The First Jasmine - Chapter 149
Chapter 149 - Seeking Death
"Miss Ye..." Looking at the young woman before her who was still busy handling her own affairs in an orderly manner, Su Zuidie frowned in displeasure. "Do you truly not understand the slightest bit of hospitality?"
Ye Li looked up and glanced at her, saying softly, "There are plenty of Miss Yes in this world, but there is only one Princess Consort Ding. If Noble Consort Bai knows even a fraction of how a guest ought to behave, this Princess Consort will naturally understand what hospitality is. Noble Consort Bai, please take a seat. Serve tea." Su Zuidie gently bit her cherry lips; confirming that Ye Li indeed did not place her in her eyes at all, she gave a light snort, turned around, and sat down off to the side.
Before long, someone outside the door served tea, placed it in front of Su Zuidie, and silently withdrew.
Only after writing the last character on the memorial in her hand did Ye Li set down her brush, look up at Su Zuidie, and say, "Does Noble Consort Bai have some matter to seek this Princess Consort for?" Su Zuidie looked at Zhuo Jing and Lin Han, who were sitting off to the side, and said, "Zuidie has some matters she wishes to speak with the Princess Consort about in private." Ye Li pursed her lips and smiled: "There is no need for that. Not only are the two of them my capable assistants, but they are also fiercely loyal to Prince Ding's Manor and My Lord. No matter what Noble Consort Bai wishes to say, there is no need to avoid them." Su Zuidie was immensely annoyed by Ye Li's complete imperviousness to both polite persuasion and force, yet she was utterly helpless. This was because Ye Li clearly demonstrated that she did not have the slightest shred of interest in what Su Zuidie wanted to say. Out of options, Su Zuidie could only stare at Ye Li and ask, "Does the Princess Consort not wish to know my identity?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow, smiled faintly, and said to Lin Han, "Lin Han, show that memorial from just now to Noble Consort Bai."
Lin Han responded, rising to deliver the memorial to Su Zuidie. Su Zuidie cast a somewhat strange look at Ye Li before opening the memorial in her hands; the further she read down, the paler her face grew. The memorial detailed her affairs in Western Ling over these past few years with absolute clarity. After all, even if Su Zuidie had changed her name and surname in Western Ling, she had not been overly subtle. But she was still the Western Ling Emperor's most favored consort; how could she possibly fade completely from everyone's sight? As long as one knew that Bai Long was Su Zuidie, investigating her background became as easy as could be. Setting down the memorial in her hand somewhat dejectedly, Su Zuidie looked at Ye Li—whose expression was calm and indifferent—only feeling even more humiliated in her heart. "These... does Xiurao know all of these?" Ye Li said, "I was just preparing to send it over to him in a moment."
"I won't allow you to show it to him!" Su Zuidie shrieked in a high-pitched voice. Off to the side, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han both frowned in unison. Looking at the peerless beauty who had finally lost her composure, even more disapproval appeared in their eyes; their Princess Consort would never engage in such an unseemly and impolite display.
Ye Li lifted the tea on the desk and took a sip. The slightly bitter, cool tea caused her delicate brows to knit slightly as she looked up, asking in confusion, "Why?"
"Why... why... In any case, I won't allow you to show it to him!" Su Zuidie demanded aggressively. Ye Li said indifferently, "Noble Consort Bai misunderstands. What this Princess Consort asked was: why do you assume I would listen to your words?"
"You..." Su Zuidie's face turned from blue to white, and only after a long moment did she seem to finally regain her composure. Sitting back down, she even raised her hand quite elegantly to brush off her white dress, smiling charmingly at Ye Li: "I know the Princess Consort is jealous of me, isn't that right? That makes sense; after all, I am the one who grew up together with Xiurao from childhood. Even if I left him back then because I was young and ignorant, now that I have returned, Xiurao will forgive me sooner or later. You are afraid, aren't you?" Ye Li looked at Su Zuidie silently, then lowered her head to continue reading the memorials on her desk. Su Zuidie covered her lips and giggled, saying, "Xiurao and I grew up together from childhood; he could never bear to see me work hard or suffer. Seeing how hard you work, once Xiurao and I make up in the future, I will leave a place for you to reside as well."
