Chapter 58: Resistance

Quan Minghe frowned.

He bent down and picked up Shen Yuling, who was still kneeling on the ground and pleading desperately.

Shen Yuling was suddenly panicked.

She struggled fiercely.

Her hands pushed against him continuously, and her feet kicked aimlessly in the air.

She shouted, “Let me go, what we’re doing is wrong!”

Her voice was filled with a sobbing tone, full of resistance.

At this moment, Quan Minghe had no desire to waste words with someone who had lost their memory.

His expression turned cold.

The grip of his hands suddenly tightened, like iron pincers, firmly holding Shen Yuling.

Shen Yuling could not break free at all, only trapped in his embrace, struggling in vain.

Shen Yuling felt anxious and afraid.

With a bold heart, she suddenly bit down hard on Quan Minghe’s shoulder.

Quan Minghe did not expect this move from her and let out a muffled grunt.

His brows knitted tightly.

He turned his head to coldly glance at her.

His voice was deep and carried an undeniable threat: “The longer you bite, the longer your husband will be punished for you.”

Shen Yuling instantly released her teeth.

Faced with this powerful emperor who held life and death in his hands, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness surged in her heart.

In an instant, all her strength seemed to drain away, leaving her feeling wilted.

She could only remain like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Seeing that she no longer struggled, Quan Minghe carried the obedient Shen Yuling and walked to the bedside, placing her on the bed.

Shen Yuling had only been brought to the palace after bathing at the Prince’s residence; now she wore only a thin gauze robe.

The sheer gauze was nearly transparent.

One could vaguely see the fair and delicate skin of her arms.

As soon as Shen Yuling was placed on the bed, she became like a startled bird.

She reached out to pull the quilt over herself, wrapping her body tightly.

Quan Minghe sat down at the edge of the bed.

His posture was tall, exuding an indescribable sense of pressure.

He looked deep into Shen Yuling’s eyes and began to interrogate her.

“Do you have no impression of me at all?”

Shen Yuling pressed her lips together.

She nodded in response.

She did not want to speak.

“Do you only remember Feng Moheng?”

Quan Minghe casually twirled the ring on his finger while continuing to ask.

His tone carried an ambiguous meaning.

Shen Yuling shook her head.

With a timid voice, she replied, “I don’t remember anything after coming to Qianjing…”

“When did you lose your memory?”

Quan Minghe pressed on.

“My husband said it was during the last Lantern Festival when I was attacked. I hurt my head, and when I woke up, I forgot many things.”

Shen Yuling answered truthfully.

Quan Minghe’s gaze had initially fallen upon the empty, silent hall, as if he were pondering something.

But when he heard the word “husband” from Shen Yuling’s lips, he couldn’t help but turn his head.

His sharp gaze landed on Shen Yuling lying on the bed.

There was an added chill in his eyes.

“What’s this? Is your neck no longer hurting?”

Shen Yuling instinctively touched her neck, recalling the feeling of suffocation she had just experienced, a wave of fear washing over her.

What had she said to provoke him?

Hadn’t she just answered his question?

Quan Minghe mocked, “In just half a month, you and Feng Moheng have already developed deep feelings?”

Shen Yuling raised her head, staring directly at Quan Minghe.

She was clearly provoked by his sarcastic tone.

“We are husband and wife; my husband is unparalleled in beauty, warm as jade, and treats me very well. Naturally, our love is deep.”

At this moment, her fear had lessened considerably, and her words carried a hint of stubbornness.

But to Quan Minghe’s ears, her words felt like daggers stabbing into him.

“Ha, a fool deceived by a memory loss.”

Quan Minghe couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

“What do you mean?!”

Shen Yuling’s face showed anger as she glared at him.

“Feng Moheng has a childhood concubine; they are the ones who share deep feelings, while you are nothing.”

Quan Minghe’s expression was emotionless.

Yet his words were like sharp arrows, piercing directly at Shen Yuling.

“That’s not true! Liu Jingyi is my husband’s savior; he feels brotherly love for Liu Jingyi. It’s just that Liu Jingyi loved him deeply, and he didn’t want to hurt her, which is why he took her as a concubine.”

Shen Yuling hurriedly refuted.

She maintained a serious expression, determined to defend Feng Moheng.

Every word expressed Feng Moheng’s deep affection for her and his loyalty.

“My husband once said that if he knew he would meet me in the future, he would marry me and wouldn’t have taken Liu Jingyi as a concubine.”

However, the more Quan Minghe listened, the more ridiculous it seemed.

Feng Moheng was indeed adept at deceiving innocent young girls.

And this fool still believed his words wholeheartedly.

Truly, foolish beyond measure!

“What if I told you that everything he said to you was a lie?”

Quan Minghe narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Why would he lie to me?!”

Feng Moheng treated her with complete sincerity; there was no reason for him to fabricate lies to deceive her.

Faced with her counter-question, Quan Minghe was momentarily speechless.

He had always looked down on discussing love with women and would never resort to deceit just to win a woman’s heart.

He didn’t care whether a woman loved him; as long as it was a woman he desired, he could have her.

Thus, he truly found it hard to understand Feng Moheng’s efforts to deceive a woman’s heart.

One wife and one concubine were already Feng Moheng’s people.

Why on earth would Feng Moheng need to deceive?

“Your Majesty, it’s quite late; I would like to return to the residence.”

Seeing Quan Minghe lost in his thoughts, Shen Yuling cautiously spoke up.

She didn’t want to stay in the palace; she just wanted to return to the Prince’s residence, to the place where she felt at ease.

“You will stay in the palace for these days and are not allowed to go anywhere.”

Quan Minghe’s gaze returned to her, his tone indifferent.

But the undeniable tone instantly shattered the glimmer of hope in Shen Yuling’s heart.

“My husband will notice!”

Shen Yuling blurted out, her expression anxious.

“And what if he does?”

Quan Minghe raised an eyebrow, coldly retorting.

His eyes held a sense of indifference that seemed to transcend everything.

Initially, if it weren’t for considering her reputation and the public discourse, wouldn’t he have taken her forcibly to the imperial palace long ago?

He would have kept her by his side against her will.

Seeing his resolute and determined manner, Shen Yuling felt a pang of panic.

It seemed that Quan Minghe truly intended to use his imperial power to forcibly strip her away from her current life.

“No, please don’t… The Shen and Ye families will suffer criticism because of this; my husband… he will become a laughingstock in Qianjing, unable to lift his head again.”

Shen Yuling’s eyes turned red.

Her voice trembled and choked up.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Quan Minghe’s expression remained unchanged.

His cold words pierced through Shen Yuling’s heart, causing it to clench painfully.

She hadn’t expected that the person before her could be so heartless and cruel.

“Then Your Majesty can strangle me!”

Shen Yuling steeled her heart.

She moved from her curled position on the bed to sit beside Quan Minghe.

She tilted her head, presenting her delicate, fragile neck before him.

Beneath her fair skin, faint blue veins were subtly visible.

A gentle twist could easily break it.

On her neck, there was still a faint red mark.

Quan Minghe’s gaze sharpened.

He reached out, placing his hand on the back of Shen Yuling’s neck, applying a slight force to pull her closer.

He leaned down.

His low voice seemed to squeeze out from between his teeth: “Threatening me?”

“Ha, I indeed do not wish for you to die right now.”

“But if you die, I have plenty of means to make your loved ones suffer in desperation; do you want to try?”