Chapter 302 You Are Doomed to Be Disappointed

Chapter 302 You Are Destined to Be Disappointed

On the day Xiao Lingchuan set off, the sky was overcast.

He wore a dark martial attire, with a silver scale armor over it, making him look even more imposing.

Before leaving, he walked up to Jiang Shuning, his gaze heavy, finally coming to rest on her heavily swollen belly.

Inside was the child he had never seen.

He extended his large, calloused hand, his movements surprisingly gentle for a man about to ride into battle, carefully placing it over her belly, feeling the faint but steady pulse of life.

"Princess, you're already eight months pregnant," his voice was hoarse, laced with obvious disappointment. "No matter how quickly I suppress the bandits, I'm afraid I won't be back before he's born. It's a real shame I won't see our child born."

Through the fabric, she could feel the heat of his palm, like a branding iron, burning against her chest.

Jiang Shuning lowered her eyes, looking at his hand on her belly, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.

"Your Highness, in life, not everything can be perfect without regrets. Don't dwell on it too much. Focus on quelling the bandits. The child and I... will wait for your return."

"I had hoped to leave no regrets in this life," Xiao Lingchuan raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek, the roughness of his fingertips grazing her delicate skin.

Those peach blossom eyes, which had once captivated countless noble ladies in the capital, were now filled with an overwhelming depth of affection, as if trying to drown her completely.

His gaze was too intense, too heavy, weighing her down until she could barely breathe.

Jiang Shuning imperceptibly turned her head away, her gaze falling on the intricate cloud patterns on his shoulder armor, avoiding his overly intense stare.

Unfortunately, Xiao Lingchuan, you are destined to be disappointed.

The perfect ending you desire was nothing but a joke from the start.

Noticing the tense atmosphere, Ling Wu quickly stepped forward and spoke clearly, "Your Highness, you can set off with peace of mind! With this subordinate and Divine Physician Sun in the mansion, the Princess and the future young lord will be absolutely fine!"

To ensure her pregnancy went smoothly, Xiao Lingchuan had already invited Divine Physician Sun to stay directly in the guest courtyard of the mansion.

The entire household, from the procurement matrons to the sweeping maids, was busy preparing for the impending arrival of the child, with everything meticulously arranged.

Xiao Lingchuan took a deep breath, as if trying to etch her image deeply into his mind.

After a long moment, he finally withdrew his hand and reluctantly looked away.

"I'm leaving now."

The sound of hooves broke the morning's stillness, quickly fading into the distance.

Only when the last trace of sound disappeared at the end of the long street did Jiang Shuning finally release the tension in her heart.

At last, he was gone, and her freedom was within reach.

The air around her seemed fresher, and even her breathing became easier.

The following days passed peacefully.

Jiang Shuning spent her days tending to her precious herbs, repotting and fertilizing a few newly acquired rare species;

on sunny afternoons, she would move a lounge chair to the corridor, play with the little yellow dog, and watch it roll and frolic at her feet;

when the mood struck, she would visit Divine Physician Sun in the guest courtyard to humbly ask about a few difficult medical cases;

or sneak to the Cangjin Pavilion to chat with Cui Zhilan.

Her days were comfortable and fulfilling.

One day, Ling Wu returned from outside, her steps hurried, her face brimming with barely contained excitement.

"Princess! Princess!" Her voice rang out before she even reached her. "I heard that the Second Young Miss is getting remarried!"

Jiang Shuning was trimming an overgrown orchid with small scissors; her hands didn't pause at the news.

"To whom?"

"The Young Duke!"

Jiang Shuning chuckled softly. "For the proud Grand Princess to accept her as a daughter-in-law who had been married before, she must have some skill."

"How do you think she managed it? It's simply... unheard of! At the spring banquet a few days ago, she somehow ended up in bed with the drunk Young Duke! And they were caught! Many noble families were present and saw it! I heard the Grand Princess's face turned green with anger, and she wanted to blow up on the spot, but with so many witnesses, there was no denying it!"

