Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 11

Before long, Xie Yuanxun and Xie Xuanyin’s parties met on the road.

The moment they converged, Xie Yuanxun flipped off his horse and strode forward. “Crown Prince! This subject greets the Crown Prince!”

“I heard that the Prince encountered bandits on Mount Tianzhao today. Are you injured? Yin’er, quickly, let your Imperial Uncle see!”

His face was a mask of anxious concern, yet he maintained the formal etiquette of a subordinate official.

“Uncle, I am unharmed.” Xie Xuanyin offered a hand to steady him.

The fact that Xie Yuanxun had appeared suddenly in the dead of night had already planted a seed of suspicion in Xie Xuanyin’s mind. Hearing him say “heard the Prince encountered bandits” made it even stranger. Mount Tianzhao was remote; how did he find out so quickly? Furthermore, it was Shen Ruoli who had encountered the bandits today, not him.

Yuanxun spoke with such certainty, as if he had known beforehand that an “assassination” would take place.

“Uncle, you have traveled far. You’ve worked hard,” Xie Xuanyin remarked impassively, neither confirming nor denying if he was hurt.

Xie Yuanxun raised a hand, his expression solemn. “When I heard the Prince was ambushed, I dared not delay for a single second! I feared I would arrive too late!”

Strange, Yuanxun thought. The Prince looks perfectly fine. Wasn’t he supposed to be gravely wounded? However, the guard beside him was pale and clearly injured. This nephew of his had acted “unfathomable” since childhood; no one could truly read him. Perhaps he is indeed injured and is merely pretending? Yuanxun wondered suspiciously, though he kept his face warm. “It is a blessing the Prince is safe! Otherwise, your Uncle wouldn’t be able to sleep for the heartbreak.”

“By the way, I heard the Crown Princess insisted on coming here to pray, which led to this mess. Is she alright? Why run all this way for blessings when Dongyang Temple is right in the capital?”

Dongyang Temple was an imperial temple—much closer and safer.

Inside the carriage, Shen Ruoli held her breath, listening intently. Here it comes! Just like in the previous life, he started blaming her without even saying hello. She clenched her fists in anger.

Xie Xuanyin heard the reprimand in Yuanxun’s voice clearly. Though he felt a twinge of annoyance at someone else scolding his wife, he remembered how she had teased him with the “good and bad news” earlier. She deserves a scolding, he thought. Thus, he didn’t stop him.

“Right, I have yet to pay my respects to the Crown Princess,” Xie Yuanxun said. Seeing Xie Xuanyin remain silent, he added, “I shall go offer her my greetings.”

“Uncle is an elder; there is no need for such formality.”

“Being an elder is one thing, but etiquette is another! The rules must be followed!”

“Then, Uncle, after you.” Xie Xuanyin’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.

Hearing the footsteps approach, Shen Ruoli gritted her teeth. Xie Xuanyin, you dog! He pretended to stop him but was actually encouraging Yuanxun to insult her!

“Crown Princess.” Xie Yuanxun stood outside the carriage. With his back to Xie Xuanyin, his expression became meaningful and sharp. “I heard the Princess was ambushed. I wonder, how severe are the injuries?”

He claimed to be paying respects, but his tone was high-and-mighty and condescending. Shen Ruoli’s dislike for this “King of Zhenbei” intensified. She was about to say she was fine, but a thought struck her.

“Is that… Sixth Uncle?” She forced a series of weak, raspy coughs. “I am grateful for Sixth Uncle’s midnight visit. I have been injured and cannot bear the draft; I hope Uncle will forgive me for not opening the curtain.”

In that moment, she had found a way to test him. She remembered that before marrying into the Eastern Palace, she had complained about Xie Yuanxun to Xie Xuansong. Back then, when the Empress Dowager issued the marriage decree, Yuanxun had spoken rudely at the palace, claiming Shen Ruoli wasn’t good enough for the Crown Prince.

Because she was a “loyal follower,” Xie Xuansong hadn’t comforted her. Instead, he had defended Yuanxun and called her “narrow-minded.”

In her first life, she thought nothing of it. But now, she was certain: Xie Yuanxun and Xie Xuansong were definitely in league!

“Princess, it’s not that your Uncle wants to blame you, but you know the Prince is the future ruler! How could you pester him to come here for something as trivial as prayer?” Yuanxun barked. “If something had happened to the Prince, could you take the responsibility?!”

“Dongyang Temple is in the capital! Why come to Mount Tianzhao? Do you not know it’s infested with bandits? Your actions have not only put the Prince in danger but have put me in a difficult position as well!”

Since Mount Tianzhao was near his fief, the failure of the imperial剿匪 (bandit suppression) fell on him. If the Emperor became angry, Yuanxun would be the one to answer for it.

“I have heard the Princess is spoiled, but when it concerns the Prince’s safety, you cannot be so willful! I don’t care how you were with Prince Chu in the past—now that you are the Crown Princess, you must put the Prince above all else!”

He raised his voice so that Xie Xuanyin could hear every word. Seeing the Prince’s expression darken, Yuanxun was satisfied. He waited for Shen Ruoli to explode in a fit of rage—she was famous for her arrogance and never let anyone talk down to her.

If she got angry, Xie Xuanyin would dislike her even more. And if the situation became chaotic enough, it would only benefit the House of Zhenbei.

To his shock, after his long lecture, a soft, submissive voice drifted from the carriage. “Sixth Uncle is right to scold me. I shall keep your teachings close to my heart.”

Xie Yuanxun: “???”

This isn’t how the script is supposed to go!

“It was my lack of foresight that burdened the Prince. I am too ashamed to even face him!” Shen Ruoli said, her voice dripping with sorrow. “Thank you, Sixth Uncle, for waking me up to the truth…”

Seeing Xie Xuanyin walking toward them with a grim face, Yuanxun stammered, “Princess, you misunderstand! I wasn’t… I wasn’t blaming you! I was merely instructing you not to be so headstrong in the future!”

“Thank you for your guidance, Sixth Uncle! Although I have the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, my parents, my older siblings, and the Crown Prince himself above me to look after me… I am deeply moved that you, Sixth Uncle, would take the time to patiently teach me how to behave!”

Shen Ruoli’s voice broke with a sob.

Xie Xuanyin narrowed his eyes. The logic was sound with so many high-ranking family members, it wasn’t exactly Xie Yuanxun’s place to lecture her so harshly. He had wanted to see her humbled, but hearing Yuanxun’s overbearing tone triggered his instinctive need to protect her.

Knowing he was right outside, Shen Ruoli slowly lifted the curtain, revealing a small, tear-stained face. “Besides, coming to Mount Tianzhao today,  it wasn’t even my idea.”

“It was  Prince Chu’s suggestion!”

Shen Ruoli dumped the bucket of blame squarely onto Xie Xuansong’s head without hesitation.