In the dream.
“Your Highness, please, don’t do this.”
A sob escaped Meng Jinyue’s throat.
“I don’t want this.”
“Yao Yao, where did he touch you?”
“Did he touch you here? Tell me!”
The Crown Prince’s rough hand gripped her wrist tightly, his face cold as he pressed her.
Meng Jinyue couldn’t stop shaking her head and crying. “No, no, only Your Highness has ever touched me!”
Tears fell incessantly from the delicate and beautiful woman’s watery eyes, her slender waist already bruised purple by the scorching grip of his large hand.
But the more she cried, the deeper the man’s gaze grew.
The Crown Prince’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he leaned down to pinch her chin, his voice low and commanding.
“Yao Yao, remember who your man is.”
The Crown Prince’s large hand stroked her sweat-dampened hair, his voice deep. “When I return from this disaster relief mission, I will give you an explanation and a proper status. In the future… even the position of Empress will be yours…”
She could only be his wife, not a concubine.
The Crown Prince didn’t say more, but Meng Jinyue’s eyes widened in shock. The position of Empress… a proper status—she had never imagined she could receive such recognition?
She was merely a tool sent by the Meng family to bear a child in place of her legitimate elder sister.
Since entering the residence, apart from her monthly cycle, she had rarely had any chance to rest.
Sometimes, when she cried too bitterly, the Crown Prince would occasionally soften and let her off after just one or two rounds.
But more often than not, she was still serving him until dawn.
She thought he, too, wanted her to conceive quickly so he could keep the child and send her away.
After all, the Crown Prince had only been intimate with her because he was tricked by the Meng family.
Because of such a beginning, the Crown Prince had never shown her any tenderness on the bed.
He trained in martial arts year-round and was young and vigorous.
After each intimate encounter, she could only collapse weakly on the bed to rest, unable to get up at all.
After her legitimate elder sister learned of the intensity of her encounters with the Crown Prince, her gaze toward Meng Jinyue grew colder and colder, as if she hated her to the core.
If she were to stay in the Crown Prince’s residence in the future, Meng Jinyue had no idea what awaited her.
The scene shifted, and suddenly, her legitimate elder sister appeared before Meng Jinyue.
The woman stared fixedly at Meng Jinyue’s eight-month pregnant belly, her eyes filled with jealousy and hatred.
“Elder Sister,” Meng Jinyue called timidly.
“It’s been eight months already.”
Meng Jinyue felt inexplicably afraid, cradling her belly and shrinking back.
“Then it’s time for you to die.”
Meng Jinhua’s voice was as pleasant and gentle as ever, but her words plunged Meng Jinyue into an icy abyss.
“Sister?”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
Meng Jinhua lifted the hem of her skirt and stroked her swollen belly.
“Blame yourself. Blame yourself for having such a face. Blame yourself for being so wanton, so seductive even while pregnant.”
Pregnancy had not made Meng Jinyue appear haggard; instead, it had added a touch of allure and delicate fragility.
Only her belly had grown large, while her waist remained slender and unswollen. The rest of her body was even more delicate, and from behind, one couldn’t tell she was pregnant at all.
“Do you know, it’s not that I can’t bear children—it’s that the Crown Prince has never touched me! He refuses to touch me, refuses to touch any other woman in the residence, yet he only wants you.”
Meng Jinyue froze, her lips trembling. “But… but that day, it was you and Father who drugged me. It was you who sent me to the Crown Prince’s bed.”
“Father said that as long as I bore a child for you, he would release my mother and let us leave the capital.”
Meng Jinhua let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“It was just a twist of fate. It was A Rong, my foolish younger sister, who originally wanted to send you to Prince An’s residence, to make you suffer a fate worse than death, to be humiliated by Prince An.”
“After all, Prince An loves women like you—lowly and delicate.”
“But of all places, you had to come to the Crown Prince’s residence! And now you’re even pregnant!”
Meng Jinhua stared fixedly at Meng Jinyue’s belly, as if it were proof of her own humiliation.
She could imagine how her cold, distant husband must have doted on Meng Jinyue in bed, indulging in her body.
Every time she thought of this, her hatred for Meng Jinyue deepened.
“Elder Sister, don’t waste words on her. We finally managed to capture her—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
“Now that His Highness is away, and she’s forced to return to the Meng residence, we must act quickly. Let’s just cut open her belly.”
Meng Jinyue struggled, trying to escape, but her heavy body made it impossible.
