The newcomer remained silent.
Lin’s heart pounded like a drum.
As the figure drew closer step by step, she instinctively grabbed whatever was within reach and hurled it over.
“Don’t come any closer! Stay away!”
The figure paused, then slowly removed the cloak, revealing herself before the now-commoner Lin.
The moment Lin recognized Consort An, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Your Ladyship, save me! Save me! Jiang Yunshu framed me—she did it on purpose! She bribed someone in the Office of Judicial Punishments to alter the testimony and dragged both you and me into this!”
Without warning, Consort An shoved her away.
“You wretch! Even now, you’re still trying to fool me as though I were an idiot!”
Lin frantically shook her head.
“Your Ladyship, I didn’t! I have always sincerely—”
Smack!
Before she could finish, Consort An slapped her viciously across the face.
“Shameless bitch! I came here today to personally send you on your way!”
Lin’s eyes widened in terror.
“Your Ladyship… can you really endure this? One day Jiang Yunshu will become a second Noble Consort! You need me now. If you rescue me, I’ll help you—”
She never finished.
Consort An drove a dagger straight into her abdomen.
Lin stared down in disbelief at the blade protruding from her stomach. Agonizing pain caused her pupils to dilate as despair overwhelmed her. Unwilling to accept such a fate, she clutched at Consort An’s robe with the last of her strength and rasped,
“Lin Shuyi… you won’t die a good death!”
Consort An sneered as she pulled the dagger free.
“I won’t die a good death? You’re the one who won’t! I cannot tolerate betrayal. If you don’t die, I’ll never swallow this grievance!”
With that, she grabbed Lin by the hair and slammed her head violently against the wall.
Lin had only a single breath left.
She no longer had the strength to resist.
After only one blow…
Her body collapsed limply to the ground.
Her eyes remained wide open in death, as though she intended to drag Consort An down to hell with her.
Consort An stared at Lin’s corpse, then at the blood staining her own hands. Her body trembled as she barked,
“Xiao Qingzi! Come in and clean this up!”
“Yes, Your Ladyship!”
The eunuch waiting outside immediately entered.
Xiangye came in as well, fastening Consort An’s cloak once more and carefully wiping the blood from her hands.
“My Lady… why did you have to do it yourself?”
Pale-faced, Consort An looked at her.
“I won’t allow anyone who betrays me to die so easily.”
Xiangye could only wrap an arm around her as they disappeared into the night.
Xiao Qingzi was an old hand at such things. It didn’t take him long to clean everything up and stage the scene to look as though Lin had taken her own life.
By the next day, news of Lin’s death had spread throughout the imperial harem.
No one ever investigated how someone in the Cold Palace died.
Jiang Yunshu wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Neither were the other consorts.
Consort An, however, fell ill afterward. Whether from shock or from the humiliation Emperor Chu Yi had inflicted upon her, she remained bedridden for two or three days.
During that time, Chu Yi never once went to visit her.
Although he had to consider the sentiments of the officials in court, Consort An’s actions had clearly earned the emperor’s displeasure.
Jiang Yunshu had fully recovered.
Taking advantage of a rare overcast day, she went into the garden to kick around a bamboo ball.
She was the kind of woman who could be as lively as a rabbit in motion and as graceful as a maiden at rest.
Today, she wore a short-sleeved blouse she had made herself, along with knee-length shorts. Her hair was simply tied back, and after running around the garden, her cheeks were flushed pink and her whole body radiated youthful vitality.
Even Wang An was momentarily stunned when he saw her.
He had never imagined this little mistress could be so playful.
She was having so much fun that she didn’t even notice the emperor had arrived.
What surprised him even more was that the usually gentle and obedient Jiang Yunshu had such a wild, carefree side.
Her lively, charming appearance was truly captivating.
Just as Wang An was about to announce the emperor’s arrival, Chu Yi suddenly pressed down on his arm, stopping him.
