A wisp of metallic blood rolled into her mouth, spreading deep in her throat and piercing straight to her heart. She didn't know if it was hers or his. In any case... it was indescribably bitter.
Zongzheng Wuyou pushed her to the ground in one motion. His frenzied kisses fell like a sudden downpour, never ceasing for a moment, rendering the already thin air virtually nonexistent.
In less than a moment, the air in her chest was completely drained. Suffocating agony swept through her, mingling with the strange sensation brought by the entanglement of their lips and tongues—so unexpectedly alluring that he couldn't stop himself. This real, tangible contact reminded him that, in this moment, she was still his. She was still in his arms, beneath him. His hand swiftly delved into her clothes, seeking the last shred of comfort for his soul, which teetered on the edge of despair.
Manyao's body shuddered, and she instinctively let out a soft sound. Immediately, her heart lurched in alarm—in such circumstances, she could still respond? A sense of humiliation welled up within her. What did this man take her for? Strength came from somewhere unknown, and she shoved him away. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across his incomparably handsome face.
Zongzheng Wuyou froze. For an instant, his mind went completely blank.
What was he doing? He was forcing himself on the woman he loved! That was the one act he could never tolerate in his entire life. Zongzheng Wuyou abruptly sat up, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. His heart was utterly empty; he felt nothing of the burning pain on his face.
Manyao hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, clutching her clothes tightly. Exhausted, she leaned into a corner, greedily gulping down air, yet still felt an unbearable tightness and pain in her chest.
Heaven knew how much time had passed when Zongzheng Wuyou suddenly spoke: "Do you... have any genuine feelings for me? If so... how much?"
Manyao started. She thought to herself, growing up, who would dare lay a finger on Zongzheng Wuyou, let alone slap him? Yet she had actually hit him! It was a moment of uncontrollable fury. She had thought he would explode into shame-driven rage and become even more frenzied. She never expected that after a long silence, he would ask such a question. He was such a proud and arrogant man, yet he would actually ask something like this! She didn't know how to answer, so she lowered her head and said nothing.
Time trickled by. On the other side, Zongzheng Wuyou leaned heavily back, his body slamming against the wall with a dull thud. When he spoke again, his voice carried self-mockery and a bitter smile. He said slowly, "Not even one bit? Then... leave."
Unexpectedly, Manyao froze, unable to react in time.
He had willingly exposed his own strength to abduct her from the wedding at the General's Manor, keeping her locked up with him in this underground stone chamber for three days and nights without food, drink, or sleep. And now he was letting her go so easily? She couldn't help but wonder in suspicion when a thunderous boom suddenly erupted beside her ear. The stone door opened in response, and a thread of dim yellow light poured in unrestrained. She turned her face away; her eyes hadn't quite adjusted.
On the other side, Zongzheng Wuyou repeated, "Go."
His voice was low and heavy, carrying a few notes of hopeless hoarseness. To Manyao's ears, it held a somewhat desolate flavor.
She forced herself to stand. Her entire body was weak and limp; she could only support herself against the wall and slowly, step by step, walk out. After exiting the doorway and climbing the first step, for some reason, she couldn't stop herself from looking back. At the end of the stone chamber, the man sitting on the ground was originally as handsome as a god, but now his expression was dim, his brows lowered. He stared blankly at the spot where she had been, his gaze unexpectedly carrying grief and despair, like an abandoned, lost child. It made her heart ache uncontrollably.
The man in the stone chamber seemed to sense her gaze. He raised his head, meeting the fleeting heartache in her eyes. His dim eyes suddenly ignited with light, but she hastily turned her head away and lifted her foot to flee.
"Aman!"
The man behind her suddenly called out to her. Her figure paused; she didn't move, nor did she look back. Yet she clearly felt the two gazes fixed upon her shift from sorrow to scorching heat. Then, she heard that normally proud and arrogant man speak to her with incomparable sincerity: "Aman... if you are willing to turn back, I, Zongzheng Wuyou, in this life... will treat you with true sincerity and never abandon you. I would rather betray the whole world than betray you! As long as... you are willing to turn back!"
As long as... you are willing to turn back...
His words were like an oath, earnest and heavy. Her heart and spirit were both shaken; her body went rigid. Something overflowed from the bottom of her heart, pinning her feet that wished to leave firmly to the ground so that she couldn't lift them.
