Chapter 40: A Ruthless Person Would Even Kill Themselves
Xiao Li played with the golden hairpin Lou Yan had returned to her. The pin had killed someone, but she felt no aversion to it whatsoever.
Stained with Gu Ling’s blood, the golden hairpin seemed to shimmer with a sanguine glow. It was exquisite.
It was all thanks to Gu Ling’s arrogance and overconfidence back then. He hadn’t taken a mere woman like her seriously; otherwise, she never would have been able to kill him.
Lan Yue entered and brought Xiao Li a bowl of bird’s nest soup. "Princess, the Prince Consort has returned."
’Lu Yanzhi?’
"Are his injuries healed?"
Xiao Li’s expression finally shifted when she saw Lu Yanzhi walk into the Princess Mansion under his own power. ’That successor of the Divine Doctor really is something else.’
It had only been half a month since the assassination attempt. He had been on the brink of death, yet now he was already on his feet.
Although Lu Yanzhi looked gaunt, his spirits were good. His face was no longer deathly pale; there was no sign that he had recently been at death’s door.
"Princess."
Lu Yanzhi bowed slightly. "Princess, my body is no longer in any serious danger. I apologize for making you worry all this time."
’How could he possibly think I was worried about him?’
’Oh, right. I *was* worried... about whether he was dead or not. So he’s not wrong.’
"Why are you in such a hurry to come back? Why not rest for a few more days?"
Lu Yanzhi replied calmly, "I couldn’t bear to let you worry any longer, Princess. Besides, I can recover in the Princess Mansion just as well."
’Just listen to that gentle, tender voice. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we were a deeply loving couple, as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from me.’
’But the real reason he rushed back was to appease the Emperor. He’d just withdrawn the case to get Liu Xueyin out of trouble and was afraid of His Majesty’s displeasure.’
’I’m still just a pawn used to balance their power.’
’On one side, hypocritical family. On the other, a husband who’s practically an enemy. There are so many ways to balance power, but they just had to use a woman.’
’They’re all fucking garbage!’
"Excellent. This princess has missed you dearly, Prince Consort. It was terribly unlucky that an assassin broke into your courtyard. Since you’re back, you’ll move in with me. That way, this princess can—per-son-al-ly—take care of you."
Xiao Li deliberately drew out the word, her smile sinister. Anyone could see she was up to no good.
Sure enough, Lu Yanzhi’s expression froze. "Princess, my injuries aren’t fully healed. The smell of my daily medicine is quite strong, and the wound itself is unsightly. I wouldn’t want to frighten you. It would be best if I returned to my original quarters."
Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. "What’s the issue? I drink medicine every day myself, so I’m used to the smell. Besides, why would I ever find your wound unsightly?"
’I’m the one who gave it to him. It’s practically a work of art. The only regret is that it wasn’t deep enough. Just a little deeper, and he wouldn’t be standing here alive before me now.’
"Princess..."
Lu Yanzhi tried to refuse again, but Xiao Li’s expression changed in a flash. "If you don’t want to be here, then get out!" she snapped. "Stop making excuses. Do you think you’re some chaste maiden? What’s with the affected modesty?"
"You were perfectly fine recuperating at the Lu family estate for all those days, so why the sudden urge to return? You know perfectly well what schemes you people are cooking up. You’re like a beggar complaining the food is spoiled! Am I, a dignified princess, so desperate that I have to stand here and watch you put on this hypocritical act?"
"The Lu family is so noble; this princess is unworthy of you! This Princess Mansion is no holy temple, and it cannot house your pure, inviolable body!"
After Xiao Li finished her tirade, the crowd at the entrance stood dumbfounded and silent.
Lu Yanzhi’s face alternated between ashen and livid. He had clearly never expected Xiao Li to humiliate him so thoroughly right at the main gate.
"Xiao Xuanyang!"
