My Darling, Coax Me.

CHAPTER 72: Coax Her.

　　Having received the news from Lǜshuǐ, Grand Tutor Xiao and Xiao Qibai hurried over. Unexpectedly, they found the Crown Prince there. Seeing this, they quickly bowed and said, “Your humble servants pay their respects to the Crown Prince!”

　　Everyone in the courtyard was startled and knelt down in unison, “Your humble servants pay their respects to the Crown Prince!”

　　Xiao Jujian, who was no longer as arrogant as he had been, widened his eyes in fear, his face turning white as a sheet, and his body trembling. Facing the Crown Prince's cold and stern gaze, he hurriedly knelt down and stammered, “Your humble servant pays his respects to the… the Crown Prince.”

　　The servants in the courtyard knelt down in a flurry, none daring to look up.

　　The atmosphere instantly fell into a deathly silence.

　　Xie Jue, with one hand around Yun Ling to prevent her from looking, looked down at Xiao Jujian who was kneeling on the ground. His expression held the intimidating pressure of a superior, his brows furrowed and his eyes dark. “I ask you,” he said, “who did you just order to kneel?”

　　Those familiar with the Crown Prince knew that the calmer his expression, the angrier he was.

　　Although he was the Crown Prince, he was going to marry Yun Ling. He should have treated her father with courtesy and respect. But as soon as he entered, he saw this Xiao Jujian daring to punish and humiliate her in public.

　　Anyone who dared to hurt her, even her own father, he would not let go.

　　Xiao Jujian had never expected the Crown Prince to suddenly arrive, and even more so, to be so protective of Xiao Yun Ling.

　　Cold sweat broke out on his back.

　　He had thought that since the Crown Prince had not made any indication for so long, he must have forgotten about his eldest daughter. That's why he decided to discipline her.

　　He had disliked his daughter from the very beginning. He disliked her from the moment she was born. This daughter, who would inherit her mother's strange abilities, was a thorn in his side.

　　No one knew that he had married Lin Ling only because he had accidentally learned of her hidden abilities. He thought Lin Ling could help him rise to power. Wasn't Qin Yi able to climb the ranks thanks to Lin Ling? So he married the lowly merchant's daughter, offering her protection. But who knew that Lin Ling's so-called abilities had many limitations and would soon disappear? Lin Ling was of no use to him at all!

　　Xiao Jujian's plans fell through, but because of the Xiao family's reputation, and Lin Ling also had given birth to his eldest son, he couldn't divorce her. But this thorn had already lodged itself in his heart. He felt that Lin Ling was a stumbling block in his path.

　　Later, when Yun Ling was born and he learned she also possessed Lin Ling's abilities, he harbored a deep dislike for her, not wanting to even look at her. He had secretly consulted a fortune teller, who predicted that the child's destiny was one of loneliness and misfortune, a harbinger of ill luck that would hinder his future. This only intensified his aversion to her.

　　He was secretly pleased, rather than grieved, when she was attacked and fell off the cliff.

　　She should have died over a decade ago! The fact that she returned was infuriating. She, like her mother, was a harbinger of disaster!

　　Xiao Jujian was convinced that this unlucky daughter was the source of the family's misfortunes. Coupled with his belief that the Crown Prince didn't care about Yun Ling, he unleashed all his anger on her upon her return. He decided to severely punish her to vent his frustration.

　　He had long found his daughter irritating.

　　In Xiao Jujian's heart, she should have died out there and not returned to plague the Xiao family!

　　Even though none of those things were Yun Ling's fault, Xiao Jujian had grown to despise his daughter.

　　He had made up his mind to severely punish her, but he hadn't expected the Crown Prince to suddenly arrive at the Xiao residence, and to be so protective of her.

　　Xiao Jujian was completely flustered, cold sweat trickling down his temples. His voice trembling, he stammered, “Your Highness, this daughter... she's been disobedient, and I merely wanted to give her a slight lesson…”

　　Xiao Jujian hesitantly raised his head. Seeing that the Crown Prince remained silent, he mustered his courage and continued, “She was disrespectful to her father, showing no regard for her elders. She deserved to be punished.”

　　Having said this, a sliver of confidence returned to him.

　　Yes, he was Xiao Yun Ling's father. She had been disrespectful, and it was only natural for him to punish his daughter.

　　He hadn't done anything wrong.

