Chapter 50 He’s Not the Only One Who’s Jealous… A Great Outbreak of Jealousy…

“…Mmm.” He nodded stiffly, trying his best to appear generous. Whatever Qiu Niang said was right.

No matter how nonchalant he appeared on the surface, he still felt uncomfortable inside.

The more precious something is, the more one wants to lock it in a box, to be quietly appreciated by oneself alone. He didn’t want others to discover her goodness, otherwise there would be one more person coveting his beloved Qiu Niang.

He was selfish at his core. Even knowing Qiu Niang didn’t belong to him, he still hoped she would conceal her radiance, blooming only for him.

He both hated his own baseness and succumbed to the fleeting high brought by his base desires. The more addicted he became, the more he fell, as if drinking poison to quench his thirst. The poison spread throughout his body step by step. Even if it had rotted to his bones, he only wanted to keep sinking.

“Your Highness?” Qiu Shuzhi’s voice sounded beside his ear.

Yue Guanyi suddenly came back to his senses.

She smiled faintly, leading the pony to walk slowly around the enclosure, walking side by side with the two of them. With no one else following, it was as leisurely as a young couple taking a stroll after a meal.

“Has Your Highness been here before?” she suddenly asked.

“I have.” His eyes lowered, seemingly sinking into unpleasant memories.

When his mother was still alive, he had come here with her. Because he was the legitimate son born to the Empress, he was supremely noble. Every official and palace attendant held him in the palm of their hand, even more favored than his half-sisters born to concubines.

But after his mother passed away, those princesses each had their own military power, chaos broke out in Da Qi, and he awoke from his dream of glory and favor.

From a carefree prince to a lowly, submissive brothel boy, it happened so quickly that he couldn’t believe it was real. He constantly begged for this nightmare to end quickly.

When the human traffickers were about to brand him in preparation for the brothel, he even thought about slitting his throat. It was better to die with integrity than to live in filth.

If Qiu Shuzhi hadn’t appeared at that time, Yue Guanyi would have long ceased to exist in this world.

“I’ve heard there’s a Cool Spring Pool in the royal hunting grounds, with beautiful scenery and crystal clear water.” Yue Guanyi thought for a moment: “There seems to be such a place indeed. Does my lady want to go?”

Qiu Shuzhi smiled: “I was just asking casually.”

Yue Guanyi was stunned for a moment. Qiu Shuzhi wouldn’t usually chat idly with him like this before. He felt somewhat delighted and excited, suddenly feeling that the distance between them had grown closer, no longer as indifferent and distant as before: “The scenery there is indeed very nice. The Cool Spring Pool is also called the Fairy Pool. Legend has it that it was formed by a fairy from heaven. If my lady wants to go, I… this palace can take you to see it.”

Qiu Shuzhi was slightly surprised: “Isn’t that place only for royal relatives? This humble official doesn’t deserve such an honor.”

You do deserve it, of course you do. Yue Guanyi said in his heart.

“This humble official was just thinking, Her Majesty seems to be riding towards the Cool Spring Pool. She and the Emperor Consort should rest there for a while. The Imperial Guard’s forces can’t reach that area, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard should be able to protect Her Majesty and the Emperor Consort well.”

“So… that’s how it is.” Yue Guanyi’s voice choked a bit, unable to express how disappointed he was. The tail that had just been wagging excitedly instantly drooped.

It was indeed his misconception. How could Qiu Niang suddenly try to get close to him, chatting like ordinary people?

But why did Qiu Niang keep Qin Zhengya in her heart after just a brief encounter?

What’s so good about him? He’s just an ordinary man, not even good-looking. At most he’s just a bit delicate, knows how to cry, how to act coquettishly, and knows all the tricks to attract a woman’s pity.

No, wait. Weren’t these the same things the brothel madam taught back then?

He suddenly became alarmed.

“Qiu Niang… Lady Qiu.” His voice trembled: “Do you like…”

Qiu Shuzhi looked at him strangely. It took her a while to react, shocked by Yue Guanyi’s train of thought. She hurriedly said resolutely, so anxious she almost bit her tongue: “I don’t like him! Your Highness, you’ve misunderstood.”

Fortunately, there was no one around, and Yue Guanyi’s words were ambiguous. Otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives had heard, she could have returned to the 21st century.

“What did this humble official do to make Your Highness have such thoughts?” She felt a lingering fear.

Yue Guanyi’s thin lips pressed tightly together: “You kept mentioning the Emperor Consort just now.”

So that’s how it was. She must explain this clearly.

“This humble official just heard that the Emperor Consort is not favored in the palace, so I was curious about why Her Majesty suddenly took the Emperor Consort away while leaving behind the favored consort Lan Xuezhao. Other than that, this humble official has absolutely no other thoughts. Otherwise—”

“Don’t!” Yue Guanyi hurriedly covered her mouth. The poisonous oath Qiu Shuzhi was about to utter was blocked in her throat. It seemed as if he knew what she was going to say as soon as she opened her mouth.

His voice trembled severely: “Don’t swear a poisonous oath.”

Whether true or not, a poisonous oath would bring backlash. As soon as he heard Qiu Shuzhi’s words hinting at this, he instantly felt cold all over, disregarding everything to hurriedly cover her mouth.

“Then do you believe this humble official?” The voice from behind the covered mouth was muffled.

“I believe you, of course I believe you.” His voice trembled and was cautious, as if afraid of waking up the gods.

