The cold, rough stone wall pressed painfully against Taohua’s back. She struggled forcefully, but Shen Zaiye pinned her hands down, lowering his head to bite the string of her undershirt.
“Snap!” As the string broke, something fell to the ground with a crisp sound, likely shattering.
Shen Zaiye didn’t notice. It was just a pendant, and he had no time to care about such things. He only wanted to see the pain on this woman’s face to ease his own heart.
Taohua’s expression flickered slightly. After glancing at the ground, she let out a soft sigh, completely giving up her struggle. She stared at him coldly, as if looking at a stranger.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you happy to serve me before?” Shen Zaiye sneered. “Now that you’ve found a better branch to perch on, you look at me like this?”
“Yes,” Taohua nodded. “Now I find you unpleasant no matter how I look at you.”
“How heartless,” Shen Zaiye gazed at her with deep eyes. “You talked about being together forever, but you’ve forgotten in an instant.”
Taohua chuckled lightly, glancing at him. “You’re the forgetful one, my lord. The ‘forever’ I spoke of ended with those four words ‘Our relationship is over.’ To me now, you’re just a powerful stranger, not even as gentle and considerate as the Crown Prince.”
“Jiang Taohua,” Shen Zaiye’s face darkened as he gripped her neck. “You’d better not keep provoking me.”
“Oh,” Taohua nodded, her eyes devoid of emotion. “Then please finish quickly. The Crown Prince will be looking for me soon.”
His hand tightened on her wrist. Shen Zaiye laughed coldly, then fiercely sucked and bit her neck, leaving scattered red marks from her neck to her chest.
What a childish person, Taohua thought silently, realizing for the first time how immature Shen Zaiye could be. These marks did him no good. What was he trying to prove?
As noon approached, Shen Zaiye finally released her. He adjusted his clothes and said to Taohua, “A woman like you will end up in a pig cage sooner or later. Don’t go too far.”
Elegantly putting on her palace robes piece by piece, Taohua slowly tidied herself. She chuckled lightly, “You said yourself it’s only a matter of time before I end up in a pig cage. So why should I hold back?”
Shen Zaiye frowned, watching her leave without a backward glance, feeling increasingly agitated. As he stepped to leave, his foot caught on something.
Looking down, he saw a broken red string and shattered jade – the pendant Taohua had been wearing. She hadn’t let him see it earlier, but now that it was lost, she didn’t seem to care at all.
But… why did this look familiar?
Bending down for a closer look, Shen Zaiye’s pupils contracted – this was the jade token he had given Taohua when she left the mansion. It still bore the character “Shen,” now split in two and lying pitifully in the mud.
She had been wearing this? A thought struck him, and Shen Zaiye picked up the broken jade, rushing out after her.
The palace corridors were empty; Jiang Taohua was nowhere to be seen. He searched for a while, holding the jade, feeling lost.
Had he just shattered the last bit of goodness with his own hands?
Lady Li had been waiting in the palace for news from Shen Zaiye. However, after the commotion in the Eastern Palace, that woman hadn’t left but was merely demoted to a palace maid, still by Mu Wuyin’s side.
“I’ve wronged you,” Mu Wuyin said guiltily. “I wanted to give you a good life.”
Taohua smiled, lowering her eyes. “I’m not wrong. This is already quite good. Your Highness has made an exception to keep a commoner woman in the palace. I fear the Emperor will be displeased.”
Didn’t the Emperor dislike princes who couldn’t control themselves? Mu Wuyin had already stumbled because of her several times. Now, with another violation of palace rules because of a woman, the Emperor would likely put another mark against him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mu Wuyin looked at her. “Having you by my side gives me the strength to do what comes next. Don’t worry about what others think.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Taohua nodded, walking casually around his study before finding a place to rest.
Mu Wuyin didn’t stop her at all. His gaze was full of indulgence, not minding even when she flipped through nearby books. Jiang Taohua could feel he had no guard against her. Looking around the study, she didn’t hold back, pretending not to recognize characters and asking him about words in an account book. As she asked, she managed to read through the entire ledger.
Shen Zaiye returned to his mansion and immediately summoned Zhanlu, asking seriously, “Are you certain every dish that day was poisoned?”
Zhanlu nodded, “This servant put it in myself. The food was in Zhengchun Pavilion, constantly watched. No one touched it… What’s the matter, my lord?”
If nothing had gone wrong and Jiang Taohua had eaten the food, why was she still alive? Shen Zaiye couldn’t understand. He brought Xu Yangui over to ask.
“She’s still alive?” Xu Yangui gaped. “She really must be a demon!”
Glancing at him, Shen Zaiye said impatiently, “Can you say something useful?”
“… There’s no other explanation,” Xu Yangui said. “Only you had the antidote for that poison. She didn’t get it. Without the antidote, it’s certain death. So why is she still alive?”
She must have died unwillingly and turned into a demon to seek revenge!
