Chapter 318: Sharing Life and Death
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Finding the lost princess of the Southern Kingdom is merely a source of joy for me,” Nan Mu Bai said with a light smile.
“My aunt has suffered greatly while wandering among commoners.”
“Now that she can return to the Southern Kingdom, I am happy for her.”
Madam Xu trembled slightly, her gaze lowering as she remained silent.
“Oh? You have already found her whereabouts?” The Emperor lifted his teacup, his expression unreadable.
“We’ve found some clues. There should be news very soon.”
A faint chuckle escaped Nan Mu Bai’s lips. All signs pointed to the fact that his aunt had been taken in by mortals of Northern Zhao.
If she returned to the Southern Kingdom, she would be devoured until not even her bones remained!
If she could not summon the gods, then she was nothing more than an abandoned pawn.
His gaze flickered to Madam Xu, who was basking in the admiration of those around her, and his lips curled in disdain.
Mortals were so shortsighted. No matter how much honor they accumulated, it was meaningless to the Southern Kingdom.
How laughable it was to be a frog at the bottom of a well.
After the grand banquet, Lu Chao Chao left the palace with her mother.
Since passing the imperial examination, Lu Yan Shu had risen quickly through the ranks. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he was even entrusted with tutoring the Crown Prince.
In just a year, his position had elevated remarkably.
Handsome in appearance, brilliant in literature, and now the young Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, he had become one of the Emperor’s closest aides.
In the capital, he was the moonlight in the hearts of many young women.
As he stepped out of the palace gates, a veiled woman followed closely behind. The young man in his official robes carried an air of dignity, even more striking than before.
Passersby could not help but steal glances at him.
“Miss, please compose yourself and refrain from following me,” Lu Yan Shu raised his hand, stopping her in her tracks.
His eyes were cold, his rejection unmistakable.
“Yan Shu, please save me. Yan Shu…” Jiang Yun Jin lifted her veil, revealing a tear-streaked face.
Afraid that Lu Jing Huai would discover her, she had even disguised her maid as herself to escape from the mansion.
The moment Lu Yan Shu saw her, his expression turned icy, his gaze sharp as a blade.
He took three steps back, his face etched with disgust.
“Madam Lu, conduct yourself with dignity! Since you schemed tirelessly to obtain this marriage, then bear the consequences!” Lu Yan Shu had no interest in further entanglement with her.
Jiang Yun Jin pulled up her sleeve, but Lu Yan Shu immediately turned his back to her.
“Madam Lu, have some decency!” His voice was harsh.
Jiang Yun Jin stared blankly at his back.
“Yan Shu… Won’t you save me? You used to climb walls just to comfort me when I scraped my knee. Won’t you save me now?”
“Lu Jing Huai is sick! He’s a madman!”
“He’s insane!”
“He…” Jiang Yun Jin gritted her teeth in hatred, her body covered in bite marks, each one deep enough to bleed.
Lu Jing Huai loathed that she wanted a divorce even more than he hated her lingering attachment to Lu Yan Shu.
That was his untouchable reverse scale.
With Lu Yuan Ze mourning the Old Madam for three years, the Marquis title was lost. The Lu family had become destitute.
She wanted to escape this life.
But Lu Jing Huai was a madman with nothing to lose. No matter how much pressure the Jiang family exerted, he refused to let her go.
Instead, he tormented her daily, making her life unbearable.
“Yan Shu, I know you still care for me. You’ve protected me for so many years. Why won’t you protect me one more time?”
“Jin Niang admits her mistakes. Please, save me!”
“Jin Niang was your fiancée for years. There must still be some affection left… He will kill me!” She fell to her knees, desperately grasping at the hem of his robe.
From around the corner, voices echoed.
Jiang Yun Jin bit her lip, eyes misting with tears.
Slowly, she pulled her robe from her shoulder, revealing a body covered in wounds.
“You forced me, Yan Shu. You forced me. I only want to escape the flames. I only want to return to where I was before…” She bared her scars and threw herself at him.
But before she could get close, a sharp pain erupted at her scalp. A brutal force yanked her backward, causing her to scream in agony.
It felt as if her scalp was about to be torn off.
“Slut! You wretched woman! What do you take me for? You seduced me first, discarded Lu Yan Shu because you found him burdensome, because you thought he should die. And now you think you can abandon me?”
“Never! You will never leave me!”
Lu Jing Huai’s bloodshot eyes gleamed with madness.
He grabbed Jiang Yun Jin’s hair, twisting it around his fingers and dragging her back.
“You called him? Lu Yan Shu, you have such a cruel heart!” Jiang Yun Jin shrieked in terror.
She trembled at the mere sound of Lu Jing Huai’s voice.
“Cruel? I could never be as cruel as you.” Lu Yan Shu’s expression remained indifferent.
If he sought revenge, he would do so openly.
But since Jiang Yun Jin wished to tarnish his reputation, he had no reason to show mercy.
A taste of one’s own medicine.
Lu Yan Shu did not spare Lu Jing Huai a single glance.
Because Lu Jing Huai was never his equal.
Lu Jing Huai’s body trembled with rage, his hatred boiling over.
Lu Yan Shu’s disregard was the greatest humiliation.
He had never measured up, not even as a child.
“You win. Are you satisfied, Lu Yan Shu? But how long can you enjoy your victory? Your little tricks, your shallow influence, mean nothing to the Southern Kingdom!”
Lu Yan Shu’s heart sank.
His mother’s twin jade pendants had long been coveted by many, particularly Madam Pei’s faction.
That Lu Jing Huai knew of them was unsurprising.
“Hahaha! The Southern Kingdom will be your grave!”
“The Southern Kingdom will be your burial ground…”
He kicked Jiang Yun Jin viciously, sending her curling into herself in pain.
“It hurts… It hurts so much…” Jiang Yun Jin moaned weakly, clutching her abdomen as blood dripped between her legs.
She felt something slipping away.
The freezing winter of Northern Zhao seeped into her bones, the cold and agony making her regret everything.
Why had she left Lu Yan Shu?!
Why?!
The crimson blood pooled beneath her, strikingly vivid.
Lu Jing Huai stared at it, momentarily stunned.
He had only lain with her once, and now this?
His lips curled into a crazed grin. “Slut. Carrying my child, and yet you dared to seduce another man?”
Without hesitation, he seized her by the hair and dragged her away.
Through half the capital, her blood marked the streets.
By the time the Jiang family arrived, Jiang Yun Jin had passed out from pain and shame.
Lu Yuan Ze lay drunkenly on the steps, murmuring a single name: “Shi Yun…”
He was beaten senseless by the furious Jiang family.
They tried to take Jiang Yun Jin back, but Lu Jing Huai’s wild gaze locked onto Madam Jiang, his voice unwavering:
“She is my rightful wife. In life, she is my woman. In death, she is my ghost. If anyone tries to take her, I will slit her throat right now.”
“She will be an offering to my ancestors!”
Madam Jiang collapsed in tears. “This is all karma!”
“How could she have married such a madman?!”
“Lu Yan Shu was accomplished and righteous! Why did she abandon him for a demon?!” She regretted it beyond words.
Lu Jing Huai coughed up blood, yet he swallowed it, a deranged smile spreading across his face.
“We will be together forever.”
“Sharing life and death…”