What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 341 - 337: Covering Up and Concealing

The palace doors opened as the hem of a dark robe embroidered with gold thread brushed against the high threshold of Lizheng Hall.

The young eunuch lowered his head and hands, watching as the Crown Prince passed by, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Why have you come so suddenly?" the Crown Prince asked.

The tone was so gentle that he almost thought he had misheard.

The Second Miss Tang whispered something, but it wasn’t clear.

Then the Crown Prince said, "The wind is picking up, let’s talk inside."

The young eunuch stealthily raised his eyelids and took a peek, just in time to see the Crown Prince holding the Second Miss Tang’s hand and leading her back.

Their steps seemed slightly slower than usual, accommodating the girl’s pace.

Is that how it is...?

He watched in a daze.

Wasn’t it said that the Crown Prince resented the Second Miss Tang for the humiliation and abuse from years ago?

Abusing, and then developing affection?

...

As Tang Xiaobai passed by, she glanced at the young eunuch standing by the roadside.

"What are you looking at?" Li Mu slightly frowned.

He didn’t like that others would draw her attention.

Tang Xiaobai pulled him along, continuing inward, laughingly saying, "Nothing, just thought that kid’s expression was quite rich."

His face was written with "worldview shattered," which was extremely amusing.

Li Mu also glanced back.

Happening to meet the young eunuch’s gaze, the other was so frightened his face was devoid of color, nearly collapsing.

Tang Xiaobai laughed heartily, pulling him to take two steps quickly, sparing the young eunuch.

At the foot of the steps, by the palace door, stood a young man of exceptional beauty.

It turned out that before she arrived, the little ancestor was meeting Qin Xiao.

"Did I disturb you?" Tang Xiaobai blinked.

"It’s nothing important," Li Mu said, leading her by the hand to walk past Qin Xiao with unwavering focus, then, upon entering the palace doors, asked again, "Why did you come so suddenly? You could have sent a message and I would have come out of the palace to find you. If there wasn’t prior notice, wouldn’t you be left waiting at the palace gates?"

"I don’t mind waiting a while, someone would have reported it eventually." Tang Xiaobai said.

Just didn’t expect that there was no need for a report at all; they just brought her in directly.

"Is there something urgent?" Li Mu finished asking, noting her hands were somewhat cold, and then instructed someone to bring a hand warmer.

"Winter hasn’t even arrived yet, why would I need a hand warmer?" Tang Xiaobai complained mildly, then continued, "I heard from my grandmother that you agreed to deal with Hua Jian?"

As she spoke, Hua Jian just happened to lift her short leg, about to cross the threshold.

Upon hearing this, she paused her movement, seemingly intending to withdraw her leg.

Before she could act on her intent, someone grabbed her by the collar and tossed her into Lizheng Hall.

This time she wasn’t angry. She quietly climbed up, patted herself off, then glanced back.

She could no longer see the person who threw her.

Mo Ji was always like this, avoiding showing his face whenever possible.

Even though he had been ordered to watch Hua Jian these days, Hua Jian seldom saw him.

Only when she attempted to approach the Crown Prince would Mo Ji show himself.

During other times, it was as if he didn’t exist.

"Even without the Eldest Princess mentioning it, I would have dealt with it," Li Mu shot a cold glance at that face somewhat resembling Tang Xiaobai’s, his heart filled with disgust, "Keeping her in the Eastern Palace somewhat tarnishes your dignity."

Tang Xiaobai, all the while watching Hua Jian’s demeanor, asked, "How much has she confessed about Tonghua Valley?"

As soon as "Tonghua Valley" was mentioned, Hua Jian turned her face, fluttering her big round eyes, her gaze pure and innocent.

"Nothing." Li Mu replied.

Since returning to the capital, he had been busy with state affairs and had yet to set aside time to deal with Tonghua Valley, so Hua Jian was left unattended.

Keeping her in the Eastern Palace was also for convenience.

"Still hasn’t confessed..." Tang Xiaobai kept her eyes on Hua Jian, "Then how should we handle it? She can’t stay in the Eastern Palace. Where should we put her?"

"How about at my place?" Qin Xiao offered enthusiastically.

Li Mu shot him a glance and said, "She cannot leave the Eastern Palace with that face."

Though his tone was calm, it carried an undertone of menace.

Hua Jian’s eyes flinched slightly, then she seemed to drift unconsciously.

Tang Xiaobai was paying attention to her this whole time and noticed that drift, pondering for a moment, she asked, "Was your face always like this?"

