After becoming the second prince"s w.a.n.gfei, Xia Ruzhi was able to be useful for Xing Wenhe because she could provide him some valuable information regarding the Gonglu country. That, even though she didn"t become the empress in the end. And most of them are the chaos happening in the palace. Her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Li, caused them in the first place.
And that is the kind of information Xing Wenhe needed. He planned to take advantage of the Gonglu country"s chaos to shake and break it even more from behind. Unfortunately, all of Empress Dowager Li"s plan ended in failure. And if she could inflict damage, it was too trivial for Xing Wenhe to use.
Despite all the failures, Xia Ruzhi wasn"t worried at all. She was too confident with her and Xing Wenhe"s relations.h.i.+p. She believed his promise that he would take her from the second prince"s side to be his wife. Of course she a.s.sumed it as his main wife. But after more than a year of their secret relations.h.i.+p, she heard that the Zhixiang country"s crowned prince married and conferred a crowned princess.
Xia Ruzhi was devastated with the news and confronted him during their first meeting after Xing Wenhe"s wedding. "Xing Wenhe! Who was that s.l.u.t? I heard she wasn"t a n.o.ble and that she wasn"t the woman arranged by your emperor father for you. And you even made her your crowned princess? Why? What about me then?"
Xing Wenhe gave her a piercing and sharp gaze. Then he suddenly grabbed her hair, lift her up and slammed her on the wall. "Don"t you ever call the woman I love a s.l.u.t. That word is best suited for you and not my Yeyin. Know your place. Do you really want to know what I think about you? You are just a plaything." He replied with a mocking smile.
"B-but… I love you. I did everything you asked. I became your spy and offered myself only to you. E-even my husband, even Feng Jun Yu can"t touch my hand. I never allowed him. I… I am not a s.l.u.t! I am your woman. Only yours." Xia Ruzhi replied in a sobbing mess enduring the pain in her scalp from being pulled.
"Are you implying that you are better than my Yeyin? Maybe I should let my guards play with you. That way you have no right to belittle my Yeyin anymore. I enjoy watching too anyway." Xing Wenhe said with a dark smile.
Xia Ruzhi"s eyes widened in horror hearing his threat. And seeing his dark smile and excited expression, she knows he is not giving her an empty threat. He will seriously let his guards defile her. "N-no…please. I-I was wrong. I will not do it again. I will not insult the mistress again. I know my place. P-please, your highness, master, I beg you. Forgive me." Xia Ruzhi begged while trembling and crying in fear.
Xia Ruzhi dropped like withered flower the moment Xing Wenhe released her. "Tsk. How boring. You should think about it though. You"ll never know if you like or not unless you try. You can tell me anytime." Xing Wenhe said while looking down on her with his now warm and sweet smile.
Xing Wenhe then sat on the lounger and leaned lazily while looking at the still crying Xia Ruzhi on the floor. "My Yeyin is not just some random woman. Aside from her extremely beautiful face, she is also a mistress of an unknown strong martial artist clan. That being said, her strength is beyond imagination. Probably the strongest woman I"ve known. She could even overpower most men.Remembering how she broke my guards that fateful day and hearing their screams of horror and pain, I still get gooseb.u.mps up to this day. I"m definitely head over heels in love with my Yeyin." He described with a dreamy expression.
*******
Remembering that day after hearing Xing Baihe mentioning the mysterious empress of Zhixiang country and her beloved man"s beloved woman, Xia Ruzhi cannot help but feel heartbroken. But Xing Wenhe is too overprotective with that woman and is over sensitive when it comes to her. So Xia Ruzhi needs to be careful or Xing Wenhe might kill her for real this time.
"Yeyin will arrive soon. She"s just working on her own version of Lin Xulian"s multi poison antidote that you mentioned. When I told her about it she became really interested and regretted not meeting Empress Lin before she died." Xing Wenhe replied.
"Lin Xulian did a really good job in that antidote. But became quite a hindrance for my plan." Xing Baihe said with irritation.
"That"s to be expected. Feng Jun Yi"s body was riddled with poison at a young age. I think that was Lin Xulian"s inspiration in creating that antidote." Xing Wenhe said in a matter of fact.
"How commendable and sweet. That gave me more satisfaction for breaking those two apart. And seeing Feng Jun Yi bathing in regret every day is a great fulfilment." Xing Baihe said with a satisfied expression. Seeing her like this, Xing Wenhe just shook his head helplessly. She may not admit it, but he could tell that his sister is a bit jealous. Not because she liked Feng Jun Yi but because she doesn"t like Lin Xulian the moment she met her. And knowing her even more made her hate Lin Xulian.
Xing Wenhe isn"t wrong. Xing Baihe really did hate Lin Xulian even before she learned that the fifth prince, Feng Jun Yun loves her. She hated her because she was well loved by the people around her. And her servants respect her not only because she was the empress. They genuinely love her for who she is. In contrast, Xing Baihe still needs the aid of the Gu poison to gain some loyal servant.
Suddenly, Xing Baihe"s satisfied smile stiffened. She abruptly stood up and subconsciously looked towards the direction of the courtyard"s entrance.
Xing Wenhe noticed his sister"s fl.u.s.tered look. "What is it Baihe?" He asked worriedly seeing the alarm on her face.
"The Gu poisons are dying one by one. Or more like their hosts are dying. Someone is attacking the guards." Xing Baihe replied seriously.
Hearing this, Xing Wenhe"s expression turned serious and grim. "Attacking us in broad daylight. Whoever this person is, he surely has guts." He said before leading the group inside the courtyard towards the entrance.
But instead of anger, a broad smile bloomed in Xing Wenhe"s face despite the gruesome pile of dead bodies of the guards at the entrance of the courtyard. In front of him is a woman with a beauty that cannot be hidden despite the disappointed look on her face while observing the dead men around her.
She is wearing a simple but formal pink female robes with embroidered red peonies. She looked extremely beautiful and any man couldn"t help but want to protect and cherish her. But the b.l.o.o.d.y trail she left tells otherwise. This woman doesn"t need protection at all.
Most men don"t like this type of women. They find this character intimidating. But Xing Wenhe doesn"t belong to that group. For him this woman is his cup of tea. Despite the fact that he is a s.a.d.i.s.t and prefers to be in control most of the time, this woman is an exception. And she is no other than his wife and empress, Liu Yeyin.
"My beloved Yeyin, you"re finally here! What"s with the disappointed look?" Xing Wenhe exclaimed excitedly while running towards her side totally ignoring the fact that his wife murdered some guards not long ago.
Liu Yeyin"s attention diverted towards her husband and gave him a blindingly beautiful smile. The servants around them trembled in fear seeing the dead bodies lying around. But after seeing the culprit"s smile, they also cannot believe that such woman can do something gruesome without batting an eye.
"I thought you"d miss this wife of yours. Turns out you are more than well thanks to Lady Xia"s care. That itself is still a relief for me. You know your wellbeing is this wife"s greatest joy, my Wenhe." She answered while caressing his cheeks.
"Nonsense. You know I am the happiest when I"m with you." Xing Wehne said sweetly. Xia Ruzhi can only bow her head and secretly clench her fist in jealousy.