Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 155
Jun Lin clenched his fist and dragged Zi Jin along for a long time. After a while, his pace gradually slowed down, and he finally stopped under a tree: "Did he force you?"
Zi Jin tried to break free from Jun Lin's grip but failed: "No."
"you!……"
"Jun Lin... let's break off the engagement..." Zi Jin said softly, looking at the small tree in the distance.
"You dare!" Jun Lin's phoenix eyes, filled with rage, glared at Zi Jin. "Unless I'm dead!"
"The engagement was your own idea, and I was unaware of it. Now that this has happened, I don't want to make excuses to beg for your forgiveness. Let's break off the engagement."
Zi Jin's calm expression completely enraged Jun Lin, who suddenly grabbed Zi Jin's hand: "You want to break off the engagement... unless I die!"
Zi Jin met Jun Lin's phoenix eyes without fear: "If you really want to get engaged to me, I have nothing to say... But, under the guise of sending betrothal gifts and the wedding, you secretly mobilized 15,000 elite soldiers already prepared at the border. Is it really just for the sake of marrying me?... Jun Lin... your ambition is too great... you want too much. I can't give it to you, and I won't let you succeed!"
"You!... If you didn't want to be engaged to me, why didn't you tell me?! Why did you have to be with him... Where do you put me?! Did you even... Did you care about me at all?!"
Zi Jin broke free from Jun Lin's grip: "No, I have never had any feelings for you. If I had... what happened last night would not have happened!"
Jun Lin's body trembled, and he suddenly hugged Zi Jin tightly: "Don't say that, don't say that, don't lie to me, don't lie to me... Didn't we agree on something by the hot spring that day? You can't go back on your word, I won't allow you to go back on your word." Jun Lin closed his phoenix eyes, hugged Zi Jin tightly, and buried his face in her neck with reluctance.
"I didn't make you a single promise that day by the hot spring; it was all just wishful thinking on your part." Zi Jin's voice was so cold it chilled one to the bone.
Jun Lin released Zi Jin in a daze, his face filled with disbelief. Zi Jin, who had been released, didn't even glance at Jun Lin before turning and leaving.
Prince Anle stood quietly in the garden. As soon as Zi Jin entered, he hurried to greet her, his face full of joy: "You..."
Zi Jin walked quickly past Prince Anle, as if she hadn't seen him at all.
King Anle was slightly taken aback, his smile freezing on his face. He grabbed Zi Jin's arm and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Zi Jin looked at her arm, which was being held by Prince Anle, and said coldly, "Zi Jin doesn't know what Your Highness means?"
King Anle gazed intently at Zi Jin's eyes and eyebrows for a long time before saying, "Don't be afraid of them. With me here, they certainly won't dare to do anything to you."
Zi Jin looked up at Prince Anle and smiled, "Zi Jin doesn't know what Your Highness is talking about."
Prince Anle glanced at Zi Jin's smiling face, lowered his eyes slightly, his ears flushed, and said somewhat awkwardly, "You... don't worry... I will take responsibility for you."
Zi Jin pulled her arm away from Prince Anle's hand and sneered, "Your Highness is so clever, you should know that what happened after drinking doesn't count. Although I don't know who Your Highness thinks Zi Jin is, Zi Jin thinks Your Highness is someone else and is willing to do it. Therefore, Your Highness doesn't need to worry about this matter."
“You!…” King Anle’s face darkened as he stared intently at Zi Jin. After a long while, he laughed, “Heh… Let me guess, who does this little mute girl think I am… Could it be my brother who is about to become a father?… This little mute girl probably doesn’t know, Yu Luo is already six months pregnant, and that child is my brother’s. If Yu Luo gives birth to a son, he will be the Empress of my Chen Kingdom.”
“It’s not Sikou Xunxiang.” Zi Jin lowered her eyes and paused for a moment before saying firmly.
