“Prince, spare me, my slave will never do it again…”
The sound of coriander was coming from the steamer, she was terrified and struggling violently, but her body was tied up and there were guards pressing her hard on the side.
Everyone in the royal mansion had arrived, from the masters to the lowest serving girls and slaves, all arriving in a steady stream. Watching the scene before them, their expressions were filled with terror.
Xuanyuan City was clad in a black brocade gown, his face stern, and his eyes revealed an unquestionable sense of authority and indifference.
The guards, Dongfeng and Nanfeng, stood behind him quietly.
"Master, most of the people are almost here."
Dongfeng lifted his foot forward, bowing respectfully.
"Start."
Xuanyuan Cheng lifted his eyelids and looked forward at the steamer in front of him, his eyes showing no fluctuations, and said indifferently.
Dongfeng nodded slightly, took a step forward, walked to the steamer in front of him, turned around and faced the crowd.
He said loudly: "The royal mansion has always been a place of strict rules. Please mind your mouths, what should be said and what should not be said, you should know in your heart. Everyone watch well, this is the end of slander, the fate of whispering tongues."
Seeing fear in everyone's faces, Dongfeng's eyes flickered with satisfaction. He turned his gaze to the guards beside him and issued a cold order, "Begin the execution."
"Don't... Lord, spare me, spare me. I will never do it again. Please, spare me, my lord."
The coriander struggled more and more fiercely, her voice extremely pitiful and desperate, fighting for life.
But no one paid any attention.
The air was filled with suffocating terror and despair. The people of the royal mansion were frozen in silence, their hearts filled with fear of Xuanyuan Cheng's methods.
The flames underneath the steamer burned brighter and brighter, and the two guards covered the steamer, completely obscuring the figure of coriander.
The screams and cries of agony kept coming from the steamer, making people's hearts tremble.
Wu Lingyan's face was as pale as death, her lips clamped tightly together, and her expression was one of terror.
Yu Yao's expression was heart-wrenching, and she felt a chill rising from the bottom of her feet, straight to her heart.
Seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but think of herself.
She dared not imagine how Xuanyuan Cheng would treat her if he knew that she was a killer meticulously trained in the West who had come to Jingguo solely to kill him.
Although she had never thought of killing Xuanyuan Cheng, these were indeed facts.
Xiangping saw that her color was not good and thought that the owner was afraid. In fact, she was also afraid, and her legs were shaking with fear.
"Master, if you're afraid, don't watch."
Xiangping whispered to her in a low voice, afraid that others would hear.
Yu Yao glanced at her and saw her pale face. She was clearly afraid, yet she still came to comfort her. A warmth emerged in her eyes as she said softly, "I'm fine."
Xiangping's mouth opened, but she didn't say anything in the end.
As the flames below the steamer roared and burned, it was not only the meat aroma that spread in the air, but also an invisible sense of oppression that made everyone present hold their breath and dare not make any moves.
Xuanyuan Cheng watched silently, as if unmoved by the tragic scene before him.
As his gaze casually swept over Yu Yao, he saw her pale face and heart-wrenching expression, and couldn't help but furrow his brow, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.
He gently raised his hand and told Nanfeng, "Send her back, don't let her see it."
Nanfeng followed his master's gaze and saw Yu Yao and Xiangping together.
He knew that the person his master referred to was definitely not Xiangping.
"Yes."
"Nay," he respectfully replied, stepping forward to Yu Yao and said politely, "Miss Yu, Master said not to watch. He has ordered me to take you back."
Yu Yao's face wasn't looking too good. She looked at Nanfeng in front of her and nodded slightly, "Thank you."
She walked away with Xiangping.
She deliberately took Xiangping back. The girl wouldn't be able to sleep at night if she kept watching any longer.
After all, Xuanyuan Cheng didn't say anything against bringing the servant back.
Xiangping hurriedly followed behind Yu Yao, not wanting to stay at the execution ground for a second.
As Yu Yao walked away, the crowd began to discuss among themselves.
"It seems that the Lord has a special affection for Yu girl. That's really enviable."
"Yes, we are also the Lord's women. Why does she deserve the Lord's favor?"
Jealousy and envy quietly spread through the back courtyard.
Wu Lingyan at this time had no time to envy Yu Yao. She was already terrified, and there was no trace of blood on her face.
If it weren't for her desperate insistence, she probably would have collapsed on the ground.
Returning to the Fragrant Blossom Garden, Yu Yao sat alone by the window, gazing out at the scenery outside that had been dyed green by spring, her heart stirred by waves of emotion.
