amaotonovel Chapter 386 Selling One's Soul
Chapter 386 Selling One's Soul
The Northern Qi emperor stared blankly at the warm sun that enveloped the memorial tablet in a protective posture, and a scene appeared before his eyes.
In the long, dark alley, a young nobleman snatched Yizhen's vegetable basket, smashed it on the ground, and dragged her onto a carriage to learn how prostitutes entertain customers.
He stepped in to stop it.
These people were all spoiled brats, and Yizhen was just a plaything in their eyes. After he stopped them, they probably felt disappointed, but they couldn't refuse him, so they vented their anger on Yizhen, pushed her off the carriage, and drove away.
Yi Zhen fell backward to the ground, motionless. After a long while, she recovered and tried to sit up, but she fell back to the ground dizzy.
She laboriously rolled over, slowly crawled towards the vegetable basket, and picked up the wild vegetables that had fallen to the ground, one by one, and put them into the basket.
He saw bright red blood flowing down the back of her head, staining the collar of her clothes.
Yizhen seemed oblivious, her mind completely absorbed in the wild vegetables.
He handed Yizhen a handkerchief.
Yizhen didn't take it, but simply said "thank you" softly.
He squatted down and said, "You're injured. You need to go to the clinic for treatment."
Faced with his sudden approach, Yizhen took a few steps back, as if she wanted to avoid him at all costs.
He was provoked by Yi Zhen's reaction, and as if possessed, he blurted out the words he had kept hidden in his heart.
"If you find a powerful backer, these scions of wealthy families won't dare to bully you anymore."
Yi Zhen looked up at him.
He smiled gently and extended his hand to her.
Yizhen understood his meaning: he wanted her to come with him. Yizhen silently refused him, put the last wild vegetable in the basket, got up, and prepared to leave.
He said, "I can help your brother return home."
Yi Zhen suddenly stopped in her tracks, neither continuing forward nor turning to look at him.
He knew he had her weakness in his grasp, and slowly approached her: "The day your brother returned to the country, pack your things and come to me."
Yi Zhen did not respond and just stood there frozen.
“I saved you today, but I have humiliated those noble families. They will take their revenge on you and your brother next time. If your brother stays in Northern Qi, he will only be buried here.”
He handed the handkerchief back to him: "Think about it."
This time, Yizhen accepted his handkerchief.
The two reached a deal.
He got his wish and told her that he would protect her from now on and never let her be bullied again.
She twitched the corners of her lips.
At that moment, he saw her smile and inexplicably felt that she was very sad, but he didn't understand why she was sad. It wasn't until much later that he realized she was sad because she was powerless to change her fate.
Because she not only lost her dignity and pride, but also sold her soul and body.
At that time, he couldn't understand it, so after returning to his residence, he entrusted the important task of escorting Emperor Jing'an back to the Great Zhou to the Imperial Tutor.
The Imperial Tutor successfully escorted Emperor Jing'an back to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Yi Zhen also came to his side as agreed.
He was attracted by Yizhen's indomitable spirit in the face of adversity, and now that she had yielded to him, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
That very day, he consummated his marriage with Yizhen and promised to protect her well from now on.
However, in bed, Yizhen never took the initiative or resisted, letting him do whatever he wanted, like a piece of wood without a soul.
He was not satisfied and hoped that she could treat him with the same initiative and enthusiasm as Consort Shu.
But when faced with her gaze, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
After a few times, he found it boring and lost all interest.
Especially since she always yielded to him, losing her unwavering pride, she could no longer attract him. From then on, he grew tired of her, ignored her, and let her be bullied by others.
He waited for her to beg him, but even after she became pregnant, gave birth, and entered the arena, he never heard her show weakness or beg for mercy.
The Northern Qi emperor snapped out of his reverie, stood at the door, and hesitated to step into the meditation room.
The abbot called out, "Your Majesty?"
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the Emperor of Northern Qi stepped into the meditation room and stood beside the offering table: "Who erected this memorial tablet?"