Chapter 51: How Could She Do Something So Meaningful With Another Man

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: How Could She Do Something So Meaningful With Another Man

That Consort Li from the Marquis Guangping Mansion, who had married into Prince Yu’s Mansion three years ago and was rumored to have been ordered to commit suicide after the Princess Consort’s death, was not dead. She was sick.

She had contracted the same illness as the Empress.

Her whole body was covered in festering sores, her mouth and tongue were ulcerated, her bones felt weak and soft, and she was paralyzed in bed.

Even the head of the Imperial Hospital could not diagnose the cause. Famous physicians from all over the land were summoned, but not one could determine its origin.

However, Consort Li had been sick for three years, while the Empress had only been ill for one.

And now, everyone in the Capital City was saying it must be because the Marquis Guangping Mansion had committed some heinous deed, provoking divine punishment from the heavens. How else could the two most noble young women to come from their house both be afflicted with such a vile disease?

Cui Lingyao was stunned.

She had been back in Great Yue for several days, but this was the first time she had heard of this.

The Empress was afflicted with a vile disease.

The mother of the nation had contracted an illness that left her covered in festering sores and paralyzed in bed.

And Li Wanrong had been suffering from this disease for three years.

Ever since her own death, until now...

"Miss... Miss, what’s wrong?"

"...I-I’m fine," Cui Lingyao struggled to remain calm, forcing a relaxed smile. "I was just a little surprised. I hadn’t heard of any other young ladies from the Marquis Guangping Mansion having such an ailment."

Isn’t that the truth.

The two maids also clucked their tongues in wonder.

Cui Lingyao forced herself to pull together, listened to them chat for a while longer, and managed to steady her nerves before walking away.

Her expression was still relatively calm, but a storm raged in her mind.

Xie Jinbai had hidden the matter of Li Wanrong’s vile disease for three years, but now the news had suddenly spread without any warning.

’How could this be a coincidence?’

And when she thought about last night’s reckless kiss...

’Could it be that he is already certain of my identity?’

’The only reason he hasn’t confronted me is that he lacks conclusive proof.’

’He was trying to guess why I’m unwilling to go back to him. He must think I’m still bothered by Li Wanrong, and he wants to resolve my worries, so he deliberately released this news today to let me know Li Wanrong’s fate.’

’Could the illnesses of the Empress and Li Wanrong be his doing, too?’

The thought surfaced, impossible to suppress, and Cui Lingyao shuddered violently.

’No, no, no...’

’The Empress is his own mother!’

’His birth mother!’

’Even if my death drove him mad, he wouldn’t go so far as to take revenge on his own mother.’

Even as she thought this, a chill uncontrollably ran down her spine.

’If it really is true...’

’If he’s really become so demonic as to lose all humanity and strike at his own mother, would he really let me go so easily?’

’With his "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go" mentality, even if he only had the slightest suspicion, there’s no way he would just stand by and watch me marry someone else, right?’

[Meanwhile.]

No sooner had Shen Tingyu and Cui Lingyao left Shaoguang Courtyard than a report of what had happened inside reached Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Xie Jinbai listened without a change in expression, his eyes as dark and bottomless as ink.

’Marriage...’

’Marriage!’

He suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Where are they now?"

The reporting guard answered, then added, "Mozhu Pavilion is heavily guarded. If our men get too close, they risk being discovered."

So they were completely unaware of what was happening inside.

’A couple promised to each other, alone together. What would they be doing?’

’Would they be doing the same things he and I once did?’

’Truly, how audacious!’

A series of imagined scenarios made the veins on Xie Jinbai’s forehead throb.

He could no longer sit still. He shot to his feet, ready to go and drag her back.

’Whether she admits it or not, she has to be under my watch.’

Li Yong hastily tried to dissuade him. "It’s not yet dark. It’s not a good time to sneak into the Duke Mansion."

