Chapter 134: Her Male Concubine??

"Jiner, you're here?" Hearing Jiner's voice from the next cell, Qingyue dragged his heavy shackles and struggled over to the door.

"Yue, how are you?" Jiner stepped forward, and seeing that his clothes were slightly soiled but his body was free of any injuries, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine. You must be careful yourself."

Jiner nodded, looking at his immortal-like appearance which seemed entirely out of place in this dark and damp prison. She couldn't help frowning as she said, "I'll rescue you both as soon as possible. Don't worry, it'll be very soon."

Yue smiled faintly, showing complete trust, just as he had back at the Myriad Poisons Sect.

"Ahem!" Heling Feng, standing to the side, found it hard to watch any longer and broke up their "deep mutual gaze."

Jiner turned her head and saw Heling Feng unconcernedly covering his nose and mouth with a pristine silk handkerchief, looking up and down at the surroundings as if the discordant sound just now had not come from him at all.

Jiner smiled speechlessly, turned back to Qingyue, and said, "Take good care of yourself. I'll go check on Shitou."

Yue nodded, watching her with lingering reluctance as she turned and walked over to Shiyuan's cell next door.

"Did the wound tear open?" Jiner crouched down in front of Shiyuan, and as soon as she asked the question, she saw the blood seeping through his chest. "I'll change your medicine."

"No need." Shiyuan drew back, avoiding her hand.

Jiner's brow furrowed tightly, and she scolded, "What are you doing? If you want to die, go bash your head against the wall right now; otherwise, sit still and behave!"

Raising his eyes to see that she was truly angry, Shiyuan had no choice but to press his lips together, sit up straight again, and turn his face away in embarrassment while letting her untie his robes. Meanwhile, Heling Feng tightly pursed his lips with a displeased expression. Yet, knowing she was a physician, he had no reason to stop her from touching the man.

After finishing the bandage, just as Jiner was about to help him put his clothes back on, her gaze landed on an ugly scar on his arm.

"Didn't I give you the Snow Muscle Ointment? Why didn't you use it?" Jiner lifted her eyes and looked at him in confusion.

A flash of mixed emotions crossed Shiyuan's eyes, but he quickly resumed his indifferent expression. "A real man, what does a few scars matter?"

"Not having medicine would be one thing, but you clearly had it and didn't apply it." As Jiner spoke, she picked up the Snow Muscle Ointment that had been confiscated from him off the ground nearby, and just as she was about to unscrew the cap, Shiyuan grabbed her hands. "Leave it be. I'll apply it myself later."

"Are you two ever going to finish?? Let's talk about business!" Heling Feng rolled his eyes, wishing he could step forward and pull Jiner back to stand properly.

Jiner stuck out the tip of her tongue, withdrew her hands, and as she pulled his clothes—which had slipped down to his elbows—back up and fastened them, she asked, "Alright, tell me, what grievances do you and the princess have?"

Heling Feng had told her that he only knew Shiyuan and the princess shared a deep enmity, but he didn't know the details. Now, her curiosity was piqued to the utmost.

"Let's hear it. It will also help me understand this imperial sister of mine a bit better." Heling Feng, still standing to the side, kept one arm crossed over his chest and used the silk handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth with the other.

Shiyuan lowered his gaze, hesitated for a long moment, and then softly began his story: "Seven years ago, in order to win a substantial cash prize, I entered a martial arts tournament and successfully won first place. Afterward, along with two other men of exceptional martial prowess and handsome appearance, I was taken to a residence.

On the way, I encountered a pure and beautiful young girl joyfully swinging on a swing, repeatedly urging the servants to push her higher. Then, as the swing reached its apex, she lost her grip and her body flew forward.

Without a second thought, I leaped forward and caught her. Later, I learned that we had all been meticulously chosen to be her personal guards, and she was none other than the noblest and most beautiful little princess of Tu Kingdom.

Because the pay was generous, I stayed by the princess's side, and she appreciated me greatly. But later I discovered that, like the other extraordinary-looking guards, I was treated by her as... her male concubine." At this point, Shiyuan gritted his teeth, a look of humiliation crossing his face.

"A male concubine??? Haha, I never imagined she was so formidable!" One truly cannot judge a book by its cover; usually, she appeared so pure and gentle. A flash of admiration shot through Jiner's eyes, but upon noticing the dangerous gazes from Shiyuan and Heling Feng, she quickly wiped away her smile and changed the subject. "Ahem! Well, then... how old was she back then??"

