It was a rare opportunity to live again, with her family and loved ones still around. Of course, she didn't want to commit suicide, but if she had to, she wouldn't fear death. Because she had already died once. She would only feel reluctant.
Shi Mingyue did not answer his question, because she would not be so stupid as to die alone. She looked at Fu Xingkai without any fear.
Fu Xingkai probably understood what she meant, and his expression grew even darker. "Don't you care about your family's lives, or Li'er's life at all?"
Shi Mingyue had never thought that he would be so despicable, but on second thought, she was not surprised. Her smile revealed deep fatigue: "I don't know what I have done to deserve your attention. You don't have to threaten me." She pulled out the golden hairpin from her hair with her free hand, and without hesitation, she slashed it across her face.
Fu Xingkai was startled and tried to stop her, but unexpectedly Shi Mingyue suddenly changed direction and stabbed the golden hairpin towards his palm.
A moment later, the golden hairpin almost pierced his palm and got stuck between the bones. Blood flowed continuously, soaking the sleeves of both men. The two men remained in a stalemate.
Fu Xingkai seemed not to feel any pain. He held Shi Mingyue's hand and pulled out the golden hairpin. His expression remained extremely calm throughout the whole process.
Shi Mingyue looked at everything in front of her in horror. She did it on purpose, but when she really saw so much red blood, she was still subconsciously afraid.
"You are so brave." Fu Xingkai lowered his hand, and blood dripped from the wound to the ground.
If he were to investigate, her actions would be considered as an attempt to assassinate the king, a crime punishable by death. Shi Mingyue still held the golden hairpin in her hand. She did not let go, nor would she let go. No matter how he punished her next, she would not be afraid.
Fu Xingkai seemed unaffected by what had just happened, acting as usual. Suddenly, he said with regret, "I've soiled your clothes. This must be your first time wearing them. The first time I saw those two pieces of brocade, I knew they would suit you perfectly."
He was the one who gave Yunjin to me... so Concubine Cen was just his excuse. Shi Mingyue took a deep breath and said, "What are you going to do with me now?"
"If you hadn't told me it was a gift from the Imperial Concubine, you wouldn't have worn it to the palace." Fu Xingkai said to himself.
"Yes, no." Shi Mingyue said firmly.
Fu Xingkai narrowed his eyes. Although he was clearly furious, he smiled. "Your answer is quite straightforward. You can leave now. I'm telling you, I won't give up. One day, you will come to the palace to find me."
Shi Mingyue decisively replied, "That day will never come."
Fu Xingkai said nothing and watched her turn and leave silently.
Only after exiting the palace gates did Shi Mingyue's tense nerves gradually relax. The blood on her sleeves had dried, standing out against the pink fabric of her dress. People stared at her sleeves along the way, and some questioned her, but she didn't answer. She didn't know how this matter would spread throughout the palace, and she no longer had the energy to care.
Back at the mansion, Hong Yin saw the dark red blood on her sleeve and was extremely surprised: "You are injured?!"
"No." The first thing Shi Mingyue did after entering the room was to change her clothes. She told Hongyin, "Take it and burn it."
Hong Yin's eyes widened, full of confusion: "Isn't this a gift from the Imperial Concubine? The bloodstains can be washed off, why burn it?"
"If you feel sorry for it, just wash it and wear it yourself. I don't want it." Shi Mingyue's tone was extremely cold.
Hongyin knew she must be angry. Young ladies rarely get angry, so she unconsciously lowered her voice and said, "I'll burn it right away."
After Hongyin left, she sat alone in the empty room for a long time. She stood up and walked around the room twice, then suddenly stopped, not knowing the meaning of her actions. It seemed dark outside, and the room was dim without a light. She sighed deeply, walked to the door, and pushed it open.
Pippi heard footsteps and jumped excitedly in his cage, calling out, "Hello! Hello!"
Shi Mingyue walked around the corner and saw the parrot kept in the corridor. She opened the latch of the cage door, and Pippi automatically came out, jumped onto Shi Mingyue's shoulder, and rubbed Shi Mingyue's hair with the feathers on her head.
Shi Mingyue's face lit up with a faint smile. Suddenly, she too wanted to be a parrot. She reached out and touched the feathers on Pipi's head. The cockatoo's feathers were long and stood upright. Pipi seemed displeased with being touched, shaking his head to avoid Shi Mingyue's hand.
"Okay, if you don't let me move, I won't move, okay?" Shi Mingyue stopped.
Pipi stopped hiding and turned its head back, combing its feathers with its mouth. Suddenly, a feather fell off. It held the feather in its mouth and flew to Shi Mingyue's hand, put the feather in her palm, and then flew away.
It was a snow-white feather, quite beautiful. Shi Mingyue picked up the feather and smiled at Pipi, who had already flown to the eaves, saying, "Thank you."
"Hello! Hello!" Pippi called to her again.
Animals can also understand human nature, Shi Mingyue smiled at Pipi: "Well, I will be fine."
On August 15th, the provincial examinations concluded simultaneously across the country, and it was time for the examiners to review the papers. Inside the Xinzhou Imperial College, several examiners diligently reviewed the examinees' papers. Fu Yueli took one of the papers they had reviewed and slowly flipped through it. The examinees' names were sealed to ensure fairness.
The candidates on this stack of papers all had neat handwriting, some without a single correction. Fu Yueli read a few and found their thinking rather restrained, their writing lacking much meaning. He put down the papers. He remembered that today was supposed to be August 15th, the day of the full moon, a time for families to reunite, yet he was alone in Xinzhou, and he couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
Aside from him, everyone else had to stay at their posts, and the few officials marking the papers were not allowed to even step foot outside the Imperial Examination Hall. So Cen Jian arranged a dinner with the Xinzhou prefect, inviting him alone to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet tonight.
Fu Yueli didn't want to play along with those people, but as someone in the imperial court, he couldn't avoid these social events. The Mid-Autumn Festival dinner was held at Cen Jian's residence. The dishes were all local Xinzhou cuisine, and the wine was also a strong Xinzhou specialty. Several local officials kept toasting him, and Fu Yueli drank a few more glasses, his steps a little unsteady.
Late at night, when everyone was asleep, the carriage carrying him was rushing back to the inn. When they were passing through a narrow alley, something unexpected happened.
Dozens of feather arrows suddenly shot down from high above on both sides. The coachman and several guards were unable to dodge and were all hit by the arrows and died on the spot.
After a barrage of arrows, the carriage had transformed into a hedgehog covered in thorns. However, the darkness was so thick that it was hard to tell what the people inside had become. Was they also like the hedgehog? Then, several men in black jumped down from the high wall. One of them drew the knife from his back and carefully lifted the curtain.
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