skirt were hung on the rack. Now clad in a simple undershirt and thin pants, her figure was graceful and enticing. Carefully, she removed the Yanyue Crown from her hair, letting her cascading locks pour down like a waterfall. Chen Yi leaned against the edge of the bath, watching her. Yin Weiyin flushed deeply but lacked the courage to ask him to look away.
Seeing her still dressed in her undershirt, inching toward the bath, Chen Yi chuckled. "So, you’re bathing dressed like that?"
The female crown trembled slightly, her expression marked by humiliation. Her lips quivered as though protesting, but she ultimately failed to voice an objection. Her fingers moved hesitantly before, under Chen Yi’s watchful gaze, she slowly stepped into the bath.
Chen Yi pulled her into his arms.
Her slender, delicate back pressed to his chest, shivering faintly. Chen Yi let his eyelids lower lazily, savoring the feeling of complete control over her.
Yin Weiyin said nothing, her brows furrowed as she panted softly, her body stiff against his.
"You’ve been waiting the whole day?" After holding her for a while, Chen Yi suddenly broke the silence.
The princess responded, "What else could I have done..."
Chen Yi thought back for a mont before asking, "Did the Empress Dowager say she’d sentence you to death?"
Yin Weiyin jolted, causing ripples in the water. She murmured, "Of course... Was this Master Tongxuan who told you?"
"Yes..." Chen Yi rested his jaw near her ear, relishing her warmth, his gaze half-closed as he said, "If there’s ever sothing like this again, tell directly."
Yin Weiyin looked at him with surprise.
Chen Yi smiled faintly. "I’m your... husband, for better or worse. No matter how I treat you, so things still need to be done properly."
Yin Weiyin went silent for a long while before asking, "What if the mistake is mine first?"
"Support your loved ones before considering what’s right," Chen Yi answered matter-of-factly.
Yin Weiyin turned her head away, sinking slightly into the bathwater, half her face dipping beneath the surface to blow bubbles.
Chen Yi found her antics amusing and decided to break the bubbles with his fingers.
For a ti, they played this way before Chen Yi’s patience wore thin. He licked his lips discreetly and sank his hands underwater, hooking her legs upward.
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