Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 317 I Really Love and Hate You

Chapter 317: Chapter 317 I Really Love and Hate You

Having encountered an assassination attempt, Murong Jiu’s first thought was whether Jun Yuyan had also been targeted.

He had left all his men with his father and brothers to search for his eldest brother, and then rode alone to bring her back before returning, a chance the assassins surely would not miss.

The sounds of intense fighting outside continued, Hong Yi sealed the window and carriage door, and occasionally, hidden arrows were fired, thudding against the outside of the carriage.

She didn’t know who dispatched this group of assailants, but their tactic was to kill her, not just capture her.

Was it the Second Prince, or the Third Prince?

Hu!

Suddenly, the horse screamed tragically as if it had been hit by an arrow, started thrashing wildly, and ran forward.

At that moment, another arrow deliberately cut the carriage’s rope, and under great inertia, the carriage turned a corner and became uncontrollable!

"Princess Consort! Jump quickly, below is the moat!"

Chang Chonghai yelled, and Hong Yi immediately kicked open the carriage door and pulled Murong Jiu to jump down.

But the horse was moving too fast, and in a flash of lightning, Murong Jiu thought of Chun Tao, who couldn’t swim; falling like this, she likely wouldn’t survive.

Loyal and innocently kind-hearted Chun Tao protected her mistress. Knowing she could swim, Murong Jiu made a split-second decision. She grabbed Chun Tao’s hand, pushed her to Hong Yi, and then pushed them both outward forcefully.

With a loud crash, the carriage plunged into the moat!

Murong Jiu was indeed a good swimmer, but no one could have anticipated that in the moment of the fall, she would fiercely hit her head against the carriage’s inner wall and passed out immediately.

Murong Jiu fell into boundless darkness, as if countless hands were pulling her down.

She then felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave, her very bones seeming to freeze into slush.

Opening her eyes in the darkness, she thought she had reached the Underworld, but soon, she felt her limbs were shackled. Barely struggling, a voice came from behind her.

"Eldest Imperial Sister-in-law, you’ve woken up?"

At that moment, Murong Jiu was horrified.

The Fourth Prince... it was the Fourth Prince’s voice!

She hadn’t fallen into the moat with the carriage; how could the Fourth Prince be here?

Were the Fourth Prince’s men hidden in the moat, too?

Was she still in the Capital City, or had she been taken out of the city overnight?

Wait, wasn’t the Fourth Prince with their father and brothers in the mountains? He couldn’t have returned to the city so quickly; this meant she was in the outskirts, perhaps even close to Jun Yuyan and her father and brothers.

Thinking of Jun Yuyan, she immediately recalled the assassination attempt. The attack she faced didn’t seem like the Fourth Prince’s doing. Was this a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? And what about Jun Yuyan, had he also been attacked? Was he injured?

However, she was chilled to the bone and couldn’t utter a word.

Her entire body was soaked, and a large area of the ground was wet as well, indicating she hadn’t been brought here long ago. The place was utterly dark, probably night, and she could faintly hear the sound of the wind and rain, and the swaying of tree branches.

"Why isn’t the Imperial Sister-in-Law speaking?"

The Fourth Prince’s voice was chilling, and Murong Jiu heard the sound of clothes rustling as he apparently got up.

Murong Jiu took a deep breath inwardly and spoke out, "Fourth Younger Imperial Brother, where is this? Did you save me?"

The Fourth Prince seemed to chuckle softly.

"Indeed, Imperial Sister-in-Law, it was I who saved you. Otherwise, you might have drowned in the moat," he said.

"Then why have you bound me, Fourth Younger Imperial Brother? Can you not release me?"

"How could I possibly do that?"

The Fourth Prince crouched in front of Murong Jiu and lit the firestarter in his hand.

The feeble flame illuminated the face of the Fourth Prince. His head was completely dry, and his clothing was neat and tidy. The handsome face bore the same smile as usual, but the malice in his eyes was undisguised.

"With such intelligence, Imperial Sister-in-Law, you single-handedly turned the entire situation around. If I were to release you, wouldn’t all my efforts be in vain?"

Murong Jiu felt uneasy, "I do not understand what you are talking about. What situation? I am merely a weak woman with some knowledge of medicine."

"Why must you be so modest, Imperial Sister-in-Law? Others may not know, but how could I not? Do you know? I had a dream. In the dream, the Eldest Imperial Brother and the Third Elder Imperial Brother had died early, the Second Imperial Eldest Brother became the Crown Prince, the Second Prince wanted to commit regicide to ascend the throne, and after issuing a fake imperial decree, he was exposed by the officials and executed in the Golden Throne Hall. As the sole legitimate heir of the Imperial Family, I ascended the throne. But before I could even sit on the Dragon Throne, my dream ended...

The words of the Fourth Prince sent chills down Murong Jiu’s spine.

So...it turned out that she wasn’t the only one reborn; could the Fourth Prince have experienced the same thing? Or was it really just a mere dream?

She scarcely dared to think further.

"Imperial Sister-in-Law, how wonderful it would have been if everything had gone according to plan. Why must there be complications with you?"

Under the flickering light of the firestarter, the intense murderous intent in the Fourth Prince’s eyes was unmistakable.

Murong Jiu also understood why she had felt something was off when she saw the Fourth Prince’s gaze during the last sacrifice ceremony.

Everyone had been deceived by the Fourth Prince. He truly was the one playing possum, purposely holding back while other princes fought to the death. He strategically arranged his moves and waited until the very end to swing the scythe and reap the rewards.

The Second Prince failed to ascend to the Dragon Throne he cherished so much. After half a lifetime of scheming, his blood spattered the Golden Throne Hall.

But the Fourth Prince also had not managed to sit on it since his "dream" had woken him. From a confirmed New Emperor, full of vigor, he reverted back to being a "nodding" mediocre prince.

Inside, he was far from satisfied.

Murong Jiu did not know how long ago the Fourth Prince’s "dream" had ended. There was no need to ask; with the current situation, nothing she said would matter.

She only had to see whether the Fourth Prince intended to kill her or use her for something.

If he had wanted her dead, he would not have brought her out of the moat but instead stabbed her several times in the water, ensuring her swift demise without all this trouble.

Therefore, she saw no need to speak.

As the Fourth Prince’s gaze lingered on her face, he suddenly reached out and touched her smooth cheek:

"Imperial Sister-in-Law, without that birthmark, you really look like a completely different person. The Second Imperial Eldest Brother now regrets deeply. If he had married you earlier, the position of Crown Prince would have been his long ago, and his leg would not have been chopped off."

Murong Jiu wanted to break free, but her hands were tightly bound, immobilizing her.

"Don’t be hasty, Imperial Sister-in-Law. You are smart enough to know I won’t kill you. I have always been one to pity and cherish beauty," he said.

This statement sent a chill through Murong Jiu’s heart.

What rubbish about pitying and cherishing beauty—it was utterly laughable!

She did not believe the Fourth Prince, who had hardly interacted with her, harbored any such feelings towards her.

The thumb of the Fourth Prince caressed her face:

"What is this expression, Imperial Sister-in-Law? Why don’t you believe me? You have made me both love and hate you. When I found out it was you who changed the situation, I wanted to kill you. Yet, I couldn’t help but be curious about you. You have no idea how long I’ve been watching you from the shadows, sister-in-law," he said.