In the bamboo grove, blades clashed, sparks hissing.
Black-clad shadow guards were locked in fierce combat with masked assassins.
At their feet lay bodies, blood streaming—ghastly red against the emerald bamboo.
A gust of wind passed.
Bamboo leaves rustled, and a thick stench of blood was carried along with it.
Behind a large tree, Jiang Yu’s stomach churned violently.
One hand covered her mouth and nose; the other pressed against her chest, where her heart was pounding wildly with fear.
In the two years since transmigrating to this dynasty, this was the first time she had faced such a bloody scene—something that usually existed only in TV dramas.
Living, breathing people like herself had turned into cold corpses in the blink of an eye.
And in ancient times, such things were commonplace.
As someone who had grown up in a peaceful modern society, Jiang Yu was witnessing the terror of the feudal era for the first time.
She curled herself tightly behind the tree, forcing down her fear and praying that none of them would discover her.
She had money now, a handsome husband, and a leisurely, comfortable life. She had no desire to die.
Muttering prayers to herself, she realized the grove had gone quiet.
Hesitating again and again, she cautiously stuck her head out to look into the forest.
As her field of vision widened little by little, her pupils suddenly shrank.
That person was… Xiao Lingzhou?
In disbelief, she rubbed her eyes and stared harder—this wasn’t an illusion.
He was wearing the moon-white robe she’d bought in the city two days ago. His features were pure and aloof, his figure tall and slender.
If not Xiao Lingzhou, then who?
Only now, half-hidden in the bamboo, his entire aura was dark and terrifying.
In his eyes there was not a trace of warmth—only icy cold.
Those long, jade-like hands were clamped around an assassin’s throat.
With a sharp crack, the man’s head lolled to one side—dead.
Xiao Lingzhou flung the corpse away as if tossing trash. With a dull thud, it hit the ground, the death grotesque.
Jiang Yu’s heart jolted. Her scalp went numb, her limbs turned weak, and it hit her all at once—
Xiao Lingzhou was… killing people.
In her memory, he had always been cool and distant, yet still gentle with others.
Especially in front of her—he was tender to the point of indulgence.
How could someone like that… kill?
He simply stood there, yet his presence was like an abyss or a vast sea, making people afraid even to look at him.
For the first time, Jiang Yu realized that this Xiao Lingzhou was a stranger she had never truly known.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, her body trembling uncontrollably with fear.
In the grove—
A row of shadow guards knelt in unison before Xiao Lingzhou, their bodies quivering.
“It is our negligence that allowed the assassins to seize an opening. We beg Your Highness to punish us!”
At the words “Your Highness,” Jiang Yu’s ears rang again.
A prince?
Xiao Lingzhou was actually a prince!
In that instant, her worldview shattered once more.
Xiao Lingzhou’s gaze, cold as frost, swept over the kneeling guards. His voice, like fine jade, carried a measured but chilling authority.
“Each of you will receive thirty lashes. Dispose of the assassins cleanly. I do not wish for tonight’s events to happen a second time.”
The guards prostrated themselves and replied in unison, “Thank you, Your Highness!”
Xiao Lingzhou lifted a hand casually. The guards rose, swiftly cleaned up the corpses, and vanished.
Ling Yi stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness.”
“Have you investigated?” Xiao Lingzhou asked lightly, though an invisible pressure weighed in his tone.
Ling Yi understood he was asking about the assassins. After a brief hesitation, he replied, “We have. Two days ago, Madam went into the city. While trying on clothes at a tailor’s shop, the jade pendant on her neck was exposed. It was seen by an informant planted by Empress Dowager Zhao in Yuzhou, which led to Your Highness’s whereabouts being exposed.”
Xiao Lingzhou’s mother had left him a pair of ancestral twin-fish jade pendants.
After their marriage, he had given the other one to Jiang Yu.
He had told her how important the pendant was, so she would never intentionally reveal it.
It seemed this assassination attempt was an accident.
He took out a handkerchief embroidered with a little yellow duck, intending to wipe the blood splashed on his face. But as if he thought of something, he stopped, put the handkerchief back into his sleeve, and instead wiped the blood away with his own well-defined fingers.
“The Crane’s End poison in my body will take another month to be fully purged. During this period, heighten your vigilance. Don’t let any more eyesores come barging in.”
“And have Ling Qi reassigned to protect Madam. Unless absolutely necessary, do not let him appear before her.”
Ling Yi clasped his fists. “Understood.”
He then asked, “Your Highness, General Su has sent a letter from the capital. How would you like to respond?”
Xiao Lingzhou lifted his pale lashes. “Is it urgent?”
Ling Yi carefully gauged his expression. “It concerns your marriage to Miss Su Yueqing.”
“General Su says that previously you delayed the marriage because you were busy with official duties and felt Miss Su was still young.”
“Now Miss Su has passed twenty, and because your poisoning delayed things another year, if it drags on any longer, she’ll be considered an old maid.”
“General Su’s meaning is that when you return to the capital in a month, he hopes you’ll settle the marriage then.”
Xiao Lingzhou’s gaze darkened. His clear voice carried an undeniable pressure. “Send a message by carrier pigeon. Say that marriage is a serious matter and will be discussed after I return to the capital.”
Ling Yi wiped sweat from his brow and nodded. “Yes, Your Highness!”
“It’s getting late. If I don’t return, Madam will grow suspicious. Have preparations for returning to the capital started—travel, food, clothing, attendants—all according to Madam’s preferences.”
“Yes.”
…
Bathed in moonlight, Xiao Lingzhou returned to the wooden house.
He deliberately washed himself and burned incense, making sure there wasn’t the slightest trace of blood left on him before entering the room.
Creak—
Closing the door, he slowed his steps and walked toward the bed.
Seeing the woman on the bed sleeping soundly, facing inward, the murderous aura around him dissipated. He removed his clothes and shoes, climbed into bed, and gently pulled her into his arms.
That familiar body scent drifted into his nose in wisps. Xiao Lingzhou greedily buried his face in her snow-white neck, inhaling deeply, and murmured, “Qingqing…”
His slightly cool nose brushed against the sensitive skin of her neck. Beneath the covers, Jiang Yu’s hands clenched tightly.
Help!
She was about to stiffen into dried goods.
She had just discovered that her gentle husband was a prince who killed without blinking—and had a fiancée.
And now he was holding her and nibbling at her. Who wouldn’t be terrified and repulsed?
She wanted to keep pretending to sleep.
But the man behind her wasn’t satisfied with just kissing her neck. His hand grew restless, slipping under the hem of her inner garment.
Summer nights were stifling. Each time after they were done, Xiao Lingzhou would clean her up and only dress her upper body in a close-fitting undergarment.
Earlier, afraid of being discovered, she had rushed back ahead of him. In her panic, she’d taken off her outer robe and accidentally loosened the ties of her undergarment.
Xiao Lingzhou followed her delicate curves upward, stopping at the place he loved most when passion ran high…
Even though fear and rejection filled Jiang Yu’s heart now, her body betrayed her with an involuntary response.
She knew that continuing to pretend would be unnatural.
Letting out a small whimper, she acted as if she’d been woken by him in her sleep. With her eyes still closed, she complained softly, “Xiao Lingzhou, don’t… I’m so tired…”
Hearing her soft, weak voice, Xiao Lingzhou finally let reason overcome desire. He withdrew his hand, adjusted the hem of her undergarment, and said gently, “Sleep well, Qingqing. I won’t disturb you.”