An Unjust Situation!

Xie Wan remained silent and coldly said again, “Let go!”

Wang Deshui smiled and said, “Since Miss Su doesn’t know, let me inform you. I am the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court. If such an incident happens, it would only be a matter of personal ethics for me, at most resulting in a year of punishment. But it’s different for Miss Su. Not only will her reputation be tarnished, but in the end, she will have to obediently marry me. It will be difficult for her to survive in the capital.”

“In that case, it’s better for you to willingly marry me. As long as you serve me well, I can assure you that no one in my residence will lay a finger on you, even in public. I’m willing to protect your reputation. Isn’t that better than being sold by your grandmother to someone else as a concubine?”

“No need for Master Wang to worry about this matter!” Xie Wan frowned and said coldly, “Let go!”

“You refuse the toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!” Wang Deshui’s expression also turned cold. He pulled her into his embrace and tried to touch her inappropriately.

Xie Wan struggled fiercely and broke free from his embrace, preparing to lift her skirt and run away. However, Wang Deshui grabbed her arm and pulled her back!

“You little wench, still want to run? You have no shame!”

Wang Deshui grabbed her arm with one hand and his other hand moved towards Xie Wan’s face with a slap!

Xie Wan dodged her head, causing Wang Deshui’s slap to miss, but it only further aroused his desire for conquest. He decided to tear at her collar instead. While tearing at it, he viciously said, “After I’m done with you today, let’s see if you still act high and mighty!”

Tear!

Xie Wan’s sleeve was torn off for the most part, but luckily, she still had an inner garment, so her skin wasn’t exposed.

However, the sound attracted Wang Deshui’s nerves. He immediately tightly gripped Xie Wan’s wrist and lowered his head, preparing to kiss her.

The back door of the courtyard was tightly closed, and there was no sound at all.

Inside the room, Little Quan was sweating profusely. There was a violent incident of forced abduction happening outside, yet their master remained seated without any change.

But he didn’t dare to intervene. He knew his master’s temperament well. Unless his master changed his mind on his own, no one’s persuasion would be of any use.

Although the courtyard gate was closed, the room door was open. The sound of tearing clothes clearly reached their ears, occasionally accompanied by the sound of the courtyard gate being bumped.

Little Quan anxiously shouted in his heart, Miss Su, please call for help! Even if our master doesn’t save you, perhaps someone else will come to your rescue?!

However, Xie Wan didn’t utter a sound. From beginning to end, she remained silent, except for the muffled groans of her struggling. She didn’t make any cries for help.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the sounds coming from outside and the rustling of pages as Li Yu flipped through his book.

The struggle outside seemed to be weakening, and Little Quan closed his eyes, forcing himself to stop thinking about it.

At this moment, Li Yu, who had been reading all along, suddenly spoke, “Has an hour passed?”

Little Quan felt relieved upon hearing this, but when he glanced at the hourglass, his heart sank again. He honestly replied, “Not yet.”

Li Yu put down the book in his hand and stood up, saying, “That should be enough. Let’s go.”

Outside the courtyard gate, Xie Wan tightly gripped her own collar, gritting her teeth without making a sound.

The closed courtyard gate seemed to be mocking her foolish dreams.

Wang Deshui continued to tug and pull, but Xie Wan simply crouched down, curling herself into a ball. Even when Wang Deshui tugged at her hair, she neither cried out in pain nor loosened her collar.

After pulling and tugging for a long time without seeing her in pain or letting go, Wang Deshui couldn’t help but scoff and started punching and kicking.

Xie Wan had endured it all.

Does it hurt?

How can it not hurt?!

Whether it was the hair being torn out or the beating she received, every part of her no longer screamed in pain but in agony.

But she couldn’t make a sound. If she made a sound, regardless of whether she had preserved her innocence today or not, she would be finished.

This era is extremely harsh towards women. Just because you have memories from a different lifetime doesn’t mean they will treat you differently. When you can’t change the rules of this world, you can only conform to them and be the best version of yourself within those rules.

Only by doing so can she avoid being labeled as an anomaly. If she’s lucky, she might be called crazy, but if things turn worse, she might be seen as a demon. And worst of all, she might end up facing a disastrous fate.

Just as Wang Deshui said, he is a high-ranking official in the court, a third-ranked official, a man! Even if someone were to find out, at most, he would be punished with seclusion for self-reflection.

But she is different. She is a woman, and she has a grandmother like that. If someone were to find out, her ultimate fate would be to marry Wang Deshui.

Is it ridiculous?

Very ridiculous, isn’t it?

However, this is reality. This is the inequality caused by social status! This is the difference between men and women!

What’s even more ridiculous is that after the incident is known to the world, the majority of people will not sympathize with her plight. They will only curse her for shamelessly seducing a man!

Otherwise, why would Master Wang not go after someone else but specifically target her?!

No one will sympathize with her. Those noble ladies will only look down on her, and some might even think that Wang Deshui fell victim to a vixen’s trickery!

A woman’s innocence, a woman’s suffering, a woman’s life—no one will care.

Xie Wan smiled bitterly, mocking herself. Perhaps she shouldn’t harbor any unrealistic illusions. The only person who can save her in this world is herself!

Her eyes turned cold, and she clenched her fist.

Just then, the tightly closed courtyard gate creaked open.

The sudden sound startled Wang Deshui, who was in the midst of relentlessly attacking Xie Wan. He turned his head and immediately knelt down with a thud, saying, “Prince... Prince Ning.”

Li Yu’s gaze slid from the huddled Xie Wan against the corner of the wall, and he lowered his eyes to look at the kneeling Wang Deshui. He spoke slowly, “Wang Deshui, you have truly shown your true colors.”

Wang Deshui trembled in fear, bowing his head repeatedly and saying, “I... I was just momentarily confused.”

But then he suddenly raised his head and pointed angrily at Xie Wan by the wall, saying, “No, it’s all this wretched woman who seduced me! I couldn’t control myself!”

His gaze towards Xie Wan was fierce and filled with resentment, as if she was his archenemy who killed his father.

A cold, mocking smile curved the corners of Xie Wan’s lips. She didn’t stand up or offer any explanation for herself. She seemed to be frightened, crouching and trembling.

Li Yu glanced at Xie Wan, then shifted his gaze back to Wang Deshui.

The jade bead in his hand made a crisp sound as he tapped it, and his voice remained calm and unwavering, without any fluctuations. “Wang Deshui, as an appointed official of the court, engaging in illicit activities with women in the residence of the Princess Royal, I will truthfully report this to the Emperor. Tomorrow morning, you shall await your punishment.”

Prince Ning and the current Emperor were born to the same mother, and due to certain circumstances, the Emperor owed Prince Ning a great deal. Almost every report from Prince Ning was approved.

Now that Prince Ning had spoken in this manner, it meant that his punishment would not be as lenient as confinement.

Wang Deshui immediately panicked, kowtowing repeatedly and saying, “My Lord! I’ve been wronged! My Lord!”