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The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife-Chapter 687.1: The Strength of a Mother
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Falling from such a height, even if one didn’t die, they would be crippled.
The Crown Prince was always accompanied by dark guards, so naturally, they wouldn't allow the Crown Prince to be harmed. The dark guards nearby quickly used their qinggong skills to catch the Crown Prince and instinctively launched an attack on anyone who posed a threat to their master.
One of them threw a palm strike toward the Crown Princess.
The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically, "Stop!"
But it was too late. The palm strike had already been unleashed.
The Crown Princess was hit by the dark guard's attack, first crashing into the stone table, then heavily falling to the ground, even a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"My Lady!"
A startled cry came from a young palace maid not far away.
It turned out that the young palace maid couldn't find the Crown Princess in the bedchamber and was worried that the Crown Princess might cause trouble by wandering around, so she hurried out to look for her.
She had also informed a few eunuchs who were patrolling nearby, so five people came over together.
The five of them didn't see how the Crown Prince had fallen, but they did see the former Crown Princess being struck by the Crown Prince's dark guard and spitting blood.
Everyone was stunned. What was the Crown Prince doing? Why had he allowed the dark guard to injure the former Crown Princess? He even dismissed all the palace servants around——was he planning to get rid of the former Crown Princess in secret?
If they hadn't come, would the former Crown Princess have already met a tragic end at the hands of the Crown Prince?
They suddenly thought of the recent attack on the Crown Princess at the imperial mausoleum. Could it be——
"You..." The Crown Prince glared at the Crown Princess coldly, "Shangguan Yan, you’re ruthless!"
......
"That’s what happened." Gu Chengfeng said to Gu Jiao. "The Crown Princess has lost her memory and can't even remember her own son’s name, sometimes calling him Zhang Qing, sometimes Li Qing; the name changes with every question. It's unclear what happened that evening that provoked the Crown Prince so severely, but it actually led him to take action against her within the imperial palace.
“Originally, there were no useful leads on the attack on the Crown Princess——meaning the Crown Prince's people had cleaned up so thoroughly that not a single clue was left. But now that this incident has occurred, the suspicion against the Crown Prince has suddenly increased!"
"Is the Crown Prince really someone who can't hold his temper?" Gu Jiao asked.
The Emperor was sitting there in the palace, would the Crown Prince really dare to act so brazenly? Why bother planning an assassination earlier when he would be acting so openly now? Was the Crown Prince so eager to expose himself?
Gu Jiao found the situation suspicious.
"Who's there!" Gu Jiao's eyes narrowed.
"It's me!"
Xu Fengxian's voice came.
"Come in." Gu Jiao said, putting away the Tanghua needle she had been holding.
Xu Fengxian awkwardly pushed open the door, carrying a plate of freshly chilled fruits into the room, smiling as she said, "Just cut these."
She placed the fruit platter on the table, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
"Wait." Gu Jiao called her back.
Xu Fengxian turned around, smiling obsequiously, "What orders does the young master have?"
Gu Jiao asked, "What do you think about what just happened?"
Gu Chengfeng glanced at Gu Jiao in surprise.
Xu Fengxian hurriedly waved her hands, "What just happened? I didn't hear a word of it!"
Gu Jiao drew out a short dagger.
Xu Fengxian's legs went weak in fear, and she supported herself on the table, "I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
Gu Jiao sliced a piece of fruit and looked at Xu Fengxian with a strange expression, "Hmm?"
Xu Fengxian looked at her short dagger, then at the fruit she had sliced into thin pieces, and was instantly dumbfounded.
You, you just wanted to cut the fruit? I thought you were going to cut me!
Since she had been exposed, there was no point in denying it.
Xu Fengxian wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and, with a forced smile, said, "I didn't hear much. I only heard you discussing the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince. If you want to know my opinion, I think it was the Crown Prince who did it."
"Would the Crown Prince be that foolish?" Gu Jiao asked.
"Of course, the Crown Prince isn't that foolish, but didn't the palace attendants all see it? The Crown Prince's guard did indeed injure the Crown Princess." Although Xu Fengxian also felt this didn't match the Crown Prince's usually steady nature, the facts speak louder than words. Can what was seen with one's own eyes be false?
Gu Chengfeng stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Could it be a ploy by the Crown Princess? For example, deliberately provoking the Crown Prince to make his guards act against her?"
After reading Old Chief's novels too much, the thirty-six stratagems have almost become second nature to him.
Xu Fengxian waved the handkerchief and said, "You may not know this, but I'd rather believe that the Crown Prince lost his composure than think the Crown Princess used a self-harming scheme. Because——"
At this point, her expression suddenly became solemn, "She was the proudest woman in all of Great Yan."
She was the Crown Princess who didn't utter a single plea for mercy even when she was punished in public.
Countless lashes fell on her body, and she was beaten until her skin was torn and her flesh exposed on the imperial audience hall, enduring the gazes of all the civil and military officials and the mental torment of lingering death.
Despite the dual torment of body and soul, she didn't shed a single tear, didn't cry out that she was wronged, nor did she say a single word of complaint to her imperial father.
If she had been willing to bend her pride and kneel down to beg the Emperor for forgiveness, would she have ended up in such a miserable state?
Even if she couldn't be the Crown Princess anymore, at least she could still have been a noblewoman. However, she would rather be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned for life than lower her head and show the slightest weakness.
This was the Crown Princess.
Xu Fengxian sighed, "How can someone like the Crown Princess use a self-harming tactic? It's a scheme she would never deign to use. Breaking her pride would be more painful than killing her. Maybe you can't understand what I’m saying, and I’m running out of words. In any case, if she truly did something like that, then she... must have something she wants to protect extremely badly, something more important than her own life and dignity."
......
In the imperial palace, at the pavilion in the southwest corner.
Shangguan Yan remained seated on the stone bench, not leaving. The young palace maid anxiously stood by her side, persistently advising, "My Lady, let's go back. You're still injured. At the very least, you should lie down. Someone will come to investigate soon."
Shangguan Yan remained silent.
The young palace maid was frantic, "Well, how about we go back and eat first, then come back here?"
Shangguan Yan still didn't respond.
The young palace maid was at a loss, not knowing what to do, "Alright, alright, this servant shall go get the food and bring it here. My Lady, just wait here for a bit!"
The young palace maid then went back to their place to get the food.
References
1. — "Thirty-Six Stratagems" (三十六计) is a classic Chinese text that outlines a series of military strategies and tactics. It's traditionally attributed to Sun Tzu and is often used as a guide for both military and non-military applications, such as business and politics.
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…