The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The night deepened, and the wind suddenly intensified.

The four men who had gone out as a group to find the madman returned shortly after. Their way of walking was bizarre, initially leading the people in the temple to believe that zombies, with stiff limbs, had crawled out of the ground to approach them.

Those who came back were overly hurried, inevitably moving with same-side hands and feet, their taut muscles appearing rigid. As soon as Li Qinghuai clearly saw the first face, she concluded that she was destined not to sleep tonight.

The wind drove the clouds, obscuring the sun, and the moonlight once again dimmed.

“Outside, outside we were surrounded by a group of soldiers. They were all wearing armor that shone in the moonlight. They shot Wang Liu with one arrow, then shot five or six more arrows, and his flesh couldn’t hold together anymore…”

“It was tragic enough that he was mad, but still…”

Xu Bufan’s courage was broken for the second time. As he attempted to rush over and hug Sister Huai’s leg, Li Qinghuai preemptively raised her palm to his forehead, pushing him away slightly.

“You’ve guessed I come from an influential family, you’ve guessed my identity is not simple, but haven’t you considered other possibilities?”

The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

“For instance—I am a rebel against the court, and my arrest warrants are posted all over from Jizhou to the capital.”

The eyes of the person before her suddenly widened, choked up, unable to even utter a sound.

“But someone called you Your Highness…”

Li Qinghuai smiled faintly and said nothing.

All the farce was irrelevant to Lu Fengmian. She didn’t even watch, listen to, or observe the drama.

From beginning to end, she sat quietly on her straw mat. In the midst of the turbulent storm and rapid currents, she maintained the demeanor expected of a young lady from a prestigious family.

But her heart was not at peace. After sitting for a long time, her legs began to feel numb, a tingling, aching pain as if pierced by needles. She didn’t even know who Li Qinghuai was talking to.

It wasn’t until the person opposite her called her name for the fourth time, raising her volume, that she was pulled back to reality. Being called back so suddenly, she was inevitably a little confused, softly uttering an “Ah.”

The air was filled with the dry scent of dust. Li Qinghuai was amused by her dazed look, and her tense nerves slightly relaxed.

In fact, the world was the same everywhere: feed the bold, starve the timid. To get ahead, one must first cultivate courage.

Li Qinghuai was not born without fear of pain. It was just that she was now burdened by things as heavy as blood and tears. If she made a mistake or was slightly careless, years of effort would be in vain.

With her former prestige, if a new heir were established, she would be the first person to be feared and eliminated.

Not to compete or fight meant waiting for death.

Competing and fighting did not guarantee success either.

How could one not be afraid? How could one not go mad?

She crouched in front of Lu Fengmian, softly sharing information.

“It’s time to go back. The soldiers will probably come up before dawn. I will escort you back to your residence.”

Lu Fengmian still looked dazed. Although she had tidied her clothes and hair, they were inevitably still wrinkled and slightly disheveled.

Despite her agonizing thoughts, she started to have improper desires after being well-fed and clothed. As if bewitched, she felt that the other person looked even better this way, more enticing to touch.

This untimely thought made her feel ashamed and nervous, inevitably causing a slight dryness in her mouth and throat.

Her palms were clammy with sweat, and her skirt was twisted into a knot.

She couldn’t tell if it was due to worry or something else. Her chest, pressed against the ground while squatting, was tight, and her exhales were uncontrollably heavy.

She looked up at Li Qinghuai’s smile. “Alright.”

Just as Wenchang had said, the soldiers surrounded the entire Tuo Liang Mountain at first light. Cold, shining armor stood amidst the cold wind and withered grass.

The people in the ancient temple knew they were in grave danger and were in a dilemma, trying to rely on mere talk to secure a chance at survival. Before leaving, Xu Bufan grabbed Jiang Nan’s sleeve, begging the adult to defend him.

Jiang Nan was concerned about their intelligence. Since the Highness she worried about so much had gone along, what were they still worried about?

