Chapter 40: Cards
The truth had been revealed, but Yu Fei was calm and said, "As you can see, I exchanged your marriage with Yang Zhi for this gold medal."
The word "Yang" is engraved on this golden medal of immunity from death. In the entire dynasty, only the Yang family was praised. Jing Cang has been immersed in politics for a long time, so it is easy to tell whether it is true or false.
Seeing her desperate look, Jing Cang felt like the scholar in the storybook who thought he had married a beautiful girl who had given up her evil ways and turned to good, but unexpectedly she turned out to be a heartless fairy with painted skin.
He tightly grasped the gold medal in his hand. The sharp edge of the metal cut his skin and warm liquid gushed out. However, he seemed not to feel any pain. Instead, he felt somewhat refreshed. The anger and frustration in his heart were released through this wound.
He looked at her expressionlessly, his tone as cold as ice: "I knew long ago that you are a hypocritical and cunning woman, and you have never changed."
He did not rebuke or complain, but simply defined himself as someone who did not know people well. Yu Fei felt more uncomfortable seeing Jing Cang like this than if he had scolded her.
His right hand was cut by the gold medal and blood was dripping down. The bright red color seemed as if her heart was also wounded.
Her body reacted faster than her brain. She flew to his knees, snatched the gold medal, and held the wound, "It hurts me too." He didn't know that the dragon was ineffective, so if he said that, he would just think that the two of them still had empathy.
Jing Cang sneered, pulled his hand away, turned the wheelchair, and took a few steps back, as if she was a misleading monster and he was trying to stay away from her.
Yu Fei stroked the wet blood in his hand and said slowly: "I know you are angry with me and blame me. No matter what reasons I give, you don't want to hear them, but I really have my own difficulties."
Jing Cang said nothing, just glanced at her as if he was watching a show.
Yu Fei clenched his palms and continued: "On the one hand, I did this to restore order and repair the relationship you two should have. On the other hand, I am... afraid of death."
Jing Cang heard these two words again and looked at her seriously.
This was the first time that Yu Fei had such a heart-to-heart talk with Jing Cang, although with a purpose: "You said that as long as I behave myself, everything will be fine. I believe you, but I can't forget the evil things I did to you in the past. I'm afraid that after I free you, you will wake up and kill me. That's why I thought of exchanging the death-proof gold medal with Yang Zhi by urging her to get married, so that I can have a way out."
Jing Cang shook his head and sneered, as if mocking her for buying the casket and returning the pearl.
Yu Fei also knew that he had expressed his intention to forgive her for the past, but it was ineffective. She was walking on thin ice and could not convince herself to believe him.
A man's promise is like a mirage in the mirror. My mother had already suffered a great loss at the hands of her sentimental father. She traveled to another world and didn't want to fall and die at the feet of a feudal prince.
She stared at him and whispered, "Since I followed you, you have indeed been very protective of me. You have forgiven me for many things I have done wrong, but you have also said good things about not holding grudges, which has given me a lot of forbearance. But at the same time, harsh words can hurt people in the coldest months of summer. I also always remember that you asked me to commit suicide to apologize after you recovered your memory. I had a nightmare that I was beaten to death by you after Jie Gu. Would you choose a gentle way for me to die..."
When she mentioned dreams, she couldn't help but shed tears. These days, she could hardly sleep at night, or she would have nightmares.
"Do you think I had a nightmare the night I slept with you? I often have nightmares of being beaten to death, poisoned, cut in half, dismembered, and tortured. In my eyes, the East Palace is a place of execution. I don't know when I will die after getting pregnant and giving birth to a child... What's more, everything you say and do now is controlled by the male snake. When the snake is released and you have no feelings for me anymore, will you really choose to keep me alive?"
She exaggerated her dream, but now that he had caught her, she had to expose her to shame. His current warmth might be due to his affection, but it was more likely just a show, and he would just get rid of her after the matter was resolved.
Yu Fei did not dare to underestimate an ancient man who had learned the art of being an emperor since childhood.
Jing Cang saw Yu Fei kneeling on the ground with a gloomy expression. Her face was pale and her figure was lonely. She looked like a dying lotus. If she was struck by thunder again, even the last trace of her beauty would probably fade away.
His throat rolled, and he finally swallowed the words of accusation.
She was so scared of him, so maybe what she said about "I love him until I die in his arms" was all false. Maybe she had no feelings for him at all, and even if the female pig made her feel a little, it would be suppressed by her reason.
