Chapter 2: Throwing Herself at Him

Chapter 2: Throwing Herself at Him

The distance between the bed and the main door was only a few meters, separated only by a bead curtain that allowed a clear view. The four people who entered froze in their tracks, their expressions changing instantly.

"Ning'er, you... what are you doing?" The old man in the dragon robe was so angry his beard trembled, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing these four people, Mu Lan felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. She actually knew all four of them. In truth, it wasn't exactly that she "knew" them; it was more like she had once watched a television drama, and now, the characters from that drama were standing right before her one by one.

The old man in the dragon robe was named Jin Yuanfu, the monarch of the Xia Liang Kingdom. The young lady in elegant clothing beside him was Jin Xue, the Sixth Princess of Xia Liang. Of the two palace maids, one was named Xiao Chi, the Sixth Princess's personal attendant, and the other was Xiao Chan, one of the attendants serving the Seventh Princess, Jin Ning.

Mu Lan felt that everything before her eyes was far too bizarre. Setting aside how she could possibly know these people, if that Jin Yuanfu was the Emperor, then what was the deal with this fellow in front of her who called himself "Zhen"?

However, as her gaze returned to the man before her, Mu Lan suddenly realized that he wasn't panicked at all. Instead, he was observing her with great interest, as if he were enjoying a good show. And that playful gaze swept shamelessly below her neck, finally making her realize something serious.

She wasn't wearing any clothes!

A surge of heat rushed to her head. Panicking, Mu Lan did something else embarrassing: she grabbed the robes of the man in front of her and used them to cover herself.

She had forgotten that he was wearing nothing beneath his robes. The wide garment conveniently covered her body, but his burning chest also came into intimate contact with hers.

The fragrance of some kind of plant mixed with an unfamiliar masculine scent filled her nostrils, making Mu Lan's face feel even hotter. The moment their skin touched, her reason returned, but it was too late.

If she let go of him now, would she crawl back into the covers naked? With so many eyes staring at her, she truly couldn't bring herself to do something so humiliating. Since she was already pressed against him and the other party wasn't resisting at all, Mu Lan decided to just go with the flow; she steeled her nerves and treated him like a piece of char siu pork used to cover her shame.

"You..." Jin Yuanfu had intended to say something more, but seeing her actions, his eyes widened, and a breath remained stuck in his chest for a long time.

"Father, please do not lose your temper." Beside him, Jin Xue hurriedly stroked his back to help him breathe smoothly. Her exquisitely made-up face could not hide her indignation as she shot Mu Lan a glare and said, "Seventh Sister, if you wanted to marry the Lord of Dongling, you could have simply informed Father and I would have let you have him. Why must you resort to such methods?"

"Sixth Princess, my Princess is not that kind of person. There must be some misunderstanding here!" The maid Xiao Chan's eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying. She defended her mistress with a mix of anxiety and worry.

"Shut up!" Jin Xue barked coldly. "Your Princess stayed out all night; why didn't you report it last night? I've always thought you were acting shifty; I bet you've been instigating your mistress behind her back!"

Mu Lan was, after all, a writer; having spun many stories, her reactions were not slow. At this moment, there were only her and this man on the bed. Presumably, her current role was the "Seventh Sister" Jin Xue spoke of. And this man seemed to be her "brother-in-law"?

A sister-in-law having an affair with her brother-in-law and getting caught red-handed? Mu Lan almost couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. What kind of karma had she accumulated to end up in such a mess?

Jin Yuanfu caught his breath and finally calmed down. He glared at Mu Lan before speaking again: "Lord of Dongling, this is my seventh daughter, Jin Ning. She is seventeen years old and, like Xue'er, is my most beloved daughter. I intended to keep her for two more years, but since she has this fate with the Lord of Dongling, why not let her take Xue'er's place and follow the Lord back to Western Chu?"

Mu Lan was still reeling from the shock and hadn't recovered her senses, but hearing Jin Yuanfu's words made her even more stunned. Lord of Dongling? Hearing this title, a name popped into her mind once again: Dongling Jue, the monarch of the Western Chu Kingdom.

In other words, this man was also an Emperor?

Dongling Jue wore a look of predatory intent, but his eyes were sharp and piercing. "King of Xia Liang, marriage should not be treated as a joke, let alone when it concerns the diplomatic relations between our two nations. For a monarch to be so fickle, the integrity of your country truly concerns me."

Although it originally had nothing to do with her, hearing these words made Mu Lan unable to suppress her anger. "Since you remember the diplomatic relations between our two nations, why did you use force against me last night?"

He was clearly trying to take advantage of her and then deny it—to consume her completely before marrying someone else. He certainly had a calculated plan.

The four people at the door were stunned by her shout. Jin Yuanfu's old face turned bright red, whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell.

Dongling Jue looked down at her, but he didn't get angry. The corners of his lips curled into a wicked smirk as he said, "Before this, did I know you? You were lying on my bed; were you not intending to attend to me?"

"You!" Mu Lan was momentarily choked with rage. It was true that when she woke up, they were already... doing *that*, and she really didn't know what had happened before. But, "I refused! You went against my will; that is rape!"

"Then, what do we call it when you drugged me?" Dongling Jue said word by word. In those bottomless eyes, Mu Lan clearly saw a hint of malice and mockery.

As he finished speaking, his gaze shifted to the woman's clothes scattered on the floor beside them. Judging by the texture, they were the same as what Jin Xue was wearing. A silk sachet lay atop the clothing.

Based on these clothes, this guy must have known her identity as a princess last night, right?

Dongling Jue raised an eyebrow and looked at Jin Yuanfu, saying coldly, "Xia Liang is rich in medicinal herbs. I assume the King would know what the contents of this sachet are used for?"

"You..." Mu Lan's disadvantage was that she didn't understand the situation. In the end, it really did seem as though she was the one who had taken advantage of him.

"Ning'er! Do you still find it not embarrassing enough?" Jin Yuanfu barked with a long face, giving her a look of disappointment, before finally sighing. "Lord of Dongling, I am willing to add five hundred cattle and sheep to the dowry. What do you think, My Lord?"

Dongling Jue looked indifferent, as if he were still considering it. After a moment, he suddenly leaned close to Mu Lan's ear and whispered with a light laugh. Then, looking up at Jin Yuanfu, he said loudly, "In view of those five hundred cattle and sheep... I shall follow the King's words."

Five hundred cattle and sheep, and she was being "thrown" at him? Mu Lan felt a surge of blood rushing through her body.

Damned feudal society! Damned imperial power! It was clearly she who had been consumed by him, yet not only could she not get justice, she even had to have her "father" offer up five hundred cattle and sheep, begging him, *'Take her, please take her.'* How utterly humiliating!

Especially that last sentence of his—it was clearly intended to humiliate her.

*Dongling Jue! As long as I exist in this world for even one more day, I will make sure you never have a peaceful day!* Mu Lan cursed him tooth and nail in her heart, not minding using her eyes to convey her hostility to him.

Dongling Jue naturally did not miss the expression on her face. He whispered in her ear, "I will settle my account with you slowly."

His deep, pleasant voice was, however, bone-chillingly cold.

Finally, his large hand inconspicuously wrapped around her waist, squeezing hard as if in punishment. Mu Lan was already aching all over, and with this sudden force, she felt as if she were dying.

Damn it! Her grudge against him was now permanent.

She couldn't take it anymore; she couldn't hold on. She might as well just die for a bit. Driven by rage and physical exhaustion, Mu Lan's vision went black, and she fainted.