Yun Yueyin, kneeling on the ground, felt her knees were about to give out.
The cold from the bluestone floor seeped into her knees.
She had been kneeling for a very long time.
She had spoken so many words of repentance, yet the Princess of Ningde before her hadn't even looked at her.
Nor had she told her to rise, and not daring to rise, she remained kneeling.
This was all the bitter fruit she had sown! She had never imagined that she would one day kneel before the Princess of Ningde. In the past, she had wished the Princess of Ningde would kneel before her.
Despite her unwillingness, she knew the Princess of Ningde before her was unfathomably powerful.
In Xixia, she had to rely on others, and even her name was fake.
"Yun Yueyin, there's no need to put on an act in front of me. I know very well what kind of person you were, otherwise, do you think I would have allowed you to marry Zhen Xu?" Princess Ningde finally spoke.
But the words that came out of her mouth made Yun Yueyin feel as if her clothes had been stripped off, and all her secrets were exposed, leaving her as if she were in an ice and snow world.
So, Princess Ningde knew everything about her!
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. "I know even better that to restore your appearance, you can never conceive, and you even have to take medicine daily to maintain it. Yun Yueyin, you've done many things that have displeased me recently. How do you think I should punish you?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Yueyin trembled uncontrollably, looking at Princess Ningde in panic. "I... I am willing to accept punishment. As long as it makes Your Highness happy, I will do anything you ask."
If she could survive, there would be hope for the future. She absolutely could not die now!
"Give yourself a few slaps to show me your sincerity," Princess Ningde said, walking over and looking down at Yun Yueyin.
Princess Ningde had never taken this Yun Yueyin seriously from the beginning; she was merely a chess piece to be used. But now, she had truly overstepped her bounds.
Yun Yueyin was stunned, feeling immense humiliation, yet she dared not disobey. She could only raise her hand and slap her own face.
One slap after another.
As long as Princess Ningde did not say stop, she dared not stop.
Why was heaven so cruel to her? In the past, there was Yun Shu who overshadowed her, and now there was Princess Ningde.
Watching Yun Yueyin's face swell up, Princess Ningde's face showed a hint of a smile. "Speak, you said you had something important to say earlier. What is it?"
Yun Yueyin felt her face burning, her head swimming. She knew she must look utterly pathetic, but without bothering to look in a mirror, she wanted to make Princess Ningde give up her intention to kill her. This was a good opportunity to earn merit.
"Since Your Highness knows I am Yun Yueyin, you must also know of Yun Shu. The General has been secretly looking for her. I already know where she is hiding." Yun Yueyin said in a deep voice, enduring the swelling on her face.
Princess Ningde's gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Yun Shu?"
"Yes! This person is far away yet close at hand. It's Ning Ruan! Ning Ruan is Yun Shu!" Yun Yueyin stated directly, without beating around the bush.
Princess Ningde's expression instantly turned cold. "What did you say?!"
"If not for some events that happened yesterday, I wouldn't be so certain. But now I can be absolutely sure that Ning Ruan is Yun Shu. Your Highness, she has come to the Pingyang Prince's mansion under a false name, surely with some ulterior motive. She has always been cunning and treacherous, so we must be wary! Moreover, her appearance in Xixia is likely to compete with Your Highness for Prince Jin." Yun Yueyin kept her eyes on Princess Ningde.
She wanted to judge from Princess Ningde's changing expression. If Li De knew about the Night King, then perhaps Princess Ningde also knew!
Otherwise, why would Princess Ningde have such a reaction upon hearing the name Yun Shu?
She muttered to herself, didn't Princess Ningde think she was capable? Then how could she have been fooled by Yun Shu? Letting Yun Shu stay under her nose for so long?
Princess Ningde, who usually remained unfazed by anything in front of others, was now losing control of her emotions!
Ning Ruan was actually Yun Shu!
Thinking back to the information she had gathered about Yun Shu, it mentioned that Yun Shu knew martial arts and was skilled in medicine. She had harbored doubts before, but seeing Ning Ruan's extremely ordinary face had dispelled them.
And now, Ning Ruan was Yun Shu!
Then her brother...
Could it be that Yun Shu had deliberately seduced her brother?
Princess Ningde clenched her fists tightly.
"I heard that Yun Shu will be coming to the mansion tomorrow. Prepare to capture her then, and her identity will be confirmed!" Yun Yueyin suggested with shining eyes.
Princess Ningde cast a cold glance at Yun Yueyin. "Get out."
Yun Yueyin felt deeply humiliated but knew there was nothing she could do. She could only withdraw in shame.
After Yun Yueyin left, Princess Ningde's mind kept replaying the scenes of her private conversations with Ning Ruan.
She had asked Ning Ruan if she had a sweetheart, a fiancé, and so on.
Ning Ruan's answers had all been concise.
So... so that's how it was!
Princess Ningde grabbed a porcelain bottle and hurled it towards the door.
With a loud crash.
Zhen Lin, who was about to enter, almost stepped on the fragments.
He looked at the broken pieces on the ground and then at her with concern. "I heard a servant say Zhen Xu's wife came to see you. Did she say something she shouldn't have and angered you? Whether it's Zhen Xu or his wife, you don't have to see them, you don't need to take them seriously. It's not worth getting upset over."
Listening to Zhen Lin's concerned words, Princess Ningde's eyes reddened with anger, but now they were reddened with heartache. Her only brother had been toyed with by Yun Shu!
"It seems you have indeed been wronged. I'll go see Zhen Xu," Zhen Lin's expression turned cold.
After everything that happened yesterday, Zhen Xu was almost dead, and he still hadn't learned his lesson!
"Brother, it's not because of Zhen Xu," Princess Ningde stopped Zhen Lin.
A mere Zhen Xu, a mere Yun Yueyin, could not make her angry to this extent.
Zhen Lin was somewhat surprised and confused. "Not because of them? Then what is it about?"
Princess Ningde looked at her perfect brother, whose heart had now been completely deceived by Yun Shu. The fire of anger burned within her. Of course, there was also the realization of her own arrogance in the past two times!
The entire day today had made her restless, and the scenes that made her heart race were all due to her own presumptuousness!
Zhan Tianye was protecting Yun Shu!
Zhen Lin noticed Ning De's abnormality, stepped over the fragments, and approached her with a solemn expression. "Ning De, no matter what has happened, I am your support. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Princess Ningde felt a pang of reluctance but knew she had to tell the truth now!
She couldn't let her brother continue to be infatuated, continue to be deceived by Yun Shu!
She grabbed Zhen Lin's arm and said gravely, "Brother, you have been deceived. You and I have both been deceived."
"Deceived?"
Zhen Lin was somewhat stunned.