Chapter 76: You are such a dirty bastard, are you worthy of being in a relationship with me?
In the hall, the candlelight flickered, and everyone's eyes fell on the little palace maid kneeling on the ground.
She was trembling and crouching, with sweat dripping down her forehead, and she was very frightened.
"My lady, I dare not lie."
"I do recognize this jade pendant, but I never expected to see it here. I'm afraid, I'm afraid I saw it wrong..."
Defei's eyes suddenly turned cold and she snorted.
"Did you see it wrong? Is this how you do your job?"
She swept her eyes coldly over the people in the palace, "You saw it wrong today, and she saw it wrong tomorrow. Can you still keep your word in front of me? All the royal relatives are here today, how can you make a fool of yourself?"
Her tone was cold and intimidating, and all the palace servants in the hall held their breath, fearing that they would be affected.
Concubine De placed the jade pendant in the little palace maid's hand and glanced at her.
"Look carefully, can you recognize it? If you tell a lie, I will punish you severely!"
The little palace maid's shoulders trembled, and she kowtowed hurriedly and replied "yes".
She held the jade pendant with trembling hands and examined it carefully over and over again.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her answer.
Shen Xingwan lowered his eyelashes and adjusted his sleeves leisurely, his eyes moving around with a hint of a smile.
Yan Jinghuan took a sip of wine nonchalantly, his eyes were deep, and there was a faint smile at the corner of his lips that was not clear.
Wei Zilin stared at the jade pendant, his eyes dark and unclear, while Tang Lin'er also looked at the little palace maid, but for some reason, she suddenly felt a little inexplicably uneasy in her heart.
She frowned slightly, staring at the profile of the little palace maid, her heart skipped a beat, and she actually felt that she looked somewhat familiar.
But she had never had any contact with Concubine De, so how could she recognize the palace maids around Concubine De?
She shook her head secretly, thinking that she must have seen it wrong.
Tang Lin'er raised her hand, picked up the wine glass, and took a sip of the fruit wine slowly.
The little palace maid suddenly knelt up straight, her voice trembling but extremely clear.
"Your Highness, I dare not hide anything. I have indeed seen this jade pendant before. It was a personal item of my former master, the daughter of the former Yangzhou County Magistrate, Miss Yang Ying."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into deathly silence.
Tang Lin'er's hand holding the wine glass trembled suddenly, and she almost spilled the wine in the glass.
She froze in place, suddenly raised her eyes, looked at the little palace maid in horror, and her breathing suddenly became rapid.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became subtle.
De Fei's face changed, she suddenly slapped the armrest and shouted: "What nonsense!"
"The material and craftsmanship of this jade pendant are clearly a royal possession. How can a mere county magistrate's daughter possess it?"
She was furious: "Come here, drag this liar away and give her twenty lashes!"
The eunuch guarding outside the palace immediately responded and stepped forward. With no mercy on his face, he coldly grabbed the little maid's arm and tried to drag her out.
The eunuchs who carry out executions in the palace have always been cruel and ruthless. I'm afraid that these twenty strokes of the cane would kill the person on the spot.
The little palace maid suddenly turned pale and was terrified. She kowtowed repeatedly and cried bitterly.
"My lady, everything I said is true. That jade pendant is indeed Miss Yang's personal belongings!"
"Then how did she get it?"
Concubine De's voice was as cold as frost.
The little maid burst into tears and trembled as she said, "It was once... when Miss Yang went to the lake to play, she met a prince and got it. Because she loved him so much, she wore it every day..."
Everyone in the hall started to talk agitatedly.
Seeing that Concubine De still didn't believe it, the young palace maid was afraid that she would be dragged away and beaten to death, so she hurriedly told her the time and place of that day, every word clearly and in an orderly manner.
An elderly prince in the palace heard this and said thoughtfully, "This day...is indeed a good one."
"Back then, I also accompanied the emperor to Jiangnan. We did go boating on the lake that day. I remember it very clearly..."
He paused, his eyes slowly swept towards Wei Zilin, with a meaningful smile on the corner of his lips.
"That day, the Third Prince, no, now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... was missing for a while."
The hall suddenly became quiet.
Everyone had different expressions. They exchanged meaningful glances with each other and smiled without saying anything.
Concubine De narrowed her eyes, then smiled, raised her hand and signaled the palace maid beside her to hand the jade pendant to Wei Zilin.
