Chapter 9: Glorious in the Capital

  “Pah, pah, pah! How dare you compare that bastard with the graceful, virtuous, and talented Lady Wei? That wild thing isn’t even fit to carry Lady Wei’s shoes, let alone call her cousin!”

  The string of harsh and nasty remarks echoed clearly into Wei Yuanwei’s ears. Her fists clenched tightly in anger.

  No matter how much she needed rest, she could no longer tolerate this vulgar snder.

  She turned over and got out of bed. After searching the room, she found a finely crafted slingshot, and in the corner, a bag full of perfectly sized stones—almost like a matching set.

  Wei Yuanwei stuffed a handful into her pocket, then approached the wall. The insults from outside became even clearer.

  Propping herself up against the wall, she forced herself upright, sneered coldly as she looked at the slingshot in her hand.

  Time for these gossiping hags to taste her wrath!

  She had practiced shooting as a child!

  And her skill with a slingshot was second to none.

  Yun Xie stepped down from his carriage just in time to hear a series of screams from the marketpce nearby.

  He paused for a moment before entering the prince’s residence.

  Inside, the bed where Wei Yuanwei was supposed to be resting was empty.

  “Xuanli!” Yun Xie’s voice was cold.

  In an instant, a shadowy figure appeared behind him.

  “Where is the Princess Consort?” His tone hinted at hidden fury.

  Xuanli raised his head slightly, his eyes flickering.

  On the high wall of the prince’s estate, a woman in red stood atop a dder, her sleeves rolled up. In one hand she held a slingshot, the other drew the string. Half-squinting her eyes, she released it—and another shriek came from outside the wall.

  Her movements were smooth and confident, like flowing water—accurate and elegant. She was clearly a trained shooter!

  Yun Xie stood below the dder, looking up at her with a glimmer of appreciation in his eyes. But a moment ter, his gaze sharpened. With a light push of his toes, he leapt into the air and caught the unsteady Wei Yuanwei in his arms, bringing her safely back down.

  “You think you’re all better now?” Yun Xie asked in a low voice.

  Seeing her pale face, his brows furrowed. Holding her in his arms, he strode back into the room.

  Wei Yuanwei, pced back onto the bed, tried to struggle and get back up. Her pale face was full of unwillingness and anger.

  Yun Xie pushed her down: “Do you want me to go through with marrying a sixth princess consort that badly?”

  Wei Yuanwei had no strength left to reply. Just climbing the dder had drained nearly all her energy.

  She remained silent, her once-clear eyes now brimming with fury and hatred.

  Yun Xie felt a sharp sting when their eyes met.

  “What happened? I’ll take care of it for you.” His voice softened. A woman with such a look in her eyes must have been deeply wronged.

  Wei Yuanwei said nothing, only stared at him, then buried her face in the bnket.

  Yun Xie looked to Xuanli, who quickly expined everything that had happened.

  A trace of ruthless anger fshed in Yun Xie’s dark eyes. “If I hear those two words from anyone else, I’ll cut out their tongue!”

  “Yes!” Xuanli accepted the order and left swiftly.

  Back when he’d been burned and bedridden, many had called him a cripple. What he saw today was all too familiar...

  But he hadn’t become a cripple—and he’d made sure to disappoint everyone who wished he had.

  Now, he was the prince feared by all. No one dared say a word about “disability” in front of him.

  Wei Yuanwei peeked out from the bnket. Strangely, she didn’t find the Evil King as hateful anymore—her aversion to him had slightly diminished.

  Yun Xie lifted his robe and sat beside her, his slender, jade-like hand resting gently on her shoulder. “If something happens in the future, tell me. I’ll make it right for you. Right now, your most important task is to recover. I still want to consummate our marriage soon.”

  The first part touched Wei Yuanwei slightly; her opinion of him even improved a little. But the second part made her instantly drop that good impression to the lowest point.

  Had he never been with a woman before? All he cared about was the wedding night!

  Wei Yuanwei ignored him again.

  Yun Xie didn’t mind. He simply sat by her side, watching her quietly.

  A maid entered with a bowl of dark herbal medicine, curtsied, and said, “Your Highness, the Princess Consort’s medicine is ready.”

  Yun Xie looked at the maid suspiciously. His fearsome reputation was well known, and there were supposed to be no maids in the estate. Where had she come from?

  “The nanny from the pace sent me to serve the Princess Consort,” the maid expined quickly.

  Yun Xie nodded, gently pulling back Wei Yuanwei’s bnket. “Get up, drink your medicine, and rest again.”

  Wei Yuanwei seemed unwilling. Yun Xie’s voice turned cold: “Do you need me to feed you myself?”

  She opened her eyes and sat up. Yun Xie instantly pulled her into his arms, one arm wrapped around her shoulder.

  The maid stepped forward with the medicine, her eyes darting between the two of them. But when her gaze met Yun Xie’s, she nervously looked away.

  Just as the maid was about to feed Wei Yuanwei a spoonful—

  Yun Xie’s cold voice rang out: “You drink it first.”

  “Your Highness?” The maid’s hands trembled slightly.

  Wei Yuanwei looked at Yun Xie, puzzled.

  “I said, you drink it first.” His tone turned harsh.

  The maid dared not argue. She brought the spoon to her lips but hesitated to open her mouth.

  In an instant, Yun Xie seized her jaw and forced the entire bowl of medicine down her throat.

  The maid struggled briefly on the ground—then went still.

  Yun Xie’s eyes darkened. Someone had dared to poison her right in front of him?

  “Shangli, bring me the nanny who sent this maid. I want to hear the truth from her mouth!” As soon as his words fell, a strange noise echoed from the rooftop.

  Wei Yuanwei stared at the lifeless maid on the floor, her eyes filled with fear.

  Who had poisoned her? Why?

  Yun Xie turned to her and said calmly, “I won’t let anything happen to you. You still need to help me remove my stitches.”

  Wei Yuanwei frowned even deeper. Was he keeping her alive just so she could remove his shoulder stitches?

  She suddenly recalled: of all Yun Xie’s princess consorts, only one had survived more than half a month. The rest had either committed suicide before the wedding or been assassinated on the wedding night.

  Was this all coincidence—or a conspiracy?

  It couldn’t have been the Wei family—they’d had plenty of chances to kill her long ago. She had been locked in the stables and had no contact with anyone from outside.

  Then who was it that wanted her dead?

  Night fell quickly. In the study, Shangli—dressed in bck—stood behind Yun Xie.

  “Your Highness, I was one step too te. The nanny was killed. The maid wasn’t from the pace at all.”