Chapter 185 Return Gift
Ru Mo dragged Li Yuanshu into the main hall and threw him directly at Li Yuanzhao's feet.
Li Yuanshu lunged forward, pressing his palm into the sticky bloodstains on the ground.
She jerked her hand back as if burned, her mind filled with fear and dread.
It wasn't until she met Li Yuanzhao's eyes, which seemed to be both smiling and not smiling, that she suddenly came to her senses.
Even in this predicament, she was unwilling to show weakness in front of Li Yuanzhao, and could not let her see her make a fool of herself.
Li Yuanshu, supporting himself with his blood-stained hands, slowly got up from the ground and wiped his blood-stained hands on his fox fur cloak.
After wiping her hands clean, she suppressed the tremor in her voice and asked calmly, "Elder sister, what are you doing?"
Li Yuanzhao watched with amusement as she went from initial panic and helplessness to feigning toughness, and chuckled, "Since Third Sister has given me such a generous gift, how could I not reciprocate?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanshu's face paled instantly.
It seems Li Yuanzhao has investigated thoroughly and confirmed that she was the one who did it!
She subconsciously turned to look at Cao Dongyang, who was still kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with doubt and resentment.
Didn't we agree that we wouldn't leave any trace?
Didn't they say the assassins would never expose her?
How did they do things that made Li Yuanzhao come knocking on their door so quickly?
Cao Dongyang felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze.
He didn't understand how Li Yuanzhao had managed to trace the matter back to the Third Princess when everything had been dealt with so thoroughly.
But now it's too late to say anything.
He could only grit his teeth and avoid meeting Li Yuanshu's gaze.
Li Yuanshu withdrew her gaze and continued to feign ignorance, "I don't understand, what are you talking about, Your Majesty?"
"Oh?" Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow, his tone somewhat nonchalant. "You're just like the dog you keep, so stubborn! But..."
She paused, her tone suddenly turning cold, "I wonder if people who are stubborn also have tough lives?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ru Mo stepped forward, drew his sword, and swiftly brought it down.
With a muffled "thud," Cao Dongyang's right hand was severed.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the nearby floor tiles and instantly staining a large area red.
This happened so suddenly that Li Yuanshu froze instantly.
Her eyes were fixed on the twitching severed hand on the ground, her face deathly pale, and she even forgot to breathe.
Cao Dongyang was also stunned for a moment, only reacting the instant the excruciating pain struck.
"ah--!"
He let out a heart-wrenching wail, curling up on the floor and convulsing violently.
The screams were sharp and piercing, echoing repeatedly in the empty main hall, sending chills down one's spine.
Li Yuanshu was trembling all over, but she still mustered her last bit of courage to question him loudly.
"Royal elder sister! How dare you trespass into my princess's residence and slaughter my people! Aren't you afraid of Father's punishment?!"
"Punishment?" Li Yuanzhao laughed out loud as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"When my third sister sent nearly a hundred assassins to take my life, did she ever consider how Father Emperor would punish her?"
Li Yuanshu still refused to admit it, "What assassin? What assassination? I never did it! Perhaps my elder sister has mistaken me for someone else, or... or perhaps someone is deliberately framing me to sow discord between us sisters!"
Li Yuanzhao, however, was too lazy to listen to her self-deceiving nonsense any longer and closed his eyes in weariness.
The next instant, Ru Mo swung his sword again.
Another jet of blood gushed out, and Cao Dongyang's right leg was severed at the knee.
His screams suddenly rose, and he rolled and struggled in the pool of blood, his whole body soaked in his own blood.
An even more piercing scream echoed through the hall, sending chills down everyone's spine.
Seeing this, Li Yuanshu could no longer hold back. She screamed in despair, "Enough! Enough!"
"I did it! I sent people to kill you!"
"It was me! I did it all! Please let him go! Give him a quick death!"
She was like a frightened child, all her pretense and toughness shattered completely in the face of extreme fear.
Li Yuanzhao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the dying Cao Dongyang on the ground, and he scoffed, "Why didn't you just admit it earlier? Why make your man suffer so much?"
Cao Dongyang's howls gradually faded. He lay in a pool of blood, his consciousness beginning to blur, with only his chest still rising and falling weakly.
Li Yuanshu looked down at Cao Dongyang's appearance, her voice choked with emotion and a hint of guilt, "I'm sorry, I'm the one who's sorry..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly looked up at Li Yuanzhao, the fear in her eyes gradually fading away, replaced by a stubbornness that seemed to have given up entirely.
"However... even if I had to choose again, I would still send someone to assassinate you! As long as you live, Father will never care about me! Only when you are dead will I have a chance!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao slowly raised his hand and gently clapped his hands.
"I've really started to look at you in a new light. In such a short time, your ambition and ruthlessness have become much more impressive than before."
“But…” she suddenly changed the subject, “having ambition without the ability is not a good thing.”
Li Yuanshu didn't hear the second half of the sentence at all; she only heard Li Yuanzhao say that he looked at her with new respect.
Even in this desperate situation, she still felt... kind of exhilaration.
It was as if he had finally caught her eye.
The fear completely disappeared, replaced by a sense of calm.
Anyway, before she did this, she had already decided that if she failed, she would die trying!
Dying at the hands of Li Yuanzhao is not too shameful.
She straightened her back, and even though her body was still trembling a little, she still showed a bit of stubbornness.
“I can’t kill you, but at least I tried. It’s better than being like that good-for-nothing Li Yuanyou, watching you take all the good things without even daring to fight for them. Besides…”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something, her tone carrying a final glimmer of hope.
"If you harm your own siblings, at most Father Emperor will only demote me to a commoner, he might not necessarily take my life. But if you kill me, Mother and Uncle will definitely not let you off the hook. At that time, the court officials will attack you and the people will question you. No matter how capable you are, you may not be able to ascend to the throne!"
She thought she had found Li Yuanzhao's weakness.
The position of heir apparent is Li Yuanzhao's obsession; she would never gamble away years of hard work for her own sake.
Li Yuanzhao merely raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with amusement, "Oh? Is that so?"
She stood up and gave Ru Mo a look.
Ru Mo immediately handed over a short bow.
Li Yuanshu didn't recognize it, but Cao Dongyang recognized it at a glance; it was the very weapon they used to assassinate the princess.
Li Yuanzhao took the short bow, casually drew an arrow from the quiver, and nocked it.
She slowly drew back the bowstring and aimed it steadily at Li Yuanshu's heart.
"You said..." her voice was soft, almost a murmur, "accidental fire, assassination by an enemy country, revenge from a foe... In this capital city, which method would be more effective at making you die silently without anyone suspecting me for the time being?"
Li Yuanshu was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, stammering, "No, it's impossible! My mother will not let you go! My father will never forgive you if he finds out! You can't kill me!"
But she watched helplessly as Li Yuanzhao gently loosened the string in his hand.
The next instant, the bowstring vibrated with a "hum," and the arrow came straight at him!
She was so frightened that she instinctively closed her eyes.
"puff--"
The sound of arrows piercing flesh rang in my ears, but the expected pain was nowhere to be seen.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Cao Dongyang, who should have been on the verge of death, standing in front of her, the arrow tip piercing through his chest, blood slowly flowing out.
A faint smile played on his lips. His breath was so weak it was almost inaudible, yet he still leaned close to her ear and whispered with his last remaining strength, "Your...Your Highness...don't be afraid..."
Before he could finish speaking, his heavy body collapsed to the ground.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com