She sternly shook off the person grabbing her, and every step she took as she left was filled with a sense of impassioned grandeur.

The road back to the capital was long and arduous. By the time they reached the city gate, it was heavily guarded.

A troop of people, along with the prisoners, entered the city gate under the cover of night. Li Qinghuai rode on horseback, head held high, back straight.

Along the way, they passed the Bailin Chan Temple, which looked majestic and magnificent with clusters of flowers when viewed from a distance.

Lu Fengmian returned to the Zhao residence with unease. Before she could even settle down, her uncle summoned her for questioning. Just as the conversation between the uncle and niece was concluding, the Vice Minister of Dali Temple personally arrived with officials.

The residence had many plants, and a thousand flowers were blooming in full competition.

The Vice Minister had a naturally benevolent appearance, but his height and long legs created a sense of oppression when he stood at the entrance of the Zhao residence. With the lush, colorful flowers as a backdrop, he only looked more handsome.

Old Master Zhao glared at Lu Fengmian several times, almost performing an act of righteousness against his own kin in front of outsiders.

Afterward, Lu Fengmian squatted in the cold, damp prison cell, still unable to figure out what wicked thing she had done. She went out to suppress demons and ended up encountering the evil spirit that was Wenchang.

If anyone had harmed her the most in the world, it was undoubtedly Her Highness Li.

In the evening, the iron gate of the prison always made strange noises, constantly reminding her of her current plight.

Time became exceptionally long. All she could see were gray walls. Sparse light filtered in from the iron window above, making her feel incredibly oppressed and tormented.

She hadn’t bathed for several days, and her body smelled somewhat foul, mixed with the surrounding musty odor, an indescribably unpleasant smell.

Lu Fengmian was certain her guess was right: Li Qinghuai just didn’t want her to have an easy life. But to be honest, if the blame were truly laid upon her, the one who suffered in the end would still be herself.

She just couldn’t understand why a royal noble would dare to venture alone to Tuo Liang Mountain.

Evidently, Lu Fengmian had attributed the suffering she endured to not consulting the almanac before leaving home, thus colliding with the deposed Crown Prince’s fate.

During these long days of waiting for interrogation, only her aunt and a few of her legitimate sisters came to visit her. It seemed Her Highness had also come by once, but she was looking at the two cells next to hers. Lu Fengmian, half-asleep, felt a sense of bitterness just looking at her figure.

Her cousin was far away, serving as a local official in Jinling. Her father was probably still dealing with official duties and unwilling to visit her.

The sound of a door opening echoed in the distance again. Lu Fengmian leaned against the straw mat, her eyes vacant.

It wasn’t until the jailer unlocked the door with a few clicks and stopped in front of her, announcing, “You can leave. It has been confirmed that you bear no responsibility in the matter of ‘Ningxiang Village’ worshiping the Cave God.”

“Your family is waiting for you outside. Go.”

Lu Fengmian’s gaze slowly cleared. As she walked out of the dilapidated cell and stepped into the narrow corridor leading to the exit, the scrutinizing gazes from all around sent shivers down her spine.

For a moment, she even wanted to hide back in the cell.

She quickly shook her head, forcing the messy thoughts out.

She muttered to herself, “I must have been locked up for too long, leading to a psychological abnormality. When I get back, I will definitely be able to sleep soundly, escaping the reality’s打击, and at the same time, stay far away from that fellow, Li Qinghuai.”

The events of the past few days were chaotic and numerous, with occasional impractical thoughts popping up.

It was as if there were two small people inside her. One accepted the various things that had happened, while the other reverted to childish innocence.

The one that accepted things quickly analyzed the events and inferred the facts systematically.

The childish one, however, had a mind full of runaway thoughts, occasionally blurting out bizarre ideas like, “I will never talk to you again,” or “I won’t play with you anymore.”

At the main gate of the government office, Madam Zhao, Lu Fengmian’s aunt, scurried over to greet her, clutching her hand and examining her up and down. “Let Mother see. You’ve lost weight! My daughter, you have suffered!”

