Chapter 168 With no man in her heart, drawing her sword comes naturally…
"Cui Lang, have you heard anything?"
"No, what's wrong?"
Ruan Rou'er smiled and said, "It's nothing, I probably misheard."
Everything here made her feel very uneasy.
Xiao Qiluo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Ruan Rou'er is so alert."
She had only tested the bowstring, yet she could still hear it.
He knows martial arts, has very keen hearing, and noticed the change in her expression just now.
"Mother, could she be a spy?"
【no. 】
Xiao Qiluo looked at Ruan Rou'er and found it strange. This woman seemed very capable, but she didn't know why she had to pretend to be something she was not by Cui Fang's side.
After watching for a while, Xiao Qiluo remembered that Cui Fang had mentioned before that Ruan Rou'er had a heart ailment.
Cui Fang shamelessly came over and asked her to give Ruan Rou'er a heart transplant.
"Could it be that she approached Cui Fang to win my heart?"
Over there, Ruan Rou'er was already urging Cui Fang to leave.
"My lord, let's leave quickly. The princess may just be trying to teach us a lesson."
Cui Fang didn't speak, but got up and walked to the stream. He then realized that his face was so swollen that he was almost unrecognizable. He hadn't recovered from the two slaps Xiao Qiluo had given him.
She still cared a lot about her face. Wasn't it because of her face that he bewitched that idiot Xiao Qiluo, making her listen to everything he said?
He never expected her to be so vicious, actually wanting to disfigure his face. Cui Fang slapped the water's surface forcefully, but it still felt far from enough.
His leg injury hadn't healed yet; Xiao Qiluo's sword had truly wounded him.
Ruan Rou'er watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but purse her lips. She touched her chest, thinking that otherwise she would need a whole heart and wouldn't need to pay attention to that idiot Cui Fang.
He's just good-looking, but he's arrogant and extremely selfish.
She had been lying low for so long, and Cui Fang had confidently said that she could do anything she wanted, but things turned out like this.
Did she not know how stupid the title "wife of the imperial son-in-law" was?
She knew all about the ridicule they were making, but that idiot Cui Fang was still so self-righteous.
She had to obtain that exquisitely crafted heart to regain her health. If Cui Fang was useless, she would have to take matters into her own hands.
Ruan Rou'er stared at Cui Fang's impotent and furious back for a while before walking over and leaning against his back. "Husband, please don't be like this. Rou'er is scared."
Cui Fang hugged Ruan Rou'er, "I'm sorry, Rou'er, I scared you."
"My lord, the person who was able to bring us here so quietly must be very powerful. We should hurry up and leave, otherwise it would be bad for me if we turned back."
Cui Fang held her hand, looking at her tenderly, "Rou'er, look again carefully, don't you really remember this place? Don't you feel any sense of déjà vu?"
He thought that Ruan Rou'er might have only come once when she saved him, and hadn't come back since, so he didn't recognize her at first glance.
But if she thinks carefully, she'll definitely be able to remember.
She has the jade pendant she gave away herself, and she can also recount some details of how she saved him. It's impossible that she wouldn't remember that she saved him in a place very similar to this one.
Ruan Rou'er looked at Cui Fang, her smile faltering.
However, she wasn't stupid. She knew how she and Cui Fang knew each other. She glanced around and exclaimed in surprise, "This place looks just like the place where I saved you back then."
Ruan Rou'er rubbed her head and said with a wry smile, "It's a pity that so much time has passed, I didn't recognize her at first glance."
Cui Fang looked at her, took her hand, and finally smiled, "It's okay, I can help you recall it carefully."
Ruan Rou'er didn't want to recall those memories; they weren't hers. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Husband, let's go back. I'm scared."
"What's there to be afraid of? Maybe God couldn't bear to see us go through so much suffering, so He sent us here," Cui Fang said nonchalantly. He took Ruan Rou'er's hand and walked forward for a while.
He pointed excitedly ahead and said, "Rou'er, do you remember? You saved me right here. If it weren't for you, I might have died here."
Ruan Rou'er forced a smile, her mind elsewhere.
"Yes, I was shocked when I saw a person lying there covered in blood."
Cui Fang glanced back at Ruan Rou'er, still looking somewhat surprised. "I was only injured in the eye; I wasn't injured anywhere else."
Ruan Rou'er realized she had misspoke and quickly tried to make amends with a smile, "Didn't I just say that it's been too long and I've forgotten some of the details? You're lucky; I was the one who saved you from the tree."
