Chapter 29: The Mad, Lust-Driven Hostage Prince x the Pampered, Spoiled Princess (29)

Shu Yao returned to the Qiwu Palace, winding her way through the grounds, only to find Wantao in a state of frantic search.

"Your Highness!"

Upon seeing the court robes Shu Yao was wearing, Wantao nearly fainted from fright. She hurried to remove them, quickly finding a heavy cloak to wrap around her mistress.

"Your Highness, what is this you are wearing?"

If her eyes did not deceive her, these robes belonged to the hostage prince from the Zhangtai Palace. The pattern was distinct, designed to mark his status specifically for the purpose of easier humiliation. No ordinary servant would be allowed to wear such a garment.

"Go and draw water; I must bathe."

"Yes..."

Wantao’s voice trembled, her legs giving way beneath her.

Only after sinking into the warm wooden tub did Shu Yao find the composure to contemplate her next task. The fault in this matter did not lie with Shen Jingmu, yet given the current circumstances, she could not suppress her irritation. Princess Anle had not even grown close to Li Lian at the banquet, and now, even the male lead had crossed the line. Had the plot gone insane?

She wanted to curse, her fingertips gripping the edge of the tub until her knuckles turned white. She had been so immersed in the persona of the vicious female supporting character that she hadn't considered the progress of the leads until this explosive disaster erupted.

"System, is this reasonable?"

She asked, though what she really wanted to know was what to do if the plot collapsed. The system, however, had crashed and offered no response.

Stepping out of the tub and changing her clothes, she found that Wantao had been guarding the outside of the hall, letting no one enter. As she approached, she saw that Wantao’s eyes were bloodshot.

Once inside the bedchamber, Wantao finally couldn't help but ask, "Your... Your Highness, did that lowly slave do something to you?"

The Princess had always been self-respecting and had never had contact with any man outside the palace, let alone a lowly hostage. He must have forced or coerced her. If the Emperor were to find out... Wantao dared not even imagine the horrific consequences.

Shu Yao shook her head. "It is nothing. Do not take it to heart."

What was done was done; there was no point in dwelling on it, especially since nothing definitive had occurred. Even regarding Shen Jingmu’s claim that she had been "soiled," Shu Yao did not see it that way. Even if something had happened, was she not the master of her own body? A bath was enough to wash away any such feeling.

But Wantao could not be so indifferent. She knew only that Princess Jianing had touched the Emperor’s deepest taboo. In the past, the Emperor had turned a blind eye even when the Princess was willful enough to have servants beaten to death. But when it came to her virtue, he never conceded. This was a capital offense.

Wantao dropped to her knees. "Your Highness, what should we do? If this reaches the Emperor’s ears, you will be executed!"

Shu Yao gripped her teacup, her voice cold. "He will not find out."

"But when the night of your wedding to the Crown Prince of the neighboring country comes..."

"So what?" Shu Yao tilted her head to look at her. "By then, the marriage will be concluded and the alliance between the two nations set. Even if he discovers it, could he possibly annul the marriage?"

Besides, that day might never come.

Seeing the shock on Wantao's face, Shu Yao softened her tone. "Do not lose your composure. Swallow this secret whole."

Thinking of Shen Jingmu, Wantao still had concerns. "But as for the hostage..."

Only the dead could keep a secret. Who could guarantee he would remain silent? With international relations strained, he was a hostage in the capital, and many eyes were on his life. Yet he could not die; if he were silenced, no defeated nation would dare send hostages again, and the Emperor would surely investigate thoroughly.

"Leave him be."

Shu Yao suddenly thought of something and asked, "Is there any news about Princess Anle?"

Wantao shook her head in confusion. Judging by Princess Jianing’s expression, could this matter be related to Princess Anle?

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the hall. A young eunuch rushed in and knelt to report.

"Your Highness, a major incident! After the banquet, Princess Anle did not leave the palace. Instead, she was caught in bed with Li Lian, son of Grand Marshal Li!"

Wantao’s eyes widened in horror.

Shu Yao asked, "Who caught them?"

The young eunuch bowed his head, trembling as he answered, "The personal head maidservant of the Empress."

As she expected.

Empress Xiaode had actually used such despicable means to bind the two together, and she had been caught in the crossfire. Even now, Shu Yao did not understand how she had been targeted. If the drug had been in the tea, it should have been handled with extreme caution; how could they have drugged the wrong person?

