Scharlachroter Regen überflutet die Stadt

Kapitel 122

Chapter Eight: Despicable

When I arrived, it was brightly lit. Those clear, bright eyelids seemed to show signs of fatigue from the night I had spent there.

I struggled to sit up. He glared at me, pointing a finger at me. "You—" He was too angry to speak. As far as I could remember, this was the first time he had ever truly lost his temper, so furious. This fierce look was somewhat similar to the perpetually cold and aloof Fourth Master I remembered from long ago.

I coughed and clutched my chest. "Why are you yelling at me? I don't look like I'm about to die."

"That wine?!" He was stunned, staring blankly at me.

"You call yourself the younger brother? All I did was prepare his favorite bamboo leaf green tea to satisfy his craving." I rolled my eyes at him, then raised my voice, "I won't commit suicide, whether you believe it or not... I can't do that, and he wouldn't agree. You're right, I'm not a weak woman, I won't choose to die for love. I will commemorate our past life together in my own way, cherishing every moment. I can't fall."

I will not commit suicide, because if I went to him, he would blame me for being reckless. But I will approach him step by step in my own way. Last night, for a fleeting moment, I almost wanted to go with him, but then I remembered his deep gaze and suddenly couldn't bear to disappoint him. I will live on, live on in my own way, patiently waiting... If I could, I would remarry, so he could rest in peace. I will not be willful again...

"Give me three more years." I looked deeply into Lu Xiu's eyes. "I'll use three years to heal all the pain, fulfill his wish, and then... I'll give myself to you, I'll give you the rest of my life..."

Last night's warm breeze felt like his whisper, his words of advice to me. He told me to be strong, to take care of the children... and to cherish the people... He left too quickly, leaving behind so much... Each and every one of these was a plea to me.

Lu Xiu remained silent, his eyes fixed on me. "Can you do it? Can you really not feel pain?"

"I can't do it... but I can try to forget..."

"Alright...I'll wait...even if it takes thirty years..."

Lu Xiu asked me to stay at Miaochun Tower. Three days later, after he finished his official business in Liaodu, I will return to the capital with him.

The moment I stepped into Miaochun Pavilion, my mother rushed over. "My little darling! You're finally back! I thought you weren't coming back."

I still feel a little unaccustomed to her sudden enthusiasm today.

"Come..." Mother hurriedly pointed to a burly man in the corner. "Quickly pay your respects to the Third Prince."

Seeing that familiar figure, I couldn't help but swallow hard. What a strange day! I've run into everything.

The burly man leered at me. But this time, the alcohol fumes from our first meeting at the city gate were gone. "I've never heard Thirteen interested in women. I really wonder why he saved me that day. Turns out she was a prostitute..."

"Your Highness, please show some self-respect." I turned my head away, increasingly puzzled by such a vast difference despite sharing the same bloodline.

He stood up and pulled me into his arms. "If someone else had saved you that day, I might have let you go, but it was him."

“You…” I looked at him with some disgust.

“I have many women, including some like you, but… I have always had a strong interest in Thirteen’s things.”

"Thirteen?"

"What? Have you already forgotten about my thirteenth brother, Xiao Jue, so quickly?"

"What do you want to do?" I frowned and pushed him away.

He suddenly straightened up and threw down a pile of silver notes, saying, "Tonight, I'll sell you the night... to reward my Green Standard Army soldiers."

The madam's smile froze. "This young lady is only staying temporarily and has not sold herself..."

"Isn't the money enough?" he said angrily, as if he could overturn the entire Miaochun Pavilion in an instant. "I'll pay twice as much—that'll be enough to buy a slut."

"I'll pay ten times—" A clear, crisp voice rang out. Perhaps it was too familiar, for I was momentarily stunned.

The hands around my waist suddenly squeezed me tightly, and he breathed heavily. "I really didn't expect... Shouldn't the regent of the Central Plains be attending a grand banquet in the palace? How come he has this kind of refined taste?"

Lu Xiu smiled knowingly, "Didn't the prince decline today's banquet on the grounds of illness? He recovered so quickly." His eyes shifted to the Third Prince's arm around me, and a hint of anger flashed in his gaze.

"I was referring to gold worth ten times that amount of silver," Lu Xiu said with a faint smile.

Everyone stared at us in surprise. Just now, the Third Prince threw out some silver notes worth at most two or three thousand taels, ten times that amount in gold, twenty or thirty thousand taels of gold, which is three hundred thousand taels of silver. I thought to myself, something's not right. In the end, he's using my money. You, Lu Xiu, are you just wasting my son's national treasury gold?

"I won't allow it—" I quickly interrupted, and everyone looked at me as if I were a monster.

Lu Xiu instantly understood my little scheme, and glared at me helplessly, "I'll handle the accounts from my own residence, don't worry." He practically gritted his teeth as he said the last four words.

