Chapter 28: Exposed "Shushu, the game of self-deception should also end...
When the bright moon hung on the branches outside the courtyard, Yan Shu finally waited for Xiao Yu.
It was dinner time, and Yan Shu had already ordered the dishes to be prepared in the kitchen. When Xiao Yu entered the room, she politely went forward to serve him a seat.
The dishes in the small kitchen had been pleasing Yan Shu's taste lately, and today's was no exception. But Yan Shu looked at the exquisite food on the table and had no appetite at all.
Her eyes fell on the grape wine beside her, and her heart beat faster.
She had already added the aphrodisiac into the wine. It was colorless and tasteless. All she had to do was coax Xiao Yu into drinking it and wait for the drug to take effect. Then she would be done.
This wine jug is secretly equipped with a mechanism. It contains two inner chambers: one filled with drugged wine, the other with ordinary grape wine. The handle is controlled by a mechanism that controls which chamber the wine is poured from.
Seeing the girl in front of him not moving her chopsticks for a long time, Xiao Yu seemed to narrow his eyes.
"It seems that today's dishes are not to Yanyan's liking."
Hearing his indifferent tone, Yan Shu came back to her senses and hurriedly picked up a piece of food to cover it up.
"These are all my favorite dishes, how could they not suit my taste?" After saying that, she took a few bites of the dishes, picked up the wine pot and poured two glasses of wine. Then she walked to Xiao Yu with a smile on her face and gently handed one of the glasses of wine to Xiao Yu.
"This fine grape wine tastes very good. I would like to offer a glass to the king." After saying this, the girl drank the whole glass. Her cheeks turned red and her eyes were moist.
A faint smile seemed to flicker across Xiao Yu's narrow eyes, and he reached out to take the other wine cup from the girl's hand.
Yan Shu's heart suddenly began to beat wildly.
She watched Xiao Yu bring the wine to his lips and then drink it all in one gulp.
The dust settled in an instant.
Xiao Yu put down his wine glass, and his gaze fell on her lightly. The bottom of his dark eyes was as calm as an ancient well, full of emotions that Yan Shu could not see or guess.
"Since Yanyan likes it, I will naturally not refuse."
The young king's tone was as gentle as usual, but it made Yan Shu feel inexplicably uneasy.
Yan Shu looked at the empty bottom of the cup in front of her, and the feeling in her heart was indescribable.
Maybe it's excitement, or guilty conscience, or maybe there's a hint of guilt mixed in.
However, the medicine will take effect in just half an hour, so all she has to do now is wait quietly.
Yan Shu raised her eyes and smiled softly, "Your Majesty loves me so much, I have nothing to repay you with, so I can only offer you a toast."
After saying that, Yan Shu pretended to casually pick up a piece of food for Xiao Yu, in order to show that the toast she had just made was reasonable.
Xiao Yu accepted all of her words, still smiling gently.
After dinner, when the palace servants cleared the dishes away, less than half an hour later, Yan Shu saw Xiao Yu raise his hand and press his brows, as if the medicine was beginning to take effect.
Yan Shu's heart suddenly began to pound, and she asked softly, "Is Your Majesty tired?"
Xiao Yu shook his head slightly, leaning against the couch, his long, bony hands supporting his temples.
"I'm fine, just take a rest for a while."
Yan Shu looked at him with his eyes closed as if he was dozing off, and a blush gradually appeared on his fair face, obviously the aphrodisiac had taken effect.
Yan Shu took a few steps forward, got close to Xiao Yu and called out to him softly.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"
When Yan Shu saw that Xiao Yu closed his eyes and did not respond, she knew that the matter was done.
"Your Majesty, I will go take a bath. Please take a good rest first."
Yan Shu said softly, although she looked calm, her heart was beating like a drum.
After she finished speaking, her heart beat faster. Looking at Xiao Yu's increasingly flushed face, the girl slowly stepped back and left.
After walking behind the screen, Yan Shu changed into a palace maid's outfit, turned her head and took a steady look at the young king on the couch, then walked out of the inner hall without looking back.
Chu Yuan had been waiting outside the hall for a long time. When he saw Yan Shu come out, he knew that the matter was almost done, so he immediately stepped forward to greet her.
