Chapter 73: The Prince Yi is Dead / A Defiled Heart

A moment of pleasure

The next day, Yunzhu emerged from Xiao Mingzhang's room when the sun was high in the sky.

Under the early winter sun, she tiptoed back to her small courtyard, hoping no one would notice her.

Unfortunately, what she feared most came to pass. As soon as she entered the room, Mu Zhaozhi ran out and excitedly shouted, "Mother! You're back!"

Yunzhu froze, and could only immediately put on a smile and nod to her daughter.

"Yes," she said, feigning nonchalance. "Has Azhi started studying hard today as well?"

“Yes!” Mu Zhaozhi nodded. Since arriving at the Commander’s Mansion, she no longer had to get up every day and walk to the school. The female tutor that Xiao Mingzhang hired for her would come to the mansion and teach her at her small desk.

As expected, the female master followed behind Mu Zhaozhi and came out to greet Yunzhu.

Yunzhu then smiled twice at her female master.

Mu Zhaozhi was very curious about where Yunzhu had gone last night.

Since arriving at the Commander's Mansion, Mu Zhaozhi not only no longer had to go to school, but also had her own small bedroom. Gradually, she no longer had to share a bed with her mother.

Even so, her mother would still get up early every day to wash and dress her up.

But this morning, her mother was not there. Mu Zhaozhi originally wanted to go to Xiao Mingzhang to ask him to help her find her mother, but Ayan stopped her and told her that she knew where her mother was, so Mu Zhaozhi did not go to Xiao Mingzhang.

Aunt Yan said that her mother would definitely come back today, and sure enough, she did.

Faced with her daughter's innocent question, Yunzhu pondered for a while before saying, "Last night I had some things to talk about with your... father. It was too late when we finished, so I simply stayed at his place."

That's how it is.

Mu Zhaozhi nodded. Although Xiao Mingzhang could not be said to be the person she trusted the most, he was indeed the man she trusted the most. With her mother with him, she no longer had any worries.

"Has Mother had breakfast yet?" The little girl looked up at Yunzhu with concern, her tiny head full of wonder.

Yunzhu paused again and shook her head.

Mu Zhaozhi immediately urged, "Then Mother, go and have your breakfast. I need to go back and continue practicing calligraphy!"

Little Mu Zhaozhi has a lot of homework to do every day. Yunzhu couldn't help but smile. Hearing her daughter's words, she nodded in agreement.

"Okay." She agreed, and Mu Zhaozhi then followed her female teacher back to the desk.

Yunzhu watched their retreating figures, and after Mu Zhaozhi and her female master went inside, she did not go to eat as promised. Instead, she went straight to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down.

Last night... when Yunzhu came out of Xiao Mingzhang's room, she wanted to forget about the events of last night and that no one should ask about them. But now that Mu Zhaozhi brought it up, the unforgettable memories came flooding back.

What happened last night was a complete surprise to Yunzhu.

She only wanted to go back and have a few drinks with Xiao Mingzhang, a drink she hadn't had in a long time. As for sharing a bed with him again, that was not what Yunzhu wanted.

But she had to admit that Xiao Mingzhang had indeed made her feel happy last night.

At first, Yunzhu was in charge of everything. Everything was slow and awkward. After all, she hadn't experienced these things for three years. It was really difficult to expect her to recall all the skills and use them proficiently in one day after three whole years.

Moreover, she also had to consider Xiao Mingzhang's wounds and dared not make too much of a fuss.

After she slowly and deliberately made a couple of attempts, Xiao Mingzhang finally regained control of the situation.

He seemed to have been dissatisfied with her for a long time. Once he broke free of the ribbon, he turned her back to where she belonged.

What happened after that is self-evident.

Even though Xiao Mingzhang was injured, his lower abdomen was still quite strong. Yunzhu was worried about him while also feeling his techniques, which were no different from before. Before long, her whole body was covered with bruises.

Fortunately, it was already early winter, and her inner garment had a collar; otherwise, Yunzhu wouldn't even know how she would have gotten from Xiao Mingzhang's main courtyard back to her own this morning, or how Mu Zhaozhi would have asked her about what she had seen.

