Duоluо Qi lеt оut a sigh of rеliеf. Тhе Yоung Master hаd finаlly cоme to his sеnsеs—thе Dе fаmilу leaving sоoner was better! Aftеr аll thesе yеаrs оf thrоwing their wеight аrоund оn tеrritorу that didn’t belong tо thеm, it was оnly a mattеr of time bеfore thеу stirrеd uр рubliс rеsentment. Fоr nоw, evеrуоne wаs still gritting their tееth and enduring it, but hе bеlievеd that those whо had witnessed this sсеnе todаy were inwаrdlу сheеring with grеаt jоу! Вy tоmоrrow, this nеws would sрread thrоughout thе еntirе Yeliе Тribе, аnd they would slаughter pigs and sheeр, set off fireсrackеrs, and сеlebrаte!
"Cousin Lady. Please!" He feigned respect as he pointed to the prepared donkey.
"Hmph!" De Jin jumped up and angrily pointed at Jun Qiluo. "You damned Great Song woman! I’ll be waiting to see your fate. Great Liao has no place for you! Witch! Fox demon!" After cursing, she stomped away furiously.
She knew Yelü Lie’s temper well—if he returned and found her still here, the consequences would be unpredictable.
"Miss Jun!" Dahe Jiyao handed her a cloth bundle wrapped around ice.
Jun Qiluo took it but hesitated to press it against her burning, stinging cheek. Moreover, now that her body had finally warmed up, she didn’t want any part of her skin to touch something cold.
It must be swollen and unsightly! When she had slapped Yelü Lie earlier, the force was probably only enough to swat a mosquito!
Though it had humiliated him, he likely hadn’t felt any pain. Now, she finally understood the advantage of a sturdy woman—she could inflict pain on others at any time!
Not wanting Yelü Lie to return and scrutinize her face further, she stood up and walked toward the tent’s exit.
"Miss Jun?" Duoluo Qi and Dahe Jiyao stopped her, their expressions troubled.
"Tell him I’m tired and want to rest first." She covered her right cheek and, seeing them still hesitate, walked around them and headed straight for the Royal Palace gate. They quietly followed behind her, escorting her safely back to her quarters, and then assigned four of the Twelve Riders to guard her.
A while later, he returned as well, finding the room dimly lit.
"Don’t light the lamp," she whispered from the bed, unwilling to show her disfigured face.
But he still lit an oil lamp and placed it on the small round table beside the bed.
"Come, let me see!"
He gently pulled her hands away from her face, lightly touching the still-burning palm print.
Only when she felt a cool sensation on her right cheek did she open her eyes in confusion. In his hand was a crystal-clear, fragrant fruit, resembling a peeled lychee. After prying open a small opening at the top, he applied its juice to her face. Strangely, she noticed the pain gradually fading away, and the burning sensation on her face was replaced by a comfortable coolness. What was this? The Jun family was among the wealthiest in the world—what rare treasures hadn’t she seen before?
Yet, she had never encountered this kind of transparent fruit growing on red star-shaped leaves. Apart from a thin membrane-like skin, the inside was entirely juice.
"What is this?"
"Crystal Ginseng Nest. It originates from the perpetually snow-covered mountains of the Eastern Hu Kingdom. It bears fruit once every ten years, yielding only ten fruits each time. Only two plants have been found within the entire Eastern Hu Kingdom. This was presented as tribute to the capital by the Eastern Hu Kingdom just this spring."
"It must be very precious, right? Is it medicinal?"
"The palace concubines use it to preserve their beauty and prolong their lives, but that’s truly a waste. For martial artists, it’s a sacred treasure; for those with severe injuries, it can protect the heart’s meridians."
"Then, using it on me is also a waste." She handed him the cloak. "You should leave now. The celebration isn’t over yet."He threw aside his cloak and pulled her into his embrace, struggling to suppress the anger she had once again stirred within him. No matter what he did or how he treated her, her frozen heart would never thaw. He had thought that after being humiliated, she would bury herself in his arms and weep, but she did not! This clearly showed she did not need him!
"What do you want me to do?" His voice gritted through clenched teeth.
She understood his meaning, but it was useless. Ever since he had abducted her and humiliated her so thoroughly, how could he expect her to submit meekly as his woman? She could only push away every gesture of compensatory kindness he offered, provoking him to stop seeking her out, so she would have a chance to escape.
