Chapter 72 You Never Learn from Harsh Words
"Don't touch me!"
Lin Shutang looked at the person in front of her in fear, like a sparrow with its feathers ruffled struggling in the water, trying to push his hand away, "Get away from me!"
"You don't want me to touch you?"
His voice was soft, yet each word was as cold as ice, “But what part of Ah Tang’s body haven’t I touched?”
"Um?"
As he spoke, he gave it another heavy thud.
Lin Shutang leaned back against the bathtub, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her flushed fingertips gripped his shirt tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably, "Chen Yun, why didn't you let that fire burn me to death?"
“Burning those sketches along with the drawings would prevent the rest from happening.”
She looked at him pitifully, and Shen Yun suddenly stopped moving. The ice on his face melted, and he was momentarily dazed.
"You hate me, don't you? You hate me for having an affair with Xi Yue, and for marrying Song Ying?"
She suddenly laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks, her red eyes filled with mockery and pity. "But what can we do?"
"He's dead, killed by the crossbow I made. Your momentary mercy killed him. Even if you killed so many people, you can't undo anything!"
"Madam Zhou still sees you as a venomous scorpion, avoiding you for so many years. You keep a woman who killed her own son by your side, how can you have the face to go and pay respects to her?"
"Shen Yun, stop deceiving yourself, okay? You're just a hypocrite. You treat him like your best brother, but you can't even bring yourself to kill the culprit who killed him. So all you can do is hurt innocent people, as if that will lessen your guilt!"
"I really pity you, Shen Yun. You can't get what you want, and you always lose what you have."
Lin Shutang burst into uncontrollable laughter, and all his sharp and vicious words, like a barrage of arrows, pierced Shen Yun mercilessly, leaving her no way out.
She was completely intent on provoking him.
"Let me think, what was I doing when Zhou Ziyang died?" Her innocent tone was like a deadly poison, and a smile rose at the corner of her mouth, a charming and alluring smile, "I was preparing for my senior brother's... wedding."
The last sound was so faint it was almost crushed in Shen Jun's hand that he was holding her chin, yet it still rang clearly in their ears in the silent room.
Shen Yun glanced at her, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss. "Yes, that's why I killed them."
He made no attempt to hide it, reaching out to brush away the strands of hair damp with water from her cheek. "But Ah Tang may not know that the people who helped you escape on Xiwu Mountain were the ones who slipped through the net at your wedding back then."
"Ah Tang, do you think I should take their lives again to alleviate my guilt?"
His tone was very soft, as if he were asking a question, but it left Lin Shutang completely bewildered.
That night, the people who helped her leave were her fellow disciples.
No wonder the voice sounded so familiar.
Back then, Shen Yun massacred the Lin family, but fortunately, thanks to her intervention, many members of the Lin family still managed to escape through the back door.
Although Shen Yun's men gave chase, they ultimately knew Xi County better than the others. Although Lin Shutang didn't ask, he had a gut feeling that they had managed to escape successfully in the end.
When Song Ying appeared and Lin Shutang saw that he was still alive, he became even more certain that his other fellow disciples were also alive. Otherwise, how could Song Ying have crawled out of a pile of corpses and how could he have recovered from his injuries?
So, did they actually come to Yujing with Song Ying?
Lin Shutang vented her anger without restraint, thinking she had no weaknesses left, but unexpectedly, Shen Jun easily seized on her weakness again.
She looked back at him, trembling, with no doubt that he would harm them.
She shook her head unconsciously, her lips parting slightly, as if only now feeling a surge of fear, "No...don't..."
"Don't want to?" he asked, sounding somewhat troubled. "But as long as they don't die, you always want to run away. You're never giving up, and you keep trying to leave me."
He pressed his fingertips against her lips, his expression inscrutable, his sinister tone sending chills down her spine.
"How about I cut off their hands and feet so they can't take you away anymore? Pull out their tongues so they can't say anything to bewitch you anymore? Gouge out their eyes so they'll be useless and have nothing to do with Shutang anymore."
