Chapter 36 Acting She was acting here, but Anhe was enjoying it...
Looking at Zhao Chengxin's startled expression, Zhao Liangxu calmly replied, "What does Your Majesty want me to do by saying this?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengxin strode forward, grabbed Zhao Liangxu's bound hands, and said excitedly, "Fourth Sister, does that mean you agree? You truly are my imperial sister, we are of one mind! If you just endure a little longer and continue living in that eunuch's mansion, you will have won the favor of the Southern Zhou Emperor and can freely enter and leave the palace. Why worry about not getting any confidential information? Just send me any useful information, and I will make many plans."
Zhao Chengxin spoke at length, rattling off a series of remarks, as if he had already decided that Zhao Liangxu would help him.
Should we be more patient?
If she was truly being tormented by Anhe and living a life worse than death, what face did he have to ask her to endure it any longer and help him plan his restoration of the kingdom?
Zhao Liangxu was indeed amazed by Zhao Chengxin's shamelessness. He could just spout off without mentioning any benefits or help, but he kept bringing up the empty talk about their blood ties.
And this presumptuous hand...
Zhao Liangxu's lips unconsciously twitched. They were both human skin, so why was she completely unaffected when she touched An He's, but now that Zhao Chengxin was excitedly holding her hand, she felt disgust.
She was somewhat speechless. She raised her hands, and even though she was bound, the people of Northern Zhou were naturally strong. Zhao Chengxin was so engrossed in his plan to restore the country that he was caught off guard and was thrown back a few steps by Zhao Liangxu.
"What does Fourth Sister mean by this?"
Zhao Liangxu stood up and said coldly, "Your Majesty, you're dreaming. You think you can get my help just by talking? Do you know what my situation is like in Southern Zhou? Since you're hiding in the capital and barely surviving, how much better off am I? I thought you rescued me for the sake of reuniting us as siblings, but it turns out it was just to ask me to go back into the Tiger's Den to do things for you."
Her words were half true and half false, but if the original owner could have survived in Southern Zhou, the situation would not have been much different from what she described. As an enemy country, how could she be treated well?
It's only because she didn't become depressed after transmigrating and was able to seize opportunities to make a living that she's doing relatively well.
This gentle demeanor overlapped with the impression in his memory. The original owner was sent away as a hostage when he was young. Not long after returning to Northern Zhou, he was almost a stranger to his relatives. Zhao Chengxin seemed particularly friendly at the time.
The original owner thought that Zhao Chengxin's affectionate manner at the time was out of pity for her suffering as a hostage who had not been able to return home for many years, but in reality it was a habit cultivated by Zhao Chengxin's inhuman nature.
Zhao Chengxin and Zhao Liangxu were not born of the same mother. He was the eldest son and had a younger sister who was two years younger than him. They were both born to the Empress of Northern Zhou.
Originally, the original owner felt that this elder brother, the crown prince, was quite approachable, so she unintentionally became closer to him in the royal family, which was not like home, and thus unintentionally stumbled upon Zhao Chengxin's entanglement with the second princess.
Both princesses were born to the empress and had the right to inherit the throne in the martial Northern Zhou Dynasty. However, in the end, they all came to the same conclusion in this era, where there were greater restrictions on women.
When the royal family learned that the two were fighting, in order to prevent the royal family's scandal from being exposed, the royal family naturally tried their best to cover it up, and the second princess was also stripped of her right to inherit the throne.
Zhao Liangxu still can't figure out whether Zhao Chengxin harbors some wicked intentions or simply wants to use this incident to remove his sister from the competition.
She stared at Zhao Chengxin, who was now in a somewhat insane state, and couldn't quite put her finger on it.
But she has never been afraid of anything. She had suffered from fear due to illness in the past, which may have enabled her to overcome her fear of death and calmly look at problems now.