　　At most, he had punished her a little harshly.

　　According to the principles of morality and social order, a father disciplining his daughter was perfectly justifiable. Even the Crown Prince couldn't hold him accountable for this. (T/N: Fool! Do you think his title as a tyrant was only an empty title? 🙄)

　　Thinking this, Xiao Jujian continued, “Your Highness, I beg you to understand. This daughter of mine wandered away from home when she was young, and upon her return, she has shown little respect for me, her father. She has been disobedient and disrespectful many times. Therefore, I intended to discipline her, for her own good.”

　　“Is that so?”

　　Xie Jue's thin lips curled slightly, and he said calmly.

　　Xiao Jujian quickly knocked his head against the ground. “Indeed, Your Highness.”

　　Xie Jue then slowly walked to Xiao Jujian, stopping in front of him. He lowered his gaze, looking down at the man, who was well over forty, kneeling on the ground.

　　This was his future father-in-law.

　　The next moment, he raised his foot and mercilessly, brutally crushed Xiao Jujian's finger bones.

　　“But I don't play fair,” he said coldly. “Let alone disrespect, even if she killed you, I would clean up the mess for her.”

　　The Crown Prince's cruelty and ruthlessness were well-known.

　　But his words still struck fear into the hearts of everyone present, turning their faces pale and causing them to gasp. His unreasonable and disregard for human ethics and laws in protecting his future wife shocked everyone.

　　Xiao Jujian's face was ashen. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he repeatedly kowtowed on the ground. “Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I was wrong, I was wrong…”

　　Yun Ling stood there, watching her biological father finally lower his prejudiced head. Her feelings were complex.

　　If the Crown Prince hadn't arrived today, would her father ever apologize for his neglect and prejudice?

　　Would he ever acknowledge the injustice and mistreatment she had suffered?

　　Her birth was not the sin he claimed it to be.

　　She couldn't bear such a burden of guilt.

　　That's why she hadn't interfered from the beginning.

　　Xie Jue coldly watched Xiao Jujian begging for mercy. He said coldly, “I intend to punish you, but I cannot allow her to unjustly bear the blame.”

　　Turning his head, he gestured to the two maidservants, Lǜshuǐ and Lǜyī. “What happened? Tell the truth.”

　　“Yes, Your Highness.”

　　Lǜshuǐ immediately kowtowed, recounting the events that had just transpired before everyone present. “When Master returned to the manor, our young miss went out to greet him. But as soon as Master returned, he began berating the young miss, calling her a harbinger of misfortune and blaming her for all the manor's troubles. The young miss has been worrying and working tirelessly for the manor these past few days, barely getting any sleep. The problems in the manor weren't her fault. The young miss... she has suffered greatly. Just now, when the young miss went to visit the old madam, she ran into Master again. Without a word, Master began to scold her. When the young miss retorted, Master ordered her to kneel before everyone, ignoring the old madam's pleas. He even said... that the young miss should have died out there…”

　　After Lǜshuǐ finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the crowd.

　　Every family has its share of favoritism, and it's common for parents to be unable to treat all their children equally.

　　But even in prominent families, appearances had to be maintained. It was unheard of for a biological father to wish his daughter dead and treat her so harshly.

　　This wasn't a case of a daughter being disrespectful; it was clearly Xiao Jujian deliberately humiliating his daughter.

　　Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Xiao's face darkened, his chest heaving with anger. He roared, “You wicked son!”

　　Xiao Jujian didn't even dare to lift his head.

　　Grand Tutor Xiao sighed heavily and stepped forward, bowing to the Crown Prince. “This incident is a disgrace to our Xiao family. I will definitely give Ah Ling a proper explanation.”

　　Xie Jue's thin lips curled slightly. “Excellent.”

　　That was her father. There was no logic in the world that would punish parents for the actions of their daughter. He didn't care about his own reputation, but he had to consider hers.

　　She had finally returned home, found her family. If rumors of her disrespect spread, how heartbroken would she be?

　　He couldn't actually kill Xiao Jujian, so it would be best if Grand Tutor Xiao handled the situation.

　　Grand Tutor Xiao had no idea that Xiao Jujian harbored such thoughts.

　　He simply thought his son didn't love Ah Ling.

　　People have their biases. He couldn't force his son to love Ah Ling. He and her grandmother would love her.

　　But he never imagined his son would be so biased and humiliate Ah Ling.