"Eleven, I suppose."

Jiner's eyes twitched. The princess was certainly precocious, and her mindset was so open that even she, a modern woman hailing from the twenty-first century, couldn't help feeling a bit ashamed.

"Tell me, how can a princess keep male concubines? Doesn't the emperor care?" Jiner couldn't help asking out of curiosity.

Shiyuan smiled coldly and said, "Naturally, it was done in secret. Her specialty is deception, and the Emperor favors her greatly, paying little heed to her frequent outings outside the palace. Besides, she has harbored grand ambitions since childhood."

"Oh?" Jiner's curiosity grew even stronger.

"She has always admired the state system of Water Kingdom and dreamed of becoming an empress." As soon as these words were spoken, both Jiner and Heling Feng were stunned.

"An empress?? The ruler of Water Kingdom is a woman??" Jiner asked in utter shock.

"You didn't know?" Heling Feng looked at Jiner as if she were an alien.

Jiner blinked twice and shook her head. "Consider me ill-informed, alright?" Depressed, why hadn't Qingyue mentioned this earlier? No wonder he had said that young men in Water Kingdom practically all wore makeup...

"Back then, I thought it was just a young girl's naive whim, but once, by chance, I overheard a conversation between her and Imperial Concubine Zhen, and I realized that the Crown Prince's gradual failing health had been engineered by Concubine Zhen," Shiyuan continued.

"How could that be?? Does Imperial Concubine Zhen actually support her dream of becoming empress??" Jiner's jaw dropped so wide it was almost unclosable, while Heling Feng's face had long since turned ashen.

"Concubine Zhen had always envied the late Empress, and because of the late Empress, she was never able to ascend to the position of Empress herself, leaving her deeply resentful. In the end, she transferred all that accumulated grievance onto the little Crown Prince."

"So that's how it was... That explains it. I asked people in the palace, and they said mengxiang incense wasn't used in the palace before. Later, it seemed Concubine Zhen recommended it to the Emperor, and the Emperor grew very fond of it, so he had it imported at great expense from Water Kingdom." With that, Jiner turned to look at Heling Feng, seeing that he had lowered the handkerchief from his face and was clutching it tightly in his hand.

"Hmph! It tortured me for a full ten years! No wonder—though I had been frail since childhood, ever since I diligently practiced martial arts starting at age four, my health gradually improved. After a few years, when I clearly felt no different from ordinary people, things slowly began to go wrong again, and it grew increasingly severe!

Damn it! I almost ended up being murdered by them in total ignorance!!" Heling Feng slammed a fist hard against the wall. Overcome by rage, he began coughing once more.

"Calm down. Isn't the truth out in the light now?" At this point, Jiner turned back to Shiyuan and said, "Go on. How did the two of you fall out?" A story needed a beginning and an end; she wanted to hear the rest first.

Shiyuan took a deep breath, sighed helplessly, and continued: "Although the princess often hinted at things, I always kept my place and never crossed the line. Later, after accidentally witnessing her being intimate with other guards twice, a indescribable feeling arose in my heart, and so I conceived the desire to leave.

Perhaps because I maintained my distance, however, the princess became even more eager to possess me, treating me better than anyone else. When I requested to leave, she adamantly refused, suspecting I had found another lover, and even had her people search my room, where they found a sachet.

The sachet was a gift from my sister, but they actually investigated and discovered that I had been adopted by my sister's family. And so... when I returned home for my routine monthly visit, I found my frail mother and my sister brutally murdered in our home." At this point, he closed his eyes in agony, blocking out the unforgettable grief...

Jiner sadly raised her hand and covered the back of his hand, finally understanding why he always remained silent and indifferent, acting as if nothing mattered. His only remaining family had died because of him, yet he couldn't avenge them, left only to silently swallow his pain and hatred.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and murmured, "Heartbroken, I returned to the palace to question the princess. She tried to deceive me with smooth words, but I didn't believe her. After an argument, she flew into a rage and issued a decree to have me executed. Knowing I lacked the strength to kill her alone, I fled toward the outside of the palace. In the end, I was hunted all the way out, suffered several sword wounds, and fell into the river, only to be rescued by Mo Yan, who happened to be passing by." Having said so much, the long-suppressed knot in Shiyuan's chest seemed to have dissipated a great deal.

Heh... He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he had spoken this much in one breath.

"Then why didn't you speak up sooner? And why did you try to assassinate her in secret?" Jiner frowned and asked.

