Even at this moment, Song Ting insisted: "I am yours. I will not hurt you, nor will I let anyone else hurt you."
Chu Huaixu smiled, completely ignoring his attempt to curry favor.
"Since that's the case, why bother asking, sir? Just pretend you don't know anything about it."
"Otherwise, I would have thought that Your Excellency would go to such lengths for the Empress Dowager, even using yourself as bait to interrogate me."
A faint smell of blood filled the air; it was from the reopening of Song Ting's wounds.
Chu Huaixu showed him no pity whatsoever, but instead expertly slapped him across the face—
"Does Your Excellency wish to know how I dealt with the Empress Dowager?"
Song Ting took a deep breath, swallowing the blood in her throat: "I want to know."
Only by knowing the truth can he protect Huaixu.
“That day at the Weizhong Palace, I gave the eldest princess a sachet and told her that it contained herbs that I had prepared myself to prevent mosquito bites.”
"But actually, it also contains a colorless and odorless poison. If this poison is mixed in incense and used for a long time, it will gradually cause people to lose their minds, become dull and numb, and eventually go crazy and insane in nightmares and fear."
"If this poison is combined with angelica, it will become a deadly poison that can kill a person instantly. If this poison is put into food, it can kill a person in an instant."
"But if you just carry it on your person, it's a kind of slow poison that takes anywhere from ten or twenty days to a year or two to take effect."
"In this way, the other party can die silently in fear, nightmares, and madness."
Chu Huaixu tenderly stroked Song Ting's face, which was covered in cold sweat, and slowly moved his fingers down to choke the man's throat.
Song Ting did not resist, but continued to gaze at him with her wet, loving, and affectionate eyes.
This man undoubtedly possessed a very handsome face, which is why, despite his infamous reputation, he still managed to win the hearts of noble ladies in Chang'an, and even the esteemed Princess Chang.
He was initially deceived by that face and that facade of deep affection.
"This is undoubtedly a very appealing way to get revenge, but I couldn't wait that long, so I added a lot of weight to the sachet. I didn't expect the timing to be just right."
"The poison took effect at the exact moment of the blessing ceremony, which is why it happened at the right time. Maybe it was God helping me."
The fingers tightened little by little, and Song Ting's pale face turned red from the intense feeling of suffocation, but he still did not resist.
That devout gaze was fixed firmly on Chu Huaixu's face, so much so that even with his eyes covered, Chu Huaixu could clearly feel the burning gaze falling on him.
The clenched fingers slowly loosened, and Song Ting coughed painfully, but before Chu Huaixu's hand had completely left his throat, it was gripped tightly again.
"When did you start preparing that medicine? Will it have any effect on you?" he asked anxiously.
"..." Chu Huaixu was stunned for a moment because he didn't expect that this was the first question he would ask.
Even though so much time has passed and everything has changed, in some ways, it still seems no different from before.
Just like no matter if the sky falls or the earth collapses, what he cares about most is always Chu Huaixu's safety.
But no one knew better than Chu Huaixu that it was all fake, that this person was putting on an act, otherwise how could he have been so heartless as to do all that back then?
For the past five years, whenever he thinks of that night filled with flames and the dagger that fell on his bones, he feels cut by the sharp blade once again.
Every day and every night, he struggled to live in this excruciating pain, as if his bones were being torn apart, and he kept in mind the agony of his broken bones.
So much so that later, the invisible dagger no longer pierced his flesh and bones, but his soul.
He was like a vengeful ghost wandering the world, and whenever he felt he couldn't go on, he would drag out the past and suffer the torment of being slowly sliced to pieces again.
Only at this moment could he continue on with that hatred and resentment.
But this person is still the same, still lying to him.
Fortunately, his eyes were covered by a black cloth. Chu Huaixu thought to himself that if he had actually seen Song Ting's pretentious affectionate appearance, it would have made him want to vomit.
Roughly removing the blindfold from his eyes, Chu Huaixu leaned against the wall, looking down without glancing at Song Ting.
The latter reached out her arm to him, seemingly wanting to keep him, but the passion in Chu Huaixu's eyes had completely faded, and his expression was icy cold.
Such a gaze stung Song Ting; the man's eyes darkened, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes reddened.
The bandages on his body were now a tangled mess after the struggle, and many places were soaked with dark red blood. The blankets were also stained with blood.
The smell of blood was even stronger.
Chu Huaixu glanced at his chest subconsciously; beneath the open collar, the wound was oozing blood and looked gruesome.
He abruptly looked away, his fingertips digging into the deep red marks on his palm.
“Young Master…” Song Ting finally grasped his hand.
Chu Huaixu curled his fingers, wanting to dodge, but he didn't move, letting him hold them.
"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."
"Really?" Song Ting stared at him intently, as if trying to discern the truth of his earlier statement from his expression.
Chu Huaixu grew impatient with the stare, and belatedly remembered what this person had done to him before, which made him even more upset.
She lightly kicked the man in the chest again, and through his thunderous heartbeat, said irritably:
"Of course it's true. I haven't killed you yet, nor have I killed Zhang Bingzhi and the young emperor. I won't let myself die so easily."
"Hmm." Song Ting finally believed it, raised her hand and grasped Chu Huaixu's ankle, her fingertips caressing his beautifully shaped ankle bone.
The previous... was only halfway through, and Huai Xu had not yet relieved himself. At this moment, when Song Ting touched him like this, Chu Huai Xu felt a strange sensation rushing straight to the top of his head.
He instinctively kicked her again, but took advantage of Song Ting clutching her chest in pain to pull his foot back.
Song Ting coughed a few times to suppress his urges, then asked another question: "Why kill the princess?"
"I didn't want to kill Chu Mingshu, but the Empress Dowager. However, I can't see the Empress Dowager, so I have to apologize to Her Highness the Eldest Princess."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chu Huaixu smiled. "Do you think I'm cruel?"
Song Ting propped herself up on her arms and sat up against the other side of the wall, staring blankly at the man in front of her, then shook her head.
In the past, Chu Huaixu was kind-hearted and even repaid the kindness of the little beggar who had stolen his meat bun by rescuing him and taking him home.
But the world has worn him down and humiliated him, forcing his once clean hands to be stained with blood.
But Song Ting would never think he was cruel; he only felt sorry for this person.
"That Chu Mingshu fell into the water..."
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