Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Ling So what? She is just a paper tiger. Even if she is locked away, it won't shake her in the slightest. There will always come a day when she escapes from here and becomes the new favorite of the Young Master.
She secretly sneered, her hair styled ever more delicately and softly. Her hair was beautiful, thick and black, cascading down to her shoulders, chest, and knees, all the way to the ground, resembling a black waterfall hanging down. She had the most beautiful hair, the highest nose, and the most enchanting eyes; with such beauty, how could she not captivate men?
She lightly parted her red lips and spoke to her reflection in the mirror: “Yan Dan So what? In my eyes, she is nothing but ordinary. How could she possibly compare to my charm?”
“Shouldn't that be called lewdness?” Zhong Xue's voice rang out. “With your character, you aren't even worthy of carrying Yan Dan's shoes. How dare you compare yourself to her? This Lord thinks you must be delusional, truly believing yourself to be some kind of celestial fairy.”
Ying looked up, realizing that someone had appeared in the mirror without her noticing. The person was looking at her with bright eyes and a mocking smile on their lips.
Recognizing who it was, Ying coldly smiled: “Am I not a fairy? Is she really a fairy then?”
“I don't know if she is a fairy, but I do know that you are not even worth a single strand of her hair.”
Ying turned around and met his gaze without fear. “Is this how Lord Jun treats his benefactor?”
Zhong Xue glanced at her. Ever since he became Chengyang Jun, fewer and fewer people dared to look him in the eye. This Ying, though a woman, had quite the courage. But then again, if she didn't have that courage, how could she possibly resort to such despicable tactics?
He sneered: “Benefactor? Who is whose benefactor?”
“Lord Jun must have forgotten that if it weren't for my help back then, you wouldn't have gotten her. You must have enjoyed yourself last night when you came here. Am I not your benefactor?”
Zhong Xue nearly laughed in anger. He was already shameless enough; he never expected there would be someone even more shameless than him. That was quite rare.
She snorted coldly: “This Lord keeps you around just to sow discord and act as This Lord's spy. I didn't expect you to be so out of touch with reality.”
Ying let out a laugh: “Lord Jun, your words are truly amusing. Those who don't know might think you're taking advantage while pretending to be virtuous.”
Zhong Xue glared at her and suddenly said, "This Lord never hits women, but you are the exception."
He raised his hand and slapped her twice, "Smack, smack," leaving her face swollen and causing a molar to fly out of her mouth.
After hitting her, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands. "Let today’s matter be settled. From now on, if San Chun loses even a single hair, This Lord will chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs."
Ying touched her face, which really hurt. She sneered, "Does Lord Jun want to count how many hairs she has on her head? Just in case one falls out while combing, it would be hard to calculate."
"A woman like you, filled with resentment and jealousy, resorting to any means like a venomous snake, really thinks she can win Ji Xun's love? Even if Ji Xun were blind and heartless, he would never truly care for you. Don’t you think it’s pathetic that a woman who can only use tricks to get a man believes she can find happiness?"
"My affairs are none of your business."
Zhong Xue certainly didn’t want to meddle. Seeing her was like seeing his past self, desperately struggling but unable to escape the torment of fate. He fought hard for what he wanted, using all sorts of tricks, only to end up covered in scars.
If Yan Dan had changed him back then, showing him hope and the light of life, then San Chun now was like a stick that woke him up, making him realize that loving someone requires sincerity.
※
When something happened at the young master’s residence, Zhao Empress quickly learned about it. Her son and daughter-in-law did not come to the palace to pay their respects; how could she sit still? Wouldn’t she send someone to inquire?
Actually, there was no need for her to ask. Zhong Ling entered the palace and immediately cried to the Queen about the situation: the young master spent the night with a maid in a side room and did not visit either lady's chamber.
Zhao Empress was naturally furious and ordered Ying to be executed immediately.
Ji Xun pleaded for a long time but could not persuade the Queen to retract her order. Poor Ying thought she could elevate herself with a bit of cleverness but ended up just being a dreamer.
The oriole could not bear it any longer and, at the moment of death, revealed San Chun. As a lady, she was no longer a virgin and was considered unclean. Moreover, Zhong Ling had a terrible disease; anyone who shared a bed with her would be infected.
This is what is known as "a thief's bite penetrates to the bone." Under the arrangement of those with ulterior motives, her words became widely known throughout the residence. In less than a day, many outside had heard various rumors. This left those tasked with dealing with her hesitant to take action; if they killed her, it would be tantamount to admitting that everything she said was true. Someone hurried to report to Queen, asking for her decision.
Zhao Empress was furious upon hearing this. If it were just San Chun, it would be one thing, but now her niece was also involved. If they dealt with her now, others would think it was true, making things even more complicated.
