Chapter 237: Love Gu as a Dowry
Deep within the dark prison, Li Zhao’s black leather boots trod heavily on the damp bluestone, startling a grey mouse that scurried away in panic.
He took off his black fox cloak and threw it to Lai Fu, the dragon patterns on his brocade robe emitting a cold, eerie glow under the oil lamp.
“Unlock the shackles, bring the brazier, I need to interrogate…”
Several jailers exchanged glances and fell to their knees with a thud.
“Your Highness, this is against the rules…”
Li Zhao smiled.
A dagger grazed the jailer’s ear as it was driven into the wooden bars, its red tassel still trembling at the end.
He twisted the empty scabbard he held in his hand and swept his indifferent gaze towards the huddled figure in the depths of the cell.
“Is it in accordance with the rules now?”
The jailers knelt in unison on the ground, their foreheads touching the floor, pressed tightly against it, offering no resistance, no sound, and no movement.
Lai Fu, who accompanied him, also hunched his back, filled with unease.
At this sensitive juncture, Your Highness should not have come to the Ministry of Justice prison, stirring up trouble…
But the words of Third Miss Guo had clearly struck a chord with him, and he couldn’t rest easy. After finishing matters concerning Princess Ping Le, he had come resolutely despite the dissuasion…
The dampness in the prison chilled to the bone.
On the pile of damp straw, Xue Sui was curled up, as if trapped in a nightmare, her body trembling slightly…
She dreamt of the snowy night when she was eight years old, blood slowly trickling from her forehead, staining her face, spreading across the white snow…
She felt a despair unlike anything she had ever known, while the laughter around her grew louder and louder…
Princess Ping Le and a group of richly dressed young nobles surrounded her, laughing and screaming wantonly…
She was covered in centipedes, scarlet and dense, crawling all over her arms, cheeks, and even crawling into her collar. The cold touch made her tremble all over, as if they were about to devour her…
Cold sweat soaked her clothes, and she let out a whimper.
Li Zhao’s pupils contracted sharply. He kicked open the cell door and strode in…
“Ping An.”
He knelt on one knee, embracing her frail body, his fingertips hovering half an inch from her brow, then curling slightly.
“How did you fall so ill? Are all the jailers in the Ministry of Justice prison dead?”
The uncontrollable rage boomed into his ears. Lai Fu’s shoulders trembled, and he quickly waved to the jailers, signaling them to retreat further—
Xiao Zhao, however, felt a sting in her nose and, with red eyes, heavily placed the medicine bowl beside her.
“Why would the Crown Prince put on such a show? The young lady has been in this prison for days, and not a single person from your side has appeared. Now that you are about to marry the Crown Princess, you suddenly remember our young lady…”
“Xiao Zhao—”
Xue Sui opened her eyes at some unknown time, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
“Do not be disrespectful to the Crown Prince.”
“Young Lady…” Xiao Zhao was somewhat unconvinced but dared not say more.
She feared nothing, had no reverence for the Crown Prince, and only feared Xue Sui.
Xue Sui’s breathing was unsteady. She glanced at the flustered Xiao Zhao.
“Go wait over there. I have a few words to say to Your Highness.”
Xiao Zhao briskly wiped her eyes, stomped her foot, and rushed to the cell door.
“I beg Your Highness to forgive me. Xiao Zhao grew up in the countryside and does not understand hierarchy…” As Xue Sui spoke, she tried to get up to bow, but the heavy chains clinked on her wrists.
Li Zhao’s heart felt as if it had been pricked by a needle. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, his palm against the burning skin of her nape.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to come see you, it’s because…”
“It’s good that Your Highness didn’t come.” Xue Sui interrupted him, her fingers slowly pushing against his shoulder. She deliberately leaned away, maintaining a distance from him.
“The prison is too cold and damp, and I haven’t recovered from my cold. If I were to pass the illness to Your Highness, it would be an unforgivable sin. Moreover—meeting alone late at night, if it were to spread, it would harm Your Highness’s reputation…”
Her voice was like frost, chillingly clear, deliberately pushing him away.
