Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 5

“Crown Princess, although Prince Chu already has a primary consort, his heart belongs only to you!”

Qingying was still fanning the flames, urging her to visit Xie Xuansong. “The Prince has never suffered such a grievous injury. If you saw him, your heart would surely break! Even I feel miserable just thinking about it…”

As she spoke, she noticed Shen Ruoli’s gaze turning increasingly cold and sharp, eventually causing her to trail off into silence.

Qingying looked at her cautiously. “Princess, what is wrong?”

“Qingying, I think it’s best if you return to serve the Prince of Chu.”

“Princess! Have I done something wrong?” Qingying immediately dropped to her knees.

“It is precisely because you feel so much for the Prince that I cannot bear to keep you here. If you serve him personally, I am sure he will recover much faster!”

Shen Ruoli gave her a faint, unreadable smile. “Besides, you know the Crown Prince is suspicious of me. If I go to see Prince Chu now, wouldn’t I be throwing myself back into the fire? I nearly lost my life yesterday and I’m still injured; I’m in too much pain to even leave my bed.”

“But…” Qingying was stunned.

“Furthermore, as you just said—if I saw him, my heart would break. Therefore, I choose not to see him at all.” Shen Ruoli waved her hand dismissively. “Leave us.”

“Princess!” Qingying was unwilling to give up, but when Shen Ruoli’s eyes flashed like a blade, a chill ran down her spine. She could only scramble to her feet and retreat in disgrace.

As Shen Ruoli watched her go, a murderous intent began to swell in her eyes. For Xie Xuanyin, for Runyue, and for herself—Qingying had to die.

“Princess.” Runyue entered carrying a brocade box. She glanced back at the empty doorway. “What happened to Qingying? Her face looked strange just now. Actually, she’s been acting strange for days.”

“What is that?” Shen Ruoli asked, ignoring the comment about the maid.

“Reporting to the Princess, Mother Chun from Empress Sun’s palace was just here. She said these are rewards for the Princess from Her Majesty.” Runyue handed over the box.

Shen Ruoli knit her brows. Because she had once openly admired Xie Xuansong, her mother-in-law, Empress Sun, held her in great contempt. In her previous life, the Empress had made things difficult for her at every turn.

Why would she send rewards today?

Opening the box, Shen Ruoli found an array of dazzling jewelry and hairpins. They looked luxurious, yet the selection felt utterly perfunctory. Shen Ruoli gave a self-mocking laugh.

Empress Sun likely knew about the incident on the city walls. Fearing that the scandal would cause trouble for Xie Xuanyin, she was sending “hush money” to keep her quiet. Otherwise, Mother Chun wouldn’t have just dropped the box and left without even requesting an audience.

“Princess, since the Empress sent rewards, it must be because of yesterday. Should the Princess go to the palace to offer thanks?”

Shen Ruoli was busy calculating how to eliminate Qingying without alerting her enemies. Hearing the Empress’s name, a plan formed in her mind.

“Naturally, I must go, but not today.” She paused, then asked, “What did you say about Qingying just now?”

In the previous life, Runyue had been keen enough to notice Qingying’s odd behavior and had warned her several times. But because of Shen Ruoli’s own dullness, Runyue had ultimately been murdered by Qingying.

“I think she’s been acting very suspicious lately! Especially in the last two days—she’s always disappearing. When I ask where she’s been, she’s vague about it, as if she’s hiding something big,” Runyue whispered. “Princess, I feel she has too many hidden motives.”

“Mm.” Shen Ruoli gestured for her to continue.

“Princess, why don’t we just send her back to Prince Chu?”

“Back to him? No, I have other plans.” Shen Ruoli smiled thinly. “Her master is Xie Xuansong, not me. Now that I’ve cut ties with him, keeping her around is a ticking time bomb.”

Hearing this, Runyue let out a long sigh of relief. She clenched her hands excitedly. “Princess, you’ve truly come to your senses! I thought your strange behavior lately was just another part of some scheme for Prince Chu!”

“Didn’t Xie Xuansong say that the Prince executed several officials this morning?” Shen Ruoli returned to the main topic. “His Highness is usually rational; those people surely deserved to die. However, the Empress’s birthday is approaching. To avoid the bad omen of such bloodshed… spread the word: Tomorrow morning, I shall travel to Mount Tianzhao to offer incense and pray for blessings.”

She lowered her eyes, masking the glint of tears. Going to Mount Tianzhao served two purposes: one was to pray for the future, the other was to appease the dead. Her child had just been born—hadn’t even had the chance to see the world—before being murdered by Xie Xuansong.

She wanted to kneel before Guanyin and beg for mercy for her child, praying that they might be reunited in the next life, and that Xie Xuansong would meet a wretched end.

When she looked up again, her smile was cold. “Mount Tianzhao is far from the capital, and the path is infested with bandits. The imperial court has tried to wipe them out several times but failed. If Qingying dies at the hands of bandits while ‘loyally’ protecting her mistress, it would be perfectly logical.”

…

Dusk fell, and the moonlight grew sparse.

In the past, whenever Xie Xuanyin returned, Shen Ruoli would use the excuse of being asleep to keep him out. Consequently, even after marriage, he still slept in his own Changyang Palace. But tonight, the Crown Princess’s quarters were brilliantly lit.

“Master,” Feng Qing whispered. “Is the Crown Princess waiting for you?”

Regardless of whether she was waiting or not, looking at the bright lanterns, the coldness in Xie Xuanyin’s eyes softened with a subtle, hidden warmth. Tonight, he didn’t feel like being cruel to her.

But only for tonight, he told himself.

He lowered his gaze and turned to leave. Suddenly, Shen Ruoli appeared in the doorway. “Oh? Your Highness is back?”

She hurried out to meet him, her face full of genuine joy. “Just in time! I had Runyue reheat the meal; it’s still hot! Come, dine with me!”

As she spoke, she instinctively and habitually took hold of Xie Xuanyin’s arm. The man’s body stiffened. His feet followed her into the room almost against his will, but his mouth remained stubborn. “Shen Ruoli, are you truly that eager to poison me?”

“Your Highness, please don’t use that word! It’s bad luck.” Shen Ruoli gave him a searching look. “If anything happened to you, I would not live another day alone!”

Xie Xuanyin’s pupils contracted in shock. He pulled his hand back and laughed coldly. “Shen Ruoli, your tongue has been coated in honey these last two days. Tell me—what is your real goal?”

As expected, his paranoia has only worsened, she thought. Having learned her lesson in the previous life, she knew he wouldn’t believe her easily. But it didn’t matter. She would prove her steadfastness through her actions.

“Your Highness is wise!” She pulled him down to sit, serving him food as she explained. “Tomorrow, I wish to go to Mount Tianzhao to pray for the Empress’s birthday. But the journey is long, and I hear bandits are rampant in that area… I am a weak woman and I’m afraid. Could Your Highness lend me Feng Qing for the day?”

“Shen Ruoli.”

Xie Xuanyin slowly put down his chopsticks. His gaze was as sharp as a scalpel, peeling her back layer by layer. “Weren’t you planning to go to Mount Tianzhao to pray two days from now?”

In the previous life, it was on that day that he had nearly lost his life.

Hearing this, Shen Ruoli’s eyelashes trembled. How does he know I originally planned to go in two days?