The banquet at the Xie family continued until nightfall.

As a member of the wedding escort party, Chu Rui should have returned to the palace once the feast ended.

But for some reason, he didn’t want to leave.

The guests in the courtyard had all dispersed, and servants came to clean up, while red lanterns cast flickering shadows.

“Your Highness, it’s time to go,” a palace attendant stepped forward and said. “It’s getting late, and if we delay any longer, the palace gates will be locked.”

“I… I’ll go see elder sister before I leave.”

Chu Rui had drunk a bit of wine and felt dizzy when he stood up, hurriedly steadying himself against the young eunuch.

The young eunuch said awkwardly, “On the wedding night, it would be rather inappropriate for Your Highness to go see the princess.”

Chu Rui didn’t care about all that.

When he was in the palace, whenever he wanted to see his elder sister, he could go at any time.

Surely he couldn’t be prevented from seeing his own full sister just because she had married, could he?

He stumbled toward the back courtyard, and the further back he went, the quieter it became.

At the door of the bridal chamber, there wasn’t a single person.

When elder sister married, the Empress Dowager had provided sixty-four palace servants as part of her dowry!

He turned back and ordered, “Go find out where the nannies and maids have all gone.”

Shortly after, the young eunuch returned: “This servant went to inquire—the household prepared an evening meal for the servants, and all of the princess’s dowry servants went to dine.”

Chu Rui nodded. It seemed the household didn’t dare neglect elder sister’s people. This way, he could be at ease.

He turned to leave.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, carrying with it a woman’s cry for help.

His steps halted. “Did… did you hear any sound?”

The young eunuch listened carefully. “It seems… there’s a woman crying…”

Chu Rui’s drunkenness instantly sobered by half.

He hadn’t heard wrong—it was elder sister crying.

He rushed in a single bound toward the Xie family’s main courtyard. There wasn’t a single person in the yard as he charged to the bridal chamber door.

This close, he heard a woman’s crying voice from inside the room: “No… don’t come near me… ah, it hurts…”

Blood surged to Chu Rui’s heart, a metallic taste in his throat.

He swallowed the blood and kicked open the door of the bridal chamber with one foot.

He saw Lord Xie, over forty years old, bare-chested standing beside the wedding bed, holding a long whip in his hand.

His elder sister was huddled in the corner of the bed, her wedding dress torn to shreds by the whip, the exposed skin covered in wounds…

In that instant, Chu Rui understood.

Why the cause of death for the Xie family’s three previous mistresses could never be determined, with the outside world only saying they died of illness.

It turned out this beast would dismiss all servants when committing violence, and except for the victims, no one knew that Lord Xie was actually a beast worse than pigs and dogs.

“Who’s there?”

Hearing the sound, Lord Xie turned his head.

Having drunk quite a bit of wine, he didn’t immediately recognize who had entered.

Chu Rui’s eyes nearly split with rage. He grabbed a chair and hurled it at Lord Xie.

Lord Xie raised his whip and lashed at Chu Rui. The first lash knocked away the chair, the second lash struck Chu Rui’s chest.

He immediately spat out a mouthful of black blood.

“What scoundrel dares to break into this official’s bridal chamber—die!”

The third lash was a killing blow, intended to strike Chu Rui dead.

“No!” Chu Zhixia leaped down from the wedding bed and threw her arms around Lord Xie’s waist. “He is Prince Zhuang, he’s my younger brother. My lord, don’t strike!”

In the moment Lord Xie was stunned, Chu Rui climbed up from the ground and, supported by the young eunuch’s hand, quickly retreated.

Chu Zhixia let out a heavy sigh of relief, crying as she said, “My brother won’t speak of this matter, I can guarantee it…”

Lord Xie grabbed her by the throat. “If not for the Empress Dowager holding evidence of my Xie family’s embezzlement, I would never have married you! Marrying you means earning His Majesty’s wariness—the Empress Dowager has truly found me great trouble! If you obediently behave, the Xie family has a place for you. But if you dare use my Xie family to pave the way for the Empress Dowager, I’ll take your life!”

Chu Zhixia, being choked by the throat, suddenly widened her pupils.

“No…”

She squeezed out a single word with difficulty.

But it was still too late.

Chu Rui had returned, holding a kitchen cleaver in his hand.

The cleaver struck Lord Xie’s head, blood immediately flowing profusely.

But Chu Rui’s strength was far, far too little. Having been chronically ill, even using all his might, he hadn’t dealt Lord Xie a fatal blow.

Lord Xie turned around, snatched the cleaver away, and hacked at Chu Rui.

Chu Rui, a sickly weakling, was no match and was driven into a corner.

As the blade came down, the young eunuch beside him threw himself forward, blocked the blow, and died in Chu Rui’s arms.

Lord Xie’s eyes had already turned red with killing intent, completely disregarding the consequences.

One blade down.

But the blade never touched Chu Rui.

His neck was already wrapped by a whip.

“Rui’er, run quickly, go, leave this place, hurry!”

Chu Zhixia pulled on the whip, screaming hoarsely.

Chu Rui stood up from the ground. “He dared harm elder sister—he must die.”

“No… Rui’er, you can’t…” Chu Zhixia cried. “You go, leave quickly, don’t stay here anymore. I’ll handle this, leave it all to me, please…”

Chu Rui shook his head.

His elder sister was like the bright moon in the sky, yet had been whipped into this state.

And this was only the first day of the marriage.

If the one surnamed Xie didn’t die, sooner or later elder sister would die at this beast’s hands.

Without another word, he picked up the kitchen cleaver, his eyes filled with killing intent.

“Rui’er!”

Chu Zhixia’s voice carried pleading.

“If… if he must die, let me do it. Let elder sister do it.”

Her younger brother wouldn’t even drink medicine with human blood as an ingredient—if he killed someone, how could he live without burden?

The whip in Chu Zhixia’s hand tightened forcefully, constricting bit by bit.

The person who had been struggling just moments ago slowly lost strength and collapsed softly to the ground.

Chu Zhixia felt it wasn’t enough. She picked up the cleaver and hacked at Lord Xie’s neck—one stroke, then a second…

“What are you doing?”

From outside the room came several roars.

The Xie family’s three legitimate sons stood there. One rushed in with a single bound and pushed Chu Zhixia aside.

The eldest legitimate son placed his hand beneath Lord Xie’s nose and said incredulously, “You… you killed my father. How dare you, how dare you!”

He grabbed Chu Zhixia by the collar.

“Let go!” Chu Rui struggled to stand. “The dignified princess of the Great Jin Kingdom will not tolerate your insolence! Xie Zun showed disrespect to Princess Fukang—his crime deserves death!”

He grabbed Chu Zhixia’s hand. “Come, we’re returning to the palace!”

Once outside, he removed his own outer garment and draped it over Chu Zhixia’s shoulders. “Elder sister, don’t be afraid. I’ll bear all the consequences—don’t be afraid…”

Chu Zhixia’s entire body was trembling.

The head of the Xie family had died on his wedding night.

She had personally killed her newlywed husband.

There was no way she could escape unscathed.

She said slowly, “I married into the Xie family, so I’m now a person of the Xie family. I can’t return to the palace. Don’t worry—I am Princess Fukang, the Empress Dowager’s most beloved granddaughter. The Xie family wouldn’t dare do anything to me… Tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, have the Empress Dowager issue an edict for my divorce, and then I can return to the palace… Be good, Rui’er. You go back first. I’ll be fine, nothing will happen…”

At this moment, Chu Zhixia’s dowry servants all arrived as well—over sixty people, an imposing presence.

Only then did Chu Rui’s heart settle.