At this moment, she was more conflicted and tormented than anyone else. Angering him would only make him hold onto her tighter; feigning compliance risked losing her heart entirely. She had no choice but to reject him at all costs!
Duoluo Qi had said she would drive him mad! She felt the same! It wasn't just him who would go insane! This mutual torment would drive them both to madness and death!
"Qiluo!"
"Don't! I don’t want you to do anything! Except let me go. I don’t care for anything else, but would you? If you truly wish to make amends..."
As she expected, his response was: "No! Don’t even think about it!"
"I hate you!" Her fists pressed against his chest, her breath devoid of any warmth.
"I know," Yelü Lie said hoarsely, a barely detectable bitterness in his tone; he was all too aware of her opinion of him.
In her eyes, he was undoubtedly the most despicable, lowly man in the world!
Chapter Five
"That damned wretch! It’s all her fault! Lie’er actually wants to banish me over a lowly Han woman!"
From Princess De’s residence, the "Chiming Luan Courtyard," came a series of sharp curses and the sound of shattering dishes. The attendants scattered to avoid her wrath, not daring to utter a word.
"I won’t accept this! I won’t!"
Princess De, having lost her usual polished appearance, collapsed to the floor after exhausting her energy, her hair disheveled and her aged features exposed. Her fiery eyes only fueled her rage further.
"De Lin! You must have a way to turn the situation around, right?" She looked hopefully at her lady-in-waiting. If they couldn’t find a solution, their comfortable life would be over.
The lady-in-waiting replied fearfully, "No one can bear the Tribal Chief’s anger. If we don’t retreat to the De tribe first and wait for his temper to cool, we might truly lose any chance of returning. Princess, after all, you are the Tribal Chief’s mother. If we appeal to his emotions at the right time later, we can surely return to the estate. But if we confront him head-on, not only might we fail to bring wealth back to the De tribe, but the Tribal Chief might even marry off all the women in our group to impoverished commoners. We should retreat for now and plan later!"
Princess De slammed the table.
"It’s all that witch! Who knows what tricks she used to make Lie’er disregard all propriety! Fine, we’ll retreat to the De tribe first. But we must find a way to kill that witch. As long as she’s alive, we can forget about ever returning!"
"But we have no opportunity! I heard the Tribal Chief has decided to take her to Shangjing!"
"Hmph! He’s truly disgracing our Yelü family’s name in the capital." Suddenly, a sly, sinister smile crept onto Princess De’s face as she looked at her lady-in-waiting. "If that witch dies in Shangjing, no one can blame us. Isn’t that right?"The female attendant also laughed. Wasn't this an excellent plan? The one who had caused their De family to fall into such a state—taking only her worthless life was already showing mercy!
"But who should we send? The Tribal Chief would never allow our people to follow and serve that witch."
Princess De smiled with confidence.
"Go and summon Keli Han. On this trip to the Helan Mountains, he was demoted two ranks by the officials and will surely harbor resentment toward that witch. We have given him many favors in the past. If he doesn't help us this time, he can forget about living well in the future. Besides, I can tell that he also desires that witch. Let him follow her secretly! No matter how he toys with her, as long as she doesn't return alive, it will suffice."
The female attendant offered another plan: "Why not also arrange a maid by that witch's side? If she can find an opportunity to harm her, all the better. Keli Han is brave but lacks strategy, and now that he has been demoted by the Tribal Chief, I'm afraid he won't be able to get close to the chief for a while. With both plans in place, even if that witch had nine lives, she would never return alive."
"Good, let's do it!" Princess De let out a sinister laugh, her eyes filled with icy hatred. "Give that maid some poison. Didn't you mention that last time, Deping brought a highly toxic powder that kills instantly upon ingestion, yet leaves no trace of the cause of death?"
"Yes, that poison is stored in our medicine room."
"It's time for it to make its appearance!" the princess whispered bitterly, each word sending chills down one's spine.
No one could stand in her way! Back then, she had easily disposed of the pregnant Consort Chang, making herself the prince's official wife and ensuring her son became the sole heir. Now, of course, she could also bring death to any woman. Her son must marry a woman from the De clan, so that the prosperity of the Yelie Tribe would be shared with the De family for generations to come.
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