Chapter 7

Chapter 7

On the second day, Imperial Father summoned me to the palace.

Inside the Imperial Study, I performed my salutations with the utmost respect.

Imperial Father did not tell me to rise, so I remained in a half-squatting position. As time dragged on, sweat broke out on the tip of my nose and my body began to sway. Finally, I collapsed to the ground.

I scrambled back into a fearful kneeling position.

Imperial Father let out a soft huff and looked up at me. His gaze was sharp, almost venomous.

“Do not think for a moment that I am unaware you are the one pulling the strings behind the scenes,” he said coldly.

I raised my eyes to look at him in shock, easily forcing a shimmer of tears into them.

“Imperial Father, your daughter does not understand. Is it because I snatched Wei Zhao away? At that time, I did not know Wei Zhao and Kangle were childhood sweethearts. Had I known, how could I have ever done such a thing?”

I knew perfectly well that Imperial Father was questioning me about the Left Chancellor’s matter. Wei Zhao being poisoned at the Red Jade Pavilion was suspicious no matter how one looked at it.

Who would bother to harm a mere decorative pillow like him?

And yet, that was exactly what had happened.

But I did not dare let Imperial Father realize I knew what he was truly asking. I could only steer the conversation toward matters of the heart. After all, I was supposed to be a brainless princess obsessed with love, my head filled with nothing but romance.

I tried my best to hold back my tears, not letting them fall. A beauty is only stunning when her eyes are brimming with tears; if they actually fall, the effect is cheapened.

I have always known I am beautiful. I take after my Empress Mother, which is my only advantage.

Imperial Father’s expression softened slightly. He said coldly, “Rise. It seems I have misjudged you in this matter.”

“Yes.”

I lowered my head, allowing the tears I could no longer hold back to splash onto the ground without ruining my makeup. Only then did I keep my eyes downcast and stand up.

Imperial Father asked me a few more questions, which I answered with respectful gratitude. My posture was exactly like that of a spineless dog.

After leaving the Imperial Study, Imperial Father bestowed many rewards upon me. I returned to the Princess Manor with the gifts and let out a small sigh of relief.

I suppose I am safe for now.

Since that was the case, it was time to give Wei Zhao the antidote.

Back at the Red Jade Pavilion, when I had used my handkerchief to wipe Wei Zhao’s face, the cloth had been laced with a toxin. To be precise, it wasn’t exactly a poison, but a drug that could paralyze the entire body. It was something Ning Ze and I had discovered by chance while playing in the mountains.

Curing it was simple.

However, the process of delivering the antidote had to be tragic, moving, and known to everyone. Only then could I reinforce my persona as a love-struck princess.

I let it be known that I heard Tianshan Snow Lotus could cure all poisons, so I offered a massive sum to purchase it. I also heard that Millennium Lingzhi could bring the dead back to life, so I scoured every market in the capital. Finally, my hard work paid off. I found a ‘miracle medicine’ from a foreign land and did not hesitate to spend ten thousand gold pieces to buy it.

Everyone said I had been swindled. Yet, I remained undeterred and resolutely brought it back to the Princess Manor.

In the backyard, I swirled a mixture of water and plant ash and fed it to Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao choked and woke up. He coughed a few times, slowly coming to his senses. The moment he saw me, he glared with fury.

“Zhao Ziyu, you harmed me! What was on your handkerchief?”

I was genuinely surprised. Had he actually stopped being stupid?

I gave a small smile. “Where else does the Imperial Son-in-Law wish to go play? This Princess shall accompany you.”

“It is none of your business where I go! You are truly heartless and wicked. I will never be with you as long as I live!”

Wei Zhao’s face was ashen. He shot me a vicious glare and stormed out of bed. His steps were unsteady, but his determination to leave this place was absolute.
Clatter!

He pulled the door open, and the blinding sunlight rushed in, vying for space.

He raised his sleeve to shield his eyes, the sunlight plating his face in a layer of gold.

The glare dazzled me as well, and I stared at him blankly…

This side profile looked so much like Ah Ze.

Suddenly, a longsword lunged toward us. Only then did I realize that the brilliance wasn’t just sunlight-it was the cold gleam of a blade.

I yanked Wei Zhao aside and sent the assassin flying with a single palm strike.

At that moment, more assassins swarmed in.

Wei Zhao was stunned.

How could a pampered young master like him have ever seen such a scene?

I shoved him back into the room, spun around to seize a sword from one of the assassins, and began to fight for my life.

The assassins kept coming in a never-ending stream.

I had to stay sharp, focusing every ounce of my attention and exerting my full strength.

Fortunately, the guards discovered the commotion and quickly rushed over.

Before long, the assassins either fled or were cut down, leaving the ground littered with corpses.

By now, I was covered in blood. It dripped from the hem of my skirt, splattering onto the ground with every step I took.

I flicked open the clothing of one of the dead assassins and saw a familiar mark on his collarbone.

My heart sank.

I was exposed.

Imperial Father was testing me.

How could a princess capable of killing ten men in a row suddenly become so frail that she would sway and collapse after kneeling for just a short while?

Imperial Father had never trusted me, and I had never truly been safe.

My mind raced, trying to figure out how to survive this brush with death at Imperial Father’s hands.

Of all times, Wei Zhao chose this moment to ask, “You… you know martial arts?”

“You’re a princess. How… how can you know martial arts?”

“You’re an impostor, aren’t you? Did you kill the real princess?”

This was beyond ridiculous!

I was so incensed that my train of thought ground to a halt.

I gripped Wei Zhao’s throat with one hand, my face ashen. “Shut your mouth!” I hissed, emphasizing every word.

Wei Zhao clawed desperately at my hand, leaving bloody scratches across the back of it.

I really wanted to choke the life out of him. I had worked so hard to maintain the skin on my hands.

I shoved him away, unable to hold back my simmering rage.

“You really are… a waste of such a face.”

It was a waste that he looked so much like Ah Ze.

Ah Ze would never be this stupid!

Ah Ze was so clever, so sharp-he had only become a discarded pawn because of his bloodline.

Yet, bloodline was the most important thing a person possessed.

Otherwise, how could the throne pass from father to son? How could the world belong to a single family?

It was as if I had suddenly grasped a vital clue, and I snapped back to clarity.

“Stay in the manor. Do not leave without my orders.”

“Zhao Ziyu, are you trying to put me under house arrest again?”

Wei Zhao was exceptionally furious. It made sense; anyone who had been either confined or poisoned since becoming the Imperial Son-in-Law wouldn’t be in a good mood.

I said indifferently, “You can leave the manor if you wish. As long as you can make it back alive, I don’t mind replacing my Imperial Son-in-Law. I just wonder if someone will follow you into the afterlife out of devotion.”

Wei Zhao didn’t believe me.

“This is the capital! I’d like to see who dares to act so recklessly!”

He stormed out of the manor, but the moment he opened the gates, he was blocked.

“By His Majesty’s decree: the Princess has been targeted by assassins. To ensure her safety, the Princess Manor’s security is to be tightened. No one is permitted to leave without an imperial edict. Please return inside, Imperial Son-in-Law.”

I watched the scene coldly.

Well, this was just perfect.

Now I was under house arrest too.

What absolute rotten luck!