Xiao Zhian has gone mad (revised)

At this moment, Lin Huaiyin's heart was as still as water.

Her body is like a bow, the arc from her toes through her hands to the top of her head is like a fully drawn string.

An arrow named Revenge, its fletchings her heart, its arrowhead a teacup, aimed directly at Princess Pingyang.

An archer's instinct made Lin Huaiyin fix her gaze like a tunnel, capturing the bullseye precisely.

But her panoramic awareness, as a fellow archer, also reminded her of Xiao Zhian's presence.

Just like calculating wind speed and light, Lin Huaiyin quickly adjusted her state—she was the wife who had been caught cheating, and she should be blushing, her heart pounding, her hands trembling, shy and embarrassed, feeling utterly ashamed.

So Lin Huaiyin slowed her pace and walked to Xiao Zhian and Princess Pingyang. She turned to face them sideways, her cheeks flushed, and she dared not speak.

Seeing her so shy, Xiao Zhian's heart melted.

He couldn't bear to put Lin Huaiyin in a difficult position. He thought that he and Pingyang were like siblings, and he didn't want Xiaomao to feel like an outsider who had to lower herself to please someone. Xiaomao's thoughtfulness was already an unexpected delight.

"Pingyang." Xiao Zhian, with his arm around Lin Huaiyin, scolded Princess Pingyang, "You really want to drink your sister-in-law's tea? Where have all the rules gone?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Pingyang was taken aback again—Xiao Zhian was actually bringing up rules with her? Who said that with him overseeing the country, she could do whatever she wanted? In the past, even if she stepped on him or scolded him, he would never get angry. Now, for the sake of a woman, he was actually scolding her for not knowing the rules?

This version of Xiao Zhi'an was unfamiliar to her, and Princess Pingyang suddenly realized that she had made a terrible mistake—she shouldn't have restricted Xiao Zhi'an from finding women; she should have given him more women, enough to make him sick of them, so that he wouldn't lose his mind and reason due to suddenly being exposed to such things.

Lin Huaiyin looked pitiful and vulnerable, clearly suffering from being forcibly taken advantage of. Princess Pingyang looked down on her but didn't bother to make things difficult for her. Following Xiao Zhian's instructions, she took the teacup, adjusted its position in her hands, and then returned it with both hands—"Please have some tea, Your Majesty."

Caught off guard, the tea laced with the Five Poisons Powder was handed to Lin Huaiyin, making it seem like the younger sister-in-law was serving tea to her sister-in-law.

"Please have some tea, Your Majesty," Princess Pingyang said again.

"Yinyin?" Xiao Zhian urged Lin Huaiyin to accept.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Huaiyin was lifted up. How could she have imagined that with just one sentence from Xiao Zhian, her arrow would change direction and shoot straight at her!

Lin Huaiyin's mind was buzzing—

To answer or not to answer?

Should I drink it or not?

If I don't drink it, won't it immediately reveal that I can't survive?

How did it suddenly turn out like this?

Can I really be this unlucky?

Are these two siblings teaming up to mess with her?

Lin Huaiyin was still in a state of utter tension. She hesitated to accept the tea, her body stiff and rigid. Xiao Zhian, who was holding her, immediately sensed something was wrong. He looked down and saw her face with wrinkled nostrils reflected in the tea. Her eyes were just like the ones he had when he went to Su Jinggui’s house to retrieve the arrow that day, exuding a cold and murderous aura.

Something happened.

The kitten wanted to kill Pingyang.

The tea swayed, and Xiao Zhian's heart instantly froze.

He took the teacup, held it in his palm, forced a smile, and dismissed Princess Pingyang: "Your sister-in-law is shy, please go out first."

These words were exactly what Princess Pingyang wanted to hear. Not wanting to linger any longer, she turned and left gracefully.

With a soft bang, the palace doors closed.

Behind Lin Huaiyin, a heavy sigh fell, and a cold breeze swept down, brushing against every hair on the back of her neck, causing each hair to tremble and stand on end.

Xiao Zhian turned to face her, a gentle smile on his face. He held Lin Huaiyin's stiff, dangling hand with one hand and picked up the teacup with the other, deliberately saying, "I'm thirsty, so I'll take this cup of tea."