Even with Li Zhao’s overwhelming anxiety and affection, he had no outlet.
“Xue Ping’an.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. The words he wanted to say out of concern came out as angry mockery.
“I am here to investigate the case. You, a condemned prisoner, dare to instruct me on how to act?”
“Then what does Your Highness wish to ask?” Xue Sui pushed his arm away, forcing herself to sit up straight. “Ask away.”
Li Zhao stared at her bluish lips and couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to embrace her again, but he abruptly withdrew his hand upon meeting her icy gaze.
The cell lamp cast his shadow on the stone wall, flickering, much like his turbulent thoughts at that moment.
For some reason, his heart softened again.
“This is the medicine Zhang Huaicheng recently prepared, to clear the throat and moisten the larynx…”
“Thank you for Your Highness’s kindness…” Xue Sui turned her head away from the medicine bottle he offered, frowning. “I’ve been eating bitter medicine lately and don’t want to taste another drop…”
Li Zhao’s hand hung in the air, not retracting for a long time.
Xue Sui said softly, “Your Highness is already betrothed to Third Miss Guo and should uphold the engagement. She is a good woman, understanding and considerate, a perfect match for Your Highness. You should cherish her…”
“Must you speak like this?” Li Zhao gripped her chin, his thumb rubbing over her dry, cracked lips.
He spoke harshly, but in the end, he couldn’t help but sigh and pull her into his embrace.
The body in his arms was more fragile than the thin glazed pottery lamp, as if a slight exertion would break her.
A bitter taste rose in Li Zhao’s throat. He tightened his arms, pulling her deeper into his embrace.
“You fool, don’t you know my feelings?”
Xue Sui coughed, struggling weakly. She decided to turn her face away.
“At this critical juncture of life and death, Your Highness should not have extraneous thoughts. What you perceive as affection is merely a delusion after being bewitched, all illusions, not to be taken seriously…”
Li Zhao’s chest felt heavy, and a bloody sweetness rose in his throat. He restrained himself and lessened his grip.
He released his arms and lowered his head, looking at her.
“You are quite generous. Have you ever experienced the bone-gnawing, heart-burning torment when the Love Silk Gu takes effect? When you planted the Gu for me back then, did you ever think I would marry a consort or take concubines? Now, with a single phrase ‘all illusions,’ you want to absolve yourself. How do you expect me to bear this?”
Xue Sui remained silent.
Under Li Zhao’s scorching gaze, she was uncharacteristically quiet.
The sound of dripping water in the dungeon was clearly audible, much like the shattering of ice shards that night at Pu Ji Temple…
“I am very sorry for everything that happened back then.” Xue Sui lowered her gaze to the shackles on her wrists and finally spoke.
“Planting the Gu was only to save my life. I never expected it to implicate Your Highness.”
At that time, she had emerged from a sea of corpses and sworn amidst the ruins of the Old Mausoleum Swamp to seek revenge. At that time, she had never imagined Li Zhao would be this Li Zhao, the youth who had given her warmth on a snowy night, the Crown Prince who had argued for her at court…
She paused, then her lips trembled slightly as she looked him solemnly in the eyes.
“I promise Your Highness that I will present the antidote for the Love Silk Gu before Your Highness and Third Miss Guo’s wedding.”
Before her voice even fell, she spoke again, her words firm, as if making an oath.
“Otherwise, may heaven punish me and take my life as recompense.”
Li Zhao suddenly chuckled, “Your life? Whether you can even live until then is unknown…”
Having said that, he looked at Xue Sui’s ashen face, his heart aching intensely.
That pain was not an illusion, not a hallucination; it was genuinely born for her.
Xue Sui interpreted it as the instinctive pull of the Love Silk Gu. Therefore, he also refused to acknowledge this out of control flutter.
“Don’t think I’m doing this for you. I’m doing it for my own life.”
“That’s good—”
Xue Sui’s breathing eased slightly. She felt the arms around her waist tighten abruptly, and she straightened her back, smiling faintly.
“The Crown Prince bears the burden of the empire and should not be entangled by romantic affairs.”
