"You wretched girl! Don't ruin my Chuan'er! Get out of here right now!" With that, Consort Zheng savagely dragged Chu Xiyin to her feet.
This woman is truly fierce!
Chu Xiyin was lifted up by her like a pitiful little chick.
"Let go of me!" Chu Xiyin almost suffocated when she was lifted up like that. In her panic, she grabbed something hard with both hands and squeezed it hard.
Consort Zheng clutched her chest in pain. "You...you...you...dead..."
Chu Xiyin then realized that she had been too harsh. "I'm sorry, Your Highness!"
Consort Zheng recovered and glared at Chu Xiyin. "Get out of here!"
Chu Xiyin took a step back, afraid that the shrew would suddenly attack again.
"Your Highness, please have some self-respect! The only reason I still address you as Your Highness is because you are the Fourth Prince's mother. I am not a weak lamb; your vicious tricks are completely ineffective against me! I, Chu Xiyin, have always been fearless in the face of evil and never bully the kind! However, there is one thing I truly do not understand: why do you repeatedly try to prevent me from being with the Prince? I can understand your love for your son, but don't you think what you are doing is too selfish?"
"So what if I'm selfish? As long as Chuan'er doesn't leave me, as long as he's safe and sound, I don't care about anything else," Consort Zheng said domineeringly.
This woman is utterly selfish! Utterly depraved!
"I beg you, leave Chuan'er! You'll kill him if you stay with him!" Consort Zheng covered her face and wept.
Chu Xiyin sneered. Her tricks were so cliché! Couldn't she come up with something new?
"The Emperor has arrived at the Prince's residence. You should leave now! Do you really want to watch Chuan'er die?" Consort Zheng said, wiping away her tears.
"Whether the Emperor has arrived at the Prince's residence or not is none of my business. And what does it have to do with the Prince's life or death?" Chu Xiyin said with a smile.
"The Emperor must not see you, otherwise, Chuan'er will be implicated!" Consort Zheng's alluring eyes held a hint of cunning.
Although Chu Xiyin didn't know what Consort Zheng was up to, she wasn't about to be fooled so easily. She glanced at Consort Zheng, turned around, sat down on the rosewood chair, and watched her continue her act.
"Don't you know? The Emperor originally favored you. To save you, Chuan'er had Chunhua transform into your likeness and enter the palace in your place. Just think, if the Emperor saw you, given his personality, wouldn't my Chuan'er..." Consort Zheng covered her face and sobbed again.
"What do you mean by that? I've never even met the Emperor, so how could he possibly take a liking to me? As for Chunhua, that's even more impossible. She's doing just fine at the White-Robed Young Master's residence, how could she possibly be in the palace?"
"I don't know anything about this white-robed young master. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see for yourself right now!" With that, Consort Zheng pulled Chu Xiyin along and walked out.
Behind the stone pillars in the long corridor, Consort Zheng released Chu Xiyin and said, "See for yourself!"
In the center of the courtyard stood a man and a woman, both dressed in white, like a divine couple, inseparable.
The man was seven feet tall, with a face as white as jade, eyes like deep pools, and a hint of wicked charm at the corner of his lips. Wasn't this the young man in white? Wasn't Chunhua sent to his mansion to be a maid?
Just as Chu Xiyin was about to go up and ask about the white-robed young man, Chunhua's, situation, she suddenly heard Consort Zheng whisper in her ear, "He is the current emperor—Yiyang! The woman beside him is Chunhua, your scapegoat!"
Chu Xiyin shrank back and saw that the woman was standing next to the white-robed boy. Although she could not see her face clearly, judging from her figure, it was definitely not Chunhua.
"Your Majesty, Consort Lan..." Yi Chuan walked gracefully toward the man and woman, bowing slightly.
"Today, the people of the city are all praising your beauty, sister-in-law. But..." Yi Yang gently embraced Chunhua's waist, pushing her forward slightly. "How does she compare to Consort Lan?"
Chu Xiyin stood frozen in place, her pupils dilating.
Na Lanfei... her eyes, her nose, her lips... how could they be exactly the same as hers?
Chu Xiyin looked down and saw the woman's thumb and forefinger rubbing together nervously.
"Chunhua, are your fingers itchy?" Chunhua sat on the stone bench, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together incessantly.
Upon hearing Chu Xiyin's words, she quickly put her hands behind her back. "No, I've had this habit since I was little. Whenever I'm hungry, I can't help but do this."
Chu Xiyin was startled.
This seemingly unintentional little gesture was her secret. A secret known only to her.
Chunhua tugged at Yiyang's sleeve.
"What's wrong? Is Consort Lan feeling unwell again?" Yi Yang asked.
Chunhua nodded, looking pitiful.
"She must be afraid that her sister-in-law will steal your thunder, haha! Women are all petty. Come on, let's go back to the palace, I'll cure you!" With that, Yi Yang put his arm around her waist and left laughing wildly.
Yi Chuan let out a deep breath.
Deep in the corridor.
"Now you should believe me, right? If you stay by Chuan'er's side, you could kill him at any moment. I advise you to be smart and leave him yourself! If you don't leave him, I'll make you disappear from this world!"
After saying this, Consort Zheng turned and left.
Chu Xiyin stared at the tall, slender figure standing motionless in the center of the courtyard.