After saying that, he raised the teacup to his lips to observe Lin Huaiyin's reaction, and noticed a pair of deep, dark eyes.

Lin Huaiyin didn't look up; subconsciously, she began to calculate whether poisoning Xiao Zhian was worthwhile—

The advantage is that Princess Pingyang has lost her backer. As long as the Lin family takes strict precautions, and with the evidence brought back by Mu Zhanjuan, they should be able to bring down Shen Congyun and have peace of mind from then on.

As for the risks: the first risk is implicating the eldest brother, but as long as it is concealed for the time being, and the White Lotus Sect is used to fight and die in disguise as the crown prince, or the eldest brother is also injured, as long as the White Lotus Sect is successfully wiped out, although the merits and demerits cannot offset each other, survival should not be a big problem...

Lin Huaiyin's mind raced.

Xiao Zhian stared at her intently.

She was born with a pretty face, and with just a touch of makeup, she was stunningly beautiful, so much so that he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Her eyelashes had brushed against his cheek last night and trembled in his palm.

Xiao Zhian had seen Lin Huaiyin in countless forms: charming, bright, fierce, scheming. He knew she was good at killing, but he never expected that the first time he would witness her kill someone was by killing himself.

She poured a cup of poisoned tea herself, and now she held it in his hands, about to pour it to his lips. His life was hanging by a thread. She said, "Don't drink it," but she refused to say it.

Doesn't she love him at all?

If she didn't love him, why would she curl up in his arms to fall asleep, why would she let her guard down and give her body to him, why would she call him "Your Highness" over and over again?

She loved him, she definitely did. Xiao Zhian had no doubt about it.

But why didn't she stop him, why didn't she explain? She wouldn't even look at him; she wanted him dead.

Her hands were soft and boneless, and her palms were slightly warm, but why did she exude coldness all over her body?

Xiao Zhian's heart gradually froze and frost over, with icicles growing wildly, each one thin and sharp, silently piercing his internal organs and bleeding through his body.

Lin Huaiyin wouldn't look at him; he was about to suffocate.

He couldn't believe that the woman he had fallen for for the first time, the woman he had held in his arms for the first time, the woman he had cherished, pampered, indulged, protected, and loved to the core, actually wanted him dead.

"Yinyin." Xiao Zhian called out to Lin Huaiyin in anguish.

"May I drink this tea?" he asked.

A trembling sound squeezed into her ears, and the clattering of abacus beads suddenly disappeared. Lin Huaiyin suddenly remembered the last time she heard this trembling sound; it was when Xiao Zhian first discovered the scar on her back.

Xiao Zhian, what's wrong with him? Is he crying?

Lin Huaiyin felt a dull pain in her chest and unconsciously looked up. A pair of crimson phoenix eyes, brimming with tears, were waiting for her. The owner of the phoenix eyes asked in a hoarse voice, "Yinyin, do you want me to drink it?"

Xiao Zhian squinted, tears welling up and dangling at the base of his eyelashes. He asked, slowly and deliberately, "Do you want me to disappear from this world, from before you?"

He was really crying.

Lin Huaiyin felt even more pain in her chest. She struggled slightly with her hand, but refrained from reaching out.

His disappearance has its advantages, however...

Lin Huaiyin's mind was in turmoil: she didn't know, she wasn't sure, she was still calculating, she was trying to find a way, she, she, she didn't not want to see him...

No, wait, Lin Huaiyin suddenly realized: Xiao Zhian's question meant he had discovered that she had poisoned him.

Does that mean I'm going to die?

Will he kill her?

Yes, definitely. Killing a king is a capital offense, and it will also implicate the Lin family.

Lin Huaiyin finally felt afraid. Xiao Zhian realized that she wanted to harm Princess Pingyang, and he would definitely kill her.

If it was certain death, Lin Huaiyin stared at Xiao Zhian's face. She thought that if she really was going to die at his hands, she could try to confess one last time before she died. Just in case, just in case, just in case it worked...

"Your Highness," Lin Huaiyin murmured, attempting to speak.

