Dead?
Xiao Li leaned closer, wanting to test it out but fearing a corpse rising, so she could only cower timidly behind the newcomer.
"Is she dead for good this time?"
Lou Yan sheathed his blade and looked down at the hand gripping his belt tightly: "She is dead for good. The Princess may let go now."
Xiao Li patted her chest, wearing an expression of lingering fear: "That was truly terrifying; you nearly scared this Princess to death. Fortunately, Eunuch Lou Yan arrived in time, otherwise I would have been doomed, *cough cough*..."
Ah, she had almost forgotten her throat hurt.
Suddenly choked, she spat out a mouthful of saliva, which was entirely flecked with blood.
But even in such a miserable state, Xiao Li did not forget to praise Lou Yan: "Eunuch Lou Yan slew the assassins and rescued this Princess from the depths of misery. When I return, I will certainly tell my Imperial Brother and have him record a great merit for you, *cough cough*..."
Lou Yan’s half-lidded eyes glanced at her, his emotions unreadable, and he did not respond.
Gu Ling had not left the capital at all; the kidnapping was merely to bring her to a remote residence within the city.
When leaving, Xiao Li had seen two corpses outside; those were certainly Gu Ling's men.
Gu Ling had been stabbed in the heart, yet no one went to help, proving that those people had died before that.
So how long had Lou Yan been here, and how much had he seen?
Xiao Li leaned against the doorframe and slowly left that courtyard. This "Master of Incense" was quite interesting.
Lou Yan had been searching with others; to find people, he had used lightfoot techniques, so forget a carriage—he didn't even have a horse.
Xiao Li hadn't expected that she would eventually have to walk back herself, but it didn't matter; who could blame her for being happy?
She had thought Gu Ling had escaped, but she hadn't expected him to come rushing back to seek death. Truly excellent...
As she thought, the world suddenly spun. Before her consciousness faded, what she saw was a pair of long, narrow, and wicked ink-colored pupils.
Cold and piercing, deep as an abyss.
*Tsk, quite captivating.*
***
Lou Yan looked at the woman lying on the ground. Due to her struggle for life and death, her clothes were disheveled and her hair was messy. The torn collar revealed skin as white and smooth as congealed fat, while the purplish-red handprint on her neck was exceptionally glaring and eye-catching.
On her wrist, which hung to one side, there were also red, swollen bruises from being strangled, along with trails of blood; she had injured herself while trying to break free from the ropes.
When he arrived, she was still tied to a rack, frantically poking at Gu Ling's sore spots, driving him to madness.
Seeing this, he had not stepped forward to save her immediately. An ignorant and arrogant princess bringing ruin upon herself was not worth saving.
But in just a moment, she had turned the tables in a desperate counterattack, which could be called stunning.
A princess who could barely protect herself was a waste; he wouldn't even deign to spare her a glance. But a princess who was both mad and ruthless was simply brilliant and dazzling.
Especially her current unconscious state—covered in wounds, broken and disheveled—she had become the most brilliant color in his eyes.
Finally, he slowly bent his lithe waist, extended his long and powerful arms, and steadily picked her up.
Her soft, delicate body carried little weight, just enough for him to hold her fully in his arms.
The two subordinates who had brought the horses saw the "Killing Demon King" holding the Princess steadily in his arms and exchanged glances. This... was truly strange.
—
Although Gu Ling was dead, Xiao Li had indeed suffered this time.
There wasn't much blood loss, but her throat was injured. She could still speak at the time, but after waking up from her faint, her throat felt as if it were blocked; she couldn't utter a single word.
Xiao Li: "..." Was this Heaven's punishment for her poisonous tongue?
To actually prevent her from speaking.
Not only could Xiao Li not speak, but her neck was also swollen, covered in dark, bruised patches that looked terrifying.
The Emperor sent imperial physicians, and after hearing their descriptions, he came to see her personally, feeling utterly furious.
He had little affection for this sister, but she was his sister after all. Among all his siblings, Xuan Yang was considered the closest to him.
