As the words fell, Zou Yunming’s head snapped up, his face a mask of terror as he looked at the woman who had spoken such vicious words with a smile.
His heart felt as if it had been dropped into the depths of a cold abyss, instantly consumed by an icy chill.
Fear, dread, avoiding her like a venomous snake.
He couldn’t help but think—she truly is the Regent’s Consort.
They were a match made in heaven, these two ruthless individuals, as formidable as the bloodthirsty Regent himself.
Xuan Yi also looked up at Nan Shiying, unable to discern whether her words were meant to frighten the palace maid or if she genuinely intended to extract a heart from a living body.
He could only obey: “Yes.”
As he spoke, he drew a dagger from his怀中 and knelt, pinning Xiao Cui’s body. Xiao Cui’s face immediately contorted in extreme terror.
He raised the blade. Zou Yunming, standing so close, shut his eyes in fear.
“Wait.”
Nan Shiying suddenly called out, stopping Xuan Yi.
Zou Yunming breathed a sigh of relief. Good, this woman was just trying to scare her.
The dagger halted a few centimeters from Xiao Cui’s chest. Xuan Yi looked up at Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying slowly rose and walked to Xiao Cui’s side, instructing Xuan Yi hand-in-hand: “Your position is wrong. You’ll pierce the heart. You need to strike from here. Don't hesitate, plunge it in directly, and then follow this line on her chest to peel open her torso. Then, you’ll see a fresh, still-beating heart.”
“When you cut the blood vessels connected to the heart, she won’t die. She’ll hold on to her last breath until you’ve severed all the vessels and removed the entire heart, able to cast one final glance at the color of her own heart. What an interesting thing that would be!”
She spoke with a sigh, as if the person before her was not a living being, but a toy for her to play with.
She spoke so lightly, so lightly that it seemed to mask all her bloodlust and cruelty.
Yet, whether it was Zou Yunming, Xiao Cui, or even Xuan Yi, they all felt an ineffable dread.
“What are you looking at? Get to it!”
Nan Shiying glanced at Xuan Yi. Xuan Yi immediately lowered his head in fear, not daring to hesitate, and raised his hand again.
“I’ll tell, I’ll tell!”
Xiao Cui, after all, was terrified. She cried out loudly, “It was the Empress Dowager, it was the Empress Dowager.”
Nan Shiying tutted, as if it were a great pity that she couldn’t peel open her chest and extract her heart.
She rose and sat back down on the soft couch, looking at Zou Yunming with a smile: “Interested in playing a bigger game?”
Zou Yunming looked at Nan Shiying with a ashen face. Did he have a choice but to say yes?
…
Qin Xiaorong, the daughter of Marquis Jinyang, was led to the Imperial Garden by a palace maid.
“Miss Qin, please wait a moment longer. Sister Ruyu will be here shortly.” A palace maid led Qin Xiaorong to the rockery in the Imperial Garden and whispered.
Ruyu was the Empress Dowager’s personal palace maid. Whenever the Empress Dowager had any instructions, she would dispatch Ruyu to see her. Qin Xiaorong didn’t suspect anything, but she was somewhat annoyed at having to wait for a palace maid. She snapped at the maid, “Tell her to come quickly, this young lady still has a lively event to attend!”
The Regent’s Consort had been splashed with wine by Zou Yun’er’s palace maid, and her change of clothes had taken so long. Before she emerged from the pavilion, the ladies and madams from various households were discussing going to look for her. If she returned late, wouldn’t she miss out on a tremendous spectacle?
She truly wanted to see with her own eyes the scene of Nan Shiying and Zou Yunming rolling together!
“Yes!”
The palace maid nodded. As she turned to leave, a cold smile flickered across her lips.
Qin Xiaorong’s mother was the Empress Dowager’s own younger sister. The Empress Dowager had no daughters, so she treated her sister’s daughter as a precious treasure, showering her with affection.
If one were to ask who the Empress Dowager cared about most.
The first was the Emperor Ji Hong, and the second was Qin Xiaorong, the daughter of Marquis Jinyang.
She had also been spoiled by the Empress Dowager to the point of being lawless, not only having a fiery temper but also a malicious nature, frequently beating and kicking her maids. She had even, on one occasion, killed one of her father’s concubines.
Inside the rockery, Zou Yunming looked bitterly at a delicate and beautiful figure appearing outside.
He had never imagined that the person the Consort had asked him to deal with was the Empress Dowager’s most beloved niece.
But he had no choice.
Zou Yunming understood that this was not only his token of allegiance but also the Consort’s punishment for him.
A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into Qin Xiaorong’s nostrils, like the blended scent of a hundred flowers in the garden.
Qin Xiaorong sniffed and found the scent truly pleasant.
As she inhaled, she suddenly felt a wave of heat. She tugged at her collar, revealing her fair skin, which made Zou Yunming feel flustered.
So potent!
He had seen no less than eight hundred, perhaps a thousand, aphrodisiacs and love potions, yet he had never encountered one that took effect so quickly or had such a powerful potency.
Qin Xiaorong felt a surge of heat in her heart, as if thousands of ants were crawling and biting within her body.
Zou Yunming could no longer bear it and rushed out. He clapped a hand over Qin Xiaorong’s mouth and, dragging her along, pulled her into the rockery.
Instantly, the mountain was filled with the sounds of passion, intertwining endlessly.
…
Nan Yuan’er suggested they go find Nan Shiying. Zou Yun’er glanced at her, pondered for a moment, then stood up and joined the others heading towards the side chambers.
As they walked out of the pavilion and approached the arched gate, they saw Nan Shiying.
Marquis Jinyang’s wife saw Nan Shiying and was slightly startled. How could this be?
Nan Shiying looked at everyone, her gaze falling on Marquis Jinyang’s wife. Marquis Jinyang’s wife slightly lowered her eyes, not daring to meet her gaze. Nan Shiying suddenly smiled and said, “What, did I take too long to change? Has the banquet ended?”
Everyone looked at each other. Finally, Zou Yun’er said with a smile, “Everyone’s grown tired of sitting and wants to go to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers.”
Everyone quickly nodded in agreement.
Nan Shiying smiled, “If that’s the case, let’s go together. I also wish to stroll through the Imperial Garden again.”
The others had no choice but to go to the Imperial Garden together.
As they passed a rockery, everyone suddenly heard sounds like groans and moans, panting that stirred a thousand desires.
“This—”
Everyone’s expressions changed instantly.
Marquis Jinyang’s wife’s heart gave a heavy leap.