Ye Li rubbed the space between her eyebrows. Looking at the woman before her who was thoroughly enjoying her own solo performance, she twitched the corners of her mouth and said, "Go invite His Highness over. Say that Noble Consort Bai is suffering from a bout of hysteria."
Zhuo Jing's facial expression contorted slightly, and he quickly rose and bolted out the door.
Mo Xiurao arrived very quickly. When he came in, Su Zuidie was staring blankly at Ye Li. Su Zuidie now somewhat believed the Prince of Zhennan's words: Ye Li was definitely the most difficult woman to deal with she had ever encountered in her entire life. Whether it was Noble Consort Liu, who had once been nearly her equal back in the Chu Capital, or the former Empress and even the current Empress in the Western Ling Imperial Palace who had nearly killed her, all of them were completely different from Ye Li.
Su Zuidie prided herself on having seen many people in her life, yet she had never seen a woman like Ye Li. Neither sowing discord nor provoking anger worked on her at all; it was as if she were completely incapable of getting angry or feel jealous. Facing her, Su Zuidie even felt like a clown.
"Xiurao..." Seeing Mo Xiurao come in, Su Zuidie blinked her eyes and stepped forward to greet him. Standing at the doorway, Mo Xiurao's gaze swept over her indifferently, quickly landing on Ye Li, who remained seated behind the desk, as he asked softly, "Ah Li, what happened?" Ye Li casually pointed her chin at Su Zuidie, who stood off to the side looking pitiful and delicate as she gazed at Mo Xiurao. Walking over to sit beside Ye Li, Mo Xiurao said, "Ah Li can just deal with it as you see fit; this Prince was just discussing military affairs with General Lv and the others." Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled, saying, "I wouldn't dare. Noble Consort Bai grew up with Your Highness from childhood, after all; no matter what, there is still some affection remaining." Mo Xiurao raised an eyebrow and said, "As the second young master of Prince Ding's Manor in my youth, how could this Prince have grown up with a young lady of the Western Ling Bai Clan?" Ye Li narrowed her eyes at him. "Then Noble Consort Bai..."
"Isn't Noble Consort Bai a captive we captured? Speaking of which, allowing a captive to run around freely in the manor is your negligence, Ah Li," Mo Xiurao said with a smile.
"Xiurao, you... you regard me as a captive?" Su Zuidie's body trembled as she asked with a sorrowful expression.
Mo Xiurao said indifferently, "As a noble consort of Western Ling, if you are not a captive, could it be that this Prince is collaborating with the enemy, committing treason, and hiding members of the enemy imperial family in secret?"
"You... you are so cruel..." Su Zuidie gazed at the two people sitting side by side before her with a aggrieved expression, tears falling like rain. Mo Xiurao gave a cold snort and said calmly, "Put away those antics of yours; using them on this Prince is a complete waste. This Prince assumes Han Mingyue passed along the words I said to you. Or... did you think this Prince was joking?" Su Zuidie trembled. That was right, Han Mingyue had indeed told her. However, she was far too confident in her own beauty, always believing that it was merely because Mo Xiurao had not seen her for too long. As long as Mo Xiurao saw her in person, he would definitely forgive her. Mo Xiurao smiled and said, "It's fine that you appeared on your own; this Prince was just worrying about having nowhere to find Han Mingyue. Stay obediently in the manor over these next few days. Once Han Mingyue arrives, this Prince will settle accounts with both of you together."
Su Zuidie was stunned for a moment before she asked, "In your eyes, am I not even as important as Han Mingyue? Do you hate me so much that you refuse to forgive me no matter what?"
Mo Xiurao said, "Han Mingyue is the Master of Heavenly One Pavilion, with spies and operatives spread throughout the world. What are you?"
