You cause trouble and I collect your body, the little emperor’s aunt abuses the scumbag again

Inside the bedchamber, the sweet, cloying fragrance of acacia wood burned all night, becoming exceptionally murky when mixed with the smell of alcohol.

Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, stinging Ji Yongyan's eyelids.

His head was about to explode. He propped himself up on his arms and sat up. The brocade quilt slipped off his body, revealing his bare chest.

A hangover-like feeling rose in my throat.

He looked around; the bed was in disarray, and the air was filled with unfamiliar smells.

His movements startled the person beside him.

Shangguan Yun'er let out a soft moan, rubbed her eyes, and slowly sat up, her nightgown half-undone, revealing her rounded shoulders.

Ji Yongyan's mind went blank for a moment.

His gaze shifted downwards.

On the pristine white sheets, a striking crimson stain, like a poisonous flower blooming in the snow.

Fragments of last night's memories flooded my mind.

Lin Daxiong's grief-stricken face...

Two lives lost...

He drank himself into a stupor...

And then...this sweet fragrance...it's a woman's body...

What did he do?

He actually...

Before Ya Ya's seven-day mourning period had even passed, after he had personally killed his wife and children, he encountered the daughter of the Shangguan family!

"vomit--"

Overwhelmed by a wave of nausea, Ji Yongyan abruptly threw off the covers and, without even putting on his shoes, stumbled and rushed toward the bathroom.

He leaned over the chamber pot, retching violently, almost vomiting bile.

My stomach was empty, but I couldn't get rid of that filthy feeling that emanated from my very bones.

"Your Highness..."

Shangguan Yun'er, wearing an outer robe, followed along delicately, her face showing concern and shyness.

"roll!"

Ji Yongyan roared, grabbed a ladle, scooped up a bucket of well water, and poured it over his head.

The icy water made him shiver and also made him realize just how dirty he was.

He picked up a bath towel and frantically scrubbed his body until his skin quickly turned red and even bled.

He felt utterly filthy, inside and out. He had betrayed Ya Ya and no longer had the right to even remember her.

Shangguan Yun'er stood at the door watching him hurt himself, and the concern on her face slowly faded.

She retreated to her bedchamber, the door closing behind her. She opened her eyes on the bed, her expression cold.

Ji Yongyan was indeed drugged last night, but even when he was out of control, he was still calling out "Ya Ya".

He struggled in bed, resisting her approach, and finally, under the influence of the drugs, he lost control and pushed her away.

The back of her head hit the carved headboard, the pain causing her vision to go black, and he, exhausted, also fainted.

Nothing happened at all.

As for the fallen blood, Shangguan Yun'er raised her hand, looked at her fingertips that had been pricked by needles, and smiled viciously.

Men are unreliable; she can only rely on herself. She cannot allow the Shangguan family and the people of the capital to laugh at her, the Crown Princess.

As she listened to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, the smile on her face grew colder and colder.

"Ji Yongyan, do you love that dead man that much?"

"So much love that you'd rather hurt yourself than touch me?"

"very good."

The door to the washroom opened again, and Ji Yongyan was already dressed neatly in casual clothes, his hair still dripping wet.

He reverted to his princely demeanor, even colder than before, and didn't even glance at Shangguan Yun'er on the bed.

"What happened last night was my fault."

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

"I will not deprive you of any of the dignity that a Crown Princess should have."

Shangguan Yun'er gripped the corner of the blanket and sat up. The blanket slipped off, revealing the marks on her neck.

She pinched those out herself.

"Your Highness..."

She spoke timidly, her voice carrying a mixture of grievance and hidden smugness.

Ji Yongyan reacted; he turned his head and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"But, that's all."

His words were cold.

"You can't have my heart."

After saying that, he strode outside.

"Your Highness!"

Shangguan Yun'er called out to him unwillingly, but Ji Yongyan stopped in his tracks without turning around, leaving her with only a cold and hard back view.

"From this day forward, without my summons, you are not to step into the study."

"And another thing," he said in a low, warning voice, "keep your people in check. Don't ask questions you shouldn't, or don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our marriage."

He was referring to Lin Daxiong and Meng Siya, because he was afraid she would disturb Ya Ya's rest.

The palace door slammed shut, sending dust flying from the beams. Shangguan Yun'er sat alone on the disheveled bed, all traces of her former gentleness and grievance vanishing from her face.

She gripped the corner of the blanket, her fingernails snapping and digging into her palm, sending a sharp pain through her.

She opened her hand and looked at the bloodstains on her palm, then suddenly chuckled softly.

Her hatred took a new direction; before, she hated Ya Ya, whom she had never met but who had captured her husband's heart.

Now, she hates Ji Yongyan, who would rather stay with a dead man than respect her.

How can a dead man argue with me?

"Ji Yongyan, you wait."

"I will make you kneel at my feet willingly."

……

South of the city, the Meng family courtyard.

As dawn broke, Meng Siya woke up.

She fed Sui Sui, changed his diaper, and coaxed him to sleep before going into the yard, where her mute cousin was drawing water from the well.

"Cousin."

Meng Siya spoke, and her mute cousin put down the bucket and looked at her.

"How's the shop I asked you to look at yesterday?"

The mute cousin picked up a branch from the ground, drew a sketch on the mud, and wrote a few words.

The shop is small, with two floors, located in an alley in the West Market, not far from the main street, making it a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle.

It used to be a calligraphy and painting shop, but business was bad and they were in a hurry to sell it.

Meng Siya looked at the picture on the ground and nodded.

"That's it."

She took out the silver note that Manager Wang had given her from her sleeve, and handed half of it over.

"I'll go buy it today and put my name on it."

"Lady Meng".

She added a sentence.

The mute cousin took the silver note, hesitated for a moment, and then wrote on the ground: Not enough money.

Opening a rouge shop isn't enough; you need money for everything: purchasing goods, hiring staff, and cultivating relationships.

"I'll figure out the money problem."

Meng Siya looked towards the alley entrance, her gaze falling on the bustling Zhuque Street in the distance.

"You just go and take care of your business."

The rouge she was making didn't require any supplies; all she needed were common flowers, herbs, oils, and a few quick-witted women.

The prescriptions in her mind are the most valuable thing.

The mute cousin didn't ask any more questions, put away the silver notes, and turned to leave the courtyard.

Meng Siya stood in the courtyard, the morning breeze ruffling her hair.

She thought that Lin Daxiong had already returned to the East Palace and had also informed Ji Yongyan of her death.

What is his expression now? Is it pain, or relief?

Meng Siya placed her hand on her lower abdomen, where the wound was still throbbing.

Ji Yongyan, this is just the beginning.