A piercing scream echoed through the courtyard… In her daze, she saw her mother and her newborn child thrown into a dog cage…
“Young Miss.”
“Young Miss, wake up.”
Meng Jinyue awoke from the nightmare, her rapidly beating heart gradually calming as she looked at the familiar maid before her.
The maid, Qiu Ning, lovingly wiped the fine sweat from Meng Jinyue’s forehead with a handkerchief. “Young Miss, should we call for another physician?”
“No need.” Meng Jinyue covered her belly, shaking her head listlessly.
She knew this was a sickness of the heart. Though it was all in the past, the experience of her death lingered, the pain etched into her very soul.
“Qiu Ning, help me dress. Today, I must attend the banquet at the Xie residence.”
Meng Jinyue had been reborn because she had struck a deal with a voice.
This voice had sent her back three years and told her she had only three years left.
In her previous life, she had died at eighteen, and this life would be no different.
But if she successfully won over the male lead and the second male lead, then three years later, after her original body died, she could continue living and even obtain a healthier, more perfect body.
Meng Jinyue didn’t fully understand at first, but later learned that the so-called male lead and second male lead were the Crown Prince and Xie Yunye.
Her primary target was the Crown Prince, while Xie Yunye was secondary. Success with the Crown Prince would determine whether she could live, while Xie Yunye would affect her future health.
Meng Jinyue agreed without hesitation.
Of course, she knew what choice to make.
If she refused, she would die immediately.
But if she agreed, she would at least have three more years to live—three years enough to accomplish many things.
There was even a chance she could live longer.
Moreover, what the voice asked of her aligned perfectly with her desire for revenge, giving her even less reason to refuse.
“Young Miss is truly beautiful.”
Qiu Ning cupped her face, gazing at Meng Jinyue with a dazed, infatuated look.
Even though she had seen her mistress many times before, she still couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Meng Jinyue touched her face, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “Qiu Ning, I used to dislike this face, but now I feel grateful for it.”
“From now on, I’ll listen to you and take good care of my appearance.”
Qiu Ning was overjoyed. “Really, Young Miss? You’ve finally come to your senses!”
Qiu Ning loved beautiful women—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her eyes sparkled at the sight of them.
She also enjoyed studying skincare and beauty treatments.
“This servant has recently developed many fragrant ointments for the face and body. They work wonderfully. Would Young Miss like to try them every day from now on?”
“Mm.”
Most men in this world are fickle and shallow. With this face, she thought, snatching her two former brothers-in-law in this life should go smoothly.
In her past life, she had no control over her fate. Despite having no intention of seducing anyone, she was still labeled a fox spirit and a wanton woman by her legitimate sisters.
So in this lifetime, she would become a true fox spirit.
Her eldest sister, Meng Jinhua, admired the Crown Prince and craved power.
Her second sister, Meng Jinrong, had only romance and love in her mind, infatuated with Xie Yunye.
Any man they liked, she would steal.
Anything they desired, she would take away.
She wanted revenge. In this lifetime, she would never let them have it easy.
“Who is there?”
Today, the Xie family was hosting a flower-viewing banquet. Since the Meng and Xie families were to form a marriage alliance, Meng Jinyue had accompanied her legitimate mother to attend.
At the same time, she also saw a progress bar above Xie Yunye’s head, displaying zero.
Xie Yunye’s face was cold as he angrily shouted toward the rockery, “Come out!”
Meng Jinyue pretended to be startled and walked out fearfully.
Xie Yunye and the Crown Prince had been close friends since childhood, their relationship deep and strong.
In her past life, before Xie Yunye went off to war, he entrusted her second sister, Meng Jinrong, to the Crown Prince’s care.
Now, she wanted to replace Meng Jinrong and be the one entrusted by Xie Yunye to the Crown Prince in the future.
This would naturally give her the opportunity to get close to the Crown Prince without having to wait two more years.
“Which family’s young lady are you? Why were you hiding behind the rockery?”
The young lady slightly lowered her head, so Xie Yunye couldn’t see her face, but he could catch a glimpse of her fair, luminous ears.
Under the sunlight, they seemed to glow.
“I… I… Second Brother-in-law, I got lost. I’m from the Meng family.”
“I wasn’t hiding on purpose. I just saw someone suddenly approach and felt scared.”
“Second Brother-in-law, could you have someone take me to the front hall?”
She kept her head down, and from her tearful voice, Xie Yunye could hear her nervousness and fear.
