Chapter 566: Hidden Troubles (Part 2)

Chapter 566: The Hidden Peril (Part 2)

Xianyi Chishaou had commanded Zhao Lianxin to return to her homeland, but she’d sooner die than obey. Moying had tried repeatedly to drag her back by force to Yun Lang's Border State, yet each time he tried, Zhao Lianxin pressed a hairpin to her throat, threatening to either see Prince Yi or be sent back as a corpse to Yun Lang.

With Zhao Lianxin resorting to such life-threatening coercion and the rebellion in Zhu Xian just quelled, Xianyi Chishaou had no time to spare for her. There was nothing he needed to discuss with this woman.

Marrying her in the past and divorcing her now—to Xianyi Chishaou, it was just shedding dead weight. He felt no remorse in using Zhao Lianxin, for her predicament was entirely of her own making. She’d gambled and lost, digging her own grave.

Xianyi Chishaou refused to see her, yet Zhao Lianxin stubbornly refused to leave. If Moying manhandled her out, she’d slit her throat mid-journey.

So the stalemate lasted till the Mid-Autumn Festival, with Moying still unable to send Zhao Lianxin away.

Now, exploiting the chaos during the late emperor’s entombment, Zhao Lianxin had escaped from the prince’s residence and arrived at the imperial mausoleum. Moying had no choice but to report this to Xianyi Chishaou.

He’d botched his mission of sending Zhao Lianxin back to Yun Lang.

"Your Highness, I’ve failed you. I couldn’t even accomplish such a simple task."

Kneeling on one knee, Moying’s brows remained furrowed. In battle, he killed without blinking, yet now he was helpless against a single woman.

He also apologized for Zhao Lianxin’s audacity in barging into the imperial mausoleum at night. The woman was truly troublesome. If not for the need to consider Yun Lang’s stance, he wouldn’t have troubled the prince.

Those frosty phoenix eyes that had been fixed on the altar flickered slightly, devoid of any discernible emotion.

After a glance at Moying, Xianyi Chishaou spoke in an icy, emotionless tone:

"Get a coffin ready. If she wants to die, mail her body home."

"Understood."

With this command, Moying immediately grasped the prince’s stance—Zhu Xian need not concern itself with Yun Lang or its noble families. They would act as they saw fit.

Some scheming bitch trying to strong-arm the prince with her life? Now that the prince had spoken, if she wanted to die, so be it. No one cared for her life. Their previous restraint had only been due to the prince’s silence.

With this order, Moying strode away, the weight on his shoulders lifting instantly.

Meanwhile, outside the imperial mausoleum, at the foot of the mountains, the noblewoman and her servant were halted by the Eagle Wing troops, unable to advance further as they waited for Moying’s return.

"Miss, what if Prince Yi still refuses to see you?"

Shulan, supporting Zhao Lianxin, grew increasingly anxious as time passed with no sign of Moying. Her voice cracked with held-back tears.

The night wind rustled the veil of Zhao Lianxin’s hat, obscuring her expression in the darkness. Yet, the catch in her breath at Shulan’s question gave away her forced composure.

Her white-knuckled grip, and the crumpled handkerchief in her grasp revealed the turmoil beneath her calm facade.

For Su Rao, Xianyi Chishaou had locked her up without a word, then accused her of harming the rightful consort, dumped her, and ‘graciously’ offered to ship her back to Yun Lang.

Zhao Lianxin, born noble, a daughter of the Zhao family, would sooner die than crawl back in shame, her reputation in ruins, or let Xianyi Chishaou use her as a doormat for Su Rao.

He was delusional.

"If he restores my honor, grants me the position of empress of Zhu Xian, and bestows honor upon me, I, Zhao Lianxin, will endure a lifetime of indifference with him. But if he truly intends to trample me into the mud for Su Rao’s sake, sacrificing my reputation for her future peace, I’ll make him pay—for thinking he could use me as Su Rao’s stepping stone."

A whisper, for her ears alone.

She was Zhao Lianxin. No love? Then she’d take the crown, becoming her aunt’s equal. And if they dared deny her even that...

Her eyes, beautiful as orchids, once as elegant as a Clivia orchid, had now been thoroughly tainted, as if a vat of black ink had been splashed over them, staining the Clivia completely black.

Had this Clivia orchid always been a facade concealing her true wicked nature, or did she once possess the purity of an orchid, only to have them eroded by love spurned and blows unending until nothing remained?

The irregularity in her breath further revealed the evil lurking in her heart, waiting to be unleashed—right and wrong hinged on a single thought.

When the veiled orchid eyes caught sight of Moying approaching, he delivered Xianyi Chishaou’s ultimatum—and added his own.

He gave Zhao Lianxin two days. If by then she still refused to leave or persisted in threatening her life as before, he’d show no mercy.

A moment ago, she had still clung to her dignity, maintaining her usual grace and elegance. But now, the ever-composed Zhao Lianxin faltered, gripping Shulan’s arm tightly to steady herself.

The motion parted her veil, and the torchlight from the Eagle Army laid bare her expression.

The seed of evil long buried in her heart had finally taken root, exploding into a monstrous growth that smothered what little light remained in her soul.

From her repeated defeats against Su Rao over Prince Yun Ji, to the humiliation of confessing her love to him only to be scorned, to being discarded by her grandfather for the sake of family honor and sent to Zhu Xian as a pawn in a marriage alliance—

She had already been cast aside, married off to Zhu Xian, yet still suffered repeated humiliations at Su Rao’s hands. Even her own husband, for Su Rao’s sake, imprisoned her in the rear courtyard and now sought to grind her last shreds of pride into the dirt.

She was the one who had grown up with Prince Yun Ji, so why had he suddenly changed? Why did he prefer the persistent advances of that ugly Su Rao over her sincere affections?

Prince Yun Ji had changed—he abandoned her, schemed to send her to Zhu Xian. Her love had turned to ash; she wanted nothing more of him. Yet why did her husband still destroy her last shred of dignity for Su Rao’s sake?

What had she done wrong? She had only loved Prince Yun Ji—why had she ended up with nothing?

"Shulan, let’s go."

After a long silence, Zhao Lianxin finally spoke, regaining the composure befitting a daughter of the Zhao family. She turned, straightened her back, and walked away.

There was no more of the troublesome suicide threats that had vexed Moying before. Zhao Lianxin maintained this last shred of dignity for herself—a highborn lady dragged through the mud still clutched her pride.

As Zhao Lianxin departed, Moying did not follow, instead sending an Eagle Army soldier to ensure she left without further trouble.

As for her final display of dignity, Moying paid it no mind. After all, ever since her political marriage to Zhu Xian and her residence in Prince Yi’s mansion, this had been her usual demeanor. Her earlier threats of suicide had only made her seem deranged—now, she was simply back to normal.