He murmured to himself, as if he were seriously considering doing so.
Sensing the tremor in the person before him, he looked up at her and saw her crying uncontrollably. Suddenly, he chuckled softly.
He gently wiped away her tears and softened his tone to comfort her, "Don't worry, I won't touch them."
“The charge of treason is enough to cost them their lives.”
Lin Shutang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The breath he had just breathed because of Shen Yun's assurance suddenly surged back into his chest, and a sore throat rose in his throat. He clearly had a thousand words to say, but he couldn't utter a single one.
"Ah Tang wants me to save them?"
Shen Yun seemed to know what she was thinking, and seductively asked, a smile playing on her lips as Lin Shutang looked on with hope, "Then what will A-Tang give in exchange?"
Lin Shutang's expression suddenly stiffened.
She had just been speaking recklessly and belittling the person in front of her, and now she was being asked to slap herself in the face and beg him?
Seeing her reluctance, Shen Yun's forced gentleness gradually cracked. He bent down and looked directly into Lin Shutang's eyes. "What? You can ask Song Ying, Chang Ning, and Shen Xiuyan for help, but I, as your husband, find it difficult to ask?"
His tone was filled with resentment and bitterness, as if he was deeply resentful of Lin Shutang's biased treatment.
"Lin Shutang, I should be the person closest to you."
Lin Shutang didn't speak, but tears flowed unconsciously. She knew that she could never escape Shen Yun in this life.
She slumped into the water like a wilted eggplant, her whole body slumped. No matter how unwilling or resentful she was, the spider web binding her held her tightly.
Shen Yun's movements were still so gentle as he lifted her out of the water, dried her body with a handkerchief, and placed her on the bed.
With a crisp snap, a cold chain was fastened around her ankle. Lin Shutang closed her eyes in despair and turned her head away.
"Ah Tang, you're always so naughty, but it's okay, I'll teach you." His voice fell softly into her ear as he tenderly kissed her slender, white neck.
-
Jingyuan Residence fell into an eerie silence once again. It was clear that the lady had only been released from her bedroom not long before the door was closed again.
The servants didn't know what was going on inside, but every night, the watchmen could faintly hear the sound of bells ringing inside, ringing until dawn.
When the crown prince summoned water, a thick, simmered medicinal soup would be brought in, but no one knew what it was.
No one dared to inquire, and no one dared to gossip.
Servants dare not speak much about their masters' affairs, but rumors spread very quickly among the servants.
Qiuhe, who was in charge of feeding the goldfish in the courtyard, disappeared without a trace. Later, someone found her head in the eldest son's courtyard.
The eldest son, however, has contracted some unknown illness and has been bedridden for many days. His condition has worsened rapidly, and he is still running a high fever.
Everyone wondered to themselves if they were being haunted by Qiuhe's spirit.
But he only dared to think these words in his heart; he would never dare to say them aloud.
Those in charge remained silent, and those below them were also terrified, no matter how curious they were, they dared not ask any more questions.
However, since the beginning of summer, the Duke's mansion has been shrouded in a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere, which makes people restless in the middle of summer. Occasionally, when they look up at the sky, they feel a sense of impending storm.
This is likely because the matter on Xiwu Mountain has not been completely resolved, and the Third Prince's faction has not yet been found.
Throughout the court and outside the capital, everyone was filled with unease, wondering when the Third Prince would lead his troops into the city.
Lin Shutang was completely unaware of everything that was happening outside.
She stayed in this room every day, and the chain around her ankles was of limited length, which restricted her movement within the room.
Only when Shen Yun returned would he briefly untie her chains, but even then, he would only hold her in his arms.
Lin Shutang felt as if everything had returned to three years ago. No matter how unwilling she was, everything had returned to the starting point.
In the end, she became just another plaything in Shen Yun's hands.
Lin Shutang cried every night, and when Shen Jun entered her, she cried so hard she couldn't catch her breath. She didn't understand why Shen Jun treated her like this, why he always made her feel like a prostitute.
