Chapter 661: That's Just How the Defeated Are

Chapter 661: This Is What the Defeated Get

This little thing, at such a tender age, dared to nibble on ears, seducing him into holding her and playing—feeling even more lecherous than himself. Perhaps it was that rebellious period of hazy, eager curiosity about the affairs of men and women?

Yet, ironically, she didn’t truly understand these matters, her face all adorable innocence—was this the legendary “pure seduction”?

Wah wah, clearly he hadn’t wanted it back then; he’d have been reported.

But now…

A wife was one thing; Chancellor Cao taught us that messing with another’s aunt would bring trouble. As for women…

Zhao Changhe’s eyes roved slyly. The rabbit was really not small anymore, her chest bound by the carved bow, which actually carved out a very pleasing curve, bouncing and trembling.

Seemed like she was even bigger than Chichi… poor Chichi, malnourished since childhood…

Seeing his roving gaze, Cui Yuanyang’s face flushed with shyness, but also a hint of smug pride.

In truth, her upbringing made it hard for her to utter such scandalous words, but this time the rabbit felt a sense of crisis—she sensed that Brother Zhao wasn’t that interested in her, that the Cui family’s situation mattered more to him. If Brother Zhao had to choose between spending a whole night talking by candlelight with Cui Wenjing or with Cui Yuanyang, he’d most likely pick Cui Wenjing.

How could that be?

Now, with this talk, it was clear Brother Zhao was quite tempted after all, the rascal.

The little rabbit huffed inwardly, finally taking Zhao Changhe’s hand and leading him toward her boudoir: “Last time you came, I said I’d take you to see my room, but those big-mouthed gossips blocked you. Now we’ll go openly, have them bring wine and dishes to serve… Brother Zhao hasn’t eaten yet, has he?”

Wasn’t it supposed to be about eating you? How did it suddenly turn into a meal…

Zhao Changhe’s heart itched, but he was too embarrassed to say it, so he just followed her silently.

Along the way, servants and maids bowed fearfully at the sides. Zhao Changhe recognized some of them; their faces hadn’t changed much in two years, but their attitudes had—from wary contempt back then to fawning flattery now.

The so-called rule against bringing men into the boudoir—was there any corner of the Cui residence that could stop him now? Those who had blocked him back then now bowed and scraped as they served wine.

This was the thrill of “thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.”

The Cui family’s greatest fortune wasn’t really the bond between Cui Yuanyang and Zhao Changhe forged in hardship, but a patriarch with vision far broader than most, who had never looked down on a youth in poverty from the start… Even the moral character of Cui Wenyong and Cui Yuanyang owed much to their father’s teachings. Beyond that, the Cui family was no different from any other.

Outside the boudoir, maids bustled about bringing wine and dishes. Zhao Changhe blocked Cui Yuanyang’s slender waist and embraced her into the room.

This was also Zhao Changhe’s first time entering a young lady’s boudoir.

Unlike most ladies, Cui Yuanyang’s room had none of the usual qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, ink, or paper. On the table were only a few books, the topmost being a paper edition of *The Book of Chaos*, which made Zhao Changhe want to ask Blind how she felt about pirated copies.

Nor were there swords, bows, or arrows like a military family’s. The decor was all cute: bedding in pink and fragrant, many plush toys, snacks scattered everywhere, and a dressing table cluttered with cosmetics and a special mirror that almost rivaled glass. It had a very modern girl’s room vibe—well, Zhao Changhe had never seen a modern girl’s room, but his imagination was close enough.

The most striking thing… was a single knife hanging on the wall.

A knife of very rustic, ordinary design, its scabbard old and scarred, with dark bloodstains caked on.

Zhao Changhe approached, caressed it for a long while, and gently drew the blade for a look.

The edge was full of nicks—a thick steel knife that was basically unusable.

This was the knife he had used when escorting Cui Yuanyang, won long ago in a gamble from a deputy leader of the Blood God Sect’s Beimang branch, whose surname he had now forgotten… The fighting had been so fierce and frequent that the blade was chipped, so Cui Wenjing had given him the Longque, which he still used.

He had even forgotten he once owned this knife… It turned out that Yangyang had kept it hanging in her boudoir all this time. Or perhaps, that journey had never meant much to him—just a small wave in his training—but to Yangyang, it might have been unforgettable.

Zhao Changhe felt a pang of guilt. He had always thought Yangyang was just young and naive, not even sure of her own feelings. Now he saw that her feelings had always been passionate and sincere; it was he who, whenever he thought of her, could hardly separate her from the Cui family’s situation.

A hand tightened around his waist. Cui Yuanyang hugged him from behind, leaning against his back and murmuring, “What are you thinking?”

Zhao Changhe said softly, “I’m thinking… we haven’t spent enough time together.”