Cui Fang's smile vanished as he looked at Ruan Rou'er, "The one who rescued me back then was your servant."
"Yes, yes, they were servants. I had forgotten. My husband, as you know, after my family fell on hard times, all those servants left."
Cui Fang's expression was not good; his brows furrowed even more, and even his gaze towards Ruan Rou'er was scrutinizing.
It was clearly that person who saved him back then; there was no such thing as a servant. Even if he couldn't remember clearly, he shouldn't have forgotten these things.
But Rou'er did indeed have his jade pendant; it was his, and he couldn't be mistaken. Since the jade pendant was in Rou'er's possession, the person who saved him must have been Rou'er.
For some unknown reason, the more Ruan Rou'er wanted to leave, the more Cui Fang insisted on making her recall the time he saved him.
Ruan Rou'er didn't want to talk. She even tried to get Cui Fang to answer her question, but Cui Fang just stared at her and even let go of her hand.
This made Ruan Rou'er very uneasy.
She felt that Cui Fang seemed to know something.
She then recounted their time together, and Cui Fang said that the days he spent with her were the happiest days of his life.
"Rou'er, do you really not remember, or are you hiding something from me?"
"I really don't remember. I'm sorry. Actually, after I saved you, I was injured. I only have a vague impression of some things, and I don't remember the specifics. I'm really sorry."
"Alright, Rou'er, stop talking. I believe you. You are the one who saved me. You are my savior. There is no mistake."
Cui Fang held Ruan Rou'er and said it over and over again.
Xiang Bei couldn't help but sneer. Cui Fang was clearly suspicious, but he still chose the person in front of him.
This idiot is probably afraid he'll mistake his savior for someone else.
【Qiluo, give those two shameless bastards a good slap! Slap him! Slap her! Slap them both to death! Are these blind men who love whoever has the keepsake? A maggot saved him, but will he fall in love with a maggot?】
Xiao Qiluo could sense her mother's anger.
She picked up her bow and arrow and shot an arrow as Cui Fang led Ruan Rou'er to reminisce about the past.
Ruan Rou'er had so many flaws, yet Cui Fang refused to accept them. Did he really not know, or did he know but pretend not to?
Xiao Qiluo didn't want to investigate any of this anymore.
Cui Fang was kept alive because she needed the meteorite iron.
The arrow struck Cui Fang in the leg, and he fell to the ground with a scream.
Ruan Rou'er's gaze instantly sharpened as she looked in the direction from which the arrow had come.
She then looked at Cui Fang, hiding the silver needle she had been holding behind her back, and asked, "Cui Lang, are you alright?"
Xiao Qiluo looked up at the sky. "Strange, why is there no movement?"
The sky above was clear and cloudless.
"Could it be that she went to the princess's residence?" Xiao Qiluo's expression changed.
No, everything is fine at the Princess's residence.
Seeing the scrolling text, Xiao Qiluo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mother, why is there no movement? Could it be that Cui Fang is no longer of use, and his guardian deity will no longer protect him?"
If that's the case, then there's no point in Cui Fang living.
Xiao Qiluo drew her bow again, this time aiming the arrow at Cui Fang's heart.
The strange voice in her mind reappeared, though it seemed to be far away, not right in front of her, but the voice was very clear: "He is your husband, you wicked woman, do you really want to kill him?"
Xiao Qiluo paused for a moment, slightly shifting the aim of her arrow. She focused intently on Cui Fang's arm, a spot that wasn't fatal.
The voice in my mind immediately disappeared.
"So that's how it is." Xiao Qiluo chuckled, then aimed at Cui Fang's chest again, and sure enough, the voice returned.
They advised her to put her husband first and told her to apologize to Cui Fang.
Xiao Qiluo said, "I don't care what you are, don't try to control me, I will never do as you wish."
As soon as he finished speaking, the arrow shot towards Cui Fang's chest.
The ground shook violently the next moment, and Xiao Qiluo managed to avoid being thrown off by clinging tightly to the tree trunk.
The earthquake shook Cui Fang so much that he rolled on the spot, narrowly avoiding the arrow.
A bolt of lightning suddenly exploded above.
Get out of the way!
Xiao Qiluo only saw her mother's words flash before her eyes, and then someone grabbed her shoulder and she fell from the tree.
