After the Poor Little Thing Ascended the Throne, He Took Me by Force

For eight years, under Yun Shuying’s merciless tutelage, Xia Zhi went from a “beggar” who couldn’t even speak to a worthy crown prince.

-

She would punish him for being improperly dressed and lacking the dignity of a crown prince.

She would reward him for being good enough, no different from the previous crown prince.

When he held out his palm before her, down came the cold, hard ruler.

When he knelt before her and raised his head, she would place a tender kiss on his forehead.

-

Since she had taken charge of him, “you worthless beast,” she ought to keep doing so.

So, at her wedding banquet,

Xia Zhi drove his sword straight through the chest of the man dressed in wedding robes.

A cutting wind swept by, and she slapped him across the face.

“Bastard!” Her slender body heaved as she caught her breath, clearly furious.

He casually tossed the sword aside, took her hand, and gently blew on it, just as she had done for him. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

She slapped him again.

-

At the height of imperial power, Xia Zhi thought it would be enough to have Shuying.

Whether she was sincere or pretending, whether she was truly mad or only feigning madness,

so long as she stayed by his side and acted as an iron whip, lashing him from time to time,

he would be more than happy to take it.

-

When he learned that a bold cousin from the Yun clan had joined forces with her kin to plant a parasitic worm in him,

forcing him to take Shuying, Xia Zhi seized the chance during the floods in Jiangnan to take her there himself and cut down a whole field of chives.

She could hardly understand and asked in stunned disbelief, “Was this really necessary?!”

“Your prayer beads broke, and you went mad. I wanted you to come back.” He rubbed his blood-jade ring, his phoenix eyes narrowing in a crooked smile.

“And didn’t you come back, Shuying?”