A-Sheng looked down at her, his dark eyes gleaming.
She caught the faint scent of wine on his breath and closed her eyes.
She lay before him in a vulnerable position. Nervous, her breathing quickened, her delicate nostrils flaring, her eyelashes trembling constantly. This reminded A-Sheng of when he first saw her at the Zhao residence.
When powerless to resist, she would act like a snail facing danger, eyes closed and withdrawn into its shell, seemingly at others’ mercy. But if anyone thought her truly weak and defensible, she would bare her sharp little teeth.
He disliked seeing her resign herself to fate with closed eyes. Deliberately loosening his grip on her, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “The Ji family rejected my goodwill. I spent all night thinking about how to exact revenge.”
His breath brushed against her like a feather, causing Ji Yingying’s ears to flush red. She could feel him drawing closer. The moment his lips grazed her ear, she suddenly turned her face and snapped at his neck.
A-Sheng moved faster than she expected, instantly releasing her and straightening up. He stood leaning against the bedpost, letting out an amused laugh.
He had drunk quite a bit while waiting for Second Master Yang at Tazi Mountain. Now, slightly tipsy, watching the angry Ji Yingying jump down from the bed reminded him of the tiger he’d raised. At one-month-old, it looked like a striped cat. When picked up by the scruff of its neck, it would only howl in anger.
He was furious that the Ji family had chosen to ally with the Yang family, tearing apart his carefully laid net. He had come to teach her a lesson. But somehow, it had turned into teasing. A-Sheng shook his head—perhaps he wasn’t sober yet?
He didn’t lower his voice, showing no fear of being overheard. After her burst of anger, Ji Yingying became terrified: “What have you done to my maids?”
“Just letting them sleep a while longer. However, if you want to scream… should anyone disturb me, I can’t guarantee I won’t kill them.”
Ji Yingying clenched her fists.
“Today I made a deal. I’m in a good mood. Thinking of leaving Yi Prefecture, I came specially to bid farewell.” A-Sheng sat down by the low table, casually taking out a pot from its warmer and pouring himself a cup of water.
If she had any fighting skills, she would beat him to death. Ji Yingying could only curse under her breath: “What a pity I didn’t put some poison or croton oil in there!”
A-Sheng laughed heartily: “Such a shame. And here I’ve been so merciful to the Ji family.”
Ji Yingying had heard the word “merciful” twice today. Once when A-Ning described Young Master Sheng, and now from his boasting.
She had never met someone so unreasonable. He had schemed against and harmed the Ji family in countless ways, yet acted as if he had done them a favor. Ji Yingying said sarcastically, “Merciful? Forcing people into massive debt, burning our dye house and destroying our dyes, shamelessly stealing other families’ secret formulas—and you dare call this mercy?”
Since ancient times, secret formulas had been craftsmen’s lifeblood. Stealing another’s secret formula meant making an enemy. How could Young Master Sheng act so righteous about it?
“It’s not just the Ji family. In three years, I’ve obtained the Tribute Yellow dye formula from Tian’s Silk Shop, Yu’s Pink Purple, and the Magnolia white from Zou’s Dye House… I only needed a few boxes of jewels to get them. Those jewels—they couldn’t earn enough in a lifetime to buy even one. Why not sell to me? Look, their dye houses are still operating, still selling their silk threads and fabrics. Why must the Ji family be so stubborn?” A-Sheng propped his chin up, looking at her while shaking his head and sighing softly. “I don’t want to kill. One needs to be alive to enjoy wealth and status. Your aunt died from her greed. Heaven didn’t help her. My people saw her boat hit a reef and sink in the Yangtze River. Who knew her maid would survive by swimming? To avoid being labeled a runaway slave, she voluntarily implicated your mother. I merely took advantage of the situation.”
