An Ping woke to find the room filled with prisoners, all of them gazing at her with eager desire. She wanted to escape, but the doorway was already blocked.
"What are you doing? Don't come any closer..."
She could only retreat, but she was on the bed, with nowhere to flee.
"Don't come closer, she can only cry out 'Don't come closer'..."
She could only watch as the prisoners approached step by step, some already touching her clothes, her feet...
"Get lost, don't come any closer..."
Outside the door, a man seeing the scene could not help but curl his lips. This great gift, would His Highness be satisfied?
"Hua Li, aren't you going in? This is the rumored Prince Changping..." Brother Liu, who had a good relationship with him before, also secretly rubbed his hands and walked towards the room.
He smiled and said sheepishly, "No, my wife is a fierce one. If she knew, I'd probably be skinned alive."
Brother Liu chuckled, "If you don't say anything, how would she know?"
"She'd smell it."
Brother Liu twitched his mouth. Was Brother Hua's wife a dog? Her nose was that good?
"Brother Liu, hurry up and go in, or people will be here soon."
Hua Li urged him on.
One more person to serve His Highness, and he would be very satisfied.
An Ping was in despair. Seeing that someone was already leaning over her, in her struggle, she had already been slapped several times. When had she ever suffered such humiliation since childhood?
"I'm telling you, if you do this, I will kill you..." An Ping roared, her eyes red.
A man grabbed her, chuckling, "To die beneath the peonies is to be a romantic ghost."
"Ah..." She screamed, and when she felt her clothes no longer covering her body, she was completely desperate and gave up resisting.
Who would save her, who would save her...
Suddenly, the force pinning her down vanished. Through her blurry tears, she saw a figure in moon-white brocade robes, a man descending like a god.
This person, her unfocused gaze slowly gathered. She reached out, hoarsely calling, "Save me, please..."
When her gaze could clearly see this person, tears streamed down her cheeks. This person was Yan Zhao, the person she least wanted to be seen by at this moment.
"Don't... don't look at me... please..." She covered her face, frantically searching for something to cover her body.
But she found nothing.
"Where did Han Xichen go?"
His voice was exceptionally clear and cold.
Her whole body trembled. This time she saw clearly. His handsome and refined face was filled with ice, his eyes as dark as ink, and they exuded a bone-chilling coldness.
She couldn't help but tremble, but it was more the coldness from her heart.
She thought his first words would be about her, but they were about someone else.
"You..."
"Did Han Xichen go to the Zhaoping Shen family?"
Her tears surged. For a moment, besides shame and indignation, there was also anger in her heart. Why wasn't he here to care about her?
"Yan Zhao, if the first thing you said was to care about me, I would have told you everything. But you've hurt me too much, I won't tell you..." she roared.
"No need..."
She saw him glance at her indifferently and turn to leave.
She panicked, "Don't go, don't go, I'll tell you, I'll tell you..."
But he left without looking back.
Those people outside the door dared not approach, but seeing that this god-like man paid them no mind, not even a single glance, what were they afraid of? They surged forward.
An Ping was flustered, utterly flustered. She wanted to get out of bed to find him, but she was terrified by the wolf-like men at the door and collapsed to the ground.
"Xue Jingyun, I hate you..."
Screams, shrill and piercing, echoed from the room.
After a long time, a group of people rushed in and began slaughtering those who came out of the room.
"Your Highness, Prince Changping is inside."
A man walked in trembling. The room was a mess, and the young girl on the bed was half-dressed and filthy.
The man took off his cloak and draped it over her, his voice choked with sobs, "An Ping, your father is here to take you home."
"Kill... kill them..." An Ping bit her teeth hard, squeezing out each word from between them.
"Your father has already killed them. An Ping, go home with your father."
A spark of light finally appeared in An Ping's hollow eyes, but it was a light of hatred. "Father, I want Xue Jingyun to kneel and beg me later, I want to make him wish he were dead."
"Good, Father will make them all wish they were dead."
An Ping pushed away King An, "I can walk myself. I want to watch them suffer at my feet."
Saying this, she walked out step by step, her feet treading on corpses and blood.
Hua Li, watching all this from a distance, couldn't help but sigh, realizing that nothing was more venomous than a woman.
"Eldest Young Madam, keep pushing, you can see the end..." the midwife urged anxiously.
Eldest Young Madam Wei shook her head, "I can't do it anymore, I can't..."
Outside the door, Shen Yunlan paced nervously, and several times she tried to rush in but was stopped by Second Madam Shen.
"Mother, just let me go in and see Li He, okay?" Shen Yunlan pleaded with Second Madam Shen.
Second Madam Shen said, "Yunlan, Mother knows you're worried about Li He, but it's useless for you to go in. Li He needs to try herself."
"I can give her some strength by going in, I can cheer her on."
"No, since ancient times, no man has ever entered the birthing room. It would be bad for your future career." Second Madam Shen refused.
"Ah... Yunlan, where are you? Husband, where are you?" Wei Shi shouted from the room.
"Mother, please let me in, just a glimpse..."
"No." Second Madam Shen's attitude was firm.
"If you want to go in, then go in. Do you need anyone's permission? She is your wife, not someone else's wife." A cold voice came from behind.
Second Madam Shen turned and saw the person, frowning, "Why are you here? Who told you to come?"
"I come when I want. There is no place in this Shen family I cannot go." Xue Zining said lightly.
Second Madam Shen snorted, "The eldest branch takes in anyone, but I don't allow such people here. Hurry and leave before you dirty my second branch's ground."
"Second Aunt, the midwives were invited by Sister-in-law." Shen Yueyue stepped forward and said softly.
Second Madam Shen paused but did not appreciate it. "Even if it wasn't her, the midwives could still be invited."
"Second Aunt, Miss Ning An is still the nephew's wife, so please be polite." Shen Yunxuan stepped forward.
Second Madam Shen sneered, "Yunxuan, don't think everyone is a member of the Shen family, or you might suffer a loss?"
"Second Aunt..."
"It's fine. The mouth is on others. Let her say what she wants. I won't lose any flesh."
Xue Zining was unconcerned.
But Shen Yunxuan felt it was not acceptable. The Empress had helped the Shen family so much, this was a gift from the Shen family, how could she be insulted in any way? Suddenly, the door of the room was opened, and the midwife walked out with her hands covered in blood. Shen Yunlan quickly stepped forward, completely disregarding the blood on the midwife's hands, and anxiously asked, "How is Li He? How is she?"
The midwife shook her head, "Eldest Young Madam seems to be in a bad way. She's not trying, I'm afraid..."
"How can this be?" Second Madam Shen's legs went weak, and she stepped back in disbelief.
"Eldest Young Master Shen, why haven't you gone in? Do you want to regret it later?"