Chapter 181 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (20) The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love...
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" Huai Jing's eyes shone with hope as he stammered, "Don't listen to him... He's up to no good, he wants to harm you! Quick, go back inside and hide! As long as you behave... tomorrow, tomorrow you won't need to take any more medicine..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanhong's eyes lit up. He avoided Song Ce and walked step by step toward Huai Jing, the silver bells on his ankles making a soft tinkling sound.
Song Ce frowned slightly, but then he saw Zhao Xuanhong suddenly raise his hand and slowly place his palm on Huai Jing's blood-stained face.
"Are you... in pain?"
Zhao Xuanhong's voice was light and airy, no longer as clear as before. His fingertips unconsciously caressed Huai Jing's cheek, his eyes vacant yet filled with longing, as he whispered in his ear, "When...when will you take me away..."
Huai Jing looked at the prince so close to him, his eyes instantly turning red. He struggled to raise his hand to grasp Zhao Xuan Hong's hand, but his body was too weak to muster any strength, and he could only watch helplessly as that hand slid off his face.
"Your Highness, I...I will take you away right away..."
Just then, Song Ce stepped forward slowly, holding a pink pill in his hand, and asked Huai Jing with a smile, "Do you know what this is?"
Looking at his beaming face, Huai Jing suddenly felt a sense of unease.
"...I don't know."
"This is the Mind-Clearing Pill, which can clear the mind and dispel confusion." With that, Song Ce leaned forward and deftly stuffed the pill into Zhao Xuanhong's mouth.
Huai Jing was terrified and struggled to get up to rush over and stop him. But he was already under the influence of drugs, and his attempt not only failed to stop him, but also caused him to fall heavily onto the blue brick floor of the dark room.
In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Xuanhong's eyes gradually regained their clarity.
Looking at the seemingly panicked yet terrifying face before him, Zhao Xuanhong's mind was filled with the painful images of being imprisoned in the dark room by Huai Jing these past few days. He clutched his aching lower back, instantly consumed by rage.
He strode up to Huai Jing and slapped him twice across the face!
"Why?" Zhao Xuanhong's voice was angry and hoarse. "Why are you treating me like this?"
Huai Jing struggled to get up, but collapsed back down, looking bewildered. "Your Highness, Your Highness, I'm doing this for your own good! Your power is waning, and it's too dangerous for you to be imprisoned in the manor. I want to take you far away to live a free and unrestrained life, Your Highness!"
As soon as his voice reached his ears, Zhao Xuanhong couldn't help but tremble slightly, as painful memories of his imprisonment surfaced one after another.
Severe abdominal pain, mental confusion, feeling like there was no day or night...
Zhao Xuanhong was filled with anger and despair after being betrayed. He suddenly picked up Huai Jing's sword that had fallen to the ground, pointing the tip of the sword directly at the secret guard he once considered his most loyal.
Huai Jing stared at the sword in Zhao Xuanhong's hand, a flicker of fear and astonishment crossing his eyes. He forced himself to remain calm and said sorrowfully, "Your Highness, are you really going to kill me? You...can you really do it? I've done so much for you, your..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xuanhong suddenly tightened his grip on his sword.
The mere sight of that face brought back vivid memories of the torment he had endured these past days. With a piercing roar, Zhao Xuanhong swiftly swung his sword, stabbing it viciously into Huai Jing's heart.
Huai Jing stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief. Only when the blade had pierced his body did he slowly raise his hand.
"Your Highness..." Huai Jing mumbled, "I...love you...ah..."
"Love! Love! Love! This prince will let you love me!!"
After Huai Jing breathed his last, Zhao Xuanhong's men didn't stop. They fiercely drew their swords and swung them down repeatedly, more than ten times, until Huai Jing's face was hacked to pieces before they suddenly let go, and the swords clattered to the ground.
After a long while, Zhao Xuanhong slowly raised his head, revealing an expression that was both a cry and a smile to Song Ce, and whispered, "It's over...it's all over..."
"Your Highness, let's go back to the palace! His Majesty is waiting for you."
"well……"
In the first year of Yongshou, the new emperor discovered that the assassination of the retired emperor was not orchestrated by the second prince, Zhao Xuanhong, but by bandits and rebels who had fled during the severe drought in the northwest. These people formed a formidable anti-Vietnamese force, using the drought to incite displaced people to rebel. Ultimately, the new emperor used ruthless methods to suppress the rebellion, successfully eliminating the rebel leaders and scattering the remaining forces.
Although Zhao Xuanhong had sent men to secretly plot against the new emperor, Yan Qiushan and his entourage ultimately failed. Out of consideration for their brotherhood, the new emperor only stripped him of his princely title, forbade him from traveling, and allowed him to keep a personal attendant to take care of his daily life.
Furthermore, all the retainers, students, concubines, and beauties in the Second Prince's residence may leave on their own initiative without being pursued.
Zhao Xuanhong stared at the imperial edict in silence for a long time before removing his hat to express his gratitude and earnestly requesting the new emperor to replace the eunuch with his beloved concubine, Lü Zhu. Emperor Yongshou naturally agreed to such a trivial matter, saying that it would be fine if his beloved concubine was willing to stay and accompany him.
The next day at noon, sunlight streamed through the half-open carved window onto the couch, casting a warm glow. Zhao Xuanhong stared at his hands, and the images that made him grit his teeth in hatred resurfaced in his mind.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and a palace maid carrying lunch walked to the door and said respectfully, "Your Highness, it's time to eat."
Zhao Xuanhong waved his hand and said expressionlessly, "No need."
The palace maid remained silent for a moment, then carried the food away.
