Chapter 57 An Arrow Through the Heart
A light rain started falling outside again, the cold wind and rain dampening the lanterns hanging under the eaves, making the light even dimmer.
Li Nanke still clearly saw Shen Cong beckoning her over with his finger.
The large, vermilion sedan chair had its curtain only half-drawn, and Shen Cong's pale eyes and brows gleamed with a coldness under the dim light.
She puffed out her cheeks, feeling that Shen Cong's gesture of beckoning her with his finger was like calling a cat.
But not daring to go over, they could only purse their lips and slowly dawdle over.
Just as they arrived at the sedan chair door, Shen Cong pointed with his hand.
"Stand right there, don't come in."
Following his disgusted gaze, Li Nanke looked down.
It had been raining all day, and her embroidered shoes were soaked and covered in mud from the rain.
Looking at Chen Cong again, his rain-soaked boots had been taken off, wiped clean, and placed under the couch.
She couldn't help but purse her lips, and then walked straight inside.
Two mud stains were instantly left on the snow-white blanket, which were quite glaring.
The atmosphere inside the sedan chair froze instantly as two sharp, angry gazes fell upon her.
"court death?"
Li Nanke stared with her round eyes, her little face completely innocent.
“I know Your Highness has something to ask me. It’s raining and cold outside. I can’t remember anything if I get wet in the rain.”
I was afraid of delaying Your Highness's business, and I acted hastily. Your Highness shouldn't be angry with me, right?
Shen Cong snorted coldly and slowly sat up straight.
"Ha, still the type who refuses to suffer a loss. How come she was crying like a dog earlier?"
Li Nanke's face fell.
You're the one who cries even more ugly than a dog.
It wasn't that he was suddenly frightened when he saw his mother had stopped breathing and remembered what he had dreamed about.
She pouted, knelt on the blanket, looked up at him, and thanked him earnestly once again.
"I am deeply grateful to Your Highness for saving my mother today. You are of great kindness and virtue. Please feel free to ask me anything you wish."
Shen Cong raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that she would be so obedient.
He gently tapped the now-deprived hand warmer with his finger, and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for days.
How did you know that Shen Xu was in Taizhou?
He and His Majesty had been searching for years without success, but Li Nanke immediately pointed out that Shen Xu was in Taizhou.
This is truly unbelievable.
He has never been one to tolerate uncontrollable people or things around him; he always has to find out the truth.
Li Nanke knew he could no longer hide it.
Are you being honest and telling the truth?
Of course not!
Her eyes darted around, and she blinked, saying, "I accidentally learned a little bit of divination."
It is possible to predict the fate of some people.
This was a pre-prepared explanation; compared to dreaming, divination might be easier to believe.
Unfortunately, the person sitting opposite him was Shen Cong.
He scoffed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, his narrow eyes flashing with mockery.
"Li Nanke, do you think I'm a fool?"
"Of course not."
"Heh, since that's the case, then tell me my fate?"
Shen Cong leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and looked down at her coldly.
"You'd better not say that I am weak and sickly, destined to die young, and will not live past eighteen. I'm already tired of hearing those words."
His other hand rubbed the soft sword at his waist, as if the sword would be drawn the moment Li Nanke said anything he didn't want to hear.
Li Nanke looked up, her gaze falling on Shen Cong's cold and stern eyes.
He was tall and thin, but due to long-term medication, his gloomy and cold demeanor overshadowed the childishness between his brows, often making people forget that he was only twelve years old.
His Majesty has no sons, and his only prince is missing.
Many ministers in the court submitted memorials requesting that Shen Cong be made the Crown Prince, but all of these requests were dropped because Shen Cong was weak and sickly.
Some even asserted that Shen Cong would definitely not live past the age of eighteen.
But she knew the rumors were unreliable.
She pretended to be a fortune teller, closed her eyes and pretended for a moment, then opened her eyes and shook her head.
"Of course the prince will live past eighteen, but he will only live for four more years. He will die on his twenty-second birthday."
"oh?"
Shen Cong raised an eyebrow and chuckled, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.
"What was the cause of death? Was it from illness?"
Li Nanke shook his head.
"Because of a woman, he was killed by an arrow through the heart."
That woman was her.
To be precise, it was Li Nanke, who was eighteen years old.
She was deceived and given false information, which led to Shen Cong arriving alone and being killed by an arrow through the heart.
Recalling the scene in her dream, Li Nanke pursed her lips, feeling a little guilty.
Erfeng, who was standing outside the sedan chair, turned pale with fright and kept waving his hands at Li Nanke from behind.
He lowered his voice and said, "Young lady, you can't just say things like that."
Li Nanke turned her head, her little face serious.
"Everything I said is true."
Second wind...
Shen Cong laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Hehehe... cough cough!"
He started coughing as he laughed, and a trace of bright red blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Your Highness."
Erfeng's expression changed, and he tried to rush in.
Shen Cong glanced at him, indicating that he didn't need to come in.
He casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, and then wiped the blood off his hands little by little.
With a cold expression, she threw the handkerchief onto the blanket.
The snow-white carpet, the snow-white handkerchief, and the bright red bloodstains formed a stark contrast.
This was the second time Li Nanke had seen him vomit blood.
She frowned slightly but didn't say anything.
Shen Cong got off the couch at some point, squatted down, and stared straight at her with his deep eyes.
The cold tip of the sword was already pressed against her neck.
"Interesting. You are the first person to say that I did not die from illness."
"Ha, because of a woman, you were shot through the heart and died. Why don't you say I died of stupidity?"
He had long ago made up his mind that he would never marry or have any involvement with any woman in his life.
How could he possibly die because of a woman, especially one who was killed by an arrow through the heart?
If he ever does something that stupid, he might as well kill himself.
The moment the words fell, the tip of the sword, carrying a chill, pressed down as well.
"Li Nanke, tell the truth, and I'll spare your life."
Li Nanke's heart clenched, but he dared not show any fear on his face.
Instead, she sighed helplessly and spread her little hands.
"I knew it. If I told the truth, Your Highness wouldn't believe me. After all, who would believe that an eight-year-old child could do divination?"
Shen Cong sneered.
"Since you can do divination, what? Didn't you foresee that your mother almost lost her life today?"
Li Nanke's face froze for a moment.
He quickly realized, "To be honest, I can't predict the fate of my loved ones."
Moreover, a person's fate is not fixed; it changes depending on the people they meet.
"So you're admitting that everything you just said was nonsense?"
Li Nanke...
“I’m telling the truth. If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, why did you call me here for questioning?”
"Ha, so young, yet so sharp-tongued; there's a price to pay for that."
Shen Cong snorted and tightened his grip.
The sword tip pierced the skin once more, the sharp pain feeling like steel needles pricking the body, making one tremble all over.
Li Nanke clenched his fists tightly to keep himself from moving an inch, when a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Wait a moment......."
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