"His Highness the First Prince?"
When Zhu Zhuyun's second aunt heard the announcement, she froze for a moment. Then an undisguised sneer curled her lips.
She picked at the corner of her mouth with an exquisitely manicured fingernail and said sarcastically:
"Well, has the sun risen in the west? A stray dog who can barely protect himself still has the nerve to come to our marshal's residence?"
The marshal's wife frowned deeply. Though displeasure showed on her face, she did nothing to stop the second aunt's cutting remarks.
After pondering for a moment, she waved a hand and instructed the maid, who was trembling with fright:
"What are you panicking for? The sky isn't falling. Go and invite 'His Highness the First Prince' in. I'd like to see what he's here for."
Her tone was even, but she laid heavy emphasis on "invite," with a hint of condescending scrutiny.
In their eyes, Dai Weisi was nothing more than fish on the chopping block, here to invite humiliation upon himself.
But Zhu Zhuyun's heart leaped into her throat at that instant.
He's here? He really came!
An indescribable mixture of bitterness and excitement welled up in her heart, bringing heat to her eyes.
But deeper worry followed. He had come here alone, and he would have to face the pressure and humiliation of the entire Zhu Family.
The maid left to carry out her orders, and the bedchamber fell into a brief, deathly silence.
The second aunt straightened her magnificent dress and settled in to watch the show. The marshal's wife lifted her teacup and gently blew the foam from its surface, her gaze inscrutable, her thoughts unknown.
Before long, steady footsteps approached from the distance.
The door was pushed open again, and a figure as upright as a pine appeared in the doorway. Sunlight slanted in from behind him, outlining him in gold and making his expression impossible to discern for a moment.
It was Dai Weisi, and following behind him was Shi Mo.
Dai Weisi's gaze immediately found Zhu Zhuyun by the window.
When he saw her noticeably thinner cheeks, her pale lips, and the weariness and unease in her eyes despite her efforts to appear strong, a nameless fire roared up from the depths of his heart, threatening to rush straight to the top of his head.
Yet his expression remained calm. Only his eyes darkened, like the surface of the sea before a storm.
"Weisi..."
At the sight of him, Zhu Zhuyun's lips moved, but a thousand words lodged in her throat.
"I've come to take you with me."
Dai Weisi's words brooked no doubt.
Then he stepped forward and reached out.
"Take her?"
The marshal's wife finally set down her teacup with a soft click.
She raised her eyes to Dai Weisi, a gentle but distant smile on her face.
"First Prince, you're a clever man."
"You should understand the current situation better than anyone. Why say such self-deceiving things?"
Her voice was gentle, like a loving elder patiently offering advice, but her meaning was a soft knife, each stroke cutting into the heart.
"Though today's court session has yet to end, His Majesty has presumably already chosen the Second Prince, and everyone at court knows it."
"Your cause is lost. If you keep clinging to this, you'll not only harm yourself, but also drag Yun'er and our entire Zhu Family down with you."
The marshal's wife sighed.
"Let go. It will be best for both you and Yun'er. For the sake of your past affection, as long as you give her up of your own accord, our Zhu Family can still plead with His Majesty on your behalf and at least secure you a peaceful life."
Dai Weisi ignored her and simply watched Zhu Zhuyun in silence.
"Did you hear her?!"
The second aunt beside her had none of the marshal's wife's "patience." She slammed the table, rose to her feet, and pointed a finger at Dai Weisi's nose as she berated him:
"Why are you still clinging to our Zhu Yun, you good-for-nothing? What are you now? A prince His Majesty has cast aside! What kind of future can you give her? If she follows you, do you want her to be confined with you, or go to the execution block with you?"
Growing more worked up as she spoke, she swayed over to Zhu Zhuyun and planted herself in front of her, as though Dai Weisi were a contagious plague.
"Let me tell you, the daughter of our Zhu Family will marry the future Star Luo Emperor!"
"Before, that was you. Now, it's your younger brother, Dai Mubai! This is the mission of our Zhu Family, and Zhu Yun's destiny!"
The second aunt's eyes were full of contempt and greed as she looked Dai Weisi up and down.
"Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection? You still want to take Zhu Yun away? Keep dreaming!"