Xiao Mingzhang... Just thinking about this person made Yunzhu's head ache again.

Reason told her that she didn't need to take any responsibility for what happened last night. Love between men and women is only natural. She had just had a passionate encounter with Xiao Mingzhang, and they weren't completely opening up to each other again, so there was no need to talk about the future. But this morning, Xiao Mingzhang seemed to be trying to get back with her.

When she woke up today, surprisingly, Xiao Mingzhang, who usually gets up early, had not yet gotten up.

His body was naked, with nothing covering him except for a few bandages wrapped around his chest.

He just looked at her like that, and after she woke up, he kissed her again without saying a word.

If Yunzhu hadn't run away quickly, he probably would have forced her to do even more outrageous things.

Yunzhu could accept temporary pleasure, but she didn't want to stay with him for long.

She sat in the courtyard for quite half an hour until Ayan returned from practicing martial arts outside. Seeing Yunzhu sitting in the courtyard, she couldn't help but ask, "Did the princess spend last night with Xiao Mingzhang?"

"..." Yunzhu had nothing to hide from Ayan anymore. She blinked slowly, which was taken as an admission.

Ayan remained silent for a moment.

In fact, just like Yunzhu, when Yunzhu made the decision to return to Xiao Mingzhang's side, Ayan felt that she was going to go back to sharing a bed with Xiao Mingzhang.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Mingzhang specially arranged a bedroom for Yunzhu as well, which made Ayan look at him with unusual respect.

In just a few glances, unexpectedly, within a few days, Xiao Mingzhang couldn't help but reveal his true colors again.

"So, will the princess move in with him?" Ayan asked.

Yunzhu hurriedly shook her head: "I'm not going!"

Although last night was absurd, Yunzhu is perfectly clear-headed both last night and now. Her relationship with Xiao Mingzhang is definitely not what it used to be, and there is absolutely no way she will move back to live with him anytime soon.

Ayan nodded slightly. She was no longer a child like Mu Zhaozhi. Even though she had not yet experienced love between men and women, she knew that many times and many things did not need to seek a result.

She replied with relief, "Then I'm glad the princess is happy!"

Yunzhu could roughly guess Ayan's answer, after all, her only wish was happiness and peace.

Yunzhu then asked Ayan with concern, "Why did you go out to practice martial arts today and come back so late? Have you been learning some new moves lately?"

“I am studying, but Princess…” Ayan looked around. She had originally planned to talk to Yunzhu after entering the house, but when she heard this question, she couldn’t help but squat down in front of Yunzhu and say to her, “I think I heard some news about Prince Yi this morning.”

Yunzhu stared at her intently.

This matter couldn't be explained clearly outside in a short time, so Ayan simply pulled Yunzhu inside.

It turns out that recently, in order to better understand the situation in Xiao Mingzhang's army, Ayan volunteered to go to Wuqi, a guard by Xiao Mingzhang's side, saying that she wanted to learn some military moves and also wanted to go into the military camp to take a look.

Wuqi recognized Ayan. After hearing her request and obtaining Xiao Mingzhang's approval, he allowed her to enter the military camp to learn martial arts moves.

Ayan's camp wasn't the smallest, but that didn't prevent the camps from sharing information.

When she went to the military camp for roll call and training today, she heard some soldiers mention that the people in the other camp had returned, probably because they had finished their business.

"How can you be sure that this matter definitely refers to Prince Yi?" Yunzhu asked.

“I can’t guarantee it,” Ayan said casually. “But I think if the princess cares, she can ask her today. The soldiers have all returned, and once the ceasefire agreement is signed here, Xiao Mingzhang will be able to return to Yunzhou soon, or even Jinling. But we still don’t know what to do!”

That makes sense... Yunzhu clenched her hands, but for some reason, she was still reluctant to ask Xiao Mingzhang about the military camp.

What if the troops he sends this time aren't actually chasing Prince Yi? Wouldn't she be making a fool of herself again? Besides, she always felt that if it really was Prince Yi, Xiao Mingzhang would definitely not let go of such an opportunity to claim credit and would keep quiet about it from telling her.

Isn't he desperate to win her and Azhi's favor right now? How could he not tell her about something so important?

