Chapter 184 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (Twenty-Three) The Noble Young Master's Revengeful Love...

As dusk settled and night deepened.

Sun Qing'er, dressed in a loose-fitting men's robe, huddled in a corner of the woodshed. Just then, Zhao Xuanhong's voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "Zhu'er, Your Highness has returned."

He staggered into the room and lit a lamp, his steps unsteady. In the dim candlelight, the messy bed was empty.

"Pearl, Pearl, where are you? Where are you?"

Hearing Zhao Xuanhong's anxious shouts outside the courtyard, Sun Qing'er was terrified and quickly crouched down to hide. Her heart was pounding, as if it would burst out of her chest at any moment.

If Zhao Xuanhong were to discover her, endless torment would await her.

Just then, Sun Qing'er suddenly heard the window of the woodshed creak open. Startled, she quickly turned her head and saw a young man wearing a veil leaning against the half-open wooden window. Moonlight streamed in, clearly illuminating the thin scar on his right eye.

Sun Qing'er's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instantly her eyes reddened.

"Chu...Chu Yue! Why did you only arrive now? Why?" she cried, trying to throw herself into his arms. But he held his sword hilt in front of him, refusing her approach.

Sun Qing'er was taken aback. After realizing what was happening, she suddenly stood up, her voice full of confusion: "What... what do you mean by this?"

Yueying's hand gripping the sword hilt was as steady as a rock. He glanced out the window. At that moment, Zhao Xuanhong's footsteps were coming towards the woodshed, and the sound of kicking over clutter was particularly clear in the quiet night.

"He's here...he's coming! Chu Yue! Chu Yue! Take me away quickly!" Sun Qing'er shouted urgently.

Six months ago, on a similar night, in a scene just like this, the man before her, like a god, rescued her from the ancestral temple of the Rongguo Duke's mansion. She firmly believed that tonight... he would also, just as before, lead her away from this sea of ​​suffering.

However, just as Sun Qing'er walked quickly to Yueying's side, the door of the woodshed was pushed open with a loud bang.

Zhao Xuanhong, holding a candle, stepped into the woodshed. His gaze first settled on the terrified Sun Qing'er, then fell on the moonlight reflected in the window. His pupils constricted sharply, and he took a half-step back. "Who are you?"

Yueying smiled slightly, but her tone was indifferent: "I am Chu Yue."

"You, you are Chu Yue?" Zhao Xuanhong, like an enraged beast, grabbed a wooden stick from the corner of the wall and smashed it hard against Yueying.

With a flick of her wrist, Yueying's sword flashed, cleaving the wooden stick in two.

Zhao Xuanhong missed his first attack and, like a madman, tried to pounce again, but Yueying kicked him in the chest, causing him to stagger and knock over a neatly stacked pile of firewood, which then crackled and scattered all over the ground.

"You, you're asking for it!"

Zhao Xuanhong clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Upon seeing this, Sun Qing'er's face lit up with joy. She seized the opportunity to rush to the window, her trembling hand reaching out to grab Yueying's sleeve, but he instead grabbed her hand.

"Chu Yue, let's go first! Let's get out of here!"

Yueying raised an eyebrow, her voice beneath the veil perfectly calm, "Leave? Why would we leave?"

Upon hearing this, the woodshed fell into a deathly silence.

Sun Qing'er gazed into Yueying's eyes, which were as deep as an icy pool, and subconsciously withdrew her hand, murmuring, "Chu Yue, what... what do you mean?"

Looking down at her from her high position, Yueying said coldly, "What do you mean, Miss Sun? I thought you would know what was going on. It seems I overestimated you."

"...You know what's going on? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The year you came of age, on the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you sneaked out of the mansion alone. Unexpectedly, you were surrounded and harassed by several spoiled young men on the street. Just when you were terrified, this second prince descended from the sky and had the guards drive away those villains, rescuing you. From then on, you became acquainted."

Seeing Sun Qing'er's terrified expression, Yueying continued, "On this very day, you secretly developed feelings for him, but dared not express them. The Second Prince is of noble birth, while you are merely an unfavored illegitimate daughter of the Rongguo Duke's mansion. Feeling your lowly status, you dared not hope for anything, and could only keep your feelings hidden in your heart."

"For the sake of this Second Prince's grand ambition, you didn't hesitate to lower yourself and actively seduce Wu Shiheng, the only son of Wu Shijiang. After persuading the Wu family to stand on the Second Prince's side, you turned your attention to a different target. With the Second Prince's help, you went to Yunding Temple and pretended to bump into Song Ce, the heir of the Marquis of Weiwu's mansion, and made him fall in love with you, didn't you?"

“No, no!” Sun Qing’er shook her head, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, “Chu Yue, what happened back then was actually…”

"Later, the young master truly fell in love with you and begged his parents to propose marriage to the Rongguo Duke's mansion on his behalf. But you never expected that as you spent more time together, he would gradually see through your true colors. You were nothing more than a pawn in the Second Prince's hands, using your beauty and cunning to curry favor with court officials and help him seize the throne." Yueying's voice grew increasingly cold, each word like a sharp blade, cutting cruelly into Sun Qing'er's heart.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanhong struggled to his feet, leaning against the stone wall. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly burst into laughter: "Good, good! So, so Song Ce already knew her true colors! You bitch! Why did you hide it from me?"

