Chapter 212: Hating Her as a Substitute for Jiang Shuning

Chapter 212: Hating Her as if She Were Jiang Shuning

After Xiao Xiuzhan lost the use of one hand, he became a trapped, ferocious beast.

The palace servants became his targets for venting anger, subject to his whims and abuse, while the concubines in his rear courtyard became sacrifices to his impotent rage.

Especially Jiang Lian, who bore a three-tenths resemblance to Jiang Shuning, endured hellish torment.

Finally, on a morning when she was covered in bruises, she knelt before Jiang Yaozhen. Her former pride in vying for the prince’s favor was shattered, leaving only the animalistic instinct for survival.

"Please, Princess... ask Prince Rui to divorce me."

Jiang Yaozhen was sipping tea leisurely, and hearing this, she didn't even lift her eyelids, only let out a light scoff:

"How rare. Which concubine would voluntarily ask to be divorced? Back then, when you relied on the prince's favor and acted arrogantly before this princess, weren't you quite proud?"

Jiang Lian's body trembled violently, tears mixed with humiliation rolling down: "I know I was wrong... I was overestimating myself back then, trying to compete with the princess for the prince's affection..."

Jiang Yaozhen had once caused her to miscarry, and Xiao Xiuzhan took pity on her, treating her more gently than the other concubines. She had indeed enjoyed a period of ease at the Lingge Palace.

But ever since Xiao Xiuzhan's hand was crippled, he changed completely, acting brutally.

Especially the bedchamber, once her place to secure favor, had now become her exclusive torture chamber.

He would roar Jiang Shuning's name as he tormented her by every means possible.

Jiang Lian knew he was hating her as if she were Jiang Shuning. Lately, she had stopped imitating her elder sister's makeup and attire, but she still couldn't escape the fate of being tortured by Xiao Xiuzhan.

Because she had miscarried, her body was already weak. The doctor told her to rest and recover, and she had planned to regain her health and give Xiao Xiuzhan a child to secure her position in Prince Rui's mansion.

But now, let alone bearing a child, she wasn't even sure she'd survive.

"Please, Princess, have mercy and spare my life!" Jiang Lian prostrated herself, her forehead pressed against the cold floor, her voice shrill, "I'll do anything for you!"

Jiang Yaozhen finally set down her teacup and looked down at her from a height.

"What if this princess asks you to deal with Jiang Shuning?"

The color drained from Jiang Lian's face.

She trembled even harder, her teeth chattering: "But... but elder sister is protected by Prince Jing... Your concubine... can't compete with her!"

"You have no choice." Jiang Yaozhen withdrew her hand, her voice suddenly turning cold and fierce. "Either deal with her for this princess, and perhaps earn a way to live; or go back right now and serve Prince Rui well, letting him tear you to pieces!"

Before she finished speaking, Xiao Xiuzhan's gloomy and violent roar echoed from outside the hall:

"Where the hell is Concubine Jiang?! Come out and serve this prince!"

The voice sounded like a death summons, shattering Jiang Lian's last shred of hesitation.

She began kowtowing frantically, her forehead hitting the ground with a thudding sound, her voice hoarse and desperate: "Save me, Princess! I am willing! I'll do anything! Please save me!"

Seeing the utterly broken woman at her feet, Jiang Yaozhen finally curled her lips in satisfaction.

"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?" her voice dripping with poisoned sympathy. "Get up. I'll tell the prince you're sick. He won't come to you tonight."

Jiang Lian lifted her head, her face filled with relief at escaping a calamity. "Thank you, Princess."

——

Jiang Yaozhen played with the counterfeit jade token, lost in thought.

Since the real one was nowhere to be found, she would create a forgery.

A fake good enough to fool anyone.

Even Han Ying, sharp as he is, might not be able to tell the difference at a glance.

And Xiao Lingchuan was already convinced that the real token was in the hands of the concubine mother. If she could provide a sufficiently similar imitation, she would surely make him believe it.

Then, not only would the vast "Night Shadow Pavilion" become her pawns, but countless Nanyue treasures would be at her disposal!

