CHAPTER 558: CHAPTER 557: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO ANYWHERE EXCEPT BY MY SIDE

"You, leave now." Xiao Pingfeng pushed the nanny away.

Reluctantly, the nanny looked back three times with every step she took, her eyes full of worry for the future. When her gaze fell upon Yan Wanqing, she suddenly realized that Yan Wanqing was also looking at her.

Those peach blossom-like eyes were cold and piercing, as if stripping her bare and throwing her into a pool in the dead of winter, chilling her to the bone.

It felt as if everything she did was transparent in front of this person.

Not only had Yan Wanqing returned, but she had also become even more formidable.

The nanny dared not linger any longer and left straightaway, closing the curtains behind her.

The wind and rain could no longer drift in.

Xiao Pingfeng let out a heavy sigh, "She’s gone; you can put that down now."

Yan Wanqing tossed the candlestick onto the ground, her feet were cold, but she had no intention of putting on her shoes completely.

Walking on the ground inside the tent, sand and stones from outside dirtied her feet, but she paid it no mind.

Seeing her walking towards the exit, Xiao Pingfeng could no longer contain himself and grabbed her arm abruptly, "Where are you going?"

"Leaving," Yan Wanqing stopped, looking at the distinct knuckles on the hand that was gripping her arm.

This hand had just grabbed the nanny in a similar manner.

Hiss... That was a bit disgusting.

"You want to leave me again?!" Xiao Pingfeng, hearing her desire to leave, felt his anger surge and the pressure in the tent drop, "Forget it, you are not allowed to go anywhere."

"The path of my life is for me to choose, just like when I followed you back to Capital City; now, I choose to leave this place, to leave your side," Yan Wanqing responded calmly, word by word, extending her icy hand and prying his fingers off one by one, "You can’t stop me."

"You married me and became my Empress; alive, you are a person of the Xiao Family, dead, you’d be a wandering ghost of the Xiao Family. Yan Wanqing, don’t even think about leaving my side!" Xiao Pingfeng’s eyes turned bloodshot, his dark pupils filled with obstinacy, "Because I forbid it, you are not allowed to go anywhere!"

"Don’t touch me with the hand you’ve used to touch others," Yan Wanqing stepped back when she saw him reaching out again, her eyes unable to hide her revulsion.

This feeling was just like back then, when she saw Qin Erya walking up the steps beside them, so disgusting she wanted to vomit her guts out.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Pingfeng let out a cold laugh, then grabbed her shoulders firmly, "You’re my woman, why can’t I touch you?"

As he spoke, he scooped her up and headed straight for the bed, "You’ve always sneered at my kindness; three years ago, you faked your death and vanished without a trace, and now you’ve finally returned to my side. Do you think I’ll let you leave? Yan Wanqing..." He dumped her heavily onto the bed, then pressed down on her, his voice icy cold, "Unless I am disgusted by you, even in death you can only be buried in our Xiao Family’s Imperial Mausoleum."

Yan Wanqing hadn’t struggled from the start.

It was pointless.

She just stared at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with calmness.

"Do you want to take by force like your father did?" She didn’t hide the scorn in her voice, "Or is it that you Xiao Family men all have that particular taste?"

"Yan Wanqing!" Xiao Pingfeng gritted his teeth, looking down at the woman beneath him whom he loved and hated.

Yan Wanqing curled her lips, "My dear, my ears aren’t deaf; you don’t need to shout!"

"Clueless," Xiao Pingfeng tore off his outer robe and then reached out to rip off Yan Wanqing’s, "No matter, soon enough you will be compliant."

Yan Wanqing knew what he wanted to do – it was just the same old tactics of a man.

She raised her hand to press his wrist. Though her shoulder blade ached unbearably from his rough movements pulling at her wound, she still smiled like a bewitching temptress.

"Don’t you mind what happened between me and Chu Qi?"

Xiao Pingfeng’s hand retracted as if instantly burned by fire, and he got off Yan Wanqing right away.

He stood beside the bed, looking down from a lofty height, his gaze filled with shock and disgust.

Without a second thought, he cursed out loud.

"...Whore!" Then he stormed out, his unique fragrance lingering in the air.

It was serene, it smelled good.

Yan Wanqing calmly straightened her body, covered her exposed shoulders, and then lifted the bedding to cover herself.

Her statement earned her the title of a harlot.

Without much thought, he sank their relationship into the filthiest and most despicable direction imaginable.

How ironic.

Yan Wanqing couldn’t help but cover her chest.

It was suffocating.

She had never felt so suffocated.

It felt as if the sky, heavy with clouds and on the verge of rain, was so densely packed that it left no room for air to pass through.

She couldn’t resist pressing down hard, pressing until the wounds started to split and ooze blood, pressing until the bloodstains seeped through the gauze and stained her thin undershirt.

The pain made the ache in her heart feel somewhat better.

Three years had passed.

Back then, out of necessity, she staged her own death, wishing for him to ascend to the throne smoothly, without any obstacles, to forever sit high upon the moon’s platform, forever as pure and bright as moonlight.

Even knowing Qin Jun had ill intentions, she still took every step cautiously, compromising and yielding in the face of their provocations, all because she loved him, and was therefore willing to indulge and compromise for his sake.

Qin Jun, with his insight into human nature, naturally knew which path she would choose.

Taking poison had serious side effects, especially since she had taken it during her postpartum confinement; hence, even after three years, she was still physically depleted, and on rainy or overcast days, her bones would hurt terribly. Such pain might accompany her for the rest of her life.

What she had once embraced like sweet candy, Yan Wanqing now could only question herself... was it really worth it?

For such a man who did not know how to cherish her, was it worth it?

It wasn’t worth it.

After the forced abdication in the palace, she could have wandered the world, free as a cloud or a wild crane, yet he tempted her with love, luring her back into the cage...

Yan Wanqing took a deep breath and clenched the bedding beneath her.

At that moment, footsteps approached from outside.

Without a second thought, Yan Wanqing spoke out, "Get out."

However, the footsteps outside the tent hesitated, showing no sign of leaving.

Suddenly, the curtain was lifted, and the nanny walked in, followed by a group of palace maids, each carrying buckets of hot water. Under the nanny’s direction, they disregarded anyone else and went straight into the inner chamber to pour the hot water into the bathtub.

"His Majesty has commanded us to ensure the Empress is washed clean," the nanny said, emphasizing the words "washed clean" with a vague implication.

Yan Wanqing stared at her coldly, "Can’t you understand human speech?"

The nanny gracefully curled the corners of her mouth, signaling to the palace maids to come forward. "Taking a hot bath on a rainy day can be quite comfortable, Your Highness should not misinterpret the Emperor’s intentions," she said.

The palace maids stood before Yan Wanqing, "Your Highness, please."

They did not recognize Yan Wanqing.

They were even more ignorant of her status.

Seeing the nanny addressing her as ’Your Highness,’ they assumed she was the Emperor’s new favorite who had just angered the Emperor, hence they believed that they needed to take extra care of her during the bath.

The candlesticks on the floor had already been tidied away.

Yan Wanqing laughed coldly, lifted her bedding, and stood barefoot on the ground, "Is Xiao Pingfeng sending you to your deaths?"

"We servants hold very cheap lives, but before laying a hand on us, Your Highness should consider that your uncle is still in His Majesty’s hands," the nanny strikingly stood her ground. She walked up to Yan Wanqing, "Your Highness, please, the water will get cold soon."