Xin He’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly: "There’s such a broken-down courtyard in the royal mansion?"
Xiaoyu said: "The royal mansion is just too big, and the princesses rarely visit the outer courtyards. It’s normal not to know about this place. Because no one comes here and even sweeping the servants haven’t paid much attention to it over the years, it ended up like this. Please watch your step, Princess."
Xin He nodded and stepped on the withered grass as she went into the courtyard.
When she reached the door of a side chamber, she saw two guards standing guard. As soon as they saw Xin He, they immediately bowed their fists and said, "Greetings, Princess!"
"Open the door." Xin He said indifferently.
"Yes." The guards respectfully complied and turned to push open the door.
As soon as the door was pushed open, a gust of dust choked Xin He. She held a handkerchief to her mouth and nose, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed.
The guards realized their rudeness, lowered their heads in embarrassment and said, "I was careless."
Xin He waved her hand: "It’s fine. You guys wait outside."
After saying that, she strode directly into the room.
The room’s light was very dim, with only a small, broken window barely letting in a few strands of light. The furnishings inside were so simple that Ji Xinhe couldn’t help doubting if she had returned to the most difficult days when she lived in a thatched hut in Yangluo Bay seven years ago.
Song Yalin sat in an old taishi chair, which was the only chair in the room. Her face was as calm as ever, and she didn’t seem surprised at Xin He’s arrival.
Xin He walked up to her, looked up and down at the dilapidated and oppressive room and Song Yalin’s fallen appearance, her voice cold: "Is this your so-called ambition? Coming to such a broken house, becoming a captive like a criminal, not knowing when your life will end, is this what you want?"
Song Yalin looked up at Ji Xinhe. For some reason, even though she was sitting down and Ji Xinhe was standing, she couldn’t feel a hint of accomplishment or nobility. Instead, the sight of this woman standing before her, looking down on her, made her shudder and feel a suffocating sense of oppression.
Song Yalin forced herself to calm down and looked up at her: "So what? Is it not allowed?"
Xin He stared at her, her eyes seemingly piercing through everything, making Song Yalin feel that all her careful thoughts were exposed in front of her.
"Song Yalin, I know you’re a clever woman, a profit-driven clever woman. You wouldn’t have agreed to this arranged marriage if it didn’t benefit you greatly. Before marrying in, you should have guessed today’s situation. Why did you still come?" Xin He looked at her, her voice cold and bone-chilling.
Song Yalin,a woman full of ambition, was long discovered by Ji Xinhe. She didn’t think highly of the Wang family. How could a small wealthy family satisfy her appetite? The only thing in this woman’s eyes was supreme power. Otherwise, why would she keep dragging things on with the Great Prince? Eventually, after the Great Prince impulsively annulled their marriage, she immediately teamed up with Duan Lan. Once Duan Lan failed, she willingly became the emperor’s chess piece just to enter the Pingyang Prince Mansion.
Now that she’s indeed in the mansion, what about it? Was this a life fit for a so-called "side consort"?
Had Song Yalin done all this just for today?
Impossible. So, what was she up to? Was it for Mu Houchu? Ji Xinhe couldn’t believe it. In that woman’s eyes, all she saw was an endless ambition for power and not an ounce of affection for anyone. In Song Yalin’s heart, affection seemed childish, laughable, and worthless.
Poor Madam Song wanted her daughter to marry the man she loved, but she didn’t realize that her daughter only wanted to marry power, power at the very top.
Song Yalin sneered at Ji Xinhe: "What do you want to know from my mouth? Are you restless and afraid that your position will be taken by me, or even become a dead person one day? What if you’re scared? You can’t stop what’s going to happen. All you can do is wait for death!"
"So arrogant? Do you think that with your current situation, you’ll die later than me?" Xin He sneered.
Song Yalin’s usually calm face shattered, revealing her ambition and twisted personality. No longer any hint of Yu State’s number one young lady’s grace and dignity, she glared furiously at Ji Xinhe, with gritted teeth: "You won’t die, you just don’t dare to kill me yet. You still want to maintain the superficial peace
with the court, so you don’t dare to act rashly against me. Otherwise, why did you spare my life? Out of kindness, huh!"
Xin He reached out and grabbed her throat, looked down at her terrified face coldly and said, "Indeed, I can’t let you die yet. But, Song Yalin, you’re too naive. There are a thousand things worse than death in this world. You grew up in a boudoir, you probably didn’t know that, did you?"
Song Yalin’s arrogant face finally revealed fear, and she looked at Xin He with terror: "You..."
"What?" Xin He raised her eyebrows and said coldly, "I’m giving you a chance now. Tell me the purpose of your coming here. It’s best to tell me willingly before I decide to make you suffer. Otherwise, when you start suffering and then tell me, it’ll be too late."
Xin He’s voice was haunting, with a hint of gloom, the warning overflowing from her tone.
Song Yalin’s face turned pale right away, whether from being choked by Xin He or from her own fear. She trembled all over.
Xin He sneered in her heart. No matter how great the ambition, she was just a delicate lady raised in a boudoir, not at all used to be frightened.
However, at this time, Xiaoyu came in and whispered in Xin He’s ear: "Princess, Madam Song has arrived."
Xin He’s eyes slightly cooled, and she let go of Song Yalin. She clutched her reddened neck and coughed, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Xin He: "You poisonous woman!"
Xin He took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands and looked coldly at her: "The words I said today, you’d better remember each and every one. I’ll give you a day to think about it. I’ll come back tomorrow. You can choose to be honest or continue to play dead, but I advise you to be careful. Otherwise, you’ll find out how cruel I can be, far beyond what you can imagine."
After that, she gave her a cold, warning look and turned to leave.
Looking at Xin He’s cold and determined figure, Song Yalin trembled all over, not knowing whether it was from anger or fear. No matter how much she hated Xin He now, she had to admit that this woman, from her bones, carried a natural spirit of a queen. She was different from any woman Song Yalin had ever met. Even a single glance from her could make you tremble and fear her.
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