　　Grand Tutor Xiao couldn't tolerate his granddaughter suffering unjustly. He looked at Yun Ling. “Our Ah Ling has been wronged. Grandfather will see that justice is served.”

　　Yun Ling, who had been holding back her emotions, had finally calmed down. “Grandfather, I'm fine. Don't worry.”

　　She was his granddaughter, but Xiao Jujian was also his son.

　　She didn't want to put her grandparents through any more hardship.

　　They had already suffered enough.

　　Grand Tutor Xiao nodded, then looked at the Crown Prince. He had seen how the Crown Prince had protected Ah Ling. He had never imagined that the Crown Prince held such special feelings for his granddaughter.

　　He hadn't had time to stop the Crown Prince earlier, but now, in public, the Crown Prince was holding his granddaughter's hand. Grand Tutor Xiao couldn't allow such impropriety before they were even betrothed!

　　“Thank you for protecting Ah Ling today,” Grand Tutor Xiao said sternly, “but propriety between men and women must be observed. Please release her hand, Your Highness!”

　　Xie Jue not only refused to let go, but also said, “Master, don't you think it's a little too late to stop now?”(T/N: Little rascal Xie Jue!🤣🙈)

　　“You—”

　　Grand Tutor Xiao was furious again, his beard bristling, but he was helpless.

　　Xiao Qibai, however, felt relieved. He, as her brother, had done terribly. His sister had protected his wife and tirelessly worked for his sake, yet he'd let her suffer humiliation and injustice time and again. He felt guilty towards his wife and unable to protect his sister.

　　He was utterly incompetent.

　　Fortunately, Ah Ling had the Crown Prince to protect her; no one could harm her.

　　Mother would rest in peace knowing that.

　　It was the only solace.

　　——

　　The matter of Xiao Jujian was settled.

　　After this incident, everyone in the Xiao manor understood the Crown Prince's feelings for Yun Ling.

　　He was the Crown Prince; no one dared to stop him.

　　The servants of the Xiao manor were strictly warned, and no one dared to gossip.

　　Xie Jue then brazenly entered Yun Ling's private chambers.

　　Heavily armed Imperial Guards (Jinyiwei) stood watch on either side of the entrance, surrounding Yun Ling's courtyard tightly.

　　Xie Jue, expressionless, took Yun Ling's hand and quickly entered the room, closing the door behind them.

　　Before he could turn around, he was gently embraced from behind.

　　Her arms were soft, her voice gentle as water, “Your Highness, I missed you.”

　　Gentle as a knife, each word a fatal blow.

　　Xie Jue froze, his intention of confronting her instantly vanishing.

　　He closed his eyes, turned around, and then, steeling himself, slowly pulled her fingers away.

　　“So many things happened in the Xiao family, why didn't you send word to me?” Xie Jue sighed softly. “You carried it all alone? What would you have done if I hadn't come today?”

　　Yun Ling was taken aback by his words.

　　So much had happened, and she had never even considered writing to him. On one hand, it was a family matter for the Xiao family, and rationally, he was so busy, she shouldn't have bothered him. On the other hand, she hadn't even thought about it.

　　She had always been accustomed to handling things herself, from a young age. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she never thought of relying on anyone. Naturally, she hadn't thought to send him a message.

　　Was he upset because of that?

　　“I... forgot,” Yun Ling looked up at him, admitting truthfully, “You're so busy, I didn't want to bother you with a message. And with my father, I could handle it myself.”

　　Seeing her matter-of-fact tone, Xie Jue chuckled in exasperation, “So you never even thought of telling me, even though you suffered so much?”

　　Yun Ling blinked, her lips pressed together, remaining silent.

　　Xie Jue slowly lowered his head, drawing close until his nose nearly touched hers, “Back in the Cold Palace, when you were bullied by that Imperial Kitchen eunuch, you knew to come back and cry to me. Why not now?”

　　Yun Ling was stunned. If he hadn't mentioned it, she'd almost forgotten.

　　Back in Jingxiang Palace, because of his imprisonment in the Cold Palace, even the eunuchs who looked down on people took the opportunity to step on her, often cutting back on her meals. Once, she had finally managed to get her food back, only to have the guards on duty pour out half of it when she returned. She had been very upset.

　　Then... she was bumped into by him.

　　But at that time, she had only gotten dust in her eyes; she wasn't crying.

