Chapter 305: A Life for a Life

“My lord!”

Princess Yongfu ignored the pain in her throat as tears streamed down her face. She looked at the Marquis of Guangyuan in disbelief, her voice filled with sorrow.

“She was the love of your heart, but I am your first wife, the one who married you in your youth, bore your children, and walked by your side for more than ten years. Are you truly willing to abandon this family over the mistakes I made in the past?”

She knelt up and clutched the Marquis of Guangyuan’s sleeve, her tear-filled eyes brimming with desperation. Her slender body trembled, making her look especially fragile and pitiful.

“I already know I was wrong, but there’s no way to undo the past. I don’t even know how to atone for what I’ve done. As long as our family remains intact, I’ll do whatever you want me to do!”

The Marquis of Guangyuan closed his eyes, his hand at his side clenching tightly, veins bulging across the back of it.

It was his own incompetence that had led to Liu Zhilan’s death.

A man like him—powerless, weak, and mediocre—was never worthy of love. All he had done was drag others into the abyss.

“My mistake was in loving someone without the ability to protect her. My mistake was in secretly holding onto that love despite knowing I could not keep her safe. My mistake was in not following her when she drowned, and in turn, causing my sister-in-law’s death. If not for that, Tang Qingyu wouldn’t have lost her innocence, and Tang Haoyue wouldn’t have ended up in a brothel.”

The Marquis of Guangyuan forcibly pried her fingers off, his eyes devoid of emotion, as if all light had been extinguished. A strange smile twisted his face. “What could I possibly make you do? We… are beyond redemption!”

Princess Yongfu’s expression changed drastically, her face drained of color. “You… what are you trying to do?”

What was the Marquis of Guangyuan planning to do?

A life for a life.

He was going to expose Princess Yongfu’s crimes.

Even if it cost him his own life, he would seek justice for Liu Zhilan and his sister-in-law.

The Marquis of Guangyuan lifted his foot and strode toward the door.

“My lord…”

Princess Yongfu watched his retreating figure, sensing an unyielding ruthlessness in his every step. His absolute determination shattered her heart, filling her with overwhelming panic. A terrifying premonition gripped her—if he walked out that door, her life as she knew it would be over.

“My lord—!”

She scrambled to her feet and shouted, but the Marquis of Guangyuan didn’t pause for even a moment. He was just about to step out the door.

A wave of panic tore through Princess Yongfu’s heart. She acted purely on instinct, completely beyond her own control, as she grabbed a tall-necked vase from the display stand and rushed forward.

“Bang—”

The vase smashed against the back of the Marquis of Guangyuan’s head, successfully halting his steps.

Just as he turned his head, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief, Princess Yongfu’s heart trembled violently. She clenched her teeth tightly—then, steeling herself, she struck him again.

“Crash—”

The vase shattered, and fresh blood stained the collar of the Marquis of Guangyuan’s robe as he collapsed to the ground.

Princess Yongfu saw him lying there, unconscious. Her entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind, her limbs weak and unsteady. The broken half of the vase slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

With a dull thud, she dropped to her knees. Her gaze fixed on the pool of blood spreading across the ground, tears still streaking her face. Her voice quivered as she muttered, “I didn’t mean to… My lord, you forced me… If I had let you go, you would have been as good as dead. I didn’t want this… Why did you have to force me?”

“That wretched Liu Zhilan has been dead for so long—why couldn’t we just live our lives together as a family?”

Tears streamed down Princess Yongfu’s face, falling in heavy droplets. She cradled his head in her arms, pressing her trembling hand over the wound at the back of his skull.

“What did I do wrong? Everything I’ve done… it was all just to have you completely, to keep you by my side. It was all for you. The last person I ever wanted to hurt was you… Why? Why couldn’t you just love me?”

Princess Yongfu stroked his face, which was gradually turning pale and bluish, her eyes growing resolute. “This is fine… this is fine too. Now, you can stay by my side forever. Just like before… It doesn’t matter if you don’t love me, as long as you stay with me.”

The maids in the room were utterly terrified, frozen in shock as they watched the scene unfold. Fear gripped them, and none dared to make a sound. The more quick-witted among them hurriedly shut the door, sealing off the room from any prying eyes outside.