Pressing his lips together, Shen Zaiye looked at his hand. “She was warm. Not a demon, but a living person.”
Xu Yangui: “…”
From his expression, it was clear something had happened between them again. But for some reason, hearing that Jiang Taohua was still alive made him feel better.
“She’s with the Crown Prince now?” Xu Yangui sat down leisurely. “Then she intends to directly obstruct your plans, clearly opposing you.”
Shen Zaiye ultimately planned to support the Prince Nan’s ascension to the throne. The current Crown Prince was just a stepping stone. But if Jiang Taohua helped this stepping stone, things might not have gone as smoothly as Shen Zaiye hoped.
“I know that without you telling me,” Shen Zaiye lowered his eyes. “How do you think we should deal with her?”
“I think…” Xu Yangui coughed lightly, “You should decide for yourself. You’ve already killed her once and felt the consequences. Now it’s like heaven has given you another chance. What will you do?”
Shen Zaiye chuckled softly, looking up at him. “I still think killing her is the simplest solution.”
“Then go ahead,” Xu Yangui shrugged. “But let me see her one last time before you act.”
Shen Zaiye fell silent, turning his head to stare blankly at a spot in the room. Xu Yangui tiptoed out, found a horse, and rode towards the imperial palace.
However, someone arrived at the Eastern Palace before him.
“It’s been a while since Wuxia visited,” Mu Wuyin said in a good mood, looking at Mu Wuxia. “What have you been studying lately?”
Prince Nan pressed his lips together, scanning the room before saying softly, “I’ve been learning the Great Way of Confucianism from my tutor. I heard that Royal Brother took a commoner woman into the palace, so I came out of curiosity to see.”
Mu Wuyin’s expression tightened as he frowned. “How did the news spread so quickly?”
In such a short time, not only did the Prime Minister know, but even the Prince Nan had heard.
“I just overheard some palace servants mentioning it,” the Prince Nan said. “Royal Brother is now the Crown Prince. Naturally, people are watching your every move.”
Lowering his head in thought, Mu Wuyin stood up and looked at Mu Wuxia. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
Although it’s said that no wall is completely soundproof, it seemed his Eastern Palace had walls that could spread gossip. If he didn’t warn them, the next person to show up might be Father Emperor.
“Alright,” Mu Wuxia nodded, watching him leave hurriedly. He sat quietly in the main hall, drinking tea.
A palace maid came to refill his water. Mu Wuxia paid no attention at first, but as she drew near, he caught her scent and immediately looked up at her face.
“Your Highness is quite alert,” Jiang Taohua smiled slightly, saying in an extremely soft voice, “It’s been a while.”
Taking a light breath, Mu Wuxia glanced around, seeing the other palace servants standing far away. He said quietly, “Sister Jiang, the Prime Minister is very worried about you.”
Worried about her? Taohua smiled and shook her head. “Your Highness need not concern yourself with anything else. Just help me send the ten thousand gold taels Shen Zaiye left with you to Zhao country.”
Mu Wuxia was slightly startled, remembering this matter. Shen Zaiye had mentioned a bet with Jiang – if he ever harbored thoughts of killing her, the gold would belong to Jiang.
Sister Jiang was truly open-minded. Despite sharing a bed for so long, she wasn’t angry. She seemed to have anticipated his arrival, directly slipping a folded paper into his hand.
“Guantong Bank. The name and account details are all there. Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness,” Taohua smiled, giving him a respectful bow.
Prince Nan nodded, putting away the note. He looked at her and said softly, “Are you not planning to return to the Prime Minister’s mansion? Forgive my directness, but my Royal Brother… is not a good match.”
Although Mu Wuyin wasn’t as greedy as Mu Wugou, he was cruel, disregarding human life. He never truly cared about the common people. If such a person became emperor, he would surely implement tyrannical policies, leading to widespread suffering. If she stayed with him, wouldn’t she be heading down a dead-end path?
“I understand everything,” Taohua smiled at him, handing him a second piece of paper. “Your Highness, please look carefully at what’s written here when you return. If you agree, send someone to let me know.”
What could it be? Prince Nan was very curious. He had just taken it and was about to open it when he saw Mu Wuyin returning.
“Your Highness,” Taohua pretended she had just finished pouring water, while Mu Wuxia quickly put away the paper.
“You’re here?” Mu Wuyin’s brow was furrowed with worry, but he still smiled when he saw Taohua. “This is the Prince Nan. Have you greeted him?”
Taohua smiled, bowing properly again. “This servant pays respects to the Prince Nan.”
“No need for formalities,” the Prince Nan pressed his lips together. “Someone my Royal Brother favors so much must not be an ordinary woman. However, I still have homework from my tutor to complete, so I won’t delay any further.”
“In that case, go and study diligently,” Mu Wuyin waved his hand. “Come visit your Royal Brother again when you have time.”
(End of Chapter)