CHAPTER 380: CHAPTER 305: ONE LITTLE FOX IS ENOUGH (ADDITIONAL 2 IN 1)_2

"...I can’t give him up."

"He likes you so much anyway. Giving him to me wouldn’t be a big deal." Yin Weiyin said as she coaxed slyly, posturing slightly, "Do you know the story about Kong Rong letting his brothers have the pears? Even pigs know that, right?"

"...I’m a pig, and I don’t know." Yin Tingxue murmured dazedly in response.

"..."

Yin Weiyin was speechless. She just wanted to take advantage of the moment while this Princess Xiang was still half-asleep, hoping to swindle her a little. Even if the Princess Xiang sobered up later and wouldn’t admit it, was Yin Weiyin really going to snatch anything away from her?

Of course... it would be better if she did admit it.

However, the Princess Xiang’s guard about the subject of girlfriends was simply too strong—it must have been hard-earned. Thinking of this, Yin Weiyin frowned bitterly. If even the Princess Xiang was hard to win over, then what about herself?

In the end, she could only sigh quietly. Shrinking into the bedding and mulling over things, she gradually got out of bed and changed her clothes behind the screen.

Yin Tingxue seized the opportunity to quickly pull the bedding back over herself and continued snoozing away.

The Princess of Jing finished dressing—a robe with fiery patterns in green, embodying both her noble lineage and the transcendental aura of her cultivation. After freshening up, she walked slowly to the main hall, thought for a while, and then made her way to the tea set to prepare tea.

When Chen Yi finished preparing breakfast and brought the food in, he looked up to see the female crown greeting him with tea.

Chen Yi set the food down, glanced at the Princess of Jing with surprise, and accepted the tea, saying:

"Why are you imitating the little fox?"

Yin Weiyin paused for a moment, then answered sheepishly in a soft voice:

"It came to me on my own."

Chen Yi snorted derisively, then said:

"One little fox is more than enough."

The female crown’s complexion turned pale. She bit her lip lightly, instinctively refusing to give up as she muttered:

"...You like it when she does this. Why don’t you like it when I do?"

Chen Yi glanced at her.

Yin Weiyin fell silent instantly, as if frozen in terror. After a brief pause, she changed the subject:

"You... really achieved the Golden Core?"

After saying this, she felt it might not sound right and promptly added "Husband."

Chen Yi nodded slightly, replying:

"Small as a mustard seed, but it is a Golden Core. If you don’t believe me, you can calculate it yourself."

Yin Weiyin naturally didn’t dare to doubt him, nor did Chen Yi have any reason to deceive her.

Her bright eyes lowered slightly and settled on the area of Chen Yi’s Dantian, her thoughts running like lightning. He possessed the Heavenly Vision—she had discerned this early on. Now, even though she was his furnace, if she could later become his so-called "girlfriend," it wasn’t impossible for them to bond as Dao companions. By then, he would be the Golden Boy, and she the Jade Maiden. The path to immortality would still be within reach.

He would eventually achieve Dao, and she would ascend along with him.

Thinking of this, Yin Weiyin feigned indifference and said:

"A few days ago, Tingxue told me that when one achieves Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend. Back then, I didn’t take it seriously. But... Husband, you’ve already reached Golden Core, far beyond me. Looking at it now, maybe I really am just a chicken or dog."

Chen Yi said seriously: "Don’t praise yourself like that."

"..."

Yin Weiyin froze, her eyes faintly quivering, a bitter and indescribable feeling rising. Wasn’t he implying that she was merely a furnace forever? Would she really spend her whole life as just a furnace?

Chen Yi observed her expression carefully but said nothing, turning instead to place the breakfast dishes one by one on the table.

Yin Weiyin sat down, took a deep breath, and asked with a slightly nasal tone:

"Is it... fun to tease me like this?"

"If it wasn’t fun, why would I tease you?" Chen Yi replied with a playful smile.

Yin Weiyin lowered her head, anger and grievance stirring inside her. But, fearing him, she suppressed it all.

Chen Yi took in her demeanor completely.

The fact that she showed this expression proved she was beginning to adapt.

Chen Yi never doubted Yin Weiyin’s fear of him. If he pushed her harder, this female crown would undoubtedly kneel and beg for mercy.

