Compared to Dan Qing's shock and adoration, Dan Yue, feeling the pain in his body and looking at the large footprint on his chest, began to doubt his entire existence.
What about the promised official pairing, the fated perfect match?
How could Qiao Ci, a strong woman, bear to kick him, a delicate little man?
A woman who committed domestic violence was not to be wanted!
Seeing Dan Qing arrive and catch him in the act of seducing his wife, Dan Yue, filled with shame and anger, hastily got up and ran out.
Fearing that Dan Qing would misunderstand, Qiao Ci quickly explained, "I didn't touch him! No, I'll go change into new shoes right now!"
"What's wrong?" Dan Rong returned from the restroom and, seeing Qiao Ci trying to explain something, couldn't help but curiously lean in for some gossip.
"Elder Sister, go comfort Dan Yue." Seeing Dan Yue's last glance, which indicated he would no longer covet A'Ci, Dan Yue, as a man, was kicked down by a woman. If he did something foolish back in his palace and was framed by someone with ulterior motives, it would fall upon Qiao Ci.
Dan Rong, while uninhibited, was not foolish. Hearing this, she was slightly annoyed and said, "Truly an unmanageable one!"
Then she cursed and left in a hurry.
Seeing that Qiao Ci was truly going to change shoes, Dan Qing held her hand and laughed, "Where do I need to change shoes? Do you really think of me as a jealous husband?"
Dan Yue, crying, returned to the palace and happened to meet Qiao Shan. Seeing the handsome man in tears, Qiao Shan felt immense pity and quickly stepped forward to console him, "First Prince, who bullied you?"
The enemy's masked face was particularly irritating. The culprit was right before his eyes. Dan Yue raised his hand and slapped her, sneering, "Do you even qualify to speak to this Prince?"
Qiao Shan, covering her face, was full of humiliation. Although she considered herself the protagonist, in this world where imperial power reigned supreme, she dared not be too presumptuous. She could only look at Dan Yue with humiliation, "What does the First Prince mean by this?"
"You still have the audacity to ask me? Spreading rumors and slandering me in front of this Prince, causing this Prince to lose all face. You are truly worse than that gossip monger! Do not appear before this Prince again!" Dan Yue flicked his sleeves and was about to leave, but Qiao Shan quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"First Prince, do not wrongly accuse good people. When have I ever spoken falsely? Which of my words to you was untrue? I hope the First Prince can enlighten me."
Fearing that her pulling and tugging would affect his reputation, Dan Yue quickly pulled back his sleeve and looked at her, his face flushed red, "If you have something to say, just say it, why are you pulling and tugging?"
In fact, apart from her saying that he and Qiao Ci were destined to be together, everything else she said was true. He had just been rejected by Qiao Ci and wanted to find someone to vent his frustrations on.
Seeing that his emotions had stabilized, Qiao Shan began to inquire about what had happened. He had just rushed from Qiao Ci's residence, so it was definitely related to Qiao Ci.
Seeing the clear slap mark on Qiao Shan's face, and yet she still cared about him, Dan Yue felt a little embarrassed. The two found a private room.
Dan Yue, while drinking and drowning his sorrows, confided in Qiao Shan, "You also said that Qiao Ci was my destined empress, but in the end, not only did she treat me coldly, she even resorted to… kicking me."
As he spoke, he pointed to the faint shoe print on his chest, lamenting, "I am already not favored by the Empress in the palace, and now I have completely offended Dan Qing. What am I to do in the future?
It's all your fault for giving me such terrible advice. If what happened today gets out, how will I be able to show my face in the future... *sob sob sob*... Why does no one like me? I just want a love that belongs to me, why must she humiliate me so..."
Qiao Shan looked at the First Prince, whose cheeks were flushed pink with alcohol, making him even more beautiful. A flash of stunning admiration crossed her eyes.
Casually stepping forward, she gently embraced him and said, "That's Qiao Ci having no taste. You are born with great renown; what woman wouldn't love you?"
"What great renown?" Dan Yue looked at Qiao Shan with teary eyes, not understanding.
"Let me tell you..."
The figures of the two gradually overlapped...
Upon hearing that Qiao Shan and Dan Yue had gotten together, Qiao Ci showed no surprise.
Not long after, the Empress issued a decree to marry off the First Prince Dan Yue to Qiao Shan. The wedding was hastily arranged, lacking the solemnity and grandeur of Qiao Ci and Dan Qing's.
Qiao Ci learned from Little Spoon that Dan Yue and Qiao Shan had achieved 'one soul, one body' and the Empress discovered he was pregnant before marriage. Feeling disgraced, after inquiring who the other party was, she decreed that they should be together forever.
Seeing how perfunctorily his mother handled his marriage, Dan Yue harbored deep hatred. Indeed, only Dan Qing and Dan Rong were worthy of her concern; all her other children were like drifting duckweed.
Qiao Shan was also unhappy. She hadn't had enough fun yet, and now she was pregnant, which was too disappointing.
The happiest person was undoubtedly Qiao Wen.
First, Qiao Ci married the young prince Dan Qing, and soon after, her daughter Qiao Shan brought the eldest prince Dan Yue home, with a bonus of two for one!
She did not look down on Dan Yue because he was not favored. No matter how unfavored he was, he was still a prince. By marrying a prince, she would also become royalty in the future. Let's see who would dare say she picked the sesame and lost the watermelon, being blind and foolish!
Upon hearing that Dan Yue was pregnant, Dan Qing was extremely envious. He drank all sorts of tonic soups daily, hoping his own belly would be as promising, ideally giving birth to a daughter, a plump baby girl for Qiao Ci!
"What are you drinking now?" As soon as Qiao Ci entered the room, she smelled a medicinal scent and asked with a frown, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"No, I've just been a bit heated lately, *cough cough*, conditioning my body." Dan Qing's eyes darted away, afraid that Qiao Ci would discover his little secret.
Qiao Ci had Little Spoon scan his body and found that apart from being a bit weak, all his health indicators were within the normal range.
It seemed she needed to exercise some restraint lately. Since discovering that Dan Qing couldn't resist her, Qiao Ci had become quite enthusiastic in that regard, constantly exploring new ways to spar with him.
As a result, Dan Qing also started exercising, doing morning runs and practicing horse stances, and jumping rope at night to build his body, determined to regain the only slight advantage he had.
Perhaps due to the natural conditions of men and women in a matriarchal society, Dan Qing was never successful. He could only hug the corner of his quilt and cry pitifully. He couldn't even use his many tricks, which was infuriating!
A few days later, a rather embarrassing incident occurred in the capital, which the citizens talked about with great interest.
The First Prince Dan Yue had a miscarriage.
Because he played too wildly with Qiao Shan, it led to severe bleeding, and he almost died.
Qiao Shan was beaten half to death by Qiao Wen on the spot and was dragged away like a dead dog that night to kneel before the palace gates to beg for forgiveness.
The Empress was furious!
She had Qiao Shan severely beaten with forty planks and imprisoned in the celestial prison for three full days before releasing her, who was on the verge of death.
Although the Empress did not value her eldest son greatly, he was, after all, her own flesh and blood, and she did care for him.
Furthermore, he represented the dignity of the royal family.
She had personally gone to the Qiao mansion to comfort him and had privately asked him if he wanted to continue living with Qiao Shan, offering to arrange a divorce. After this scandal passed, she would find him a reliable wife.
The Empress's concerned words brought tears to Dan Yue's eyes, but after considering it, he still refused.