Madam Lu, following behind him, could no longer bear to see her son humiliated. She finally rushed forward, her eyes wide with fury. "How can a princess like you be so cruel? Yanzhi rushed back the moment he recovered, and you greet him at the gate with vicious words and insults! As a princess, how can you be so vulgar?"
"Mother! Please, say no more." Lu Yanzhi anxiously tried to stop her. Wary of his injuries, Madam Lu didn’t dare make any sudden moves. She was both furious and heartbroken. "My son, you are the apple of my eye! You are not meant to be trampled on by her like this! You’re still so weak. Why have you come here to suffer?"
"BWAHAHAHA... HAHAHAHA..."
Xiao Li suddenly burst into raucous laughter, collapsing into Lan Yue’s arms as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
’And wasn’t it the funniest joke in the world?’
’Lu Yanzhi has a father and a mother. He’s Madam Lu’s precious treasure. But Princess Xuanyang has no parents, so she deserves to be bullied by everyone.’
’Trampled on. What a perfect word. Isn’t that exactly what this is?’
’It’s just that once, Lu Yanzhi trampled on Princess Xuanyang. Now, I, Xiao Li, am just returning the favor.’
’What goes around, comes around. Payback’s a bitch!’
"I had no idea the Prince Consort was still an unweaned babe," she sneered. "You’re more than welcome to take him home and continue coddling him. It’s not like I forced him to return."
She was smiling, but her expression suddenly shifted, her grin turning cold and venomous. "However, I am determined to get to the bottom of this business with the assassin in my mansion. To dare injure someone on my grounds... I will stop at nothing to catch the culprit. I won’t spare a single person involved. I will catch them with my own two hands, throw them into the Imperial Prison, flay them, rip out their tendons, and grind their bones to dust!"
’A truly ruthless person will even kill their own. But they don’t know that, do they?’
Madam Lu and the others thought Xiao Li had gone mad, that she was just spouting nonsense. But Lu Yanzhi knew her words were aimed at someone.
’He had returned to the Princess Mansion specifically to get Xue Yin out of this mess. He couldn’t provoke the Princess into going after her.’
"Mother," he said, holding her arm tightly, his face pleading. "Please, leave the matters between the Princess and me to us. I beg you, go home."
Looking at her son’s pale, troubled face, Madam Lu’s anger deflated into helplessness. She hated herself for not begging her father-in-law and husband to prevent the imperial marriage decree, which had ended up ruining her son’s life.
She looked down, wiped away a tear, and patted Lu Yanzhi’s arm. "I won’t make things difficult for you, my son. You must take care of yourself."
She wanted to give some instructions to Lu Shu, but seeing the rigid expression on Lu Yanzhi’s face, the words died in her throat.
Madam Lu departed with a heavy heart. Lu Yanzhi slowly stepped forward. "Please forgive me, Princess."
’He can even stomach that? Is he a turtle or something?’
Xiao Li’s gaze swept over the people who had come with him, and she noticed a particularly conspicuous figure among them.
"Is Doctor Cen moving in as well?"
Cen An stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness, Madam Lu was worried about the Prince Consort, so she specifically asked this humble servant to accompany him."
"Is that so," Xiao Li said with a smile, then raised a hand and beckoned. "Yang Jun."
Yang Jun immediately led a group of guards forward. "Your subordinate awaits your command!"
Xiao Li pointed a slender finger and said nonchalantly, "Go and ’invite’ Doctor Cen to one of the side rooms. Take *good* care of him. From now on, have him come treat the Prince Consort daily. Make sure the Prince Consort is treated until there isn’t a single thing wrong with him."
Cen An: "..."
’How did I get dragged into this?’
Lu Yanzhi said urgently, "Princess, Doctor Cen isn’t an imperial physician! He is my savior! You cannot treat him this way!"
As if Xiao Li would listen to him. She raised her hand. "Take him away!"
’Cen An had saved Lu Yanzhi, ruining her plan. She had been looking for an excuse to deal with him anyway, and now he had delivered himself right to her doorstep. She wasn’t about to let him off so easily.’