Zhao Chengxin was a very thoughtful person. Despite his current display of deep affection, he didn't really believe that Zhao Liangxu could help him. However, Zhao Liangxu felt that her imperial brother must be hiding his doubts.
His current behavior reflects both excitement and a test.
If Zhao Liangxu were to directly display a willingness to serve her elder brother, Zhao Chengxin would likely become suspicious.
Zhao Liangxu then granted Zhao Chengxin's wish.
She scoffed at Zhao Chengxin's feigned affection, took a step forward, and kicked him hard.
Even though Zhao Chengxin was paying attention to Zhao Liangxu, he didn't notice her changes in expression. He was caught off guard by her sudden attack and stumbled a few steps after being swept away by her leg, barely managing to regain his balance.
"Your Highness, you don't hold back at all." Seeing that his kind words had failed, he stopped calling her Fourth Sister and acted as if the brotherly affection he had just shown was nonexistent, his face turning icy.
"Who shares your deepest feelings? I spent far more time in Southern Zhou than in Northern Zhou. Forget about sibling affection; I probably have a stronger bond with a cat I kept in Southern Zhou than with you. Besides..."
Zhao Liangxu took two steps back, seemingly out of fear or hesitation. Zhao Chengxin's brows twitched, sensing something was wrong. She finally made up her mind: "If we're talking about brother-sister affection, I really don't care for it. Otherwise, my brother might have almost taken this affection to bed with me."
Zhao Chengxin's pupils contracted slightly. He had always cared about his reputation and was quite hypocritical, but now Zhao Liangxu had suddenly brought it up, tearing away that almost non-existent fig leaf.
She looked disgusted.
Zhao Chengxin was furious: "Fine, fine, fine!"
He must have been kicked in the calf by Zhao Liangxu, leaving a bruise. The pain made his eyes redden. He took a deep breath and cursed, "Zhao Liangxu, how dare you slander me like this!"
He glared angrily, his eyes red like a wild beast's.
Zhao Liangxu shrank back as if frightened. When she saw Zhao Chengxin's angry eyes, her legs went weak and she slid to the ground, her hands accidentally touching the broken pieces of the porcelain bowl that had just contained the medicine soup.
The wide, thick sleeves of the winter clothes provided excellent concealment, which moved Zhao Liangxu.
She quickly found the largest and sharpest piece of porcelain, her face still showing sadness and fear as she said, "Isn't this because my brother doesn't care about my safety at all, but instead insists on sending me back to the most dangerous place?"
Her voice was filled with fear and desolation. She braced herself on the ground with her hands. The room was filled with still, lifeless objects. Only Zhao Liangxu, standing in front of Zhao Chengxin, trembled as she hid her grief in her hair. She was one of only two people in the room whose emotions were running wildly.
It makes sense; people often talk nonsense when they're angry, and now he's so scared that his legs are weak. This timid and cowering appearance matches what I remember.
The prince returned without any royal bearing, only cowardice and fear of trouble, and developed a host of bad habits.
Zhao Chengxin believed it to some extent.
Zhao Liangxu lowered her head, frustrated that she couldn't squeeze out any tears, and blinked desperately to make her eyes appear moist.
"I pushed my fourth sister too far, but she really doesn't know what to say. I guess I was too hasty."
Zhao Chengxin sighed, thinking that both sides had compromised and he could put his gentlemanly mask back on.
He shook his head with his hands behind his back and shouted towards the door, "Lu Ming! Take the Fourth Prince away and let him have some peace and quiet."
Zhao Liangxu did not resist. Lu Ming grabbed her arm and left, so she got up and followed him.
She had considered using the porcelain shards to cut the rope and take Zhao Chengxin hostage, but she wasn't stupid. She had only practiced her rudimentary skills for half a month; how could she possibly defeat the martial-minded prince of Northern Zhou?
Don't wait until she breaks free of the ropes before letting the already alert Zhao Chengxin take her down.
Furthermore, even if she subdued Zhao Chengxin, she wasn't confident she could break through the group of guards outside the door.
