Chapter 31: Bitter Medicine Piercing the Heart

Yun Chu closed his eyes, and beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead!

Gong Liang Chong suddenly smashed his cup, and the black-clad figures hiding behind the screen all emerged, drawing their weapons with a sharp sound.

Even in this moment, he didn’t forget to play his part. He reached out toward Yun Chu and shouted, “Your Highness, come with me!”

Yun Chu’s blood surged in anger—he was nearly driven mad.

He roared at him, “Shut up!!”

But before he could finish shouting, the shadow guards had already pinned him to the ground, rendering him immobile.

Li Yunli’s face remained cold, yet she didn’t even glance at him.

She ordered the shadow guards fighting Gong Liang Chong’s men, “Capture them alive.”

However, Gong Liang Chong was positioned in a private room on the second floor, near a wooden lattice window that connected to an adjacent rooftop. A black-clad figure suddenly crashed through the window.

The remaining three men blocked the shadow guards. During the skirmish, Gong Liang Chong had already leaped through the window, showing no hesitation as he vanished without a trace.

Seeing that their leader had escaped, the three men also refused to fight to the end and attempted to retreat.

Li Yunli’s royal shadow guards were highly skilled. In the battle, they managed to capture two of them alive.

The two captives were pressed to their knees, the only survivors.

Li Yunli sneered, stepping forward. Just as she was about to interrogate them, the two suddenly bit down on something hidden under their tongues—instantly taking their own lives.

Loyal death warriors—failure meant death.

Just as the book described. Yun Chu’s handiwork.

Li Yunli suppressed the chill creeping into her heart and turned her gaze toward Yun Chu, who was being held down.

“Your Highness…”

Yun Chu’s eyes were red, filled with sorrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but the shadow guards gripping him immediately clamped his jaw shut and stuffed a cloth bundle into his mouth.

They worked efficiently, not allowing him even half a word in his defense.

Li Yunli’s expression was unreadable. She turned away.

“Take them all back.”

“Mmm… Mmm!!”

The shadow guards hoisted Yun Chu up from the ground, quickly binding his hands. He struggled, unable to form complete words, his eyes locked onto Li Yunli’s retreating figure.

She suddenly stopped.

Turning back, she crouched down and grasped his jaw tightly!

Pain shot through Yun Chu’s face, forcing him to meet her gaze.

Li Yunli, eyes cold as ice, gritted her teeth and demanded, “I asked you before—do you know him?”

Yun Chu stopped struggling. His red-rimmed eyes were filled with despair.

She continued, “This is how you repay my trust? I take a step back, and you advance three miles?”

Yun Chu frantically shook his head, but the cloth in his mouth kept him from speaking.

Her voice was not just filled with anger—it was mostly disappointment.

“Enough. I was just too naïve.”

She let go of him, stood up, and laughed at herself.

“I overestimated myself. I actually believed a wolf could have a conscience.”

She turned away.

The light in Yun Chu’s eyes dimmed in an instant.

A single tear fell onto the ground, forming a tiny, fleeting splash.

A moment later, his body was dragged across it by the shadow guards.

---

After bringing everyone back, Li Yunli did not question him further.

The bodies of the black-clad warriors were handed over to the coroner for examination. As for Yun Chu—

The royal shadow guards were perceptive. Though his actions were treacherous, this was still a family matter of the Grand Princess.

Thus, he was imprisoned in an abandoned warehouse within the state governor’s mansion.

Li Yunli sat at her desk, her mind utterly silent.

Beside her was a half-burned piece of paper recovered from the incense burner.

One corner was charred, but the text remained clear:

“The matter is settled. The calming incense is included with the letter. Waiting at Hongcui House.”

A secret message sent to Yun Chu.

No wonder she had fallen asleep at her desk. The incense burner had been burning calming incense all along—giving Yun Chu the perfect chance to meet Gong Liang Chong.

No wonder Gong Liang Chong had gone through all the trouble to meet her that morning—only to make such an absurd request.

He wasn’t there to see her. He was there for Yun Chu.

A classic diversion tactic.

They had all played her for a fool.

Yet Yun Chu’s greatest mistake was miscalculating one thing—her light sleep.

A gust of cold wind from an unlatched window had woken her up.

Li Yunli sat still at her desk, feeling unprecedented frustration.

She had underestimated him.

Yun Chu was the original protagonist of the book. How could she have believed that just a few months of kindness would erase his thirst for revenge?

She had foolishly tried to win him over with sincerity.

And he had taken full advantage of it.

That night when they had shared a heartfelt conversation—he must have been overjoyed.

A wave of disgust chilled her to the bone.

Reaching for the teapot, she poured herself a cup. The porcelain was ice cold.

So be it.

She gulped down the cold tea, the chill spreading through her chest.

How ridiculous.

First, she had spared him out of caution.

Then, she had let her guard down because of his behavior.

And later, she had grown accustomed to his handsome face and believed she could control him.

She had been a fool.

A starving wolf will always be a wolf.

Li Yunli shivered.

Zhihui, her maid, approached with a blanket, but before she could cover her, Li Yunli snapped, “Get out.”

The young girl, startled, immediately backed away.

She curled up outside the door, trembling. Without Zhilan around, she really wasn’t good at handling these matters.

But before long, the door creaked open again.

Li Yunli’s voice, hoarse, called out, “Summon General Ming Yi.”

Zhihui immediately sprang to her feet and ran to fetch him.

---

Li Yunli did not sleep that night.

She spent hours discussing the relief efforts in Yongzhou with Xiao Linjia.

She was efficient when she was busy—work kept her from dwelling on emotions.

By dawn, their plans were finalized, and Xiao Linjia was ready to act.

He smiled, “Your Highness, you truly are remarkable. By setting up distribution points in these locations, you’ve covered all the disaster areas. I’m impressed.”

Those locations had been chosen by Yun Chu.

Her mood soured again.

She forced a smile. “It’s late. General, you should rest. Once the sun rises, we will begin.”

“Ah, yes, yes!” Xiao Linjia left with the documents.

Silence filled the room again.

Li Yunli rose, stepping toward the door.

Zhihui, half-asleep, jolted awake. “Your Highness, where are you going?”

“Where is the consort imprisoned?”

Zhihui hesitated. “…In the western warehouse.”

Li Yunli paused for a moment.

Then, she turned back and sat down.

Just a little while, and she was already tempted to hear his explanation.

She truly was pathetic.

That morning, Feng Mu delivered breakfast.

Unaware of the previous night’s events, he brought two bowls of noodles.

“Your Highness, the temples have sent monks to recite prayers. Even the abbot of Yongqing Temple has arrived.”

Li Yunli, stirring her noodles, suddenly froze.

She thought of the dream she had last night.

Could it be another premonition?

She asked, “Among the monks, is there one called Jingkong?”

Feng Mu thought for a moment and shook his head. “Not sure. But many have names starting with ‘Jing.’”

Li Yunli set down her chopsticks.

“Where are they now?”

“South Street—the area with the most refugees.”

She mounted her horse and rode out.

---

Western Warehouse.

Yun Chu sat quietly all night.

At dawn, a shadow guard entered with a tray.

“Her Highness is busy with disaster relief. No breakfast for you. But we can’t let you die.”

A bowl of dark liquid sat on the tray, steaming faintly.

Yun Chu recognized the scent immediately.

The same poison that had weakened him in his past life.

The guard gripped his chin. “Drink.”

The bitterness seeped into his soul.

His body collapsed in pain, drenched in cold sweat.