Chapter 73: Innocence

As the grand wedding approaches, Yu Lingxi can’t contain her impatience. She wonders about Ning Yin’s thoughts. Could he be truly prepared to destroy everything alongside her? After all, for the madman, “destruction” could be considered a splendid destiny.

Seeing Yu Lingxi unusually anxious, Ning Yin, with a faint smile in his eyes, leans back in his chair and says, “It seems there’s not enough time for the wedding attire now.”

“Oh, so you also think there’s not enough time?” Yu Lingxi’s original intention was not really to demand the wedding attire; she was just waiting for this statement.

With a bright and delicate face, she says, “Since there’s not enough time for the attire, then please allow me, Your Highness, to take something from the palace as a dowry, just like when you left the Yu Mansion.”

Upon hearing the words “dowry,” Ning Yin squints his eyes slightly. “I want to take away Your Highness’s innocence,” Yu Lingxi says, pursing her lips.

Ning Yin’s hand, caressing a jade carving, pauses. He is surprised and asks, “Take away what?”

“Your Highness’s innocence,” Yu Lingxi repeats, earnest and clear.

This time, Ning Yin hears clearly. His eyes widen slightly, and for the first time, a clearly astonished expression appears on his face.

“After consummating with another man, I would naturally lose the qualification for the arranged marriage,” Yu Lingxi calmly sits across from him. “When things are exposed, I will say that Your Highness, the Benevolent Prince, is my secret lover. We can play the role of tragic lovebirds together.”

Ning Yin is caught off guard by her arrangement, and after a moment, he bursts into a short and deep laugh. The laughter causes the black fox fur on his cloak to tremble slightly.

He laughs until the corners of his eyes turn red, points to his leg with a carefree tone, and says, “Come and take it.”

Yu Lingxi stands up and unabashedly sits on his lap. Since there’s no turning back, she might as well make the gamble thorough.

Ning Yin’s well-shaped and sturdy legs feel the chill of the winter morning as she settles into his lap. Gradually, the frosty cold dissipates, leaving only the warm body temperature passing through the fabric, warming her entire body.

Yu Lingxi bites her lip, unties the cloak around Ning Yin’s neck, and then casually wraps her arms around it. She lifts her head and looks at him with clear eyes.

Ning Yin calmly observes her, picking up a strand of hair between his fingers, playing with it absentmindedly. The not-too-light, not-too-heavy touch sends a tingling sensation behind Yu Lingxi’s ear.

Holding Ning Yin’s face, she gazes at the tiny reflection of herself in his glossy eyes. Suddenly, she smiles, and her ink-lined eyelashes flutter like hooks, enticing.

First, she lightly kisses Ning Yin’s nose, then moves down, lightly brushing against his Adam’s apple like a dragonfly skimming the water. She deliberately ignores his eager lips. Ning Yin’s Adam’s apple moves, and his leisurely hand playing with her hair slows down.

This move always works.

As the warmth beneath her intensifies, Yu Lingxi’s cheeks gradually blush like the radiant hues of dawn. However, she continues to smile, exuding a clear sense of satisfaction, purposefully withdrawing her lips.

Ning Yin’s eyes darken, and he leans in.

In an instant, their positions are reversed.

The study’s door is wide open, with remnants of snow and bare branches outside, the green eaves and indigo tiles forming a picturesque scene. Servants may pass by at any moment, yet Yu Lingxi is oblivious. Her eyes are filled with the approaching handsome face of Ning Yin, and his deep eyes seem to engulf her completely.

When the voice of a servant echoes in the corridor, Yu Lingxi startles.

“Your Highness, Miss Yu seeks an audience, stating that she has come to pick someone up as agreed.”

The palace servants are well-trained, announcing with a bowed head and standing at a distance without glancing sideways. Yu Lingxi instinctively buries herself in Ning Yin’s embrace.

Ning Yin chuckles. She was bold just now, but now she’s concerned about saving face. Yu Lingxi, blushing at his laughter, feels annoyed. She didn’t expect her elder sister and the others to arrive so quickly.

Regardless of today’s outcome, she has to confront this matter, as agreed in the family letters from the beginning. However, the fire has just been kindled, and it’s not yet time to cook the rice.