But truthfully, he preferred her like this.

Not long afterward, Yin Tingxue came out of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She hadn’t freshened up yet.

As soon as Chen Yi saw her, he approached her, crouched slightly, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead.

Yin Tingxue had long gotten used to this. Not only did she not resist, but at Chen Yi’s prompting, she even rose to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

Great Yin observed this scene, subconsciously committed it to memory and wanted to emulate it, but ultimately held back.

Before long, the three of them gathered around the dining table. Chen Yi initially wanted to call Zhou Yitang out, but the master didn’t respond.

At the moment, Chen Yi had no way of addressing this.

Thus, the three-person pseudo-family sat down and enjoyed breakfast in relative harmony.

.........

The news of the Prince of Annan’s complete retreat reached the palace that very afternoon. However, the Jingren Palace had predicted this outcome long in advance, so it wasn’t unexpected and was directly passed on to the Department of the Chief of Staff.

The department acted accordingly, approving a series of official decrees, including titles and rewards for the Qin family and the Zhu family of the Southern Border. Additionally, thousands of bolts of silk, tens of thousands of taels of silver, thousands of taels of gold, and rare luxuries such as frankincense, myrrh, and Lingzhi were all packed into separate carriages and sent to the Southern Border.

These generous palace rewards naturally carried distinct implications, not excluding elements of probing. However, with the Southern Border so far away, it would take some time before the consequences of these public and covert schemes would reveal themselves. Now that the sword suspended over the Capital City had been withdrawn, the high-walled Imperial City began to take on a festive atmosphere in anticipation of the New Year.

The Capital City was well aware that the resident of Jingren Palace was a devout Buddhist, often reciting thirty thousand characters of scripture nightly. So, as hints of the New Year appeared, many officials composed Buddhist verses in ink—usually three a day—or organized poetry gatherings with hundreds of verses a day. These would be delivered to the palace after Little New Year on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. Those skilled at writing Buddhist verses would receive overt accolades, but come New Year’s Eve, the palace would bestow a special "Blessing" character. To the Capital’s volatile political arena, having such a "Blessing" at home meant securing a prosperity charm during good times and a life-saving talisman in times of peril.

It was said that during the reign of the previous emperor, someone had secretly hoarded armor—a crime of conspiracy and rebellion punishable by the execution of their entire family. However, after the imperial guards searched their residence, they discovered a "Blessing" character bestowed by the emperor. Upon repeated reports, the family ultimately received leniency. The household head was executed, but the rest were merely exiled.

After completing their three-year exile, this family returned to the Capital City. Leveraging their savings and former connections, they regained prominence, even producing a Grand Secretary who maintained close ties with the Jing Prince’s Mansion—the Grand Secretary Huang of the Ding’an faction.

Inside Jingren Palace.

Min Ming knelt on the floor trembling, his posture nearly prostrating, not daring to lift his head and offend the imperial presence.

A voice emanating natural authority and menace descended:

"I commanded you to find an opportunity to offer yourself, so how come this morning when the palace maids examined you, your virgin essence... is still intact?"

Min Ming’s naturally voluptuous figure trembled violently in sync with the speech. Beneath the wide, pale-red robes, waves rippled ceaselessly. Lost in confusion, Min Ming’s lips quivered, unable to muster a response.

If Princess Annan were here—even if she didn’t share Min Ming’s curvaceous frame—she’d undoubtedly fire back with:

"Your Highness, doesn’t your virgin essence remain untouched too?"

Having encountered her sharp tongue before, the Empress didn’t need to imagine the scene; she already knew what it would look like.

But Min Ming wasn’t Princess Annan. She was a meek, compliant courtesan who, since the fall of the Min family and her subsequent entry into Baihua Building, had shown a tendency for self-deprecation and self-loathing.

Gloomy silence pervaded Jingren Palace. Though the heated floor kept the chill away, Min Ming’s heart remained frozen.

After an indeterminate amount of time, she finally spoke:

"In response to Your Highness, this humble girl... this humble girl is still... still pondering..."

"Still pondering?" the Empress’s tone grew mockingly playful.

"Yes..."