I rolled my eyes, thinking to myself, "Isn't the money in your mansion also a reward from my palace?" The Third Prince let go of my hand, and I quickly broke free, ran to Lu Xiu, grabbed his sleeve, and whispered, "Don't bother with him."

He replied irritably and waved to the Third Prince, "Your Highness, let's go back to the palace together."

The Third Prince walked past me dejectedly, and the last look he gave me told me that he wouldn't let me off easily.

The madam beside him sighed, complaining that all the hard-earned money was gone.

Not long after the two left, I turned and went into my room. I had just sat down when a man entered my inner room and sat down steadily at the table. I looked up at him and couldn't help but smile. "The Thirteenth Prince."

Xiao Jue smiled slightly. Her appearance was as delicate and graceful as a woman's, and she was so slender and frail that one could hardly tell that she was a Khitan.

"I heard that my third brother came here... and almost took liberties with the girl."

"If that's why you've come," I smiled and tucked my hair into my hair, "the word 'frivolous' seems to elevate me."

He glanced sideways and sighed slowly, "It's my fault for dragging you into this, young lady. He's here for me."

I thought to myself, "You know that, don't you?"

“Young master, you don’t need to feel sorry for me.” I sat down and looked at him, smiling gently. “And you don’t need to pity me either.”

He trembled, his eyes shining with disbelief.

“If the Third Prince is determined to make trouble for me, there will be nowhere for me to hide, even if it is the ends of the earth.”

He clenched his fist slightly, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Since that's the case, I really have no other choice." He raised his hand, gently poured a glass of wine, and pushed it towards her, "Please take care of yourself, young lady!"

I glanced indifferently at the cup in his hand, lightly brushing away the sandalwood ash that had fallen onto my clothes with a handkerchief, as if I hadn't smelled it. After a long while, I held the cup and smiled faintly, "To have the Thirteenth Prince pour wine for me, what a blessing."

He downed a full glass of wine in an instant, slowly stood up with his sleeves behind his back, turned around in the room, and looked up at the dark clouds in the sky outside the window, as if it was about to rain.

"Thirteenth Prince," I said softly, "I won't see you out."

He stood up, faced the door, and pushed it open. I abruptly overturned the wine pot on the table, clutching my dress tightly with one hand. This man was truly formidable; he could poison someone without batting an eye.

When it gets hot, it feels like a million insects are attacking your spleen, and the heat flowing through your body is almost uncontrollable.

The Third Prince suddenly appeared before me, practically pushing the door open. I knew he wouldn't let me off so easily! Seeing the mess in the room and me half-lying on the couch, sweating profusely, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak.

"Don't come any closer!" I only managed to shout those three words before my throat went silent, and cold sweat almost soaked my entire back.

He glanced down at the wine stains I had knocked over, and the peculiar aroma of the wine startled him. He took three steps in one, grabbing my shoulders tightly. "It's... that kind of poison?!"

I nodded with some difficulty. The moment his hand gripped my shoulder, I felt a sudden coolness wash over my burning body, slightly relieving the unbearable agony of the insects burrowing into my bones.

"He actually used such despicable tricks on you?!" The Third Prince looked up at me, his brows furrowed.

I slowly pushed his hand away and forced myself to speak, "Don't come any closer, don't touch me. Give me cold water, or a cold knife. It's okay, just bear with it."

"The aphrodisiacs of the Liao Kingdom are different from those of the Central Plains." A hint of anxiety appeared in his eyes. "You will die!"

I looked at him, my consciousness fading, and all I could manage to say was, "Give me cold water, cold water..."

A blur gradually crept in, and I couldn't make out what the mouth in front of me was saying as it opened and closed...

When I awoke again, it was pitch black… I reached out and touched something cold—a naked body. I struggled to open my eyes, trying to see who it was, but I couldn't make out their face. The scent of sandalwood wafted around me, numbing my nerves; the pain seemed less intense than before. I struggled a few times before realizing I couldn't sit up. Thinking of the Third Prince's gaze earlier, where had he taken me? What was he going to do…?

A chill ran down my waist. In the darkness, the person reached out and unbuttoned my skirt. I tried to block them with my hands, but the severe numbness had completely controlled my hands, leaving me without the strength to even lift a finger...

For a fleeting moment, I deceived myself, telling myself it was just a sordid dream, but the burning breaths made it all seem like the real act of lovemaking between an ordinary man and woman. On the cold bed, as my senses returned slightly, tears streamed down my face.

In the pitch-black chaos, I seemed to see a face that overlapped with the man in the darkness.

Who is it? Beneath a sky full of crabapple blossoms, a gentle smile, yet so indifferent. Who is it? A wave of overwhelming sorrow washes over me, transcending the distance between life and death, reappearing before my eyes. What am I doing?!