Li Zhao let out a cold laugh, deliberately leaning close to her ear, his voice filled with an almost obsessive possessiveness.
“No need to put on such a righteous act. Xue Ping’an, your life has long belonged to me. If you dare to die, I will make the entire Old Mausoleum Swamp pay with you!”
“I will not die. I can’t bear to die.” Xue Sui looked up, the flickering prison fire reflected in her eyes, her pale face serene.
“It won’t be long before the truth of this case is revealed. I’ve had enough of this prison…”
Hearing her say this, Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple rolled fiercely.
“Tell me, what if I disregard everything and take you out of here?”
“Your Highness must not!”
Xue Sui leaned back, using the stone wall for support, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“Your Highness must not… *cough cough*… must not risk universal condemnation for this illusory affection…”
Li Zhao abruptly pressed her into his arms, letting her tangled black hair fall into his arm’s embrace.
“Abuse of power, disregard for propriety, ignoring the law, and then jeopardizing your successor position? Is that what you want to say?”
Xue Sui panted, looking into his bloodshot eyes: “Your Highness is the presiding judge, you should strictly adhere to the law, do not lose your composure…”
Presiding judge?
Li Zhao’s slender fingertips traced her cheek.
This troublesome woman truly had a way with words, each sentence fanning the flames of his heart.
“Xue Ping’an, listen.” He guided her palm to gently press against his chest.
The silent stirring beneath his clothes seemed to resonate with her pulse.
“The Love Silk Gu is making me restless. Just seeing you makes my heart pound faster than a thousand horses charging. I’m being tormented to death. I can deceive the world, but I can’t deceive myself…”
“Your Highness…”
Xue Sui’s unfinished words were swallowed by the suddenly close warmth.
Li Zhao buried his face in her neck, his warm breath caressing her cool skin.
“You know why I came…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, his suppressed breaths spraying onto her throbbing pulse, “Ping An, wait for me a little longer… soon, it will be soon…”
Xue Sui’s body went limp, her face showing a dazed flush.
After a long while, she struggled to move away from his scorching breath, lowered her head to cough, her thin shoulders heaving violently.
“What does Your Highness intend to do? Do you have a foolproof plan?”
“Don’t ask.” Li Zhao pressed her head against his chest, his voice deep and hoarse. “No matter what, even if the sky falls, I will take you out of this hellhole.”
Xue Sui’s brow furrowed slightly. Counting his frantic heartbeats, she suddenly remembered the day the Xizi Death Warriors attacked, how he had stubbornly protected her behind him, covered in blood, his palm’s warmth just as scorching.
Her suddenly uncontrolled heart rate also began to beat rapidly and erratically.
“Your Highness, the rules of the Old Mausoleum Swamp do not save fools.”
Li Zhao: “My rules do not allow anyone to make you frown.”
Xue Sui broke free from his embrace, looking at his burning eyes with a cold gaze.
“Actually, Your Highness need not worry so much. My blood debt has not been repaid, and my original intention remains unchanged. My life is not just my own; it is also for the two hundred thousand souls of the Old Mausoleum Swamp. I will not easily seek death, nor will I implicate Your Highness…”
Old Mausoleum Swamp, again the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
Li Zhao suddenly hated that name.
If not for those deep-seated hatreds, if not for this damned struggle for power, could he have, like an ordinary man, openly said, “I love you”?
Her obsession with revenge was as firm as a rock.
All the justice she sought, he could settle for her.
But after the reckoning, she would still be Prince Duan’s Consort, and he would still be the Crown Prince. Separated by the sea of blood from two hundred thousand souls, by the power struggles of the nine palaces, how could they bridge this chasm that spanned heaven and earth?
The prison fire flickered, and the Love Silk Gu raged through his veins, making him feel as if his insides were burning, his breathing becoming rapid and disordered…
“I don’t care about hatred, I only care about you…”
He only wanted to overturn the heavens and earth, to reshape their identities…
Not the Crown Prince and Prince Duan’s Consort, but a woman he could openly embrace.