As Yunzhu thought this, Ayan anxiously asked, "Does the princess still not believe that Xiao Mingzhang would go to such lengths for Azhi?"

She easily pointed out another thing on her mind.

Yunzhu nodded helplessly.

It's true that Xiao Mingzhang likes his daughter Azhi very much now, but he treated her the same way back then. And what happened later? Although he has explained everything back then, Yunzhu still has a knot in her heart.

If he did not send troops to pursue Prince Yi this time, it means that in Xiao Mingzhang's mind, she and her daughter are not as important as so-called power. So, does she really want to stay by Xiao Mingzhang's side with her daughter?

“If the princess doesn’t want to ask, then I will. Anyway, I don’t care about his feelings, and I don’t have any lingering trauma from him,” Ayan said.

"Ayan!" Yunzhu grabbed Ayan.

Xiao Mingzhang is very guarded; if you ask Ayan about this kind of thing, she probably won't get any answers.

If she wants to get the answer, she has to go herself.

She wanted to tell Ayan to wait and see if Xiao Mingzhang would come to their door on his own, but before she could say anything, someone knocked on their door.

Ayan asked, "Who is it?"

"I."

Xiao Mingzhang?

Ayan immediately opened the door.

Standing outside the door was indeed Xiao Mingzhang.

The moment Yunzhu saw him, her eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" Ayan asked suspiciously. Speak of the devil and he appears; it usually doesn't mean anything good.

"I've come because I have something important to tell Yunzhu." Xiao Mingzhang skipped over Ayan and stared directly at Yunzhu's head without the slightest hesitation.

Ayan felt awkward and looked back at Yunzhu. Seeing that she was indeed willing to talk to Xiao Mingzhang, she made room for him.

She closed the door again, leaving only Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang in the room.

At this moment, Yunzhu's mind was filled only with the returning soldiers. She had completely forgotten the pleasure of the previous night and whose arms she had woken up in this morning. She stared at Xiao Mingzhang with a wary and lifeless look in her eyes.

Xiao Mingzhang calmly took out a bottle of porcelain-white ointment from his sleeve and handed it to her first.

"It's been so long since we've done this. Did I hurt you last night? This is some ointment I got from the doctor. Shall I put some on for you?"

"..."

Who would have thought he would ask that? Yunzhu's mind went blank for a moment, and then her face flushed an unusual crimson.

She stared at the ointment in Xiao Mingzhang's hand for a long while before saying, "I don't need this kind of thing. Is this the important thing you came to see me about?"

“Of course not,” Xiao Mingzhang said, “but this is also very important. Whether we use it or not, I will keep it for now.”

He placed the ointment on the table, then, with a solemn expression, said to Yunzhu, "I have come here today to tell you that Prince Yi is dead."

With a loud bang, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in Yunzhu's ears.

She was stunned for a long time before asking Xiao Mingzhang, "You, you, what...did you say?"

“Hasn’t Ayan been gathering intelligence on my army these past few days? She should have guessed pretty much everything by now, right? I’ve sent men to hunt him down.” Xiao Mingzhang calmly stated this fact, making Yunzhu’s head buzz even more violently.

Prince Yi is dead?

Prince Yi... Xiao Jing... is he really dead?

"How dare you kill him..." Yunzhu murmured, her eyes filled with incomprehension.

“He kidnapped my daughter, shouldn’t he die?” Xiao Mingzhang retorted.

“But he…” Yunzhu hesitated.

But isn't he rumored to be the emperor's favorite youngest son? Does your family not want to inherit the throne openly and legitimately? Aren't you afraid of angering the emperor?

You openly and brazenly murdered a prince. How can the civil and military officials possibly impeach you? What about your future prospects? What about the throne you desired?

"Yunzhu, are you worried about me now?" Although Yunzhu didn't say everything aloud, Xiao Mingzhang could basically read the questioning in her eyes.

His expression softened slightly, no longer as cold as before, and he said, "You don't need to worry about the matter of the Prince's Mansion. This time, he used Azhi to blackmail me, demanding that I surrender to the Western Regions even though I had won the battle. Just this alone is enough for me to present as evidence, and the civil and military officials will not let him off the hook. Not to mention that he also kidnapped Azhi and occupied the government office... I have a thousand reasons to kill him, and all of them are absolutely sufficient and will not implicate myself."