Xie Jinbai sneered. "Who said I was going to sneak into the Duke Mansion?"

’He would walk in openly and take her away.’

’Who would dare to stop him?’

Li Yong steeled himself and tried to persuade him again. "Your Highness has been planning for days, waiting for tomorrow’s test. If you go now, won’t it all have been for nothing?"

You’ve waited all these days. Can’t you wait just a little longer?

She is Duke Shen’s granddaughter, after all, not an indentured servant. Even a member of the Heavenly Royal Family can’t just demand a person from their house for no reason.

What’s the difference between that and abducting a maiden from a good family?

How could Xie Jinbai not understand what Li Yong was considering?

But he truly could not hold back.

The mere thought of that girl entering another man’s courtyard made the murderous urge in him boil. He couldn’t stand it for a second, every fiber of his being screaming at him to snatch her back.

As they were speaking, a knock came from the study door.

Another scout entered to report the results of the first test.

As arranged, the news that Li Wanrong had been gravely ill for three years had reached Cui Lingyao’s ears within half a day.

Xie Jinbai’s expression jolted. "What was her reaction?"

"At the time, Miss Cui listened to the full story. She was first startled, then she stared blankly for a couple of seconds. Her emotions fluctuated greatly. She was quite astonished and even remarked how she’d never heard of other young ladies from the Marquis Guangping Mansion having such an ailment."

Such a reaction could be considered normal, but it could also be considered abnormal.

In Xie Jinbai’s eyes, however, it was irrefutable proof.

’But it isn’t enough.’

’This isn’t enough to make it impossible for her to hide, to make her frankly admit her identity.’

Xie Jinbai calmed down a bit, no longer thinking of just charging into the Duke Shen Mansion to demand her.

He furrowed his brows and asked in a cold voice, "How long was she in Mozhu Pavilion?"

The guard hesitated for a moment. "Nearly four hours."

Four hours.

Inside the study, the air fell deathly silent.

The sky gradually darkened.

Xie Jinbai couldn’t wait for the dead of night. He downed his medicine and entered the Duke Shen Mansion as if following a familiar path.

A bright moon hung high in the sky, its brilliant light blanketing the earth.

The night was strangely quiet.

This was usually the time when Cui Lingyao would have finished her evening meal and be preparing for bed.

But at this moment, she was not in her room.

Xie Jinbai had come up empty.

Soon, a message came from Li Yong. "She’s outside the courtyard... behind the rockery."

’A young lady, going behind the rockery at night...’

Xie Jinbai’s body stiffened. "Is she alone?"

"..."

Li Yong shrank back, not daring to answer.

Soon, Xie Jinbai saw the answer with his own eyes.

A young woman in a pale blue dress sat on a decorative rock, her plain hair half-pinned up. She must have just finished bathing, as the evening breeze carried her sweet fragrance to him.

And next to her sat a man.

They sat shoulder to shoulder, very close, both looking up at the countless stars in the sky.

Xie Jinbai stared fixedly at the two figures from behind, his heart aching with bitterness and rage.

’Has she forgotten?’

’We also watched the stars together, both before and after our wedding, more than once.’

’How could she do something so uniquely meaningful with another man?’

’That’s right.’

’She’s already agreed to marry Shen Tingyu. What’s a little stargazing compared to that?’

’Wasn’t being alone for four hours during the day enough? They even dared to have a secret rendezvous at night.’

Rage burned in Xie Jinbai’s eyes, turning them red. He wanted to kill someone.

"It would be perfect if we had a few plates of pastries."

In the quiet of the night, the young woman’s voice sounded particularly ethereal.

In the next moment, the man’s voice followed.

Shen Tingyu laughed. "That was thoughtless of me. My apologies, Yaoyao. I’ll have someone bring some right now."

"Don’t," Cui Lingyao said, shaking her head. "It’s not good to let too many people know about our nighttime rendezvous."

’It’s not exactly something to be proud of.’