Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 59

Yongye calmly picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

“I treated him like a close friend. I specially built a thatched cottage and a medicinal herb field for him in the royal garden, but he did not know how to repay the kindness. Tell me, how should such a person be punished?” Li Tianyou stared at Yongye and said leisurely.

According to the laws of Anguo, those who betray their masters can be whipped to death. Those who collude with foreign traitors and betray their masters will be punished with facial tattooing. Yongye chuckled, "This is a matter within Your Highness's royal household; Yongye dares not interfere."

Suddenly, all the carved wooden windows of the pavilion in the middle of the lake opened, revealing only Yuepo standing on the stage. She wore a moon-white robe and stood alone. Her gaze swept over this side before returning to the lake.

Yongye's heart leaped and then sank. Yuepo looked somewhat haggard, but moved freely, seemingly unharmed. Yongye knew Yuepo had no martial arts skills, so he must have been confiscated of poisons. The guards of the Prince's mansion were more than capable of dealing with him; Li Tianyou had only placed him under house arrest.

She remembered Li Tianyou saying that if she continued like this for another day, her health might worsen. Was Li Tianyou just playing a trick? Yongye heard a hissing sound from the candlelight, and a gray moth fell, its wings burned. Was she trying to fly into the fire like it?

“He seems like a transcendent person, what a pity. If he doesn’t reveal his accomplices, I will have no choice but to torture him.”

Yongye calmly stood up: "Your Highness, it's late. It's better not to see a doctor. Since you're not here to see a doctor, I'll take my leave."

Li Tianyou reached out and grasped her wrist, finding it slender. Looking up at her, his face, bearing a faint trace of illness, was serene and beautiful, evoking pity. He felt an urge to embrace her. He recalled how his father had blamed him for the deaths of three eunuchs who carried out executions, and how his decision to appoint the crown prince had fueled his resentment.

He didn't make a move, so it could only be Li Tianrui's doing. The second son is ruthless, but not so cunning. Who could have given Li Tianrui this advice? After suspecting Yongye was an assassin from Youli Valley, he naturally recalled his seven or eight years of evenly matched battles with Li Tianrui—was this Prince Duan's heir also behind it all?

A gentle smile appeared on Li Tianyou's face. Yongye wanted to shake her head at the sight. She couldn't help but recall how she used to coax girls in her past life—her voice was extremely soft, and her gaze remained fixed on the other person without wavering.

"Yongye's body is so frail! Alas, it pains me to see you like this. Back then, just because I cared about you, the Crown Prince accused me of having homosexual tendencies. But... from the first moment I saw you in the palace, I couldn't help but care about you. I don't care about those gossips at all. I only wish for Yongye's peace and happiness."

That voice was even better than the singing.

“Your Highness’s care for Yongye has always been etched in my heart. Your Highness may not know, but when I met several princes in the palace, I always held a deep admiration for you. It was like… a natural feeling, a sense of closeness with Your Highness. Perhaps it was fate that brought us together! Over the years, while recuperating in the manor, the only place I frequented was this Prince You’s residence.” Yongye’s voice was sincere, and her gaze towards Li Tianyou was full of emotion.

Yongye wondered, if she were a man instead of a woman, would she vomit?

"Haha! Yongye is truly my confidant! With us brothers working together, what can't we accomplish?!" Li Tianyou pulled her towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake: "Let him examine your illness. He's the renowned doctor I found for you, and I won't leave him alone now. He has to examine your illness first."

With each step she drew closer to the Moon Spirit, Yongye's heart pounded faster. Had Li Tianyou told her the Moon Spirit's location just so she could abduct him?

Upon arriving at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Li Tianyou dismissed the guards and asked with a smile, "Mr. Yue, what do you think of the spring scenery at this pavilion?"

Yuepo stood idly by, not even glancing at Li Tianyou. She faced him with an air of aloofness, saying calmly, "The scenery here is picturesque, much better than my dilapidated thatched hut."