Sun Qing'er shook her head desperately, tears soaking her clothes: "No! Chu Yue! I was forced! It was...it was the Second Prince who said that as long as I could help him, he would protect me in the future. I...I had no other choice!"

Yueying's eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "So you're willing to be his pawn, to hurt those who truly care about you?"

"I know I was wrong!" Sun Qing'er's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing, "Chu Yue, I beg you, I beg you to believe me one more time. Ever since... ever since you saved me, I haven't wanted anything else, I just wanted to live a peaceful life with you in our little courtyard! I never imagined that just going to the market to buy some groceries that day would... and I would be forcibly kidnapped by this man!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xuanhong stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with malice: "Qing'er, you really are an ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for me, you would probably have been sent away by the Duke of Rong to be someone's concubine long ago. How could you have the honor of becoming my principal wife today?"

"You're lying! I didn't... I didn't!"

Looking at Sun Qing'er's terrified face, Zhao Xuanhong smiled gleefully and said viciously, "Qing'er, wasn't our plan to send you to the Crown Prince's residence after Song Ce's marriage, intending to sow discord between the Marquis of Weiwu's residence and the Crown Prince? I remember you clearly agreed to that! You told me personally that you would take Song Ce's life yourself after the Crown Prince lost power, didn't you?"

“No…no…”

"Hahaha! You said that after we succeeded, I would bestow upon you the title of Imperial Noble Consort, granting you a lifetime of honor! You said those words yourself, have you already forgotten them? Hahaha!"

"You! It was you! You're the one who ruined me!"

Zhao Xuanhong shook his head, staggered to her side, and sneered, "From beginning to end, it was all your own choice, Sun Qing'er! Now you're pretending to be innocent in front of your sweetheart?" As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Sun Qing'er's chin hard. "Qing'er, don't forget, it was you who climbed into my bed crying and begged me to pity you!"

Sun Qing'er felt a sharp pain from his grip, and tears streamed down her face. She struggled desperately, crying out, "Zhao Xuanhong, let me go! I was so young back then, I didn't understand anything, you seduced me! You, you deceived me so badly!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xuanhong burst into wild laughter: "Hahaha! Qing'er, now that you've achieved your wish and become my principal wife, why are you still crying?"

Yueying coldly observed the scene before him. After a long while, he spoke, "Miss Sun, today, the young master asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Young Master?"

Sun Qing'er finally realized what was happening. She looked up abruptly and demanded, "Chu Yue, who exactly are you?"

The sword in Yueying's hand swayed slightly, and the moonlight reflected off the blade, creating a clear and cool light.

"I am Young Master Song Ce's personal bodyguard, my name is Yueying."

Upon hearing this, Sun Qing'er trembled violently. She stared intently at Yueying, letting out a hoarse roar: "No...it's impossible! You're lying to me! You must be lying to me!!"

Yueying looked back at her expressionlessly: "Lie to you? Miss Sun, if I hadn't come here today on the young master's orders, do you think you would have seen me again?"

“No…no…”

Sun Qing'er tried to climb forward and grab Yueying's clothes, but he nimbly dodged her.

"Chu...Chu Yue, didn't we get along very well in that courtyard on Yupin Street? You were willing to go out to gather herbs for me every day, and I was willing to cook and clean for you at home! Tell me! Were all the little things we did together these past few days fake? You...you don't have even the slightest bit of affection for me?"

Sun Qing'er's gaze was fixed on Yueying, as if she wanted to find the answer she was looking for in his indifferent eyes.

"Very well? Miss Sun, you were merely rescued by me on the orders of the young master. How can you speak of pity?" Yueying said calmly.

These words struck Sun Qing'er like a heavy hammer blow. Her vision blurred, and she nearly fainted.

Zhao Xuanhong leaned against the side, watching her distraught appearance, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes: "Qing'er, look, is this the man you've been longing for? In my opinion, he doesn't care about you at all, he's just using you as a pawn!"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Sun Qing'er suddenly roared and lunged at Zhao Xuanhong. Like a crazed, trapped beast, she gripped Zhao Xuanhong's neck tightly with both hands. "It's you! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this state! Zhao Xuanhong! You ruined me!"

Caught off guard, Zhao Xuanhong's face turned red as she pinched him. He flailed his hands wildly, trying to pry her hands off, and slammed his knee into her lower abdomen.

Taking advantage of the moment she loosened her grip in pain, Zhao Xuanhong flipped her over and pinned her to the ground, his heavy breathing mixed with intermittent curses: "Bitch! Bitch!"

And so, the two began to wrestle wildly on the ground.

Yueying coldly watched the two fighting on the ground. With a slight tremor of her sword, she easily separated them. Then, she swiftly flicked a dark red pill into each of their mouths.

"Cough cough cough..."

Zhao Xuanhong was the first to react. His face filled with terror, he grabbed his own neck and roared, "Damn it! What did you feed me?"

Sun Qing'er coughed so hard that tears streamed down her face, her fingers digging into her throat, but she could only manage muffled sobs.

Moonshadow walked up to them, looked down at them, and said softly, "You will know after tonight."

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Author's Note: This story ends tomorrow~ [Cat emoji]