Why did he lie to her? She trusted him so much.
He could make an innocent woman endure such torment for her sake, so will he treat her just as cruelly one day when he no longer loves her?
Chu Xiyin took out a neatly folded handkerchief from her bosom; the oil stains on it had already been washed away.
She thought that if Chunhua came back to see her one day, she could return the handkerchief to her and tell her, "Even if you meet someone you like one day, you don't have to give up your past self! Just be your most authentic self, and that will be the most beautiful thing!"
But now, she can no longer wait for that day, because Chunhua is no longer the Chunhua of the past. For him, she has given up herself! Her most authentic self!
Chu Xiyin folded the handkerchief again and put it in her bosom. She took one last look at his profile; she ultimately didn't understand him enough!
Leaving might be the best option!
Night deepened, and the entire Prince's mansion was in chaos because of Chu Xiyin's disappearance.
Yi Chuan sat blankly on the rosewood chair, looking utterly dejected.
Chapter 35 The Green-Clad Assassin (Part 1)
Night fell, and Ziling City was deathly silent.
A full moon hangs over the night sky. Today is the fifteenth of August—the Mid-Autumn Festival. Logically speaking, even ordinary people's homes shouldn't be so quiet.
Could it be that the peaceful atmosphere of Ziling City during the day is all an illusion?
After leaving the Prince's mansion, Chu Xiyin unknowingly turned into a secluded alley. She was terrible with directions, and the alleys of Ziling City were designed like a maze. She could get in, but she couldn't get out!
Chu Xiyin weaved through the alley dozens of times.
Penniless and lost in the alley, it seems that marrying a prince has no benefits!
Swoosh—
A flash of green light streaked past.
Chu Xiyin's heart tightened! Robbery? She didn't! Sexual assault? No way!
My little heart pounded twice, then thud, and I collapsed to the ground silently…
"Hey, stop pretending!" After a burst of hearty laughter, someone patted Chu Xiyin's face and said.
Chu Xiyin's eyes were half-closed. By the moonlight, she saw a strikingly handsome face with willow-leaf eyebrows, arched eyes, a pert nose, and thin lips...
What a handsome young man!
"I...I'm sick, and it's contagious..." Chu Xiyin said, clutching her clothes tightly.
The man in green laughed loudly, his laughter was extremely hearty!
He suddenly grabbed Chu Xiyin's hand with a force no less than that of Consort Zheng.
Chu Xiyin struggled and said, "Let me go, I really have a contagious disease..."
The man in green shook his head helplessly and placed Chu Xiyin's hand on his chest.
Suddenly, her palm touched something hard yet soft, and Chu Xiyin opened her eyes in surprise. This person in green was a woman! How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world! And her voice was so masculine!
"Then what do you want to do?" Chu Xiyin sat up and asked, puzzled.
"I'll kill you!" The woman in green said without hesitation.
"Kill me? I don't even know you. What good will it do you to kill me?" Chu Xiyin thought that even if she died, she should die knowing why! Besides, this woman in green didn't seem like a bad person. She should try to buy herself some time.
"It's not good for me, but someone wants to kill you. I'm just doing someone else's job for their money!" The woman in green was very patient and answered all her questions.
"Are you an assassin?" Chu Xiyin asked tremulously.
The man in green remained noncommittal.
"Then, who wants to kill me?" She didn't know many people in Ziling City, so who would want to kill her?
"Consort Zheng!" the woman in green said without hiding it.
That poisonous woman, she even told her to leave, but it turns out she wanted to trick her into leaving the Prince's mansion first, and then make her disappear from this world completely!
"Do you have any other questions for me?" The woman in green stood up, the moonlight shining on her face, making her beautiful features even more striking.
"How much did Consort Zheng pay you?" Chu Xiyin paused, thinking to herself, since Consort Zheng could hire her to kill her, couldn't she also buy her own life back with money?
"Fifty taels of gold," the woman in green answered crisply.
Fifty taels of gold, that's almost 900,000 RMB! Her life is worth 900,000 RMB! Chu Xiyin swallowed hard.
"I'll give you one hundred taels of gold!" Chu Xiyin said, composing herself.
"Oh? Where did you get the money? Judging from your appearance, you should be penniless right now, right?" the woman in green said with a smile.
"Since Consort Zheng sent you, you should know who I am, right? I am the concubine of the Fourth Prince Yichuan! The Fourth Prince loves me so much, what is a mere hundred taels of gold to him?" Chu Xiyin appeared very imposing, but she was actually quite anxious inside.
"Miss Chu, you're joking! If the Fourth Prince knew I was going to kill you, would I still be able to escape from Ziling City?" The woman in green reached out her hand to Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin didn't hesitate to use the force of that hand to get up from the ground.
Run? At her snail's pace, she would be knocked down by this woman in green within a hundred paces!
Call for help? She'd already delayed for so long, and there wasn't even a zombie in this alley, let alone anyone to come and rescue her!
Chu Xiyin thought for a moment and quickly took off her wedding dress.
She hasn't finished her tricks yet!
"What are you trying to do?" The man in green found her actions quite strange.
"Do you have a knife on you?" Chu Xiyin asked.
"I don't have a knife, will this do?" Suddenly, a pale blue light flew out from the green-clad woman's waist.