The Crown Princess’s eyes brimmed with tears, her body trembling with shame and indignation.
The Crown Prince glared at her, his gaze filled with disgust as he said:
“Since our marriage, I have treated you well, always with respect. There are no concubines in the palace. I only want A’Wu! Just her! Why can’t you tolerate her?”
As the heir to the throne, it was customary for him to have consorts, ladies, and mistresses in his residence, but he had never considered such arrangements.
He loathed the idea.
He continued bitterly, “If you were dissatisfied, you could have told me. I could have arranged for her to be placed elsewhere, so she wouldn’t be in your sight. But what did you do?”
“You hid your jealousy, pretending to be magnanimous while scheming to push A’Wu before the Emperor, hoping he would dislike her and drive her away!”
His voice trembled as he spoke, “You told me you would handle her well, yet you set traps for her, using Nie San to lure her away! Who knows what schemes you employed! You venomous woman! How can I trust you?”
The Crown Princess wept uncontrollably, her entire body shaking.
She was in agony!
Pointing at A’Wu’s neck, she screamed hoarsely, “Do you think it was me who set the trap? Do you think she would have stayed loyal without Nie San? Don’t you realize? A woman like her, fickle and promiscuous-if she had even a shred of affection for you, she wouldn’t have been so quick to change her heart!”
The Crown Prince sneered, “Even now, you dare slander her!”
The Crown Princess pointed at A’Wu, “Even if Nie San was my man, what about the others? Without Nie San, there would be Wang San, Li San, Zhang San! Look! Can’t you see? Look at that!”
The Crown Prince followed her finger and froze.
He stepped forward abruptly, staring intently at A’Wu’s neck, where a faint red mark was visible suggestive and intimate!
A’Wu was caught off guard.
She raised her hand, lightly touching her neck.
The old man had been too rough, leaving a mark she hadn’t paid much attention to, thinking her clothes would cover it.
She hadn’t expected it to be seen by others.
The Crown Prince’s expression changed instantly.
His gaze slowly fixed on AWu, “Who was it?”
No matter what, he was the heir to the throne of Da Hui, destined to inherit the empire.
Trained in imperial strategies from a young age, he might be young and infatuated, but he was not without resolve.
The atmosphere around them grew icy, and A’Wu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
At that moment, she realized deeply that the Crown Prince was the blood of Emperor Jingxi, inheriting his domineering nature.
The Crown Prince stepped closer, pressing her, “A’Wu, tell me, who left this mark? Just say it, and I’ll believe you.”
But A’Wu couldn’t speak.
The Crown Prince demanded, “Who was it? Who have you been with since leaving Yan Yang Temple?”
His eyes were fixed on the mark on A’Wu’s neck—it must have been a man’s bite.
A man, leaving a cruel mark on her icy, snow-like skin.
He could even imagine how that man had possessed A’Wu!
Rage burned in his chest, his body tense to the point of trembling.
Clenching his fists, he stared at A’Wu, “Speak! A’Wu, speak!”
The Crown Princess covered her face, laughing mockingly, “You still want her to speak? What can she say? That she threw herself into another man’s arms in an instant?”
“Hold on, are you saying she sold her charms and hooked up with someone?”
She spoke with deep sorrow, “Your Highness, the facts are right before your eyes. If you don’t believe me, at least believe what you see.”
Suddenly, the Crown Prince thought of something.
He looked at A’Wu anxiously, his voice trembling, “A’Wu, has someone bullied you? Has someone forced you?”
A’Wu was momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to think of this.
Seeing her reaction, the Crown Prince felt he had guessed correctly, and this thought seemed to bring him some comfort.
He said urgently, “Don’t be afraid, A’Wu. If someone has bullied you, I will avenge you. I will kill them! This isn’t your fault, A’Wu. It’s okay. As long as it wasn’t voluntary, I won’t blame you. I won’t be angry-“
“Forgive?!”
The Crown Princess, standing nearby, was almost dumbfounded.
She looked at the Crown Prince in disbelief.
How could he tolerate this woman to such an extent?
