She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 66: If you can’t do it, then feed the snakes in the Snake Den

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: If you can’t do it, then feed the snakes in the Snake Den

A palace attendant clad in a vermillion robe straddled a horse, holding aloft a bright yellow scroll as he rode toward the Township Manor, followed by two rows of palace attendants sprinting in his wake.

Yan Wanqing and Huai Yu exchanged a glance, "An Imperial Decree!"

The two of them stood up and left the private room, descending the stairs, leaving Sun Wenxing standing there, utterly bewildered as he called out to Yan Wanqing’s retreating figure, "Cousin, cousin, where are you going?!"

He watched as the two boarded their carriage and grew anxious; he quickly ordered his servant to fetch his horse. The chance to see his beautiful cousin, a rarity only occurring once every three years, compelled him to feast his eyes on her a while longer.

The carriage came to a steady halt at the entrance of the Township Manor shortly after the arrival of the palace attendants, merely the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea.

The Empress’s personal eunuch, Eunuch Xu, had been waiting for quite some time. Upon seeing Yan Wanqing and Huai Yu alight from the carriage, a smile creased the corners of his eyes.

"Greetings to Princess Anping and Young Marquis, congratulations are in order for you both on behalf of myself."

Yan Wanqing and Huai Yu looked at each other again, reading comprehension in each other’s eyes.

This must be the marriage edict sought by the Empress Zhang Lanyi for them.

This matter was now a certainty.

The hall quickly filled with people who had heard that the Imperial Edict had arrived.

Yan An and Lady Liu gazed at the bright yellow of the scroll in disbelief, while even Lady Sun furrowed her brow slightly.

At this moment, Yan Wanqing dared not meet Lady Sun’s gaze, but instead spoke to Eunuch Xu with a smile, "Would you please read the Imperial Edict now, Eunuch."

Her mother was concerned about her health and unwilling to see her marry off to the Northern Border. Yan Wanqing was well aware of this, but at this point, she had no other choice. If not married to the Marquis of the Northern Border, what else could she do?

The Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince lay ahead and behind like a wolf and a tiger. She too had been pushed too hard.

The crowd knelt on the ground, waiting for Eunuch Xu to finish reading the edict, still feeling as if in a dream.

No one noticed the malevolent glint that flashed in Cong Huan’s eyes from a corner as she heard the content of the edict.

She ran straight to the prince’s residence from a side door.

The Seventh Prince was not yet home, and the wait made her anxious. It was only after hearing someone shout, "His Highness has returned!" that she felt some relief.

Xiao Hongshen walked in through the entrance decked in battle armor, clearly just returned from the training grounds.

The moment he saw Cong Huan, a look of disgust flashed in his eyes, his tone also betraying his impatience, "What are you doing here?"

Cong Huan, frantic, said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened... Miss, she..."

The servant was helping him out of his battle armor. On hearing it concerned Yan Wanqing, Xiao Hongshen frowned, "What’s happened to your miss?"

Cong Huan gasped for breath, smacking her chest hard to recover. Xiao Hongshen’s eyes filled with impatience as he gestured for a servant to pour her a cup of hot tea. After sipping the hot tea, Cong Huan finally caught her breath.

"The Imperial Edict has arrived; they’re going to grant a marriage between Miss and the Marquis of the Northern Border."

"What!" Xiao Hongshen was thoroughly unsettled now; his face turned frosty, "Say that again!"

The last time he had requested the Emperor grant a marriage, it had not been agreed upon. How could it be that now suddenly a marriage between Yan Wanqing and the Marquis of the Northern Border was being granted?

Cong Huan repeated the content of the edict she had heard today in a stumbling manner, "...Eunuch Xu, who is currently reading the edict, is still within the manor, he hasn’t left yet."

With a jerk, Xiao Hongshen yanked off his battle armor and threw it furiously to the ground, slamming his hand down onto the desk, which instantly splintered into fragments. A dark smile twisted onto his face.

"This is simply outrageous!"

Recently preoccupied with other affairs, and with the Emperor’s health deteriorating day by day, he had devoted most of his time to forging relationships with the court officials. Little did he know that he was being outmaneuvered by a previously unknown Young Marquis from the Northern Border.

If Yan Wanqing married the Marquis of the Northern Border, then the Northern Border would have its own abode within the Imperial Capital.

He never imagined that the frail Young Marquis could be so profoundly cunning.

Xiao Hongshen’s anger mounted as he brooded over the situation.

Yan Wanqing could only belong to him.

What merit or ability did the Marquis of the Northern Border have?