"First, I lacked direct evidence to prove they were responsible. Second, I figured that I was merely a person of humble status, while they were members of the Emperor's family; even if the truth came to light, it might not secure justice for me. Yesterday, when I saw her come looking for Qingyue, I knew she had set her sights on him." At this point, Shiyuan turned his gaze to look deeply at Jiner before looking away and saying indifferently, "That's why I wanted to strike first. I just didn't expect them to be unable to restrain themselves either, staging a fake assassination to frame us. I suppose the bamboo flute was stolen from Qingyue by the princess yesterday afternoon."

"Sigh~~! What a case of good intentions backfiring. Still, what the Emperor truly loves most is still the Crown Prince; I believe he will believe us." Having said this, Jiner turned to look at Heling Feng, then stood up and said, "I had some food brought over. Eat it in peace. I'm leaving first."

Upon leaving the prison, Heling Feng left behind the seven or eight guards he had brought, instructing them not to allow anyone else near and ordering that all future meals be delivered personally by trusted hands.

"See? It's a good thing I came. I felt a flutter in my heart the whole time." Jiner said as she walked alongside Heling Feng.

"I never imagined they would be so bold." Heling Feng frowned and said.

Jiner was about to tease him for being so naive despite growing up in the palace, but upon second thought, he was merely a pampered golden canary—a poisoned golden canary at that...

By the time they returned to the palace, night had already fallen. Heling Feng was still physically weak, and the walking had exhausted him thoroughly. He hurriedly washed up and collapsed onto the bed to rest.

Seeing his listless, sickly-noble appearance, Jiner smiled and shook her head. Abandoning her desire from the previous night to find another place to sleep, she simply lay back down on her couch to sleep.

Today felt like so many things had happened; it was truly overly eventful. Whew~~! Sleep, sleep, there were still tasks to tackle tomorrow.

In no time at all, Jiner drifted off to sleep.

The night was deep and dark. There was no moon, only a few lonely stars hanging in the firmament, casting a light so faint it was barely perceptible.

A series of extremely faint rustling sounds arose from different directions, and faint dark shadows could be seen moving stealthily. Within moments, the nearly ten guards stationed outside the Crown Prince's bedchamber were silently eliminated.

Silent wasn't entirely without sound, however. At least Jiner, who maintained a shred of vigilance, still caught a hint of unusual movement. She snapped her eyes open, slowly slid her hand beneath her pillow, and felt for her Hundred Flowers Secret Fan.

The next moment, the bedroom door was pushed open gently, and a group of figures in black silently filed in. Just as about five or six of them had entered, Jiner suddenly flipped up from the bed, her fingertips flicking to send a spark flying that ignited an oil lamp on the table.

The sudden brightness startled the men in black, and their eyes above the dark cloth all revealed expressions of shock. Exchanging glances and nodding in mutual acknowledgment, they raised their blades and charged toward Jiner.

Jiner smiled coldly, her body moving flexibly to dodge the first two incoming blades. Keeping one hand behind her back and holding the Hundred Flowers Fan in the other, she snapped the fan open with a *swish*. Following that, her graceful figure nimbly dodged every attack, while the secret fan in her hand danced continuously, throwing out poison needles that flashed with a chilling, dark luster.

Heling Feng in the inner chamber had also been jolted awake. Now hiding beside the archway of the beaded curtains, he frowned as he watched the scene outside, his eyes filled with worry yet tinged with admiration.

He never expected her martial arts to be so exceptional! Still, he couldn't help worrying about her; after all, the assassins' martial arts were also formidable, and their numbers were large.

Yet right now, even running a few steps would force him to stop and rest, let alone rushing out to help. If he really charged out, he would only become a burden to her, so he could only observe in secret.

It appeared these people were targeting Jiner alone. Well, well, Concubine Zhen and Yun Shang! You certainly have guts, though it seems you still harbor some restraint and wouldn't dare strike at this Crown Prince directly? Hmph!

Muffled groans and bodies hitting the floor sounded from time to time, but the attackers seemed endless, with a few more rushing in from outside every now and then to replace the fallen. Seeing them trickle in batch after batch, with over a dozen corpses already piling up in the room, Jiner grew somewhat frustrated. Could they all just attack together?! Once she finished them off quickly, she could go back to sleep.

With that thought, she fought her way toward the door, intending to wipe them all out in one go outside. Suddenly, "Jiner, watch out!" Someone gritted their teeth as they charged out from behind the beaded curtain, throwing themselves chivalrously at Jiner's back to rescue the beauty.