Is this something that will harm oneself?

"Does your father know that you did this?" Yunzhu asked.

"..." Xiao Mingzhang's silence said it all.

"Why?" Yunzhu asked Xiao Mingzhang.

"Why what?" Xiao Mingzhang feigned ignorance.

“You’ve already rescued A-Zhi, you don’t need to do anything so risky, why do you still insist on killing him!” Yunzhu pressed.

She simply couldn't understand it. It was true that she was a vengeful person; from childhood to adulthood, she would repay every hurt she suffered tenfold to feel satisfied. But this time, the person who kidnapped Azhi was Prince Yi, the emperor's most beloved youngest son. So from the beginning, Yunzhu had no hope of revenge; she only hoped that her daughter would return safely.

But Xiao Mingzhang still went his own way and killed the man himself, which Yunzhu really couldn't understand.

"..."

Xiao Mingzhang fell silent again.

He stared intently at Yunzhu, his silent, dark pupils seeming to ask rhetorically whether she truly didn't know the answer, or was feigning ignorance.

Finally, Xiao Mingzhang's silence could not elicit a response from Yunzhu. He could only say, "I could spare his life and deal with him after Father has successfully inherited the throne. But if I were to act then, Yunzhu, I'm afraid you would never realize that power is far less important to me than you and your mother, right?"

Xiao Mingzhang finally gave the answer.

And Yunzhu heard the roar for the third time, after hearing the news of Yi Wang's death earlier.

She stared at Xiao Mingzhang in disbelief, her crimson eyes seeming to seep with the blood that had stained the forest.

"What did you say? You... did it for me?"

She genuinely hadn't considered this reason.

Xiao Mingzhang killed Prince Yi, partly for Mu Zhaozhi, but also to win her back.

This was the answer she wanted to know, but Yunzhu, taking a deep breath of the early winter air, simply refused to believe it.

Her legs felt as heavy as lead; she couldn't take a single step or utter a single word.

Xiao Mingzhang looked at Yunzhu with unwavering determination.

After rescuing A-Zhi, Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng asked him if he wanted to continue hunting down Prince Yi.

They suggested that it would be best to spare his life and deal with him after the Prince's throne was completely secure, but Xiao Mingzhang chose another path.

He wants to kill him right now.

Because he knew that this was his only chance, his only chance to prove to Yunzhu that power and the emperor's favor were not as important to him as she and his daughter. For her and his daughter, he could constantly defy his father and even the emperor.

Yunzhu opened her mouth, but still couldn't utter a single word. The immense shock left her helplessly watching her tears stream down her face.

Xiao Mingzhang...

Xiao Mingzhang…………

Yunzhu increasingly felt that she had never truly understood this man.

At first, she thought there wasn't a single good person in the vast city of Yunzhou, except for Xiao Mingzhang, who could be considered a gentleman.

Later, she discovered that Xiao Mingzhang, this supposed gentleman, was also pretending. He was secretly plotting to kill her, so she escaped from the prison called Xiao Mingzhang and the Prince's Mansion.

When she arrived at the grassland, she thought she would never see Xiao Mingzhang again and could finally live a free and unrestrained life. But she never expected that this hypocrite would catch up with her again.

Now, she finally felt tired and realized that only by returning to Xiao Mingzhang's side could she find temporary peace. So she returned to his side without any romantic feelings, but at this very moment, he seemed to offer her a heart stained with blood.

But what does she think?

That sincere heart was so filthy, stained with dripping blood, how could she possibly see it clearly?

"So now, how do you think I will view you now that you killed him?" Yunzhu finally managed to speak, each word trembling.

"I have no idea."

Xiao Mingzhang was honest.

He said, “Yunzhu, since we met again, I have never been able to understand you. Perhaps you will think I am a ruthless and ruthless person, but I just want to say that I have waited three years for this opportunity. I don’t want you and Azhi to leave me again. No matter what method I use, I want you to see my true feelings. I want you to come home and stay by my side forever. The three of us will be together for all eternity.”

"..."

madman.

A complete madman.