Chapter 58 Confession

This must be the real reason Xiao Mingzhang summoned her here today.

Yunzhu stared at Xiao Mingzhang's palm, and in that instant, she seemed to understand everything. Before her thoughts could catch up, her slap was faster than anything else, landing squarely on the face of the person in front of her.

There was another crisp sound in the flower hall. The guards outside the door were terrified when they heard the noise and wanted to go forward, but Wu Qi stopped them all.

"Xiao Mingzhang, I thought that even if you wanted to kill me, you were forced into it. Although you are ambitious and selfish, at least your basic character is not too bad. But today I have truly opened my eyes. You not only threatened me with the people of this town, but also with the lives of my children. Who do you take me for? A maidservant who comes and goes as you please? A puppet who you can kill when you want, and who has to go back with you when you want to?"

Yunzhu's outburst happened in an instant, catching Xiao Mingzhang's guards off guard, and even Xiao Mingzhang himself was completely caught off guard.

He covered his cheek, which had been suddenly knocked askew, and froze for a moment. After straightening up, he only heard Yunzhu's even more profound, condescending roar—

"Xiao Mingzhang, don't think you can control me. Let me tell you, I won't listen to a single word you say today. If you want to tell those people my identity, go ahead. I don't believe that because of your few words, I really can't live here anymore, nor do I believe that if we leave here, my child and I will really be left to rot in the streets! Don't you like threatening people? Now it's my turn to threaten you. Do you want to see my child and me rot in the streets? If so, then go ahead and do what you said. Let everyone know my identity, know that I am the daughter of an enemy country, know that I am the runaway princess of your royal palace! It's also good to let them know the whole story back then, and know what kind of heartless monsters your royal palace is!"

If spittle could drown a person, then the words Yunzhu has endured since meeting Xiao Mingzhang until today could almost completely submerge a person in a vast ocean.

If it weren't for Xiao Mingzhang's words just now, Yunzhu would still be wondering whether she should compromise and not fight Xiao Mingzhang to the death tonight. But his question really angered Yunzhu and made her unable to bear it any longer.

If it's unbearable, then let's not bear it anymore.

She stared at Xiao Mingzhang with hatred, her eyes, which had been normal moments before, gradually becoming bloodshot and turning crimson.

Xiao Mingzhang's expression gradually turned panicked. He seemed to finally realize that he had gone too far in threatening Yunzhu today, and he quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "No, Yunzhu, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean?"

Yunzhu's strength was not something that could be accumulated from a moment of anger; she exerted all her strength, and her voice became hoarse.

She thought, "Isn't this just throwing caution to the wind? Xiao Mingzhang can do this, and so can Mu Yunzhu, and she can even do it more ruthlessly and cruelly than Xiao Mingzhang!"

"Yunzhu, calm down!" Xiao Mingzhang reached out to Yunzhu's arm, still wanting to salvage the situation.

Having learned her lesson last time, Yunzhu was determined not to let him control himself so easily this time.

"What do you mean, 'calm down'?" Yunzhu dodged Xiao Mingzhang's touch while demanding an answer. "Ever since I saw you again, I haven't had a single day of peace. Xiao Mingzhang, why did you have to show up again? Why did you have to stand in front of me? I've already hidden here, in a place where I can't interfere with you no matter what, so why won't you let me go? All I want is to live a peaceful life with my daughter. Is that so hard? Weren't you all trying so hard to kill me back then? Why do you want us to go back now?"

"I never intended to kill you!"

Xiao Mingzhang couldn't get a word in edgewise when Yunzhu said all that, until she mentioned this last sentence, at which point Xiao Mingzhang finally found an opportunity to try and explain to Yunzhu.

He saw Yunzhu's red-rimmed eyes, and his heart bled, his eyes gradually turning crimson as well.

The candlelight illuminated the two people in the room.

“Yunzhu, I never thought of killing you, I truly never thought of it…” Xiao Mingzhang explained again.

But Yunzhu would never believe it.

She kept shaking her head, believing only what she had heard and seen.

"Back in the government office, were they the ones who suppressed your speech? And later in Luozhou, did the guards from the royal palace try to kill me themselves?"

"I can explain the matter of the government office later, but Yunzhu, the matter of Luozhou was not my doing. I have never sent anyone to Luozhou to harm you!"

When Yunzhu asked these questions last time, Xiao Mingzhang did not explain. But this time, Xiao Mingzhang knew that if he did not explain, he might never have another chance.

Hot tears welled up in Yunzhu's eyes without her realizing it, but she still held her chin high, refusing to believe Xiao Mingzhang's words: "If it's not you, then who else could it be? Could it be your father, or your mother?"

"..."

Xiao Mingzhang remained silent.

Yunzhu frowned, as if she had finally come to some realization.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she said with a hint of amusement, "Xiao Mingzhang, with parents like yours, you still think I can go back to the Prince's Mansion? If I go back, what will happen? I'll continue to be devoured by them, with no freedom, no right to speak, having to do everything according to their wishes, be subservient to them, and never experience a moment of joy again?"

I will never make you go through what you went through before!

Seeing Yunzhu becoming more and more desperate, Xiao Mingzhang couldn't help but slowly move closer to her again.

He wanted to hug Yunzhu, to get closer to her, even closer.

Xiao Mingzhang said, "Yunzhu, I won't let you go through what happened before. I was wrong before; I didn't have enough power, and I wasn't able to protect you. But I won't do that anymore. We have the troops of the Prince Huan's mansion. Father can't make decisions for us, and neither can Mother. The three of us will live a good life in the future. You won't have to be at anyone's mercy anymore, and you won't have any worries..."