Cui Yuanyang grumbled, “If you know that, why are you still looking at the knife? Why not turn around and look at me?”

Zhao Changhe turned. Cui Yuanyang stood on tiptoe, hopping: “Kiss me.”

It was clear the little rabbit was a bit frustrated—she seemed taller, but even on tiptoe, she still couldn’t reach, which was maddening.

She threw her arms around him, pulling his neck down hard. Zhao Changhe bent his head slightly, and the little rabbit finally got her mouth on the big bear’s, contentedly sticking out her little tongue.

Supposedly, the Cui daughter was the spoils of war, but Zhao Changhe felt as if he were her spoils instead…

Refusing to lose, Zhao Changhe reached out to measure—this was how you treat spoils… Huh, it really was bigger than Chichi’s…

His hand slipped under her clothes and soon he was both amused and exasperated.

The girl was deliberately wearing a little bellyband underneath.

Cui Yuanyang, in the midst of kissing, felt her lover’s urge to laugh. Her own little lust nearly evaporated, and she stomped her foot in anger: “When others wear a bellyband, it’s seductive; when I wear one, it’s funny, is that it? I’ve grown up! Grown up!”

Zhao Changhe finally burst out laughing. Suddenly, he produced a fruit and stuffed it into Cui Yuanyang’s mouth.

Cui Yuanyang blinked, mumbling, “What’s this?”

“A fruit from the far east, full of the vitality of plants, miraculous for preserving youth and beauty.” Zhao Changhe whispered in her ear, “Yangyang, don’t grow up anymore. You’re perfect just like this…”

Cui Yuanyang kept blinking.

Zhao Changhe sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her onto his lap, his voice dropping further: “You’re right… Little Yangyang is the most fun…”

From the ring and the Longque, a girl’s angry voice rang out: “This pervert! Don’t fall for it!”

But Cui Yuanyang couldn’t hear her at all, and instead rejoiced: “My cultivation is for this!”

Longque: “…”

Great, I’ve been in your family long enough to have some ties, so I tried to warn you—never thought there’d be such a fool. Staying here so long is truly a disgrace to me, Longque.

Over there, Zhao Changhe was mentally suppressing Longque: “Shoo, shoo, what business is it of yours? You’re a spirit—I’m not perverted enough to go after you. Get lost… Oh, by the way, when did you develop gender thinking? You’re just a knife…”

Longque ignored him.

After reforging into a spirit, it had seen more bedroom scenes in these two years than in all the years before. Where did the thinking come from? Disgusting.

Cui Yuanyang munched through the fruit and said happily, “Can this really keep me young forever?”

“Uh, no, but it can slow things down a lot—at least a few years without growing. If you combine it with cultivation, maybe there’s a chance at eternal youth.”

Cui Yuanyang suddenly realized something: “Wait, this is a heavenly treasure! If you said you had this, all the noble ladies in the world would go crazy. And you used it… used it… to make me more fun?”

Longque: “You finally see where his perversion lies?”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

Cui Yuanyang bit her lower lip, melting softly into Zhao Changhe’s arms, her voice a whisper: “Th-then why aren’t you playing?”

Longque: “?”

Zhao Changhe lowered his head to kiss the little rabbit’s neck, furtively undoing her clothes like a thief, playing with her through the bellyband. Longque watched coldly, having to admit it really was fun.

“M-miss…” came a trembling maid’s voice from outside the door: “Th-the food is here…”

The decadent scene inside was almost too much to look at—wasn’t this the plot of a noble lady being abducted by bandits? The poor miss, folk tales never lied.

The miss’s eyes were languid, her body limp against the man, her voice quivering: “B-bring it in… I want Brother Zhao to feed me…”

Maid: “?”

Wasn’t this tale a bit off?

Regardless of the actual tale, that’s how it looked to outsiders. At that moment, in the ruins of the banquet hall where the battle had just taken place, someone was reporting to Cui Wenjing: “Patriarch, the Prince of Zhao has entered the young lady’s boudoir. It’s been an hour, and he hasn’t come out…”

Cui Wenjing’s face was expressionless: “You all see? If you had cooperated earlier, would it have come to this? Now that we are the defeated, we must accept being at the mercy of others. Even I have to endure humiliation—how much more so you?”

The Cui family members hung their heads in dejection.

Though he was her betrothed, for him to openly enter the boudoir and debauch her before marriage was, to their deeply ingrained sense of propriety, a disgrace for everyone.

"Do as I just said... clarify the land records, keep the core ancestral estates, and surrender all other acquisitions of recent years to the court; register the hidden households and submit them; incorporate the private troops into the regular army. Henceforth, there will be no Cui family soldiers, only the Great Han's Jizhou soldiers. Do you understand?"