L'histoire destructrice de mari d'une impitoyable médecin légiste

Chapitre 81

The sight of corpses and blood in the distance made Zi Jin's face turn pale, and her hands trembled slightly. west Le sensed Zi Jin's fear, grabbed her hand tightly, and held her protectively in her arms.

After a few exchanges, the sword in the white-clad man's hand was knocked away, and the two guards captured him almost instantly.

The fighting on the perimeter ceased, and numerous soldiers surrounded the attackers, awaiting orders.

A victorious smile played on west Le's lips, and her beautiful eyes turned even more alluring as she looked down at the subdued man in white and said, "The legendary Young Master Jinyang... ha... is nothing more than this."

A gilded crown, a white gauze robe, jade buttons, and glass ornaments adorned him. A finely painted, gilded, sky-blue peach blossom shone beautifully beneath his eyes. His exquisite attire further enhanced the stunning beauty of the young master Jinyang. Faced with Xile's humiliating words, he remained silent with his eyes closed, his expression serene, like that of a deity.

Zi Jin smiled bitterly to herself: To have to dress up like this to save someone, she's really too vain.

west Le grabbed Zi Jin's hand with one hand, and with the other hand drew a short sword from the guard's body, pointing the tip of the sword in Jin Yang's direction, and smiled dangerously: "Tell me! Where are her people?"

Zi Jin nervously tugged at west Le's hand. west Le glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile before letting go of Zi Jin's hand and walking towards Jin Yang with her short sword in hand.

"If you can't remember where she is, don't blame me for being impolite to you, young master." west Le's voice was incredibly seductive, but the short sword slowly pierced into the neck of Young Master Jinyang, Wuxia. With a turn of the blade, it broke through Wuxia's skin, and blood dripped down the tip of the sword.

Startled, Zi Jin rushed forward, but Xuan Ping secretly pulled her back, making her stand still and look at Xi Le: "Don't hurt him." This person has a knot in his heart, and if he has a scar, his resentment will only deepen.

Dugu Xihui suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Zi Jin, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes before she lowered them again.

west Le didn't turn around, her eyes were icy cold, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips: "Jin'er, do you still remember the fish you asked me to release?"

Xuanping gently tugged at Zi Jin's sleeve. Zi Jin followed Xuanping's gaze and saw that the men in black in the distance were being pushed forward little by little by the soldiers, and they had nowhere left to retreat.

Xuanping squeezed Zi Jin's hand hard, then released it, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Zi Jin tightly gripped the hand that Xuan Ping had pulled, walked step by step to Xi Le, suddenly knelt down, and kowtowed respectfully to Xi Le: "Everything was caused by me, please do not kill the innocent anymore... From now on, I am willing to follow Your Highness, please grant my request."

Dugu Xihui swayed as he was captured, his eyes filled with resentment and heartache. He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed, unwilling and unable to bear watching this scene.

west Le's smile was exceptionally bright, her joy reaching her eyes. She gently lifted Zi Jin and said softly, "I thought then, when will my Jin'er recognize me? Compared to His Highness the Crown Prince, I would rather Jin'er call me—Jun Lin."

Jun Lin's short sword showed no sign of leaving Dugu Xihui's neck, and Zi Jin dared not get up, remaining firmly kneeling before Jun Lin.

Jun Lin understood Zi Jin's meaning and did not force her to get up. He withdrew his hand that had been supporting Zi Jin, and asked with a smile, "When did Jin'er find out that I am not from Xi Le?"

"Upon waking up and seeing Your Highness playing the zither, I knew that Your Highness was not the real Xi Le," Zi Jin replied humbly, bowing her head.

"Mr. Ruoliu's disguise is unparalleled, and I am similar in height and build to Xile. How could you tell at first glance?" Jun Lin raised his hand and slowly removed the human skin mask from his face. In the sunlight, the mask was as thin as a cicada's wing, seamlessly integrated from the face to the exposed neck—a masterpiece of craftsmanship. A fish-scale-like structure was faintly visible at the throat area within the mask, not only concealing the male throat but also revealing Xile's voice.

His eyelashes were as thick as palm leaves, his eyes were dark and clear, and his nose was high and straight. His chin was sharp and beautifully shaped. Although it had only been two months since they last met, Jun Lin had lost a lot of weight.

"It has nothing to do with disguise; it's just that you don't know Xi Le well enough. Although Xi Le is known as the most beautiful woman in Chen Kingdom, she is not skilled in any of the arts, and could never produce such exquisite music. Xi Le dislikes the fragrance of hibiscus and would never personally feed me hibiscus cake. The meals I eat every day are my favorite foods, which Xi Le is unaware of. Xi Le is always mindful of her appearance and would never personally drag me into the bustling city. Although the disguise is flawless, no matter how you disguise yourself, you cannot perfectly imitate Xi Le's feminine beauty; you possess a strong masculine aura." Zi Jin lowered her eyes and spoke leisurely.

Jun Lin was not angry at all; instead, his smile became even warmer: "When did you realize it was me?"

Zi Jin frowned, secretly twisting the hem of her clothes, unsure of what excuse to use: "That day, I heard that the Crown Prince was critically ill and had not attended court for over a month. I was of no use to the Second Prince, who had already married Zi Feng and was busy vying for power. Jun Chi was currently dealing with the combined pressure from His Highness and the Second Prince and was too busy to take care of himself. Zi Yin Feng had been placed under house arrest in the palace by Emperor Xuanlong. Among so many people, only the Crown Prince's illness was of unknown cause, and he disappeared from everyone's sight under the pretense of being seriously ill. This gave me the opportunity to impersonate west Le."

