“Haha, so you’re only finding out now?”
“You… why did you do this?”
“Do this?” Zhao Xiuzhu’s gaze was ferocious and sinister. “What do you think? Not only did you steal my cousin, but you also made him ignore my predicament when I entered the tiger’s den. Tell me, how could I not hate you?”
“So, you want to ruin me?” She looked at Zhao Xiuzhu, asking word by word.
Zhao Xiuzhu’s ferocious gaze met hers. “Wouldn’t ruining you be too kind? I want to make you infamous.”
“You… you are simply despicable and shameless.”
Zhao Xiuzhu was not angered by Xue Xingyue’s insults. “Curse me! I’ll give you time to curse to your heart’s content. Tell me, if His Highness the Crown Prince knew that the one he desired was not me, but a butcher’s daughter, what would he think?”
“Your heart is truly venomous.”
“Venomous? I’m giving you a chance to serve the Crown Prince, how can you call me venomous? This is something others can only dream of.” Zhao Xiuzhu laughed triumphantly.
“If others can only dream of it, why don’t you go serve him yourself?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t like His Highness the Crown Prince.” As she spoke, Zhao Xiuzhu snatched the wine pot from Xue Xingyue’s hand and walked towards the Crown Prince.
Seeing this, Xue Xingyue asked, “What are you doing now?”
Zhao Xiuzhu covered her mouth and chuckled. “Of course, I’m going to give some to His Highness the Crown Prince as well. This way, you can enjoy your intimate union even more, right?” With that, she poured all the wine from the pot into the Crown Prince’s mouth.
Soon, the Crown Prince, who had been knocked unconscious, showed slight signs of reaction. Zhao Xiuzhu clapped her hands, and Shancha and Yuncha walked in from outside. She smiled and said, “Hurry and send her to His Highness the Crown Prince’s bed.”
Shancha and Yuncha walked to Xue Xingyue’s side. Zhao Xiuzhu sat there, watching, when suddenly, Shancha and Yuncha, who were holding Xue Xingyue, turned around and subdued Zhao Xiuzhu. “You… have you turned against me? I am your young lady.”
Shancha removed the human skin mask from her face and looked at Zhao Xiuzhu coldly. “Shancha? Miss Zhao, look carefully, I am Shancha?”
Zhao Xiuzhu trembled all over. How could she not recognize this woman? Wasn’t this the maidservant by Xue Xingyue’s side, called Ruofeng?
“You… you all…”
Xue Xingyue stood up and walked to Zhao Xiuzhu. “Miss Zhao, did you really think I wouldn’t know about your despicable scheme?”
“You… how did you know?” Zhao Xiuzhu could hardly believe it. Xue Xingyue, who had seemed poisoned moments ago, was now acting like a normal person.
“How I found out is not important. It’s just that the one who should have shared intimate moments with the Crown Prince is not me, but the Crown Princess!” Xue Xingyue’s gaze turned cold, and she commanded, “Seal her acupoints. His Highness the Crown Prince drank so much wine; he needs to release some energy.”
“My lady, rest assured.” Ruofeng, who had been listening from outside, could barely control herself. She never imagined there could be such a malicious woman, especially one whom her mistress had saved. To repay kindness with enmity! Fortunately, they had entered the Eastern Palace to evade Prince Min’nan, and had ended up beneath the bed in the Crown Prince’s bridal chamber. Otherwise, how would they have known that Zhao Xiuzhu would poison the wine? If her mistress hadn’t pretended to be poisoned, how would they have discovered that this was all a scheme set up by Zhao Xiuzhu? This woman was truly as wicked as a snake.
“Xue Xingyue, you cannot do this to me. If Cousin finds out, he will never forgive you.” Zhao Xiuzhu said angrily.
“Is that so? That’s very good, I’ll wait. But for now, you’d better consider what will happen to you in a moment!”
Before Zhao Xiuzhu could say more, Ruofeng stepped forward and sealed Zhao Xiuzhu’s acupoints. “His Highness the Crown Prince will surely take good care of you shortly, Miss Zhao.”
“Mmmph…” Zhao Xiuzhu could only make muffled sounds. She glared at Xue Xingyue, her gaze capable of killing someone.
“Zhao Xiuzhu, you have brought this upon yourself. Enjoy it!” Xue Xingyue said coldly.
Ruofeng threw Zhao Xiuzhu onto the bed, and Xue Xingyue and the others left.
Zhao Xiuzhu lay stiffly on the bed. Her acupoints would automatically unseal after six hours. She could only hope that the Crown Prince would wake up a little later.
“Zhao Xiuzhu, what can I say about you?” The sudden voice made Zhao Xiuzhu tremble. She turned and saw the Crown Prince, who should have been unconscious, or at least not awake now, looking at her with his head propped up.
On his usually gentle and elegant face, there was a hint of icy coldness, sinister and terrifying. Zhao Xiuzhu shivered uncontrollably.
The Crown Prince laughed a few times, but the laughter did not reach his eyes. “Look at you, plotting against me is one thing, but you also plotted against Miss Xue. Do you think Miss Xue is like you? She is incredibly smart, you really can’t outplay her.” As he spoke, the Crown Prince shook his head slightly.
Zhao Xiuzhu glared fiercely at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince reached out and touched Zhao Xiuzhu’s chin. “Do you think I like you? Do you think I’m stronger than you?”
The Crown Prince sneered. “You’re not even fit to carry my shoes.”
Zhao Xiuzhu’s eyes widened as she looked at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince stood up, took out a damp cloth from his sleeve, and said with a cold smile, “This cloth is soaked with the wine you fed me. Now, I will bestow it all upon you.”
Saying that, he stuffed the cloth into Zhao Xiuzhu’s mouth. Zhao Xiuzhu wanted to spit it out, but her acupoints were sealed, and she couldn’t. She could only watch helplessly as the wine on the cloth slowly flowed down her throat.
Soon, she felt a burning heat all over her body, and her face flushed.
The Crown Prince gently brushed his hand across her cheek, and she instantly felt an extreme sense of comfort.
However, the Crown Prince stopped there. He withdrew his hand, took off a corner of his outer robe, wiped his hands, and said, “You are not fit to serve me, but I cannot bear for the Crown Princess to be so parched and restless, can I?”
In her daze, Zhao Xiuzhu saw the Crown Prince’s usually gentle and elegant face turn exceptionally cold-blooded, his gaze like ice.
“Someone,” he called out. As the voice fell, a person suddenly appeared in the room.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.” This person knelt to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince waved his hand and said coldly, “I value your years of service and your contributions and hardships. Now, I bestow upon you the Crown Princess.”
This person trembled all over. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, your subordinate dares not!”
“Serve the Crown Princess well on my behalf. If you cannot satisfy the Crown Princess, then none of you need to remain.” Saying that, the Crown Prince flicked his sleeve and left.
The person in the room was stunned. The woman on the bed was, after all, the Crown Princess; how could he be disrespectful to her? Just then, the Crown Prince’s voice came from outside the door again. “Hurry up! Do you expect me to wait here?”
He knew that if it had to be done today, it had to be done. Gritting his teeth, he turned to look at the woman on the bed. The woman still had a sliver of reason left. “Don’t… don’t come near me.”