Lian Yan’er slowly stepped backward. “What do you want?”
“As soon as you went to Sheng Chumu’s side, he had started to suspect you. He even made use of you to make us believe that Sheng Chujun was siding with the Crown Prince. This resulted in Prince Han receiving the news and that is why he managed to escape the ambush. You are the reason why our plan did not succeed.”
He has always been looking for the reason. Now, he was going to deal with it even if it was too late.
“How would I know that Sheng Chumu was suspecting me? Moreover, haven’t you all already won? Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Han is any match for Prince Zhou.” She looked at Yan Zifang before looking at Fu Shui. She decided to stay further away from these two men as she backed off towards the other side of the viewing platform.
Fu Shui remained seated. “Our victory was too narrow. It taught me a lesson. That is to make sure everything is in place. For example, the possibility that our agent becomes our opponent’s agent. I have to put an end to it.”
Lian Yan’er suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she choked and blood spurted out from her mouth. At the same time, blood started to flow out from her eyes, ears and nose.
Yan Zifang was shocked and hurried to support her. “Lian Yan’er! Lian Yan’er!”
Lian Yan’er’s gaze fell onto the wine cup on the stone table. She fell weakly into Yan Zifang’s arms. Using her last breath, she said, “Don’t tell him. I don’t want him to be upset…”
Yan Zifang was stunned for a moment before he used his palms to close her blood-stained eyes. He glared furiously at Fu Shui, “Why did you have to kill her? Since Sheng Chumu was the one that saw through her, we can just let her leave Chang’an. Wasn’t that what you promised?”
“I promised to consider. But after thinking about it, killing her was the safest option. Previously, Sheng Chumu used her and made the Eastern Palace suffer. Today, Sheng Chumu used her once again to tail her to this place. If my men were not alert and did not discover him, we would have fallen into Sheng Chumu’s trap. Although this woman no longer has any use to us, she is still useful to Sheng Chumu. Letting her live would bring us problems sooner or later.”
Yan Zifang’s rage continued. “She is the woman my good friend loves!”
Fu Shui’s gaze turned sharp. “I will kill whoever ruins my plan. It doesn’t matter if she is Ma Haihu’s lover. Even if she is the Emperor’s lover, I will kill her!”
Yan Zifang did not yield. “What if it is your lover?”
Fu Shui froze. Yan Zifang forced him, “If it was the person you love, would you kill her?”
Fu Shui’s expression was frigid. “Everyone is selfish. What is love? I don’t believe in it and will never have someone I love. You are asking the wrong person.”
Yan Zifang did not say more and he walked off.
This was not the ending that he wanted. He had discarded his morality, became a noble and rose the ranks. Yet, he had cut off his good friend’s chance at happiness. The so-called power was not in his hands. He was just a knife in Fu Shui’s hands. He thought that having an official position could help him get rid of his pirate identity. He thought that he could be an upright man. However, he finally realised that he was the most upright when he was a pirate. Now, he was living like a rat in a dark gutter. He was even worse than Grand Prince Liang, who knew how to repent.
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Chapter 86.1: Hope
Lu Yingying was wearing a criminal’s outfit as she kneeled in front of the Emperor. Every time she met the Emperor, she was treading on thin ice. This was including the time she met him just after she got married.
The Emperor’s expression was unfathomable. “I heard that you surrendered.”
Lu Yingying lowered her eyes. “Yes.”
“Back then when your father and brother had been imprisoned, you wore your father’s armour and kneeled for several days and nights. You almost died. Today, Grand Prince Liang was part of the rebellion. You had already escaped yet you turned back to surrender yourself. In other people’s eyes, they all think that you are a kind and virtuous woman.”
The Emperor suddenly slammed his hand on the table and lifted a document with trembling hands. His gaze was strict. “The good things that you have done were all written down! This is the document that Grand Prince Liang wrote to accept his punishment. The first half was all about him realising his mistake and his regrets. The second half was all his angry complaints about you. The Grand Emperor directed the marriage and the Empress ignored her own health to personally prepare the wedding. This was a huge blessing. If you were even a little grateful, you should have done your part after you married into the Liang Residence. Not only did you not serve your mother-in-law well, you were rude to her. You made use of Imperial Concubine Sun’s kind and timid personality to contradict her all the time. You did not even serve her medicine after she fell sick from quarreling with you.”
Lu Yingying was astonished. “Although I am young and may not understand things, I have never…”
“How dare you try to argue in front of me! No matter how indignant Grand Prince Liang is, would he lie in his last words?”
“Last words?” Lu Yingying was shocked, “Grand Prince Liang…”
Chief Cao supplemented from the side, “Grand Prince Liang has already taken poisoned wine.”
Lu Yingying covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face. “In the end, was he filled with hatred towards me?”
The Emperor only took it as if she was pretending. “Grand Prince Liang has committed suicide and paid for what he did. However, these matters are separate. You neglected my younger brother. Although he is no longer around, I will deal with you on his behalf. Lu Yingying was not filial to her mother-in-law and her actions have been contradictory. She has gone against the Seven Articles. Seeing how you did not take part in the rebellion, I will help my brother divorce you. You are to be chased out immediately!”
The internal attendant pulled Lu Yingying, who was palpitating in fear, to stand and brought her out of Ganlou Palace forcefully. He pushed her to the ground once they were out. Lu Yingying crawled up and seemed to drift like a ghost, without caring which direction she was heading into. She drifted until someone blocked her path.
It was Fu Rou. She was holding a set of clothes in her hands.
“Do you remember the first time we spoke face to face? On that day, I lend you my clothes. This should be the last time.” She hoped that she could be free from today onwards.
Lu Yingying cried, “When you saw him for the last time, did he hate me?”
“No.” Fu Rou placed the clothes over her shoulders. “In the end, not only did he admit to his mistake, he knew how to forgive. He left with the hope for you to live on happily. Yingying, because of your kindness and Grand Prince Liang’s love, the world is a better place. The both of you showed me hope.”
Li Baolin was walking in the garden when she saw a small cluster of bright yellow winter jasmine blooming by the lakeside. As she looked at these beautiful flowers, she stopped to look at them more closely.
All of a sudden, she felt raindrops on her face. She lifted her head only to realise that dark clouds had filled the sky. She rushed to a pavilion, only to bump into an internal attendant who was also trying to avoid the rain. The circular fan she was holding fell to the ground.
The internal attendant quickly picked it up and handed it over. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
When Li Baolin saw the internal attendant’s face, she was startled. He was the internal attendant that intentionally threw a letter on the ground on the night that Prince Zhao sent the secret letter.