Chapter 25: Provoked to Blood, A Heart That Seems Heartless Despite Its Affection

“Being a commoner, daring to covet a princess consort is a capital offense. I am merely upholding the royal law. By what authority does Li Tan Hua question me?”

Lin Shiyin’s words struck like thunder.

Li Xunhuan was stunned, staring at Lin Shiyin in disbelief. “Cousin, what did you just say?”

Princess consort? His cousin Lin Shiyin was a princess consort?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Lin Shiyin’s demeanor shifted dramatically, radiating the proud grace of a phoenix. Every gesture was filled with noble elegance. “Do you need me to repeat it? I am the secondary wife of Prince Su. That scoundrel Long Xiaoyun dares to covet me—just for that alone, he deserves death.”

“Pfft!”

Li Xunhuan spat a mouthful of blood, half-kneeling on the ground, eyes wide with shock. “No, Shiyin, how could you be...”

A flicker of pity flashed in Lin Shiyin’s eyes, but recalling the top-secret message from the covert guards, she steeled her heart. “You discarded me like a worn-out shoe, yet someone else cherishes me like a treasure.”

“Your Highness is unparalleled in talent and peerless in martial arts. For him to notice Shiyin is a blessing that comes from lifetimes of good fortune. Cousin, why be so shocked?”

“Shiyin’s rebirth, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, is all thanks to Your Highness’s nurturing.”

“No, it shouldn’t be like this, it just shouldn’t.”

“How could it come to this? How did it turn out this way?”

Li Xunhuan murmured to himself. How could he have treated Lin Shiyin with such disregard? He had only...

Thinking of his deeds and the heartbroken look on Lin Shiyin’s face, Li Xunhuan was rendered speechless, unable to accept it.

A sweet taste flooded his throat as he coughed up another mouthful of blood, then fainted outright.

“Cousin...”

Lin Shiyin instinctively showed concern, but considering her current status and purpose, she forced herself to withdraw the hand she wanted to extend.

“Master!”

Tie Chuanjia’s worried shout drew near.

Tie Chuanjia hurried to the unconscious Li Xunhuan, lifting him in his arms, then looked coldly at Lin Shiyin. “Miss Cousin, what exactly have you done to Master?”

“Take away the things on the ground.”

“When Master wakes, he will tell you.”

With a flick of her sleeve, Lin Shiyin lightly tapped her toe back and then spun gracefully, leading Lian Nishang and the others, vanishing like ethereal spirits before Tie Chuanjia and Li Xunhuan’s eyes.

“Sigh!”

Tie Chuanjia heaved a heavy sigh, then his gaze sharpened as he noticed the scattered items on the ground. “What is this? That bastard Long Xiaoyun really is no good.”

After placing Li Xunhuan into the carriage, Tie Chuanjia quickly gathered the documents.

They bore the seals of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Dragon Guard Manor, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard—each case confirmed and verified. Tie Chuanjia’s eyes burned with fury, wishing he could tear apart Long Xiaoyun’s name and burn him to ashes.

But no matter how great his anger, Li Xunhuan’s safety came first. Tie Chuanjia could only suppress his rage for now and hastily urged the carriage toward Jiayuguan Pass.

Watching the carriage speed away, Lian Nishang and Lin Shiyin, who had hidden nearby, emerged.

“Don’t you fear that Li Xunhuan will hate you forever for what you did?”

“Let him hate me,” Lin Shiyin sighed, shaking her head. “Rumors swirl in the capital. To curb His Highness’s power, the emperor desperately courts various factions and experts. Since cousin has distanced himself from court, he should not have been swayed by the emperor to return to Ming.”

“At such a critical moment, it’s better for him to hate me than to lose his life in vain.”

“Pity he may never understand your good intentions,” Lian Nishang said sympathetically, glancing at Lin Shiyin. “Your words have shattered his spirit. Though he may not lose his skill level, to wield the famed Little Li Flying Dagger again as before—that’s impossible in a few years.”

To defeat a person, one need not kill them.

Sometimes, striking the heart is more effective than killing.

And by coincidence, no one knows Li Xunhuan’s heart better, or can pierce it deeper, than Lin Shiyin.

“It’s done. Let’s report back to His Highness,” Lin Shiyin bit her lip, a trace of sorrow in her eyes. People are not trees or grass; who can be completely heartless? She knew how deeply her words would affect cousin Li Xunhuan, perhaps driving him to despair. But it was better than letting him be dragged into a whirlpool that threatened countless lives.

Seven scholars in one family, three generations of top scholars—the Li family’s prominence was unparalleled.

Though her cousin had wronged her, they had grown up together innocently, and he had cared for her. The Li family’s uncle treated her like his own. She could not bear to see the Li family’s lineage end with Li Xunhuan.

This was the last thing Lin Shiyin could do for Li Xunhuan and the Li family.

“Ah, is it that you’re in such a hurry to report back, or do you want to go complain to His Highness and perhaps cozy up to him again, just like before?”

A teasing, playful voice rang out.

Lin Shiyin blushed as if the words had struck a nerve.

“Blushing! Sister Shiyin is blushing... hmm hmm hmm.”

Lin Shiyin quickly covered the mouth of the cheeky girl and said kindly, “If you keep babbling nonsense, believe me, you’ll have no food when we return, and I’ll hang you up and press your body with the Cold Ice Fiery Palm.”

The pretty young woman who had spoken blinked rapidly, signaling she understood and would stop her ‘nonsense’.

Only then did Lin Shiyin release her.

“Actually...”

Lian Nishang opened her mouth but then said nothing.

Having read Li Xunhuan’s intelligence several times, she knew he was a man deeply in love. If Lin Shiyin spoke gently, she might be able to persuade him to leave.

But Lin Shiyin had chosen a merciless approach.

“No wonder His Highness says, when women are passionate, they touch the heart deeply; when women are ruthless, they wound the soul cruelly.”

Lian Nishang glanced at Lin Shiyin and truly understood the saying for the first time.

Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Lin Shiyin murmured, “Cousin, you should never have come back.”

The Little Li Flying Dagger was the most formidable hidden weapon in the world. Even though she knew clearly Li Xunhuan’s daggers could never threaten her prince, as long as there was the slightest danger, she had to stop it in advance.

Once the carriage was far away, the group set off on their return journey.

“Sister Nishang, how did Sister Shiyin become His Highness’s secondary wife? Why didn’t Qing’er know?”

“And that Li Xunhuan is such a fool—he listened to all that nonsense and even coughed up blood. Who dares to call themselves ‘Her Highness’ as a secondary wife? Sister Shiyin isn’t afraid that Sister Wangqing will cause her trouble?”

“You know too much.”

“Sister Nishang, this girl talks too much. When we return, make her recite the ‘Memorial on the Expedition’ a hundred times. What do you say?”

“Shiyin’s suggestion is good. Add the ‘Lessons for Women’ and the ‘Inner Training’ too.”

“No! I’m not curious anymore, is that so wrong?”