"If this is true, the story of a talented man and a beautiful woman is indeed a good one."
She sighed, with a feeling of emotion and sarcasm.
"It's a pity that Miss Yang died young. I think it was because of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's deep affection that he kept this jade pendant for so long."
She smiled slightly and looked at Wei Zilin meaningfully, "But was it lost when the Crown Prince went to change clothes just now? If so, it should be returned to its original owner."
Wei Zilin's eyes were deep as he stared coldly at the jade pendant. His fingertips tightened slightly, and undercurrents surged in his eyes.
Tang Lin'er, who was standing beside him, had a pale and blue face, was breathing rapidly, and her fingertips were tightly pinched into her palms, but she couldn't utter a word.
Wei Zilin slowly reached out and took the jade pendant.
He slowly stroked the ferocious dragon pattern with his fingertips, and after a while, he spoke coldly: "Thank you, Empress Defei."
Concubine De nodded slightly, smiling, and raised her glass, saying, "In that case, I will not disturb His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's pleasure."
She waved her hand casually and ordered calmly: "Drag this crying slave away, don't ruin the mood of the night banquet."
The little palace maid was dragged away by the palace servants, still crying softly, but soon the sound became silent.
The banquet seemed to have returned to its original hustle and bustle, with melodious music and clinking glasses, as if the scene just now was just an insignificant episode that was quickly forgotten by everyone.
But beneath the bustle, an undercurrent was quietly surging.
Yan Jinghuan curled the corners of his lips and looked at Shen Xingwan with interest, but she just drooped her eyelashes, gently stroked the hem of her skirt, her eyes were faint, as if she was smiling.
Wei Zilin lowered his head, stroking the jade pendant quietly, his eyes were deep, the veins on the back of his hands were slightly stretched, and his face became increasingly gloomy and ugly.
Tang Lin'er sat there stiffly, her fingertips tightly clenched on her sleeves, her face as pale as paper.
Her heart was beating so fast that it was almost out of control.
The night is deep, the glazed palace lanterns are swaying, and the brilliant light is flowing.
In the hall, there were melodious music, clinking glasses, and everyone was still laughing and talking happily.
Wei Zilin stood up suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew out from his sleeves, and the corner of his clothes brushed Tang Lin'er's fingertips. She subconsciously reached out to pull him, but he impatiently pushed her away.
"Your Highness!"
Tang Lin'er called him hurriedly.
Wei Zilin ignored her and walked straight out of the hall with sharp steps.
Tang Lin'er was panicking and no longer cared about the looks of others. She stood up in a hurry and bowed to Concubine De. She managed to steady her voice and said apologetically, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a little drunk. I will help him back to the palace to rest first."
Consort De smiled lightly, not alarmed, and nodded in agreement: "Go ahead, Crown Princess, and take good care of His Highness."
Tang Lin'er quickly thanked him and took her leave, lifting her skirt and quickly chasing out of the hall.
Wei Zilin walked very fast and she had a hard time catching up with him. He did not stop until they were almost deep into the garden. Tang Lin'er had to almost jog to catch up with him.
"... Saburo, wait for me!"
She called his name softly, eagerly and with a little caution.
But the person who least wants to hear these two words in the world right now is Wei Zilin.
He suddenly stopped, his robe fluttering, and he turned around abruptly. He stretched out his hand and grabbed her hand that was stretched out to grab his waist belt. The force was so great that Tang Lin'er cried out in pain.
"Don't touch me!"
He growled and swung Tang Lin'er violently. She was caught off guard and was thrown to the side, falling to the ground.
The ground was covered with cherry blossoms, the fragrance was cool and refreshing, the night wind blew up the petals, and the whole place was filled with crimson.
Tang Lin'er fell to the ground and struggled to get up. Her wrist was twisted and painful, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She looked at the indifferent man in front of her and cried out in a crying voice: "Sanlang..."
Wei Zilin sneered.
His eyes were extremely cold, as if he was looking at a joke.
"Don't call me that."
He pulled out the jade pendant from his sleeve, pinched it hard with his fingertips, and smashed it hard in front of her.
The jade pendant hit the stone bricks, making a crisp sound that was particularly harsh in the silent night.
Wei Zilin looked down at her condescendingly, his eyes so cold that they almost tore her apart alive.
"You are not her..."
"Who the hell are you?!"
