Nan Zhiyun closed her eyes. Both Yu Jingchen's actions and his words were enough to make her despair.
The memory of the first time was still vivid. Nan Zhiyun dared not imagine what the outcome would be if she experienced it again. She... could not bear it. But how could she escape the current situation? Yu Jingchen would never let her go.
Perhaps feeling there was no hope, Nan Zhiyun steeled her heart and bit her tongue. Yu Jingchen sensed something was wrong. Seeing blood ooze from the corner of her mouth, Yu Jingchen was first shocked, and then his rage reached its peak.
Yu Jingchen pinched Nan Zhiyun's mouth, forcing it open. As expected, she was trying to bite her tongue to commit suicide? Hmph, that was indeed clever!
"Nan Zhiyun, do you think this is enough? You were the one who provoked me, and now you can't take it? Biting your tongue to commit suicide, you actually thought of that. Until I permit you to die, you don't even deserve to die!" With that, Yu Jingchen directly picked up a handkerchief from beside him and stuffed it into Nan Zhiyun's mouth, then roughly flung her. Nan Zhiyun crashed against the edge of the bed and slumped onto it like a pile of rags.
Why... why did she have to live again? Why was heaven so cruel to her? Why didn't it let her die? Why did she have to be reborn at this time?! Why! Tears had already smudged Nan Zhiyun's makeup. At this moment, she was like someone trapped in a land of despair, unable to break free no matter how she struggled.
Was this the price? Was this the price of her own wishful thinking? She truly regretted it... Heaven, I beg you, let me die... I don't need another chance to start over...
"Self-inflicted death by a concubine is a grave offense. You wouldn't want your father to be implicated and buried with you, would you?" Yu Jingchen bent down and grasped her chin.
That's right... suicide was a grave offense. Nan Zhiyun was indeed threatened. Yu Jingchen had always been a man of his word; he could definitely do what he said. Moreover, he was already wary of her father. If he caught any handle on her, he would not let her go, nor would he let her father go...
Why was heaven so cruel? What had she done wrong? If liking him was a sin, could she then, now and for all eternity, never be involved with him again? Heaven, let me die... I don't need a chance to be reborn... Nan Zhiyun felt desolate in her heart. Who could save her? Who could help her let her die?
When Yu Jingchen saw Nan Zhiyun like this, he felt as though she had completely lost all hope. He recalled her saying she regretted it and wanted to leave the palace... Why? Did she think she could come and go as she pleased? Absolutely not, absolutely not! Since Nan Zhiyun had come, she could only be tormented by him for the rest of her life!
"Don't you have dignity? Then today, I will see how much dignity you have left?" Yu Jingchen seemed to have gone mad. Nan Zhiyun listened to his words, her heart filled with fear, but she could do nothing.
"If you are injured, you must be treated properly. Guards, summon the imperial physician!" Yu Jingchen seemed to have thought of something amusing again. Nan Zhiyun didn't know what he intended to do.
Before long, the imperial physician arrived. However, Nan Zhiyun was now naked, how could she face anyone? The marks on her body... Nan Zhiyun pleaded silently. But Yu Jingchen clearly intended to humiliate her, so he showed no mercy.
Yu Jingchen unceremoniously tore away the bed curtains and used them to tie Nan Zhiyun's hands and feet to the head and foot of the bed. Nan Zhiyun was bound naked on the bed.
"Let all the palace maids come in." Yu Jingchen issued a terrifying command.
Nan Zhiyun shook her head desperately, letting out whimpers. However, the more despairing her expression became, the more obvious the smile on Yu Jingchen's lips seemed. The palace maids who entered stood in several rows, all seeing Nan Zhiyun's current state. They lowered their heads.
But...
"All of you, lift your heads and look at her, your mistress, your mistress who is as lowly as it gets!" Yu Jingchen's words pierced Nan Zhiyun's heart. She no longer struggled.
Being stared at like this was worse than death for Nan Zhiyun. The imperial physician, under pressure, went to examine the wound in her mouth, but Nan Zhiyun did not want to open it at all.
"Nan Zhiyun, do not test my patience. If you dare to be so lowly again, the next time I summon won't be palace maids." Yu Jingchen was clearly coercing her. Nan Zhiyun's heart was full of pain. She did not dare anymore...
