Chapter 29 I will tie you up
When Xiao Shenjing saw the murderous intent in Yunxi's eyes, he was stunned for a moment.
In that instant of distraction, Yunxi had already rushed in front of him, clutching the bronze crane candlestick.
"Yunxi, how dare you!"
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Yunxi thrust the weapon in her hand straight at his neck.
She really wanted to kill him!
"Knife One!" Yun Xi was too weak at this moment. Even without martial arts skills, Xiao Shenjing was still a dignified man. He turned his neck and dodged the weapon that Yun Xi was about to stab.
Just as Yunxi's eyes turned red and she lunged to stab again, the door was flung open by the knife.
"Your Majesty!" Upon seeing the situation in the room, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly threw a hidden weapon, knocking the weapon from Yunxi's hand.
Yunxi felt a sharp pain in her arm and staggered a few steps. Before she could regain her balance, Dao Yi rushed in, pinned her down, and forced her to kneel heavily on the ground.
The old eunuch outside the door was terrified and immediately shouted, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
As countless footsteps surged in, Xiao Shenjing roared, "Get the hell away from me!"
"Your Majesty," Eunuch Fu hesitated, wanting to offer some advice.
"Get out!" Xiao Shenjing's thin lips were pressed tightly together as he stared at Yun Xi, desperately trying to suppress his burgeoning rage.
The imperial guards who had rushed in receded like a receding tide, and soon only three people remained in the room.
In the suffocating silence, Xiao Shenjing stared at Yun Xi kneeling on the ground as if she were a dead object.
Blood seeped from Yunxi's arm, which had been cut backwards with a knife.
Gradually, it diffused into a dazzling red.
Even with all their might, they couldn't escape.
She knew what awaited her.
What difference does it really make? It's just a matter of dying young with dignity or living a miserable life and dying late.
Yunxi breathed weakly, her body going limp as if all her strength had left her.
“I admit it, I kidnapped Princess Yong’an.” Yunxi suddenly looked up at him. “I know you love her and want to avenge her, but she wasn’t hurt at all, was she?”
She tilted her head slightly, her dark hair cascading down her neck, and slowly said, "If I had never loved you, and had loved anyone else, none of this would have happened."
Xiao Shenjing stared at her, slowly clenching his fingers.
"Xiao Shenjing, I was wrong!" Yun Xi suddenly banged her head on the ground. "I was wrong, I was really wrong."
Yunxi never admits her mistakes. Everything she does comes from her own heart. She never thinks she is wrong, including her feelings for Xiao Shenjing.
But now she regrets it, she really regrets it.
If it weren't for her.
Xu Yuansi would then no longer be missing or uncertain of his fate.
She wouldn't have ended up in such a state.
It was all due to her insistence, her unwillingness, and her willfulness.
Xiao Shenjing walked up to her, looked down at her, and stared at her for a long time.
She crawled at his feet.
So slender and frail, so gentle and obedient.
Let him take whatever he wants.
The anger in my chest gradually disappeared, replaced by a strange and complex emotion.
His tense expression gradually relaxed, and just as he was about to teach her a lesson, Yunxi spoke again.
"I know I have committed an unforgivable crime punishable by death. You can kill me, but could you spare Xu Yuansi for the sake of the fox fur coat, medicine and snacks I once brought you?"
"Yunxi!" Xiao Shenjing felt a rush of blood to his head. Amidst the resounding drumbeats, he was enraged to the extreme. Without hesitation, he grabbed Yunxi's chin with his large hand. "You've become so subservient, even using the little favors you did for me back then, just to say these things to me?"
His bulging veins instantly pinched her face until it turned red.
"Yes, it's been my fault from beginning to end." She was forced to look into his eyes, her eyes red from the pain, but she was pleading for others. "I shouldn't have been so presumptuous as to like you. Please don't drag others down with me."
"Who do you think you are?" Xiao Shenjing interrupted her explosively. "Why do you think you can just like someone and dislike them as you please?"
Yunxi frowned uncontrollably due to the intense pain.
"Whether I like you or not." He tightened his grip on her hand, as if he wanted to strangle her. "Since you said you liked me, then you will like me forever."
What did he take her for? Yunxi couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed Xiao Shenjing's hand. "What right do you have?"
