Chapter 59: Is the Heart-Wrenching Plot Coming?

The next day, Concubine De held Ah Bao and went to the Princess’s residence.

Upon arrival, she did not see Princess Changping but was instead greeted by the maid Qingliu.

“Where is Princess Changping?”

Qingliu sighed, her head lowered. “Your Highness, the Madam has been in bed since morning, locking herself in her room and refusing to let anyone in.”

The Concubine De was startled.

Could it be that Princess Changping was so overwhelmed by grief that she couldn’t think straight?

No wonder the Tyrant Emperor had asked her to keep a close watch on Changping these days.

“Take me to see her quickly.”

The Concubine De knocked on the door. “Changping, are you inside?”

The door creaked open, and seeing the Concubine De, Changping’s dejected demeanor perked up a little. “It’s the Concubine De”

In just one night, the Concubine De noticed that Changping seemed somewhat weak, almost as if she were ill.

Changping’s slightly pale face forced a smile as she longed to hold Ah Bao. “Little Ah Bao, would you like to be held by your aunt? No one has been talking to me, and my heart feels so heavy.”

How could she not feel heavy?

The man she chose to marry betrayed her, and she couldn’t even tell the Concubine De or the Tyrant Emperor.

It was probably a case of self-inflicted suffering.

Ah Bao touched Changping’s face.

[Auntie, don’t be sad. Stay away from the scumbag and defeat him!]

[There are plenty of two-legged men, unlike the hard-to-find four-legged toad.]

Changping: “…”

Hearing Ah Bao’s heartfelt words, her mood lifted a bit.

[Huh? Auntie, why do you have something evil on your head?]

Changping froze.

Ah Bao’s eyes darted around the room and noticed a blood toad on the windowsill.

[Why is there a blood toad in the room? It’s a Soul-Stealing Bug that specifically absorbs a person’s life force and confuses the mind.]

Changping’s heart lurched with fear.

This…

But the Concubine De walked straight over to the blood toad. “Princess, when did such a brightly colored little toad appear in your room? It looks a bit strange.”

Changping frowned. “It was brought back by the Prince Concubine last night. He said he went to a temple overnight to get it for warding off evil spirits.”

She had gone to bed early the previous night and had been half asleep and unable to wake fully until morning.

If the Concubine De and Ah Bao hadn’t come, she would have stayed locked in her room.

[Warding off evil spirits? It’s actually evil itself.]

[The scumbag is trying to harm Auntie!]

[Auntie, quickly hold me over so I can take a look.]

Ah Bao, in Changping’s arms, kept reaching out toward the blood toad.

Changping forced a smile and took Ah Bao over to the toad. “Does Ah Bao want to take a look too?”

Ah Bao held the blood toad close. “Bad… thing…”

Ah Bao pouted.

She drew a simple exorcism symbol on the blood toad with her little finger.

The blood toad, with its ghostly red hue, instantly dimmed.

[Alright! I’ve crushed the Soul-Stealing Bug, so Auntie doesn’t need to be afraid.]

Changping felt a sudden jolt of energy and a newfound lightness in her body.

She had just seen Ah Bao touch the blood toad and do nothing else.

The Concubine De, having heard the thoughts, finally felt relieved.

“Ah Bao, this thing is a bit heavy, so be careful not to hurt yourself. I’ll take it away for now.” The Concubine De took the blood toad from Ah Bao and put it back in its place.

The Concubine De turned to Changping. “Ahem, Princess, what are your thoughts on the matter with the Prince Concubine?”

Changping gave a bitter smile. “Before yesterday, I considered him my everything. After yesterday, he means nothing to me!”

[Wow! Has Auntie woken up from her love-struck daze?]

[Yes, yes, there are many good men in the world. Auntie deserves better.]

[Dump the scumbag! Beat the scumbag!]

“If the Princess truly feels this way, then that’s excellent. A man who no longer has his heart in his marriage is not worth holding onto.”

“But I’m not going to easily part ways with the Prince Concubine.”

Concubine De: ?

Is she falling back into her love-struck state?

Changping said, “He deceived me, betrayed me, and wronged me. How can I easily agree to a divorce? If I’m going to divorce him, I need to get back everything he took from me!”

“Very admirable! This is the Changping Princess I know!” The Concubine De encouraged.

“Madam.” The Prince Concubine, Shangguan Ze, entered from outside. Seeing the Concubine De and Ah Bao there, he was startled. “Concubine De, Princess, you’re both here.”

Changping glanced at Shangguan Ze indifferently. “Is there something you need?”

“Well, I wanted to take the Madam to the Baihua Mountain Taoist Temple to pray for blessings. I heard that Taoist Baiyun has returned from his travels. As you know, I’ve been having a rough time lately and feel like I’m attracting troublemakers.”

[Oh dear, is the heart-wrenching plot about to unfold?]

Plot?

Both the Concubine De and Changping were confused.

[According to the previous chapters, while Auntie was at the temple praying with the scumbag, she would encounter the concubine and the concubine’s child.

The scumbag, exploiting Auntie’s kindness and weakness, orchestrated a scheme to manipulate her.

Auntie, who especially loves children, would end up adopting the concubine’s child as her own after hearing the scumbag’s suggestion.]

Unbeknownst to her, this was like inviting a wolf into the house.

When the concubine’s son turned ten, the Prince Concubine brought him back to recognize the concubine.

Changping continued to be deceived by the scumbag and the concubine’s son. Until her death, she witnessed the three of them becoming a family, happily living together, which left Changping empty-handed and heartbroken, dying with resentment.

Changping: ???

No.

She was so furious she could hardly breathe.

How could Shangguan Ze—this heartless, ungrateful person—scheme against her like this!

After eight years of marriage, even if it were a dog, there should be some affection, right?

How could Shangguan Ze do such a despicable thing to his first wife?

Even as an observer, the Concubine De was extremely angry, feeling a pang in her chest.

She wanted to urge the Tyrant Emperor to have Shangguan Ze dealt with.

But wouldn’t that be too lenient for Shangguan Ze?

Shangguan Ze looked at Changping and wondered why her eyes seemed to radiate murderous intent.

Usually, the princess was gentle and mild-mannered.

What was going on today?

He glanced at the blood toad on the table and wondered if the thing had had an effect.

It seemed today’s visit to the Taoist temple might actually work out!

“Ping’er, look at the nice weather today…”

“Alright, let’s go to the Taoist temple. Concubine De and Ah Bao can come along too, right?”

The Concubine De nodded. “Sure, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Baihua Mountain. It’s a good chance to see Taoist Baiyun.”

When they arrived at the Baihua Mountain Taoist Temple, it was approaching noon.

Princess Changping and the Concubine De, carrying Ah Bao, had just entered the temple when they saw Concubine Rou and Concubine Hui approaching from afar.

The two had entered from another mountain gate. Concubine Rou looked much better than a few days ago, while Concubine Hui was accompanying her and talking to her.

“Concubine Rou, I really don’t think you’re ill. There’s no need to come all the way out of the palace to pray for blessings,” Concubine Hui suggested softly.