Yan Chaoxi dared not move, for she sensed a threat emanating from somewhere within Yan Wu. A dangerous aura emanating from him enveloped her, like a ferocious beast poised to pounce, ready to devour her at any moment.
This man... is really easily provoked; his body is far more honest than his words.
Of course, she wasn't naive enough to think that after only knowing him for two days, she could occupy any important place in Yan Wuxin's heart. His interest in her was at most due to that ambiguous and enchanting dream, which aroused his most primal desires as a man.
Yan Chaoxi placed her hands on Yan Wu's muscular chest, trying to create distance between them. However, her strength seemed insignificant in front of him, like an ant trying to shake a tree.
"Now you know fear?" Yan Wu scoffed, his voice low and mocking. "Finally behaving yourself?"
Yan Chaoxi pursed her lips, nodded obediently, and her eyes showed a hint of weakness.
Seeing her like this, Yan Wu chuckled lightly, slowly straightening up, but not retreating, still keeping her within his aura. He lowered his head slightly, staring at her intently, "Tell me, what is your purpose in deliberately getting close to me?"
Yan Chaoxi blinked, a sly smile playing on her lips: "Do you want to hear a lie, or something nice to hear?"
Yan Wu: "...The truth."
He seemed determined to kick her out if she lied.
Knowing she couldn't hide it from him, Yan Chaoxi spoke softly, "I did approach you on purpose, but I just wanted to make a deal with you."
Yan Wu became interested and said, "Tell me, I'd like to know what is there about me, a mere guard, that would warrant Your Highness's attention?"
Yan Chaoxi didn't say it directly, but instead asked him, "You and the Crown Prince look exactly alike, so you must be from the same mother. He was born the Crown Prince, while you don't even have the status of a prince, and you can't even openly show your face to people. Don't you resent that?"
If one truly harbors no resentment or hatred, then one is truly a saint.
Yan Wu's expression changed, and he took a big step back to widen the distance between them. His previous lazy expression disappeared, leaving only coldness. He spoke without a trace of emotion, "You know quite a lot. Are you trying to use this to threaten me?"
He and Yan Huainan were indeed born of the same mother, but their treatment was worlds apart. From childhood, Yan Huainan could study under the emperor's tutelage, while he had to know what the crown prince knew, and even be better at martial arts, in order to protect the crown prince when he went out. Yan Huainan could act spoiled in front of the empress, while he could only stand aside and watch, imitating the crown prince's mannerisms.
From birth, he was destined to be superfluous, only fit to live as someone else's shadow.
On the battlefield, he took Yan Huainan's place and killed the enemy leader. From then on, the story of the Crown Prince's loyalty and bravery began to circulate in the capital. During the disaster relief efforts in the Northwest, he went with Yan Huainan. A large number of refugees rioted, and Yan Huainan pushed him out to withstand the violence of hundreds of people surrounding and attacking him, while he hid in the house.
There are many, many more examples like this.
This has been the case for twenty-five years; how could he not resent it?
Yan Chaoxi sensed his wariness and sighed softly, "I didn't mean to stir up your sadness, nor did I threaten you. If you harbor resentment or hatred, haven't you ever thought of resisting?"
"For example... replacing the crown prince?" Yan Chaoxi clearly stated her bold idea.
The crown prince was also her enemy. As a powerless princess from another country, it would be difficult for her to kill the crown prince. However, if she and Yan Wu shared a common goal, things would be much easier.
Do you want to?
Yan Chaoxi thought this was a good idea, her eyes shining as she looked at him. It gave Yan Wu the illusion that if he simply said he wanted to, the little princess would immediately take up a sword and kill the crown prince for him.
"What good would this do you? You're already the Crown Prince's concubine. Once Yan Huainan ascends the throne, you'll at least be one of the four consorts, with no shortage of wealth and honor. Why would you risk your life to make a deal with me?"
Yan Chaoxi said matter-of-factly, "I don't like the Crown Prince. I feel like throwing up whenever I see him, and I don't care about this position as a concubine. I wear a veil on my face during the day to pretend to be sick and prevent him from coming to my courtyard."
"Don't you like Yan Huainan?" Yan Wu laughed. Countless women in the capital wanted to marry Yan Huainan. Ever since he went to the battlefield and achieved military merit, the number of women in the Crown Prince's residence had doubled, many of them ladies from noble families. This was the first time he had heard someone dislike Yan Huainan.
"So what? Do you think everyone swarms towards him like flies do to him? I find him disgusting."
Because the words were too rough, Yan Chaoxi didn't say the word. Yan Wu, however, understood her meaning and couldn't help but chuckle softly. Yan Chaoxi could clearly feel from his laughter that his joy was genuine.
Yan Chaoxi glared at him and asked angrily, "Do you agree to cooperate or not? Give me an answer!"
Yan Wu's laughter gradually subsided, and he returned to his previous languid state. "It's a pity, little princess, I can't help you."
"Why?" Yan Chaoxi thought that their heart-to-heart talk had earned Yan Wu a little bit of his trust, but she didn't expect that this man was still so cold and ruthless.
"As you said, for the past twenty-five years I have hated Yan Huainan, hated the emperor and empress, hated everyone. But there was nothing I could do. In order to control me, Yan Huainan poisoned me. This poison was specially sourced from the Western Regions. When it takes effect, the pain is unbearable. I can only live if I receive an antidote every month."
"So, you're still willing to cooperate with me?"
Yan Chaoxi never expected that the Crown Prince would use such vicious methods to control Yan Wu. No wonder Yan Wu served as the Crown Prince's double and shielded him from assassination attempts until his death.
Yan Wu coldly watched her, observing her surprised expression and then her pensive look as she lowered her head. Yan Wu quietly waited for her to leave in dejection.
However, after waiting for a while, he still didn't see Yan Chaoxi showing any sign of leaving.
In reality, Yan Chaoxi was buying antidote pills in the online store. She tapped the plus sign button, buying twelve pills to make a full bottle.
A tiny bit of poison, one bottle is enough.
Then, she proudly pulled a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, saying, "These are antidote pills I brought from Dongqi. They can cure all poisons. Can we cooperate now? Can you see my sincerity?"
Yan Wu, “???”
He looked at the bottle suspiciously. A detoxifying pill that could cure all poisons? Let alone whether such a miraculous medicine even exists in this world, if it did, even a single pill could sell for an astronomical price. And she gave him a whole bottle at once, treating it like a bargain?
Yan Chaoxi didn't explain how she got such a thing, afraid he wouldn't believe her, so she casually poured one out and ate it, saying, "It's not poison, don't worry."
Then, she shoved the bottle into Yan Wu's hand and said with a smile, "If it's not enough, come to me again. Then our deal is done, right? You help me bring down the Crown Prince, and I'll help you detoxify."
Yan Wu's heart trembled. A feeling he had never experienced before welled up from the bottom of his heart. He didn't know what it was. He only knew that he wanted to hold onto this heart-trembling feeling.
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