She only felt the wind whistling past her ears, as if someone was carrying her. When she looked up, she saw that the tree trunk where she had just been standing was charred black by lightning.
Immediately afterwards, large raindrops fell from the sky.
And there was that black meteorite iron.
Xiao Qiluo felt someone grab her and dodge left and right to avoid the meteorites. Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw Ruan Rou'er carrying the unconscious Cui Fang away.
It is unknown how much time passed before the meteorite stopped falling.
Xiao Qiluo was soaked to the bone. She ran over and looked at the meteorite that had crashed to the ground. Rain was washing over her face, but she couldn't help but laugh.
It turns out that only by having the intention to kill Cui Fang could one summon the meteorite from the heavens.
Now she's genuinely worried that if she were to actually kill Cui Fang one day, she would lose a stable source of meteorite iron.
An umbrella appeared above her head without her noticing. Xiao Qiluo took the umbrella, looked at the scattered meteorite iron around her, and notified her guards to come and take all of these things away.
Upon seeing the signal flare, the guards rushed over at top speed. Looking at the large and small craters on the ground caused by the meteorite, they exchanged glances, speechless for a moment.
"Mo San, you personally find someone to escort these things back to the capital, and not a single word of this matter can be revealed to anyone."
"Your subordinate obeys."
Xiao Qiluo looked at the meteorite iron, mounted the horse brought by her guards, and led the rest of the people back.
When I rushed back to the manor, I found that the rain had subsided considerably, and it seemed that the rain would only fall within a certain area.
After washing up and changing her clothes, Xiao Qiluo sat inside the room looking out the window.
That bolt of lightning was indeed aimed at her. If her mother hadn't pulled her away, she would probably have been turned into charred remains. Even those meteorites were also hurtling towards her.
Xiao Qiluo looked at the sword placed beside her, wondering if Cui Fang could keep attracting meteorite iron.
Regardless, she must obtain enough meteorite iron.
Xiao Qiluo trained with the system for several more hours, took a nap, and then came back to continue reading.
Xiang Bei also tried to find ways to nourish her body.
Becoming emperor isn't something you can just talk about, especially for a woman to achieve it.
In the original story, in order to allow the male protagonist to ascend the throne smoothly, the emperor was portrayed as a person who was devoted to the empress and had only one child, the female protagonist, and so on. He found a high-sounding excuse to pass the throne to the male protagonist.
Now that the female lead is still alive, the emperor naturally cannot bypass her and give him the throne.
Originally intended to benefit others, this wedding dress is now destined to fall into the hands of the proper heir, the female protagonist.
They should follow the male protagonist's path and leave him with nowhere to go.
Now that Xiao Qiluo knows about Cui Fang's strangeness, she naturally wants to do something about it.
From the very beginning, Cui Fang failed to recognize his own identity.
When Xiao Qiluo returned, she looked up at the sky and said, "Mother, I want to divorce Cui Fang. I will absolutely not allow Cui Fang to flaunt his title as the Imperial Son-in-Law any longer."
Men are all traps; play around, don't take them seriously. What's that saying again? If you have no man in your heart, your sword will be divine when you draw it.
Xiao Qiluo looked at the words floating in front of her. Having spent so much time with her mother, she was no longer surprised by her mother's astonishing words.
After reading the book her mother had given her, she realized that it could restrict men to marrying only one wife.
It turns out that women could also participate in the imperial examinations, and that women's knowledge was no less than men's.
Women in this world have it tough. Most marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. After marriage, it's common for some men to beat and scold their wives. If a wife says anything more, like preventing her husband from taking a concubine, she's criticized and called a jealous woman.
It was clearly the man's fault, yet he accused his wife of not being able to hold onto her husband's heart, shifting the blame onto the woman and making her bear the brunt of everyone's criticism.
Xiao Qiluo looked up and smiled, "I am a princess, worshipped by all people, and I should set an example for women in the world. I want to tell them that not only can a princess live freely after divorcing her husband, but common women can too."
Therefore, this path is very difficult. Once you've decided to take it, there's no turning back.
"Someone has to walk this path. Now that I have chosen this path, no matter what difficulties lie ahead, I will continue and will never back down."
Qiu Yan entered at some point and brought Xiao Qiluo a cup of hot tea.
Are you feeling better?
"Thank you for your concern, Princess. I am much better now."
Xiao Qiluo picked up the hot tea, about to drink it, when she heard Qiuyan say, "Princess."
