The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem

Ministry of Punishment—

Jiang Yunxia stepped out of the sedan chair, took a few deep breaths, and then walked towards the gates of the Ministry of Punishment.

The guards at the entrance gave her a strange look but let her pass.

Once she was out of earshot, the two guards huddled together and whispered, "This Miss Jiang has such peculiar tastes. Other girls avoid our lord like the plague, afraid of catching his eye, but she goes out of her way to approach him."

"It's not that I have anything against our lord, but look at him—always with a cold expression and an intimidating aura. Any young girl would be scared off. Miss Jiang truly lives up to being the sister of the Empress."

"Our lord's heart is as cold as ice. How many times has Miss Jiang come now?"

"More than ten times, I think."

"And he still hasn't agreed?"

"Our lord says he's cursed with loneliness and doesn't want to bring misfortune to Miss Jiang."

"Is it that he doesn't want to bring misfortune to any girl who proposes to him, or just Miss Jiang?"

Ma Yiyang had just returned to the Ministry of Punishment from the Ministry of Justice when he heard from his subordinates that Miss Jiang had come again.

"Tsk—"

His hand trembled while shaving, leaving a small cut on his chin, from which a tiny drop of blood emerged.

He hastily wiped it with a cloth. "Tell her to go back. The Ministry of Punishment is filled with blood and gore. It's not a place for a delicate young lady."

Ma Yiyang couldn't forget the night he saved her, how she trembled in his arms. A rough man like him shouldn't ruin the life of such a delicate girl.

His reputation as the "God of Execution" in the Ministry of Punishment was earned through countless lives. The temple abbot had said that he was cursed with a lonely fate, unfit for marriage.

His trusted aides exchanged glances, none willing to move, and one of them muttered resentfully, "If you want to go, go yourself, my lord. I can't handle it. Miss Jiang cries too easily, and I can't stand it."

"If he's not going, I'm not going either. I can't bear to see a lady in tears."

Ma Yiyang glared at them. "I'll go change my clothes."

The one he was wearing still carried the scent of blood, unsuitable for meeting Miss Jiang.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"What does that mean? Is he going to see her or not?"

"Are you stupid? When has our lord ever cared about what he wore to meet someone? Only when it's someone he loves does he pay such attention."

Jiang ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‍Yunxia clutched her handkerchief with her slender, pale hands, her heart pounding.

Would Ma Yiyang see her today?

Usually, she could only see him once out of every three visits. If she was lucky and he wasn't busy, he might even escort her home.

Her sister was right—she had to fight for her own happiness. She hoped to grow old with Ma Yiyang.

Today, she had to succeed in her proposal. If not, her mother would soon arrange a marriage for her.

After all, her sister was of marriageable age, and their parents were already looking for suitors for her.

But as the eldest sister, she had to marry first before her younger siblings could be betrothed. Lately, her parents were in a hurry to marry her off.

"Miss Jiang!"

Ma Yiyang's deep, husky voice startled Jiang Yunxia. She stood up from her seat and hurriedly took the food box from her maid. "I heard you've been at the Ministry of Justice for three days straight without a proper meal. I... I had the family chef prepare some of his specialty dishes. Would you like to try them?"

As the food box opened, the tantalizing aroma wafted out. Ma Yiyang, who had initially intended to refuse, swallowed hard, and his stomach let out an embarrassing growl.

Jiang Yunxia chuckled and, along with her maid, laid out the dishes, silently handing him the chopsticks, like a wife waiting for her hardworking husband to come home for dinner.

Refusing now would be impolite.

Moreover, the dishes Jiang Yunxia had brought were all Ma Yiyang's favorites.

With just one glance, he knew that his mother and sister must have shared quite a bit about him with Miss Jiang.

Noble families adhered to the rule of not speaking during meals, but Ma Yiyang had no such reservations. He ate quickly but with elegance. "Do your family members not say anything about you coming here so often?"

Jiang Yunxia interpreted this as: Does your family approve of you associating with me?

"They don't!"

The young lady's face flushed with urgency. "My parents are worried I won't find a husband. Why would they object to me seeing you?"

Ma Yiyang widened his eyes at her. Was that what he had meant?

But he didn't ask, and the tips of his ears turned red, though Jiang Yunxia couldn't see.

Jiang Yunxia, too anxious to notice Ma Yiyang's discomfort, bit her lower lip and asked, "So... have you... have you thought about getting married recently?"

"Pfft!"

The young men hiding in the shadows were so shocked by her boldness that they nearly spat out their drinks.

"Ow!"

A date pit shot out and hit one of them on the forehead. The boy clutched his head and howled in pain, while the others eavesdropping behind the door fled in panic.

Jiang Yunxia's face turned crimson with embarrassment, but she mustered her courage once more. "Ma Yiyang, I'm asking you one last time—will you marry me? If not, I'll resign myself to my family's arrangements. Whoever they choose for me, I'll marry."

"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"

This time, the voices came from the roof.

The young men eavesdropping had no experience and were discovered before they could hear the crucial part. These men were different—they were seasoned veterans who followed their lord, and they remained undetected even by him.

But now, they couldn't stay silent. The lady had proposed, and their lord was still hesitating?

Ma Yiyang gritted his teeth. "Get down here, all of you! If I catch you eavesdropping again, you'll be carrying hundred-pound sandbags and running ten laps around the capital's moat."

Their lord might not be able to spot them, but he sure knew how to punish them.

A hundred pounds was no joke.

"Say yes... say yes... say yes..."

Several tall young men leaped down from the roof, still clapping their hands in rhythm as they left. "Boss, say yes!"

After the commotion, the silence made Jiang Yunxia want to dig a hole and disappear. But since she had already asked, she wouldn't rest without an answer.

The ball was back in Ma Yiyang's court.

The prolonged silence turned Jiang Yunxia's eyes as red as a rabbit's, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

The shame and sadness made her want to leave immediately.

It was just too painful.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you."

She held back her tears, not wanting to cry in front of Ma Yiyang.

She was the one who fell in love first, but she still had her pride to maintain.

"Wait..."

Just as she was about to run off, her slender arm was caught by a strong hand.

Ma Yiyang's calm yet intense eyes locked onto hers, a storm brewing within. "Even if I'm cursed with loneliness? Even if my hands are stained with blood? Even if everyone fears me, hates me, and avoids me—you still want to marry me?"

His passion burned just as fiercely as Jiang Yunxia's.