My fingernails dug deep into my palms, the pain bringing me greater clarity. Staring at the only glimmer of light in the darkness, tears blurred my vision. "Kill me. I was born to be Seventh Master's man, and I will die to be his ghost."

The man in the darkness trembled slightly, and I, having lost all strength, closed my eyes and breathed softly. In the darkness, I felt those slightly cool hands gently caress my cheek, lightly wiping away the tear tracks that had already frozen at the corners of my eyes. I smiled disdainfully to myself; this devilish man actually had such a tender side.

I was so tired, my consciousness blurred again, all I wanted was to sleep… In my fading consciousness, something seemed to be keeping me asleep, and I drifted off to sleep. The feeling was like every peaceful and tranquil night I spent with my head on that person's arm in my memory…

There were soft rustling sounds around me, and warm sunlight streamed into the room. I struggled to open my eyes and saw the man in front of me, who was wearing only a thin shirt, quickly putting on a gray robe. He turned around, saw my wide eyes, and just smiled coldly. "Well, I told you, you will eventually become my woman... You can stay in my manor for now."

I was so angry I could hardly breathe. "Despicable!"

He leaned in and gently kissed my pale lips, then smiled. "Last night...you surprised and delighted me. I'm very satisfied."

I stared at him, tears welling up in my eyes, when he tossed a delicate little medicine box out of his sleeve.

"This... has a remarkable effect on treating external injuries."

"Get out!" I shoved him to the ground. I sat up abruptly, but my waist went limp, and I fell back down.

Surprisingly, he didn't get angry. Instead, he picked it up and put it back on the bed, saying, "I don't have much patience when it comes to women!"

He gave a wicked smile, turned, and left. Looking down, I realized I wasn't wearing the same clothes as last night. Could it be… he changed them for me?!

I drifted off to sleep, and when I woke up, I saw a different ceiling, and the scent of sandalwood wafted in again. I reminded myself that it wasn't a dream, it definitely wasn't. A feeling of nausea washed over me. I heard footsteps at the door, and I quickly pulled up the quilt and looked warily toward the door.

That elegant figure was leaning against the door frame, looking at me. He didn't take a step, but just tilted his head to look me over.

I threw a pillow at him. "What are you looking at? Why didn't you come earlier or later? What a load of nonsense about helping me."

He hid the pillow, stepped into the room, and grinned. "Come on, you... who treats integrity like dirt, aren't you ashamed to pretend to be innocent? If you told the Third Prince that your daughter can climb on the roof and your son can spit at his regent father, he would definitely regret bringing you into the mansion."

I threw a second pillow at him. "How can you talk to the mother of the nation like that? And... I entrusted my child to you, and all you've done is raise him to be a troublemaker who climbs on roofs and spits? You're a menace."

He stopped talking, bent down, and gently hugged me.

"What are you doing?" I struggled in his arms.

His gaze fell on my pained expression, and he frowned. "Damn it!"

"He did save me after all." I sighed softly.

Lu Xiu looked at me, a chill running through his eyes. "Yes, he saved you."

I leaned my head against his chest, feeling his softness, and closed my eyes slightly. "Lu Xiu, you know I'm not someone who values chastity more than life itself, but I still... can't help feeling sad, just for someone who's no longer here..."

The villa in the Third Prince's residence is very quiet, which is suitable for recuperation. The high fever has subsided, and my spirits are improving day by day. For the past few days, Lu Xiu's meticulous care has allowed me to enjoy it all for free. As I ate the noodles he brought me, I waved him over, "Go and get me a prescription from the one on my table."

"What are you doing?" He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"To prevent pregnancy. I'm afraid that if something goes wrong this time, not only will I be unable to give an explanation to the people, but I also won't be able to face the officials in the court."

He casually tossed the prescription aside. "Don't worry. If you get pregnant, just give birth. I'll take care of it for you. Just say it's my child."

"Alright, alright. When you have a baby with silver eyes, you won't be able to recognize it even if you want to."

"Right now, it's just the two of us in the palace. Anyone who dares to object, I'll chop them down," he said jokingly.

I looked at him and suddenly fell silent. "Lu Xiu, you're actually a very good person."

"Don't try that on me, I can't handle it!" He still had that mischievous look on his face, waving his fan and looking at me. As he laughed, he suddenly calmed down with the atmosphere and hit me on the head with his fan. "Just remember that."

Chapter Nine: Reunion on a Strange Road

Over the course of the day, that Third Prince Xiao didn't touch me. I just assumed he was just lounging around in the manor, thinking that any place was fine too. I was just waiting for Lu Xiu to finish dealing with the affairs of Liao and take me back to the palace, so that the farce of a newlywed bride disappearing from the palace could be staged.