Chapter 671 The Grand Finale (Part 2)
Xiao Yuanshan's robe was stained with blood, and his thin arms, visible through the cuffs, were covered with spreading black lines. He seemed to have lost all his imposing aura, and his face appeared even thinner.
Putting aside the fact that he was a regent who held absolute power, looking at his features now, one could tell that his appearance back then must have been no less striking than Xie Liangchen and Li Rong's. In fact, he seemed to have gained an even more eerie and sickly air about him—yes, sickly, quite contradictory.
However, people who meet him, whether out of fear or awe, generally don't bother to see what he looks like.
No wonder Sister Lai Sang liked him back then.
Jiang Nuanzhi withdrew her gaze and poured him a cup of wine: "Your Highness, please."
Xiao Yuanshan opened his eyes and glanced at her, but didn't say anything. He drank the wine in one gulp. After downing three cups of wine, Xiao Yuanshan finally stared at Jiang Nuanzhi in front of him: "Are you trying to get me drunk so you can get the antidote for the Gu poison? In my memory, you shouldn't be that stupid."
Jiang Nuanzhi twitched the corner of her mouth: "I have cured Ping'er of the Gu poison. Today is the new emperor's enthronement ceremony, and the children are all having a good time. I was also bored, so I came to deliver some wine."
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and looked up at him casually, "Your Highness said I was pitiful the other day? And you still remember what happened with A Rong. I think Your Highness probably wants to talk to me. Today, we're finally free, shall we have a drink?"
As Jiang Nuanzhi spoke, she raised her cup and drank a cup as well.
Xiao Yuanshan's eyes flashed, and he looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with amusement: "You didn't know?"
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned: "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"
Xiao Yuanshan looked at Jiang Nuanzhi for a while before chuckling, "No wonder, no wonder."
He stared at Jiang Nuanzhi with a strange expression for a while, but didn't mention it. Instead, he asked with interest, "How does it feel to be a rising star in this court?"
His gaze lingered on Jiang Nuanzhi's slender neck, which seemed so delicate it could be snapped in an instant. If she were a man, she would indeed be a formidable opponent, perhaps even more troublesome than Li Rong.
What a pity, she's still too soft-hearted. To actually believe someone like Xuan Lang, tsk tsk. Xuan Lang, you really know how to surprise me. I really look forward to seeing what kind of expression Jiang Nuanzhi will have when she finds out.
After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Nuanzhi in front of him and laughed: "Jiang Nuanzhi, stop pretending. I believe you can undo the curses on those useless people. But you probably can't undo Li Junping's curse."
He lifted his eyelids slightly: "Even if you take my blood, it won't really help, will it?"
As he spoke, he picked up the wine cup and sniffed it, continuing casually, "This is a blood-related Gu. If my father and mother were still alive, perhaps their blood could be used to lure out the mother Gu. But now, my parents are long gone, Li Junping is not Li Rong's biological son, and Li Sheng and that bastard surnamed Wei died long ago. You can't lure out either the offspring or the mother Gu. Moreover, the offspring and mother Gu don't attract each other; they only share life and death. There is no cure in the world. Even you can't."
Xiao Yuanshan paused, then continued slowly, "You must be feeling frustrated, right? You wanted to find a cure for that bastard, but you discovered there was no cure at all."
As he spoke, he stared intently at Jiang Nuanzhi, as if waiting to witness her unpleasant expression.
However, he was ultimately disappointed.
Jiang Nuanzhi merely raised an eyebrow at him, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then asked in confusion, "I don't understand, why do you have to pick on a child?"
"Ping'er and Your Highness have absolutely no connection whatsoever, do you?"
"Completely unrelated?" Xiao Yuanshan scoffed. "It's rare for me to have so much free time these days, so I'll tell you."
As he spoke, he poured himself a glass of wine and said nonchalantly, "Born into the Li family and raised under your care, how can Li Junping be innocent?"
In retrospect, all that I sought in my life has vanished like a bubble. The debts Li Sheng owes me, the debts the entire Li family owes me—surely someone should repay them.
Xiao Yuanshan spoke casually, as if joking, and said with a relaxed expression, "Now, before I die, I can take Li Sheng's son with me on my way and watch her, and your eldest son, whom you care about most, be buried with me. At least I've collected some interest."
His eyes flickered, a hint of leisure and certainty flashing across them, as if he could already see the despair of the Li family.
For a moment, Jiang Nuanzhi's heart skipped a beat. Thinking of Ping'er's face, she pursed her lips and said, "Your Highness, whether you believe it or not, I must say that the Gu has been cured. Admittedly, I don't know what you mean by blood-related Gu, but it was made with your blood."
Xiao Yuanshan narrowed his eyes, looking at Jiang Nuanzhi suspiciously, as if scrutinizing whether her words were true or false.
Jiang Nuanzhi breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Xiao Yuanshan: "The Regent's Consort wants to come see you, and I have already given her permission. She should arrive in less than half an hour."
Xiao Yuanshan's eyes narrowed dangerously: "You dare threaten me?"
"I've come today not for the matter of the Gu poison. It's just that I have an old item that I've thought about and decided to return to its rightful owner."
After saying that, she took out two letters from her bosom, placed them on the table, and pushed them towards Xiao Yuanshan.
Xiao Yuanshan raised an eyebrow dismissively, casually picking up a packet with two long, slender fingers. His dark phoenix eyes looked at Jiang Nuanzhi: "You still have tricks up your sleeve. I'm impressed."
He stopped abruptly mid-sentence, his eyes fixed on the words on the paper in his hand.
There were only a few words on it.
"To my younger sister, Mingyu."
The characters were slender, yet the strokes were exceptionally clean and crisp, carrying a unique resilience. They were characters he had once copied and knew extremely well, but he hadn't seen them for many years since he burned down his bridal chamber and study.
"Jiang Nuanzhi, you're asking for death!"
The leisurely tone in Xiao Yuanshan's voice was gone; his eyes were now frosty, as if a storm was brewing.
Dongzang and Linchun sensed danger and took two steps forward, staring intently at Xiao Yuanshan.
Jiang Nuanzhi waved her hand and then pushed the letter on the table forward again: "There's another one, it's from Sister Li Sheng."
"Jiang Nuanzhi!" Xiao Yuanshan sneered, suddenly standing up and tearing it apart! Instantly, the clasps on his shoulders were ripped off, and the stench of blood intensified. His eyes, however, were bloodshot as he stared intently at Jiang Nuanzhi.
It wasn't so much that she hated Jiang Nuanzhi, but rather that she was forcing herself not to look at the letter.
Jiang Nuanzhi's beautiful face twisted in distress as she looked at the torn letter. Finally, she took a deep breath and said calmly, "You are already a prisoner. In three days, you will be executed. Why should I go through all this trouble?"
"That's because you wanted me to detoxify Li Junping! You're full of tricks."
"Who exactly is Ping'er's father? Use your blockhead to think about it!" Jiang Nuanzhi's voice suddenly rose, interrupting Xiao Yuanshan. In a daze, her fingers trembled slightly, but she finally calmed down and tried her best to suppress her temper, saying, "Xiao Yuanshan, take it or leave it! I've said all I have to say today. Tear it up or destroy it if you want, I won't care anymore."
Anyway, it's already so many years too late. Even if you know you're blind and remorseful, even if you're in pain, Sister Li Sheng won't come back.
(End of this chapter)
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