She called him brother-in-law, so Xie Yunye naturally understood her identity.
The Meng family had three young ladies. The second young lady was about to be betrothed to him.
The eldest young lady aimed for the position of Crown Princess.
The only one who would call him brother-in-law was the third young lady, the illegitimate daughter of the family.
“Your sister is in the front. I’ll have someone take you there.”
Due to their impending familial ties, Xie Yunye’s voice was much gentler than usual.
“Th-thank you, Second Brother-in-law.”
Meng Jinyue raised her head and looked at him gratefully, her voice filled with joy.
Xie Yunye finally got a clear look at her appearance.
The young lady before him had a graceful figure, dressed in a pale green Flowing Mist Skirt, elegant and enchanting.
Under the sunlight, her snow-white skin seemed to radiate light, so fair it looked as if milk could be squeezed from it. Her lips were cherry-red, and her bright, watery eyes held a tender affection.
At this moment, she gazed at him timidly and pitifully with those luminous eyes.
Xie Yunye unconsciously froze.
Before meeting Meng Jinyue, Xie Yunye had already heard about this illegitimate third young lady from the Meng family’s second young lady.
His soon-to-be-betrothed fiancée had more than once disparaged this illegitimate sister, describing her as seemingly innocent and gentle on the surface but actually scheming, frivolous in behavior, and solely focused on climbing the social ladder.
But today, upon seeing Meng Jinyue and such a pure, breathtakingly beautiful face, Xie Yunye couldn’t connect the person before him with the one described by his fiancée.
The person before him was dressed plainly, her attire extremely simple. Women of the time often applied a layer of powder to their faces when dressing up, but Xie Yunye saw no trace of any powder on her face.
Clean, fresh, and unadorned, yet her face was still more stunning than any woman he had ever seen.
“Sec… Second Young Master Xie.”
As if realizing her address was inappropriate, she hurriedly corrected herself, “I… I want to return to the front hall quickly.”
Her voice was soft, like a mosquito’s hum, yet it still snapped Xie Yunye out of his thoughts.
“Mhm, let’s go.”
He felt somewhat uneasy, realizing how rude he had been to stare at a woman like that, and quickly averted his gaze.
Once he stopped staring at her, the woman behind him seemed to let out a heavy sigh, no longer as tense as before.
Xie Yunye was tall, over nine chi in height, and his strides were naturally long.
Meng Jinyue, on the other hand, was petite and delicate, only reaching his chest, so she walked much slower.
To keep up with Xie Yunye, she had to quicken her pace, even breaking into a small run, but she tripped over her skirt and was about to fall.
“Ah!”
“Careful.”
Xie Yunye reacted swiftly, catching her in his arms.
The man was exceptionally tall and sturdy, like an impenetrable black wall, completely shielding the petite Meng Jinyue in his embrace.
“Thank… thank you, Young Master Xie.”
They stood extremely close, his robust masculine presence enveloping her. Meng Jinyue’s ears flushed crimson, and Xie Yunye felt equally unsettled.
“It’s nothing.”
Once he helped her steady herself, Xie Yunye quickly released her.
But after letting go, an inexplicable feeling stirred within him… He had never touched a woman before.
Today was the first time he realized how delicate women could be. Holding her felt like embracing a cloud of cotton.
The skin of her palm was also incredibly soft and tender, warm and smooth like mutton-fat jade. Even her fingertips carried a faint, fresh fragrance.
In contrast, he had practiced martial arts since childhood and spent years on the frontier. Over time, his hands had grown rough, with large knuckles and calloused palms.
For some reason, Xie Yunye felt a twinge of inadequacy in her presence.
“I was walking too fast and forgot to consider that you’re a woman. There’s no need to apologize—it wasn’t your fault.”
Xie Yunye quickly took a few steps back, and Meng Jinyue did the same.
The Second Young Lady of the Meng family had said that her half-sister had ill intentions, but Xie Yunye couldn’t imagine such a timid and delicate woman capable of anything improper.
Throughout their interaction today, she had been exceedingly proper, maintaining her distance and never overstepping.
Just as he was thinking this, something suddenly occurred to him.
“Third Young Lady, where is your maid?”
Xie Yunye’s deep eyes were no longer gentle.
For the first time, he scrutinized her sharply, his gaze turning cold.
Noble young ladies always had personal maids by their side. Even though she was a concubine-born daughter, the Meng family would never have sent her out without an attendant.
At this thought, Xie Yunye’s eyes grew icy.