For three days, Zhao Xuanhong waited in the side hall, but received not a single word from Green Pearl. In a fit of despair, he smashed all the furnishings in the side hall, his eyes red as he shouted that he wanted to see Green Pearl immediately, or he would die.
He absolutely refused to believe that Green Pearl, who loved him so deeply, would betray him at this moment.
That day, Green Pearl changed back into her old clothes, tidied her makeup, and only wore a butterfly hairpin. She went alone to the side hall to see Zhao Xuanhong.
Zhao Xuanhong panicked the moment he saw Green Pearl's calm eyes and indifferent expression. He cautiously stepped forward and whispered, "Pearl."
Green Pearl slowly closed the door, turned to look at him, and said in a calm tone: "Zhao Xuanhong, I have come to see you today because I want to talk to you about an old matter."
After speaking, her eyes reddened slightly, and she asked him softly, "Do you still remember a young master named Chen Qingsheng?"
"Chen Qingsheng?"
The Second Prince frowned slightly. "There doesn't seem to be a noble family with the surname Qin in the capital. Could it be a distant relative of some high-ranking official?"
Upon hearing this, Green Pearl laughed, her usually gentle face instantly twisting into a grotesque expression: "How laughable that my beloved Chen Lang traveled thousands of miles to the capital to seek fame and fortune, only to have his life taken by you, this so-called nobleman!"
"Your... Chen Lang?"
The second prince's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Green Pearl hard across the face: "You wretch! You...you dare to have an affair with someone else behind my back?"
"Private affair?"
Green Pearl's head turned to the side from the slap, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. As if she felt no pain, she slowly turned back and said sarcastically, "Zhao Xuanhong, in my heart, I have only ever loved Chen Lang."
Zhao Xuanhong's chest heaved violently, and he raised his hand to strike again. But when he met Green Pearl's stubborn yet unfamiliar gaze, his hand froze in mid-air, unable to fall.
"You...you need to explain yourself clearly, who exactly is this Chen Qingsheng?"
Hearing the barely suppressed anger and panic in Zhao Xuanhong's voice, Lüzhu giggled, "Chen Lang is my fiancé from my hometown. He has always been gentle and considerate towards me, taking good care of me. Before coming to the capital, he even hugged me and said that he would pass the imperial examination and marry me in a grand and glorious way in the future."
At this point, tears welled up in Green Pearl's eyes.
Zhao Xuanhong frowned, his eyes widening in disbelief: "I had people investigate, and your home clearly..."
Before he could finish speaking, Green Pearl interrupted him with a cold laugh: "Heh, all the information you found out is obviously false. I lied to you!"
A flicker of unease flashed across Zhao Xuanhong's eyes. He shook his head and murmured, "No...no...that's not it..."
"Many years ago, when Chen Lang first came to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, he accidentally startled Your Highness's carriage on the way. The driver ignored him and rode past without paying any attention... Just like that, Chen Lang died in the street."
As Green Pearl spoke, her emotions grew increasingly agitated: "To you, Chen Lang's death was nothing more than an accident, so you let your men dispose of him as they pleased. Am I right?"
Zhao Xuanhong's face was extremely ugly. He was furious and said, "You wretch, stop talking nonsense! I don't remember or know this Chen Lang you're talking about!"
"I don't remember..."
Green Pearl's tears slid slowly down her cheeks, her voice trembling: "Of course you don't remember! Who are you? You are the esteemed Second Prince of the Great Yue Dynasty, how could you possibly care about the life of a mere scholar?"
"You...you wretch! How dare you..."
Green Pearl walked step by step to Zhao Xuanhong, her eyes filled with hatred: "Why wouldn't I dare? The day I learned the truth, I swore that I would avenge Chen Lang at all costs. That's why I tried every means to enter your mansion, tried every means to please you, and endured humiliation for so long, all for this moment!"
Zhao Xuanhong suddenly stood up, grabbed Lüzhu's wrist, and his eyes were filled with tears: "So, you approached me from the beginning just for revenge? All your feelings for me were fake?"
"emotion?"
Green Pearl forcefully broke free from his grasp and sneered, "I only feel hatred for you! From the day I entered this manor, looking at your face has only made me feel utterly disgusted. I will make you fall in love with me, I will make you taste the bitterness of losing everything, I will make you pay the price for what you've done!"
Zhao Xuanhong's expression changed drastically, as if he had just thought of something. He gritted his teeth and asked her in a low voice, "Then...the secret room..."
Upon hearing this, Green Pearl smiled again, "Not only that secret room, but also all your plans to assassinate the new emperor, and Huai Jing, were all secretly orchestrated by me."
"No, no...it's impossible...how could a mere woman..."
Green Pearl suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, "Yes! How could a mere woman possibly do that? You, the esteemed Second Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom, are actually being manipulated by a woman! How laughable, how laughable!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanhong's face flushed an unnatural red, and he roared, "Bitch! Bitch! Die!"
However, before he could reach out and touch Green Pearl's neck, Moon Shadow, hidden on the beam, suddenly struck out and swiftly flicked a pill into Zhao Xuanhong's mouth. Zhao Xuanhong was stunned for a moment, then quickly curled his fingers to stop the attack on his neck.
However, he was too emotional, and the pill slid down his throat and into his esophagus, which he swallowed instinctively.
"You wretch! What did you feed me?" Zhao Xuanhong's eyes were bloodshot, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Don't worry, you won't die, but you will live a painful life."
After saying that, Green Pearl turned and left.
"You wretch! Come back! Come back! What did you feed me?! You wretch!!"
Amidst Zhao Xuanhong's frenzied roars, Green Pearl smiled and slowly walked away. She knew she had avenged herself and could finally leave the capital to start a new life... But her beloved Chen Lang would never return.
-----------------------
Author's note: [Keep it up!][Keep it up!]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
