The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 36: You Are just The Person Who Casted a Curse

Chapter 36: You Are just The Person Who Casted a Curse

"Little Sister has suffered for many years, and I have cherished her dearly. If she does not wish for me to marry anyone, then I shall not. Even if the Emperor wishes to punish me, I shall bear no resentment!" Chu Ye declared.

Nanli was not one to cause trouble without reason. Since she did not want him to marry Li Miaorong, she must have her own rationale.

Emperor Muwu was seething with anger, his beard almost bristling.

"Very well!" He slammed the table, rising to his feet. "Chu Nanli, speak up. Why do you interfere with your elder brother’s marriage?"

Nanli continued to gaze directly at Li Miaorong. "Because she is narrow-minded and resorts to cursing and harming others to achieve her goals."

Chu Ye suddenly turned his gaze towards her, his fists clenched. "It’s you?!"

A flicker of panic flashed across Li Miaorong’s face as she instinctively looked towards Noble Imperial Concubine Li.

Li, however, remained composed, a cold smile playing on her beautiful face. "What is the Sixth Miss saying? I fail to comprehend. Rong’er has a kind heart, how could she be narrow-minded?"

What can a mere young girl discern?

Li Miaorong also spoke up. "Indeed, you accuse me in public. Do you know the consequences?!"

Nanli stepped forward, appealing to Emperor Muwu. "Your Majesty, Xiao Sister is not afflicted with a strange illness. She has been cursed and plotted against by Li Miaorong, which is why she fell into a coma."

As these words were spoken, many eyes turned towards Li Miaorong, their expressions varied.

"Slandering others! I have never harmed her!" Li Miaorong growled, then shouted at everyone, "As the daughter of the Lord, how could I ever regard Xiao Wanyi highly!"

Lu Yanyan, undeterred by the gravity of the situation, muttered, "But you want to marry Prince Chu. Doesn’t that give you a motive to harm?"

Li Miaorong sneered, "So none of you want to marry? If having a motive is considered harmful, then all of you are suspects!"

Lu Yanyan’s face flushed with anger. "Don’t casually accuse others!"

At this moment, Noble Imperial Concubine Li covered her face and began to weep softly. "Your Majesty, this Sixth Miss baselessly accuses Rong’er. It is also an accusation against this humble concubine’s brother and his teaching. This humble concubine no longer wishes to live..."

Second Prince Ye Chengbo’s face was filled with anger. "Daring to defy the imperial will and slander the imperial family, seize her and give her a public flogging!"

"Hold on!" Emperor Muwu quickly intervened.

"Do you, Father, believe her nonsense?" Ye Chengbo asked.

Emperor Muwu didn’t believe it either, but he remembered what his Ninth Brother had said before leaving the capital a few days ago. He couldn’t bear to let Chu Nanli suffer any harm.

The matter had not been fully investigated, yet he had ordered someone to strike Chu Nanli. If his Ninth Brother found out, he would let it go, but his own second son, who had carried out the order, would not be able to keep his position.

He cleared his throat and said, "Chu Nanli, do you have any evidence?"

Nanli replied, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

Subsequently, she had Chu Ye bring Xiao Wanyi into the palace.

Li Miaorong’s face gradually turned pale. She remembered what the Taoist had said. The curse she had cast could be broken as long as her fingertip was pricked with the embroidered needle, and a drop of blood was taken.

She assessed Nanli, seeing her youthful appearance, and felt slightly relieved.

How could a lowly country bumpkin understand how to break a curse?

Nanli must be deliberately saying this to make her appear fearful in front of the Emperor, hoping to force a confession out of her.

The Imperial Concubine Li also thought of this and calmly waited alongside her niece.

Chu Ye took nearly half an hour to return because Xiao Wanyi had not yet awakened. He arranged for her to be settled in the back hall.

Emperor Muwu had long grown impatient. "What should we do next?"

