As the night grew darker, there was no movement in the room for a long time. Wang Jiu knocked on the door cautiously, and asked the people inside with a low voice: “Your Highness, would you like some water?”
On the wooden couch, Zhu Yunjing’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. His body was trapped in another person’s warm embrace, and the whole body felt as if it had been run over by a cart. Even the slightest movement caused unbearable soreness. Zhu Yunjing’s mind was still somewhat hazy, and it took him a while to realize what had happened. He violently pushed away the hand on his waist from behind, struggled to get up, but fell back in pain, gritting his teeth.
He Huailing was also awakened. His dark eyes met Zhu Yunjing’s bloodthirsty and angry gaze, and he subconsciously frowned. In an instant, those seductive and confusing images flooded his mind, and He Huailing’s usually calm face finally lost its colour.
Zhu Yunjing stumbled down from the couch, completely ignoring the weakness and soreness in his body. He suddenly pulled out a long sword hanging on the wall, pointing its tip directly at He Huailing’s throat.
“He Huai Ling,” Zhu Yunjing’s mind went blank, leaving only overwhelming anger. “You have insulted Gu to such an extent. You deserve to be tortured to pieces. You deserve to die!”
Huailing closed his eyes without hesitation or resistance. He was willing to die.
“Your Highness? Are you awake? Do you need hot water and a meal?”
Wang Jiu’s voice came from outside the room. Zhu Yunjing’s hand trembled slightly, causing the sword tip to stop just in time.
Without hearing any response from inside, Wang Jiu knocked on the door again: “Your Highness?”
“Shut up! Don’t come in!” Zhu Yunjing suddenly yelled. Wang Jiu’s legs were so frightened that he almost kneeled down on the ground, and dared not say anything.
The expected pain did not come for a long time. He Huailing slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhu Yunjing, whose eyes were red and extremely angry. He raised his hand and grasped the sword blade pointed at him, and said in a hoarse voice: “Your Highness, what happened today is this servant’s fault. It is irrefutable. If you want to kill the servant, the servant is willing to die. But before my death, I ask Your Highness to release Xu Hanlin.”
Zhu Yunjing laughed sarcastically in his extreme anger: “So you came here for Xu Shixian. Even when death comes, you still miss him. Fine, fine! Today, Gu will send both of you to hell, like a pair of desperate Mandarin ducks!”
The sword in Zhu Yunjing’s hand was sent straight forward, but He Huailing avoided it sideways, once again gripping the blade in his hand. Zhu Yunjing sneered: “What? Didn’t you just say you were willing to die? What does that mean now?”
“As long as you release Xu Hanlin, this servant offers his life for your disposal. Otherwise, if I die here today, Xu Hanlin remains trapped. News of His Highness the Crown Prince harboring a criminal of the imperial court will soon be known to everyone, and there will be those who petition to impeach Your Highness.” He Huailing threatened in a deep voice. Just now, his guilt had the upper hand, which is why he didn’t resist. But when someone outside interrupted him, he remembered his purpose of coming here today. He was the one who humiliated the Crown Prince, and there was nothing to say about this matter. Zhu Yunjing admitted that he wanted to kill and torture him, but Xu Shixian, he still intended to save him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Zhu Yunjing had gradually calmed down and quickly figured out the cause and effect of the situation. It was because he had swallowed drugged tea by mistake and lost his mind that He Huailing, this sanctimonious hypocrite, took advantage of him.
As for Xu Shixian, he might have already escaped.
He Huailing’s eyes sank slightly: “Xu Hanlin is really not here anymore?”
“He Huailing! Now it’s me who wants to take your dog’s life! What right do you have to ask questions here and there?!”
The confrontation between the two reached a stalemate, yet no one seemed to realize that they were still half-naked. It wasn’t until He Huailing’s gaze inadvertently shifted downward and landed on Zhu Yunjing’s fair body covered with red marks. A white fluid was dripping down from the base of his thighs. If Zhu Yunjing hadn’t held a sword in his hand and looked fiercely at this moment, the scene before him would have been truly glamorous. There was a surge of emotion in He Huailing’s heart, and he looked away uncomfortably, not daring to look again.
Zhu Yunjing didn’t miss the change in his expression. In an instant, he realized what He Huailing was thinking. With a thunderous roar echoing in his mind, the anger that had just calmed down flared up again, burning away his rationality.
He forcefully thrust the long sword forward, the sharp blade cutting through flesh. He then pulled it out forcefully, leaving a trail of fresh redness behind.
This time He Huailing didn’t dodge anymore. The sword in Zhu Yunjing’s hand pierced his left shoulder, and He Huailing didn’t say a word, allowing Zhu Yunjing to vent his anger.
Zhu Yunjing shook off the blood-stained sword and squeezed out a word through his teeth: “Get out!”
He Huailing picked up his clothes, and tore off a piece of cloth from his inner garment. He swiftly wrapped it around the wound for two rounds. After putting on his outer garment, he whispered, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity,” and did not stimulate Zhu Yunjing again. He left on the same path. Before flipping out of the window, he took one last look back at the expressionless and chilling Zhu Yunjing, disappearing into the dark night.
What Zhu Yunjing said should not be false; Xu Shixian may have really escaped. If that was the case, Zhu Yunjing was willing to keep him alive, so there was no need for him to stay any longer.