Even if she had lost her purity, as long as she said a word, he was willing to forgive her?
A’Wu was also surprised that the Crown Prince would say such things.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved.
After all, how many men in the world could be so sincere?
For a moment, she even felt the impulse to throw herself into his arms, to tell him the whole truth, to comfort this fragile yet sincere young man!
But-
She also knew she had no way out.
She had already provoked Emperor Jingxi, had completely sided with him, and had sold herself to him, body and soul.
She couldn’t betray him.
Once she did, she would be left with no place to bury her body!
The Crown Prince had a way out, the Crown Princess had a way out, even the Empress might have a way out, but she didn’t!
In this absurd entanglement, if someone had to die, it would definitely be her!
So she restrained herself, held back the step that would have taken her into the Crown Prince’s embrace.
The Crown Prince was going mad for her, and Emperor Jingxi would never allow it-whether out of a man’s jealousy or a father’s protectiveness, he wouldn’t allow it!
Emperor Jingxi was the ruler of Dahui.
The Crown Prince wasn’t yet; he was still too young.
Perhaps in the future, he would grow up, ascend the throne, and become someone like Emperor Jingxi, who held the reins of power, but he wasn’t that person yet.
She had to survive, and of course, she had to cling to the most powerful man in the world.
She slightly raised her head and finally continued, “Your Highness, it is true that I, Awu, have never had any improper relations with that Nie San. Life in the Taoist temple was unbearable for me, and I couldn’t stay any longer.”
She continued: “I had hoped that Your Highness would come to rescue me, but when you didn’t, what could a weak woman like me do? Just then, Nie San came. He said he could take me away and that someone intended to harm me, even to kill my sister. I was terrified and had no choice but to follow him.”
Madam Su interjected, “You’re lying! That’s not what you said before!”
Awu ignored her and went on, “Nie San was vicious. He tried to frame me, to ruin me completely. Fortunately, a gentleman intervened and saved my life. A drop of kindness deserves a fountain of gratitude, so I pledged myself to him.”
The Crown Prince’s lips trembled.
He looked at Awu in disbelief, his voice hoarse, “Awu, what are you saying? Is someone forcing you to say this… You had no choice, right?”
Awu gazed into the Crown Prince’s eyes-those dark eyes that had always smiled warmly at her, that had caressed her hair like an elder brother.
But now, she looked into those eyes and spoke calmly yet cruelly, “Your Highness, I did this willingly. I have given myself to that gentleman, and I have come to admire him deeply. If Your Highness cherishes our past affection, I beg you to let me go.”
The Crown Prince exclaimed, “You, you—”
He didn’t want to let her go, of course he didn’t!
He looked at Awu, almost driven to madness.
Awu, his Awu.
He wanted to hold her tight, to make her his alone.
But now Awu was saying she had feelings for another man.
How could this be?
He stepped forward and grabbed Awu’s arm, “Come, Awu, come with me.”
Awu struggled desperately, “Let me go, let me go!”
But the Crown Prince, as if mad, dragged her towards the exit.
Awu could only shout, “Help! Someone, help!”
Seeing this, the Crown Princess rushed over, “Your Highness, have you lost your mind? She is no longer a concubine of the palace but a nun of this temple. You must not act rashly—”
Suddenly, a dozen of the Crown Prince’s guards appeared, blocking the Crown Princess’s path.
The Crown Princess was aghast, “How dare you defy me!”
Amidst Awu’s struggles, the Imperial Guards naturally heard the commotion.
Realizing something was amiss, Fang Yue also arrived, and together they tried to force their way into the temple.
At that moment, the nuns of Yan Yang Temple, the temple guards, and the Crown Prince’s guards all rushed forward, attempting to block Fang Yue and his men.
Fang Yue, of course, couldn’t be stopped.
He brandished his sword and charged forward, only to encounter Song Lingguan and her entourage.
Song Lingguan had just received the news that Awu had been captured and was about to interrogate her when she heard of the intrusion into Yan Yang Temple and hurried over.
Fang Yue recognized her as the Lingguan of Yan Yang Temple and approached respectfully and said,