"Lady Yan, how is the king?" Chu Yuan had been waiting outside the palace for quite a while. Seeing that Yan Shu had not come out for a long time, she became extremely anxious.
Yan Shu raised her eyes and looked at Chu Yuan, who was wearing the same dress and hairstyle as her before she changed her clothes. She felt inexplicably complicated.
In order to prevent Xiao Yu from noticing, Chu Yuan asked her about her dress in advance yesterday, and fortunately she was wearing the same outfit as her today.
But compared to the upcoming freedom, this inexplicable emotion at the moment is nothing.
"The medicine is taking effect. Miss Chu can go in now." Yan Shu's expression was calm and her voice was light.
Chu Yuan nodded when she heard this. After knowing what was going to happen next, she couldn't help but blush, feeling a little expectant and a little shy.
Yan Shu was still in a hurry to leave at this moment, so she just looked at her and asked:
"I have already done what the Queen Mother requested. It's time for you to fulfill your promise to me."
Chu Yuan was stunned when he heard this, and then his expression became quite questioning.
"Is Lady Yan really willing to leave the Xiao Kingdom?"
At such a critical moment, Yan Shu couldn't help feeling angry when she saw Chu Yuan still asking these irrelevant questions.
"Are you going to go back on your word, Miss Chu?" Yan Shu frowned slightly, her expression clearly showing some dissatisfaction.
Chu Yuan's expression froze slightly, and he immediately shook his head to deny it.
She naturally hoped that Yan Shu would take the initiative to leave the Xiao Palace. After all, such a powerful opponent was already a huge threat to her path to becoming queen.
So now that Yan Shu has asked to leave the palace, it is a happy occasion for both Yu Chuyuan and Yan Shu.
Chu Yuan handed the bronze medal hidden in his sleeve to Yan Shu.
"This is what your aunt prepared for you. With it, you will be able to get out of seclusion easily."
Yan Shu recognized it as the pass and immediately reached out to take it. After carefully confirming that there was no problem, the heavy stone in her heart finally fell.
Qingtao had already packed their luggage, and now they just had to wait for her to meet up with the pass, so they could leave the palace immediately.
"The carriage and horses you requested have already been prepared by my aunt. As soon as you leave the palace, someone will come to pick you up."
After saying this, Chu Yuan's eyes showed some hesitation and disgust, and he paused and said, "As for the person you want, I have also prepared the carriage and horses."
After Chu Yuan finished speaking, he looked at Yan Shu meaningfully, then turned around and pushed the door open to enter the hall.
Yan Shu looked at her back, feeling a little dazed. It was not until she clenched the bronze medal in her hand that she felt a sense of real security.
Her goal has been achieved.
After today, as long as she successfully left Xiao Country, all her previous worries about her life would be over. She no longer had to worry about the tragic death in her previous life.
Yan Shu quickly turned around and left, holding the bronze medal. But before she took a few steps, she heard a sharp scream from her Baohua Hall.
"Miss Yan, save me!"
The same cry for help rang in her ears again, and Yan Shu, who was about to leave quickly, was stunned for a moment.
That’s Chu Yuan’s voice!
Yan Shu was shocked and stunned, not knowing why Chu Yuan was calling for help again.
Xiao Yu had already taken Chinese medicine, so logically speaking, he was no longer conscious. Why would Chu Yuan suddenly scream?
Could it be that Xiao Yu has woken up and discovered that he was being bullied by her?
Yan Shu was shocked and immediately quickened her pace for fear that something unexpected might happen.
But before she could leave the gate outside the palace, the guards who had been guarding there for some time immediately rushed up and reached out to stop her.
But when Yan Shu took a closer look, she found that this group of guards were not the ones who guarded Baohua Palace in the past!
"Lady Yan, please go back." The leading guard had a cold and sharp look on his face, and he immediately recognized Yan Shu, who was dressed as a palace maid.
Yan Shu looked at the group of unfamiliar guards in front of her and her face suddenly turned pale.
She had no idea when the guards in Baohua Palace were replaced today.
