She rambled on endlessly, crawling on her knees on the bed, letting strands of her black hair slip onto the bedding. Her skirt draped under the dim yellow light, outlining the delicate curve of her hips. Thinking of getting off the bed, her knees pushed backward forcefully, inadvertently raising her posture without realizing it.
Crack!
"Ah! Why did you hit me? Why did you hit me… there?!"
Yin Tingxue, her face as red as blood, clutched the back of her body, looking at Chen Yi with grievance.
Chen Yi rubbed his hands thoughtfully. How could it be that this enemy, who once severed his meridians and annihilated his family, turned out to be this pitiful and alluring?
She was afraid of him, deeply afraid. Those relentless, rambling words of persuasion contained only shame and fear.
Chen Yi leaned closer, lying down on the bed, speaking coldly:
"Sleep. Enough talking."
As he finished, Chen Yi pulled her into an embrace.
"You, you…"
Yin Tingxue was held tightly, filled with panic and embarrassment. Her eyes reddened with anger, carrying grievances and resentment. She struggled, shrinking toward the innermost edge of the bed.
Chen Yi felt the fear-driven struggle of the girl but held her even closer.
Seeing her continue resisting, Chen Yi spoke menacingly:
"You can keep shrinking inside. But if I find you unfit to be a proper concubine, you know what I'll do."
Yin Tingxue froze for a moment, reluctantly glancing at Chen Yi with pitiful eyes. She let out a subdued whimper and, under his direction, tremblingly leaned toward his chest.
She murmured with grievance, "Please don't… I'll behave."
Listening to her naïve and awkward words of submission, Chen Yi held her affectionately, intending to say something gentle but eventually refrained.
She trembled uneasily, her reddened eyes silently shedding tears, resembling a river of stars in the night sky.
Chen Yi tightened his embrace, and she gradually yielded, pressing her forehead against his chest. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep in her grievance.
The memory of having his meridians severed that day still induced a faint phantom pain in Chen Yi.
Even so, gazing at the sleeping face of his enemy with furrowed brows, Chen Yi extended a hand to smooth them out.
......…
Eastern Factory.
In the tea room, a figure draped in a crimson python robe sat calmly at the table. With measured grace, he lifted a tea bowl, its emerald-green buds faintly rising, the aroma of the tea wafting all around.
"This Bi Bo Longjing truly lives up to its reputation."
With his lips slightly parted, Xue Youge, the eunuch who served as the head of the Eastern Factory, took a gentle sip of the tea.
The window was half open. From here, one could see the bustling street view in the distance. The Eastern Factory was located outside the imperial palace, along the avenue leading to the East Prosperity Gate of the palace. Nearby, next to the East Prosperity Gate, lay the headquarters of the West Factory.
Though the West Factory was closer to the palace than the Eastern Factory, both were situated around the East Prosperity Gate.
"Supervisor, not a single person from that Divine Sect group boarded the ship."
Li Baihu, bowing his head, reported solemnly.
In his sharp, elongated voice characteristic of a eunuch, Xue Youge replied with calm deliberation:
"Noted."
Li Baihu further added:
"Supervisor, that West Factory Baihu, Chen Zunming, suddenly turned hostile. All sixteen heads rolled on the ground—without leaving a single survivor."
As he spoke, beads of sweat began forming on Li Baihu's forehead.
Xue Youge furrowed his brows slightly, puzzled, and said:
"That Baihu Chen… Wasn't the Divine Sect supposed to have taken care of him beforehand?"
"He's infamous for greed and corruption, entirely self-serving. Why would he suddenly become… so incorruptibly righteous this time?"
In a hushed voice, Li Baihu speculated:
"Supervisor, could it be… they didn't offer enough money? A dispute arose, and in a fit of rage, he drew his blade and killed them?"
Narrowing his eyes, Xue Youge remarked:
"It's possible.
However, it's necessary to remind him appropriately."
Li Baihu immediately understood and said:
"Supervisor, are you planning to… impeach him?
I've heard that he recently took a maid from the Prince Mansion.
Though he is under Minister Lin's protection."
Despite Li Baihu's slight apprehension, Xue Youge responded with a dismissive smile.
"Have you forgotten? I am also under Minister Lin's protection. Why would I need to hesitate?"
With a faint tone, Xue Youge added:
"Tomorrow, I'll enter the palace."
"The West Factory has been established for how many years? Just three brief years.
For a mere Baihu to think about disrupting the order of the Eastern Factory? We'll remind him once—let him understand that if the Eastern Factory truly wanted to crush him, it wouldn't take much effort at all."