“It’s good that Your Highness believes this humble official.” Qiu Shuzhi breathed a sigh of relief, but also found it amusing. It was clearly her swearing the poisonous oath, yet Yue Guanyi was as nervous as if he was the one who would suffer the consequences.

However, Yue Guanyi’s words also reminded her that as an official, she should keep her distance from the Emperor Consort and not be too close. She also shouldn’t pay too much attention in her words or even her gaze.

After all, Qin Zhengya is Yue Shen’s man. In the future, it would be better for her to pretend to be blind and deaf in front of him.

A breeze swept across the grassland, the waves of grass surging layer by layer, blowing her hair ribbon to flutter in the wind. Yue Guanyi let go of her in amazement: “Lady Qiu, there’s something you actually don’t know. Now it seems it’s time to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The Emperor Consort is actually very favored in the palace.” He said this lie without blushing or his heart racing.

“Is that so?” she asked. This was quite different from the rumors she had heard.

“The rumors saying Her Majesty doesn’t like him are actually just pretense. Her Majesty likes such a pure and pleasant beauty very much, but because of his Qin family background, she has no choice but to neglect him. But in private, they are very… loving, inseparable like glue, like fish and water, in perfect harmony.” He pressed his lips tightly.

He finally understood why Qiu Shuzhi would be interested in Qin Zhengya. It was out of sympathy.

Qiu Niang has a kind heart. She would sympathize even with stray cats and dogs on the street and give them alms. She must feel the same way towards Qin Zhengya, treating him like an unwanted stray dog, rather than out of attraction to the opposite sex.

But the jealousy in his heart didn’t decrease because of this. Instead, an inexplicable irritation and hatred that even he couldn’t control welled up again.

Even sympathy was not allowed.

Qiu Niang’s gaze, Qiu Niang’s smile, Qiu Niang’s care, everything about Qiu Niang should belong to him alone.

The hatred in his eyes was like a drop of ink in water, easily dyeing everything into a deep, bottomless black. Anyone who stole Qiu Niang away, even if it was just a glance, was guilty. Even if it was the current Emperor Consort, they should die!

He knew Qiu Shuzhi came from a Confucian background, loyal to the monarch and to propriety. She would definitely not be interested in another person’s husband. It was all that slut Qin Zhengya’s fault, deliberately seducing her by acting weak and pitiful.

He relied on the pity brought by acting pitiful. As long as he deliberately confused the issue and made Qiu Niang think he was living well, then she shouldn’t pay too much attention to him anymore, right?

“So that’s how it is.” Qiu Shuzhi suddenly realized: “Playing the game of cruel love, huh.”

So the trope that often appears in novels – ‘I love you, but because of your status I can’t love you, so I can only deliberately neglect you, making everyone think you’re the person I hate most, but actually you’re the only one in my heart’ – was actually happening in her life.

Then isn’t Lan Xuezhao just a tool? How pitiful.

The steed galloped across the grassland. Qin Zhengya tightly gripped the saddle. The scenery flew past him, the fierce wind stinging his face.

His body trembled slightly with fear, but he dared not speak.

The more afraid he was, the faster Yue Shen rode. He didn’t know how he had offended her again, to be tormented like this.

Suddenly, Yue Shen violently pulled the reins. The horse let out a startled neigh and reared back.

Even though Qin Zhengya was gripping the saddle, the tremendous force still threw him to the ground. His clean clothes rolled in the mud, staining them with dirt. The delicate pearl was covered with a layer of dust.

He bit his lip in pain, a piercing pain coming from his lower leg. It seemed to be broken.

But he dared not make a sound, let alone beg for mercy. That would only make Yue Shen despise him more.

Yue Shen dismounted, tightly gripping the horsewhip in her hand. Seeing Qin Zhengya’s face turn deathly pale, her expression didn’t soften even a bit. Instead, she kicked him into the pool behind him with one foot.

The Fairy Pool, where emperors and favored consorts of past dynasties had shared their love.

Qin Zhengya was suddenly pushed into the water, involuntarily swallowing a mouthful of icy water that seeped into his bones. His broken leg sent waves of needle-like pain through his body, making him shiver all over.

He bit down on his finger, getting up from the water without making a sound. His hair was dripping wet, and a teardrop mixed with pool water slid down from the corner of his eye.

No matter how delicate a pearl is, it’s still formed by the flesh of an oyster enduring pain day and night. No matter how weak his personality was, he was still a young master of the Qin family. He couldn’t endure such humiliation.

With reddened eyes, his lips trembling with pain, he spat out word by word through gritted teeth: “Torturing your servant, are you satisfied now, Your Majesty?”

Yue Shen stepped one foot into the bone-chillingly cold pool water, but even the coldest pool water couldn’t compare to the extreme evil coldness in her eyes at this moment.

The ice-cold horsewhip lifted his chin. Her almond eyes, which should have been infinitely gentle, were now full of icy daggers, like a terrifying demon. Even her words were filled with bone-chilling coldness: “As the Emperor Consort, seducing other women behind my back, you shameless slut!”

Qin Zhengya was as if struck by lightning, his whole body turning cold.

“I… I didn’t.” His face was as pale as a dried-up skeleton, his tightly clenched teeth biting through his lip, his mouth a bloody red.

“You didn’t? Your bone-deep gaze at today’s banquet, did you take me for a blind person?” She roared, her eyes twisted with a bloodthirsty red.