Fear, terror, panic… When Princess Qi saw Prince Qi, those emotions overwhelmed her. Her eyes instantly reddened as she cried out, “Your Highness—”
But Prince Qi felt no pity.
If she had been a great beauty in this state, he might have softened. But Li Shi was plain to begin with, and now with the horrific wounds on her face, she looked more frightening than a ghost. It would be strange to feel pity.
“Leave us,” Prince Qi told the maid.
The maid curtsied and left, closing the door behind her.
For a moment, only the couple remained in the room.
Consumed by her distress and fear, Princess Qi didn’t notice the coldness in Prince Qi’s eyes. She choked out, “Your Highness, I thought I’d never see you again…”
At that moment, hanging off the cliff’s edge, she had truly regretted it.
The cold wind had howled in her ears, making her sway precariously, on the verge of plummeting into the abyss. She had been terrified and filled with regret.
What did it matter if His Highness couldn’t ascend to that position? What did it matter if she couldn’t become Empress?
Being just a leisurely princess, perhaps she could have lived freely like Princess Yan or Princess Lu. She wouldn’t have had to endure the heartache of sending one woman after another to His Highness’s bed, nor would she have hesitated to buy herself a coveted fox fur coat.
Over the years, for that distant and difficult goal, how much had she sacrificed, how much bitterness had she swallowed?
When her life hung by a thread, she truly regretted it. Perhaps it was time to let go of her greed and enjoy life a little.
She had never given much thought to her remaining years as a princess, but now it didn’t seem so bad. After all, it was a position countless women could only dream of.
Prince Qi’s prolonged silence made Princess Qi sense something was amiss.
“Your Highness—”
Prince Qi glanced at Princess Qi, his tone cold: “Your deed has been exposed.”
“My deed?”
“Your attempt to sabotage the carriage to harm Princess Yan.”
Princess Qi’s face changed instantly: “Your Highness, what are you saying?”
“Father Emperor already knows. Li shi, from now on, you’ll stay in Youjian Hall. Don’t go out to see anyone.” Prince Qi, unwilling to linger in this cold room, turned to leave after saying this.
“Your Highness, Your Highness—” Princess Qi, ignoring her pain, chased after him and grabbed his clothes tightly. “Please explain clearly, what exactly happened?”
Prince Qi turned back, briefly explaining the situation. Facing Princess Qi’s horrifying face, his expression grew colder: “Things have come to this, there’s no turning back. Just behave yourself and don’t make a fuss.”
Princess Qi looked at this utterly cold man, feeling as if her soul had left her body: “Your Highness, am I still dreaming?”
“Look in a mirror, and you’ll know if it’s a dream,” Prince Qi said flatly.
He was furious with Princess Qi.
He had never seen such a foolish woman, harming others only to entrap herself, and nearly implicate him as well.
Hearing Prince Qi’s suggestion, Princess Qi looked around and rushed to the dressing table in the corner.
The terrifying face in the mirror made her scream: “No, no—”
Seeing Princess Qi descend into hysterics, Prince Qi grew more impatient and turned to leave.
As he reached for the door, Princess Qi, having come to her senses, rushed over and grabbed him.
“Your Highness, you know, you know, I did all this for you!”
Prince Qi remained silent.
Princess Qi grew more desperate, shouting recklessly: “I never intended to harm Princess Yan, it was Mother Consort who told me to do this—”
“Silence!” Prince Qi turned, his voice harsh.
Princess Qi quieted for a moment, seeing the man’s eyes grow fiercer as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.
“Li shi, at a time like this, you still want to implicate Mother Consort? What are your intentions?”
Princess Qi shook her head: “Your Highness, you know it was Mother Consort’s order…”
Prince Qi sneered coldly: “Li shi, have you lost your mind? Even if it was Mother Consort’s idea, so what? Do you want me to explain this to Father Emperor and have Mother Consort banished to the Cold Palace?”
Princess Qi was stunned, growing more distraught.
This wasn’t right. Of course, she didn’t want Mother Consort to be punished, but His Highness’s attitude shouldn’t be like this.
“Alright, just stay here quietly from now on. You won’t be deprived of food and necessities—”
Princess Qi couldn’t bear to hear more. She cried out hoarsely: “Your Highness, I’ve planned for you for so many years. Is this how you treat me now?”
Prince Qi frowned, his voice icy: “Li shi, your confinement is Father Emperor’s decision. What do you expect me to do?”
Princess Qi kept shaking her head: “It’s not like this, it’s not like this—”
Prince Qi sneered impatiently: “What are you fussing about? Do you expect me to go against Father Emperor’s wishes and let you remain the mistress of Prince Qi’s household?”
Princess Qi wept, laughing bitterly: “Does Your Highness truly not understand? I don’t have Princess Yan’s abilities. I lost to her, and I accept that. I accept the Father Emperor’s punishment for my exposed actions. But why can’t you be a little kinder to me? Even a word of comfort would suffice…”
She cried, looking through her tears at the man whose face seemed blurred and distorted. She felt desperate and pained, yet deep in her heart, a glimmer of hope remained.
Just hold her, tell her she had worked hard, that she had suffered. Even if she had to live a half-life from now on, she would accept it.
But Princess Qi was destined for disappointment.
Under her accusations, the man’s expression grew colder: “Li shi, don’t keep saying it was for me. Wasn’t it for the Empress’s phoenix crown?”
Princess Qi was stunned, her face turning deathly pale.
Prince Qi stared at Princess Qi for a while, then sighed: “Stop making a scene. Apart from a few maids and old women, no one will come to Youjian Hall anymore. Even if you speak nonsense, no one will dare spread it. Stay quiet and live longer. Perhaps you’ll see Yuan’er get married.”
Princess Qi’s face changed dramatically. She cried out, “You, you’re using Yuan’er to threaten me?”
Prince Qi’s tone remained cold: “I’m not threatening you with Yuan’er, I’m reminding you. Think it over. There’s no use in making a fuss. I’m leaving now, and unless necessary, I won’t come here again.”
With that, Prince Qi pried Princess Qi’s hands off him, opened the door, and walked out.
The sound of the closing door jolted the dazed Princess Qi. She rushed to the door to open it, only to find it had been locked from the outside.
“Open the door, open the door—”
Prince Qi could still hear the heart-wrenching cries as he walked to the courtyard, but he never looked back, quickly making his way to the front court.
The news of Princess Qi and Princess Yan’s encounter with the spooked horses on their way back from offering incense spread quickly through the capital.
What? Princess Yan was unharmed, while Princess Qi nearly fell off a cliff and lost her mind from fright.
How could there be such a big difference when they were in the same carriage?
When people learned of the amounts the two princesses had donated to the temple, Baiyun Temple’s income suddenly soared.