"Xiao Sister is currently in a coma, and even the imperial physician cannot determine the cause," Nanli explained.

"I request that Your Majesty send someone to the back hall to keep watch over Xiao sister, in case she suddenly awakens."

Emperor Muwu became intrigued and was about to dispatch the chief eunuch, but Concubine Li preempted him. "Mammy Zhang, you may go."

"Your Imperial Consort, it is inappropriate for you to send your own people," a noblewoman with a faint smile on her lips interjected. "Your Majesty, please let me do it?"

Li almost wanted to tear that noblewoman apart, but Emperor Muwu had already agreed.

At this moment, Nanli approached Li Miaorong, brandishing the needle tainted with resentment.

"Miss Li, please extend your hand," she requested.

Li Miaorong’s face turned unpleasant, and she hid her hand behind her back, stepping back cautiously. "What... what do you intend to do?"

Noble Imperial Concubine Li hurriedly intervened, "Chu Nanli, do you plan to commit violence in front of the Emperor?"

"By extracting a drop of her fingertip blood, infused with her inner resentment and sealed with a curse, I can break the curse on Xiao sister," Nanli explained.

A sudden realization struck Li Miaorong’s mind. This... this was exactly what the old Taoist had described!

Chu Nanli could truly break the curse!

Chu Ye also spoke, "Miss Li, if you wish to prove your innocence, please extend your hand."

The string in Li Miaorong’s mind snapped. She glared at Chu Ye with tear-filled eyes. "Why? Why won’t you marry me, even if I lower my status to be on par with Xiao Wanyi?!"

Before Chu Ye could respond, Li Miaorong pulled out a hairpin and spoke with determination, "You want to marry Xiao Wanyi? Never! You will never have her in this lifetime!"

She resented Xiao Wanyi’s interference, but she resented Chu Ye’s lacking of appreciation even more! Therefore, she would ensure that neither of them could have what they desired, leaving them with a lifetime of regret!

Everyone assumed that Li Miaorong intended to harm herself, but then they heard her say, "I want Xiao Wanyi to have a face covered in hideous boils, utterly repulsive. I want her to sleep forever with her eyes closed, never to open them again!"

The hairpin was about to pierce her wrist, releasing all the brusht-up resentment.

However, in an instant, Nanli grabbed her hand, exerting force and crushing Li Miaorong’s wrist.

Li Miaorong screamed in agony, and the golden hairpin fell to the ground. Despite her curses, she failed to unleash the resentment, rendering the curse ineffective.

No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t match Nanli’s strength. Instead, her pain intensified, and she broke into a cold sweat.

Expressionless, Nanli directly separated her fingers and extracted a drop of blood from her fingertip using the embroidery needle. The resentment on the needle was absorbed back into it. Shortly after, a noblewoman in the rear hall exclaimed, "She’s awake! Xiao Wanyi is awake!"

Li Miaorong collapsed to the ground, feeling drained of all her strength.

The onlookers exchanged glances, and Emperor Muwu ordered the eunuch supervisor to check on Xiao Wanyi once again and bring her out to pay respects.

As Xiao Wanyi regained consciousness, her complexion appeared pale. She stumbled slightly when kneeling, but Chu Ye, quick-witted, promptly supported her.

Their eyes met, filled with affectionate understanding, conveying unspoken words.

This completely infuriated Li Miaorong. She had gone through so much trouble to curse in order to marry her beloved, only to witness the intimate exchange between the two right in front of her. How could she bear it?

With her intact hand, she picked up the golden hairpin and lunged towards Xiao Wanyi, shouting, "I’ll kill you!"

Fear flashed across Xiao Wanyi’s face.

Chu Ye, without hesitation, stood in front, neither stopping nor evading. He couldn’t give Li Miaorong what she desired, so he allowed her to strike, hoping it would alleviate her resentment.

However, Nanli extended her foot, tripping Li Miaorong, causing her to fall embarrassingly.