Not only did he forbid Wang An from announcing him—
He joined the game himself.
Watching this scene, Wang An couldn’t help recalling that while every imperial prince had once enjoyed the carefree vigor of youth, his own master had been humiliated as a hostage in an enemy kingdom.
He had never experienced such carefree moments.
Perhaps…
Now he wanted to make up for them.
Wang An’s eyes reddened.
Li Quan quietly whispered,
“Master, this is a good thing. Why are you crying?”
Wang An glared at him.
“What the hell do you know?”
Li Quan smiled.
“I don’t have balls either…”
Wang An raised a hand to smack him.
Li Quan quickly dodged.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunshu, who had been thoroughly enjoying herself, suddenly noticed Chu Yi.
She froze where she stood, not daring to move.
To her surprise, Chu Yi caught the bamboo ball and kicked it back toward her.
Jiang Yunshu neither expected to receive it nor reacted quickly enough to dodge.
The bamboo ball struck her squarely in the chest.
Though it wasn’t heavy—
The damned emperor was a martial arts expert.
He had kicked it from a considerable distance, and the force behind it was tremendous.
Besides…
Her chest was rather delicate.
A sharp pain instantly shot through her.
She crouched down, curling into herself as she fought back tears.
“Erya! Ziyan!” both maids cried in alarm.
Chu Yi was even more shocked that she had actually been hit.
He rushed over.
“Shu’er!”
Seeing how anxious the emperor looked, Jiang Yunshu was still a little annoyed inside.
That damned emperor!
Did he have to kick it so hard?
Was he shooting an arrow instead of kicking a ball?
Looking up at him with tear-filled phoenix eyes, she bit her rosy lips and forced herself to speak through the pain.
“Your Majesty… I’m fine… I’m really… fine…”
Chu Yi’s brows knitted tightly together as he bent down.
The next moment, Jiang Yunshu found herself lifted into his arms.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Your Majesty…”
“Summon… the imperial physician…”
Seeing her face turn pale frightened him.
Jiang Yunshu immediately pressed a finger against his lips.
“You mustn’t, Your Majesty. The place where I’m injured… the imperial physician can’t examine it.”
Chu Yi’s expression darkened slightly.
Without another word, he strode toward the palace hall.
Erya anxiously tried to follow.
But Ziyan quickly stopped her.
“Didn’t you see where Her Ladyship was injured? His Majesty is going to examine her. Why are you following?”
Erya looked worriedly toward the room.
“But…”
“But nothing.”
Ziyan simply dragged her away.
Inside the chamber, Chu Yi gently laid Jiang Yunshu on the couch.
“You were hit here?”
Jiang Yunshu nodded softly.
Chu Yi reached out to inspect the injury.
Blushing, Jiang Yunshu shrank back.
“Your Majesty… perhaps you should let Erya come in to take a look…”
Instead, Chu Yi gripped her slender waist, preventing her from retreating, and firmly lifted her clothing.
Seeing the reddened bruise blooming across her fair skin, his expression darkened.
“Does it still hurt?”
Jiang Yunshu gently shook her head.
“It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. It was only very painful at first.”
But…
What was Chu Yi thinking?
It was broad daylight.
Was he planning that again?
Looking at the red mark, Chu Yi picked up the medicinal ointment from beside her bed and gently applied it to the bruised spot.
“This medicine will help reduce the pain.”
Then he asked,
“You’re usually so quiet. What made you decide to play with this thing today?”
Jiang Yunshu answered shyly,
“The weather was pleasantly cool for once. It wasn’t hot or stuffy, and after spending so many days indoors recuperating, I felt weak all over. I just wanted to stretch my body a little.”
Chu Yi lightly tapped her forehead.
“There are countless ways to stretch your body. I can help you with that. Why bother with something like this?”
Jiang Yunshu tugged at her collar and pouted.
“Your Majesty has no sense of decorum. It’s still broad daylight.”