"Your Highness!" Xiao Zhian released her hand. He had had enough of her pretentious act, pretending to be wronged and pitiful, trying to take advantage of his feelings and get away with it.

He staggered back, his forehead furrowed with frost, his brows furrowed slightly, frost covered the ground, and as he opened and closed his eyes, a few glistening beads rolled off the shimmering brocade and fell with a thud.

"When you wanted to kill Pingyang, you summoned Zhi'an. What are you plotting now? What exactly are you plotting!"

"Bang!" Xiao Zhian smashed the teacup.

“You hate Pingyang, you hate that she stole Shen Congyun, and you also hate me, because I am Pingyang’s brother!”

You schemed to get close to me. You knew that Shen Congyun would send someone to assassinate me that day. You planned it all out, deliberately rushed over, and then deliberately seduced me afterwards!

You want to use me to get revenge on Pingyang. Once the time is right, you will kill me for Shen Congyun, take my head, pave the way for Shen Congyun, and beg Shen Congyun to change his mind. You have been deceiving me and using me from beginning to end!

"Madam Shen, you truly are Madam Shen, you are Shen Congyun's woman. On this one point alone, you are genuine, sincere, and without deception, young or old!"

Xiao Zhian spoke through gritted teeth, approaching step by step, panting like a wild beast.

Lin Huaiyin shook her head, shook her head violently. She didn't love Shen Congyun. She didn't understand what had gotten into Xiao Zhian. Why would he have such an incomprehensible idea? Before today, she had never thought of killing him. She always hoped that he would live well. She hoped that they could live together until the end, until the day they could be honest with each other.

It was his fault; he insisted on protecting Princess Pingyang, forcing her into a corner...

He was wrong.

He forced her to do it.

Xiao Zhian proceeded step by step.

Lin Huaiyin retreated step by step.

She retreated to a dressing mirror, with nowhere left to go. Xiao Zhian grabbed her waist, lifted her up to the mirror with one hand, grabbed her neck, and pressed her against the cold bronze mirror.

His eyes were bloodshot, devoid of any life. He was usually either lazy and playful or gentle and tender. At this moment, he was gripping Lin Huaiyin's slender neck, cutting off the airflow in her throat, and watching her face gradually turn red. Tears streamed down Xiao Zhian's face, his eyes were like still water, fierce and sinister, exuding a sinister aura.

*Smack*

A drop fell onto the dressing table.

Xiao Zhian looked up, not wanting to look at him again.

He loved her so much, giving her everything, worrying about her, sheltering her from the wind and rain, and planning for her future.

What more did she want from him? Why was she so cruel? How could she deceive him, betray him, and even try to kill him?!

The more Xiao Zhian's heart ached, the heavier his tears became, and the tighter his grip became.

Lin Huaiyin's slender neck was the touch he had longed to have in front of Xiangguo Temple. His lips had kissed her inch by inch last night. He loved her, loved everything about her. He could accept her slowness, her shyness, her scheming behind his back, and her surprises for him, even if they were shocks. He could take care of everything for her. But she could not betray him, much less deceive him. He loved her so sincerely.

The fragile neck bone could snap with a gentle twist in Xiao Zhian's palm.

He gradually increased the force and tightened the grip.

He ignored the tears on her face, for his heart was bleeding.

He ignored her dying breath, for he too was on the verge of suffocation.

Lin Huaiyin's face turned ashen, and she was unable to breathe.

The wound on my back was tearing open little by little.

Fresh blood smeared the bronze mirror.

She didn't feel any pain.

In both her past and present lives, apart from that prince in the imperial prison, no one has ever treated her well. Shen Congyun was like that, Xiao Zhian was like that, and Lin Huaiyin had become accustomed to it.

Her mind was unusually clear; she poisoned and killed someone, so she had no reason to blame others for their revenge. She wanted to harm Princess Pingyang, and this was her fate.

She wasn't surprised. She quietly endured it, praying that she wouldn't die too quickly and that Xiao Zhian could vent his anger. Once he had vented enough, perhaps he could avoid implicating the Lin family, or perhaps, just perhaps, he could save his life and go back to continue fighting the White Lotus Sect.