Zhu Yunjing kicked over the chair in front of him, of course he was not reluctant to kill He Huailing. He hated that he couldn’t tear the shameless scoundrel into pieces, yet he couldn’t bring himself to actually do so. If He Huailing dared to come here to find someone, he would definitely not be alone. If he were to die on his own estate today, he was afraid someone would report him to his father immediately. Not only would the matter of hiding Xu Shixian secretly be exposed, but his act of killing a meritorious official would also be condemned. Even if he said that he mistakenly thought He Huailing was an assassin who broke into his Zhuangzi privately, no one would believe it. Was he supposed to go to his father and tell him He Huailing humiliated him? Or should he announce to the world that he was raped by Marquis Dingyuan?
In today’s matter, he was destined to just swallow his anger and bear with it for now. Wang Jiu entered the room, hunching his neck, and at first glance, he immediately saw Zhu Yunjing sitting motionless on the bed, wearing only an inner garment. Seeing that his exposed skin was covered with mottled marks, his hair was disheveled, the corners of his eyes were red as if he was lost in a trance, and there was a blood-stained sword lying at his feet. Wang Jiu’s heart shuddered, and he called out “Your Highness” in a low voice. He knelt down on the ground with limp legs, trembling with fear.
There seemed to be a lingering obscene smell in the room, but the other person was nowhere to be seen. Wang Jiu was not stupid; no matter how he looked at the situation, Zhu Yunjing seemed to be the one being humiliated. But…how could that be?
After a long while, Zhu Yunjing’s gaze shifted to Wang Jiu who was kneeling on the ground. He asked in a hoarse voice, “Why was there medicine in the cup of tea Gu drank?”
Wang Jiu argued anxiously: “The servant placed the drugged cup of tea on Xu Daren’s side according to your instructions. It was not misplaced. I swear!”
Zhu Yunjing narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling Xu Shixian’s sudden change in attitude earlier. He sneered. He had thought that Xu Shixian was truly naive, but it was clear that he had his own calculations. He must have switched the tea while Zhu Yunjing was not paying attention: “Why didn’t you tell Gu before that after taking the medicine, it would make people lose their senses and act irrationally?”
Wang Jiu’s body trembled even more, and after a long time, he choked up and said: “It’s…it’s the servant’s fault. The servant acted on his own…I wanted to make Your Highness have some fun. So… I added… an aphrodisiac…”
Zhu Yunjing fiercely threw the cold teacup in his hand at Wang Jiu. Wang Jiu didn’t dare to hide, and continuously kowtowed to plead guilty: ” This servant deserves to die, Your Highness… please calm down…”
Zhu Yunjing felt like he was about to vomit blood. Squeezing his palm with his fingers, he barely suppressed his urge to strangle this dog. Gritting his teeth, he asked: “Will that fertility medicine… definitely be effective?”
Wang Jiu felt the five thunders hitting his head, blood already dripping from his forehead: “I know I was wrong, Your Highness. You should kill this servant. It’s all this servant’s fault!”
“Answer Gu’s question!”
Wang Jiu said vaguely, “Yes… yes…”
“What is it?!”
“It will work…as long as both parties are healthy…if you are lucky, it can work…in one…one try…”
Another cup was also hurled at Wang Jiu. Wang Jiu cried bitterly: “Your Highness, please kill the servant! It’s all the servant’s fault! The servant is a reckless fool! It’s not worth sparing the servant’s life!”
What’s the use of killing Wang Jiu? If he were killed today, could he pretend that it never happened? Zhu Yunjing, in his extreme anger, gradually calmed down. After taking a deep breath, he instructed Wang Jiu: “Go find Physician Lin and ask if there is any way to terminate the pregnancy. Just ask for a solution, and don’t mention anything else.”
“You can’t do it! This can’t be done!” Wang Jiu was extremely terrified and pleaded, “This medicine is extremely overbearing. Once you’re pregnant, you can’t have an abortion. Otherwise, it will result in the death of both the mother and the child. In the past, some people did not believe in evil and took abortion pills used by women. In the end, their intestines burst and their bodies rotted. It was a terrifying sight. Your Highness, please think twice!”
Zhu Yunjing kicked over: “Can’t you ask Physician Lin for other ways? What are you talking about all these useless things for?! If this doesn’t work and that doesn’t work, what’s the use of keeping you?!”
If he didn’t need someone to serve him and didn’t want more people to know about today’s events, the first person he would kill would be this daring bastard in front of him!
Wang Jiu wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Zhu Yunjing’s furious state, he could only obediently agree. Zhu Yunjing reminded him coldly: “Gu will not kill you now. Gu is sparing your worthless life. If today’s events are leaked…”
“This servant dares not!” Wang Jiu hurriedly expressed his loyalty. “If Your Highness is worried, just cut off this servant’s tongue!”
Zhu Yunjing interrupted him impatiently: “Go away, prepare hot water for Gu. Gu wants to take a bath.”
After sending Wang Jiu away, Zhu Yunjing lay weakly on the couch, closing his eyes and those unbearable scenes seemed to reappear before his eyes. That person’s heavy and coarse breathing was still ringing in his ears. Hatred surged in Zhu Yunjing’s heart. This debt… this debt, he would settle it sooner or later!
*** I would like to inform you that I have changed the update schedule to Tuesdays. I apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to a generous Ko-Fi supporter and Blobblob for purchasing me Ko-Fi. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated, and thank you, all GRACE readers for taking the time to read “GRACE”. 🙇
Thank You for the new chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
Oh Crown prince, there’s no way out of having this baby
Dang they really gave him no way out with the whole ‘no abortion or you’ll die’ trope 😔
Thanks for the chapter!
I hope he finds out that He Huailing was also a victim and something bad happens to that horrible Zhao girl 😑.