"Your servant believes Your Majesty would like me to wear this dress... Your Majesty used to love it most when I wore clothes of this color..." Su Qianyan said.
Initially, as he listened to the preceding words, Yu Jingchen was prepared to have her dragged away immediately. However, the final sentence caused his eyes to turn sharp.
"When did I ever say that?" Yu Jingchen's eyes already harbored killing intent.
"Your Majesty... perhaps in the previous life. In my mind, I always saw Your Majesty sending me clothes of this color, having me wear them daily. I..." Su Qianyan appeared somewhat shy as she spoke.
But Yu Jingchen was different. These few words from Su Qianyan stirred up immense turmoil in his heart. Could Su Qianyan also be...
"Your Majesty..." Seeing that Yu Jingchen remained unresponsive, Su Qianyan softly called out again. Yu Jingchen gently raised his hand. Xing Lai, understanding, led the attendants a short distance away. Seeing this, Su Qianyan believed Yu Jingchen harbored some thoughts towards her.
"Your Majesty, shall I serve you?" Su Qianyan's face was full of bashfulness.
"Heh..." Yu Jingchen acted as if he had heard a joke. He looked at the person kneeling at his feet with utter disdain. "The previous life? Then you should know that in the previous life, I never touched you." Yu Jingchen's lips curved slightly, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.
"Your Majesty?" Su Qianyan was somewhat stunned by this remark.
"You don't think that was favor, do you?" Yu Jingchen found it amusing.
"Do you know... why in the previous life, I only allowed you to wear those red garments?" Yu Jingchen suddenly felt a sense of amusement...
"But... Your Majesty bestowed upon me the title of Shu Fei. Your Majesty doted on me alone. Your Majesty even gave me a child and bestowed upon him the title of Crown Prince... Your Majesty..." Su Qianyan seemed to be living in her own world, in which only one sentence mattered: that His Majesty deeply favored her.
"Because... you were always just a substitute... In you, I saw Yun'er's shadow, especially in that red attire. That is why you were allowed to exist, do you understand?" Yu Jingchen told her. These words struck Su Qianyan like a thunderbolt, and she refused to believe the truth.
"No... Your Majesty... it's not like that, clearly..." Su Qianyan's voice grew louder. But just as she was about to continue, Yu Jingchen abruptly pulled the hairpin from Su Qianyan's head and forcefully thrust it into her mouth. Su Qianyan's eyes widened in shock, but alas, she could not even utter a sound.
The hairpin was sharp, piercing almost through Su Qianyan's entire lower jaw.
"Strip off these clothes and throw her into the lake. Do not retrieve her. If she can crawl out herself, she may live if she survives," Yu Jingchen said as he stood up and wiped the blood from his hands.
"Yes," Xing Lai quickly arranged for Su Qianyan to be dealt with. It seemed His Majesty was deeply angered.
"Your Majesty, shall we still go to Fengyin Palace?" Xing Lai asked uncertainly.
"It's tainted. Let me change my clothes first," Yu Jingchen said. The mere thought of Su Qianyan's intentions, and the fact that she had soiled him, making him unable to see Nan Zhiyun, filled him with disgust.
By the time Yu Jingchen had changed his clothes and returned to Fengyin Palace, Nan Zhiyun had already begun her meal.