“No… don’t kill me. I’m a princess! My brother is Prince Jin—he won’t let you get away with this!”
The usually arrogant and domineering woman finally learned fear, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
All she received in return was Lin Qingyue’s cold sneer: “How dare a mere princess treat human life like grass? Who gave you such audacity? Dongfang Yan?”
With that, she pressed her foot against Princess Qing An’s face—crushing this skull to avenge the unfortunate original host would be quite satisfying.
The next moment, with a loud “Bang!”, the door was violently forced open.
Lin Qingyue immediately withdrew her foot.
Turning around, she saw Dongfang Yan, Prince Jin, standing at the doorway.
The man still wore the bright red wedding robes he hadn’t had time to change. His sharply defined face, bathed in the soft corridor light, held no warmth whatsoever.
His pitch-black eyes seemed to凝结着 the chill of a thousand-year frozen pond as they幽暗地 scanned the room: “What is going on here?”
With just that one glance, Lin Qingyue felt her body stiffen with tension—even though the original soul had perished, this body still retained intense, burning emotions toward that man.
A memory belonging to the original host surfaced in her mind:
A snowy winter night, a thin young girl carrying a tall man on her back, struggling forward against the biting wind.
“Thank you for… saving me. What… what’s your name?” He had awakened at some point, quietly astonished by her strength.
“Lin… Qing… Yue!” she stammered, her voice shaking.
No further sound came from behind—he had likely fallen unconscious again, and she never knew if he remembered.
Later she would learn that he hadn’t remembered her kindness, only the resentment.
Seeing Prince Jin, Princess Qing An acted as if spotting her savior, finally bursting into tears: “Brother, save me! Wuwu… There’s a ghost… a ghost!”
With her disheveled hair and torn dress, crawling panic-stricken toward the doorway, she resembled a malevolent spirit far more!
Clutching Prince Jin’s leg, she sobbed: “Brother, she’s a ghost, she’s a ghost! If you hadn’t come in time, your little sister would have…”
“Would have murdered the princess consort.” Lin Qingyue suddenly interrupted, her tone softening slightly.
“Just now the princess charged in furiously, attempting to strangle your humble wife to death.” Lin Qingyue removed the white silk wrapped around her neck, revealing the bruised ligature marks.
Princess Qing An finally registered the situation: “You… you’re not dead? You’re not a ghost?”
Lin Qingyue mocked: “My life is stubborn—disappointed, aren’t you?”
If this were the former Immortal Lord Qing Yue, she would have acted rather than spoken.
But now, circumstances were slightly different.
Her understanding of this world remained limited.
Moreover, after transmigrating, she had lost all her cultivation, while Prince Jin was accompanied by numerous guards—direct confrontation was inadvisable for now.
By this time, the guards had relit the lamps.
Prince Jin Dongfang Yan stepped inside, noticing the white silk and the large bloodstains on the floor.
Even though Immortal Lord Qing Yue’s soul had transmigrated over, barely keeping this body alive, the original host’s form remained pale, with bloodstains covering her head and face—truly appearing as someone who had narrowly escaped death.
As for Princess Qing An, though her arm was dislocated, she appeared physically unharmed, far less severely injured than Lin Qingyue.
With a quick glance, Dongfang Yan roughly deduced what had transpired.
Over the years, he had doted on his younger sister, and she had shown him exceptional concern in return.
No matter what woman appeared by his side, Qing An Junzhu would investigate and interfere.
She had even coquettishly said to Dongfang Yan: “Brother, why must we grow up? Why must we marry? Why can’t we siblings rely on each other forever? Brother, I’m so afraid you’ll leave me again!”
Dongfang Yan merely thought his sister was too dependent on him and smiled while comforting her: “Don’t worry, I will never leave you.”
However, tonight she had indeed gone too far.
“Attendants, escort the princess back to her chambers.”
“Brother…”
Qing An Junzhu wanted to say more, but when Dongfang Yan shot her a cold glare, she didn’t dare to speak further. She only shot Lin Qingyue a venomous glare before leaving the place supported by her servants.
