Chapter 42

"Xue Lingyu!"

Several men surrounded Yang Tao, their faces showing anxiety.

Yang Tao looked extremely pained; her hands, gripping the sheets, had turned pale, and her face was completely devoid of color.

Basins of bloody water were brought out one after another, and the agonizing cries of the men giving birth never stopped. The midwives panicked and hurriedly came out to consult the Fifth Prince.

"Fifth Prince, the lady is having a difficult childbirth. If we are not careful, both she and her unborn child may die!"

The Fifth Prince stood up and raised his voice, "What? Didn't you say the child could be saved?"

He even planned to use the child as leverage to threaten Jiang He into marrying him; if he couldn't protect the child, wouldn't he have lost everything?

Taking advantage of the Fifth Prince's distraction, Xue Lingyu picked up his teacup and drank the tea laced with the drug that made him appear to be dead. His actions went unnoticed and unsuspecting.

The effects of the fake death drug take effect slowly, and he will probably fall into a coma in a while. Before that, he can continue to watch the Fifth Prince put on this grand show.

"Hurry and fetch a doctor! You must save this child for me, even if it means a cesarean section!" the Fifth Prince said sternly to the several helpless pallbearers.

The official was helpless; it was too late to call a doctor, so he had no choice but to resort to the worst possible solution.

The Fifth Prince had a gloomy face, his royal dignity long gone, and he was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, his heart completely black.

Xue Lingyu was no saint, but hearing him disregard a living life so blatantly still made him shudder.

Xue Lingyu looked at the Fifth Prince and frowned, saying, "Fifth Prince, if you want to marry Jiang He, you don't need to use such a vicious method to eliminate dissidents. You are a prince, and such ruthlessness is unbecoming of your status."

Xue Lingyu's accusation enraged the Fifth Prince, who laughed in response: "Xue Lingyu, are you saying I'm vicious?"

The Fifth Prince approached Xue Lingyu step by step, staring intently at his face, forcing Xue Lingyu to lean back.

The Fifth Prince reached out and touched the hairpin in Xue Lingyu's hair, and sneered, "Xue Lingyu, do you think that just because Jiang He likes you, you can still put on that arrogant attitude in front of me? The Xue family has lost power, and has nothing left but Jiang He's favor."

Xue Lingyu frowned, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. "Fifth Prince, I didn't mean that. If you want to marry Jiang He, you can do it openly and honestly. I won't stop you. Why go to such lengths?"

The drug for faking death seems to have taken effect; Xue Lingyu is now sitting in a chair, too weak to get up.

"You make it sound so easy. How about giving me the red jade agate hairpin that Jiang He gave you?" Before Xue Lingyu could react, the Fifth Prince took the red jade agate hairpin without asking.

The Fifth Prince chuckled: "Xue Lingyu, you get things too easily. You don't understand my pain."

For example, even if Xue Lingyu hadn't asked, Jiang He would still have given him this hairpin.

Xue Lingyu could only watch helplessly as his hairpin was taken away; it was the only thing he had that was connected to Jiang He.

However, after he faked his death, none of that mattered anymore.

Even if Yang Tao is really carrying Jiang He's child, even if Jiang He eventually marries the Fifth Prince, even if Jiang He will be heartbroken after learning of his death, he can still escape this suffocating place.

No more feeling inferior about my identity, no more feeling anxious about gains and losses.

Xue Lingyu gave a wry smile: "Take this hairpin if you like it."

The drug had fully taken effect, and darkness gradually enveloped Xue Lingyu's vision.

Just as the Fifth Prince was about to break the red jade and agate hairpin to vent his anger, he saw Xue Lingyu suddenly fall onto the chair. The teacup he had just finished drinking from shattered on the ground, almost splashing the Fifth Prince all over.

The Fifth Prince took a step back and said with displeasure, "Xue Lingyu!"

The Fifth Prince thought Xue Lingyu was acting, but when he saw that Xue Lingyu was really motionless and silent, he reached out to check Xue Lingyu's breath and found that there was no sign of life.

The Fifth Prince's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands trembled. He couldn't help but wonder if Xue Lingyu had died of palpitations because she couldn't handle the shock.

