Chapter 151
After provoking Jian Ninghua, Qiu Chi returned just in time for dinner.
She ate with the Tanhua Lang. But while the Tanhua Lang wore a cold expression, had no appetite, and looked like he wanted to leave, Qiu Chi ate with gusto.
Many people were standing guard outside, for the sole purpose of forcing the two of them together.
Qiu Chi's hearty appetite drew the Tanhua Lang's gaze again and again. Though his face was expressionless, his eyes were filled with shock.
Qiu Chi snorted coldly. "Keep staring and I'll poke your eyes out."
The Tanhua Lang retracted his gaze and sneered. "As if I want to look at you. What young lady eats like you? Are you the reincarnation of a hungry ghost?"
Qiu Chi's fists clenched.
She felt this Tanhua Lang was just asking for a beating. At first, she'd found him rather pitiful and had ignored him, but now he was actively seeking a thrashing. Since that was the case, she would certainly oblige him.
Qiu Chi finished the last bite of rice in her bowl, slammed her chopsticks on the table, then stood up and grabbed the Tanhua Lang, who had barely eaten. "Since you don't want to eat, then don't. I'm going to teach you some manners and show you how to speak properly."
Qiu Chi dragged the Tanhua Lang into a room.
The men sent by the Emperor outside thoughtfully locked the door and announced, "The Princess and the Prince Consort are going to take their afternoon rest. Everyone may withdraw."
Qiu Chi was speechless. What the hell kind of afternoon rest?
Inside the room, the Tanhua Lang struggled fiercely. When he realized he couldn't break free, he clutched the collar of his robes with a terrified look. "What are you doing? Let me go! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude. Don't think I won't strike you just because you're a princess..."
Qiu Chi scoffed. "Ha!"
Tossing him to the floor, Qiu Chi sneered, "What did you think I was going to do? You're far too full of yourself. On my territory, you'd better be respectful, or you'll be in for a beating."
With that, Qiu Chi beat him up—a beating where she showed a great deal of mercy.
Even so, the Tanhua Lang lay on the floor, questioning his very existence.
How could such a crude and tyrannical woman exist in this world? And this woman was a princess?
The Tanhua Lang missed his Wan'er more than ever.
After beating him up, Qiu Chi left.
She was off to torment Jian Ninghua again.
When Qiu Chi arrived at the General's Manor, Jian Ninghua was eating. He was lying in bed, being fed by a servant.
The moment Qiu Chi arrived, she knocked out the person feeding him and taunted sarcastically, "Tsk, and you claim you're not useless. You even need someone else to feed you. You're worse than useless, aren't you? Even a useless person probably knows how to eat by themself."
When the person feeding him collapsed, Jian Ninghua knew the visitor from the morning had returned.
He lowered his head, fists clenched, his eyes filled with humiliation.
He asked in a calm tone, "What grudge do you hold against me that you would come here to insult me like this?"
Ignoring whatever little scheme he was plotting, Qiu Chi said in a leisurely tone, "A grudge? There isn't one. Can't I just be doing this because I find you displeasing?"
"You came last night, and you dare to return today in broad daylight. Should I say you're too brazen? Do you really think the General's Manor is a place you can come and go as you please?"
Jian Ninghua might have been useless, but after Qiu Chi left that morning, he had still known enough to arrange for men to lie in ambush, hoping to capture her.
Unfortunately for him, it was useless.
"I am indeed that brazen. Never mind the General's Manor—even the Imperial Palace is a place I can enter and leave as I wish."
"Hah, how arrogant!"
As he spoke, Jian Ninghua swept the meal in front of him onto the floor. Aside from the sound of shattering porcelain, there was complete silence.
Jian Ninghua's brow furrowed instantly. He shouted, "Someone, come!"
But still, no one responded.
Qiu Chi added a snide remark from the side. "Yoo-hoo, nobody's coming. Aren't you mad? I called you useless, but you wouldn't admit it. You only believe it when the truth is staring you in the face."
Jian Ninghua looked up toward the source of the voice and ground out through his teeth, "What did you do?"
"Not much. I just let them have a nice nap. Were you planning on using drugs to knock me out? What a pity. How could a useless person like you ever succeed?"
Hearing only her voice but seeing no one, Jian Ninghua was about to explode with anger.
He roared, "I am not useless!"
Qiu Chi remained unbothered. "That just proves you lack self-awareness."
"Who on earth are you? Come out if you have any courage. What kind of skill is hiding in the shadows?"
"The more you want me to come out, the more I'll refuse. I'm doing this just to infuriate you."
Provoked to new heights of fury, Jian Ninghua nearly coughed up blood from anger.
He struggled to calm himself, refusing to give Qiu Chi the satisfaction. "What is your goal?"
"My goal?" Qiu Chi thought for a moment. "I don't really have one. I just want you to gain a little self-awareness. Just admit you're useless. If you admit it, I'll probably disappear."
Her tone was surprisingly innocent.
But Jian Ninghua was so enraged he actually spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing him spit up blood, Qiu Chi feigned surprise. "You're coughing up blood? How can you be this pathetic? Things have already reached this point, and you still won't admit you're useless? I'm genuinely afraid you'll die of anger. You absolutely can't let me anger you to death. Think of how bad that would sound."
Jian Ninghua expressed his rage by spitting up another mouthful of blood.
Qiu Chi sighed and tried to persuade him with painstaking earnestness. "Admitting you're useless is such a simple matter. Why must you be so difficult? In the end, you're the only one suffering. What's the point?"
Jian Ninghua covered his mouth to keep from spitting more blood. He said through clenched teeth, "I'm not useless, so why should I admit it? You're the real villain, hiding in the shadows. The more you try to humiliate me, the more I'll refuse to give you what you want."
Jian Ninghua was not the type of person who could take things in stride. He would never, under any circumstances, admit he was useless.
Qiu Chi shook her head. "The more useless someone is, the more they refuse to admit it. It's understandable. Whether I get my wish isn't that important. After all, you're the one coughing up blood, not me."
With that, Qiu Chi left.
He was already coughing up blood from anger, which proved her method of tormenting him was quite effective.
She'd save him to torment slowly. It wouldn't be good if she annoyed him to death all at once.
After Qiu Chi left, Jian Ninghua ignored his injuries and got out of bed. He kicked the maid who had been feeding him, and when she didn't stir, he simply stepped over her body. Then, he proceeded to smash everything he could in the room.
As he smashed things, he roared, "I am not useless! I am not useless! You're the useless one! You villain! Shameless!"
Though Qiu Chi had already left, she could still see what was happening in the General's Manor. She saw everything Jian Ninghua did.
She raised an eyebrow. It only confirmed her opinion that Jian Ninghua was utterly useless.
His stubborn refusal to admit he was useless probably meant that deep down, he knew it was true.
After all, Madam Jian was far too controlling, and he was completely unable to escape his mother's grasp.
Of course, he might not have even wanted to.
Later on, even after he became emperor, he was still just as useless, unable to protect Pei Siyi.
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