Ling Wu spoke with great enthusiasm. "In the end, it reached His Majesty. Considering she is the widow of Prince Rui, he personally decreed that she marry the Young Duke. Now she is the confirmed wife of the Young Duke! I heard they are to be married soon!"

Jiang Shuning snipped the last excess orchid leaf, put down the scissors, and wiped her hands with a handkerchief, showing no surprise on her face.

This was the Jiang Yaozhen she knew.

No matter the time or place, no matter how dire the situation, she always found a way to latch onto a man and secure a life of luxury.

In her past life, she married Prince Rui, Xiao Xiuzhan, yet still had Xiao Lingchuan wrapped around her finger, bewitching him completely, making him willingly act as a go-between for her and Nanyue, committing treason.

In this life, Prince Rui was dead, and Xiao Lingchuan had seen her true colors, casting her aside like a worn-out shoe.

With no apparent way out, she had turned to the Young Duke and secured her status as his legitimate wife.

The Young Duke of the Duke's Mansion, the only son of the Grand Princess, the future Duke.

And besides, the two had a somewhat ambiguous childhood relationship.

For the now helpless Jiang Yaozhen, this was indeed the best choice.

Using her reputation to gamble on a bright future.

Jiang Yaozhen was always bold enough to gamble, and always won.

"Understood," Jiang Shuning said lightly, her voice as calm as an ancient well. "Then, on behalf of the Prince, send her a wedding present."

"Yes, Princess!" Ling Wu replied crisply, a knowing smile flashing in her eyes as she turned and hurried to the storeroom to select a gift.

---

With Prince Rui dead, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

The once grand Prince Rui's Mansion became desolate within days, like a haunted house, filled with the chill of desertion.

Jiang Yaozhen seemed like the only splash of color in this scene of decay.

Standing in the empty main hall, she directly demanded the keys to the treasury from the trembling old steward.

"Princess..." the steward bowed, his face full of hesitation. "According to regulation, the mansion's assets must be inventoried and sealed by the Clan Court. You... you are about to remarry into the Duke's Mansion. Accessing the treasury at this time... I'm afraid it's against the rules."

"Propriety?" Jiang Yaozhen let out a cold laugh, her eyes swept across the empty mansion as her voice grew sharp. "When the prince was alive, there was propriety. Now that he's dead, I am propriety! Do you want to pack your things and get out, or stay here to be buried with this empty estate?"

The old steward shuddered at the ruthlessness in her eyes and dared not say another word. Trembling, he pulled a heavy set of keys from his robes.

The treasury's iron door creaked open with a groan, stirring up a musty, dusty smell.

Inside, as Jiang Yaozhen had expected, more than half of the valuables had already been moved away. But the remaining gold, silver, jade, antiques, and paintings still glimmered with an enticing luster in the dim light.

Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. This was more than enough.

Late that night, Jiang Yaozhen sat alone in her room, spreading the jewelry out on the table. Under the candlelight, the jewelry cast a greedy, feverish gleam across her face.

She knew that the proud Grand Princess despised her, a woman marrying for the second time.

But it didn't matter. Now that the deed was done, she only needed to enter the manor with this substantial "dowry," paving her way with silver and gold to silence the gossip and secure her footing in the ducal mansion.

As she was planning, a sudden gust of cold wind blew in through the window, slamming the sash against the wall.

In an instant, the candles in the room flickered violently and went out all at once.

Absolute darkness and dead silence engulfed her.

"Chun Hua?" Jiang Yaozhen's heart tightened as she shouted sharply, "Where the hell are you?"

No one answered.

Only the wind howled through the desolate mansion, like the wailing of a ghost.

Then, a bone-chilling cold crept up on her from behind. An icy, stiff hand clamped down fiercely on her throat!

Jiang Yaozhen's hair stood on end, and she could not breathe.

A voice she would never forget—honed from the depths of hell itself—whispered in her ear, thick with venom and hatred:

"Jiang Yaozhen... you treacherous wretch. Not content with betraying this prince, you dare to take what's mine?"

That voice... that way he spoke to her...

Jiang Yaozhen's blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

With all her strength, she turned her head around and, by the pale moonlight streaming through the window, saw the face behind her—

It was Xiao Xiuzhan!