This time, Su Zuidie truly believed that Mo Xiurao did not care about her at all. Han Mingyue was the Master of Heavenly One Pavilion; whether as a friend or an enemy, he was someone Mo Xiurao would not ignore. But what was she? The number one beauty under the heavens? If Mo Xiurao could truly be entranced by her beauty, how could she have brought herself to leave him back then?
"I love you..." Su Zuidie murmured in a low voice. No matter how many men she had possessed, even she herself could not deny that the only man she could truly love was the man before her.
Mo Xiurao looked with a trace of regret at Ye Li, who was sitting beside him resting her chin on her hand while watching the show; Ah Li had never said she loved him. If these words had been spoken by Ah Li... Just imagining it out of nowhere, Mo Xiurao felt his heart filled to the brim with a sense of complete happiness and delight. The joy in his heart felt as if it were about to burst forth from his chest.
"Xiurao..." Seeing Mo Xiurao lost in thought, Su Zuidie assumed he had softened, stepping forward in delight to grab him. Lowering his eyes, Mo Xiurao brushed Su Zuidie's hand aside without even raising his gaze, saying, "Since Ah Li says you are suffering from hysteria, go see a doctor. Zhuo Jing, turn around and invite a doctor to Noble Consort Bai's courtyard." Zhuo Jing rose and replied, "Subordinate obeys. Noble Consort Bai, this way please!" Su Zuidie gnashed her teeth, swatting Zhuo Jing's hand away with one hand as she turned back to glare at Mo Xiurao, saying sorrowfully, "I understand now. You will never forgive me, will you? Since that's the case, I might as well just die and be done with it!"
Saying so, she turned around and slammed herself fiercely against the pillar beside her. Zhuo Jing was standing merely a step away from her and could have pulled her back by simply raising his hand. Yet, who knew what Zhuo Jing was thinking; the hand he had raised put itself back down before even touching the hem of Su Zuidie's skirt. Thus, only a loud bang was heard as a trail of blood was left on the pillar. Su Zuidie's body went limp as she slowly slumped to the floor, the blood from her forehead trickling down her cheek. Su Zuidie raised her eyes to look at Mo Xiurao, who remained seated beside Ye Li without moving an inch, gnashing her teeth as she said, "You... you are so cruel..."
Looking at Su Zuidie, who had passed out, Ye Li let out a sigh in her heart. If she did not truly know what kind of person Su Zuidie was, Ye Li would really have been unable to resist pitying her in a scene like this. Su Zuidie was ruthless enough to herself, but she was equally unlucky. She had miscalculated the degree of Mo Xiurao's cold-heartedness toward her. How could the second in line to the throne of Prince Ding's Manor and current Prince Ding possibly be a kind-hearted person who repaid injury with kindness? A person like Mo Xiurao—Ye Li would not dare claim to know him intimately, but she at least understood him a little. When he loved someone, he wished for them to live; when he hated someone, he wished for them to die. If she were Su Zuidie, she would never choose to appear before Mo Xiurao again in this lifetime. Looking with a trace of regret at that delicate face stained with a bit of blood, she sighed softly, "I wonder if it will leave a scar." Mo Xiurao looked at her with a smile. "Is Ah Li worried about her?"
Ye Li glanced at him sideways and gave a cold laugh: "No, this Princess Consort is gloating over her misfortune."
Mo Xiurao nodded, speaking with great understanding: "This Prince understands; Ah Li is jealous. Ah Li may rest assured that in this Prince's eyes, no woman in this world can catch my eye except for Ah Li." Ye Li gave a soft snort and ignored Mo Xiurao. However, from the slightly upturned corners of her lips, one could still discern a tiny bit of joy and delight. Mo Xiurao sighed softly in his heart, pondering how he could coax Ah Li into personally admitting that she loved him.
Off to the side, Lin Han and Zhuo Jing very tactfully withdrew to find someone to carry the peerless beauty who had fainted on the floor back to her own courtyard for medical treatment. The Princess Consort had no interest in paying mind to her, and the Prince did not seem to be in the mood to care about her either. Although the injury on her forehead did not look life-threatening, in case she was unlucky, another peerless beauty would be lost to the world.
