Everyone Wants To Harm Me - Chapter 82

I said to Prince Xin, “There are too many eyes in the palace. Your Highness really shouldn’t take the risk of meeting me at a time like this.”

At the last wedding banquet, he had insisted I couldn’t afford even the slightest mishap—not even a sliver of risk. And now he was suddenly unafraid of implicating me?

Prince Xin replied, “I truly had no choice. I haven’t found another chance to meet with Sister Yao. Unfortunately, the situation has become urgent. I’m stuck in a dead end and can only ask for your help. The Dowager Consort is watching from outside, so let’s talk quickly.”

I asked, “What difficulties are you facing, Your Highness? Is there any way I can help?”

“I’ve gone over the diagram Sister Yao gave me last time again and again. I’ve used every means at my disposal. But this is still the emperor’s court, after all.”

I was puzzled. “What I can do is limited. I can’t sway public support. That’s something only Your Highness can achieve.”

Prince Xin said, “True, that’s my responsibility. But times change and so does the situation. Over the past two months, things have shifted so often that I still need your insight to help revise the plan and adapt as needed.”

“Your Highness wants more insider information?” I understood. “A few days ago, when Ganlu Hall collapsed, I did notice a few signs. But they were only small details.”

“The opportunity might be hidden in those very details,” Prince Xin said as he stood, retrieving pen and ink. “The little prince is all ears.”

I picked up the brush and dipped it into the ink. But before writing, I paused and asked him, “If Your Highness really ascends to the throne someday, national affairs will only become more complex and volatile. Will you always need my assistance?”

“Right now, I am powerless and isolated. I have no one but Sister Yao to rely on,” Prince Xin said with a smile. “But if I truly rise to power, all the talents under heaven will be mine. How could I burden a woman with the affairs of a nation?” He smiled again and said, “Don’t worry, Sister Yao. I’ll keep the promise I made to you. If a ruler can’t keep his word or regrets his own decisions, how can he inspire loyalty among his subjects?”

“Will Your Highness swear to it?”

“If I break my promise,” Prince Xin suddenly sneered, “then may I have a shorter lifespan and fewer heirs than the emperor, may all my efforts be for nothing, and may everything I do benefit others.”

It had been His Majesty’s broken promises and blame-shifting that forced Prince Xin into years of hardship, walking on thin ice. If the Emperor had openly said he changed his mind and wanted to make his own son the heir, at least Prince Xin could have lived safely as a prince—without constantly fearing for his life.

I wrote down a few names on the paper and told Prince Xin what I had observed of their unexpected behavior and thoughts that day.

“So the General of the Cavalry, though not on good terms with the Grand Tutor, is fiercely loyal to the emperor and would protect him with his life. I had no idea where to begin or whether I should approach him. Luckily, Sister Yao told me in time. Otherwise, he might’ve testified before the emperor or even arrested me on the spot—I would’ve been digging my own grave.” Prince Xin placed his hand on the paper and leaned closer. “Sister Yao, you’ve saved my life again. I will repay you with a generous gift in the future.”

“I don’t want any generous gift.” I set the brush down and sat back. “Just remember the promise you made to me.”

When I left the flower hall after the conversation, Dowager Consort De had already scolded Lan Yue and sent her back to her courtyard. Her manner and expression were much more subdued now.

She took the initiative to greet me and bowed respectfully to Prince Xin. “Your Highness must be tired from organizing the Dowager Consort’s birthday today. Let this consort escort Elder Sister back.”

Since it wasn’t appropriate for Prince Xin to send me off himself, he didn’t object.

I said, “You two are newlyweds. Princess, you should stay and attend to His Highness—there’s no need to see me off.”

Lan Yue’s gaze was full of thorns. You’re really shameless—flirting with a married man and then pretending to be so generous in front of me. Are you mocking me? Showing off? You’re stepping all over my pride!

I had forgotten to remind Prince Xin to go back and comfort her. Even if he couldn’t tell her about the larger plan, at the very least, he shouldn’t let her misunderstand and act rashly out of jealousy.

I glanced back at Prince Xin. He smiled and nodded at me, but I couldn’t tell if he understood.

Lan Yue came forward and took my arm. “There’s a memorial altar for Consort Aunt in Yanning Palace. Since I’m here, I ought to pay my respects. I also have a few private words I’d like to share with Elder Sister.”

We had never held hands like this before. It felt unnatural and awkward. We kept bumping into each other as we walked. When we left Shoukang Palace, I pulled my hand away and kept a distance.

Lan Yue said nothing and continued walking beside me.

But her heart was far from calm.

While crossing the garden bridge, she thought about pushing me into the pond. When she saw a pear tree, she imagined stringing me up with one of its branches. At the palace gates, she eyed the guards’ swords and fantasized about becoming mistress of the harem one day, ordering them to drag me out and hack me to death. Then she revised her plan—maybe she could just scar my face with a knife.

She imagined killing me seven or eight different ways just on the walk over.

When we arrived at the Buddhist hall in Yanning Palace, the first thing Lan Yue did wasn’t to pay respects to Aunt’s spirit—it was to scan the room, examining every object.

I saw her calculating: there were many prayer flags made of fabric and paper—easily flammable. When I  light incense for her aunt, I’d pretend to knock over a candle, igniting the drapes and flags. She’d surely panic and rush to put out the fire—then I’d knock her out from behind with a candlestick, drip hot wax on her face to disfigure her, then fan the flames and cry for help, saying the temple caught fire accidentally. She’d be found unconscious, burned by melted wax and flame, while I walked away unscathed.

