With a dull bang, the porcelain teacup held by Lu Yanzhu, who had been sitting there putting on high and mighty airs, shattered without warning. The scalding tea, mixed with broken porcelain shards, splashed directly onto his face. Lu Yanzhu let out a shrill scream, clutched his face and rolled off the chair. A trickle of blood flowed through his fingers, his face clearly disfigured by the porcelain shards.
"My lord!"
Shen Biwei screamed and rushed over to hold him. She turned her head, glaring at Xiao Jingyan with eyes wide with fury. "Seventh Prince, you go too far. My lord is a successful candidate of the provincial exam. How dare you use such torture?"
A cruel curve hooked at the corner of Xiao Jingyan's mouth, his gaze sweeping over the two of them as if they were ants. "The teacup shattered on its own. What does that have to do with me? A useless commoner who can't even hold a teacup steady is not worthy of being tortured by me."
The hall fell into a dead silence. The Marquis and the first wife both cowered in their chairs, not daring to say another word. Xiao Jingyan's reputation as the living King of Hell was on full display at this very moment.
Lu Yanzhu was trembling all over from the pain, yet he could only bite his lip hard. In the narrow eyes he used to look at Xiao Jingyan, deep resentment, venom and humiliation were hidden.
Looking at Lu Yanzhu on the ground, I felt an immense sense of satisfaction in my heart. In my past life, he always looked down on me, accusing me of lacking refinement. Seeing him in such a miserable state now, looking like a stray dog, was truly a pleasing sight.
Seeing that the time was about right, I stepped forward, pretending to draw a handkerchief from my sleeve. I handed it to Shen Biwei. "What are you doing, sister? The prince was merely playing a joke on brother-in-law."
I lowered my voice, speaking in a volume only the two of us could hear, whispering softly into her ear. "Sister, you had better hurry and take brother-in-law to treat his face. If it leaves a scar and he cannot pass the autumn provincial examinations next year, the examiners of the spring metropolitan examinations the year after will see his disfigured face, and they won't grant him an official post either."
Shen Biwei trembled violently and whipped her head up, staring intently at me. "What do you know?"
She slapped my hand away, protecting Lu Yanzhu like a hen guarding her food. A frantic confidence flickered in her eyes. "Lu Lang is exceptionally gifted. The policy essays he wrote even made the great scholars applaud in admiration. The mere autumn provincial examinations — he will surely come out on top. Shen Nanzhao, don't celebrate too early. That crippled prince of yours won't live much longer. Once Lu Lang makes the golden roll and succeeds in the imperial exams, reaching the peak of ministerial power, I will have you crawl to me on your knees and beg."
I was waiting for exactly these words from her.
In our past life, those policy essays that made the great scholars applaud in admiration — which one of them wasn't ghostwritten by me, word by painful word, after consulting countless rare book volumes for him? Did she really think that by living another life, by snatching away a shell named Lu Yanzhu, she could also snatch away the Grand Secretary's brilliance?
"Then, sister, I shall wait and see." I let out a soft laugh, my eyes filled with genuine pity. "Then, sister, you must pawn everything you have to buy the best ginseng soup to nourish brother-in-law's body. After all, he is your only bargaining chip to turn your life around."
With that said, I stopped looking at the pathetic couple on the ground. I turned back to Xiao Jingyan's side. "Your Highness, the tea in the Marquis's manor is too coarse. Your servant is not accustomed to it. Let's return to our manor."
Xiao Jingyan took a deep, lingering look at me, seemingly seeing right through the calculation and the satisfaction of borrowing a knife to kill in my eyes. He did not expose me. Instead, he did something unprecedented and reached out, holding my hand which was resting on his wheelchair.
"Very well. Let's return to the manor."
With black-armored guards clearing the path, we departed from this chaotic homecoming banquet in high profile, as husband and wife, without even eating a single bite of food, leaving behind Shen Biwei holding a wailing Lu Yanzhu, and the Pingyang Marquis Manor in utter shambles.
Back inside the carriage, once we were out of the Marquis's sight, Xiao Jingyan immediately let go of my hand. He reverted to that cold, unapproachable demeanor. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hand again, as if touching me just now was something utterly unbearable.
"The show is over, Shen Nanzhao." Leaning against the cushions, his gaze was as sharp as a blade. "You seem to harbor immense hostility toward that poor scholar. It can't be as simple as just your sister stealing your marriage, can it?"
I was slightly taken aback, and then took a set of rolled-up silver needles out of my bundle and spread them out on the small table in the carriage.
"Your Highness, you worry too much. I am merely a spiteful concubine's daughter who cannot bear to see others live well." I kept my head down as I organized the silver needles, avoiding his gaze. "If Your Highness does not believe me, you are welcome to send someone to investigate. But for now, it is time for Your Highness to fulfill your promise and let me examine your legs."
Xiao Jingyan stared at me for a long moment. Seeing that I was unwilling to say more, he let out a cold snort and, in full cooperation, rolled up the trousers of his black python robe.
The moment I saw his legs, I couldn't help but gasp.
Below the knees, both of his legs had already turned a bizarre bluish-black color. The veins bulged beneath the skin, as if countless tiny black insects were writhing inside. No wonder the Imperial Academy of Medicine declared him crippled. When this southern border Blood Gu poison flares up, it not only robs a person of sensation, but also inflicts a torment worse than death by a thousand cuts. To forcibly channel inner strength to shatter a teacup under such pain — this level of endurance and willpower made that useless Lu Yanzhu unworthy of even wiping his boots.
"What? Scared already? Those old fools from the Imperial Academy of Medicine took one look and dropped their medical bags in fright. If you are not up to the task, kneel down and kowtow now, and this prince will grant you a swift death."
I did not speak. I simply drew the longest silver needle and heated it over the candle flame. "Bear with it, Your Highness. It might hurt a little."
The moment the words left my mouth, the silver needle in my hand, swift and precise, pierced the Xuehai acupoint on his thigh. Xiao Jingyan let out a muffled groan. His fists clenched violently, veins popping on the backs of his hands, yet he stubbornly refused to utter a single cry of pain.
I looked at the cold sweat that instantly broke out on his forehead, and for some reason, a strange sense of alliance arose in my heart.
Shen Biwei, watch closely. The abusive, crippled bringer of death you feared so much is actually a hidden dragon. Meanwhile, the poor scholar you snatched up like a treasure is about to show his true colors in two months, during the autumn provincial civil service examinations. On the day the exam results are released, I will definitely present you both with a grand gift.