Chapter 30 Bloodstained Handkerchief

Chapter 30 Bloodstained Handkerchief

"Prince Jing said that there was no hope for the rest of his life."

"Lin Ruyi, you made this up, didn't you!" Shen Nanzi felt she didn't like hearing this.

Lin Ruyi snorted and laughed, "Whether it's made up or not, you know it in your heart!"

Do you know who lives next door to Prince Jing's villa?

Shen Nanzi stared at her, her thoughts somewhat lingering. The Prince Jing's villa, "Pear Garden?"

“Yes, it’s Pear Courtyard.” Lin Ruyi said with a smile, “After the Second Prince committed a crime, Xue Qingning and her son were expelled from the palace, right? They lived next door to Pear Courtyard.”

Shen Nanzi's mind went blank, as if everything made sense, so perfect that it was like a knife to her heart.

Xie Yan went to the Pear Courtyard every day not to avoid her, but because of the Second Princess who lived next door.

Lin Ruyi: "I'm an extremely curious person, and I'm very concerned about your affairs."

"So, I secretly inquired about some things, and it's absolutely true. Listen carefully."

“Prince Jing and the Second Princess have known each other since childhood, and are much more familiar with each other than we thought.”

"Because Prince Jing and Xue Yubai, the brother of the Second Imperial Concubine, are close friends. Just how close are they?"

"They could sleep in the same bed; Prince Jing stayed at the Xue family mansion for a period of time."

"Being near the water tower, one gets the moon first; naturally, Xue Yubai's sister often had the opportunity to come into contact with His Highness Prince Jing, whom she considered a mere fantasy."

Xie Yan and Xue Qingning met almost every day, composing poems and songs, playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, and drinking together.

"They pledged their love to each other when they were young, but kept it a secret until they reached the right age to get married."

"Who would have thought that Xue Taichang, the father of the Second Imperial Concubine, had other ideas, believing that the Second Prince was the most likely candidate to become the Crown Prince."

"At that time, the late Empress was still alive and was happy with Xue Qingning."

"You know Xue Qingning, she is the most outstanding girl of our generation. Our two families were of one mind and issued an imperial decree to arrange the marriage."

"Do you know why Prince Jing doesn't like you? It's because your marriage was arranged before theirs! They announced it first, and you announced it later."

"There are some twists and turns involved, which I don't know, but anyway, people who are in love with each other are separated like this."

"Do you know why the Xue family remained unscathed after the Second Prince's incident? It's all related to Prince Jing's maneuvering inside."

"So all your love and hate over the years seem utterly ridiculous."

Xie Yan already had someone he loved.

"Xue Qingning is skilled in chess, calligraphy, and painting, and is good at singing, dancing, and playing the pipa. She is well-known for her intelligence, while you are nothing special. At most, you are just a pretty but useless woman."

Shen Nanzi's mind went blank, and all the things she couldn't figure out before suddenly connected.

Bitao is a beautiful singer with an ethereal voice!

Xiao Wan is skilled at playing the pipa, and her melodies are beautiful and enchanting!

Su Su is a skilled dancer with countless graceful movements!

Xie Yan's frequenting of brothels was nothing more than a search for someone similar to Xue Qingning.

He loved only Xue Qingning from beginning to end, and the promise of "I will only be with one person in my life" was also made for Xue Qingning.

She was like a fool who had stumbled upon a misunderstood situation, mistaking the promises of love between young lovers for a declaration of a young man's devotion to his relationship.

There is truly no one more naive and foolish than her; with just one sentence, she gambled away her entire life.

Stumbling and delirious, she questioned the man why he had been so cold to her.

If someone already has someone else in their heart, and she jumps around in front of him, what's the difference between her and a fool?

She even forced him to sleep with her, acting like a clown in front of him, trying to win his heart and live a good life with him.

If they can't have it, they'll go crazy and deliberately destroy it.

Shen Nanzi felt as if she was about to collapse at any moment, and everything in front of her became blurry.

"Oh! By the way, the Xue siblings love to eat it with wine, and every time they eat it, the hibiscus cake is made by Xie Yan himself."

"The drinking during the ice skating was specially arranged by Xie Yan."

Lin Ruyi continued, as if afraid that she still harbored any delusions, and crushed all her fantasies:

"Is there a bronze mirror next to Prince Jing? It's inlaid with five gemstones; that belongs to Xue Qingning."

