Chi You woke up and instinctively touched her stomach.
She had been drugged and heard the imperial physicians’ voices. She wasn’t foolish enough not to understand what was happening.
A surge of anger, hatred, and a myriad of complex emotions flooded her heart, bringing her to the brink of suffocation.
She had been meticulously taking contraceptives, so why was she pregnant?
Furthermore, she had cultivated gu since childhood, making conception difficult. Yet, she was still pregnant.
Liu Rongruo!
Liu Rongruo!
Chi You’s cheeks flushed with rage. Her fists clenched tightly as she angrily threw off the covers, lifted the bed curtains, and was about to get out of bed when she saw a figure standing by the window.
He stood in the light from the window, his back exuding an ethereal aura.
“You switched the medicine.”
A suppressed fury rumbled from behind. Liu Rongruo turned his head and looked at her sideways.
“You’re awake.”
He slowly walked towards her.
Chi You violently flung away his outstretched hand, her eyes red as she fiercely questioned him.
“Are you insane?”
Liu Rongruo calmly withdrew his hand and stated, “I will marry you.”
Chi You stared at his perpetually unchanging face, so infuriated she wanted to roar.
“Liu Rongruo, who do you think you are? You get Qin Yunshang when you want her, and you expect to marry me when you want to? Don’t forget, there’s a sea of blood between us. Why should I marry you, constantly reminded that the offspring will be the child of my clan’s destroyer? Or do you want to watch your child live in the farce of parents tearing each other apart?”
“Do you have a choice?”
He lowered his gaze, his icy hand gripping her bones, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
Chi You was stimulated by this sudden development and didn’t bother with him, acting without thinking. She directly slapped him across the face, her eyes bloodshot and fierce.
“I will never give birth to your child.”
Liu Rongruo’s head turned from the blow. He licked his lips, his gaze turning sinister.
“I want the miscarriage-inducing soup.”
She struggled to get out of bed, pushing him away to go outside.
Liu Rongruo glanced sideways, then roughly grabbed her.
“You were lying to me all this time, weren’t you? You always wanted to escape from me.”
Chi You suppressed her overwhelming rage and glared at him with mockery.
“You annihilated my people, killed my uncles, and forced me to come to the capital for a political marriage. What, has the esteemed Prime Minister of Great Liang gone mad, expecting me to still love you?”
As she spoke, her eyes welled up. Looking at the man before her, her heart felt as if it were being cruelly sliced by a blunt knife, blood bursting forth, a complex and twisted hatred spreading through her limbs, causing her unbearable pain.
The scenes of war and fire in Southern Xinjiang flashed through her mind. Thinking of the child in her womb, she instantly lost all reason, no longer bothering with pretense and speaking without restraint.
“The ‘Awou’ you loved has already been killed by your own hands. I am Chi You, the Saintess of Southern Xinjiang. Between you and me, it’s either you die or I die.”
Liu Rongruo listened to her words, the hand gripping her waist turning ashen.
“Good.”
“A good ‘either you die or I die.’”
He squeezed her hard.
“I will insist on staying by your side.”
Chi You struggled fiercely. “You’re insane, Liu Rongruo, what are you thinking?”
Liu Rongruo allowed her to struggle, twisted her hand, and lifted her into his arms, placing her back onto the bed.
His expression was terrifyingly indifferent, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.
Chi You kicked and struck him frantically.
His expression grew cold. He suddenly pressed down on her, pinning her to the bed.
“I’m telling you, behave, or Southern Xinjiang will face the consequences it deserves.”
Chi You felt as if she could barely breathe from the pain. Her eyes were blurry with tears, and the corners of her eyes were frighteningly red.
“Even if you kill me and send troops to Southern Xinjiang, I will never give birth to the child of my clan’s destroyer.”
Liu Rongruo sneered. “You can only bear my child in this life. You will live bearing my surname, and when you die, you will be buried with me in the Liu family tomb.”
“Despicable!”
She glared at him hatefully, her eyes red.
Liu Rongruo leaned down, kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and buried his face in her neck, desperately inhaling her scent.
Chi You bit down on his shoulder. Blood spread in her mouth, tasting bitter and astringent.
She closed her eyes, desperately suppressing the overwhelming, complex emotions surging within her, forcing herself to calm down.
“I am marrying the Emperor of Great Liang. If the officials of Great Liang were to know about these sordid affairs, it would affect both countries. If the Prime Minister still possesses some reason, he should understand that this child cannot exist in this world.”
Liu Rongruo tilted his head, looking at her blood-red, alluring lips, and gently licked the blood from them.
“In three days, the news of Consort Qing’s death will spread throughout Great Liang. I will send someone to Southern Xinjiang to inform them that you have fallen ill and died. From then on, Great Liang and Southern Xinjiang will no longer have any trace of you.”
She, would be his Awou, and his alone.
Chi You was shocked and looked at him sideways.
“What did you say? Are you out of your mind?”
Liu Rongruo remained silent and gently touched her lips.
She was so angry that her chest heaved violently. Her hands clutched the bedding tightly as she gritted her teeth.
“You were the one who threw me into the palace back then. Why do you want me now? Am I just a pawn for you to manipulate?”
Liu Rongruo looked at her resentful eyes for a while, then slowly got up.
He stood by the bed, gently patting the wrinkles on his robes, and looked down at her calmly.
“If you wish to return to Southern Xinjiang, once your health improves, I will accompany you. If you stay here, I will ensure the peace of Southern Xinjiang for the rest of my life.”
Chi You laughed in exasperation. She propped herself up with effort.
“A ruler’s affection and a concubine’s love are but fleeting moments, drifting apart like clouds. What good can come from pleasing others with beauty? Liu Rongruo, you are merely infatuated with this skin. Once beauty fades, will you still protect Southern Xinjiang?”
The gu worms had been planted. She no longer needed to pretend with him. What if their masks were torn off?
“You know very well that you and I are mortal enemies. Forcing this child to be born will only perpetuate the suffering of the previous generation. Give me a bowl of the miscarriage-inducing soup, and I will pretend none of this ever happened.”
Liu Rongruo listened to her heartless words, his expression unchanging, but his eyes were intensely fixed on her.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed her jaw.
“Be obedient, don’t force my hand.”
With that, he left without looking at her again.
Chi You watched his retreating back with bloodshot eyes. She quickly put on her shoes and got out of bed, intending to go to the pharmacy.
Bai Ze stood guard outside the door. Seeing her emerge, he immediately blocked her path.
“Get out of the way.”
He remained silent, lowering his head to block her.
Chi You clenched her fists, turned back into the room, and stared at her stomach for a long time. Suddenly, she found a stick somewhere and intended to abort the child.
Bai Ze outside had been paying attention to the movements. Hearing the faint sounds of her struggling from within, he quickly pushed the door open and snatched the stick away.
“Miss.”
Chi You’s forehead was covered in sweat as she struggled to retrieve the stick.
But Bai Ze immediately threw the stick to the guards behind him and ordered all sharp objects in the room to be removed, having the maids watch over her.
“Lackey.”