This thought made her heart pound.

The first priority was to obtain the detailed drawing of the jade token's patterns kept in Xiao Lingchuan's study.

Just as she was pondering, Chun Hua hurried in to report:

"Your Highness, an invitation has arrived from Prince Ning's residence, inviting you and the prince to a housewarming banquet."

Jiang Yaozhen's eyes suddenly lit up.

At Prince Ning Xiao Huaijin's housewarming feast, Xiao Lingchuan would definitely be present.

This was a perfect opportunity!

As long as she could distract him at the banquet, her people could slip into Prince Jing's mansion unnoticed and steal the blueprint of the jade token.

Having made up her mind, she rose to discuss it with Xiao Xiuzhan. Before she even entered, she saw two servants dragging out a battered body.

The woman was once a favored concubine in the rear courtyard, now reduced to a mangled mess, covered in bruises, with blood still oozing from her forehead.

The concubine still had a thread of life left. Seeing Jiang Yaozhen, hope flickered in her eyes.

But Jiang Yaozhen didn't even furrow her brow. She just waved her handkerchief disgustedly, as if waving away dirt:

"Injured like this, no need for medicine. Just drag her to the mass grave and dump her, so as not to dirty the mansion's grounds."

The light in the concubine's eyes died instantly.

A maid nearby couldn't stop herself from crying.

Jiang Yaozhen's eyes turned fierce, her voice laced with ice: "What are you crying for? So reluctant? Do you want to accompany her?"

The sobbing stopped at once.

Soon, the dying woman and the servants vanished down the corridor.

Inside the room, a heavy stench of blood mingled with the extravagant ambergris incense, creating a sickening, weird atmosphere.

Xiao Xiuzhan, bare-chested, leaned against the headboard. His face contorted with morbid satisfaction after venting his rage.

When he saw Jiang Yaozhen, the ferocity in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by a bleak self-mockery: "Zhen'er, am I... a monster now?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Your Highness?" Jiang Yaozhen stepped forward, wrapping herself around him like silk, draping a robe over him with an understanding demeanor. "You are heaven's favored son, ruined by traitors, your future destroyed. If you don't vent your pain, it'll drive you mad. These are just the last cries of a hero at his end. I understand."

These words precisely touched Xiao Xiuzhan's most fragile nerve at this moment.

He was moved, taking Jiang Yaozhen's hand, a deep affection surfacing in his eyes: "In this world, only you truly understand me... Zhen'er, is the treasury nearly empty?"

Jiang Yaozhen sighed as if on cue: "Everywhere in the mansion costs money. The late emperor only granted the residence, not money or silk. Concubines and servants are another huge expense..."

"Then sell all those useless women to the Spring Fragrance Brothel!" Xiao Xiuzhan's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, then turned into deep affection. "As it happens, in this life, I only need Zhen'er."

The perfectly gentle smile on Jiang Yaozhen's face suddenly cracked.

Now when he goes mad, he still has these concubines to torment. If all these concubines are sold off, won't he only torment her from now on?

"Your Highness, those concubines aren't worth much. Besides, if word gets out, what face will the Prince Rui's mansion have?" She changed the subject. "I do have a plan to obtain as much money as possible from elsewhere, but it requires the cooperation of Your Highness's guards."

"Oh? What plan do you have, Zhen'er?" Xiao Xiuzhan pressed.

"Does Your Highness know what Nanyue is rich in?" Jiang Yaozhen asked mysteriously.

Xiao Xiuzhan thought for a moment: "Poison?"

"Not poison, nor spices—it's gemstones!" Jiang Yaozhen leaned close to his ear and whispered, "The gemstone mines in Nanyue are several times richer than those in Daye. Sometimes merchants even trade using gemstones instead of gold! If I say there is a way to obtain countless gemstones from Nanyue, would Your Highness be willing to help?"

Hearing this, Xiao Xiuzhan's eyes lit up: "You and I are one as husband and wife. Whatever Zhen'er wants, I will naturally do my utmost to satisfy!"

Jiang Yaozhen smiled: "First, we must disguise ourselves as Nanyue people..."