She had never intended to harm Xuanyuan Cheng and had never even thought of killing him.
But the identity of the Western assassin was like a shackle, tightly binding her.
Although she had taken the antidote and no longer had relatives in the West, there was nothing left to threaten her.
But Yu Yao knew that the Western court would not rest until they found her.
As long as Xuanyuan Cheng was still alive, those people would come looking for her sooner or later, urging her to take action.
Of course, she couldn't possibly kill him, but as a result, she would become a traitor to the West.
At that time, Xuanyuan Cheng would definitely know her true identity.
That would be a dilemma, and what would she do then?
At this moment, Xiangping gently pushed open the door and entered, carrying a bowl of calming soup in her hand. Seeing her in such a state, she was deeply worried.
"Miss, what's wrong? Since we returned from the execution ground, you haven't said a word."
Xiangping placed the calming soup on the table and worriedly inquired.
Yu Yao came to her senses, looked up at Xiangping, and forced a faint smile, "Nothing much, just a bit tired."
Xiangping didn't know her inner thoughts, only thinking that she was scared. So she comforted her, "Miss, the Lord is different towards you. He even specially sent Nanfeng to send you back today. It's because he's afraid you will be shocked."
Yu Yao's heart was filled with a mixture of emotions. The more different Xuanyuan Cheng was towards her now, the more hateful he would be towards her once he discovers the truth.
The deeper the love, the deeper the hate, but it turned out that Xuanyuan Cheng was her target.
She didn't know how to open her mouth to explain her true identity and situation, of course, she couldn't say it either.
Yu Yao gently shook her head and sighed, "Xiangping, you don't understand. In this royal mansion, there is no true difference or favoritism."
Xiangping was even more puzzled, "Miss, do you have something on your mind? You can tell me, maybe I can help you."
"I'm fine, haven't you made the calming soup? Hand it to me, please."
Yu Yao didn't want to talk about these things, and changed the topic.
"Alright."
Xiangping, seeing her like this, did not dare to ask any more, and quickly handed her the freshly made calming soup.
Yu Yao reached out and took the calming soup that Xiangping had offered her. It was not very hot and was just right to drink.
She drank it all up, then handed the bowl to Xiangping.
As night fell, Xuanyuan Cheng entered the study, his face appearing particularly profound in the flickering candlelight.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind of Yu Yao's face, which was filled with pain and fear. He furrowed his brow slightly.
He summoned Nanfeng and asked in a low voice, "How is the Fragrant Blossom Garden?"
Nanfeng knew that his master had a special regard for Miss Yu, so he paid extra attention to her.
At this moment, seeing the master asking, he answered quickly, "Miss Yu was initially frightened and looked poorly, but she had taken the calming soup and should be fine now."
Xuanyuan Cheng nodded slightly and said indifferently. He was not a heartless person, but sometimes he had to wear a cold mask.
In the Fragrant Blossom Garden.
It was already late at night, and Yu Yao was tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep.
She began to think about her future, whether to continue hiding her identity and coax Xuanyuan Cheng in the Qin Mansion, or to find an opportunity to break free from the assassin's identity and leave here forever.
As for how to win Xuanyuan Cheng over after leaving the Qin Mansion, that can only be dealt with step by step.
It's better than being discovered by the other party and losing your life.
Xiangping heard the noise in the room and knew that the miss was too scared to sleep.
Actually, she was also unable to sleep due to fear, otherwise she wouldn't have not gone to bed this late.
As soon as she closed her eyes, it was the sight of Datou lying in the steamer, screaming in despair, and the smell of meat that kept coming to her nose.
Heaven knows, she hasn't dared to eat meat today. As soon as she sees meat, she feels sick.
"Miss, if you're scared, perhaps I can come in and talk to you?"
Xiangping stood at the door, speaking through the door into the room.
"I'm fine, you go to sleep."
The voice came from inside the room.
In the room, Yu Yao lay in bed, thinking that Xiangping might be scared to sleep and quickly changed her words, "Alright, come in and sleep with me."
There were only the two of them in the Fragrant Blossom Garden.
Now, she didn't even count as a concubine, so naturally, there wouldn't be many people to serve her.
"Thank you, miss."
Xiangping stood outside the room, hearing the miss's words, pushed the door and walked in.
The master and the servant slept together.
Since then, there has been no more noise and gossip in the back yard of the Qin Mansion.
Maid and footman all tightly closed their lips, afraid that they would step on Datou's heels by mistake.