Look at what he said, and Yunzhu knew that three years had passed before Xiao Mingzhang came to find her. By now, he must have gained a lot.

It turns out that all the troops of Prince Huan's mansion have been brought under his command... What about Xiao Shao? Is he really going to Jinling to become emperor?

“Xiao Mingzhang, let me ask you, if you really become the Crown Prince in the future, and I go back with you, will you ask me to be your Crown Princess? In the Central Plains, would you ask me to be your Crown Princess?” Yunzhu suddenly asked again.

"Yes!" Xiao Mingzhang finally moved closer to Yunzhu again, nodding repeatedly in front of her, and said with absolute certainty, "Yunzhu, you are my only wife in this life. As long as you come home with me, if I become the Crown Prince, you will be the Crown Princess; if I become the Emperor, you will be the Empress. No one will dare to object!"

"But you Central Plains have never had an empress from the Western Regions!"

"Just because it didn't happen before doesn't mean it won't happen in the future!" Xiao Mingzhang's confident assertion almost convinced Yunzhu. She heard him ask hopefully, "Yunzhu, if I'm certain of these things with you, will you be willing to come back with me?"

Fortunately, Yunzhu was just asking casually.

"No, I don't want to."

Yunzhu never considered returning to Yunzhou with Xiao Mingzhang. Power had always been a shackle for her, and she did not want to go back to that place of trouble. She only wished to live a peaceful life with her daughter on this free and untroubled land.

Xiao Mingzhang's eyes lowered in what was expected desolation, but only for a moment before he raised his brows again and said to Yunzhu, "It's alright. It's understandable that you're unwilling now, but you can do whatever you want in the future... Yunzhu, it was my fault tonight. I forced you, and it's understandable that you resent me, but I really have no other choice. Yunzhu, you ignore me, you don't care about me. It seems that no matter what I do, you won't even glance at me again. Yunzhu, I really have no other way..."

"Having no other choice, you resort to murder and arson; this is the way your Central Plains royal family behaves," Yunzhu said coldly.

"I didn't!" Xiao Mingzhang tried his best to hide his dirty thoughts from Yunzhu, but as soon as he looked up, everything seemed to have fallen into Yunzhu's eyes.

Hot tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, reflecting the light and revealing all his hidden thoughts.

Xiao Mingzhang blinked twice slowly and said, "Yunzhu, I don't deny that I haven't been entirely upright in my life. I've been despicable, and I've used many inhuman methods in many things. But I can assure you that I've never used those intentions on you, and I didn't really want you to die back then..."

"Then will you tell me now what you were thinking back then?" Since the topic had come up again, Xiao Mingzhang repeatedly emphasized that he did not really want her to die. Yunzhu was curious about how he wanted to explain it.

"suspended animation."

Xiao Mingzhang simply uttered two words, and Yunzhu understood his full meaning.

Xiao Mingzhang never intended for her to actually die, but given the situation of the Prince's Mansion at the time, he did consider having her fake her death.

"You want me to leave by myself?" Yunzhu asked again.

"No! I will send you to a safe place to stay temporarily, and bring you back after everything has settled down." This was the cruelest thought he had ever had for Yunzhu, and Xiao Mingzhang could not deny it.

"So when you were at the government office, you meant for me to fake my death?" Yunzhu asked curiously.

"No!" Xiao Mingzhang said again, "When we were in the government office, I had already made up my mind that I would never ask you to leave no matter what. I know that if I really asked you to fake your death, you would definitely resent me and never see me again in this life. Those words in the government office were just helpless words to deal with those strategists."

He is quite self-aware.

So that's how it is. So that's how it is.

Looking at the person in front of her, Yunzhu was momentarily at a loss as to whether she should continue crying or laugh.

It turns out he didn't really want her to die back then...

But is faking death really that much better than actually dying?

Xiao Mingzhang understood Yunzhu quite well. Even though he had never really intended to kill her, he knew that Yunzhu would not forgive him for faking his death.

This meant that, on the scales of power and affection, Xiao Mingzhang chose to place power above all else, thus easily abandoning his feelings for her. For Yunzhu, being Yunzhu's rightful wife, only to have her faked death and sent elsewhere, was an immense humiliation.

"Yunzhu, if you have any questions for me today, please feel free to ask..."

Looking at the tears still falling on Yunzhu's cheeks, Xiao Mingzhang couldn't help but reach out and gently wipe them away.

He tenderly cupped Yunzhu's face in his hands, leaning down as if to take another step closer, but Yunzhu's instinctive turn of her head stopped Xiao Mingzhang in his tracks.

He stared blankly at Yunzhu, watching her soft lips, not wanting to touch him too much, unexpectedly press against his palm; watching her entire face now contorted before him.

This is a period of unfamiliarity after three years.

Xiao Mingzhang realized that no matter how he and Yunzhu resolved their issues, there would always be a three-year separation between them, and it would be impossible for them to easily return to the way they were before.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go home tonight."

After turning her face away, Yunzhu didn't look at Xiao Mingzhang again. She took a step back, and her face immediately escaped Xiao Mingzhang's control.

Xiao Mingzhang's palm suddenly felt empty. He wanted to grab onto something, and in his desperation, he could only grab onto the sliver of fair wrist that flashed past his eyes.

Yunzhu turned around and glared at him.

Xiao Mingzhang then said hesitantly, "I'll take you back. It's getting late, and it won't be safe."

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Author's Note: Let's congratulate this prince for finally speaking up after his wife went crazy! [Milk Tea]