Thinking back to Chu Yuan's screams just now, Yan Shu's heart suddenly sank.
Everything that is happening now only illustrates one situation.
Xiao Yu must have known her plan for a long time, so he sent people to wait here.
As Yan Shu was escorted to the palace gate, her heart had already turned cold. At this moment, no sound could be heard in Baohua Palace, and Yan Shu's mind was blank.
"Your Majesty, Lady Yan has returned!"
The guard's voice was sonorous and powerful, and it was particularly frightening outside the huge Baohua Palace.
There seemed to be silence inside the palace gate for a moment, and then Yan Shu heard Xiao Yu's voice, which was as flat as a pool of stagnant water.
"Bring it in."
The guard didn't hesitate, he just raised his hand, and the two people behind him pushed the door open.
A cool breeze suddenly blew over, and Yan Shu couldn't help but shiver.
The moment she was pushed into the hall by the guards, Yan Shu raised her eyes again and her whole body trembled violently.
The man who should have been unconscious was now standing with his back to the palace door, holding a sword in his hand, while Chu Yuan was kneeling beside the couch with a look of fear in her eyes. Her face, which was delicately made up, was already tear-stained and pale.
Seeing Yan Shu come in at this moment, it was like seeing a life-saving straw, and immediately trembled in his voice: "Save me... Lady Yan! Please save me quickly!"
The tall figure with his back to the palace door did not turn around, but just gave a faint order.
"Drag him out and execute him on the spot."
Yan Shu shuddered and subconsciously tried to struggle, but the guards behind her let her go and ran straight towards Chu Yuan who was kneeling on the ground.
The next moment, Chu Yuan was dragged up by two guards. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She struggled hard and cried out:
"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me! This was all Concubine Yan's idea. Yuan'er is innocent!"
Yan Shu's face also turned pale as she watched Chu Yuan being dragged out.
But Xiao Yu didn't react at all. He just stood there with his back turned. The flickering candlelight fell on the corner of his black clothes, revealing a dark and cramped atmosphere.
The moment she was dragged past Yan Shu again, Chu Yuan suddenly grabbed the corner of her clothes. Her pretty face was already distorted from crying.
"Lady Yan, please save me! Please save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
With a "swish" sound.
The sharp sound of tearing silk was heard in the hall, and the corner of Yan Shu's clothes was pulled off by her.
Chu Yuan cried and screamed, but was still dragged out by the guards.
She seemed desperate and angry, staring at Yan Shu with hatred in her eyes.
"Yan Shu! It's all your fault! It's all your fault for coming up with this idea! I will never let you go even if I die! I will never let you go even if I die!"
"Yan Shu! You will not die well! You will not die well!"
Yan Shu had already lost all her strength, and Chu Yuan's sharp curse rang in her ears. She looked at Chu Yuan who was dragged out of the palace gate and was about to be beheaded on the spot by the guards. Her face turned pale immediately, and she couldn't help but shouting at the dark figure in the palace.
"She's innocent!"
Yan Shu's heart was beating wildly, her face was pale, but she still suppressed her fear and shouted out.
Yan Shu knew that she could not escape death today, but Chu Yuan was indeed implicated by her. If she was to be killed on the spot like this, she would really not be able to rest in peace.
"Everything that happened today was my idea. I deceived Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please punish me alone!"
Yan Shu raised her head, her voice trembling slightly.
As she finished speaking, a light laugh seemed to be heard in the air, and the slender figure finally turned towards her.
The man's dark, narrow eyes curved into crescents, his thin, crimson lips curled up slightly, and his tone contained a hint of a creepy smile.
"Shushu, it's time to end this game of self-deception."
There was only a scream outside the hall, and then silence for a moment.
Yan Shu widened her eyes in horror, and her pretty face completely lost all color.
It was because of Chu Yuan's tragic death outside the door, and also because of Xiao Yu's "Shu Shu."
Six years ago, the hostage Xiao Xun loved to call her "Shu Shu".
But now the young King Xiao, who disguises himself every day, only calls her "Yan Yan".
This sentence at this moment clearly showed that Xiao Yu was finally going to tear off the gentle mask that he had disguised for so long with her today.
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