She was about to rise, but the moment she moved, her entire body ached with soreness.
Only then did she recall the passionate night she had spent with that man, and her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Master, what's wrong?" Noticing her unusual expression, Caier asked with concern.
"N-nothing." She shook her head while lying, "I slept too much and feel a bit dizzy. Go back to the Yunan Prince's residence and tell them to return first. Once I'm properly dressed, I'll go to the prince's residence to pay my respects."
"Yes."
As soon as Caier left, Chu Xinrao threw off the covers and bit her lip in frustration.
Given how wild and brutal that man had been, she seriously suspected he must have taken some kind of drug, just to exact his revenge on her more thoroughly!
Afraid that Caier might return and see something she shouldn't, she dragged her body, which felt like it was falling apart, out of bed. She first found clothes to cover the marks all over her, then quickly changed the bedsheets and quilt.
After Caier had sent away the people from the Yunan Prince's residence, she instructed Caier to prepare hot water for a bath.
Only after bathing and dressing neatly did she remember her son, and she asked Caier, "Where is the young master?"
"Master, the young master left yesterday with that gentleman and hasn't returned. He only sent a message telling us not to worry," Caier replied.
"…" Chu Xinrao's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
That man had spent the whole night rolling around in bed with her, so where would her son be staying?
Still, she wasn't worried about her son's safety.
After all, anyone in this world who dared to lay a hand on her son must be tired of living…
…
Half an hour later.
She arrived at the Yunan Prince's residence by sedan chair.
The imposing high gates, with a plaque carved with dragon motifs, made it clear this was no ordinary place.
When she first came to Yunan City, she had inquired and learned that this was the fief of the Prince of Yunan. This prince was the brother of the current Emperor of Yuliu Kingdom, ranking third among his peers.
A true imperial prince of the royal bloodline.
She had also heard that the Prince of Yunan had gone to the capital six years ago.
This prince must have just returned to his fief, and the first thing he did upon returning was summon her…
Could it be because of the Duplication Technique?
Just as she was frowning at the imposing gates, lost in thought, a guard emerged from within. He first looked her over, then stepped forward and bowed, asking, "Are you Miss Chu?"
Chu Xinrao nodded. "I am Chu Xinrao. Having heard of the prince's summons, I have come to receive his instruction."
The guard raised his hand to guide her. "The prince has been waiting for some time. Please, Miss Chu, follow me."
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Right this way, Miss Chu."
The residence was vast—gardens, rockeries, pavilions, jade corridors… everything one could imagine, all exuding grandeur and luxury.
Led by the guard, she kept her head lowered as she entered a standalone pavilion.
"Miss Chu, you've finally arrived!"
Hearing the greeting, Chu Xinrao instinctively looked up, and her eyes flew wide open.
The person greeting her was none other than one of the two subordinates her son's father had kept by his side yesterday!
She abruptly turned her gaze to the main seat ahead, and what she saw left her frozen in place, mouth agape.
He…
He was the Prince of Yunan…
The man she had forcefully pinned down six years ago was the Prince of Yunan…
"You… you… you…" Her tongue seemed to snap from shock.
The man who had clung to her desperately last night, demanding she repay her debt while forcing her to taste humiliation—was the noble and exalted Prince of Yunan?!
"What? Did your tongue snap?" The man rose from his seat, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode before her, tilting his chin up as he looked down at her.
Chu Xinrao fell to her knees with a thud.
Yesterday, she had still been able to put on a fake act of crying and pleading with excuses, but at this moment, she was truly terrified to the core.
Heaven had never once let her off the hook…
On the very first day she transmigrated six years ago, she had suffered the torment of an aphrodisiac.
Just as she was about to leave the capital and start a new life, she suddenly discovered she was pregnant.
After finally settling down in a mountain valley, she nearly died in childbirth.
She had traveled everywhere with her son to make a living, and at last established a home here in Yunan City—only to have her "debtor" come knocking on her door.
And this "debtor" was someone so impossibly lofty…
This other world simply had it out for her!
Heavens, just strike her down with a bolt of lightning and end her misery, so she could stop wasting air and squandering food!
"Chu Xinrao, do you still remember the words you once spoke?" the man demanded from on high.
"I… this humble woman… has forgotten." She had said far too much across two lifetimes; how was she supposed to know what he meant?
"You said you would serve this prince like a beast of burden."
"…" Chu Xinrao's lowered face was as if he had splashed ink across it.
Had she said that?
She probably had…
But back then, in that situation, all she had wanted was to bed a man—no ghost would have believed her words. How could he take them seriously?
"For Linlin's sake, this prince is willing to grant you a title. But your status is lowly, so naturally you cannot be this prince's principal consort. Thus, from today onward, you shall be a low-ranking concubine." His voice was cold and hard, as if this favor were being doled out only out of necessity.
Chu Xinrao's face turned from black to white, and her hands resting on her thighs involuntarily clenched tight.
A low-ranking concubine?
Not even a proper concubine?
What a great favor—she truly thanked his ancestors for eight generations!
"What? You're unwilling?" Li Yingfeng could not see her expression, but from her clenched hands, he could discern her anger. His cold eyes narrowed slightly as he said without mercy, "If not for the fact that you bore Linlin, forget a low-ranking concubine—you wouldn't even be able to set one foot through the gates of the Yunan Prince's Manor!"
Chu Xinrao bit her lip hard.
For someone from the twenty-first century, becoming a man's concubine was more humiliating than being violated!
"Your Highness, this humble woman knows her status is low and does not dare to covet wealth and honor. Moreover, having once offended Your Highness, I am even less worthy of any fortune. I beg Your Highness to retract the position of low-ranking concubine and let this humble woman live or die on her own in this world."
"You!" Li Yingfeng suddenly bent down, gripping her chin and lifting it high, his sinister gaze burning with inexplicable fury. "You don't want to be this prince's woman?"
Chu Xinrao suppressed the urge to spit in his face, patiently feigning humility as she explained, "Your Highness misunderstands. My refusal is not out of ingratitude, but because I feel myself unworthy."
Li Yingfeng released her chin, his tall frame like a proud dragon bristling with thorns, his tone turning sharp. "Worthy or not, this prince decides. You have no right to choose!"
Chu Xinrao raised a hand to rub her temples.
If he wanted to have a romantic relationship with her, she could barely accept that. After all, they had slept together, and with a son in the picture, she could accept a relationship without formal titles.
But this man had come and slapped the title of low-ranking concubine on her—how insulting!
In this other world, she could endure all sorts of hardships, treating them as trials to overcome. But if she had to become a man's lesser wife, and in the future fight over one man with the first wife, second wife, and third wife—she might as well be killed outright!
“Your Highness, I am deeply grateful for your affection, but I know my own worth and do not consider myself deserving. I have already offended your majesty before, and if I were to taint you further, my sins would only multiply, and even death would not be enough to atone for them.” As she spoke, she lifted her skirt, pulled a dagger from her trouser leg, and thrust it toward her abdomen—