After much deliberation, I decided that self-preservation should be my priority.
*
Anhe was enjoying himself at home at the time. It was rare for him not to be on duty in the palace. He had been busy preparing for the New Year these past few days and hadn't had a moment to rest. He was, after all, the Ninth Prince, and had such great power. Why would he work himself to death?
Therefore, after handling the important matters, he entrusted the rest to his promising godson and returned to his residence to rest.
He lay on the daybed in his study, and when he had some free time, his thoughts drifted to Zhao Liangxu.
He felt he shouldn't be so angry about Zhao Liangxu; since she had lied to him, he might as well kill her to vent his anger.
He has already assigned Xiao Chengzi to Zhao Liangxu, and with a maid keeping an eye on her, he believes she will be able to find some clues in a while, and Zhao Chengxin will be able to follow the trail.
But he still felt uneasy.
The floor heating had already made the study warm and cozy. An He took off his python robe and leaned against the couch wearing only a dark-colored long gown without any patterns.
Perhaps it was too hot, making him feel drowsy, otherwise why would he feel that treating Zhao Liangxu was too hasty and forceful?
Anhe was already feeling irritable when the eunuch outside the study knocked on the door urgently but dared not enter. Hearing the rapid "knock knock," his temples throbbed, and he grabbed the teacup beside him and threw it at the eunuch. The sound outside the door then fell silent.
"What about the rules? What's the rush?"
The eunuch, not daring to be presumptuous, reported through the door, "Your Highness, Xia has sent word that Zhao Chengxin has been located, but..."
There was hesitation outside the door, and no response could be heard from inside. So he continued, "It's just that Princess Zhao has been kidnapped."
Upon hearing this news, Anhe's hands clenched tightly.
"What did you say? What about Chunyi and Xiayi? Could it be that they couldn't stop them at all?"
They were kidnapped so easily?
The order was only given today, and on the very first day the two maids followed him, Zhao Chengxin was already spotted? Zhao Liangxu was kidnapped?
"Chun and Xiao Chengzi were drugged and unable to resist, and fainted in the teahouse... Princess Zhao was then taken out of the teahouse and put into a carriage. Fortunately, Xia Yi was still nearby. Upon seeing the carriage, she followed it and sent a message."
The study door opened, and a wave of hot air rushed towards the eunuch's face. An He put on a black cloak and looked down coldly at the eunuch who was reporting.
"Explain yourself clearly! Why wasn't Xia Yi by Zhao Liangxu's side? How could Zhao Liangxu just walk away from the teahouse so openly? What are you all doing?!"
The undercover agent was sweating profusely, but still gritted his teeth and replied, "Xia said that Princess Zhao encountered someone she resented. She originally wanted to resolve this trouble, but after leaving the teahouse, she saw Princess Zhao being led away by a woman, so she followed them. Our people received the news and entered the teahouse, where they discovered a strange fragrance. The fragrance was even stronger in the private room that Princess Zhao had booked. The fragrance made people weak, limp, and mentally exhausted. In extreme cases, it could even cause people to fall asleep. Everyone in the teahouse looked tired, which may be why they overlooked Princess Zhao's departure."
Xia said that although the woman was of ordinary build, her movements showed that she was a trained fighter, and she was most likely a remnant of the Northern Zhou.
An He looked up at the eunuch's head, his voice solemn: "You sent someone to follow Xia Yi as soon as you received the news?"
"Xia has already taken the lead, and we have sent people to follow the traces he left behind. I have come to report to Your Majesty." The eunuch swallowed hard.
An He understood the arrangements, but that didn't stop him from kicking the guard: "You can't even keep an eye on one person? Hurry up and prepare the carriage! You'd better let us see the thieves from the Zhao family of Northern Zhou brought to justice!"
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Author's Note: Eunuch An isn't in a hurry at all. Just wait and see, you're about to be finished.
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