The plan was detailed. It wasn’t just a passing impulse anymore.

Lan Yue was intelligent and bold—but no one had ever taught her where to direct her talents.

I stood at the door and said, “You can go in and worship on your own.”

She was caught off guard and flustered. “Ah… you’re not going in with me?”

“I’m dressed for the birthday celebration, not mourning. I’ll change clothes before I pay my respects.”

Lan Yue took a step back. “Then I shouldn’t go in either. I’m dressed in bright colors.”

“You’re a newlywed. Aunt would be happy to see you married. It’s fine.” I turned and called for a maid from Yanning Palace to accompany her instead.

I returned to my side hall, removed my formal clothes and hair ornaments, and changed into plain mourning garments.

After her worship, Lan Yue came to find me. She told the maid at the door, “The County Princess wants to speak with me. You can leave us.”

It was clearly the other way around, but she always acted like she had the upper hand.

After entering the room, she started scheming again. She looked at the bed curtains and thought of fire, but it was daytime and there were no candles. She noticed an incense burner by the couch and wondered if that would work. She considered kicking it under the curtains.

But while she planned, she thought: Why bother with all this? Why not just press her down and burn her face with the incense? That’d be satisfying and effective.

She wouldn’t be satisfied unless I was disfigured.

I asked her, “Lan Yue, why do you think the Imperial Consort was favored in the palace for twenty years?”

Lan Yue, about to shift the incense burner, froze and answered, “Ah… the Imperial Consort? Because she shared hardships with the emperor and built a deep bond.”

“Not her beauty?”

Lan Yue hesitated. “If you serve someone with beauty alone, that affection fades when the beauty fades. The palace is full of beautiful women. Beauty doesn’t last.”

“Exactly. You understand the logic. So why are you so obsessed when it comes to yourself?”

Her expression changed. She staggered back a step. “You…”

As she moved, the incense burner came into view—the lid already open.

I pulled out a burning stick of incense and asked her, “Do you think the emperor gave me the title of County Princess, assigned me to marry the Third Prince five years my junior, and kept me in the palace for so long—all because of my face?” I placed the incense in her hand. “Want to try? Burn a few scars on my face and see if the emperor changes his mind. If it were that simple, I’d gladly be disfigured.”

Lan Yue stared at me in shock.

I took her hand and held it to my face. “Believe me, for every scar you put on my face, a head will fall—yours, Prince Xin’s, your mother’s, everyone in the Duke’s household. You’ll all die.”

Lan Yue yanked her hand away and screamed. She threw the incense stick down, saw it still smoldering, and frantically stamped it out. Then she turned to me, trembling. “Are you… insane?”

I brushed the ash from my hand and stood. “Lan Yue, this palace isn’t what it seems. You’re a princess now. Don’t act on impulse. Think things through. If you don’t understand now, wait a while. Be patient—it’s better than doing something you’ll regret.”

“Be patient…” Lan Yue sneered. “I’ve been patient for a month! On our wedding night, the groom disappeared. You think I didn’t know? He went to the West Wing to meet with you! You two came to the palace for the birthday banquet and… You expect me to act like nothing’s wrong?”

“We’re not—”

“If it weren’t for you, why would he stay celibate? We’ve been married a month and he hasn’t come to my room once!”

I was stunned. So this was the real reason for her resentment. The emperor had wanted to wait until Prince Xin married and had children before killing him. Prince Xin said he knew his limits—but who knew his “limit” meant keeping his own wife at a distance?

But I didn’t know how to explain. “He personally requested to marry you—three matchmakers, six betrothal gifts, everything formal. No one forced him… maybe he had his reasons.”

“No one forced him? Then why did he say to the Concubine Dowager, ‘I must marry a daughter of the He family, but you married me to the wrong one’?” Lan Yue stepped back, eyes brimming with tears. “I know you two were close from childhood. He originally wanted to marry you, but the Concubine Dowager refused. Then you disappeared. He needed grandfather’s support, so he settled for me. But you came back, were betrothed to the Third Prince… and he was poisoned—was that really someone else’s doing? Why did His Highness secretly inform the palace about it?”

So the poisoning of the Third Prince hadn’t been discovered by chance—it had been revealed by Prince Xin himself? Didn’t he say keeping the Sixth Prince’s power would help him? Why had he changed his mind?

“I’ve seen him invite people to his residence more than once to discuss how to deal with the Third Prince… Isn’t it all because of you?”

I finally said, “Lan Yue, you take romance too seriously. Prince Xin and I were never childhood sweethearts, let alone deeply in love. If he really wanted to marry me, he had the chance when I returned before entering the palace. Did he show any intention then? Didn’t he marry you without issue? He wouldn’t even break an engagement for me—why would he risk his life for me? Don’t just listen to his words or guess his thoughts. Look at what he actually does.”

I had heard this advice many times. Now I was using it to lecture someone else—but had I really lived by it myself?

Lan Yue stared at me with tear-filled eyes, half in belief, half in doubt.

Just then, a maid entered and announced that Princess Yongjia had sent someone to invite me to Zhaoyang Palace.

She had paid respects at Shoukang Palace in the morning but had already left before I arrived. Why call for me now?

I went out and asked the maid, “Did the princess say why she summoned me?”

“She said she received a letter from Zhending Prefecture,” the maid replied, “but she doesn’t understand its contents. She asked the County Princess to help interpret it.”