Dongfang Yan’s gaze fell upon Lin Qingyue once more, his aloofness tinged with unconcealed disgust.
After a moment, he finally uttered a rebuke: “On your very first day entering the estate, you injured my sister. Truly impressive skills!”
Lin Qingyue smiled faintly: “Clearly, Qing An Junzhu struck first, and my injuries are more severe. Yet instead of punishing the princess, you first come to blame me. Excessive indulgence may not be beneficial.”
“How can you compare yourself to Qing An? If you hadn’t behaved improperly, why would Qing An target you?”
When these heartless words left Dongfang Yan’s lips, Lin Qingyue’s heart suddenly ached.
She felt somewhat irritated: if this lingering attachment remained unresolved, the original soul would find no peace, and this body couldn’t be fully utilized by her.
If not for this, she would truly like to strike this damned prince dead with one palm.
“Lin Qingyue, I originally favored your sister Lin Ruzhen. She saved my life, and tonight she even attempted suicide by jumping into the lake for my sake, nearly losing her life.”
When mentioning Lin Ruzhen, a trace of tenderness appeared on this cold-faced prince’s countenance.
“I have promised her that in this lifetime, I will never betray her.”
“As for you…” He glanced at Lin Qingyue, his expression turning cold again.
“You seized the position that rightfully belonged to your sister. Out of respect for the Emperor’s decree, I will allow you to temporarily occupy the position of princess consort. I hope you will behave appropriately from now on and refrain from causing further trouble. In the future… in the future I will grant you dignity.”
His words were veiled, but Lin Qingyue instantly understood their deeper meaning.
The Crown Prince had been assassinated a year ago, his fate unknown. The Emperor was advanced in years and had no other princes, so he could only recall the various princes from their fiefdoms to remain in the capital for observation.
Among all the princes, Dongfang Yan was the youngest, most outstanding, and the most favored candidate. He was highly likely to become the new heir apparent and eventually rule the empire.
Therefore, during such a sensitive time, even though Lin Qingyue had a poor reputation, since it was an imperial marriage decree, Prince Jin had to accept it willingly.
His earlier words were meant to tell Lin Qingyue to know her place and not entertain any other ambitions.
As for his statement about granting Lin Qingyue dignity, it meant that if he successfully ascended to the highest position, he would reserve a place for her in the rear palace, but the position of principal wife could only be given to Lin Ruzhen – he wouldn’t betray this relationship.
“Have you understood my words?” Prince Jin, seeing that Lin Qingyue hadn’t responded for a long time, thought she didn’t comprehend.
He didn’t know Lin Qingyue well. To cover up the scandal, the Hou estate hadn’t publicly revealed Lin Ruzhen’s background as a fake heiress. To the outside world, they only claimed both were legitimate daughters, and that Lin Qingyue had been accidentally lost.
Thus, like everyone else, Prince Jin regarded Lin Ruzhen as a rare pearl. As for Lin Qingyue—this wild girl raised in the mountains, devoid of aristocratic upbringing—she was as crude and unrefined as a stubborn stone.
“Understood,” Lin Qingyue murmured, her eyes lowered, lost in thought.
“Good that you understand. From now on, you will reside in this Qiushui Courtyard. Do not venture out unnecessarily.”
He rose to leave but added, “Do not snatch your sister’s belongings again. A delicate and kind woman like her cannot endure your repeated harm.”
With these words, he stepped out the door, his tall figure disappearing into the cool night without a backward glance at Lin Qingyue.
Slowly, Lin Qingyue lifted her head, a mocking smile curling at the corners of her lips. “Wouldn’t it be amusing to conquer this dog of a prince, make him fall for me, and then kill him?”
Back in the days when Celestial Honored Qingyue reigned supreme, her harem was filled with handsome men, many of whom would live or die for her.
She had never played this game of feigning indifference before.
Hmm, quite intriguing.