Just then, someone burst in.

Ji Xue heard the sound of a teacup breaking and thought that Xue Lingyu had been bullied, so he came in. As soon as he entered, he saw the Fifth Prince with his hand outstretched, as if he had done something to Xue Lingyu. He immediately rushed over in a fit of anger.

Seeing that Ji Xue was about to take action himself, the Fifth Prince hurriedly cried for help: "Guards! Stop him!"

As the younger brother of the Emperor, the Fifth Prince had several top royal experts hidden around him. They always obeyed his orders. To ensure safety during this trip out of the palace, he ordered these experts to protect him in secret.

Several royal experts responded and stepped forward, blocking Ji Xue and engaging him in combat.

Because Xue was held back, the Fifth Prince finally had time to investigate what was going on.

He had no intention of killing Xue Lingyu. If he really wanted to kill Xue Lingyu, he would have had countless ways to do so without anyone noticing.

Now that Xue Lingyu has died in front of him, no matter how he tries to explain, outsiders will all think that he was the one who did it.

Therefore, he couldn't let anyone know that Xue Lingyu had died here.

In any case, Xue Lingyu's death was a good thing for him, and the Fifth Prince quickly found the most advantageous solution.

Dispose of Xue Lingyu's body as quickly as possible and throw it into a mass grave. Then there will be no way to prove anything, and even Jiang He won't be able to do anything to him.

The screams in the room suddenly stopped, and the medic rushed in to report: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Neither the adult nor the child could be saved..."

The Fifth Prince pointed at Xue Lingyu and sternly ordered Wen Gongdao, "What's all the panic? Hurry up and help me carry him away."

Wen Gong's hands were covered in blood. He had just witnessed such a horrific childbirth and was still in shock. He was also scolded by the Fifth Prince before he finally went to touch Xue Lingyu.

The Fifth Prince was in a state of extreme confusion. He had lost the baby in Yang Tao's womb, which seemed to be due to his own haste. In addition, the matter of Xue Lingyu had made things even more complicated.

Xue Lingyu was held back by several royal experts and could only watch helplessly as she was taken away.

The stench of blood had not yet dissipated from the room, but no one cared about the life or death of a young servant or what would happen to him afterward.

Jiang He was so drunk that she was drunk until the afternoon. The first thing she did after waking up was to look to her side and see that Xue Lingyu was gone. Her heart suddenly jumped, but then she thought that he had gone out today, and she breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing her sore temples.

"Miss, before Young Master Xue left, he instructed the kitchen to prepare a hangover soup for you. The kitchen has been keeping it warm, just waiting for you to wake up."

Yuange brought over some hangover soup, which Jiang He took and drank in one gulp. She felt much better afterward.

Jiang He looked at the sky outside. Logically speaking, if Xue Lingyu were quick, he should have returned by now. So she asked Yuan Ge, "Hasn't he returned yet?"

Yuange shook her head and said, "Young Master Xue took Ji Xue out a long time ago and hasn't returned yet, but with Ji Xue with him, nothing will happen."

Unless they are top-tier imperial guards or martial arts masters, no one can defeat Ji Xue at present.

Jiang He thought this made sense, but she still felt uneasy, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

A note from the author:

I'm a bit down these past couple of days because of some personal emotional issues, sorry.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2:11:24 on January 25, 2022 and 19:36:38 on January 26, 2022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: yogurt and one chili-flavored candy;

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Bai Huai (4 bottles); Yi Ren Qian Xiao Zui Hong Chen and 57028157 (1 bottle each);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

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【Here it comes! Here it comes! Here it comes!】

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Let's have some dessert to cheer ourselves up!

Keep it up!

[May you be happy and cheerful every day!]

It's okay, keep it up, Dada!!! Happy Year of the Tiger!

[Wife, have some good food and be happy! Your mood is the most important thing!!]

[Keep it up, DaDa!]

[Hey, take a few days to relax, don't put too much pressure on yourself.]

Ahhh, that's it?

[My wife has worked so hard!]

It's alright, I hope your wife recovers soon!

It's so short!

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