Is it true that in his heart, he sees himself as such a person?
He wanted to take revenge on himself and demean himself.
But she couldn't tell him the truth. The crossbows had clearly been destroyed by her, and the sketches had disappeared the very night she decided to go find Qin San.
When Shen Xiuyan told her that Zhou Ziyang died at the hands of a crossbow made by her Lin family, she simply didn't believe it.
But as her thoughts wandered, she suddenly thought of Song Ying.
During the period when Shen Yun disappeared, he often left early and returned late, his hands covered in bloodstains.
She asked him what he was doing, but he remained silent, only saying that he had a way to save Jingmutang.
Later, Jingmutang was indeed out of danger, but one night an uninvited guest arrived in the courtyard...
My father died at the hands of those people, and my senior brother led me all the way back to Xi County in hiding.
At that time, he was the only person I could rely on...
Lin Shutang dared not think any further. Once a crack was torn in some things, they became like a kite battered by rain, and everything she had always firmly believed in began to crumble.
If the truth is indeed as she thinks, then once Shen Yun finds out, her senior brother will surely die.
If they make him mistake her for someone else, they might be able to earn a living...
"Are you so sad?" Shen Yun lifted her head from her neck, gently wiping away her tears with his fingertips, a playful smile in his dark eyes. "But aren't you feeling quite comfortable?"
As he spoke, he sank in.
Lin Shutang frowned, and large, warm tears slid down her cheeks, soaking her pillow with what was indistinguishable as either sweat or tears.
Her fingertips dug deep into the firm muscles of his back, leaving bloody marks. She looked up at his shoulder, panting and breathing evenly, "Chen Yun, I pity you."
Something seemed to flash across his eyes, then he tilted his head and scoffed lightly, "Fine, then I hope you'll pity me a bit more."
He pried her legs apart and rhythmically rammed and struck her.
Lin Shutang's complete indifference was stirred into a tide of emotion and passion.
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Author's Note: The previous chapter's "C" has been deleted, and new plot has been added at the end. Those who have already read it, remember to go back and read it again, otherwise the new chapter won't connect. (Dog head with rose) [Dog head with rose]
I was driven crazy by revising the story and was going to take a break from updating today, but it's hard to stop updating! So I quickly started writing! Here it is! (droopy-eared bunny head) [droopy-eared bunny head]
Here's a pre-order link for [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]: "My Raised Nephew Can't Be a Villain!"
Interested friends, could you please lend a helping hand and water this peppercorn? (Starry eyes) [Starry eyes]
[Copywriting]
Princess Chaoyang was sent to the Northern Region for a political marriage at the age of sixteen, and when she was twenty-one, the new emperor ascended the throne, conquered the Northern Region, and finally welcomed her back.
The young nephew, whom everyone despised in the past, has become the emperor who holds the power of life and death over the world. Chaoyang, who had once been kind to him, has also risen in status and has been granted the honor of being the Grand Princess of the Xian Dynasty, with a fief of a thousand households.
It is said that the new emperor is indifferent and has little connection with his relatives. He killed his father, brothers, and nephews, but he is deeply affectionate and loyal to his aunt.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the new emperor readily agreed when Princess Chaoyang requested permission to rekindle her romance with her childhood sweetheart.
But who would have thought that just three months after the wedding, the prince consort was accused of treason and colluding with the enemy. Under pressure from the court and the people, the new emperor had no choice but to execute him.
Princess Dilian had lost several husbands in succession, and fearing that she might be depressed, he specially brought her into the palace to recuperate.
But only Chaoyang knew that the golden palace, the jeweled curtains, the jewels and silks were nothing more than a prison he had built for her.
Countless nights, this beast in human form forced her to commit countless acts of depravity, his whispered questions echoing through the night: "Aunt, they can do it, why can't I?"
"Compared to those dead people, who makes Auntie feel more at ease?"
Note: Pseudo-orthopedics. The woman is unclean.
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