Supporting herself on Ning Yin’s chest, blinking her eyes, she calls, “Your Highness.”

Ning Yin acts as if he didn’t hear.

“Go back.”

He dismisses the servant and has no intention of stopping. His fingers pick at the ties along her contours.

“Didn’t you want to take away this prince’s innocence?” he says, enveloping Yu Lingxi like a beast lurking beside its prey. His fingers move downward, teasing the ties.

This is not something that can be taken so easily in a moment.

Yu Lingxi has experience and knows him too well.

“It’s all your fault for not coming back an hour earlier,” she says, her cheeks red, refusing to admit her mistake. “The whole world is about to be in chaos; I need to prepare.”

Ning Yin remains silent, leaning against her, his hand gently caressing her. When he doesn’t want to let go, Yu Lingxi can’t escape. But with her elder sister suddenly arriving, something must have happened in the mansion, and they can’t delay any longer.

Trying to ignore the slight chill, Yu Lingxi looks down, focusing on a dragon-patterned jade pendant hanging alongside a sachet at Ning Yin’s waist.

She reaches out, takes the jade pendant off, and shakes it in her palm. “Consider this as a token from Your Highness.”

Ning Yin looks at the jade pendant in her hand, as if recalling something amusing, his eyes darkening.

“Don’t be in a hurry.”

Ning Yin raises his hand, waving away the curtain. In the fragmented light, he says, “Since it’s a token from your secret lover, it should be the best.”

Even though the light is against him, his eyes are exceptionally bright.

Yu Lingxi knows that he’s about to play his madness again.

Feeling a bit uneasy, she asks, “Wh… what?”

“Any valuable item hidden by a noble family will have a private seal on it to indicate ownership.”

Ning Yin leans in closer, his low and smiling voice sounding next to her ear, “How about I put a seal on Lingxi?”

“A seal?”

Yu Lingxi saw the jade carving in his palm.

Earlier, with a mind full of thoughts, Yu Lingxi only felt the familiar warmth of the ink-black jade he was playing with, but didn’t pay much attention. Now, being closer, she discovered that the entire jade carving was jet black, with soft and flowing lines, depicting a half-reclining beauty, lying horizontally on the jade body. 

The posture of the beauty seemed somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, she realized that the hairstyle, eyebrows, and eyes of the beauty were meticulously detailed, very familiar, just like… like…

Yu Lingxi suddenly remembered the incident in the covered room during autumn when Ning Yin mentioned letting her “use the jade carving as a reference.” Her cheeks couldn’t help but flush.

Ning Yin had actually simplified and carved this ink-black jade, mimicking her appearance and figure.

“This jade was a gift from Lingxi back then. After much contemplation, only Lingxi’s appearance is worthy of this private seal carving,” Ning Yin’s cold white fingers gently rolled along the contours of the ink-black beauty, creating a stunning contrast of black and white.

He asked, “Do you like it?”

Only a madman would like such a peculiar private seal!

Yu Lingxi’s cheeks were rosy like rouge, and after a moment of hesitation, she murmured, “What about the clothes?”

Ning Yin lowered his eyes and then exclaimed, “Oh, too troublesome, so I skipped that part.”

Such a grand reason left Yu Lingxi speechless.

“Now, where should I stamp this private seal?” Ning Yin seriously pondered the question, his gaze moving downward. Then, his eyes brightened, “Got it.”

In the next moment, Yu Lingxi felt a chill on her legs. Before she could react, her delicate ankle was grabbed by a large hand.

After a moment, Yu Lingxi was astonished, biting her lip, and kicking her legs.

If it were her past life, she wouldn’t dare to kick Ning Yin again. However, the chilly touch made her react instinctively.

This is worse than cooking rice!

Ning Yin effortlessly caught her kicking ankle, released it, and adjusted her skirt. Leaning against the side, he pointed to the spot where the seal was dropped, saying, “Don’t mess it up. When you come back, I will check if the imprint is intact.”

As Yu Lingxi walked out of the Wang Mansion with a light and graceful step, she felt that every step was out of place.

Her ears were burning, and it was only at the door that she realized Ning Yin had said “when you come back.”

He was confident she would return. So, did he actually set some pieces in motion, just hidden and not revealed?