No, it wasn't the wrong person. Since both Anle and Li Lian were drugged, it wasn't a mistake. It was that there had been an extra cup. Empress Xiaode was not so mindless as to make such a blunder; someone was plotting against her, and the events had simply collided. The banquet had been a solemn affair, known to many in the palace—who could it be?

***

"Get out! Get out, all of you!"

Anle hurled a soft pillow at the maids and eunuchs rushing toward her, her eyes swollen from crying. Seeing that no one dared to approach, she collapsed onto the daybed.

The pearls from her hair scattered across the floor, glinting coldly in the shadows. On her fingertips, she could still feel the raw, torn flesh from the man’s back and the metallic scent of blood. The bronze mirror reflected Anle’s unfocused pupils. Remembering the way he had torn her skirt and the painful pressure of the jade pendant at his waist digging into her back, she suddenly began to rip frantically at the pearl necklace around her throat.

The smooth beads struck the palace walls, masking her muffled sobs.

The carved door creaked open. Empress Xiaode’s dark hem swept across the chaotic floor, her usually composed face suddenly drained of color.

"My Anle..."

A metallic taste rose in Empress Xiaode’s throat as she gathered the trembling Anle into her arms, her fingertips brushing the purple-blue bruises on her neck.

"Mother! Wuwuwu! Mother!"

At the sight of Empress Xiaode, the strength Anle had been desperately holding onto collapsed. All the rules of conduct she had lived by were cast aside. Her sleeves, embroidered with the twelve imperial symbols, were quickly soaked through. Receiving a signal from the Empress, the attendants retreated, holding their breath.

Empress Xiaode held Anle, her voice laced with unprecedented bitterness.

"Mother is here."

The scheme was real, and the heartbreak was real as well. If she had had any other choice, she would never have set her sights on her own daughter, letting her be ravaged so cruelly by that scoundrel Li Lian.

Anle cried until she was almost voiceless, then suddenly began to struggle violently, her nails leaving five bloody scratches on the Empress’s hand.

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

She pointed at Empress Xiaode, finally realizing the truth.

"It was you... it was you, wasn't it?"

Empress Xiaode’s heart jolted; she barely managed to keep her expression steady. "Anle, what is wrong?"

Anle’s eyes were red, large tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. She had been so foolish to take so long to see the situation clearly. She calmed herself, wiping her tears haphazardly.

"It must have been you. Since both Li Lian and I were drugged, who else could it be?"

"You have always wanted to use my marriage to help Third Brother ascend to the throne, but I never imagined you would use such a base and lowly method!"

Empress Xiaode lowered her eyes, knowing that further explanation was useless. Anle was clever; she was proud of that.

"Mother had no choice. Mingjue has yet to wake, and you are the only one who can help Lanqing."

She shook her head, her voice desolate. She felt utter contempt for herself.

Anle laughed bitterly, roaring wildly, "Lanqing, Lanqing! All you care about is your Lanqing. Am I not your daughter?!"

"Why would you do this to me?"

Empress Xiaode looked at Anle’s face, which was filled with hatred, and tasted the sweetness of blood in her throat. Why? To help Lanqing reach the highest position, to consolidate power, to... But meeting Anle’s shattered gaze, every reason became a hollow excuse.

Anle suddenly felt it was laughable, her voice hoarse, seeping with a dense, suffocating pain.

"You taught me to be steady, to keep the bigger picture in mind. But why didn't you teach me how to kill the self inside me that hates you so much?"

She pressed her chest, wishing she could tear a hole through it. Empress Xiaode stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by lightning.

Then, she heard Anle’s voice, filled with despair and resignation.

"Do you know? You could have just told me who the candidate was, and I would never have resisted. There was no need to drug me."

"Am I not very obedient, Mother?"

Empress Xiaode did not know how she left, hearing her own voice as if in a trance.

"Mother has already sent people to the Li family to discuss the wedding. Stay here and prepare to be a bride."

After the Empress left, Anle climbed off the bed barefoot and pulled out a pair of scissors. The attendants were terrified as they watched her shred every piece of fabric in the hall. The gold-filigree, gem-encrusted hairpins the Empress had given her for her birthday last year were smashed to pieces.