He had collected secret formulas from so many dye houses. Ji Yingying was secretly shocked and grew more curious about his identity. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Since you have so much wealth to buy formulas, why fight over profits with small craftsmen like us? Even if my aunt’s accident was genuine, you lured her here with great wealth—you’re still the root cause. Our family lived peacefully until you brought my aunt here, leading us to buy raw silk to help her through difficulties. That’s what gave the Zhao family their opening, using those debt notes to pressure me.”
Speaking of this reminded Ji Yingying of that terrifying and shameful night. If Sang Shilang and General Niu’s men hadn’t called Zhao Xiuyuan away, that beast would have ruined her virtue.
“You’re an enemy who schemed against my family. Don’t think you can deceive me with sweet words,” Ji Yingying said coldly. “I admit you and your subordinates have martial skills, entering common people’s homes as if strolling through your garden. Kill us if you want—we’d rather die than give you the formula!”
“Is that so? With such backbone, why sell yourself to the Yang family?” That word “sell” was almost ground out between his teeth as A-Sheng looked at her sideways. A sick cat was no fun. He preferred seeing her angry and bristling.
Ji Yingying lifted her chin: “Because I want to, I like it, I’m willing! It’s none of your business—if you’re done talking, get out! You’re not welcome here! If you’re unhappy, just kill me—see if I’ll beg for mercy!”
Trying to tease her had earned him a scratch. Hearing the word “get out,” A-Sheng jumped up as if sitting on hot coals: “You dare tell This Prince to get out?”
He called himself “This Prince”? He was a prince? Ji Yingying felt scorched inside and out, smoke practically rising from her head. Breaking down doors like a county magistrate, destroying families like a prefect… offending a prince—would it mean the execution of nine generations of her family? The more she thought, the more frightened she became, her legs trembling.
This girl was—asking for trouble! Taking advantage of his tipsiness to deliberately provoke him, trying to probe his identity. Yet one sentence had frightened her into a daze. A-Sheng felt both angry and amused. He reached out and pulled her, causing her to stumble beside the low table.
He could see she was truly frightened. But her eyes were still darting around, clearly still scheming. A-Sheng gripped her face, making her look at him: “Come with me. Leave Yi Prefecture. I’ll take good care of your family.”
Ji Yingying’s mind couldn’t process this. What was he saying?
His fingers against her skin showed it to be ivory-white and delicate as soft tofu, seeming as if it would break at the slightest pressure. Her bewildered expression tempted him, and he lowered his head to capture her trembling lips.
“Slap!” Ji Yingying’s palm struck his face.
Her eyes were cold, flashing with hatred and contempt: “So what if you’re a prince? The Ji family isn’t afraid of death. A noble prince stooping to force craftsmen’s family secrets—aren’t you ashamed? Are you so poor you’ve lost all dignity?”
A-Sheng turned his face away, fearing that looking at her another moment would drive him to kill her. He sprang up and struck the window with his palm. The window frame shattered, and both wooden panels flew outward with a bang.
Ji Yingying clutched the bedpost in fear: “Still sneaking in through windows like a thief!”
Ignorant of death! Still sharp-tongued even when terrified. A-Sheng laughed at her audacity. Having vented his anger with that strike, he became calm: “Ji Yingying, remember this—disaster comes from one’s mouth. The Ji family wants to rely on the Yang family to deal with me, but haven’t you considered that the ones who most want to destroy the Ji family are the Zhao family, who are allied by marriage with Deputy Commander Niu? Can Colonel Shi match Deputy Commander Niu? Pity I won’t see this good show. Eventually, you’ll understand that rejecting me was a mistake.”
He leaped through the window, disappearing from Ji Yingying’s sight.
“That was terrifying.” Ji Yingying panted, turning to run out of the room. Young Master Sheng’s words carried too many implications. She couldn’t process it all at once. Her family had provoked a prince? Perhaps her mother could guess his identity. When she reached the outer courtyard, she hesitated. Her own heart was pounding, her legs weak from the revelation. Would the news that Young Master Sheng was a prince shock her mother and worsen her illness? Ji Yingying turned back and headed to the outer courtyard to find her brother Ji Yaoting instead.