Treat her with true sincerity, never abandon her...
Rather betray the whole world than betray her!
What a beautiful promise—what woman could resist it? Especially coming from Zongzheng Wuyou! Almost instinctively, she wanted to turn back. But reason reminded her: this man had once deceived her feelings and played her in the palm of his hand. Not a single word of his could be trusted! Yet she still couldn't help but turn her head. His gaze looked so sincere, full of expectation, as if telling her that as long as she was willing to take even one step back, happiness with him would be within easy reach. However, right at this moment, the sound of chiseling through rock came from overhead, each blow louder than the last. When Zongzheng Wuyou had entered, he had destroyed the mechanism outside; the stone door could only be opened from within. Presumably, those people, seeing that he hadn't emerged for three days, had panicked and intended to dig a passage through.
Manyao suddenly came to her senses. All reason instantly returned with crystalline clarity. She smiled at him, looking into his eyes that had brightened because she turned back, yet her smile was incomparably miserable and endlessly mocking. "Do you think I would still believe you? How do I know this isn't another trap you've laid to prove that there's nothing in this world Zongzheng Wuyou can't obtain, waiting for me to jump in and be shattered to pieces, after which you'll tell me: it was your own willing choice! Zongzheng Wuyou... I've already been foolish once. I don't want to make the same mistake again. From now on, even if I am deceived or used, I want to live with my eyes wide open."
After speaking, she left without looking back. She didn't see the man behind her, his gaze shattering, his face ashen like death.
Outside, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing half the sky red. By the hot spring pool, a crowd knelt on the ground, each forehead pressed against the icy earth, not daring to breathe under the emperor's gloomy expression of supreme rage.
At that moment, a moderate boom suddenly came from the stone chamber entrance, making the already taut crowd flinch in unison. They raised their eyes to look. From within the shifted stone door walked a beautiful woman. Her face was pale, her clothes in disarray, her steps weak and unsteady. The grand red wedding dress she had worn three days ago had long since vanished.
The crowd drew in sharp breaths, unconsciously imagining what might have happened during these three days with her and the Prince of Li alone together, a lone man and single woman in one room. Countless eyes turned as one to Great General Fu standing behind His Majesty, gazes filled with sympathy. For a man to have his wife pointed out as impure on their wedding day was already a tremendous humiliation; to then have his wife abducted after the ceremony and spend three days and nights with another man—this was simply an intolerable shame.
Fuchou's hands hidden in his sleeves clenched tightly, yet his face betrayed no expression whatsoever.
Emperor Lintian looked toward her. What had originally been a gaze carrying relief instantly turned as sharp as a blade when he saw that she was the only one walking out of the stone chamber. He ordered in a deep voice, "Someone, seize her."
A squad of guards swiftly surrounded her. Manyao started. Her already weak and powerless body swayed even more under such a severe formation. She frowned and forced herself to remain calm, asking, "May I ask Your Majesty what crime Rongle has committed?"
Her voice was weak, her appearance wretched.
Emperor Lintian said, "You don't know what crime you've committed? Hmph! You have quite the audacity! Six days ago, at the palace banquet, you disguised yourself as a man and entered the palace with the Prince of Li, finding a fake princess to impersonate you and select a husband in the great hall. This is deceiving the emperor! As a peace-marriage princess, instead of staying obediently in the princess manor, you flaunted yourself everywhere, seducing the Prince of Li and bewitching the Great General of Weiguo, attempting to drive a wedge between two of my court's most important ministers and incite internal chaos in my dynasty—a monstrous crime!"
His voice was heavy, seemingly infused with inner force, piercing straight through the still-open stone door and transmitting into the underground chamber. He continued, "Someone, throw her into the great prison to await judgment."
Manyao's heart jolted in alarm. The corner of her mouth involuntarily curved into a mocking arc. With these words, Emperor Lintian had neatly excised all of Zongzheng Wuyou's wrongdoing. All guilt was pinned solely on her. Inciting court internal chaos? What a massive hat to have placed on her head just like that.
"Your Majesty!" Fuchou cried out in alarm. Emperor Lintian's gaze was fierce, sweeping directly toward him as he cut in with a deep voice, "She has utterly disgraced your face, and you still wish to plead for her?"