Tang Lin'er's tears blurred her vision. She stretched out her hand tremblingly, wanting to pick up the jade pendant. As soon as her fingertips touched the edge of the jade pendant, Wei Zilin stepped hard on her.
"explain!"
He growled, his eyes filled with extremely suppressed anger.
Tang Lin'er trembled, her lips turned pale, and finally, under his gaze, she burst into tears and choked up, "The one who had the honor of meeting Sanlang that year... was indeed not me."
Wei Zilin's whole body trembled, the coldness in his eyes almost turned into reality, and he suddenly leaned over and grabbed her neck.
"What did you say?"
Tang Lin'er burst into tears.
"That's my elder sister... She was the one who told me my name..."
Wei Zilin's pupils suddenly shrank and his other hand clenched into a fist.
Tang Lin'er cried and trembled pitifully, with a look of pain on her face.
"She talked to me about Sanlang's charm all day long. I have admired Sanlang for a long time..."
"But I also knew at that time that what Sanlang had in his heart was her, not me..."
"I wanted to keep this love deep in my heart, but my family was suddenly in trouble, and my elder sister died suddenly before I went to Beijing..."
"I wondered... could this be God's arrangement? Was it a chance given to me by fate?"
She stared at Wei Zilin closely, tears streaming down her face, and she was almost madly stubborn.
"So I came to you with the jade pendant... to claim this affection..."
"But I really love you!"
"Besides, my elder sister also reported my name at the beginning. Doesn't this mean... this means that this is fate's arrangement!"
"Sanlang, we are a match made in heaven!"
When Wei Zilin heard these words, his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
He leaned forward and approached Tang Lin'er little by little, his face looking gloomy and terrifying.
"Did you know that..."
He suddenly grabbed Tang Lin'er's neck and pulled her up from the ground. He looked at her frightened eyes coldly and spoke word by word in a grim tone: "What have I missed because of you?"
Tang Lin'er grabbed his wrists with both hands, breathing hard, tears streaming down her face.
"Wanwan...originally loved me!"
Wei Zilin's voice was low and full of hatred.
"It's all because of you that she doesn't want to be with me!"
"If I had married Wanwan back then, I might have ascended the throne and ruled the world!"
His eyes were cold and sharp, and every word was as sharp as a needle: "How could I end up being imprisoned now?!"
Tang Lin'er froze, her face pale and her eyes filled with panic.
There was uncontrollable hatred in Wei Zilin's eyes.
He suddenly threw his hand away and pushed her away.
Tang Lin'er fell heavily to the ground, her bright red skirt rolling into the mud, looking in a miserable state.
Wei Zilin lowered his head and glared at her, his eyes extremely cold, as if he had seen something dirty.
"The woman I promised myself that day was my own fault. I accept her status as a woman."
"But what are you?"
He sneered, full of disgust, and no longer looked at her.
"You filthy bastard, are you worthy enough to be in a relationship with me?"
After saying that, he waved his sleeves and strode away without looking back.
The night is dark and the cold wind is howling.
Tang Lin'er fell to the ground and burst into tears.
Not far away, Ruyi walked quietly, spread out the cloak in his hand, and slowly covered Tang Lin'er with it.
Tang Lin'er suddenly pulled off her cloak and slapped Ruyi in the face!
“Bang!”
Ruyi's head was hit sideways, and red marks instantly appeared on her cheeks.
Tang Lin'er was stunned, looking at her hand in astonishment, and then quickly reached out to touch Ruyi's face, angrily scolding: "What are you doing here?!"
"If it weren't for the fact that you saved me, I would really beat you to death!"
She was panting, and suddenly thought of something, staring at Ruyi fiercely.
"What's wrong with you today? Why do you insist on me wearing the jade pendant that you've kept at the bottom of your box? Why did you lose it again?!"
She gnashed her teeth and cursed: "What a coincidence, how could the maid next to Concubine De be Xiaochun?!"
"Didn't she marry far away with her bitch mother? How could she appear in the palace?!"
Ruyi looked at her quietly and suddenly smiled.
"Yeah, bitch."
Her voice was very soft, with an indescribable meaning.
"In your eyes, there is probably no such thing as a cheap mother."
Tang Lin'er was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She looked up at Ruyi.
Ruyi stared straight at a well not far away, her eyes dim.
"You said... The Crown Princess killed her elder sister, falsely claimed the Crown Prince's favor, was rejected by the Crown Prince, and committed suicide by jumping into a well... Isn't that reasonable?"
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