Ripppp—
The bright red wedding gown on Shen Xiyue’s body was torn to shreds. A sudden, swelling pain surged beneath her, and she snapped her eyes open, looking in bewilderment at the handsome face of Crown Prince Murong Xuan, which was mere inches away from hers.
Outside the door, her new husband, Qi Xun, was toasting with guests, the host and visitors all enjoying themselves.
“Aha! The Qi family of the Wenyuan Marquisate and the Shen family of the Zhenxi Marquisate are a perfect match in status. Our Heir Qi and the Princess of Huayang are truly a talented man and a beautiful woman—a match made in heaven!”
“Congratulations on the new marriage! May Heir Qi and the Princess live in perfect harmony, grow old together, remain united in heart forever, and be blessed with many children!”
“A moment of the wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Let’s stop with the pleasantries. Quick, quick, Heir, enter the bridal chamber!”
Inside the room, the stunned look in Shen Xiyue’s eyes slowly coalesced into intense fear and hatred.
She had actually been reborn—reborn to this wedding night, the beginning of her lifelong nightmare.
In her previous life, it was on this very red wedding bed that she had been defiled by the current Crown Prince, Murong Xuan. Back then, she had resisted desperately and screamed in a breakdown, only for her husband, Qi Xun, to lead the guests charging in, catching them in the act…
Afterward, the Crown Prince was deposed, and she became the laughingstock of the entire capital.
Yet Qi Xun did not divorce her. Instead, he showed not a hint of disdain, promising to treat her well. Through this, he earned a massive reputation for being deeply affectionate and loyal. The Shen family, grateful for the Qi family’s magnanimity, later threw their full support behind the First Prince, born to Noble Consort Qi, during the struggle for the throne.
It wasn’t until the First Prince ascended the throne that Qi Xun was titled Prince Xian for his merit in supporting the new Emperor. Meanwhile, the Shen family was framed for conspiring with the deposed Crown Prince Murong Xuan to commit treason. The entire family of over seven hundred members was executed.
At that time, Qi Xun brought his beloved into the house openly. He said he had waited a long time for this day, and that from the very beginning, the person he wanted to marry was never Shen Xiyue!
They forced Shen Xiyue to drink Crane-top Red. Fearing she wouldn’t die fast enough, they even broke every bone in her body.
Enduring the heart-piercing pain, Shen Xiyue asked why.
That woman, however, said: “Shen Xiyue, I am a woman of destiny who transmigrated here. Who told you to compete with me?”
She added: “Falling to this end is entirely what you deserve. Back then, you relied on the Shen family’s military power to forcibly tear me and Qi Xun apart. Now that I’ve relied on myself to walk back to his side step by step, what right do you have to be indignant?”
Finally, she said: “A little bit of strategy was enough to make it impossible for you to recover. If you must hate someone, hate yourself for being stupid. I can make salt, refine sugar, and I know steelmaking. I will become a person whose name is remembered in history in your era.
“And you, as well as the Shen family, and the thousands of others who blocked my path, are nothing more than my stepping stones.
“Being able to die for me is your honor.”
It was only then that Shen Xiyue learned the woman’s name was Gu Zhilan.
But how could she not hate?
Though she had fallen in love with Qi Xun at first sight, if he had stated early on that his heart belonged to another, how could she have fallen so deep?
Not only did he not say anything, he kept her in the dark, cradling her in the palm of his hand and deceiving her with sweet words. He even knelt at the palace gates for a day and a night to beg the Emperor for the marriage decree… all just to destroy her life!
As for Gu Zhilan, she spoke of leaving a name in history, but it was clearly for her own selfish gains that she groundlessly framed the Shen family—a family that had been loyal to the throne for generations—causing her entire family to die in infamy.
Shen Xiyue didn’t know what “transmigrating” meant, but did transmigrating mean one could do whatever they wanted?
…Since the heavens were just and had allowed her to be reborn, why couldn’t it have been earlier?
Even if it were just one day earlier, she would never have married into the Wenyuan Marquisate again!
Now that everything had already happened and she had fallen into this vicious and sinister trap, what was she to do?
