“I never wanted this daughter!” Yang Guang said with an ashen face: “If not for you, I would have killed this bastard long ago!”
Xiao Shi bit her lip tightly. After a long while, she said coldly: “So you regret letting Yunyi live until now, don’t you?”
Meeting her gaze, Yang Guang said coldly: “Yes! Even if I raised a dog, it would know gratitude and repay kindness. But this bastard? She only knows how to oppose me!”
“Oppose you?” Xiao Shi shook her head and laughed coldly: “Yang Guang, you’re truly confused beyond redemption. Living to this age, you can’t even distinguish who treats you well and who doesn’t.” As she spoke, she forcefully pulled open the heavy vermillion palace doors and pointed outside: “Open your eyes wide and look for yourself – see what state the realm that the Late Emperor worked so hard to establish has been ruined to by you. Yet you’re still here living in debauchery and dreams, having spring dreams of a prosperous age! Do you know why I’ve never interfered in court affairs all these years, even when Yunyi came to beg me, I refused to get involved? Because I wanted to watch with my own eyes as you ruined the realm, watch as you lost everything!”
“Shut up!” Yang Guang grabbed her throat, unable to contain his rage: “Xiao Weiyang, how vicious your heart is!”
Xiao Shi seemed not to notice the hand around her throat, saying coldly: “Yes, I am vicious, because I hate you. From the moment you killed Yang Yong, I’ve hated you to the core!”
Yang Guang’s cheeks twitched repeatedly as he raged: “You’re still thinking of him!” Then he showed a pained expression, gritting his teeth: “Why, Xiao Weiyang? How have I treated you badly? Why must you always think of a dead man? What will it take for you to forget him?”
“For me to forget him, there’s only one way.” Under Yang Guang’s expectant gaze, she said word by word: “That is to kill me!”
Yang Guang’s anger intensified beyond what it had been moments before, and he tightened his grip: “You really think I won’t kill you?”
Facing Yang Guang, fierce as a man-eating beast, Xiao Shi suddenly laughed: “You won’t kill me, otherwise you would have done so nineteen years ago.”
Yang Guang stared at her with an icy expression, several times wanting to increase the pressure, but ultimately could not harden his heart. Though Yang Guang was always cold-hearted and could eliminate even his own blood brothers without hesitation, he alone could do nothing with this seemingly fragile woman, tolerating her again and again. This time was the same.
In the next moment, he released his grip and stared at Xiao Shi: “You’re right – I won’t kill you. But I can kill that bastard and completely sever your connection with him!” As he spoke, he actually went to take the sword hanging nearby. Xiao Shi was greatly alarmed and quickly blocked him: “Isn’t it enough that you killed Meixue? Must you also harm my only daughter?”
“Only?” Yang Guang said sarcastically: “Don’t forget, Nanyang is also your daughter. But you? You only have eyes for that bastard, never caring about Nanyang, not even giving her a kind look!”
“Yes, I have wronged Nanyang, but all of this was caused by you, Yang Guang. I cannot forget – I’ll never forget in this lifetime!” With these words, tears slid from Xiao Shi’s beautiful eyes. She grasped Yang Guang’s hand, forcibly drawing the sword from its sheath and placing it against her own throat: “If you truly want to kill Yunyi, kill me first!”
Yang Guang shook his head: “I won’t let you die, but that bastard must die!” By the end of this sentence, his eyes held deep malice. Nineteen years of resentment erupted in this moment: “Zheng Ying, watch the Empress for me. If she loses even a single hair, you’ll bring me your head.”
Zheng Ying hastily agreed and walked to Xiao Shi’s side, carefully saying: “Your Majesty the Empress, you’ve been talking for so long and must be tired. Why don’t this servant help you rest for a while?”
Xiao Shi paid no attention to his words, staring at Yang Guang: “I know what you’re planning, but if I’m determined to die, not just one Zheng Ying – even ten or a hundred couldn’t stop me.”
“You’re threatening me?” Faced with Yang Guang’s words, Xiao Shi shook her head: “This is fact, not threat!”
“You!” Yang Guang was so angry he couldn’t speak, gripping the sword tighter and tighter before finally throwing it hard to the ground, saying hatefully: “Never let that bastard appear before me again!”
Before Xiao Shi could breathe a sigh of relief, Yang Guang had already ignored his wet clothes and embraced her, continuously kissing her cheeks and jade neck. Xiao Shi did not struggle, like a puppet, allowing Yang Guang to roughly tear off her clothing. Seeing this, Zheng Ying quickly went to close the palace doors.
She loathed Yang Guang’s touch, but had no choice but to accept it. It had been this way for nineteen years – living ignobly, all for… securing a chance for Yunyi to live.
Originally, she had been so eager to marry Yunyi off because she hoped Yunyi could gain protection from her husband’s family. That way, even if she died, Yunyi could live safely for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, Heaven always liked to play jokes on her – two consecutive arranged marriages had both failed, and she even gained the reputation of bringing misfortune to husbands.
In Feixiang Hall, Ruyi emerged from the inner chambers carrying a bowl of calming tea. Jixiang approached worriedly: “This calming tea has been reheated three times – the Princess still won’t drink it?”
Ruyi shook her head: “Never mind drinking tea – the Princess won’t even say a word. She’s been sitting there for as long as we’ve been back, not moving at all.” Then she asked Jixiang: “How are you? Have you applied medicine?”
Jixiang shook her head: “I’m fine, just some flesh wounds. I’m only worried the Princess can’t withstand such a great shock.”
Ruyi sighed and fetched medicine, applying it to Jixiang’s wounds while saying: “Who would say otherwise? All along, though His Majesty didn’t treat the Princess well, who could have imagined the Princess wasn’t his biological child, much less that he would do such things to her – he’s truly worse than a beast.”
Jixiang nodded: “Fortunately Her Majesty the Empress arrived in time, otherwise the Princess’s chastity would have been ruined.”
Ruyi was silent for a moment before saying: “Though the Princess preserved her chastity, as you just said, she may not be able to bear such a heavy blow. We know better than anyone how much the Princess respected His Majesty all these years. Moreover, from what they said earlier, when the Princess suddenly left the palace in the ninth year of Daye, it wasn’t for recreation but to assassinate Duke Tang on His Majesty’s behalf. But now, all of this has become a joke to the Princess.”
Jixiang said helplessly: “Sigh, if we had known this would happen, we should have stopped the Princess from going to Chengxiang Hall. Then so many things wouldn’t have happened, and the Princess wouldn’t have learned about her origins. Sometimes living in lies might not be unhappiness.”
Ruyi sighed deeply: “It’s useless to say this now. We should think of ways to console the Princess more, hoping she can emerge from this blow soon.”
Jixiang agreed, then said: “By the way, will Her Majesty the Empress be alright at Chengxiang Hall?”
“This…” Ruyi pondered for a moment: “Her Majesty the Empress has always been favored by His Majesty, so she should be fine. I’ll send someone to inquire at Chengxiang Hall later.”