Chapter 34: To Be the Princess’s Vanguard, Until Death
"The medicine, Matron, where is my medicine?"
"Hong Yue, where is my medicine?"
"Ngh... my belly... my belly, why is it big again? Why is my belly big again..."
Agony. Misery. Collapse.
Xiao Li found herself trapped again. She had become Princess Xuanyang, but at the same time, she wasn’t.
Princess Xuanyang’s body was like a shell, and she was just a lonely soul locked inside, possessing no control but sharing all of the princess’s emotions.
Princess Xuanyang had not been taking care of her pregnancy. Even at five months, her belly wasn’t very large. Her whole body was somewhat swollen and bloated, making her stomach less obvious. Yet, she could feel her belly growing larger, and could even feel something moving inside.
She demanded abortifacients, drinking them bowl after bowl, but it was useless. The child was not lost. They said she was crazy. How could she be so vicious as to want to abort her own child?
"Matron... Matron... help me... I don’t want to have a baby..."
"Hong Yue, Lan Yue... my belly... there’s something in my belly... get it out of me..."
She pleaded, breaking down, desperately feeling the life growing in her womb. That wasn’t a child; it was a demon come to claim her life.
But to prevent her from aborting the fetus, Lu Yanzhi had replaced everyone around her with stout, strong old women who watched her at all times.
She refused to eat or drink, wanting only to die. They finally relented and let one of her own people in, but what was brought to her was still medicine to protect the fetus.
"Ah...!"
She felt the baby move again. Her hands clawed frantically at her stomach, wishing she could tear it open and pull out what was inside.
Bloody scratches, one after another, covered her stomach—a gruesome and terrifying sight.
She tore and clawed, pounding at herself.
The old women on guard rushed over. Each took a side, pinning her to the bed. They used cotton cloth to tie her up, trussing her to the bedframe to stop her from harming herself.
Those old women scorned her. ’What woman doesn’t have children? She loved the Prince Consort so much before, but now she’s making a scene just because she’s having a baby. How shameful.’
They said, ’The Prince Consort loves the Princess so much. Who knows what kind of trouble she’s stirring up. It was a sin for this child to end up in her womb.’
They swore, ’As long as we’re here, don’t even think about harming the child! This child has suffered so much and is still alive. Heaven itself is protecting him. You must give birth to him!’
Princess Xuanyang went mad. She hit others, she hit herself, and even tried to commit suicide.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor both sent people to check on her. The crazed Princess Xuanyang was like a vicious ghost, terrifying and appalling.
Neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager wanted to deal with her. Seeing how dedicated the Prince Consort was to her, they even praised him for his loyalty and affection, entrusting all her affairs to his management.
Once the Princess Mansion was completely under the Prince Consort’s control, Liu Xueyin could enter it as freely as if it were her own home.
She came to see Princess Xuanyang and persuaded her, "The child is innocent. No matter how much you’re suffering, you can’t harm the child."
She said, "Brother Yan Zhi doesn’t look down on you. He’s even helping you keep your secret and will raise the child as his own in the future. What more could you be unsatisfied with?"
She said, "And there’s me. I’m willing to be its little auntie. We won’t discriminate against it."
Every sentence avoided mentioning the rapist, yet every sentence was a reminder to Princess Xuanyang, making her keenly aware that she was carrying another man’s bastard child.
"Get out!"
She shrieked, shoving Liu Xueyin.
Lu Yanzhi rushed forward to help Liu Xueyin up, his face full of concern and heartache. When he turned to look at Princess Xuanyang, his expression changed in an instant. He snarled with disgust, "Have you had enough of your madness? Xue Yin was only trying to help you. She spoke to you so kindly, so don’t be ungrateful."
Seeing this, Princess Xuanyang suddenly understood something.
"Adulterer and adulteress! Adulterer and adulteress!"
"I’ll kill you!"
"All of you, go to hell!"
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"Hah..." Xiao Li shot up, Princess Xuanyang’s furious roars still ringing in her ears.
’A nightmare?’
’No...’
’That really happened in the past. It wasn’t the future, and it wasn’t fake.’
Xiao Li got up, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and opened the door to go outside.
The night wind blew, instantly chilling the sweat that covered her body, a cold that pierced to the bone.
"Princess..."
Lan Yue, who was on night watch, rose to her feet. Xiao Li raised a hand. "Don’t follow me."
She walked toward the pavilion opposite hers. The lamps in the pavilion were extinguished, leaving it pitch-black, but she didn’t need any light. Step by step, she ascended to the upper floor.
The Four Treasures of the Study were laid out on the desk. She had destroyed everything related to the shotgun.
Lu Yanzhi wasn’t dead, and she couldn’t get into the Lu family estate.
"Liu Xueyin... now it’s your turn."
’Xiao Li truly regretted it. At the time, she had only been thinking about how killing Lu Yanzhi would give her an alibi, but she had overlooked the fact that the hunting grounds would have been a perfect opportunity to kill Liu Xueyin as well.’
’Although with Prince Chen also there, the chance of success might not have been high, it was still better than her current situation.’
’She couldn’t just sneak into the Chen Prince Mansion to kill Liu Xueyin. The male lead’s mansion was heavily guarded, and the male lead himself was a master of martial arts. For her to go would be digging her own grave.’
’She had to make Liu Xueyin come out on her own.’
Lu Yanzhi, Liu Changge... the Liu Family...
Xiao Li changed direction, snatched a lantern, and walked without stopping toward the West Garden. With a BANG, she kicked open Rong Qing’s door.
Rong Qing was startled awake. His hand had already reached for the saber at his side, but the moment he saw it was Xiao Li, his killing intent vanished.
Surprised and at a loss, he asked, "Princess, what brings you here?"
Rong Qing’s leg had just been scraped to the bone and he couldn’t move it, but he wasn’t lying down. Instead, he insisted on struggling to sit up, trying hard not to be discourteous.
Xiao Li walked to the bedside with the lantern, pressed a hand on his struggling shoulder, and planted one foot on the edge of the bed. The lantern light illuminated her face, heavy with Death Qi, her entire being shrouded in gloom.
Her gaze was fixed directly on him. "Rong Qing, have you pledged your loyalty to me yet?"
Rong Qing didn’t hesitate for a second. "I am willing to be the Princess’s vanguard, to serve you until death."
Rong Qing had strong, resolute features and an extremely rough voice. He was a rugged man through and through, full of masculinity, and his words were quite stirring.
Xiao Li looked at him with satisfaction.
"Find someone to break the legs of Princess Chen’s younger brother, Liu Changge. Can you do it?"
She stared at him without blinking, waiting leisurely for his reaction.
Who would have thought that Rong Qing wouldn’t hesitate at all? He nodded. "As you command. This subordinate will see it done."
’Xiao Li had told him to "find someone," which meant if that person caused any trouble, he would ultimately have to take the blame.’
’And she had casually ordered someone’s legs to be broken—the brother of a Princess Consort, no less. Anyone else would have heard that and felt some apprehension, hesitating for a moment, yet he was completely unfazed.’
’Is it absolute loyalty, or is he so cunning that he has some other motive?’
Xiao Li raised her hand and nonchalantly tapped the spot between his eyebrows. "This Princess will be waiting for your news."
’It doesn’t matter what kind of person Rong Qing is. All she wants is her desired result.’
A cold wind blew in, making Rong Qing shiver. The night breeze scattered the sweet fragrance that had enveloped him. The warmth in the room dissipated, and he had no idea how long she had been gone.
Only the faint sensation of her touch on his forehead remained, like a brand that refused to fade.
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