Fuchou hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please quell your anger. This subject merely feels that, after all, the Princess is a peace emissary between two nations. Even if she is at fault, I beg Your Majesty to show leniency for the sake of Emperor Qiyun."
Only then did Emperor Lintian's expression soften slightly, but he still snorted coldly, "If she truly knew her status, she shouldn't have done such things unbefitting of it!" Seeing that Fuchou still wished to speak, he immediately darkened his gaze and said brooking no argument, "Enough! My will is set, Minister, say no more. Someone, take her away!"
Two guards responded by grabbing Manyao's arms. Manyao smiled bitterly. She didn't even have the strength to argue, let alone break free.
The Ninth Prince pleaded, "Father, please calm your anger, this matter..."
"Enough!" Emperor Lintian interrupted sharply. "I have said that my will is set. Whoever dares plead further will be punished with the same crime! Take her away."
The irrepressible imperial aura made the Ninth Prince fall back mutely, no longer daring to speak. The surrounding ministers all knew that executing Princess Rongle would inevitably enrage the Emperor of Qiyun Nation, and when that happened, military conflict would be unavoidable. However, since even General Fu and the Ninth Prince had hit a wall, it seemed the Emperor was truly determined, so they didn't dare plead either.
Just as they thought everything was settled and irreversible, suddenly, a cold shout came from the direction of the stone chamber—
"Let her go!"
It was an unceremonious, commanding tone. The voice wasn't loud, but it was so cold and heavy that the hearts of everyone present sank viciously.
The guards who had been dragging Manyao quite a distance involuntarily stopped their movements. Manyao didn't need to turn back to know that in front of Emperor Lintian, there was no second person under heaven who would dare issue orders with such an attitude besides Zongzheng Wuyou. However, Emperor Lintian didn't seem angry; on the contrary, he appeared to let out a sigh of relief.
The Ninth Prince's face showed joy, and he immediately stepped forward to call out, "Seventh Brother, you've finally come out! You nearly worried me to death."
Having exited the stone chamber, Zongzheng Wuyou had reverted to his former self—the high and mighty, proud and arrogant Prince of Li. His face was cold and ruthless, his eyes like an abyssal pool of hell, cold and fiendishly arrogant. He didn't look at the Ninth Prince, only glancing at the two guards holding the woman before fixing his gaze on Emperor Lintian. He repeated coldly, "I said, let her go!"
Each word was enunciated, decisive and firm.
Emperor Lintian's expression shifted several times. Frowning, he asked, "Wuyou, are you certain you want to release her? You had best think this through!" His tone actually seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
Zongzheng Wuyou didn't answer, but his resolute expression was more than enough to convey his meaning.
Emperor Lintian sighed helplessly. Only then did he wave his hand toward the guards and say, "Forget it! Go seal the stone chamber. From now on, no one is permitted to speak of this matter again." He sighed once more and left with his people.
The crowd knelt to send him off. Manyao was nearly collapsed on the ground, unable to rise.
Fuchou stepped forward to support her, gathering her slightly disheveled clothes together. His expression was gentle as he said, "I've let you suffer grievances."
Manyao shook her head. She felt two scorching yet icy gazes nailed to her spine the entire time. She desperately controlled herself not to turn back, only forcing a smile at Fuchou. "Thank you! I'm fine."
Zongzheng Wuyou watched them from behind, his pupils constricting slightly, his fists clenched tight.
The Ninth Prince sighed, "Seventh Brother, why did you come out to stop it? You know Father did that to help you..."
"I don't need it!" Zongzheng Wuyou cut him off. His eyes dimmed as he lowered his gaze and said, "I haven't fallen so low as to need such methods to keep a woman!"
The wind gently blew across his face, pale and expressionless.
"Seventh Brother..."
"Return to the manor."
Zongzheng Wuyou once again interrupted the Ninth Prince. His tone was as indifferent as usual, accustomed to burying all emotions in the bottom of his heart. Raising his head, he took a deep breath, looked at no one else, and walked straight past the woman ahead of him, heading down the mountain. The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated his tall, slender figure. That solitary white added a touch of bleakness to the dusk, as if seeking to isolate him from the world of everyone behind him.