Lu Anrou braved the wind and snow to rush to Yuanhua Temple, filled with anxiety, hoping to get protection from her father.
Instead of comfort, she was met with a severe beating.
A loud "bang!"
The heavy wooden fish and mallet struck her, shattering instantly into pieces, scattering fragments and leaving specks of blood on the cold Buddhist temple floor tiles.
Lu Anrou was in excruciating pain, but she endured it and dared not utter a sound.
The Prince of Yan sat quietly on a futon, holding a brand-new wooden mallet in his hand, and gently tapped it on the wooden fish.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice cold and devoid of any warmth: "I never keep useless people."
Since you cannot complete the mission, then commit suicide as an atonement.
He didn't even lift his eyelids, as if Lu Anrou, kneeling in a pool of blood, was nothing more than an insignificant tool.
Lu Anrou curled up on the ground, her clothes soaked with blood, but she was completely unaware.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening, and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar man, her father.
Everyone says that the Prince of Yan is a devout Buddhist and extremely compassionate person. But only she knows that it is nothing more than a facade of hypocrisy.
From childhood to adulthood, he was extremely demanding of his sisters, requiring them to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as to learn the seductive manners and skills of courtesans.
She always thought that she and her sister were the most outstanding among all her sisters.
Her elder sister was able to use her knowledge to manipulate Emperor Xie Qiyu, while she never had the chance to get Xie Yizhi to even glance at her.
The Prince of Yan's task for her was to become Xie Yizhi's woman.
Xie Yizhi never spared her a single glance, but instead doted on Jiang Luoluo, a good-for-nothing known to everyone in the capital.
On what grounds?
She was not willing to accept it!
She prostrated herself on the ground and pleaded, "Father, please, for the sake of our father-daughter relationship, give me another chance."
The King of Yan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly snapped the wooden mallet in his hand in two with a "crack" and casually threw it on the ground.
His tone was utterly cold: "If you fail again, then go with this wooden mallet. I'll burn extra paper money for you during festivals."
Lu Anrou trembled, her hands clenched tightly, and she kowtowed deeply, "Yes, Father!"
Inside the main room of Prince Yi's mansion, Jiang Luoluo was carefully pruning a branch of winter plum blossoms. Her slender scissors moved among the branches, and the plum blossoms fell into a white porcelain vase, releasing a refreshing fragrance.
"Your Highness." Dingdang rushed in and handed over a letter with both hands, "It was sent by Princess Anrou."
Jiang Luoluo paused slightly with the scissors in her hand, then inserted the last sprig of winter plum into the vase. She gently inhaled the faint fragrance of the plum blossoms before slowly taking the letter and murmuring softly, "Lu Anrou?"
She opened the letter, her eyes quickly scanning the handwriting on the paper.
In the first half, Lu Anrou wrote of resentment and anger, her words filled with defiance towards her. But in the end, the tone suddenly shifted.
"Women in this world face many hardships, so why do they scheme against each other?"
Men stand high above, watching women fight, while the women don't necessarily have a good ending.
I am disheartened and want to leave the capital and return to my hometown in Jiaozhou.
Before I leave, I only want to see you one last time, to ask you in person where I went wrong, so I can finally give up.
She arranged to meet Jiang Luoluo at Liuyue Pavilion at noon today.
After reading it, Jiang Luoluo smiled faintly.
She wasn't sure if Lu Anrou was genuinely repentant or had ulterior motives.
But the line in the letter, "Women in this world face so many hardships, so why do they scheme against each other?" truly struck a chord with her.
Yes, why should women make things difficult for other women?
Dingdang, standing nearby, asked anxiously, "Your Highness, are you really going to see her? Could it be another of her schemes?"
Jiang Luoluo narrowed her eyes slightly, her fingertips gently stroking the letter.
This could be a trap, or it could be Lu Anrou's true feelings.
Regardless of the possibility, she had to meet her. Lu Anrou was a pawn in the Prince of Yan's game, and her current movements could very well reveal the Prince of Yan's next move.
She slowly folded the letter, placed it on the table, and chuckled softly, "Of course I'll go."
After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Luoluo led Dingdang into the elegant room of Liuyue Pavilion.
An incense burner was already lit in the room, and a faint sandalwood fragrance filled the air.
Lu Anrou sat upright in the middle, wearing a bright red brocade dress, as if she wanted to use this intense color to cover up her inner embarrassment and resentment.
Seeing Jiang Luoluo arrive with her entourage, she snorted coldly, her tone mocking: "What? Is the Princess afraid I'll harm you?"
Jiang Luoluo chuckled softly: "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid."
After all, Princess Anrou is cunning and audacious; she even dared to scheme against Prince Yi at the flower-viewing banquet. How could I not be on guard?
Lu Anrou nearly crushed the teacup in her hand, stubbornly insisting, "The person at the flower-viewing banquet was clearly Jiang Yunjiao, not me! What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jiang Luoluo slowly pulled out a chair, sat down lazily, and said in a tone that was both sarcastic and mocking, "If it weren't for Yao Shiyu helping you, your head would have been separated from your body long ago."
A loud "bang!"
Lu Anrou slammed her teacup down on the table in anger, spilling some tea, but she still managed to maintain a proud expression: "You're no pushover either!"
Didn't you retaliate against me just the same way? That servant boy from yesterday, wasn't he someone you hired?
Jiang Luoluo casually adjusted her sleeves, her eyes nonchalant: "You're not too stupid, but how can I let someone else steal my husband?"
Lu Anrou glared at Jiang Luoluo, then suddenly sneered, "Don't be too smug, Jiang Luoluo."
She slowly withdrew her gaze, picked up a cup of fresh tea, gently swirled it, and said in a meaningful tone: "Do you really think Xie Yizhi likes you as a person?"
Ha, all he cares about is your status as the legitimate daughter of the Grand General Weiyuan's family.
The one who truly resided in his heart was Xie Zhichen's mother.
These words were delivered with resounding force; anyone else would likely have been furious.
However, Jiang Luoluo simply smiled calmly, gently stirring her teacup, her expression undisturbed: "So what? Isn't the position of Princess Yi still mine now?"
Lu Anrou was stunned for a moment, not expecting that even this wouldn't anger Jiang Luoluo.
She remained as composed as ever, as if no words could shake her stance.
Jiang Luoluo looked at her meaningfully and smiled slightly: "Princess Anrou asked me to come out today just to say these things?"
Lu Anrou suddenly chuckled softly, her laughter tinged with self-mockery, resentment, and even a hint of indescribable relief.
"Jiang Luoluo, I finally know where I went wrong."
She looked at Jiang Luoluo, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Jiang Luoluo raised an eyebrow slightly, and seeing that she rarely showed any remorse, she did not press the matter further.
She knew Lu Anrou had her own hardships; she probably hadn't had a single day of peace since she could remember.
Jiang Luoluo picked up her teacup and said calmly, "Princess Anrou, let me give you a piece of advice: if you want to live, leave the capital as soon as possible."
Lu Anrou's fingertips trembled slightly as she looked up to meet Jiang Luoluo's gaze.
Jiang Luoluo's expression turned cold, her eyes as deep and cold as a frozen pool, and she said, word by word, "You know very well that I am not the one who wants your life."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