Lu Fengmian’s mother died in childbirth. Her father volunteered to take a post in another county, and she was left in the capital, fostered under her uncle. Naturally, she had to accept her aunt as a mother figure.

No matter how much her aunt disliked her, she wouldn’t leave room for gossip on the surface, treating her as if she were her biological daughter.

Living under someone else’s roof required restraining her temperament. Furthermore, the Zhao family still believed they were being kept in the dark, so she had to cooperate in acting out this scene of motherly affection and filial piety.

The prison was smoky, stinging her eyes red, making her look exactly like someone who had suffered greatly. She mumbled, “It’s alright, Aunt. Let’s go home.”

On the way back to the residence, her long-worried aunt kept holding her hand and chattering incessantly.

Lu Fengmian listened obediently, but being a grown woman who loved to wander, after a dozen sentences, she found it a bit unbearable, constantly looking outside during the conversation.

With one glance, she spotted her uncle standing at the opposite bridgehead, which surprised her somewhat.

She quickly tugged her aunt’s sleeve, signaling her to look ahead.

Madam Zhao was clearly more experienced than her, immediately scoffing, “I knew he would come.”

“When I told him to come and pick you up earlier, he refused, claiming that asking him to go was forcing him to die. Now that I’ve brought you back, he’s eagerly standing on the bridge to watch.”

“Does he think our Zhizhi is someone he can summon and dismiss at will?”

Lu Fengmian was used to her foster parents’ unique way of getting along, silently nodding in agreement beside her.

“Zhizhi, don’t talk to him for three days after we get back. I want to see how long he can endure!” Madam Zhao chuckled, covering her mouth with her sleeve, pulling Lu Fengmian into a little run toward the bridge, which was a street away.

However, before they could rush over, she spotted a familiar figure first.

Li Qinghuai, dressed in a crimson court robe with a dark purple cloak draped over it, slowly and deliberately strode onto the bridge, walking calmly to the side of her uncle, Zhao Yixing.

The two seemed to converse for a moment, and then Zhao Yixing slightly bowed in salutation.

Lu Fengmian wanted to rush over to get a better look, but she found that the person who had been dragging her along was slowing down, gradually becoming tired and needing to rest.

Her heart sank halfway. The doubt that had plagued her for years once again blossomed profusely.

Originally, she couldn’t make up her mind, her thoughts becoming increasingly hesitant. She couldn’t bring herself to distance herself from the other party, nor could she rashly push herself forward shamelessly, but now she had to get to the bottom of it.

What exactly led to the Zhao family being on good terms with the deposed Crown Prince, while she was forbidden from approaching her?

Was it really because Li Qinghuai disliked her?

Or did she do something disgraceful a long time ago, rendering her unqualified to associate with the princes and princesses now?

She felt she was too self-confident, but she really didn’t believe the person hated her.

There was no sign of dislike on Tuo Liang Mountain. Even if she had resumed her identity and was unwilling to have much contact, she shouldn’t be disgusted, should she?

Lu Fengmian turned her head and smiled at her aunt as if completely unaware, a look of innocence and charm.

She already understood her uncle and aunt’s intentions. Arguing or complaining was futile. She might as well pretend to be completely unconcerned and oblivious, making it easier to seize opportunities later.

After seeing the deposed Crown Prince walk away, Lu Fengmian helped Madam Zhao up, saying, “Aunt, let’s hurry. I also want to see what expression Uncle has when he sees me.”

After the three met, Zhao Yixing, as always, smiled and teased his niece a few times.

Master Zhao, who married early, was still elegant and gentle like jade. Upon seeing Lu Fengmian, there was no sign of embarrassment about keeping her in the dark. He remained amiable, like a sly fox.

Lu Fengmian was unbothered, knowing that older people were wiser, and didn’t say much.

Anyway, the family only maintained appearances in public. Once they returned to the residence, it would be a daily cycle of resentment, a difficult existence of mutual dislike and suspicion.