Princess Xiangsi - Chapter 203
Still no one answered.
At this moment, Qingyun was the only person in the vast Snow Palace.
The sky outside was dark and gloomy, the sunlight was blocked by dark clouds, and the snow palace was also dark and gloomy, with only the outlines of things vaguely visible.
Qingyun stood quietly in the center of the hall.
The Snow Palace was quiet. All Qingyun could hear was the rumbling thunder and the pattering rain outside. What she could see was a dazzling flash of light.
Another bolt of lightning flashed—a momentary glint that illuminated the entire snow palace. In the instant the light vanished, a bright yellow figure entered Qingyun's line of sight.
Pat-pat—pat-pat—the heavy footsteps, mixed with the sound of rain and thunder, reached Qingyun's ears.
"No need to look anymore. They're all in the dungeon."
"Situ Xingyun, if you want me to be empress, you should know what my requirements are?" Qingyun stared straight at the bright yellow figure in the dim light, her voice somewhat helpless.
I know that my heart and soul can only belong to you.
“You are the emperor of Fengxi, and that alone makes you unsuitable for my purposes.”
"What if I abolish the entire harem?"
"Heh..." Qingyun sneered, "Impossible. The harem isn't about emotions, it's about power. An emperor who controls the country needs concubines to keep powerful ministers in check. Besides—"
Qingyun's eyes held a hint of mockery. "If you're so unwilling to be alone, without a harem, won't you have no show to watch?"
Situ Xingyun laughed, "Xue'er really understands me. Life can't be without drama!" Suddenly, Situ Xingyun changed the subject, "As long as Xue'er becomes my empress, I can refrain from favoring any other woman."
“I am not an actor on stage, nor am I someone who plays with you. I am not Xue’er; from beginning to end, I am just Qingyun.”
Situ Xingyun's face turned cold, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. "Xue'er, even if I disband the entire harem, even if I only love you with all my heart, even if I give you the best in the world, you will not fall in love with me. Because your heart is not here at all."
"Since Xingyun already knows, why force it? A forced relationship won't be happy," Qingyun said calmly.
"I was too afraid of losing you, which is why I indulged you and Xingzhi. Now I realize that I was wrong. Even if I can't have your heart, I will have your body. Even if I have to break your wings, I will do it."
Qingyun sighed, "Situ Xingyun, we really can't go back to the past. My heart only allows one person to enter once. Leaving is your own choice, and once you leave, you can never come back in."
"I am the Emperor, I can enter any gate in the land!" Situ Xingyun paused, his tone softening, "Xue'er, you must be on time for the coronation ceremony the day after tomorrow. Otherwise—"
A ruthless glint flashed in his narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes.
"If you are a quarter of an hour late, I will kill one of the people in the dungeon."
"You..." Qingyun bit her lower lip, trying to calm her anger. She blinked gently, her face calm, staring straight at Situ Xingyun, but her mouth remained tightly shut.
Situ Xingyun also looked down at her, without saying a word.
The two men were evenly matched, staring at each other for a long, long time, until finally, Eunuch Tao coughed a few times and said, "Your Majesty, Princess, it's time for dinner. Would you like to have dinner?"
Situ Xingyun's gaze shifted from Qingyun to Eunuch Tao.
Eunuch Tao shuddered and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. You only ate a little for lunch. If you don't eat dinner, what if Your Majesty falls ill the day after tomorrow? What will happen to the Empress's investiture ceremony then?"
Situ Xingyun agreed, nodded, and strode away, leaving only the words, "Xue'er, think it over carefully!"
Shortly after Situ Xingyun left, a eunuch brought in dinner. Qingyun gave a bitter smile; what difference was there between her being in a dungeon and being in a similar situation?
Qingyun lit the candles and began her dinner.
Suddenly, Qingyun's heart skipped a beat. She immediately looked around, but the place was empty, without a single person in sight, only long shadows cast by the candlelight.
Qingyun frowned; she felt like someone was staring at her, but she couldn't sense any presence from them.
Qingyun shrugged and continued eating.
However, while Qingyun was bathing, the feeling of being watched returned. But she still couldn't sense any presence, so Qingyun had no choice but to give up, finish her bath as quickly as possible, and then go to sleep.
But as soon as she lay in bed and closed her eyes, the feeling returned.
Qingyun took a deep breath and silently thought to herself: I was overthinking things... I was overthinking things...
But that feeling is still there.
Qingyun gritted her teeth and hid under the brocade quilt.
Suddenly, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. Qingyun was startled, pushed aside the quilt, and jumped out of bed with a somersault.
A flash of lightning illuminated Qingyun's surroundings.
Rumble!
Qingyun's face began to turn pale. Ten men in black had silently appeared beside her bed. In the brief moment of light, Qingyun had seen that their eyes were all silver.
"Ten Rakshasa?!" Qingyun exclaimed in shock. "The Ten Rakshasa of the Yinmengshan tribe?!"
The Silver Mountain Clan is most famous for its poisons and assassins, and the Ten Rakshasa are the reason why the Silver Mountain Clan's assassins are so famous.
A hint of admiration flashed in the eyes of the leading man. "I didn't expect that even a princess raised in seclusion would know about us, the Ten Rakshasa."
After the initial shock, Qingyun quickly regained her composure. Faced with such a situation where she was outnumbered, calmness was her only way to win.
She said calmly, "Who doesn't know the name of the Ten Rakshasa?"
"Very well, then you should know our intentions tonight."
"Kill me." Qingyun raised her eyes, her eyes shining brightly.