The imperial physician applied medicine to Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun turned her head away, unwilling to open her eyes or speak.
Qian Xia was naturally among them. Seeing Nan Zhiyun being humiliated like this, she knelt there, sobbing uncontrollably. She also wanted to stop it, but she lacked the ability. If she did something she shouldn't, she might end up causing trouble for her mistress.
But even though Qian Xia did nothing, Yu Jingchen did not let her off. Hearing the crying beside him, Yu Jingchen became annoyed. "You want to accompany your mistress? Fine, then accompany her. Guards, cut out her tongue." The "her" here naturally referred to Qian Xia.
Upon hearing this order, Nan Zhiyun finally reacted. She looked at Yu Jingchen, her eyes wide. Even though her tongue hurt terribly, she endured it and begged, "No... I beg you, please, please..."
Yu Jingchen looked at Nan Zhiyun. He lightly lifted her face with his finger. "Begging me?"
Nan Zhiyun nodded vigorously. "I was wrong... I was wrong, I beg you, don't, let her go... I'll never dare again..." Nan Zhiyun spoke intermittently, crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath.
"Heh, but what if I really want to cut out her tongue? You don't want your tongue anymore, do you? Then she can do without it too. Tell me, after I cut out her tongue, what if I have it cooked and fed to you?" Yu Jingchen became increasingly deranged.
Nan Zhiyun's face was filled with terror. No... she was bound, but the plea and fear in her eyes could not be hidden.
"I was wrong... I don't dare anymore... I don't dare anymore." Nan Zhiyun didn't know what she should do, and she couldn't do anything. All she could say were these pale and powerless words.
Yu Jingchen watched her grovel and beg before him. He couldn't articulate what he felt inside. Perhaps it was a sense of triumph... but why did he hesitate?
Yu Jingchen threw Nan Zhiyun aside and stood up. "I will not hold it against you this time. If there is a next time, I will definitely cut out their tongues and feed them to you myself. All of you, withdraw!" Yu Jingchen still seemed angry.
All the palace staff withdrew, and Qian Xia was also pulled away. Nan Zhiyun felt a sense of relief in her heart, but when she saw Yu Jingchen walking towards her again, her heart tensed up once more.
Especially when she saw him pick up the candlestick that had fallen on the ground, the fear in Nan Zhiyun's heart surged to the top again.
Yu Jingchen sat by the bed, his predatory gaze sweeping over her swaying figure, her entire body exposed.
"No..." Nan Zhiyun still wanted to dodge, but because she was bound, she couldn't.
Yu Jingchen said nothing. He simply used the candlestick in his hand to slowly slide it across Nan Zhiyun's skin, finally placing it near her lower body. Nan Zhiyun trembled all over, her stiff body daring not to move rashly, but she couldn't control her trembling.
"Does this feeling feel good?" Yu Jingchen's icy voice rang out.
"No... I beg you, I don't dare anymore... don't..." Nan Zhiyun could only utter these words.
"Afraid?" Yu Jingchen asked her.
Nan Zhiyun nodded. She was afraid.
"Heh, it's right to be afraid. If you weren't afraid, why would I treat you like this? You must be afraid. Only then will you remember, only then will you know what it means to be obedient..." Yu Jingchen placed the candlestick there. Nan Zhiyun kept trembling. She was afraid that the next moment, it would be like last time and enter her body.
"No matter who it is, I will tame them, and so will you. Nan Zhiyun, since you have already stepped into the gates of hell, you are not worthy of being human for the rest of your life. If you cannot bear to leave, I will turn you into something less than human, less than a ghost..." Every word Yu Jingchen spoke was the embodiment of cruelty. Nan Zhiyun didn't know how she had provoked such a devil. She had made a terrible mistake.
Yu Jingchen reached out. Nan Zhiyun flinched in fright, instinctively wanting to dodge. But Yu Jingchen paid no heed. He unbound Nan Zhiyun's wrists and ankles. Nan Zhiyun was freed but dared not relax in the slightest.
Yu Jingchen placed the candlestick between Nan Zhiyun's legs. He looked at Nan Zhiyun on the bed and said, "To help you remember, tonight, you will maintain this posture. If the candlestick moves even an inch, you can expect to experience this taste again." Yu Jingchen stood up. Nan Zhiyun was completely unclothed, and this posture was extremely humiliating, but there was nothing she could do.