Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 21

Looking at Shen Ruoli’s confident expression, Xie Xuanyin finally understood why Xie Xuansong had schemed to send her into the Eastern Palace. This woman was more than just a beautiful face; if she chose to play the game of wits, very few people would be her match.

No wonder he had fallen by her hand in his previous life.

Xie Xuanyin suddenly found himself looking forward to the days ahead—hoping she would continue to be this clever, continuing to spar with him! He wanted to see just how much more capable she could be.

“You’ve calculated well,” Xie Xuanyin offered a rare word of validation. “So, you intend to keep Qingying alive to use her as a weapon against Xie Xuansong?”

Shen Ruoli nodded eagerly. “As expected of Your Highness! So smart!”

Unfortunately, her flattery landed on the wrong foot.

“I am not a fool like you, who would allow herself to be used to such an extent,” Xie Xuanyin snorted coldly.

Ruoli’s face flushed red, and she rubbed her nose sheepishly. “Everyone has moments of confusion! I was just… blinded by grease and my eyes failed me. Don’t tease me, Your Highness.”

“You did it, yet you’re afraid of being teased?” Xie Xuanyin glanced at her with a look that clearly said ‘Are you stupid?’ “Even if you have confidence in your plan, how can you guarantee that Xie Xuansong won’t simply kill Qingying?”

If Xuansong killed her, wouldn’t Ruoli’s plan come to a dead end?

“Your Highness, who said I only have one plan?” She always left herself room to maneuver.

Ruoli shamelessly rested her head on his shoulder. “Besides, Xie Xuansong will absolutely not kill Qingying! I guarantee it!”

“Oh?”

“Yesterday, in her desperation, Qingying threatened me. She said if she died, Xie Xuansong would never let me go because she was his first woman! And… she was carrying his flesh and blood!”

“What?!”

This news was explosive. Xie Xuanyin didn’t even push her away this time; he looked down at her in shock. “For real?”

“I didn’t believe it at first, but a person speaks the truth when facing death. She wouldn’t lie to me about something like that.”

Ruoli let out a yawn. She was picky about beds. Last night, Xie Xuanyin hadn’t been by her side, and she couldn’t get comfortable in the King of Zhenbei’s guest room. If it hadn’t been for the fever, she probably would have stayed awake until dawn. Now, with the carriage swaying gently and being leaned against Xie Xuanyin, the familiar scent of him allowed her tightened nerves to relax. She grew drowsy.

In her previous life, she never knew that Qingying was Xuansong’s first woman, let alone that she had been pregnant. Qingying never gave him a child. Perhaps in that life, the battle with the bandits also caused her to lose the baby. Back then, Ruoli and Xuanyin were unconscious for days; by the time they woke up, Qingying had recovered, though her health had seemed poor for a long time afterward.

Now, after being thrown off a cliff, even if the child were a miracle, it was gone.

“But there’s no need to worry now,” Ruoli murmured. “Whether she was pregnant or not, his first child is gone. They are merely reaping what they sowed for their wickedness. It’s better this child wasn’t born; consider it an atonement for their sins.”

Her child had died at Xuansong’s hands. So, in this life, she had unknowingly eliminated his first-born. Ruoli hadn’t intended to be so cruel to an innocent child, but it was a twist of fate. Besides, with a father like Xuansong, the child would likely never have been a righteous person—possibly even a dangerous rival for her and Xuanyin’s future children. She was simply pulling the “evil weed” out at the root.

As she spoke, her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep against his shoulder.

Hearing her even breathing, the cold light in Xie Xuanyin’s eyes softened. He gently covered her with a blanket. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out, took her ice-cold hand into his own, and quietly began to warm it.

If Shen Ruoli hadn’t plotted against him, she would have been a perfect match—a capable Crown Princess. Together, they could have crushed all their enemies. But with the lessons of the past life, he didn’t dare trust her. He couldn’t trust her.

He let out a silent sigh and closed his eyes against the carriage wall.

…

Meanwhile, at the King of Zhenbei’s Manor.

Xie Yuanxun had already summoned his military advisors and closed the study doors, explicitly shutting Xie Xuansong out.

Xuansong didn’t bother asking for entry. He turned and headed for Qingying’s room. The doctor was still there, his brow furrowed like a knot of rope.

“This girl’s injuries are too severe! Such a hard life,” the old man grumbled while applying medicine. “To be mangled like this is bad enough, but to lose the child on top of it… she really didn’t take care of her body.”

Xie Xuansong, standing at the door, froze. He looked back at his guard. “What child?”

The guard was bewildered. “My Lord, I don’t know.” He had heard the doctor, too. But Qingying wasn’t married; how could she have a child?

Xie Xuansong’s face changed instantly. He strode into the room. “Doctor, what did you just say? What child is gone?” In his agitation, he nearly tripped over the threshold.

The doctor looked up and hurriedly rose to bow.

“Speak!” Xuansong grabbed his collar, gritting his teeth. “What child?!”

Terrified by his demonic expression, the doctor stammered, “This… this girl was pregnant, but… but she miscarried. It was… very tragic…”

Xie Xuansong was floored. He let go of the doctor and stared at the unconscious, mangled Qingying. “Pregnant? She was actually pregnant?”

The guard stood in shock. He knew Qingying was the Lord’s woman, but he never imagined the Lord’s first child was in her womb. And now it was gone. He knew better than anyone how much Xie Xuansong wanted a child—the Emperor had no eldest grandson yet. If the Chu Manor produced one before the Eastern Palace, it would be a massive political advantage.

“My Lord…” Seeing Xuansong looking lost, the guard dared not breathe.

Suddenly, Xie Xuansong’s face twisted. When he looked at Qingying again, his gaze was so vicious he looked ready to devour her. “How could she have a child?! How could she have a child?!”