When I looked up, I saw words floating in the air.
Don't drink it!
Xiao Qiluo paused, holding the teacup. She looked up at Qiu Yan and saw that she looked sad. She reached out to take the cup from her hand.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Qiluo avoided her outstretched hand.
Qiu Yan paused for a moment, then knelt down before her. "Princess, this tea is not to be drunk."
"Did they add something to it?"
Qiu Yan nodded.
Another line of text floated past my eyes.
It's not poisonous; it just contained some peach blossom powder.
Xiao Qiluo would develop small red bumps on her body if she came into contact with peach blossoms; only those close to her knew this.
She looked at Qiu Yan, and Qiu Yan looked at her back, her gaze calm, like a stagnant pool.
Xiao Qiluo put down her teacup and looked at Qiu Yan, "You hate me?"
Qiu Yan looked at Xiao Qiluo and shook her head without hesitation.
"This servant does not hate the princess."
Qiu Yan saw tears falling from Xiao Qiluo's eyes. "The slave traders just sent word that they've found Donghe. I've confirmed it; it's definitely her."
Xiao Qiluo had a bad feeling. "Is she alright?"
"She's dead. She was beaten to death."
Qiu Yan's eyes were filled with tears. She knew she shouldn't hold a grudge. She was just a servant girl, and her master's joys and sorrows were her own.
But they had grown up together since childhood, like sisters, and originally thought they could stay together until old age, serving as nannies to the princess and managing the people in the palace for her.
As a result, less than a year after the princess got married, the four of them either died or scattered.
After the news of Donghe's death reached them, Qiuyan sat in silence for a long time. Donghe was the youngest of the four, and she had always regarded Donghe as a younger sister.
But she died, and just lay there quietly.
Xiao Qiluo looked at her and splashed the tea in her teacup. "You don't want to poison me, you just want to die."
He wanted to be executed for poisoning the princess.
This is the way Qiu Yan imagined dying.
Qiu Yan knelt on the ground and looked at Xiao Qiluo, neither admitting nor denying.
After a long while, Qiu Yan covered her face and cried bitterly, "This servant really doesn't know what to do, Princess, what should this servant do?"
Even now, she still has nightmares every night; when she closes her eyes, all she sees are those painful memories.
She was supposed to tell the princess everything and then die, but she thought that if she found Chunxiadong, she should at least say goodbye to them.
She went insane after seeing Donghe's corpse with her own eyes.
After regaining her senses, she took a hairpin and stabbed herself, but Xingzhi thought she was hurting herself because of her unstable emotions. Xingzhi kept watching her closely, preventing her from even attempting suicide.
Xiao Qiluo bent down and hugged Qiu Yan, saying nothing, just holding her.
Qiu Yan cried out in anguish, "Princess, please kill me! Spring, summer, autumn, and winter should all go together."
"Who says they're all doomed? We'll find them."
If it weren't for her mother's help, even if she regained consciousness, she would have been completely isolated and helpless.
Cui Fang even wanted to rip out her heart and replace it with that of his so-called savior. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager, how much better would her fate have been than that of Chunxiaqiudong?
"Get up."
Qiu Yan did not move. She lowered her head and said, "I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I still did it. I am unforgivable!"
"Whether I forgive you or not is up to me. I'll let you get up. Since you admit it, then I will punish you. Do you accept it?"
Knowing full well that it was wrong, she still did it. Naturally, she could no longer stay by the princess's side. The princess said she wouldn't kill her, so she was prepared to be expelled from the palace.
"Qiuyan, since you're alive, you should live well. You really can't stay in this manor any longer. I'll send you somewhere. There, I hope you can escape your current predicament and be yourself."
"I'll leave it to the princess to decide," Qiu Yan said, bowing her head.
"Go back and wait. Someone will send you there tomorrow." Xiao Qiluo didn't explain anything further.
She had her own plan, and Qiuyan would know what was going on once she arrived.
Winter Crane is dead, and the whereabouts of Spring Bridge and Summer Lotus are still unknown.
As long as they are alive, we will definitely find them.
Mentioning them naturally brings to mind the wet nurses who served the Empress Dowager.
Xiao Qiluo learned something else from Xiang Bei, and she slammed her hand on the table, breaking it apart.
"Cui Fang, how dare he do this!"
She hated herself for only shooting him with one arrow; it was far too lenient. She felt that even tearing him to pieces wouldn't have been too much.
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