In her previous life, Xiao Yu had been the most noble and pampered young lady in the entire capital.
Yet on her wedding night, she died tragically at the hands of the husband who had grown up with her as her childhood sweetheart.
Ever since she was old enough to understand such things, Xiao Yu had known that her future husband would be Prince Rui, Xie Jin—the boy she had been betrothed to before birth, the Brother Jin who had grown up by her side.
Back then, her mother was still alive and was a close friend of Xie Jin’s mother, Consort Yu. Her father, Xiao Xingzhi, was the Chief Grand Secretary of the imperial court, so frequent visits to the palace were nothing unusual for her.
Later, her mother passed away, and her father remarried. The imperial throne changed hands, and Consort Yu, who had always regarded Xiao Yu as her future daughter-in-law, became Dowager Consort Yu. She personally taught and guided Xiao Yu for several years before eventually succumbing to illness as well.
Xiao Yu had always believed that Xie Jin was the person closest to her in this world.
For his sake, during the years she spent under Dowager Consort Yu’s guidance, Xiao Yu worked tirelessly, forcing herself to become a woman worthy of standing beside him as the principal wife of a royal prince.
Whatever Xie Jin liked, she learned.
She had made him her pillar of support—the man she believed would grow old with her, the man who would protect her for the rest of her life.
But in the end, he abandoned her.
Yesterday had been their grand wedding.
The entire capital had been draped in splendor, overflowing with festive cheer.
Everyone praised them as a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman destined to be together.
Yet when the time came for their wedding night, Xie Jin lifted her bridal veil with a coldness on his face that she had never seen before.
“I have already done more than enough by keeping my promise and marrying you as the principal consort of Prince Rui’s residence!”
“If you know your place and behave yourself, we can live without interfering with each other. Otherwise, don’t blame me for showing you no mercy.”
Tears welled in Xiao Yu’s almond-shaped eyes as she stared at the man before her in disbelief.
Her heart shattered into pieces.
“Brother Jin, we grew up together. We’ve known each other since childhood, and today is our wedding day. How can you say such things to me?”
“Grew up together?” Xie Jin sneered. “I never loved you in the first place. But even if I had, you behaved intimately with another man. You have already been unfaithful! A shameless, promiscuous woman like you deserves to be divorced so I can marry another! If I hadn’t needed to fulfill my promise to Mother Consort, do you really think you would ever have been allowed through the gates of my residence?”
His words pierced her heart like a blade.
Xiao Yu’s face was filled with shock and unwillingness to accept what she was hearing.
She was shocked by the crime Xie Jin had accused her of, and devastated that after all these years, her wholehearted love had never managed to warm his heart.
“Brother Jin, I have never been unfaithful to you. I never did any of the things you’re accusing me of…”
Xiao Yu reached out and grabbed Xie Jin’s sleeve, trying to explain herself as she always had.
But Xie Jin violently flung her to the floor.
His red wedding robe swept through the air as his tall figure abruptly rose. The chair behind him crashed to the ground.
His voice was as cold as shattered jade, and his eyes were filled with contempt.
“Don’t touch me! You disgust me! If Jinniang and I hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, even I wouldn’t have believed you could be so wanton!”
“Impossible! Brother Jin, you must have seen the wrong person! That woman couldn’t have been me!”
Xiao Yu struggled to her feet and desperately grabbed the hem of Xie Jin’s robe.
Despair flooded her heart.
They had grown up together and had always gotten along so well. Since childhood, she had known that she would one day marry him. No matter how proud or arrogant he was, her heart had always belonged to him.
Now, she had finally become his wife.
Yet she could not find even the slightest trace of affection in his eyes.
Had all his past gentleness and warmth merely been an act?
How had she never realized that he had two completely different faces?
The hatred in his eyes pierced her heart like poisoned needles.
Jinniang?
That’s right.
Was everything because of this “Jinniang” he kept mentioning?
“Get away from me!”
Xie Jin kicked Xiao Yu squarely in the chest.
The force sent her rolling across the floor. Her blood churned violently inside her chest, and with a sudden cough, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
It hurt.
It hurt so terribly.
On their wedding day, he had crushed her heart with an accusation she had never deserved!
Even now, however, some stubborn shred of hope remained within her.
In a trembling voice, she asked, “Who is Jinniang?”