As she was pondering, Yu Xinyi, who had been lingering outside the mansion gate, brightened her eyes and came over, saying, “Sui Sui!”

“Elder sister.”

“Why did you come out so slowly? If there was no movement, I was about to barge in and rescue you.”

Yu Xinyi grabbed Yu Lingxi’s hand and quickly said, “The Xue family suddenly advanced the auspicious time and has already started preparing for the welcoming ceremony.”

Yu Lingxi, pulled into the carriage by her sister, turned back and looked at the empty gates of the Prince’s mansion. She raised her hand and pressed it against her cheek, sighing, “Why the sudden change?”

“I don’t know.”

Yu Xinyi crossed her arms and said, “Father has handed over the testimony to the Minister of Justice. After obtaining the confession, he and the Minister of Justice will present it to the emperor. However, they still haven’t found evidence that the Xue family possesses the ‘Hundred Flowers Poison.’ It’s unclear if they can get results before the ceremony.”

Yu Xinyi even made plans that, in case things didn’t go well, she would replace her sister in the marriage. Helpless, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Xue family knew them so well that the idea of her replacing her sister was almost absurd.

“Don’t worry, elder sister.”

Yu Lingxi spoke in a gentle tone, holding tightly onto the dragon-patterned jade pendant in her hand. She believed in her family and in Ning Yin.

On the Xiyun Pavilion on the west side of the Wang Mansion, Ning Yin stood with his hands behind his back, watching as the carriage from the Yu Mansion sped away.

The Xue family was cunning, and the evidence provided by Wang Lingqing before his death was not enough to push the old fox into a corner.

Therefore, Ning Yin changed his plan.

He handed over evidence to Magistrate Liu that was half true and half false, then deliberately leaked the information, letting those lurking in the shadows know that Magistrate Liu was going to the palace to accuse and report on Minister Xue. This was meant to incite chaos among them.

Sure enough, with this trick, the Xue family couldn’t sit still.

However, this was far from enough.

The streets were eerily empty, the dark clouds hung like ink, and the cold wind carried the chill of frost and snow. Ning Yin stared at an unfocused spot, humming softly.

Anyway, he would have to snatch her back later. This time, openly and boldly “snatch” her.

To crush the foolish dreams of ordinary people at the most beautiful moment, to destroy thoroughly, that was the real pleasure.

“Check the things properly.”

Ning Yin’s eyes harbored a dark color like ink. He turned and descended from the attic. “Let’s go snatch her.”

Noon, in the chambers of the Yu Mansion.

Yu Lingxi had a light touch of makeup, her long hair simply tied up, suppressing the heavy and luxurious phoenix crown. Due to the earlier destruction of the wedding attire, she only wore a hastily made bright red outfit.

In front of a standing bronze mirror, Yu Lingxi sat alone. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her dress and inner pants, revealing her evenly fair legs.

Layer by layer, she rolled them up to the topmost layer, looking at the faintly visible red imprint in the shadow of the bronze mirror. Her gaze suddenly stung, and she hurriedly let down the hem of the bright red skirt, patting it to smooth the covering.

She only wished that her father would have a smooth time in the palace.

Yu Lingxi sighed while propping her cheek. Otherwise, she really didn’t know with what courage she would “marry” into the Xue family with this imprint.

Minister Xue had not returned from the palace, and Xue Cen’s father temporarily advanced the auspicious time for the welcoming ceremony. In the third quarter of the hour, the Xue family’s wedding procession went lively and noisily towards the Yu Mansion.

According to the old customs of the capital, the groom himself did not personally attend the welcoming ceremony. Instead, it was the matchmaker who went to greet them.

With joyous silk and bright candles, guests flowed in and out of the courtyard.

Xue Cen, wearing a bright red wedding gown, sat dignifiedly in the wedding hall, waiting for the arrival of the bridal sedan. He couldn’t help but clench his fist at this moment, probably the most perfect moment in his life.

After an unknown period of anticipation, he finally faintly heard the joyful cheers of the returning wedding procession. Xue Cen stood up suddenly, overwhelmed with joy and at a loss.

Until the matchmaker urged and reminded him, did he come to his senses as if waking from a dream. He carefully adjusted his attire, walked on the long red carpet, facing the congratulations, and walked towards his soon-to-be bride.

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