She suddenly leaned close to the marshal's wife's ear and spoke in a voice she apparently thought was very quiet, yet was loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly:
"Sister, I don't think there's any point wasting words on him. Once His Highness Mubai returns, our Zhu Yun should start preparing to marry him."
"Besides, our Zhu Yun is seven years older than that Zhu Zhuqing from the Heaven Dou Empire. Her body has long since filled out, so she'll surely be more adept at serving a man. Who knows, she might even bear His Highness Dai Mubai a son first. That would be a great achievement!"
The moment she said that, even the air froze.
"Shut your mouth!"
All color drained from Zhu Zhuyun's face, and she trembled all over with anger.
Those words treated her as a piece of merchandise to be priced at will and used to claim credit. The malice behind them and their filth filled her with unprecedented humiliation and disgust.
She wanted to rush forward and defend Dai Weisi, to tear apart her second aunt's ugly face, but her mother held her arm in a vise-like grip.
"Yun'er, stop making a scene!"
The marshal's wife scolded her in a low voice, gripping her so hard that Zhu Zhuyun's wrist ached.
Zhu Zhuyun stared at her mother in disbelief, the last hope in her eyes turning to icy despair.
Dai Weisi had watched coldly from beginning to end, watching the pair play off each other, watching them treat Zhu Zhuyun as a bargaining chip, watching their grotesque performance.
There was no anger in his heart, only icy killing intent.
Stupid and shortsighted.
That was his assessment of the two of them.
In the midst of this suffocating atmosphere, a voice only Dai Weisi could hear quietly sounded in his mind.
[Ding! The host has been detected facing a crucial decision. God-Level Selection System activated!] [Option A: Endure humiliation. Back down for now, placate the marshal's wife, and promise to "consider" giving up Zhu Zhuyun in exchange for a chance to catch your breath. Reward: the Turtle Breath Technique. (It has no practical use; cultivating it merely gives you more of a turtle's bearing.)] [Option B: Communicate tactfully. Appeal to emotion and reason, attempt to persuade the marshal's wife, analyze the disadvantages of Dai Mubai succeeding to the throne, and seek the Zhu Family's support. Reward: special item, Persuader's Eloquence. (After use, it increases a designated target's trust in your words by 50%. In truth, it's nothing more than honeyed words.)] [Option C: Suppress them by force. The majesty of an emperor brooks no provocation! Crush all opposition with absolute strength and take your woman away by force. Rewards: External Soul Bone: hundred-thousand-year dark gold terrorclaw bear right palm bone; hundred-thousand-year Immortal Herb, narcissus jade muscle bone!]
Three choices, three entirely different paths.
A was forbearance, B was conciliation, and C was domination.
Dai Weisi's lips slowly curled into a cold smile.
Endure?
Reason with a bunch of fools?
And the rewards-wasn't their meaning obvious?
The answer went without saying.
I choose C.
Dai Weisi spoke silently in his heart.
Almost the instant he made his choice, he moved!
No one saw his movement clearly. They only saw a blur before their eyes, and Dai Weisi, who had been standing in the room, was already in front of Zhu Zhuyun.
Then, ignoring the astonished expressions of the marshal's wife and the second aunt, he seized Zhu Zhuyun's wrist.
His hand was warm and strong, like an unbreakable dam, instantly dispelling all the coldness and helplessness in Zhu Zhuyun's heart.
"Come with me."
Dai Weisi's voice was still calm, but this time it held a domineering force he could no longer conceal!
"You... How dare you!"
The marshal's wife was the first to react, both shocked and furious:
"First Prince, have you forgotten that our Zhu Family is no ordinary noble family? Even princes and princesses must treat us with courtesy here!"
"Rebellion! This is outright rebellion!"
The second aunt was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, stamping her feet as she screamed:
"Someone! Guards! Seize him!"
"Seize him! Tie him up!"
"When His Highness Dai Mubai returns, he'll make a fine gift for the future emperor! Let's see how arrogant he can be then!"
At her shrill cries, the clatter of armor and the clang of weapons being drawn rang out beyond the door. Dozens of the marshal's residence guards, clad in heavy armor and armed with long halberds, instantly surrounded the entire bedchamber so tightly that not even water could have escaped. Chilling killing intent swept toward them.