At the mention of Jinniang, a trace of tenderness flashed through Xie Jin’s eyes.
But in the next instant, he glared viciously at Xiao Yu.
“Someone like you isn’t worthy of knowing who she is! Jinniang is already carrying my child. You’d better think carefully about what you should do now!”
Xiao Yu’s heart finally died.
So, she was already pregnant?
No wonder.
No wonder he had gone so far as to frame her with such a disgraceful accusation!
If word of such a scandal spread, it would ruin not only her own reputation but also implicate the entire Xiao family.
She could not allow Xie Jin to do this.
Summoning what little strength she had left, Xiao Yu tried to reason with him.
“For the sake of that Jinniang, you would slander me like this? I never did those things! I will never admit to something I didn’t do!”
“You won’t admit it?”
Xie Jin seized her by the throat and dragged her up from the floor, sneering coldly.
“Since you refuse to repent, you are no longer worthy of being the principal consort of Prince Rui’s residence! In that case, I’ll divorce you and make way for Jinniang!”
“You want to… divorce me?”
Xiao Yu’s eyes widened.
After experiencing such overwhelming joy followed by such devastating grief, she was already on the verge of breaking down.
Xie Jin narrowed his eyes and paused.
For one fleeting moment, she thought he regretted his words.
Instead, his next words were even colder and more ruthless.
“Divorcing you would be letting you off too easily. You aren’t even worthy of receiving a divorce letter from me! From this day onward, you can fend for yourself inside this residence. I’ll simply consider it as Prince Rui’s residence having one more dog to feed!”
With a violent sweep of his arm, Xie Jin hurled Xiao Yu toward the footstool beside the bed.
Her forehead struck it, drawing blood, but she barely noticed the pain.
All she could feel was a profound, despairing hatred rising from the depths of her heart.
“Ha… Xie Jin! You accused me of a crime I never committed just so that this Jinniang of yours could openly enter your residence, didn’t you? You’re the faithless one, yet you insist on placing all the blame on me! Xie Jin, how can you be so heartless? If this was what you wanted all along, why did you bother pretending and marrying me in the first place?!”
Her words completely enraged him.
Xie Jin suddenly strode forward and yanked the bedding aside.
A square of pristine white silk appeared before Xiao Yu’s eyes.
“You want to prove your innocence? Fine! I’ll give you the chance!”
Riiip!
Her wedding dress tore apart.
Xiao Yu’s vision blurred as tears of humiliation streamed down her cheeks and into her mouth. She desperately pounded her fists against Xie Jin.
“Xie Jin, you bastard! Let go of me! Stop!”
But Xie Jin was far stronger than she was, and there was not the slightest trace of tenderness in his movements.
Several more sounds of ripping fabric rang through the room as he tore apart her clothes.
Xiao Yu’s heart broke completely.
The humiliation Xie Jin inflicted upon her felt like countless knives carving into her flesh, one cut after another.
This man…
He was supposed to be her husband, the childhood sweetheart who had grown up beside her.
How could he treat her like this on their wedding night?
All the love and happiness she had once imagined sharing with her husband shattered completely in that moment.
Consumed by despair, Xiao Yu waited until Xie Jin’s attention slipped for an instant.
She pulled the golden hairpin from her hair and stabbed at him with all her strength.
Fortunately for Xie Jin, he reacted quickly.
The golden hairpin grazed his cheek, leaving a deep bloody gash across his face. Xiao Yu had struck with all her strength, and the wound was so severe that the flesh split open, blood pouring down his cheek.
“Bitch! You dare hurt me?!”
The pain sent Xie Jin into a furious rage.
His eyes turned bloodshot, his expression more savage and vicious than Xiao Yu had ever seen.
His hand shot out and clamped around her slender throat.
Xiao Yu’s face quickly turned purple.
Just as she thought she was about to suffocate—
Bang!
The door was violently thrown open.
“Your Highness! Let go of her! Please, let go!”
“Miss! Miss!”
Anxiang and Yingxiu rushed inside and desperately pushed Xie Jin away.
Xie Jin abruptly came back to his senses and released his grip.
The vicious, violent look in his eyes gradually faded.
Without another word, he stormed out of the room like a whirlwind, leaving only his icy voice behind.
“From this day forward, the Princess Consort is confined to Qinglan Courtyard. Without my permission, she is not allowed to take even a single step outside!”