More importantly, Xuan Yang represented his dignity. He was the Emperor; if his own sister was bullied like this, where was his honor?
The Gu family exiled? Hah, death by imperial decree—give them all death by decree!
Xiao Li blinked her eyes; this had nothing to do with her.
Lan Yue was currently serving Xiao Li medicine when a maid announced at the door: "Princess, the Consort has arrived."
Xiao Li couldn't speak, but that didn't stop her from demonstrating with her hands: *Get out!*
She wanted Lu Yanzhi to suffer, not to come and watch her suffer.
Lu Yanzhi was persistent, determined to see Xiao Li.
Xiao Li: "..." If this Princess could speak, she wouldn't let you annoy her like this.
Lu Yanzhi finally entered and brought tea to Xiao Li: "Princess, have some tea."
Seeing that Xiao Li didn't move for a long time, he set the teacup down: "Has the Princess taken her medicine? Do you feel any better?"
Still no answer, he looked at Xiao Li: "Why isn't the Princess speaking? Does your throat still hurt?"
If looks could kill, Lu Yanzhi would have been executed by a thousand cuts.
She wanted to kill him right now! Immediately!
Lan Yue handed over paper and a brush, and Xiao Li wrote angrily: *What exactly do you want to do?*
Lu Yanzhi read it, ignoring her furious gaze: "I only came to visit the Princess."
Visit? To watch a joke, more like.
Xiao Li spitefully wrote a single, bolded character: *SCRAM!*
Xiao Li's attitude could be described as very poor, but because she couldn't speak, her lethality was greatly reduced, like a tiger that had lost its teeth—merely a bluff.
Lu Yanzhi actually found her like this quite pleasing to the eye.
"Princess, don't be angry. It won't be good for your health if you get worked up. Do you want some water?"
Xiao Li yanked the quilt up, turned her head to sleep, and ignored him.
Lu Yanzhi stared at the lump under the quilt. This was the weakest Xiao Li's attack power had been in all these days.
But so what? Even if Xiao Li had been kidnapped and injured, it didn't change the fact that she was malicious.
The Marquis of Pingnan's house being stripped of its title, exiled, and now sentenced to death—the source of everything was merely that Gu Ling had said a few disrespectful words to her.
An assassination? Who knew if she had staged and fabricated it herself?
Gu Ling was dead, the entire family of the Marquis of Pingnan was exterminated, and even the child in Xue Yin's womb had died because of her.
To be so arrogant and domineering, treating human lives like grass—she deserved her suffering.
But ultimately, the Princess had been kidnapped while shopping with him. If he remained indifferent, the Emperor would likely cause trouble for the Lu family again.
The act had to continue; he had to take advantage of her weakness to make her lower her guard.
Fortunately, Xiao Li didn't know his thoughts, otherwise she would surely curse him: *In your dreams!*
When a Princess is attacked and injured, shouldn't people send gifts to show their condolences?
Although Xiao Li wasn't great, she was, after all, a Princess under the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's lineage. Moreover, the Emperor seemed to care quite a bit about her now, so the subordinates, reading the room, didn't dare to be negligent.
Various gifts and medicines, large and small, were sent to the Princess's manor, all accompanied by words of concern and wishes for her speedy recovery.
So, did they not know that the Princess had become both mad and ruthless and was hitting people? They knew, but she was a Princess and the Emperor valued her, so they had to play along.
It wasn't strange for Xiao Jingyi to send gifts to visit, nor was it strange for the Prince of Chen to have someone send a gift, but why did the Princess Consort of Chen come in person to deliver a gift?
Since Xiao Li wouldn't speak, she simply gave a cold laugh and wrote a note, slapping it against Yang Jun's face: *If the Princess Consort of Chen dares to take a single step inside, all the guards better get lost!*
She didn't even need to think to know that Liu Xueyin had come because of Gu Ling's death.
Coming to provoke her time after time—did she think she was already dead?
If no one could stop someone from entering the gates of this Princess's manor, then these people could all get lost!