In the dimly lit room, with the doors and windows sealed shut, the women who rushed forward saw the sudden surge of crimson in the boy's eyes and screamed in terror as they retreated, pounding on the doors and windows and begging the guards outside to let them out, crying out, "Monster! Monster!"
"Let us out! Let us out!"
No woman dared to go any further. They leaned against the sealed doors and windows, watching the boy's movements with unease and suspicion.
They watched helplessly as sharp teeth sprouted from the boy's mouth, his exquisitely beautiful face resembling that of Satan descended to earth, exuding a chilling, malevolent aura. With each step he took, the bells on his feet rang out, like the drumbeats of death summoning souls—clang, clang, clang—
A group of women were terrified, their faces turning pale: "Ah! Help! Help us out!"
"Someone, please save us! Please save us!"
The boy moved slowly, yet in the blink of an eye, he was upon her. The woman in the pale yellow dress was choked, her screams abruptly cut short. Looking into those crimson eyes, she struggled desperately, glancing in terror at her scattered companions, her eyes pleading as she managed to utter, "Sister, save...save...me..."
No one dared to step forward; they all huddled together in fear.
They had no idea what was happening when a group of guards, armed with knives, stormed into their home, brought them here, and forced them to serve Prince Jin. If they could conceive a royal heir, they would enjoy endless wealth and honor. Seeing that Prince Jin was such a handsome young man, they naturally became interested. But why did Prince Jin suddenly become like a monster, killing so many people...
The boy bared his fangs and opened his mouth to bite off the woman's smooth neck.
A woman dressed in a light-colored silk dress suddenly knelt down and said urgently, "Your Highness Prince Jin, my sister's blood is not delicious. If you want to drink blood, drink my blood instead. Please spare my sister." She knelt and wept bitterly.
Si Jin didn't speak, his crimson eyes staring at the woman in his hands for a while, then sniffing her scent. Suddenly, he frowned, threw her away, and muttered, "Something's not right, something's not right..."
The terrified women screamed and ran away as he stumbled toward them, but he grabbed them by the neck one by one, piercing their skin with his fingertips and smelling their blood. Without exception, he said, "No."
A group of women were thrown to the ground. Seeing him clutching his head, acting like a madman, with the bloodshot in his eyes growing thicker and the bells jingling, they dared not cry out loud anymore. They were afraid that if he tightened his grip on their necks even a little, they would end up like the women on the ground who had tried to seduce Prince Jin, their blood splattering everywhere, their bodies lying on the spot.
They sobbed softly, terrified, and shrank back towards the doorframe.
No one came to rescue them. From the moment they were brought into this house, their life or death was in the hands of Prince Jin.
Suddenly, a woman in a light-colored silk dress asked softly, "Is Your Highness Prince Jin looking for Princess Jin?" She had heard that Prince Jin and Princess Jin were deeply in love, and that even though they had been married for half a year, Princess Jin was the only one in the household and he never took any concubines.
"What is Princess Jin's name? Does anyone know Princess Jin's given name?" the woman asked the people around her.
The group of women looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, the youngest woman said, "I heard my brother say that Princess Jin is the God of War General of Kuiyang Kingdom, named Xu, Xu Xie."
"Yes, that's her name. I heard the storyteller in the teahouse tell her story about Prince Jin."
"Lead Prince Jin to find Princess Jin. Prince Jin would never harm Princess Jin..."
"Your Highness Prince Jin, are you looking for Xu Xie?" The woman in the light-colored silk dress stood up, her courage trembling. However, the young man's eyes were bloodshot, as if he had fallen into a state of chaos. The female corpse on the ground was still bleeding, and the pools of red liquid made him feel uncomfortable.
“Sister, His Highness Prince Jin would never call the Princess Consort by her given name. Why don’t you try using a more affectionate nickname like Xiao Xie?” said the woman in the pale yellow dress.
She tentatively called out, "Xie Xie."
Sure enough, the boy's magma-colored eyes shifted slightly as he looked at her.
The woman trembled in fright, paused for a moment, and then cried out again, "Xie Xie."
The boy took a slow step toward them. Although his eyes were bloodshot and terrifyingly red, his expression was not ferocious. Instead, he seemed confused and cautious. He followed them and muttered in a hoarse voice, "Xie Xie, Xie Xie," as if he was wondering who Xie Xie was.
Seeing that this method was effective, the women quickly began to recite it as well:
"General."
“Ah Xie”.
“Evil.”
"Evil treasure."
"Little Evil".
The boy slowly and sluggishly stopped in front of them. His red eyes were bloodthirsty and dangerous, and blood was splattered on his porcelain-white face, even on his brow bone. They were still trembling with fear when they heard his thin lips move, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is Xie Xie? Where...where is she..."
"Outside," the group of people breathed heavily, staring in horror at those bloodshot eyes, their bodies trembling like leaves in the autumn wind.
A moment later, the sealed door was ripped open by the boy, and thick blood gushed out. The guards only saw a pair of bloodthirsty and cold eyes, and before they could even defend themselves, they fell to the ground, lifeless.
The Imperial Palace.
Lin Jinwei was reporting the situation at Prince Jin's residence to the emperor. The emperor, looking exhausted, rubbed his acupoints. When he heard the report that Si Jin had killed several women who wanted to sleep with him, he didn't seem to care. "Let him kill them. They are all respectable women, not daughters of court officials. They can't cause any trouble. If he kills a batch, I will send him another batch. Tell him that if he doesn't favor those women, he can forget about seeing Princess Jin again."
Lin Jinwei looked reluctant. Respectable women are human lives too. His Majesty is disregarding human life in order to force Prince Jin to submit.
He naturally dared not say this, and bowed his head in agreement. Then he heard the emperor's gloomy voice coming from above him again, "Has the cause of the crown prince's death been found out?"
Lin, the imperial guard, trembled and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, the coroner has confirmed that the Crown Prince's death was indeed caused by that male favorite. At the time, Princess Jin was under the influence of the bone-softening powder and did not have the strength to repeatedly stab... the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess has also confessed that she conspired with that male favorite named Ning Mingshao to kill His Highness the Crown Prince..."
"Order men to whip Ning Mingshao's corpse, tear him apart by five horses, grind his bones to dust, and scatter his ashes. Strip the Crown Princess of her title, demote her to a commoner, imprison her in the imperial prison, and execute her in the autumn." The emperor's eyes were red with hatred. No matter how absurd the Crown Prince was, he was still his son!
"Your Majesty, what about the Grand Tutor..."
"Never mind! He raised a fine daughter!" The Emperor's anger was not yet appeased: "Is there any dissatisfaction from Princess Jin?"
"Princess Consort Jin is in poor health and did not express any dissatisfaction along the way. She only asked me to pass on a message to His Highness Prince Jin..."
"What did you say?" The emperor's sharp gaze fell on him.
"Princess Consort Jin asked me to tell His Highness Prince Jin that she is doing well."
"That's all?" The emperor looked doubtful.
"yes."
"Alright, you may leave. Inform me again if there is any progress on Prince Jin's side," the emperor said, his head throbbing with pain. He waved his hand, dismissing the emperor.
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