County Princess Lin’an stood at the threshold between the inner chamber and the outer room, staring at her father lying in a pool of blood. Her fingers dug tightly into the screen, her fingertips turning white as she bit down hard on her lips, swallowing the scream that threatened to escape.

“Mother, you… you…”

Her mind was in chaos—fear, shock, and a faint, inexplicable sense of secret delight all tangled together, making her emotions impossibly complex.

Her mother’s appearance terrified her, yet with her father unconscious, she wouldn’t have to marry Liu Baocheng or be sent to the nunnery.

It was unfilial, but her father’s decision had clearly favored the main branch, disregarding their bond as father and daughter.

“Should we call for an imperial doctor?”

County Princess Lin’an tested the waters.

“No need!” Princess Yongfu refused outright.

Lin’an let out a silent breath of relief. “Shall we have someone carry Father to the bed and bandage him?”

Princess Yongfu remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding. She pointed to a few maids, who worked together to lift him onto the bed. They cleaned his wound, applied medicine, bandaged him properly, and then changed him into clean clothes.

Her hands were covered in blood, and large stains of crimson had soaked into her dress. She sat on the stool, staring blankly at the Marquis of Guangyuan.

“Yufei, do you think he will die?”

Princess Yongfu felt no regret.

Yufei was a female official who served closely by Princess Yongfu’s side. She was highly trusted and had some knowledge of medicine. After checking the Marquis of Guangyuan’s pulse, she spoke softly, “He won’t die. At most, he will wake up by tomorrow.”

Princess Yongfu pressed her lips tightly together, her fingers clenching as a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. “Give him some medicine—keep him like this. As long as he stays this way, everything will be fine.”

If he woke up, she would be the one to die.

This way, they could be together forever.

As Princess Yongfu thought about it, her expression softened, as if she were envisioning a future where the two of them could live peacefully together. Her fingertips instinctively reached out to trace his brows and eyes, but when she saw the sticky blood on her hands, she frowned slightly and withdrew her hand.

She leaned down, and placed a light kiss on his pale lips. “Rest well. I’m going to the palace to see Mother. I’ll be back in the evening—we’ll have dinner together.”

Seeing Princess Yongfu like this, Yufei felt a jolt of unease—her mistress’s state of mind was clearly unstable.

After bathing, Princess Yongfu carefully redid her makeup. She applied a thick layer of powder to her face, making her look even more haggard and pitiful. Once she was ready, she sent her request to enter the palace.

At that moment, the Empress Dowager was already in a foul mood—her plans had been disrupted by the incident between Tang Nuan and Zhao Wei. Just as Princess Yongfu’s request to enter the palace arrived, news of County Princess Lin’an’s actions at the Zhao residence also reached the Empress Dowager’s ears. Without hesitation, she ordered her attendants to bring Princess Yongfu into the palace.

Princess Yongfu deliberately chose a white long dress, making herself appear even more fragile and helpless. As soon as she stepped into Cian Palace, she knelt directly on the floor and kowtowed three times, the sound echoing clearly as she pleaded for forgiveness.

“Mother, it was my failure in teaching discipline that allowed Tang Haoyue and Tang Nuan to ruin the plan. I have come today to personally beg for your punishment.”

The Empress Dowager’s gaze fell upon the purpling bruises around Princess Yongfu’s neck and her swollen, reddened eyes. Her brows furrowed tightly as she suppressed her anger. “What happened to you?”

Hearing the Empress Dowager’s question, Princess Yongfu could no longer hold back her emotions. Tears gushed from her eyes like a broken dam, and she sobbed uncontrollably.

“Mother, your daughter’s fate is bitter! Back then, when Liu Zhilan accidentally drowned, the marquis pinned the murder charge on me. Now, he wants to enter the palace to request a decree to divorce me and expose my crimes!”

The Empress Dowager’s expression darkened. She knew better than anyone what kind of person Princess Yongfu was—there was no way she was entirely innocent in Liu Zhilan’s death. But then again, who in the palace had truly clean hands?

“I was terrified, Mother. In a moment of panic, I accidentally struck the marquis unconscious. I called for a doctor, and he said… he said that he may never wake again.”

Princess Yongfu crawled forward on her knees, reaching the Empress Dowager’s feet. “The marquis came with attendants, and now that something has happened to him so suddenly, they will surely suspect me. But I can’t simply kill them all to silence them… Mother, I didn’t mean for this to happen. You must help me!”