Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

thump -- thump -- thump --

"Ah...Grandmother...Father...Mother...it hurts so much."

Xiao Qingyin's mournful and shrill cries echoed throughout the study of Jing'an Studio, accompanied by the sound of the old lady striking with her dragon-headed cane.

Her tender back had already turned blood red, but the old lady still didn't stop.

Xiao Qishan couldn't bear to see his daughter suffer, and pleaded, "Mother, I know I was wrong, please forgive her."

Madam Shen chimed in from the side, "Mother, please forgive her. I was the one who said I wanted the phoenix crown. Don't blame the child!"

Xiao Qingyin was covered in blood and sweat after being beaten. After hearing Xiao Qishan and Shen plead for her, Liu hit her even harder. "She deserved to be beaten. Why didn't you teach her a lesson sooner? Are you only satisfied when she has killed the entire Duke's Mansion?"

After a thorough beating, the old lady finally put down her heavy dragon-headed cane.

"Xiao Qingyin, I'll teach you this lesson for now. If you overstep your bounds again in the future, I won't show you any mercy. I'll beat you to death."

Then she turned to Xiao Qishan and said, "Qishan, I'll give you one day. Send Fengyi's dowry to Changyi Courtyard. Granny, let's go!"

"Mother……"

The old lady's words carried an undeniable air of authority, causing Xiao Qishan to swallow all the things he was about to say.

The dying Xiao Qingyin, supported by her father and mother, weakly got up. Her eyes were already swollen from crying. She looked at the departing old lady and nanny with teary eyes. Her small white fists clenched, and the bloodstains at the corners of her mouth were less resentful than the bloodstains at the corners of her eyes.

Her body, limp and weak, was held in her parents' arms, tears glistening in her eyes. "Father, Mother, why doesn't Grandmother like me? Why did she hit me?"

After being questioned further, Xiao Qingyin fainted.

When the old lady and the nanny heard her question, the nanny sighed and said, "This second young lady is really something. She still doesn't understand why the old lady hit her?"

"Hmph, incorrigible! She took that beating for nothing." The old lady slammed her dragon-headed cane on the floor a few times and continued, "This child is hopelessly unruly. I don't want to deal with this granddaughter anymore. I could tell from the last time she poisoned me that she's a fool!"

The old lady was absolutely right; the second young lady was a complete fool.

She never considered that the old lady's position in the court was the greatest protection and reliance, and what benefit would killing the old lady bring to her or the Xiao family.

"Alright, let's not talk about her anymore, let's go back."

The old lady flicked her robe and walked back to the Changyi Courtyard.

In the Qingya Courtyard at night, Xiao Fengyi had already finished bathing, and had taken off her phoenix coronet and wedding robes, which she had had the maids put away.

Xuan Hua, holding her nightgown, asked her as she was drinking tea, "Miss, would you like to retire for the night?"

Xiao Fengyi, dressed in a white jacket and long skirt, with her hair loose, gazed at the silent night. The person she was waiting for still hadn't arrived. She didn't know if Yue Qi hadn't informed her or if Feng Xingye was unwilling to come to the Xiao residence.

She said to Xuanhua, "Just leave your bed clothes here, go to sleep first."

Xuan Hua vaguely guessed who her young mistress was waiting for, and wisely placed the clothes by the bedside before leaving.

The moon shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew. As Xiao Fengyi sat by the bed combing her half-dry long hair, the man she was waiting for finally arrived.

Dressed in black, Feng Xingye, like a night owl, walked behind Xiao Fengyi and helped her comb her hair. "What do you want from me?"

When Xiao Fengyi first heard Feng Xingye's voice, she didn't react and flinched.

She was about to bow slightly when the man stopped her, saying, "No need for formalities."

"Ow."

After a while, Xiao Fengyi realized why Feng Xingye didn't let her bow: the man was helping her with her hair and it was inconvenient for her to turn around.

How could we allow His Highness Prince Zhao to do such a thing?

After realizing this, Xiao Fengyi whispered, "Your Highness Prince Zhao, you don't need to help me dry my hair, I can do it myself!"

The man replied, "We've already started, it wouldn't be good to give up halfway."

Xiao Fengyi realized that Feng Xingye was a man of principle, even when doing such a small thing, he didn't like to give up halfway. No wonder he could become the commander-in-chief of the three armies who won many battles.

After wringing out her hair, Xiao Fengyi, a member of the Fengxing Wild Gang, sat down at the table and wiped her long, clean fingers. The red embroidered tablecloth and her black clothes created a strong contrast.

A moment later, Xiao Fengyi, dressed in white, brought a cup of green apricot tea to Feng Xingye's side. "Your Highness, please have some tea."

The man nodded, picked up his teacup, and asked, "Yue Qi said... you have something to say to me, is it about the detoxification process?"

The man's tone was joking, leaving Xiao Fengyi unsure how to explain that she had summoned him not to cure the poison, but for the betrothal gifts.

"actually……"

Seeing her stammering, Feng Xingye placed the untouched teacup back on the table. "Why... is the treatment for poison so difficult to talk about? Could it be... that my poison... is incurable?"

"Your Highness, that's not what I meant. Your illness can be cured simply by receiving the acupuncture and medication as before." Feng Xingye's illness was treated by a divine physician, and the prescription was also written by a divine physician. How could it not be cured?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fengyi immediately offered an explanation.

This explanation gave Feng Xingye leverage: "If my illness can be cured using the previous method, why did you have Yue Qi lure me here? Today isn't the day for acupuncture; what is your purpose in tricking me into coming here?"

When Feng Xingye spoke, his eyes lingered on her, making her very uncomfortable.

Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer and had to give the man a reasonable explanation, Xiao Fengyi bowed and revealed her true intentions: "Your Highness, actually, my daughter asked Yue Qi to inform you to come to the Xiao residence not for the treatment, but as a pretext, because she was afraid you wouldn't come."

The man tapped his fingertips on the table covered with red silk. "Get up and tell me exactly why you came to see me."

Xiao Fengyi stood up, looked through the window at the storeroom where the betrothal gifts were stored, and said seriously, "I called you here because of the betrothal gifts."

"bride price?"

With his high brows furrowed, Feng Xingye wondered what the problem was with the betrothal gifts.

The woman noticed the confusion in the man's eyes and, without beating around the bush, asked directly, "I heard from Guard Yue Qi that the betrothal gifts included many spoils of war that you plundered during your battles?"

Feng Xingye quickly noticed the awkward expression on her face when she talked about the spoils.

Does this woman dislike things she's stolen?

Having realized this, Feng Xingye decided not to explain for now, but to test the woman first before saying anything else.

"You don't like it?" Feng Xingye picked up the teacup again, but this time, unlike before, he took a small sip.

Xiao Fengyi took a deep breath. "Yes, I don't like things that I take from others. They belong to others and don't belong to me. What I want is something that belongs completely to me."

Having lived two lives, she believes she understands herself better and dislikes things that others have used.