The courtyard where Su Zuidie temporarily resided was a somewhat secluded small courtyard within the Magistrate's Manor. Compared to the imperial manors and residences of high officials and nobility in the Capital, the Magistrate's Manor itself was not large; when the Magistrate's family originally lived here, it naturally seemed quite spacious. But now, no one knew where the Magistrate of Xinyang City had fled to; those residing here included not only Mo Xiurao and Ye Li, but also Marquis Nan and others, as well as most of the senior generals guarding Xinyang City. As a result, for Su Zuidie to still be allocated a separate small courtyard in a secluded corner of the inner residence was already considered preferential treatment.
Waking up from her unconsciousness, Su Zuidie reflexively touched her forehead. The thick gauze on her forehead and the sharp sense of pain made her feel both hatred and regret: hating Mo Xiurao's heartlessness—she knew clearly how high Mo Xiurao's martial arts skills were, and as long as Mo Xiurao did not want her to die, she would have been utterly unable to hit the pillar—and regretting her own impulse of the moment, if her peerless appearance was ruined because of this... Thinking up to this point, Su Zuidie quickly got out of bed and rushed toward the bronze mirror on the table. This small courtyard might have been where some unfavored concubine of the Magistrate used to live; although women's daily necessities were not lacking, they were completely different from what Su Zuidie was accustomed to using. None of these items were exquisite in the slightest, and even the bronze mirror was blurry and unclear. After looking for a long time, Su Zuidie could only see a vague shadow on the bronze mirror and the thick, white cloth wrapped in a ring around her forehead. In her anxiety, Su Zuidie reached out, wanting to unbind the white cloth on her head.
"Oh my... Miss Bai, you can't unbind that!" The maid attending to Su Zuidie entered from outside, catching her action just in time, and quickly stepped forward to pull her back.
"Presumptuous!" Having been spoiled in luxury for so many years, who dared to be so impolite to her? Su Zuidie shouted sternly. The maid was startled and quickly said, "The doctor instructed that before the wound heals, Miss must absolutely not touch it, lest it leave a scar." Hearing the maid's words, Su Zuidie finally calmed down, staring at her and asking, "Are you saying no scar will be left on my face?" The maid hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "As long as Miss Bai rests and recovers well, it... shouldn't."
Receiving the maid's repeated assurances, Su Zuidie finally set her mind at ease. Sitting before the bronze mirror, she examined her own features against the unclear surface while asking, "Who brought me back?" The little maid said, "It was Lord Zhuo and Lord Lin who sent people to bring Miss back." Su Zuidie paused her hands. "The Prince did not come to see me?" The maid cast a somewhat strange look at her, yet still answered respectfully, "In reply to Miss, the Prince has not been here." Hearing Su Zuidie toss the comb in her hand onto the table with a clatter, the little maid cautiously took two steps backward. She was originally a maid of the Magistrate's Manor; although she had escaped death in the turmoil of war, she was already homeless. Fortunately, the Princess Consort was benevolent and kept her in the manor. She was assigned to serve this beautiful Miss Bai and had initially felt a bit delighted—after all, being able to behold such a beauty was a form of good fortune. But after a few days, she felt that this Miss Bai was truly exceptionally strange. Originally, she had heard the Princess Consort address Miss Bai as Noble Consort Bai; although she did not know which noble consort she was, she had still respectfully addressed her as such, only to her surprise for Miss Bai to fly into a rage and insist that she change her address to Miss Su. However, Lord Zhuo had said that the guest's surname was Bai. Thus, she could only take a step back and call her Miss Bai. Furthermore, Miss Bai was always casually mentioning the Prince in an exceptionally intimate manner; although she was merely an ignorant maid, she could still see that the Prince did not display even a ten-thousandth of the tenderness toward Miss Bai that he showed toward the Princess Consort.
"Abominable! I don't believe you truly don't have me in your heart at all!" Staring blankly at her somewhat blurry features in the bronze mirror, Su Zuidie frowned in disgust and said, "Go fetch a good mirror!"