She ordered someone to summon Ji Xun and said to him, "You need to resolve the issues arising from your residence. If any more bad rumors spread, your title as Crown Prince will be in jeopardy."
"Understood." Ji Xun stepped back and left.
In his opinion, it would be best if all three women were well and unharmed—whether San Chun, Zhong Ling, or the oriole—living peacefully without conflict.
So after returning home, he explained to the oriole that if she wanted to survive, she needed to declare that all those words were false accusations aimed at framing the two ladies; she simply wanted someone to take the blame before dying.
The oriole naturally listened to him and clarified that those words were slanders against both ladies, merely an attempt to drag someone down with her before her demise.
Ji Xun kept his promise and did not kill her; he only sent her to the laundry room. Thus, a farce in the young master's residence concluded with a harmonious outcome for all three parties.
When San Chun heard the news, she merely smiled faintly. Ji Xun had always been adept with women; getting them to change their words was an easy task for him. However, did this mean he was protecting her by keeping others from knowing about her affair with Zhong Xue?
She sneered inwardly; perhaps he was doing this just to enjoy the benefits of all three parties and achieve multiple goals with one action.
At that moment, a maid peeked in and softly said, "Madam, the young master has arrived."
It had been quite some time since she had spoken a word with Zhong Xue. Now seemed like the right moment to lay everything on the table. She sighed and said, "Let him come in."
Ji Xun walked in, followed by a guard carrying a large food box.
He said, "I heard you haven't eaten much lately, so I brought your favorite dishes for you to have a little."
He ordered the servants to place the dishes on the table, and there were more than ten dishes, all of which were indeed her favorites.
San Chun didn't even look at them and softly said, "Why do you bother, Young Master? Isn't it tiring to come every time?"
"I know you won't forgive me, but everyone has times when they are helpless. Ying made a mistake, but she is still my lifesaver."
San Chun lifted her eyelids slightly. "Do you know what she did?"
Ji Xun nodded. "I didn't know at first, but later I asked the maid who prepared the wine and found out that she had drugged you and me that day."
San Chun sneered. "Then you should also know that Ying's actions were real. That night Zhong Xue came..."
Ji Xun's body trembled. He knew San Chun had been drugged, but he didn't know that there had been a man in her room that night, and that person was actually Zhong Xue.
"You... you actually were with him..."
"The drug Zhong Xue used was extremely potent. If it hadn't been resolved, you wouldn't be seeing me now. Or perhaps you would see me as just a corpse." She spoke languidly, looking up at his incredulous expression. Her voice suddenly turned cold. "What? Surprised? I was just as surprised when I saw you with Ying. Heartbroken? I felt the same pain then. Your current feelings are exactly what I felt back then."
Ji Xun's heart truly ached. The pain from years ago, the pain of losing her—did he have to endure it all over again?
He didn't know what to say or what to do; he just felt an emptiness inside him, as if someone had hollowed him out and refused to give it back.
He stumbled out of her room, feeling lost, and didn't even notice the pain when he bumped into the door frame. He felt as if he was being mocked by fate; he had clearly brought her back to life, so why, why did she still not belong to him?
San Chun watched him leave, feeling quite unsettled. How had it come to this between two people who once loved each other? Zhong Xue had always enjoyed playing tricks on good people, and it seemed that was indeed the case.
The tables were filled with dishes that had grown somewhat cold after sitting for a while. A maid asked her, "Madam, would you like to eat something?"
"No, just have someone take the food away." She didn't want to eat anything he had sent over.
Although she hated Zhong Xue, her hatred for Ji Xun was even deeper now. If it weren't for his indecisiveness and keeping Ying by his side all this time, how could she have been harmed to such an extent? And now, he was unwilling to send her away; was it because he already had feelings for her?
Ying had only spent a month or two in the laundry room before being brought back, as she had become pregnant. A woman carrying the child of a young master naturally deserved her due rewards. The Queen was very pleased upon hearing this and made her Ji Xun's Concubine. Just as she had hoped, she became the most favored one in the young master's residence.
Since that day, Ji Xun had not visited the Western Garden again. As time passed, the servants in the residence began to speculate that the Spring Princess was no longer favored. Even these servants and maids started to look at her with disdain.
It was unclear whether someone was deliberately spreading rumors, but gossip about her began to circulate in the residence. They said she had been with another man on her wedding night and that was why the young master ignored her. Such a shameless woman should have been kicked out of the residence long ago.
Under such rumors, San Chun's days became quite difficult. Historically, those from royal families often looked down on others; many servants saw that she was not favored by the young master and began to neglect her as well. At first, no one cleaned her bedroom, and eventually, no one even brought her meals twice a day. When she wanted to eat, she had to stand at the door and call out to all the maids before someone would slowly come over.
Comment 0 Comment Count