She had her own money-plenty of it.
Why would she steal from their temple?
But she didn’t dare say that.
Instead, she stammered, “I… I didn’t…”
Song Lingguan raised her hand, and guards brought in a man.
Awu turned to look and was shocked to see it was Nie San!
Nie San was bound tightly, looking haggard and with heavy eyes.
He seemed to sense something and looked up.
Their eyes met, and Awu felt nothing but cold indifference in his gaze.
Awu looked at Nie San, then at the smug Miaoxin, and suddenly understood.
This was indeed a trap.
From the moment the Crown Princess ordered Nie San to escort her, it was all a setup-to lure her into running away with Nie San.
As for Miaoxin, she was the one assigned to keep watch on her.
Awu couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.
If they wanted her dead, they could have just killed her directly.
From the Empress to the Crown Princess, from Emperor Jingxi to Nie San, from Song Lingguan to Miaoxin-they all had the power to crush her at will.
Why go through all this trouble, tarnishing her reputation?
Did it make them feel better to see her disgraced?
Thinking of her ruined reputation, she suddenly realized: the Crown Prince cared for her, so they wanted to erase her from his heart.
They wouldn’t hand her over to the Crown Prince for interrogation.
They wanted her to confess fully, to build a solid case against her, and then present her and Nie San together to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was young and likely manipulated by them, already sent away!
They were setting her up, pouring all the dirt on her.
A dead concubine could make the Crown Prince remember her forever, but a thieving, adulterous concubine would make him despise her deeply.
Perhaps Emperor Jingxi was also involved in this matter, having instructed the Crown Princess to carry it out!
They are all wicked people!
She even began to wonder if Emperor Jingxi knew her true identity and was merely feigning ignorance.
Had he thoroughly taken advantage of her, played with her body inside and out, only to then accuse her of promiscuity?
At this moment, Nie San had already confessed everything.
Song Lingguan continued the interrogation, even demanding to inspect her body.
A’wu knew they were forcing her into a corner, leaving her with no way out.
Finally, she spoke: “I confess. I eloped with this man. I gave him all my silver, and he promised to take me far away, but in the end, he abandoned me there.”
As she spoke, her voice suddenly turned bitter: “Nie Sanlang, you heartless, short-lived scoundrel! Did you think I truly cared for you? I only followed you out of desperation!”
She continued with hatred in her voice: “I am a lowly person, unworthy of respect. But so what? As a woman, even if I were reduced to being a prostitute, every piece of gold I earned was through my own flesh and blood. Even if thousands point fingers at me, I have a clear conscience. I have wronged no one! But you-“
She sneered: “You, a man of seven feet, skilled in martial arts, and serving in the Crown Prince’s residence you could have achieved greatness with your talents.”
“Yet, you deceived and manipulated a defenseless woman like me, using our relationship to further your own ambitions!”
Nie San listened, his stern face tense, his dark eyes fixed straight ahead, showing no emotion.
A’wu wished she could tear him apart: “Even if we used each other, for me it was a desperate act of survival, but for you, it was a path to glory. How could you bear to trample over a weak woman like me to fulfill your so-called loyalty and righteousness?”
By now, her voice was trembling with tears.
She wept as she spoke: “Nie Sanlang, I once thought you were a decent man, but you deceived and betrayed me. You are nothing but an insatiable dog! I curse you to never be reborn as a human in any lifetime!”
Nie San turned his head stiffly and slowly, looking at A’wu.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
Awu suddenly felt drained.
She slumped to the ground: “Enough. What’s the use of cursing you now? Do with me as you will.”
The last shred of affection the Crown Prince had for her was likely gone.
She had no hope left.
Nie San suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice: “You—”
His voice was tight and trembling.
Awu heard him but couldn’t be bothered to respond.
After all, how can a person converse with a dog?
She looked up at the crowd and admitted outright: “Yes, I eloped with a man. I broke the rules. I am inherently base. Go ahead and punish me. Kill me.”