His obsession had grown to this point, and he could no longer distinguish whether the tenderness hidden behind his schemes was genuine or a hallucination caused by the Gu poison.
In any case, he could not wait any longer, nor did he want to.
He wished he could take her away from this dark prison immediately…
But he could not tell Xue Sui any of this. He couldn’t even tell her that he had secretly swapped the poison, intending to rescue her, change her identity, and claim her as his own…
“Your Highness, the night watch is changing shifts.” Lai Fu stood in the prison corridor outside the cell, reminding him in a low voice.
Li Zhao cast a deep look at Xue Sui.
“I only care about you… whether you live or die!” He finished his previous sentence, his voice as light as if he feared shattering something.
“Xue Ping’an, take good care of yourself, and don’t die in prison.”
He slowly stood up.
As he left, his python robe and wide sleeves brushed against her cold hand, causing a slight tremor.
The creak of the cell door closing echoed in her ears.
Lai Fu stepped forward with the cloak, only to see the fierce aura surging in the Crown Prince’s eyes.
“Your Highness…”
“Let’s go.”
The sound of coughing from behind him was broken and rapid, intermittent, as if trying to choke someone’s throat…
Li Zhao paused his steps, finally closing his eyes fiercely, and strode away.
Lai Fu followed closely, looking at his lips, tightly pursed until they were pale, filled with heartache.
He had never seen the Crown Prince like this before.
In the past, the Crown Prince could command the wind and clouds with a smile, and his sword could change the landscape. He never paid attention to romantic affairs or life and death, known throughout the imperial family for his cold and aloof nature…
Now, in this dark, moldy prison corridor, he was like a mortal entangled by love, his eyes filled with struggle and lingering affection…
“Your Highness, perhaps some words should be spoken to Consort Xue.”
“She is not a consort!”
“Yes, Sixth Miss Xue.” Lai Fu lowered his voice, his tone filled with helplessness. “Your Highness has done so much for her, why not reveal your feelings directly? Hiding this affection only leads to misunderstandings.”
He tentatively tried to comfort his master.
Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He looked up at the faint light filtering through the gaps in the bars at the end of the prison corridor.
Like frost and snow, it illuminated his pale, stern face.
“She won’t agree.”
Having said that, he looked back at the distant cell.
“Have someone keep a close eye on Wang Bo’an. If anything goes wrong, throw his grandson into the moat.”
Lai Fu acknowledged, and a chill ran down the back of his neck.
He had to deceive the Empress Dowager’s spies while ensuring her safety.
He had to make her show signs of poisoning, but not make her too ill.
Let alone Zhang Huaicheng and Wang Bo’an, even if the Great Sage Sun came, it would probably only be difficult…
The group disappeared at the end of the prison corridor, leaving behind a faint scent of pine mixed with the coolness of the cold night.
In the dungeon, silence returned.
Xue Sui held the porcelain bottle Li Zhao had left behind, lowered her head, and her eyes veiled, lost in thought.
Xiao Zhao glanced at her and grumbled with dissatisfaction.
“He clearly cares a lot, but he has to act like a cold-faced Yama. Who appreciates that…”
“Xiao Zhao, don’t talk nonsense!”
Xue Sui lowered her eyelids, silently curled herself into the straw that still held the scent of pine, and stared blankly at the damp water stains on the stone wall.
She was Xue Ping’an, a vengeful ghost who had crawled out of a pile of bones, and she would not expect any genuine affection.
“Be clear-headed, proceed according to the original plan…”
The Shangjing City, shrouded in night, was silent. Moonlight quietly crept onto the stone walls.
Two figures entangled by fate, one in prison, guarding an unavenged deep hatred. One outside the prison, hiding unspoken deep affection. Some words, buried in the heart, were destined to be shattered into fragments in the vortex of imperial power…
Another double-length chapter, everyone please enjoy your late-night snack…
Li Zhao: What’s so good about being so cold-hearted and unfeeling?
Xue Sui: Someone, bring the Crown Prince his boxed meal!
Xiao Zhao: I’m good at this…