Her brain was buzzing, and sharp whistling sounds pierced her brain from time to time. Lin Huaiyin forced herself to stay awake. She wanted to see Xiao Zhian again. He had the face of a prince. He had once brought her endless joy. She liked his scent. But today he smelled bitter, not the sweet fragrance that she couldn't resist before.

The taste has changed.

Why?

Lin Huaiyin looked up at him in confusion.

That glance met Xiao Zhian's eyes.

She was dying; she was clear-eyed and innocent, like a child, and she really wanted to know.

She was like a ray of light, catching Xiao Zhian off guard and illuminating the abyss in his heart.

How pure and innocent they were, so untouched by the world, how could there be any conspiracy or trap in those eyes?

Xiao Zhian's mind was in a whirl, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner clothes—how could the woman he had fallen in love with be such a filthy and poisonous woman?

Xiao Zhian stopped moving, his eyes suddenly becoming clear and bright.

"Yinyin?" He released his grip on her neck.

"Um."

Lin Huaiyin responded with her breath, then immediately began coughing violently.

Xiao Zhian's heart shattered into pieces.

How could she still accept his treatment without resentment or hatred?

Didn't she know that he wanted to kill her, and almost killed her?

What kind of life does she lead?

Xiao Zhian collapsed in an instant.

He picked up Lin Huaiyin and held her tightly in his arms.

Blood on the bronze mirror pierced Xiao Zhian's eyes.

He thought of her being injured and poisoned, and how she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound even in her unconscious state.

She was abused and tortured by Su Jinggui, but she swallowed her anger and never complained.

She clearly hated Shen Congyun the most, and felt like she was sitting on pins and needles around him, so how could she possibly love Shen Congyun?

But he lost his mind just now and said those things, reopening her wounds!

She kills without blinking an eye, carries poison with her, she's so abnormal, how could he not realize it?

He should have realized it!

Xiao Zhian pounded his chest hard—he loved her, but he had never truly loved her.

It's not that she isn't in pain; her pain has become so profound that she's become accustomed to it, unable to utter a sound, or perhaps she believes that even if she did, no one would hear her, so she never speaks.

She gave him the chance to stay by her side, and she would occasionally reveal a few truths, such as writing to Lin Zhenlie to ask for help. She was slowly accepting him; she just needed time. Xiao Zhian had never understood the weight of these small gestures before, but at this moment, he finally understood and regretted his past actions.

He clearly had a chance, and he clearly promised to take good care of her, but he hurt her with his own hands and turned into a hideous demon just like Shen Congyun.

Xiao Zhian was at a loss, so he carried Lin Huaiyin back to the bed and wrapped her in the brocade quilt.

"I'm sorry, Yinyin, I'm sorry, can I hug you?" he asked.

Lin Huaiyin coughed, covered her throat, and shook her head. He felt bitter today, and she didn't like it.

Xiao Zhian immediately moved away. He walked down the low steps and stepped into the medicine that Pingyang had brought and that Lin Huaiyin had knocked over. He crushed it hard, squeezing out water droplets from the medicine.

He subconsciously glanced at the pool of poisoned tea, his mind flashing through Zhao Changji and Liu Cang, when he suddenly realized that Lin Huaiyin's killings were not indiscriminate killings of innocent people.

Following this line of thought, Xiao Zhian immediately understood why she didn't stop him from drinking the poisoned tea.

Her goal was Pingyang.

She was afraid he would protect Pingyang.

Xiao Zhian almost immediately understood why she couldn't hide her love, getting close to him and accepting him, yet she refused to fully open her heart, pushing him away time and time again.

She loved him, of course she loved him, and she gave him everything.

But he is Pingyang's older brother. She is afraid of Pingyang, afraid that she can't compete with him, afraid that he won't choose her, and afraid that he will hurt her for Pingyang's sake.

"Yinyin."

Xiao Zhian felt as if his heart was being torn apart. Looking at Lin Huaiyin on the bed, he cautiously asked, "What reason is there that Pingyang must be killed, Yinyin? Please tell me."