The Crown Prince didn't want to cry, he truly didn't, but the tears streamed down his face on their own.
His collar was pulled so tightly it felt suffocating. Shen Yue watched the man weep silently, her expression unchanged, as if she felt no emotion at all.
Shen Yue felt she should be happy, for finally, her wish of so many years had been fulfilled.
In her youth, the Crown Prince had led the bullying against her, making her live a life worse than that of pigs and dogs. She would even be beaten and scolded for crying too loudly.
She remembered that winter solstice. Shen Yue was only five. The lake had a thin layer of ice. The Crown Prince, from his high perch, watched her being tormented by eunuchs in the snow. Because of the Crown Prince's indulgence, those sycophantic eunuchs grew increasingly excessive.
She was forced to run onto the lake, her foot breaking through the thin ice, plunging her into the freezing water.
That wasn't enough. As she struggled in the water, the Crown Prince, clad in his deep robes and crane-feathered cloak, stood on the bank watching her, snowflakes falling silently.
The Crown Prince rolled snowballs from the ground and threw them at her face, hitting her so hard she could barely open her eyes.
It was so cold, her entire body was frigid.
Her pleas only made the Crown Prince more excited, inviting more torment.
Eventually, she no longer had the strength to beg, not even the strength to struggle. The icy water surged around her, and her vision went black.
That winter, she truly believed she would die by the lake. It was Fu An who, without hesitation, jumped in and rescued her.
A child of five or six, her face frozen a dark blue, even her hair and eyelashes coated in frost. Miraculously, she still had a breath of life.
One by one, incident after incident. Shen Yue couldn't count them all. She felt as if she had died countless times, which was why her heart was so cold, so hard.
Yet, it was strange. Even though she was now the victor, seeing the Crown Prince in such heart-wrenching agony gave her no pleasure.
The Crown Prince stared at her with eyes filled with hatred and blood, as if wanting to devour her alive, to tear her apart and consume her.
Shen Yue felt a slight suffocation from the tight grip. Her beautiful eyebrows were slightly lowered, her long, thick eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows on the delicate, fair skin of her eyelids. Her tear mole was like a touch of cinnabar.
She seemed to pay no mind to the Crown Prince before her.
No matter what happened now, it was already set in stone.
The Crown Prince was no longer the Crown Prince he once was.
Now, if Shen Yue wished it, making the Crown Prince disappear from this world without a sound would be incredibly easy.
But Shen Yue would not do that. It would be too easy for the Crown Prince. She would make him experience her past helplessness and pain a thousandfold, ten thousandfold.
This was only the beginning.
Shen Yue raised her eyes and offered the Crown Prince a slight smile. Her exquisitely beautiful and seductive face was like a painted scroll that defied description.
Yet, it sent a chill down one's spine.
She pried apart the Crown Prince's fingers one by one, then gave him a gentle push. The Crown Prince staggered back several steps as if burdened beyond endurance.
"So pathetic, like a stray dog."
Shen Yue smiled as she looked at the man staring at her coldly, then indifferently adjusted her slightly disheveled collar.
"You're not cooperating with my game at all now."
As if she couldn't bear to look at the Crown Prince any longer, Shen Yue lowered her gaze and turned to leave, leaving behind a flamboyant and fiery beautiful silhouette.
The Crown Prince's face still bore the traces of tears, yet his expression was blank. He stared coldly at Shen Yue's departing back like a lurking beast. Only after she vanished did he seem to wake up, lowering his head. His messy hair obscured his expression, making it appear dim and unfathomable.
Shen. Yue.
Deserves. Death!
The night wind blew, startling the birds into cries.
Faint moonlight skimmed the treetops, casting silvery-gray light across the vast land, illuminating it as brightly as day.
Most of the candles in the hall had been extinguished. The red candles burned with a gentle radiance, their flames bright, casting warm yellow light through the thin, white lotus-patterned gauze curtains into the tent, creating a soft, hazy glow.
Sandalwood incense curled and drifted, releasing a faint fragrance.
Shen Yue stood by the window, her hair unbound, gazing at the scenery outside. The pale moonlight shone on her face, as if veiled by a thin layer of gauze.
Fu An stood beside her like a shadow. When the wind picked up slightly, he cautiously moved closer, "Your Highness, the wind has grown stronger."
Her hair, loose on her shoulders, was blown by the wind. Her bright red lips curved slightly upwards. "Is he still standing outside?"
Fu An paused, lowering his head. "Lord Cheng is still at the door."
The Crown Prince's predicament had greatly implicated Lord Cheng Qian Gong, or rather, everyone aligned with the Crown Prince's faction was under pressure.
Cheng Qian Gong had arrived early. He was clever enough to know that Shen Yue had orchestrated this, but he was helpless. He was afraid. Afraid that the Crown Prince wouldn't survive until tomorrow.
Shen Yue was ruthless; what was she incapable of doing?
Cheng Qian Gong could not stand by and watch the Crown Prince walk towards a dead end.
Perhaps knowing that Shen Yue harbored some unspeakable feelings for him, he dared to come alone with such confidence.
Shen Yue wanted to give him a warning, and of course, to temper his spirit.
Her beautiful, dark eyes curved slightly. Her bright red lips softly formed words, and she spoke slowly, "It seems the rumors are true, that you are as close as brothers with the Crown Prince."
Though she spoke these words, a faint mockery flickered in her eyes.
She wanted to see how far Cheng Qian Gong would go for the Crown Prince.
Night had deepened. The wind rustled the branches, and leaves rained down, covering the ground.
Autumn was approaching, and the rain increased. By midnight, a light rain began to fall, fine and misty. Water trickled down from the eaves, spreading in rings on the ground.
The steps of the terrace were cool as water in the night. Inside, red candles flickered.
Cheng Qian Gong had stood there for an entire day. His posture remained straight, like bamboo that could never be bent. His eyelashes were lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes.
The rain did not last long. The closed door creaked open.
Shen Yue emerged, draped only in a dark cloak. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore a thin, long gown. She stood at the doorway, watching for a moment before walking over. Fu An quickly held up an umbrella, shielding Shen Yue from even a drop of rain.
As she drew closer, she saw Cheng Qian Gong's face, tinged blue from the cold. She hooked her bright red lips and tilted her head slightly, smiling. Her exquisite profile was half-hidden in the dim candlelight, appearing beautiful and harmless, but in reality, she was a beautiful but deadly carnivorous plant.
Her voice was luxuriously decadent, gentle as if imbued with the night itself.
"Why are you so stubborn? Come inside with me. If you catch a cold, it will be very uncomfortable."
Having said that, she took Cheng Qian Gong's icy hand without any sign of aversion.
Cheng Qian Gong raised his eyelids, but did not move.
The man's eyelids were thin, his pupils dark. When he looked at someone quietly, he was like ice and snow immersed in water, tinged with deep, cold intent.