He would rather she angrily call him "Yun Gouzi" than hear her politely address him as "Your Highness".
"I dare not hit, I dare not scold, and I dare not punish," Luo Cuiwei replied with a polite, fake smile. "Your Highness silently stands in front of me when things happen, and doesn't let me know anything. This shows that it's enough for Your Highness to make all the decisions in the Zhao Prince's Mansion. Your Highness can just be a figurehead."
The hat was too big, and Yun Lie suddenly felt like his head was about to explode.
"It's just that you haven't been feeling well lately, and I didn't want to upset you with something like this. I didn't mean to belittle you at all! You... I'm a dog now, what kind of master am I!"
I don't know what's with the inexplicable self-righteousness in his words.
Luo Cuiwei couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Seeing her smile, Yun Lie breathed a sigh of relief and leaned forward to wrap his arms around her waist again. "How about I carve two hundred pears too? You've been punished, so you won't be angry anymore, okay?"
77. Chapter Seventy-Seven
"If you're going to accept the punishment, then behave yourself. Who gave you permission to lay a hand on me?" Luo Cuiwei quickly stopped laughing, slapped away the hand that was wrapped around her waist, and glanced at him sideways.
Finally, it was "you" again instead of "Your Highness," which made Yun Lie feel relieved. He was willing to scold or punish her.
Seeing Yun Lie nod with a smile and obediently put his hands behind his back, a hint of suspicion flashed in Luo Cuiwei's eyes.
"You used to carve 'crystal cups'?"
She thought to herself, "This person offered two hundred pills as punishment without even asking. Could it be that he's an expert in this matter and doesn't take the punishment seriously at all?"
Not understanding the purpose of her question, Yun Lie paused slightly before calmly replying, "I haven't carved it, but I have eaten it."
"Oh," Luo Cui smiled meaningfully upon hearing that it was ignorance was bliss, "Do you have something urgent to attend to tomorrow?"
"Song Jiuyuan will be coming to discuss how to completely eliminate the Northern Di threat. That's important, but not urgent. Why?"
“Then, two hundred crystal cups, deal,” Luo Cuiwei said, putting her hands behind her back. The smile on her lips and the corners of her eyes seemed to carry a sly thorn. “I won’t be angry with you after I finish carving them.”
Looking at his wife's bright and mischievous smile, Yun Lie's eyes softened, and he felt a surge of emotions.
Since learning of her pregnancy in mid-October, and with Xiahou Ling taking over many responsibilities, she has become much lazier and more willful than before.
Frequent morning sickness, loss of appetite, and poor sleep made her less attentive to anything, letting herself drift along aimlessly, and letting her moods rise and fall as she pleased.
Yun Lie was initially worried that, given her recent tendency to lose her temper easily, she would likely become extremely agitated with anger after learning about Yun Huan's actions.
However, a person's past life experiences and ways of doing things will eventually become ingrained in their bones without them realizing it. Unless the inner core of their body is replaced, many things will not change.
As it turned out, in the crucial moment, she was still that thorny strawberry that captivated his heart.
They are sensible, know when to advance and retreat, and are decisive.
He understood that she had not simply forgotten about Yun Huan, but after clarifying the ins and outs and making a small effort, she realized that there was no solution for the time being and that she could only patiently wait for an opportunity to retaliate. So she immediately suppressed the matter in her heart, not wanting to fall into meaningless and prolonged resentment.
I recall that when I was a child, studying in the North Garden of the Inner City, Ronghua, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, once said—
Those who hold a leading position will inevitably have their own temperament.
It's inevitable to lose your temper when things go wrong; but to be able to weigh the pros and cons in a fit of rage and quickly regain your temper is a truly remarkable skill.
Thinking of this, Yun Lie nodded, thinking to himself, "My Weiwei is truly born to take on the role of the leader."
****
The two left the side hall one after the other and walked side by side toward the kitchen.
“One thing at a time,” Yun Lie said with a laugh as he walked. “Now that I’ve accepted the punishment and your score is settled, shouldn’t it be my turn to settle my score?”
Luo Cuiwei was still secretly amused by the fact that "someone is about to face two hundred pears and still doesn't know what's going to happen to them," when she heard this, she turned her head to look at him in confusion.
Which of your transactions?
Yun Lie glanced upwards and sneered, "Someone did something dishonorable to me in broad daylight, and you pretend you don't remember it as soon as the sun sets?"
"Where is it dishonorable?" Luo Cuiwei's face flushed red, her steps faltered, but she put one hand on her hip and raised her chin in a show of bravado. "Even if I were to report a forced kiss between husband and wife to His Majesty, I would still be in the right!"
What a powerful opening move!
Yun Lie slowly turned to face her, raised an eyebrow, and smiled maliciously, "You said those words."
A night breeze swept by, and the lanterns under the eaves swayed helplessly.
Luo Cuiwei felt a hundred rabbits in her mind suddenly perk up their ears in panic, jumping up and down and shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Run! Run!"
She really wanted to heed the advice of those hundred rabbits, but Yun Lie didn't give her the chance.
His tall figure suddenly approached, forcing her to take two steps back, her back almost touching the wall.
Two warm, broad hands silently cushioned the back of her head and back, while those thin, malicious lips pressed down on her with burning heat.
This kiss was "forceful" to the extreme.
In the quiet of the night, under the deserted courtyard corridor, there was a faint, embarrassing sound that one dared not hear.
After a long while, Luo Cuiwei groggily raised her eyes, staring listlessly at the "madman" before her. Her swollen, moist lips parted slightly, and she whispered, "Yun Gouzi, you..."
Yun Lie provocatively stuck out his tongue and licked his lower lip, which was curved in a smile. He even swayed his head from side to side triumphantly. "I would be in the right even if I complained to His Majesty, just as you said."
"Go carve your pears."
****
The next day, when Song Jiuyuan arrived, he happened to see Xiahou Ling leaning against a pillar, her eyes fixed, her right hand hanging limply at her side.
Out of politeness, Song Jiuyuan raised his hand to greet her.