Shen Nanzi's chest felt as if it had been crushed by a boulder, her flesh mangled and bloody, her voice hoarse, "How do you know so much?"

Lin Ruyi: "Never mind how I know, just tell me if it's true or not?"

Shen Nanzi recalled the bronze mirror on the carriage; its reverse side was indeed inlaid with gemstones.

She had thought it belonged to Xie Yan, but now she realized that the bronze mirror was clearly for a woman.

"Shen Nanzi, you are so pitiful. You married a man whose heart is not with you."

"Now that the Second Princess is a widow, it is impossible for them to be together."

"But you know, even if people who love each other can't be together physically, their hearts can still be together."

"You're going to have endless suffering from now on!"

"From now on, you are never allowed to make fun of me for being pitiful. Compared to you, I seem to be living a better life."

She whispered the good news in her ear, "My lord won't make it through this winter."

"After he dies, the entire Marquis's mansion will be mine, hahaha."

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, like a daughter-in-law who had finally become a mother-in-law after many years of hardship.

Shen Nanzi walked out of the palace numbly, her shoes soaked with snow water. Despite the extreme cold, she felt nothing.

Lie Feng stood in the wind and snow, holding his sword. When he saw her coming, he immediately lifted the carriage curtain.

She sat in the carriage without a word, pressing her hand against her chest.

Back in the Prince Jing's mansion, back in her bedroom, she had just taken out her handkerchief when a sudden, overwhelming pain surged through her chest.

Then she heard her great-aunt's shrill scream, and before she closed her eyes, she glimpsed that the handkerchief had been stained red.

In the darkness, she heard her aunt say, "Quickly, call the imperial physician and Prince Jing back to the manor! The princess has vomited blood and fainted!"

She then lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was awakened by the pain.

My feet hurt, and my hands hurt too!

"Doctor, be gentle! I'm not dead! You've sent me away!"

She heard her own voice sound weak and feeble, like a ball of cotton, as if it were about to vanish and ascend to heaven at any moment.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. Ten more acupuncture needles will suffice!" The imperial physician had a kind and gentle face, which made people feel at ease.

Ten needles! And I'll have to go through ten more rounds of this pain. Just thinking about it makes me want to faint.

Shen Nanzi turned her head in despair and saw the silver acupuncture needles sticking into her hand, each one still moving.

For some unknown reason, but considering that the doctor had managed to wake her up, Shen Nanzi trusted his medical skills.

"Doctor, will I, the princess, die?"

She could only feel at ease as long as she didn't die. She was quite frightened after vomiting so much blood!

"It's a bit risky!" the doctor said bluntly.

Shen Nanzi's heart leaped into her throat. "Doctors, aren't you all usually so reserved in your speech? Why are you so direct in front of me, the Princess Consort?"

"Do you know that saying that will scare people to death?"

"Your Highness, I have already been being tactful."

Shen Nanzi's eyes widened. "You can't scare me, Princess Consort. I've always been healthy and strong, and I've never even caught a cold or fever."

"That represents the past, not the future. The princess has been depressed for many years, which has caused her poor blood circulation and damage to her liver and internal organs."

"If he continues to be depressed and his condition gradually worsens, he may not live past thirty!"

"You mean I only have five or six years to live?" Shen Nanzi could hardly believe her ears.

What did she hear? The imperial physician actually said she was going to die soon!

She was only twenty-four years old, and her Cheng'er was only six. Even if she lived to thirty, her Cheng'er would only be twelve.

His wings are not yet fully grown; if she dies...

Xie Yan wouldn't care about him.

Wouldn't that mean her son, Cheng'er, would live as an orphan?

She knew all too well how hard her mother and brother's lives were after she died of depression.

Is she following in her mother's footsteps? That's why women shouldn't get involved in romantic love!

Despite past mistakes, she still fell for it. Therefore, when looking for a man, choose the ugly one; the handsome ones are a no-go.

She dared not think any further and shook her head. "I don't believe it. You must have misdiagnosed me. You should treat me properly again."

“I was born into a family of imperial physicians, surrounded by the aroma of medicine. I am willing to stake my life on the Princess’s illness.”

"Doctor, don't be so sure. I, the princess, don't want to die."