Chapter 147 What if I kill you?

Shen Yiqiu, carrying a red cloth bundle, quietly closed the door of the Zhuxuan Palace.

As soon as I turned around, I was caught off guard and bumped into a strong embrace.

She was startled and instinctively dodged to the side, her movements were very quick.

However, the man was faster; with a swift movement, he pulled her firmly back into his arms.

Still shaken, a familiar, crisp woody scent entered my nostrils, relaxing my tense nerves. I sighed helplessly.

"Your Highness?"

Xiao Yongjing's slightly anxious voice came from above, and his arms tightened their grip even more:

"Thank goodness... you're out safe and sound."

Shen Yiqiu struggled slightly, but he held her down even tighter, and she could only whisper:

"Didn't we agree that I would wait at the East Palace and wouldn't come in person?"

Xiao Yongjing lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against the top of her hair:

"The agreed time has passed, and I haven't received your message yet. I'm afraid something might have happened to you."

He couldn't admit that the brief wait had made him incredibly anxious.

Shen Yiqiu looked up and realized how intimate their posture was. Her cheek was almost pressed against his chest, and she could even clearly see the osmanthus pattern embroidered in gold thread on the collar of his snow-white inner garment inside his dragon-patterned outer robe.

The slight displeasure she felt from the sudden attack transformed into a playful glint in her eyes. She deliberately tapped his collar with her fingertip.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is truly... quite the refined taste. Even his undergarments are embroidered with such exquisite osmanthus flowers."

Xiao Yongjing chuckled softly, but instead of letting go, he tightened his grip on her waist.

He deliberately brought his cheek closer, his voice seductively whispering in her ear:

"The Crown Princess has a sharp eye. Since you've seen so clearly, perhaps... we could take a closer look and see if there's anything else embroidered?"

The implication in his words was too obvious. Shen Yiqiu's ears burned, and she froze involuntarily. Then, embarrassed and annoyed, she turned her hand to push him away.

However, the moment she exerted her strength, Xiao Yongjing seemed to have anticipated it, suddenly releasing all restraints, taking half a step back, and reverting to his noble and composed demeanor.

His tone returned to calm:

"I am relieved to see that you are safe and sound."

Shen Yiqiu followed his gaze and saw torchlight moving in the distance.

Xiao Yongjing explained:

"If too many people are absent from the palace banquet, someone will naturally come to invite them."

Shen Yiqiu then remembered the two people who had been forgotten, and was somewhat surprised:

"Song Sangyu and Fu Langxing...you haven't released them yet?"

Xiao Yongjing raised an eyebrow and spoke matter-of-factly:

"The culprit should naturally be dealt with by you. Whether to release him or kill him is up to you."

The fleeting glint of cold light in his eyes made Shen Yiqiu clearly realize that the man before her was the Crown Prince, who held the power of life and death, and that his gentleness and playfulness were perhaps reserved only for her.

Seeing her silence, Xiao Yongjing suddenly smiled.

Shen Yiqiu was somewhat curious:

"Aren't you going to ask me if I've completed the tasks you assigned me?"

Xiao Yongjing looked at her and spoke with certainty:

"No need to ask. Because you will never let me down."

These words were like a small pebble, creating ripples in Shen Yiqiu's heart.

She suppressed her inexplicable emotions, and her gaze inadvertently drifted to the osmanthus embroidery pattern on his collar again. Finally, unable to suppress her curiosity, she softly asked:

"Your Highness has not yet answered me: why do you have such a fondness for osmanthus flowers, and why do you embroider them on this intimate place?"

Upon hearing this, a gentle smile inexplicably appeared in Xiao Yongjing's usually cold and gloomy eyes.

His gaze drifted to the distant, heavy eaves of the palace, his tone filled with longing:

"Because... many years ago, during a Mid-Autumn Festival, the palace banquet was long and boring, so I sneaked out and met... a very special person in the osmanthus grove under the moon."

His words paused there, and he didn't continue. He simply withdrew his gaze and gave Shen Yiqiu a meaningful look.

There was a glimmer of light in his eyes, and an indescribable tenderness.

Shen Yiqiu's interest was piqued by his ambiguous statement, and she pressed for an answer:

"A special person? Who is it?"

Xiao Yongjing simply smiled and shook his head, raising his hand to gently brush away the strands of hair ruffled by the night breeze from her temples with his cool fingertips. The gesture was natural and intimate, carrying a hint of coaxing in his perfunctory manner.

"It's getting late, we should head back. Those two are still waiting at the East Palace for Her Highness the Crown Princess to decide their fate."

He deliberately changed the subject, turned around and walked ahead. Shen Yiqiu looked at his back, frowned slightly, but did not ask any further questions. She secretly made a note of it and followed him.

Inside the East Palace's sleeping quarters, Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu, who were bound, had already woken up. When they saw Shen Yiqiu and the Crown Prince walking in side by side, their hearts were instantly filled with panic.

Shen Yiqiu stepped forward slowly, looked down at them, and reached out to remove the strips of cloth stuffed into their mouths.

Song Sangyu immediately screamed, trying to mask her inner fear with a threat:

"Shen Yiqiu! You dare touch me? You're nothing but a worthless, unwanted woman, just like your dead grandmother..."

Snap!

A sharp slap interrupted her.

Shen Yiqiu shook her hand, her eyes icy cold:

“My maternal grandmother, is she someone you can talk to? As for you, Song Sangyu, you and this Prince Fu beside you are truly a match made in heaven, equally… disgusting.”

Song Sangyu covered her face and shouted, her voice trembling with fear:

"I'm carrying the child of the young master Fu, the golden grandson of the Earl's mansion. How dare you touch me?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yiqiu chuckled softly, as if she had heard a joke.

"The last person to say this to me was Ying'er, who slept with Third Brother. Your methods are pitifully similar, equally...shameless."

Song Sang's voice trembled as she spoke:

"How dare you compare me to that lowly servant girl?"

Shen Yiqiu suddenly leaned down and grabbed her chin with such force that she cried out in pain.

Her voice was soft, yet every word pierced the heart:

"Recognize your current situation, and what your so-called backer is..."

Her gaze swept over Fu Langxing, who was tied up like a dead dog to the side.

"We're tied to each other, and we can't even protect ourselves. Let alone the child in your belly, even if I kill Prince Fu right here today, what difference will it make?"

She straightened up:

“I am the Marquis of Yongjia, personally appointed by His Majesty, and the rightful Crown Princess. Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince is right here. Do you think it is necessary to have a reason to kill an accomplice who intends to harm the Crown Princess?”

Song Sangyu was completely panicked. She looked at Shen Yiqiu in disbelief, and then looked at Fu Langxing for help.

Fu Langxing was about to plead for mercy when he looked up and met the Crown Prince's eyes, which held a hidden murderous intent. The words he was about to say were instantly swallowed back, and he could only say dejectedly:

"...Indeed, I was wrong in this matter...and I am willing to accept the punishment."