"Is that so? Although Mr. Yue doesn't know martial arts, he is quite robust. He can manage without sleep for two days, but if he can't sleep at all in the future, how long can he last?" Li Tianyou changed the subject and turned to look at Yongye. "Mr. Yue is a master of poisons and also well-versed in medicine. Let him take a look at you. If he does well, I will make sure he gets a good night's sleep."

Yongye sighed inwardly. Keeping someone awake all night would slowly break their willpower; it was a method even more effective than torture. How could she rescue Yuepo discreetly without revealing herself?

Anyone who tries to rob him will fall into Li Tianyou's trap.

The wooden door was wide open, and guards on the other side were staring intently at us, along with skilled fighters lying in ambush.

She glanced at Yuepo and Li Tianyou, then turned to admire the lake view from the Prince's Mansion. Her heart was filled with anxiety; would Yingzi come?

"Your Highness, you imprisoned me here, do you really think I have no other choice?" Yuepo stared at Li Tianyou and suddenly burst into laughter. The wild laughter echoed through the night.

Li Tianyou was stunned.

Yongye's eyes lit up. Amidst Yuepo's laughter, she suddenly sensed a subtle presence moving within the pavilion. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a foot-long centipede crawling to Li Tianyou's feet. A sudden sense of relief washed over her; she had almost forgotten that Yuepo kept a pet.

"You're like a pastry placed here, meant to lure prey for me!" Li Tianyou wasn't annoyed and reminded Yuepo with a smile.

"Your Highness, let's not seek treatment for this illness. It's not a big deal; there's no need to beg someone like that!"

"Yongye, don't you want to ride horses and hunt like ordinary people? Don't you want to go out and play with your friends? Are you destined to stay in the palace to recuperate for the rest of your life? Putting everything else aside, Yongye is going to be married in August. For the sake of the beautiful Princess Yuxiu, Yongye should cherish his own health!"

Yongye glanced at Yuepo with a troubled expression and sighed, "Isn't this asking the impossible?"

"It's worth it!" Li Tianyou's voice changed, all gentleness vanishing. "If Mr. Yue is unwilling to take Yongye's pulse, I will sever that useless hand!"

Yuepo simply looked calmly at Li Tianyou, showing no fear.

"Guards! Cut off his right hand!" Before the words were even finished, two guards had already drawn their swords and walked into the pavilion.

"Your Highness, why don't you look down?" Yuepo said with a smile.

Li Tianyou was startled. Looking down, he saw a centipede a foot long crawling on his leg. It raised its whiskers and head, its mandibles gleaming with a dark, fierce light.

"Don't move it, I can't summon it even if you do. Tell your guards to leave."

Li Tianyou looked at the centipede with utter disgust, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He stared at Yuepo and said, "All of you, get out of here!"

Yongye was so frightened that he also stepped back.

"Stop right there!" Moon Soul shouted at Eternal Night. "Come here!"

Seeing Yongye trembling, as if too frightened to move, Li Tianyou's heart sank. Had he really seen wrong?

Yuepo shouted, "Your men who are lying in ambush had better not move. If they get bitten, even a celestial being couldn't save them. Unless... Your Highness has the courage to break your own leg!"

A broken leg? Li Tianyou hadn't even considered it. A broken leg? How could that be possible? He just gritted his teeth and remained silent; if his gaze were a knife, it would have already sliced Yue Po to pieces.

Yongye, trembling, looked at Li Tianyou and then at Yuepo, suddenly shouting, "I'll fight you to the death!" He charged at Yuepo. Before the punch could land, Yongye dodged it by sidestepping and struck Yuepo on the back of the neck, causing him to fall to the ground.

Yuepo sneered, "Your Highness, Yuepo doesn't know martial arts, so I'll have to let the young master accompany me out of the city!"

"Do you think you can get away with this?" Li Tianyou was anxious. If Prince Duan questioned him, how would he explain himself?

Yuepo hissed, and Xiaoxing opened her mouth and bit him. Li Tianyou's mind went blank, and he was completely unaware of the world before him.

The guards outside saw that the pavilion in the middle of the lake was surrounded, but they dared not go forward.

Moonbeam scooped up Eternal Night and whispered, "Did it hurt?"

"Why didn't you use Little Star to escape earlier? Why did you have to wait for me to come?"