Nie San’s fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
His strong body curled in pain as he stared at A’wu with bloodshot eyes.
He was a man of seven feet, yet now he was being insulted by a mere woman, unable to utter a single word in response.
Deep down, A’wu sensed that Nie San might have his own reasons, but what did it matter?
He had wronged her!
Even in the underworld, she would file a complaint against him!
A beast who climbed over a weak woman to advance himself!
Everything that followed was a blur to Awu.
The interrogation by Song Lingguan, the disdain of the old Taoist nun, and the surrounding gazes of the other nuns all seemed distant and indistinct to her.
Many voices echoed in her ears, but she refused to listen.
An old Taoist nun grabbed her finger and forced her to press a red handprint onto a piece of paper.
The crimson mark was startling.
Finally, it was all over.
Song Lingguan ordered Awu to be taken away.
Nie San suddenly stood up: “Awu!”
At that moment, Awu was restrained by two nuns, looking disheveled and fragile, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
She slowly turned her head to look at Nie San.
Nie San’s dark eyes were filled with intense emotion as he struggled internally.
Awu lifted her delicate chin and smiled softly, yet seductively: “From the very beginning, I knew you weren’t worthy. Now I see that you truly aren’t!”
She spat lightly in his direction: “A spineless man like you dares to covet my beauty?”
Nie San was as if struck by lightning, staring at Awu in shock.
But Awu didn’t spare him another glance.
She was taken away and locked in the same woodshed as before.
She didn’t know what their plans were, but she guessed they might bring the Crown Prince here.
Awu felt a sense of avoidance, not wanting to face the Crown Prince.
When the Crown Prince found out, he would surely be furious and demand an explanation.
Awu didn’t know how to explain herself to him.
After all, the Crown Prince had once genuinely cherished her.
How could she bear to hurt him?
Awu even thought that if she had been born into a noble family, she might have been able to stay by the Crown Prince’s side as his concubine.
She couldn’t imagine how joyful life would have been if she had been the daughter of a marquis or duke.
At this moment, she thought of Princess Dening, who was born a princess, a golden branch and jade leaf.
Because her birthday was approaching, the peonies of Nanqiongzi were no longer for sale, and commoners couldn’t even get a single stem.
She was the daughter of Emperor Jingxi.
Awu closed her eyes, and the image of that man appeared in her mind.
Those light tea-colored eyes, cold and aloof, always carried a lofty, disdainful gaze—a demeanor befitting an emperor’s grandeur and dominance.
When they were entangled in bed, she thought she could make him infatuated, that she could control a man’s heart.
But once they left the bed, the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
How foolish she had been!
In the midst of these chaotic thoughts, Awu suddenly felt her mind grow hazy and her consciousness blur.
She realized something was wrong, suspecting they might have drugged her.
She tried to struggle, but it was futile.
Just then, she saw someone enter.
The man, though slightly hunched, was still tall and imposing, his shadow enveloping Awu completely.
Awu suddenly realized something.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up, and in the dim light of the woodshed, she saw that cold, elegant, yet chilling face.
He crouched slightly in front of her, his dark eyes reflecting the helplessness in hers.
He reached out a finger and gently lifted her chin: “Awu, you see, in the end, you only have me.”
In the night, his smile was cold and sinister, yet strikingly radiant, like a frozen sea under a vast expanse of ice.
Awu bit her lip, glaring at him with hatred as tears quickly gathered in her eyes.
Lu Yunjian’s eyes darkened slightly.
He kissed Awu’s hair gently with his lips: “Silly girl, why are you crying? The Crown Prince will be here soon. Do you want to stay here and be executed as an adulteress?”
His voice was tender, wrapped in deep affection.
But Ah Wu’s tears fell in large drops.
Another spineless man!
She didn’t want him to save her; she would rather face the Crown Prince.