Prince Anle's smile remained unchanged: "Of course it wasn't me, brother. I'm a renowned gentleman, how could I possibly wrong Miss Yu Luo without a proper title... The one who did this certainly wasn't me... but it's inextricably linked to me... How should I put it?... I remember back then, the little mute seemed to call him Xiao Bai, yes... it was Xiao Bai... that child was Xiao Bai's. Before I had any memories, Yu Luo and Xiao Bai had that child..."
Zi Jin's body jolted, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions in her eyes. Without even glancing at Prince Anle, she straightened her back and walked past him step by step.
Prince Anle stared at Zi Jin's stiff back, his narrow, peach-blossom eyes filled with gloom.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The sound of whips striking flesh and low sobs echoed from the main hall.
"Madam... Wutong knows she was wrong... please forgive Wutong." One lash after another struck the girl's delicate back.
"You still dare to beg for mercy!" Madam Yu said coldly.
Bao Xian, looking travel-worn, strode into the main hall and knelt at Madam Yu's feet, bowing his head: "I wonder what wrong Wutong has done?"
"What is it?! Ask her yourself! You useless thing!" Madam Yu pointed at the parasol tree, her fingers trembling.
With tears welling in her eyes, Wutong looked at Baoxian: "Brother Bao... save me, Wutong didn't mean it, Wutong didn't know that Miss and the Prince would... they drank too much... Wutong fell asleep..."
Bao Xian was taken aback by Wu Tong's words, then lowered his eyes and said, "Now that things have happened, Madam should first go and comfort His Highness the Crown Prince."
Madam Yu lowered her hand and said in a low voice, "Why didn't he go? He won't see anyone, and the zither has been playing all day... Is Jin'er's heart made of stone?"
Bao Xian said, "If Your Highness truly cares for the master, you wouldn't be overly concerned. You're just having trouble accepting it right now."
“Jin’er is simply being ridiculous! Her attitude today… has the matter been resolved?” A shadow crossed Madam Yu’s eyes before she asked.
"Everything is ready."
Madam Yu slowly rose and walked to the door. She glanced out the window, pondered for a long time, and said, "Send Miss back to Bu Ri Valley immediately tonight, and let no one know!"
“But that would disrupt Madam’s plans…” Bao Xian paused for a moment, then said, “Yes, that Wutong…”
"Fine, let her go with you." Madam Yu waved her hand casually.
Bao Xian stood up, untied the ropes binding Wu Tong, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Madam."
Madam Yu said wearily, "You may all leave."
Bao Xian lowered his eyes and said, "Has Madam forgotten that the fifteenth is in two days? That antidote..."
"Those who do wrong must be punished accordingly. Your master will have to bear the consequences himself on the fifteenth of this month." A cold smile appeared on Madam Yu's lips.
“The pain is no small matter, comparable to being slowly sliced to death. Although Master has made a mistake, please don’t go to such extremes… Master will certainly not be able to bear it. I hope Madam will have pity on Master’s weak health.” Bao Xian stepped forward excitedly and said quickly.
"What she did today is enough to ruin my grand plan. Instead of making amends, she treated His Highness the Crown Prince with such ruthlessness... She should be taught a lesson so that she will give up her little schemes and stop her from acting recklessly!" Madam Yu said firmly, then closed her eyes.
Bao Xian continued, "If you are angry, Madam, you can take it out on the servants. Why treat the master like this? The master already harbors resentment towards you. If you continue to treat him like this, he will surely resent you. Bao Xian urges you to think it over carefully."
"I know you are wholeheartedly devoted to protecting your master, but my mind is made up on this matter, so don't say anything more!" Madam Yu said sternly, her cloudy eyes filled with cold light.
"Bao Xian will take his leave now." Bao Xian bowed and replied, then carefully withdrew from the main hall, supported by Wu Tong.
"She's the one who's in pain physically... but some people's pain is in their hearts..." Madam Yu murmured as she watched Wutong and Baoxian's departing figures.