Hua Jian’s gaze immediately floated back, still feigning innocence: "Like what?" She touched her face, showing a look of bewilderment, "It’s always been like this!"

"I had someone check; there’s no disguise." Li Mu stated.

No disguise; it couldn’t be plastic surgery, could it?

Tang Xiaobai scrutinized the face closely.

Probably found to resemble her when she was around ten years old.

Which means it definitely wasn’t found temporarily in Hedong; finding someone resembling another isn’t easy, likely someone pre-prepared long ago.

And recall the assassin at Prince Jin’s Villa disguised as a child on the first day of August, possibly also linked to Tonghua Valley.

This organization not only is involved in exploiting children but also has deep ties with Li Shu.

If we could start with Hua Jian to eradicate this organization...

"What do you want?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Hua Jian played absentmindedly with her fingers, uninterested.

"If she won’t speak, keeping her is useless." Li Mu impatiently remarked.

Hua Jian continued to lower her head, playing with her fingers, not lifting her gaze once.

Tang Xiaobai felt a moment of disorientation, suddenly asking, "Do you want to grow up?"

Hua Jian’s finger-playing motion abruptly halted.

Her right thumb and index finger pinched her left index finger until it turned slightly pale.

"A sixteen-year-old soul trapped in a ten-year-old body, isn’t it uncomfortable?" Tang Xiaobai softly spoke, "What if you encounter a clean, young man?"

"If he likes you, or even if he doesn’t, would that make you feel more miserable than death?"

"Have you encountered such a situation?"

"Don’t you want to grow up?"

Hua Jian finally lifted her face, her eyes filled with mockery.

She moved her lips, yet no words came out.

Tang Xiaobai suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

At that very moment, Hua Jian abruptly lifted her right hand.

"Be careful!" Qin Xiao shouted.

Tang Xiaobai hadn’t clearly seen Hua Jian’s motion and was turned around protectively by the ever-alert Li Mu.

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

Then Qin Xiao’s slightly embarrassed voice was heard: "She tried to commit suicide..."

Tang Xiaobai peeked out from Li Mu’s embrace to look.

Hua Jian’s right hand was being held by Mo Ji, her eyes fixed on her own wrist, nearly immobile in stalemate.

"Is there no way?" Tang Xiaobai whispered.

"Her tendons have decayed, beyond reversal——"

...

"How could it be beyond reversal? Isn’t evil just the opposite of good? If she practiced an Evil Skill, then just practicing it in reverse should work, right?"

The speaker was both curious and eager, filled with lively interest.

But martial arts, for Tang Xiaobai, was just metaphysics; she didn’t understand it, so she looked expectantly at Tao Fen: "Is there such a saying?"

She recalled from martial arts novels, there seemed to be that saying; Ouyang Feng reversed the Nine Yin Scripture in practice.

Tao Fen couldn’t help but laugh: "How could a cultivation technique be practiced back and forth? It would kill you! Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand!"

Zhong Chuchu disagreed: "That’s how it’s written in books, this is called reaching rebirth by going to certain death."

"Stop reading those books; they’re deceiving you, all made up to trick you into spending money!" Tao Fen chid, instructing her.

Zhong Chuchu didn’t listen: "Have you practiced it in reverse? How do you know?" Turning to Tang Xiaobai, she earnestly said, "Second Miss, ask Miss Hua to try, maybe it’ll work out. Even if she practices to death, it’s better than being half a person, half a ghost like this!"

Tang Xiaobai was at a loss for words.

A spur-of-the-moment idea like that, she truly dared not casually suggest it to others.

"Don’t listen to her!" Tao Fen was more rational, "If Hua Jian refuses to speak, then let it be. These dark sect methods do have some control over their disciples, not easily coaxed out. I’ve already put the word out; friends in the worldly society with news on Tonghua Valley will inform me."

...

Tang Xiaobai knew Tao Fen was well-informed but hadn’t expected them to be this well-informed.

In a couple of days, the news came.

"A couple of years ago, there was a severe drought in Hedong, and Tonghua Valley recruited many children from there. Someone happened to take note and discovered the exact location of Tonghua Valley!" Tao Fen spoke with exceptional excitement.

"Who was so capable?" Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but feel a desire to recruit talent.

Tao Fen shook his head: "The other party probably has some unspeakable difficulties, only sending an anonymous message without revealing their identity."

Tang Xiaobai froze.

Typically, such secrecy suggests someone familiar...

(Isn’t it like a machine updating when there’s no response? Writing every day, always wanting to return to single updates, then to double updates, then to a few explosive updates... dreams should always be there...)