"He’s worthy?" Xiao Hongshen laughed coldly.

Cong Huan drained the hot tea from the cup beside her, leaving not a drop, before fawningly stepping forward to agree, "That Young Marquis is not even half as intimidating as Your Highness. Apart from having a handsome face, he seems utterly useless. I really don’t know what the mistress sees in him that she’s so bewitched and confused by such a man."

"Are you suggesting that this marriage is willingly entered into by the teacher?" When Xiao Hongshen said this, the pressure in the entire room dropped by a notch.

Cong Huan was so scared that she dared not even breathe loudly.

Xiao Hongshen, however, directly grabbed her throat, his voice sinister, "I ordered you to watch the teacher’s every move and to report everything back in detail. Yet you let someone fall for her right under your nose. Worthless servant, is this how you handle your tasks?!"

He could hardly imagine someone as pure and serene as the teacher would be moved by mortal desires, and for a shorty who hadn’t even fully grown his hair at that.

Thinking this, his grip on her throat grew stronger, causing Cong Huan’s eyes to flip outwards, nearly fainting, as she struggled to tear at Xiao Hongshen’s robe, her face streaming with tears, "Please... Your Highness... Mercy... Mercy..."

Just as she was about to be strangled to death, at the brink of her life, Xiao Hongshen abruptly released his grip.

Cong Huan fell limp to the floor like a torn rag, gasping for breath and coughing, inhaling the long-missed air.

The next second, she lunged forward to cling to Xiao Hongshen’s legs, desperation kickstarting her brain into overdrive.

There must be something she had overlooked.

That thing could save her life.

Cong Huan clung to Xiao Hongshen’s feet, gasping for air, her throat wheezing like a broken bellows, puffing out hot breaths.

"...The mistress, the mistress hasn’t fallen for him."

After a long while, she managed to squeeze out this sentence.

Xiao Hongshen kicked her away, laughing coldly, "You truly believe I’m a pushover, even a maid dares to deceive me. Bring this lowly creature and throw her into the snake den in the backyard."

"Your Highness!" As Cong Huan saw someone approaching to drag her away, she quickly screamed, "Miss has no affection for the Marquis of the Northern Border, there must be a secret between them!"

"A secret?" Xiao Hongshen’s interest was piqued, and he gestured for people to let go of Cong Huan.

Cong Huan quickly moved forward and clung to Xiao Hongshen’s legs again, "Recently, Miss has been coughing up blood, her health deteriorating day by day. Her sudden good relations with the Marquis of the Northern Border happened overnight; there must be some kind of deal between them."

Xiao Hongshen savored each word that Cong Huan said, his eyes filled with calculations.

"It is said that the people of the Northern Border are skilled in the use of poison. Could it be that Huai Yu has poisoned the teacher?"

Cong Huan knew nothing about such poisons, but her desire to survive made her keep nodding, "It must be so. That Marquis of the Northern Border doesn’t look like a good person at all, he must have used some disgraceful method to enamor the Mistress."

"If that’s the case, this Huai Yu truly deserves to die!" Murder flickered in Xiao Hongshen’s eyes.

"Then I will trust you once more." Xiao Hongshen looked down upon Cong Huan from his superior position, "Stand up."

Feeling as though she had received a great reprieve, Cong Huan let out a sigh of relief and quickly scrambled up from the ground, keeping her head down, not daring to look at Xiao Hongshen.

She heard the Seventh Prince return to his usual composure, softly telling her, "You do have a pretty face at least."

Cong Huan, upon hearing the Seventh Prince compliment her, felt her cheeks slowly flush with a hint of red, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

Xiao Hongshen looked at her blushing face as if he saw something filthy, his eyes full of disgust, "Go seduce the Marquis of the Northern Border. You must ensure this marriage does not happen. If you fail yet again, you should know what awaits you."

Seduce the Marquis of the Northern Border?

Cong Huan felt her heart suddenly turn ice cold, tears spinning in her eyes.

"... Could there be another way? In my heart, there is only the Seventh Prince, please show mercy, Your Highness."

In her heart, there was only him? A lowly servant dares to covet me, utterly revolting.

Listening to her, Xiao Hongshen felt a wave of nausea, but his face remained unchanged, "Then all the more you should accomplish the task I entrusted to you."

Cong Huan bit her lower lip, her tears falling even more fiercely than before, the situation now even harder for her to bear.

"Can’t do it?" Xiao Hongshen’s voice grew colder, "If you can’t, then go feed the snakes in the snake den!"

Cong Huan immediately knelt upon hearing this, "I can do it, I can do it!"