Chapter 242: You Have No Heart!

Chapter 242: You Have No Heart!

Jiang Yaozhen was shaking all over, her nails digging into her palms, her voice squeezed out through gritted teeth:

"Let my mother go! Or else, I'll kill your mother!"

Jiang Tianze in the cage had a mocking look in his eyes and let out a disdainful snort.

"Second Sister, you overestimate yourself. Not to mention whether you have the ability to harm my mother, right now, aside from killing me in this cage, what else can you do? And if I die, your mother will be buried with me. No matter how you look at it, you're the loser."

His cold words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, instantly freezing Jiang Yaozhen's boiling anger.

He was right.

Kill him, and her mother wouldn't survive either.

Trying to take the life of Nanyue Poison Master would be even more courting death.

This mother and son could only be won over with kindness; they must never be made enemies.

She forced the hatred back into her heart, hid all her emotions, and spoke in a freakishly calm voice:

"Speak. What are your terms? What do you want me to do before you'll release my mother?"

"Terms?" Jiang Tianze leaned lazily against the iron bars, looking her over with a scrutinizing gaze. "Given how you look now, like a lost dog, what can you give me? What I want, you can't offer."

"How do you know I can't offer it? I advise you not to attach yourself to Prince Jing for wealth, status, and career. Otherwise, with his ruthless and vicious nature, you won't even see it coming!" Jiang Yaozhen threatened.

A cold smile curled on Jiang Tianze's lips: "What I want is not a career, nor wealth and status. What I want is to get Eldest Sister free from Prince Jing's control and let her regain her freedom."

Surprise flickered in Jiang Yaozhen's eyes, then turned into gloom.

"Then why didn't you use your sorcery on Prince Jing? Although the Dali Temple has no evidence, everyone knows that on the day the new emperor ascended the throne, it was Prince Jing who kidnapped Eldest Sister! If you control Prince Jing, why would you worry about Eldest Sister's freedom?"

"I tried. That man is too wary; my gu was useless against him, and he almost crippled my hand!" Speaking of this, Jiang Tianze still felt a lingering fear.

"You can't do anything to him, so you come and use gu on me?" Jiang Yaozhen sneered. "Jiang Tianze, you're a real piece of work!"

She slowly leaned close to the cage, her voice icy:

"I have a way to deal with Prince Jing. As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee that Jiang Shuning will soon escape that ruthless and vicious man and regain her freedom!"

Jiang Tianze's pupils suddenly constricted, and he stared at her suspiciously: "Why should I trust you? You wish Eldest Sister were dead!"

"Because you've got no choice!" Jiang Yaozhen met his gaze, her words cutting like knives. "If you can't trust me, do you trust Prince Jing? A man like him—how would he treat a prey that falls into his hands? Overthrow him, my husband can win the world, and you can save your eldest sister. We both get what we want."

Jiang Tianze's expression was inscrutable.

After a long while, he spoke slowly, his voice devoid of any warmth:

"Fine, I'll cooperate with you. But remember this: if you dare to harm Eldest Sister in the slightest, I guarantee you'll die in more pain than anyone."

Jiang Yaozhen: "..."

Although he agreed to cooperate with her, what he said definitely didn't please her!

—

Whether someone deliberately leaked it or not, the news that Prince Jing was about to marry noble ladies from the four great aristocratic clans as secondary consorts spread like wildfire through every corner of the capital overnight.

Carriages coming to offer congratulations nearly wore out the doorstep of Prince Jing's mansion, and the entire residence was bustling with activity.

Ling Wu tried her best to keep the news from her, but the excited chatter of the servants always managed to drift through the courtyard trees, piece by piece, into Jiang Shuning's ears.

"Have you heard? His Highness is going to marry four secondary consorts! They are all the most noble legitimate daughters of the aristocratic clans—only this status is worthy of our prince!"

"Exactly! His Highness is extraordinarily brave and wields immense power at court. Those noble ladies are lucky to marry into this household!"

"It will be lively in this mansion from now on. I can't wait to meet our future mistresses..."

The cheerful gossip was like fine needles, piercing through everything.

Jiang Shuning found it hard to ignore.

Ling Wu finally couldn't hold back; she rushed out and gave those gossiping servants a severe scolding, and the servants fled in all directions.

She returned to the corridor worriedly and saw Jiang Shuning sitting quietly by the window, holding a scroll, but her gaze was fixed on a distant point, staring into space.

"Princess Consort..." Ling Wu said cautiously. "Don't listen to their nonsense. I'll go report to His Highness and have him severely punish these gossipy servants!"

"What they said is the truth. Why make things hard for them?"

Jiang Shuning slowly withdrew her gaze, her expression as calm as an ancient well without a ripple.

She put down the scroll and asked casually:

"Are the flower seeds you brought back from the Chancellor's mansion a few days ago still here?"