…
Murong Xuan seemed dissatisfied with her distraction. He reached out to pinch her slender waist, his movements becoming more turbulent and unrestrained.
Shen Xiyue felt like a small boat in a raging storm, her entire body swaying with his movements.
She bit her lip and endured, thinking unwillingly: Even if it were just… fifteen minutes earlier?
She would have found a way to prevent herself from losing her purity!
What now?
Tell him to stop?
She struggled to reach out and push Murong Xuan, who was pressing down on her, but he was immovable.
That lean and beautiful face bore a look of unbearable agony. His phoenix eyes, once clear, were now nothing but a hazy mist of fierce lust.
It was obvious he was under the influence of an Aphrodisiac.
…This was something she hadn’t noticed in her previous life.
Her thoughts stalled as she inexplicably remembered the decree deposing the Crown Prince: “As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, he abused his power, acted violently and lewdly, and seized a subordinate’s wife. Such defiance of moral principles makes him unfit to succeed the throne. He is hereby deposed and reduced to a commoner.”
Not a single official in the entire court spoke up to plead for him.
In her past life, Shen Xiyue had also hated Murong Xuan to the core, believing his downfall was entirely deserved—a just act of God!
Yet, when she was on the verge of death, it was Murong Xuan who led the remnants of the Shen Family Army to charge into the Prince Xian Estate.
He killed that wretched couple, knelt on the ground, wiped the blood from her face, and reached out to close her eyes that would not shut. He said: “Don’t be afraid. I’ve avenged you.”
In this entire conspiracy, from beginning to end, he was the only one who was equally innocent and had shown her a measure of kindness.
…
Looking at Murong Xuan now—this Crown Prince who had always been gentle, pure, cold, and reserved—his eyes were red at the corners, and he had become fierce and wanton, acting with abandon. She couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
…Things having come to this, even if she were willing to offer her body to neutralize the poison for him, he was taking far too long!
Why wasn’t he finished yet?
Wasn’t it said that the Crown Prince had been frail since birth, prone to collapsing from a mere gust of wind?
Could it be that the drug had temporarily improved his constitution?
The banquet outside was lively, and someone could enter at any moment. Shen Xiyue couldn’t afford to overthink. She desperately suppressed the panic in her heart. At the very least, she could not be caught in bed like in her previous life.
She had to find a way to make him wake up.
Her mind raced, remembering the erotic drawings her maternal aunt had sent as “bottom-of-the-chest” wedding gifts… Suppressing her shame, she tried to relax beneath him, experimentally softening her waist and swaying to meet him a few times.
Murong Xuan indeed let out a muffled groan, uncontrollably loosening his fierce grip.
Confused, he looked down at himself, his brow furrowed in dissatisfaction, extremely displeased with his own performance.
In the midst of the chaos in his mind, he only felt that the woman beneath him had silky skin and an alluring figure. At this moment, he only wanted to act on instinct, unable to stop himself from wanting more…
Shen Xiyue had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his renewed intensity. She hurriedly opened her arms toward him, adopting a look of tender affection. Her red lips parted slightly as she said softly, “Kiss me…”
Murong Xuan’s reason was suppressed by lust; he was willing to cooperate with anything.
He unconsciously leaned down, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck. With the warm, soft beauty in his arms, he immediately leaned in for a fierce kiss. Feeling her tremble beneath him, he prepared to strike.
However, Shen Xiyue seized this opportunity and bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.
Her teeth broke through the flesh. Shen Xiyue’s mouth filled with the warm taste of blood, and the sharp pain instantly brought Murong Xuan to his senses.
As the Crown Prince, who else but an assassin would dare to strike him?
He reached out and gripped her delicate neck, the lust in his eyes fading as he straightened his back with a cold, ruthless expression. But when he saw the face of the woman beneath him clearly, his phoenix eyes suddenly trembled.
Snowy skin and flower-like features, heroic and charming—that flawless, jade-like beauty was now covered in tear stains, and those seductive peach blossom eyes were filled with hatred.
The Princess of Huayang, Shen Xiyue, was devastatingly beautiful; how could he not recognize her?