Xiao Shenjing's eyes surged with endless coldness. "Because I am the emperor, the master of this land, and you are nothing but a lowly and uncouth outlaw, I spare your life, and you should be grateful to me to the point of tears!"
"You're not going to kill me?" Yunxi asked, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat puzzled. "Why?"
Her astonished expression was like a sharp dagger piercing Xiao Shenjing.
Enraged, he shoved her face away with utter disgust, saying, "Killing you would only be a relief for you!"
I never imagined I would survive.
Yunxi was somewhat surprised.
Then, an extremely cold voice came from above.
"I will tie you up and train you like that gyrfalcon, grinding down your claws until you find a new master!"
"Xiao Shenjing, I'm not a dog!" Yun Xi was so angry that her blood rushed to her head.
Seeing that she was not behaving herself, Dao Yi, who was even careful with his breathing, immediately reached out and pressed her down.
Xiao Shenjing glanced at her disdainfully. "Then start learning how to serve me from now on."
"Why don't you just die?" Enraged by such humiliation, Yunxi cried out, "I should have toyed with you more thoroughly back then!"
Xiao Shenjing's back stiffened abruptly.
She struggled so hard that the veins in her neck bulged, and her eyes were bloodshot. "So what if I deliberately lied to you? I'm so happy to see you being played like a fool."
Hearing these outrageous words, Dao Yi wished he were invisible.
Just as he was feeling numb and at a loss, he heard Xiao Shenjing angrily shout, "Drag her away!"
As Yunxi was being dragged away by the knife, she turned back and cursed, "Xiao Shenjing, let me tell you, you can forget about trapping me in this wretched place."
Dao accelerated his pace, quickly advising, "Miss Yunxi, please don't make His Majesty angry anymore."
Yunxi was furious and wouldn't listen to anything else, cursing a few more times.
He only shut his mouth, exhausted, after being led outside.
It wasn't until Dao Yi had walked quite a distance and saw Eunuch Fu and the Imperial Guards standing outside the courtyard that he realized what was happening. He glanced at Yun Xi and suddenly felt a headache coming on.
He simply passed the trouble to Eunuch Fu: "Eunuch Fu, His Majesty wants you to take her away."
Left with no other option, Eunuch Fu had to bite the bullet and return to the palace gates, asking, "Your Majesty, where are you taking Miss Yunxi?"
"Place her wherever it's far away. I don't want to see her!" Xiao Shenjing's anger had not subsided.
Yunxi was led by a palace maid towards the North Third Palace.
The palace was too large, and the road was too far. She was still recovering from a serious illness and was extremely weak, so she had to rest frequently as she walked.
"Send a few people to keep a close eye on her for me," Xiao Shenjing said, tossing down the memorial. Thinking of Yunxi's martial arts skills, he rubbed his temples. "Remember to select a few skilled women from the secret guards and send them over."
Yunxi hugged the pillar, utterly disgusted by her current weak and vulnerable state.
Looking at the increasingly dark sky, she asked, "Excuse me, how much longer until we arrive?"
"It's still early." The palace maid leading the way didn't even glance at her.
Once you're relegated to the Third Institute of the North, you'll probably never have a chance to turn your life around.
He glanced at Yunxi and saw that she was only in her early twenties.
At such a prime age, he can only waste his entire life growing old in this palace.
He lowered his eyes and replied, "We'll arrive in about half an hour."
"Half an hour?" Yunxi looked shocked.
Everyone knows the palace is vast, but this was the first time Yunxi truly felt its size.
Her leg injury hadn't fully healed.
No matter how good the medicine is, a wound cannot heal overnight.
The pain intensified with each step she took, and she couldn't help but curse Xiao Shenjing in her heart.
He walked, rested, and cursed in his heart the whole way.
After her wound nearly burst open again, she finally arrived at the legendary North Third Institute.
All that could be seen were three rows of houses with their vermilion paint peeling off, devoid of any human presence, and even the white walls were covered in mold.
It was even only half the depth of a normal palace, and the eaves were deliberately kept low, giving the people living inside a sense of oppression as if they were inferior.
Looking at the courtyard and recalling what Xiao Shenjing had just said, Yunxi gave a cold laugh.
Even the place where she lived had to press down on her spine.
The courtyard was deserted and quiet; even the palace maids and eunuchs rarely came here because they considered it unlucky and inauspicious.
So, after placing the bedding and utensils in the room, the palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly left.
When Yunxi entered the room, she discovered that the room didn't even have a window. What was even more outrageous was that there was a fake window in the west wall, painted with a spring scene.
Is it used to satirize those living inside who have lost their freedom forever?
Yunxi forced herself to make the bed, then collapsed onto it.
"That damned Xiao Shenjing! He's the emperor now, and he won't even give me a bite to eat. What a stingy bastard, a madman with a screw loose!" She was starving, but all she could see was desolation.
At this moment, she was exhausted, hungry, and in pain. There was no one around, and even the thought of eating something was a luxury. She couldn't help but miss Nianxia for a while. Finally, she gritted her teeth, re-bandaged her wound, and then, enduring the hunger and pain, drifted off to sleep.
She was awakened by the aroma of the food.
She opened her eyes, and the blazing sun had turned into a halo.
It took me a while to finally come to my senses.
The seventh guard asked, "Miss, the food has arrived. Would you like to get up now to wash and eat?"
"Yes!" Yunxi answered decisively.
She was never one to wallow in self-pity, and no matter what happened, even if she was unhappy, it would never affect her appetite.
Because she knew that as long as she was healthy, she would still have room to maneuver no matter what happened.
She was unable to get up due to the wounds on her arms and feet.
Jia Qi immediately stepped forward to help her.
The arm that was supporting her was very strong and steady.
Such arm strength is not that of a simple palace maid.
Yunxi pursed her lips and sent a palace maid who knew martial arts to monitor her. Xiao Shenjing was indeed a very scheming person.
But so what?
She lowered her eyelashes, concealing the expression in her eyes.
She will never stay in the palace forever; she will definitely escape!
The meal was quite plentiful.
Moreover, what was delivered was meat porridge. Yunxi drank a large bowl of it and even ate a steamed bun before she felt like she had finally come back to life.
When people are full, they have energy.
She wiped her mouth clean, looked at the four palace maids standing to the side, and asked innocently, "Sister, were you sent by His Majesty Xiao to keep me company?"
Jia Qi, who had helped her out of bed, bowed and said, "His Majesty has instructed us to serve you, Miss. The three of them are Li Chun, Wang Xia, and Zhang Qiu. My name is Li Dong. You can ask us to do anything you need in the future."
Yunxi nodded.
It's such a simple and unpretentious name.
It's almost August, and the sun is already very strong.
Even in this secluded courtyard, the heat was palpable.
Yunxi sat by the window, fanning herself, looking at the well not far away in the courtyard. She was annoyed by the noisy cicadas and wished she could lift a bucket and pour it over her head to calm her mind.
But considering his injuries, he could only dream about it.
She fanned herself irritably.
There was no other way but to calm the mind and feel cool.
Yunxi settled down in Beisansu.
Her leg injury hadn't healed, so she spent most of her days either in bed or lounging lazily on the soft couch.
The palace was indeed dilapidated. Sometimes when Li Dong and the others brought back some items, they would ask Yun Xi where they wanted to put them.
Yunxi never intended to stay in the palace for long.
How this place is decorated is none of her business; she can't be bothered to care.
He waved his fan and said lazily, "You guys figure it out."
Li Dong looked at the object in his hand with some difficulty and asked, "Miss, do you have any particular ideas?"
After all, as a bodyguard, she really didn't have any training in this area.
"Just put it anywhere. If it's really not okay, you can put it on the bedside table," Yunxi said casually, too lazy to waste her energy on such trivial matters. "Anyway, it's all the same everywhere, and we won't be staying there for long!"
She'll leave sooner or later; this isn't her real home anyway.
Her real home is in Yangzhou, where there is a large locust tree in the courtyard.
Everyone says that planting a locust tree at home is bad feng shui, but Yunxi doesn't care.
She loved watching the white jade bells of the locust tree sway in the spring breeze, and then fall in waves of white petals, like a spring snowfall.
Back then, nothing could be more joyful than lifting my skirt and twirling among the petals.
Home is a place you can leave at any time, but you will always return to.
It won't be a constraint, but a place where she can rest peacefully whenever she's tired.
It can never, ever be this palace.
When Princess Chong'an came to see him again, Xiao Shenjing did not intend to see her and told Eunuch Fu to send her away.
Ever since Yunxi was imprisoned, she has come here every few days.
Xiao Shenjing was extremely annoyed.
He would have dealt with anyone else long ago.
But when he first raised his army, Princess Chong'an secretly gave him a large sum of money.
Upon entering the capital, he was also the first to actively persuade others.
Xiao Shenjing was not a person who liked to kill indiscriminately; in some respects, he was more benevolent than many monarchs.
When the eunuch told him that she was trying to force her way in, Xiao Shenjing rubbed his forehead and said, "Let her in."
Princess Chong'an has been unable to eat or sleep properly these past few days.
Upon hearing about the incident at the city gate, he rushed to see Yunxi, only to learn that she had been thrown into the Zhao prison.
In an ordinary prison, she could use her status to maintain order, but the imperial edict kept the prison under tight control, making it impossible to obtain any information.
She was anxious and upset, so she could only turn to Xiao Shenjing.
But Xiao Shenjing refused to see her.
I wonder how Yunxi was tortured by the imperial edict.
Now that Yunxi has been brought into the palace, even though Eunuch Fu tells her that Yunxi is fine, she still can't believe it without seeing it with her own eyes.
Moreover, in a place like the palace that devours people without spitting out their bones, how could Yunxi, with her stubborn nature, not suffer?
She had to try to bring Yunxi back to her princess's residence.
"Your Majesty." Princess Chong'an curtsied, and before Xiao Shenjing could tell her to rise, she impatiently asked, "Where is Yunxi now?"
Xiao Shenjing slowly put down the chilled lotus seeds in his hand, glanced at Princess Chong'an, and said, "What does her matter have to do with you?"
Princess Chong'an choked up.
When Xiao Shenjing was just an unfavored prince, she could still scold and yell at him.
And now he is the supreme ruler.
She could only lower her eyes and say, "Your Majesty, I am just worried about her. You know her personality. She is not suitable to stay in the strict palace. Why don't you let my sister take her back to her residence and personally discipline her?"
"You don't need to worry about these things, Your Highness. Why not use that energy to properly manage those retainers in your household?" Xiao Shenjing said calmly. "Don't touch things you shouldn't, or no one will be able to save you in the end."
Xiao Shenjing emphasized the word "retainer" quite heavily.
It was clearly a pointed remark.
But Princess Chong'an, as if a snake had been stepped on in its vital spot, hastily took her leave without saying anything more.
To put it nicely, they were retainers; to put it bluntly, they were male concubines.
Because the man the Empress Dowager had arranged for her was executed by Xiao Shenjing, Princess Chong'an has not yet married.
Therefore, the household kept several handsome male concubines.
The male concubines were all quite tactful, and Princess Chong'an couldn't help but show them some favor.
It seems that she has spoiled them too much these days, making them arrogant and ignorant.
Today, Xiao Shenjing only gave him a few words of reprimand.
If he doesn't restrain her, he will definitely hold her accountable for everything.
Xiao Shenjing may appear aloof and indifferent, but he is actually ruthless. If he is truly determined to kill her, even if she has shown him great kindness, it will be of no use whatsoever.
Xiao Shenjing clearly already had some evidence, but he insisted on using it to remind her when she suggested taking Yunxi away.
It was clearly an attempt to extinguish her hopes.
It seems that Xiao Shenjing really has no intention of letting Yunxi go.
Thinking of this, Princess Chong'an's face immediately darkened. Because of Princess Chong'an's interruption, Xiao Shenjing thought of Yunxi and summoned his guards to inquire about the situation.
She rarely left her home and spent most of her time sleeping. She was also very quiet and there was not much to say about her, except that she spoke a few words today while arranging things, which were noted by the guards.
Will you not be staying for long?
A hint of mockery flashed in Xiao Shenjing's eyes. She really couldn't settle down in the palace. Given the chance, she would definitely run away without hesitation.
Even Princess Chong'an knew that Yunxi was not suitable for the palace, so how could he not know?
But so what?
People can change, and Yunxi is no exception.
If you break her wings, slowly temper her, and train her until her temperament becomes more docile and she stops being prickly, she will naturally stay in this palace peacefully forever.
Before that, we must completely put an end to her hopes.
He killed Xu Yuansi right in front of her.
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