Compared to her, he was too insignificant. When he thought about killing her with his own hands, he felt that it was as impossible as cutting off his own hands and feet. Even if he had to make excuses, he would never do such a thing, unless she conspired with others to take his life.
Just thinking about it feels like someone is stabbing me in the chest with a knife.
He smiled and said, "So in your eyes, I am not the man you love, but the evil spirit that you are afraid of being hunted down when you do something bad."
All along, he seemed to care a lot about whether she liked him or not. Maybe he was used to her pua, or maybe it was the sequelae of being poisoned by a snake. Yu Fei was too lazy to delve into it, but she did not hesitate to say sweet words: "Only if I live well can I love you for a long time."
Seeing Jing Cang's expression eased, she glanced at the gold medal of immunity from death on the ground, knelt to him, took out a white handkerchief from her sleeve, and bravely took his right hand to bandage it, saying as she did so: "It's a done deal, why don't we just stop here."
Jing Cang pulled his hand away, and the handkerchief suddenly fell to the ground. "So what?"
Yu Fei thought about his original plan to get the golden medal of immunity from death, and said frankly: "You will have to marry sooner or later anyway. Yang Zhi is a rare noble woman. She loves you deeply, and the queen also likes her very much. I think I made the right choice in this marriage."
Sensing that Jing Cang's gaze was like an icy blade, as if he wanted to stab her to death, she quickly said, "I know that I have offended your dignity and majesty by taking the initiative, but Yang Zhi has given me the gold medal. Can I use it to make a deal with you?"
Jing Cang asked coldly: "What deal?"
Yu Fei stared at the blood-soaked handkerchief on the ground, turned his head, and gritted his teeth: "I want to use it to exchange for you to let me go and give me my freedom after I free the snake."
Noticing that he was breathing rapidly and clenching his fists, as if he was angry, she added: "If you don't think you can let me leave so easily, you might as well break my legs."
Jing Cang felt that Yu Fei was his natural nemesis. Just when he accepted the fact that she might not like him, she asked him to let her go. It was like being stabbed in the chest again.
He sneered: "Who told you that the golden medal of immunity from death would definitely work? If the royal family recognizes it, it is a reward and a promise. If not, it is just a piece of scrap copper and rotten iron."
"Yu Fei, you are trading a piece of scrap copper and rotten iron with me, that's no different from a fool dreaming!"
"you!"
Yu Fei couldn't hold back her tears for a moment and burst into tears.
Since the trick failed, she pinned all her hopes on the Yang family's golden medal of immunity from death, and used every possible means, but Jing Cang told her that he didn't recognize her! Original text: Isn't he an upright, sensible, and righteous prince?
She felt like a traveler who had walked in the desert for seven days and seven nights, enduring hunger and thirst, and staying awake all the time just for the oasis that she could see with her naked eyes. Only after she arrived did she realize that it was a mirage, a bubble illusion, and she would eventually die in the chaos with no one paying attention to her.
As if afraid that she would not give up, Jing Cang added, "You can also report your deeds in Shu County to the emperor and see if the emperor and empress recognize your reputation."
He didn't even acknowledge her, let alone his parents, who probably hated her to death. Yu Fei seemed to see the way forward at a glance. If he found that the insect was ineffective one day, he would immediately dispose of her.
She lowered her head and murmured, "It's okay. I'll just wait to die." Her voice got lower and lower, "It's not like I haven't died before..."
Jing Cang had sharp ears. When he heard Yu Fei's last sentence, he was about to ask her when she had ever tried to commit suicide, but then he changed his mind and recalled the drama of "crying, making a fuss, and then hanging herself" that she had performed to make him a slave.
He sneered, "If you were willing to die calmly, why did you go to such lengths to trap me? Now that the trap has not been removed, you are trying to find a way out by committing treason. I think I am used to you being ignorant of your own limitations. You have done something to deceive the emperor, and you are still acting like you are seeking death."
"You can say whatever you want." Yu Feiru was like a prisoner sentenced to death. After her appeal was futile, she no longer wanted to make any excuses. She stood up and said, "Nothing else, I'm leaving first."
"Get back here."
Jing Cang saw that she was like a lifeless paper figure, as if the north wind outside would blow her away to who knows where, or even break into tiny pieces if it was damaged.
He could only feel at ease when he held her in his arms and became one with her.
"You weren't very sharp-tongued just now. I've never experienced that in all the time we've known each other."
Yu Fei was shocked and didn't know what Jing Cang meant by "tsk" until she saw him undressing...