Xiao Shuer was so frightened that her body turned cold and stiff. Memories from many years ago exploded in her mind like lightning. She struggled, but to no avail.
"Chu Moyu! I am the eldest princess. Your intentions towards me are a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!" Xiao Shu'er's face grew redder and redder, and her body trembled slightly.
Her struggles were like a tickle to Chu Moyu.
Looking at her shifty gaze and her flushed face, Chu Moyu suddenly recalled many years ago, seeing the fear on her face.
Although she now says some harsh words to scare him, she is still just as afraid and terrified, and the blush on her face only increases.
"So what if she's the eldest princess?" Chu Moyu raised a handsome eyebrow, his eyes full of mockery, and moved even closer. "You can shout all you want and see what other people think when they come and see us like this."
Hatred welled up in Xiao Shu'er's eyes.
How much she used to love the man before her! He was so handsome, and now he was even more beautiful than before.
In her early teens, she followed him around like a little tail, even declaring that she would marry no one but him.
But it was he who shattered her dream with his own hands. He used to pin her against the wall like this, revealing a terrifying, malicious expression she had never seen before.
She was at a loss and screamed in fright, attracting the attention of the palace maids and eunuchs. They saw the scene, which was undeniably erotic. Anyone with eyes could see what was happening or what was about to happen.
A young woman's reputation is as important as her life, let alone that of a princess. Ever since that incident was seen by others, the story spread like wildfire, becoming more and more outrageous. By the time it reached Xiao Shu'er's ears, it was completely distorted.
"You said that you and Guard Chu... have already... have consummated your marriage." Bai Mei, who had been following her, stammered, her face flushed.
Xiao Shu'er looked completely bewildered and innocently asked, "What is the reality of marriage?"
Then she understood the meaning of those rumors. The innocent and naive girl who had been pampered and protected since childhood suddenly became melancholy.
She was afraid of the rumors and gossip, hated the way others looked at her, and later, she was even afraid to see Chu Moyu, afraid to leave the palace, and afraid to see anyone.
All the turmoil was quelled by an imperial edict from the emperor, which stated that the matter was completely fabricated and that anyone who continued to spread such rumors would be executed along with their entire family.
For the first time, Xiao Shu'er understood the various benefits of power. As a princess, she could naturally control everything and possess what she wanted.
But the man before her was someone she couldn't control a few years ago, and he still is now.
Xiao Shu'er's eyes were slightly red, but her face was full of stubbornness and unwillingness as she waited for Chu Moyu to say, "Then what do you want? It's not good to be seen by others, but this princess can kill you afterwards and be done with it!"
Chu Moyu looked somewhat surprised, and said with a slight smile, "You've improved since a few years ago, but unfortunately, I can take your life right now."
He released her shoulders, but in an instant, he grabbed her throat. Her fair and slender throat was as fragile as a piece of paper in his palm.
The blush on Xiao Shu'er's face gradually faded, and the fear on her face also dissipated. She calmly looked at Chu Moyu and said with some disdain, "You want to kill me? Go ahead and kill me. My maid has already seen you in this Imperial Garden. If something happens to me, you will not only be implicated, but you will also be unable to hide what just happened."
Chu Moyu didn't increase the pressure on her hand, looking at her with some surprise: "You're very smart. I won't kill you, but I hope you can make a smart choice: either keep it a secret and we can all live in peace, or we'll both die."
Xiao Shuer's unwillingness was obvious enough, but in the end she could only helplessly agree that Chu Moyu could spare her life, but could recreate the scene of the rampant rumors from back then.
"I promise you." Xiao Shu'er turned her head away, not wanting to look at Chu Moyu again, and said through gritted teeth.
About two hours later, Meng Yuxiu left the palace with a solemn expression.
Consort Lan is seriously injured and on the verge of death. She is currently in the Emperor's Qianqing Palace. Almost all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital have been summoned to examine her pulse one by one.
In a fit of rage, the emperor summoned Meng Yuxiu to the palace and berated him severely.
The assassin who tried to kill Consort Lan was not found. The guards searched almost the entire palace but couldn't find a trace of her. The emperor was also feeling extremely frustrated and had nowhere to vent his frustration.
However, attributing this matter solely to remnants of the previous dynasty is somewhat unreasonable.
After Meng Yuxiu boarded the carriage, he saw the serious expression on Meng Yuxiu's face and began to drive the carriage, which puzzled him.
Meng Yuxiu succinctly recounted to Ke Shou what had happened during his audience with the Emperor.
Ke Shou said with dissatisfaction, "General, although those people are despicable, they have no reason to assassinate Consort Lan. It would bring them no benefit."
“I know,” Meng Yuxiu, who was resting with his eyes closed in the carriage, said calmly, “Compared to the assassination of Consort Lan, the Emperor is more worried about the remnants of the previous dynasty. He just used this as an excuse to summon me to the palace. In fact, he wanted to urge me to find those people and eliminate the future troubles.”
Ke Shou remained silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "General, those people are hard to find. Finding them is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
“These people have been lurking in the capital for quite some time now; they have deep roots, so it’s indeed very difficult to find them,” Meng Yuxiu said thoughtfully.
"General, I actually have a suggestion. Those people are after Miss Chang. Since we can't find them, perhaps..."
"What do you mean?" Meng Yuxiu interrupted Ke Shou rudely. "You mean using Lili as bait?"
His voice was chillingly cold, and he spoke slowly, making it seem like he was threatening you, as if saying, "If you dare to do that, I'll take your life."
Ke Shou immediately changed his tune as if pulling back from the brink: "Of course we can't do such a thing. Miss Chang's safety is the most important thing."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately felt the temperature around him rise a little, and the oppressive feeling that made his scalp tingle disappeared.
“If people find out that Lili is connected with those people, the consequences will be unimaginable. The Emperor is suspicious by nature and is determined to exterminate the remnants of small countries, even if they just want to live.” Meng Yuxiu’s voice was somewhat sad and indignant.
Ke Shou reminded him, "General, we cannot make wild guesses or judgments about the Emperor's intentions."
"I have offered my advice many times, but the Emperor has always opposed the matter of comforting the remnants of the fallen dynasty. He even flew into a rage over it at one point, and now he has issued a secret decree," Meng Yuxiu said helplessly.
Ke Shou glanced sideways, a hint of worry in his eyes: "General, you don't intend to disobey the imperial decree, do you?"
A silence fell over the carriage; Meng Yuxiu said nothing more.
The palace had only just begun to quiet down. The guards had searched almost every corner of the palace, but they had not found any assassins.
The guards finally stopped searching. In the front of the palace, the imperial physicians had already taken the pulses of each of the concubines. The emperor waited anxiously in the hall.
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