　　He accidentally touched her, and when he asked, she took the opportunity to pretend to be pitifully complaining.

　　Back then, to survive, she naturally fawned over him. Didn't he know that?

　　Xie Jue continued, “Back then, you always coaxed me with sweet words. Now you dare to make me angry and oppose me?”

　　Yun Ling pursed her lips and retorted, “But back then, when I tried to coax Your Highness, you always scoffed at me. And when I cried to you, you never paid me any attention.”

　　He would also often pinch her, threateningly telling her not to use those clumsy little tricks in front of him.

　　She could never really coax him.

　　How could Xie Jue tell her that he was, in fact, swayed by those very ‘clumsy little tricks,’ and that's why he repeatedly felt the urge to kill her?

　　At that time, he absolutely refused to allow anyone to affect his mood.

　　Yet, even so, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to kill her.

　　Xie Jue wasn't someone who liked to reason; whenever he argued with her, he was always the one who conceded.

　　But this time, he wasn't planning to give in.

　　He wanted her to realize that they were one, and that no matter what happened, she could and should rely on him.

　　Instead of only learning about it after she had suffered such a great injustice.

　　If it hadn't been for her father and the need to consider her reputation, Xie Jue probably would have really killed someone.

　　He was at his wit's end with her. He reached out, pinching her cheeks until her face puffed up slightly. He stopped reasoning with her and simply asked, “Do you admit you were wrong?”

　　“Next time, no matter what happens, will you tell me?”

　　Yun Ling stared, her chin forced upward, slightly stunned.

　　She looked at him for a long while.

　　For some reason, her eyes suddenly reddened.

　　Mist gradually gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision, and tears welled up.

　　Xie Jue immediately released her, his expression softening instantly. Forgetting everything else, he pulled her forcefully into his embrace, “Ah Ling, don't cry.”

　　But the next moment, Yun Ling's tears fell before him, heavy and resounding, as if striking his heart.

　　Pitiful and wronged.

　　Looking at her flushed apricot eyes, Xie Jue felt a sharp pain in his chest, a constricting ache.

　　Her tears were hot, like corrosive molten lava.

　　Easily eroding his rationality.

　　He held her tightly in his arms, lowering his head to softly coax her, “Don't cry, it hurts me.”

　　“Tell me, what's wrong?”

　　Yun Ling felt a pain in her heart, so intense that she couldn't help but shed tears. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face tightly in the crook of his neck, shaking her head as her voice trembled, “I'm just a bit sad and wronged…”

　　Xie Jue continuously stroked her hair to comfort her, “Xiao Jujian's words are nothing but nonsense. The matters of the Xiao family have nothing to do with you. He is ignorant and foolish, not worthy of being a father.”

　　“I know, I know everything.”

　　She wouldn't take those words to heart; she didn't actually feel that wronged.

　　Her father wanted her to kneel, but she hadn't done anything wrong, so she wouldn't.

　　She would argue her case, and even if she was ultimately suppressed by filial piety, she would have tried her best.

　　Not all parents in this world love their children; she was just unlucky, a child unloved by her father.

　　A child cursed from the moment of her birth.

　　A child whose birth was not expected.

　　That's all.

　　There's nothing to be wronged about, she told herself.

　　She had endured so much humiliation and hardship in her life—being bullied, trampled, and oppressed—how could her father's words hurt her in the slightest?

　　She had always controlled herself well, keeping a level head and not paying attention to such things.

　　But when he came, she suddenly broke down, suddenly didn't want to be so calm anymore.

　　Actually, how could she not be wronged?

　　Her father doted on Mingrong and held her brother in high regard. Why was she the only one unloved, even branded with the name of an ill-fated star?

　　She's human too, and she gets hurt.

　　Tears continued to flow.

　　Xie Jue was about to be driven mad by her tears. He lifted her into his arms, gently stroking her shoulders and back, but he couldn't comfort her.

　　Her warm tears fell one after another onto his neck, and Xie Jue was heartbroken. He said fiercely, “I should have killed Xiao Jujian just now!”

________________

T/N: I wanted to share a wonderful resource I recently discovered: a blog called Crimson Translation. They offer a delightful collection of short novels (BG and BL novels), perfect for those who prefer shorter reads. I have no affiliation with the blog; I'm simply a fellow reader recommending a treasure trove of stories. 😁

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter