Chapter 6: She Would Rather Have Stabbed Him

Seeing Ye Wanwan take the initiative to send the others away, smiling so enchantingly, Zhao Yi felt a stir of desire. He reached out to take her hand, only to grasp nothing but air.

Ye Wanwan picked up a teacup and offered it to Zhao Yi. Looking at the man before her—her husband—she realized that across two lifetimes, she could not escape this identity. It was truly disgusting.

"I heard something at the Empress Dowager's today, and I would like to ask the Emperor to clear up my confusion."

Zhao Yi replied, "Oh? Let me hear it."

Ye Wanwan continued, "The Empress Dowager said that you fear the Ye family and do not wish for us to grow too powerful, yet you still wanted to marry me. That is why you had her bestow the sterility potion upon me, to put your mind at ease. Is that true?"

Zhao Yi’s expression shifted slightly. "..."

This direct strike from Ye Wanwan was something Zhao Yi had not anticipated. He scrutinized her, trying to determine if she was simply naive and blunt, or if she harbored some hidden agenda.

"Is it difficult to answer?"

Zhao Yi remained composed; his breathing showed not a hint of panic, and he spun lies with ease. "The Empress Dowager is placing all the blame on me, is she?"

"How could I ever bear to hurt you? The Prime Minister’s influence at court is growing, and I do have intentions to curb it, but not out of fear. I intend to make great use of the Ye family, and therefore, I cannot allow them to provide others with any leverage."

"A tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind; I was merely trying to protect the Ye family. I never expected that the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager would misunderstand my intentions."

So, it was all his "painstaking consideration."

Heh!

This same rhetoric had once deceived her into believing him. The result was that he piled one conspiracy after another upon her, eventually pushing her into an endless abyss from which she found no release until her death.

"In that case, it seems I have misunderstood the Emperor?"

Zhao Yi responded, "I don't blame you. It is my fault for not explaining things clearly to the Empress Mother, causing her to act foolishly out of a misunderstanding... Alas, you have suffered."

Ye Wanwan gazed at him, her eyes misty. She leaned in, cupping his face with her hands. "Then, can the Emperor grant me one request?"

"Speak."

As he spoke, he reached out to pull her waist toward him, but before he could touch her, Ye Wanwan swung her hand and slapped him across the face, causing his head to snap to the side.

"Smack!"

The sound of the slap was incredibly sharp.

Half of Zhao Yi’s face instantly swelled and turned red. His ears rang, his head buzzed, and for a long moment, he could not process what had happened.

Ye Wanwan cupped his face once more, her expression filled with unabashed hatred. "Emperor, does it hurt?"

"My request is simply to make the Emperor feel some pain."

Zhao Yi suddenly raised his hand, gripped Ye Wanwan by the throat, and lifted her off the ground, his rage erupting. "Ye Wanwan, you are courting death!"

"Ugh..." With her throat constricted, Ye Wanwan could barely breathe. It was excruciating, yet she laughed. "Then kill me, Your Majesty!"

"You didn't want me to bear children—do you think I care for that?"

"If you truly fear the Ye family, then you shouldn't have married me. To marry me only to destroy me—it would have been more merciful to just run me through with a blade."

"Ah..."

Feeling as though her neck were about to snap, Ye Wanwan’s eyes welled up with tears from the pain, yet her hatred did not diminish; she showed no intention of begging for mercy.

Zhao Yi flung her violently onto the floor, glaring at her. "Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Furious, he flicked his sleeves heavily. "Guards! Seize the Noble Consort for me!"

Nanny Lin and Qingsha, who had been guarding outside, were shocked. They rushed in at top speed, and seeing Ye Wanwan collapsed on the floor, they cried out in panic, "Your Ladyship, are you alright? What happened? Why did the Emperor lay hands on you?"

Clearly, they had not yet noticed the swelling on Zhao Yi’s face.

"Haha... cough, cough, cough..." Ye Wanwan wanted to laugh, but her throat was so painful that her voice turned raspy.

She had slapped Zhao Yi and almost been strangled to death by him; counting it up, she had lost, but that slap had been satisfying. It was worth it.

If she could, she would have preferred to plunge a knife into him instead.

Several imperial guards swarmed in and reached out to apprehend her. Ye Wanwan swatted their hands away. "Don't touch me. I will walk myself."

Seeing that the situation had turned dire, Nanny Lin hurriedly ordered Qingsha to notify the Empress Dowager.

She truly could not understand what was happening. Had she known this would occur tonight, she would never have stopped the Noble Consort from leaving the palace.