"Who told you all this? Was it him?" Jun Lin's expression hardened, and he pressed his short sword even closer to Dugu Xihui.

"No, it was when we went out that day... I overheard people talking..."

“These are all internal affairs of the imperial court. We are thousands of miles away from the capital. How could those common people know about this?!” Jun Lin stared intently at Zi Jin with his phoenix eyes.

Zi Jin shrank back, inwardly cursing herself for being an idiot, her cleverness backfiring: "Your Highness has traveled from the still-summer-like banks of the Huaiyin River to this land of spring warmth and blooming flowers, which will take at least half a month. I imagine the news from the court has already reached this place. Even if Your Highness wanted to suppress the news, it would only begin here. What difficulty would it be for the common people to know this?"

That's utterly ridiculous! Do you believe it? This reasoning is so weak it's unconvincing even to oneself!

Jun Lin's stern face suddenly broke into a smile, and he said softly, "Jin'er is still so clever, even able to calculate the time it takes to travel. But Jin'er still hasn't said when she recognized me?"

Zi Jin stared in disbelief, looking up. If it weren't for Jun Lin's genuine smile, Zi Jin would never have believed that he would actually believe her fabricated reason. But if she had guessed it was him the moment she opened her eyes and heard the music, would he have been so enraged that he killed her to silence her? After all, even a fool could see that he had put in a lot of effort to impersonate Xi Le.

Jun Lin was displeased with Zi Jin's silence for so long. He glared at Zi Jin with sharp phoenix eyes, and his sword trembled slightly.

Zi Jin shuddered in fright, muttering angrily to herself: "You capricious, narcissistic, and arrogant Crown Prince! What exactly do you want to hear? Give me a hint!"

"Hmm?..." Jun Lin's face showed anxiety. He snorted and glanced at Zi Jin, who was kneeling on the ground.

Zi Jin lowered her head slightly, gritted her teeth, and thought, "The Emperor's will is indeed unpredictable!" "So be it," she thought. "That day when I woke up... I heard the music and immediately recognized it as you. Later, during our conversation, I was certain it was you... You probably won't believe it, but even though you tried your best to imitate Western music, I clearly knew from your every gesture... and was certain it was you." Could this reason hold water?

Upon hearing this, Jun Lin's lips curled into a radiant smile. He tossed aside his short sword, pulled the kneeling Zi Jin into his arms, his eyes overflowing with tenderness. With one hand, he removed a jade pendant from his robes, and with a gentle snap, it broke into two pieces. He handed one piece to Zi Jin, softly saying, "Jin'er, would you like me to put this on?"

Zi Jin took the jade pendant and immediately recognized it as the cold jade they had bought together that day. She looked up at Jun Lin and obediently tied the jade pendant around his waist.

A gentle ripple of happiness rippled in Jun Lin's phoenix eyes, his blissful expression more captivating than the spring blossoms of March. He picked up the remaining jade pendant in his hand and carefully fastened it around Zi Jin's waist. The tenderness in his eyes left Zi Jin dazed and mesmerized.

Jun Lin seemed to notice Zi Jin's stunned expression, chuckled softly, and gently pulled her into his arms, his every movement filled with tenderness and reluctance: "I forgive you for abandoning me back then, I forgive all your past transgressions, I grant you your freedom, and I will never force you to return to the capital. From now on, I will only favor you, and I will release this Prince Jinyang as you wished. I want nothing more, I only want you to be with me forever... Is that alright?"

This simple question, "How are you?" reveals the deep sense of bewilderment and bitterness in my heart.

Zi Jin nestled obediently in Jun Lin's arms, slowly closed her eyes, and let out a quiet sigh.

"Jin'er's eyes are the purest springs in the world, capable of washing away the sins and suffering in people's hearts. If Jin'er only has me in her eyes, then I will no longer be the Empress." Jun Lin smiled gently, and that dazzling smile made people feel a kind of dreamy happiness.

Zi Jin slowly opened her eyes. The smile before her was so beautiful it was heartbreaking, piercing her eyes deeply. She glanced uneasily out of the corner of her eye at Xuan Ping and Dugu Xi Hui behind Jun Lin, then looked faintly into the distance at those who had been driven to the brink of despair to rescue her. Finally, she slowly spoke: "Okay..."

Jun Lin tightened his grip, trembling as he hugged Zi Jin tightly. Zi Jin hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out and hugged Jun Lin back.

I'm sorry, I can't... I can't let those who risked their lives to save me... become a joke.

You are the crown prince, second only to the emperor, living a life of luxury, surrounded by beautiful women, and enjoying immense wealth and glory—you were born with everything. You have it all, lack nothing, which is why you are so fixated on what you haven't obtained. Before long… you'll lose interest and discover more beautiful scenery in the distance…

You are the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor, possessing the power to manipulate events at will. Some things are inherent to you, not something you can simply relinquish. I'm sorry…

You are the Crown Prince. Without me, you will still be rich and powerful; without me, you will still enjoy glory and wealth; without me, you will still wield immense power.

And I... am so poor that I am all alone... all alone...