"Yes, they are." Ling Wu quickly replied.

"Come and plant them with me." Jiang Shuning stood up, a faint smile spreading on her lips, so faint it seemed it would vanish at a touch.

"This yard is too empty and desolate. Adding some flowers and plants might bring a bit more life."

"Yes, Princess Consort." Ling Wu bowed in agreement.

She always felt that the princess consort's figure planting flowers in the courtyard seemed especially lonely.

Being trapped in Prince Jing's mansion was already pitiful enough. If she couldn't even get His Highness's full favor, how hard would her life be?

No, she had to help the princess consort!

With this in mind, Ling Wu found an opportunity to report this matter to Xiao Lingchuan in his study.

"Your Highness!" She knelt and curtsied, her voice filled with indignant fury. "The servants in the mansion are gossiping, daring to discuss your upcoming marriage to secondary consorts in front of the princess consort. I beg Your Highness to do something and punish these insolent servants!"

Xiao Lingchuan was reviewing official documents. Upon hearing this, the vermilion brush in his hand suddenly paused.

He looked up, leaning forward without thinking, and stared at her intently, demanded: "How did the princess consort react upon hearing this?"

"The princess consort..." Ling Wu was taken aback by his reaction and answered truthfully, "The princess consort didn't say anything. She only asked me to accompany her to plant flowers in the yard."

"Plant flowers?"

Disappointment was written all over Xiao Lingchuan's face.

After a long while, he forced out a frustrated sentence through gritted teeth:

"I've racked my brains, made a huge commotion, and she... only thinks about planting her flowers? Doesn't she feel even the slightest bit jealous in her heart?" Ling Wu was taken aback.

No wonder those servants were so bold as to gossip about their master behind his back.

So it was His Highness who ordered them to do so!

She looked at Prince Jing, who wielded immense power and was decisive and ruthless, yet at this moment he resembled a wronged and unwilling child. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Did His Highness go to such great lengths to make the Princess Consort jealous? Isn't that a bit... childish?

At night, when Xiao Lingchuan stepped into the bedchamber, he saw Jiang Shuning with her eyes lowered, reading a medical book, her expression serene and focused.

It was as if the marriage decree that had stirred up the entire city was nothing more than an insignificant breeze passing by the window to her.

Only by being sufficiently indifferent could one achieve such calmness and ease.

Realizing this, overwhelming bitterness and unwillingness nearly drowned him.

With a sullen face, he sat down beside her, his expression carrying a barely noticeable tension. He deliberately asked, "I thought you, Princess Consort, would have something to ask me."

Jiang Shuning raised her eyes, her gaze clear, as if she had truly pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. "There is, indeed, one thing."

The dead embers in Xiao Lingchuan's heart suddenly rekindled, and he pressed on with slight eagerness, "What do you wish to ask?"

"Your Highness, do you know if Divine Physician Sun has been free lately?" she asked, her tone earnest and sincere. "I have been studying medical books recently, and there are a few critical points that I find quite puzzling. If I could receive his direct guidance, I would surely be enlightened."

"..."

All of Xiao Lingchuan's expectations were instantly drenched with a bucket of ice water, chilling him to the bone.

He stared at her intently, as if trying to forcefully dig a flaw out of her calm and unruffled face.

"I am about to marry four secondary consorts, causing a stir throughout the capital. Are you..." He spoke word by word, his voice squeezed through gritted teeth, "not the least bit sad?"

Sensing his surging anger, Jiang Shuning finally put down the book and fixed her gaze on him, her beautiful eyes carrying a faint trace of confusion.

"Your Highness is about to marry four noble ladies of distinguished families. This is a great joyous occasion. They can become Your Highness's right-hand helpers, assisting you in soon claiming the world. I couldn't be happier for you; how could I be sad?"

"You..." Xiao Lingchuan's blood surged, his chest heaving violently. In the end, all his questions turned into a gnashing accusation: "Jiang Shuning, you truly have no heart!"

He abruptly stood up, angrily undressed, and lay heavily back on the bed, turning his back to her.

Jiang Shuning looked at his rigid back, and a bitter smile flickered at the corner of her lips, unnoticed by anyone.

The heart that had adored him had long been crushed to dust along with her death in her previous life.

It was he who had been unwilling to accept this fact, stubbornly trying to retrieve something he had cast away like a worn-out shoe in the previous life.

People spend their lives obsessed with what's out of reach while ignoring what they already have.

How laughable.

Seeing that she remained as unruffled as ever, continuing to read the medical book in her hands, the pent-up anger in his chest, with no outlet, was fully set ablaze.

He flipped over and climbed out of bed, wearing only his undergarments, and rushed to her with long strides. Without a word, he scooped her up by the waist and strode to the bed, his movements rough, devoid of any tenderness.

His hot breath puffed against her ear: "Since the Princess Consort has no heart, then you shall warm my bed!"