Chapter 95

Chapter 95: That Night, You Failed to Conceive My Child Chen Wa was extremely anxious. He sent one person ahead to Phoenix Tower to inform the Consort, while ordering another guard to return to the Princess Manor to call for reinforcements. Chen Wa himself stood guard outside the tailor shop, confronting Regent’s men without moving an inch. Confrontation it truly was—Chen Wa stood face-to-face with them, eyes wide and unblinking, as if playing a game of “statues” where the first to blink loses. The servants of Princess Duanrong were just like their master—single-minded and only moved by Princess Duanrong herself, carrying a hint of madness in their bones. Even many court officials in Yindu would show utmost respect upon encountering the guards by Regent’s side, for even a servant of a prime minister holds the rank of a seventh-grade official. Yet Chen Wa, merely a first-class guard of the Princess Manor, showed not a trace of fear in the face of Regent’s personal guards. Even taking advantage of his slightly taller stature, he tilted his head back, nostrils flaring as he breathed hot air into their faces, his expression full of arrogance. At the very least, his presence was undeniably imposing. If even a servant carried himself this way, his master naturally exuded an even greater aura. Though Gan Qiongying felt inwardly weak—even if she racked her brains until sparks flew, she truly possessed no formidable power to oppose Regent or the Kòu Clan behind him, the Empress Dowager’s faction. How could she not know that the plot had already derailed? Perhaps even the halo of this villainess could no longer protect her. Yet Gan Lin was trapped in the palace as if in a den of wolves and tigers. At this very moment, he might truly be suffering from the torment of poisoning. Influenced by Princess Duanrong, Gan Qiongying even felt that Gan Lin was small—so small, like that child who would have easily perished without her protection. Moreover, if Gan Lin had suddenly been poisoned, it was undoubtedly because the old witch in the palace had gone mad. And the most likely reason for her madness was Gan Qiongying shooting an arrow at Sima Rui earlier. How could Gan Qiongying possibly retreat? How dare she retreat? After ascending to the second floor, Gan Qiongying stood outside the room Regent Sima Rui had entered. She fiercely flung the skirt she was holding, narrowed her phoenix eyes, and pushed the door open with an unmistakably confrontational expression, striding inside. Those with nothing to lose fear nothing. Gan Qiongying’s mind worked faster than her eyes. In the moment it took to push the door open, she had already devised a plan to overturn the chessboard and temporarily intimidate her opponent. However, the moment she pushed the door open and glanced inside, she froze for a second before immediately wanting to turn and flee. Sima Rui was facing the door, his robe wide open, his belt placed on a nearby chair, and his limbs relaxed as he leaned back in his seat. His legs were spread apart, while the several attendants who had followed him upstairs, along with the Old Shopkeeper, knelt at his feet, alternately lowering and raising their heads as they busied themselves with something. From Gan Qiongying’s perspective, she could only see the person kneeling in the middle, whose head happened to block Sima Rui’s unspeakable area. The scene was far too eye-searing! It felt as if someone had squeezed mustard into Gan Qiongying’s eyes, nearly blinding her on the spot. But as Gan Qiongying took half a step back to close the door, she glanced once more at Regent. This time, she realized that the person kneeling between Regent’s knees was none other than the Old Shopkeeper of this tailor shop. Holy shit! Is Sima Rui's fetish really that peculiar?! Gan Qiongying instinctively averted her gaze, immediately stepping back out the door and slamming it shut with a loud "bang." However, the loud noise from closing the door quickly made Gan Qiongying realize something. She pulled the door open again, took a few steps toward the Regent, and finally saw that things weren't as perverted as she had imagined. The one busily working between Sima Rui's legs was indeed the Old Shopkeeper, but he wasn't doing anything indecent. Instead, he was tying a bandage around Sima Rui's leg. Sima Rui had already removed his outer trousers and was only wearing his undergarments. His fair, slender left leg was wrapped in a conspicuous strip of white cloth—clearly the spot where Gan Qiongying had shot him. As for the Old Shopkeeper, he was winding a wide black cloth strip around Sima Rui's leg, one loop after another, like tying up a crab. It was unclear what purpose it served. "Have you seen enough?" Sima Rui suddenly spoke, his voice deep and laced with a hint of mockery. Gan Qiongying absolutely despised his tone. She shifted her gaze from his leg to his face, meeting his eyes, and sure enough, she found the same contempt and arrogance in them. Gan Qiongying had always been as gentle as a spring breeze toward her allies, but as harsh as winter toward her "enemies." Thus, she retorted with equal sarcasm, deliberately letting her gaze drift from Sima Rui's leg to his unmentionable area before meeting his eyes again. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted me to see?" she said. "Regent, instead of sleeping in the dead of night, you went all the way to Phoenix Tower to ambush me. You went to such great lengths to lure me here, just to show me this?" Gan Qiongying wasn't saying this to provoke the Regent but to test Sima Rui, gauging his reaction to determine whether his earlier claim about "the Emperor being poisoned" was true or false. If the Emperor truly was poisoned, then Sima Rui must have lured her here for some other purpose, not just to engage in a war of words. Moreover, as a master of verbal sparring, Gan Qiongying had never lost to anyone: "It's just that tiny little thing. I've already seen it all, and honestly, there's nothing much to look at." No man could withstand being spoken to in such a tone by a woman, especially when it came to that particular area. Sure enough, Sima Rui's expression immediately darkened. He kicked away the Old Shopkeeper, who had been diligently wrapping his bandage, and took several swift steps toward Gan Qiongying, reaching out as if to grab her by the neck. But he stopped abruptly in front of her, his hand landing heavily on her shoulder instead. Sima Rui looked at Gan Qiongying and said, "If you were just trying to get my attention, then you've succeeded now!" The line made Gan Qiongying's teeth ache. This book must have been published quite early, back when "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention" hadn't yet become a widespread internet meme and was still considered a rather charming trope. Regent Sima Rui indeed fit the archetype of an old-school domineering prince—with sharp eyebrows, piercing eyes, an imposing presence, and thin lips that curled slightly. His gaze was a perfect blend of three parts aloofness, four parts mockery, and five parts indifference. But Gan Qiongying had no interest in playing along with his script. After all, these lines shouldn't belong to one of the male leads and a villainous female side character. Therefore, Gan Qiongying grabbed the Regent's arm with both hands, her fingers digging unceremoniously into his flesh. She raised her phoenix eyes, which appeared particularly sharp when slightly narrowed, meeting Sima Rui's cold, piercing gaze. "Is His Majesty truly poisoned?" Gan Qiongying abruptly changed the subject, aiming to catch Sima Rui off guard and provoke an immediate reaction. She stared into his eyes without looking away. Sima Rui's pupils showed no change. It was as if he suddenly realized he had been easily angered by someone he looked down upon, and he released Gan Qiongying's neck in a fit of frustration. With a flick of his robe, he sat back down in the chair, looking up at Gan Qiongying from below, yet his eyes were filled with a condescending gaze, like an elephant looking down at an ant. Meanwhile, the Old Shopkeeper he had kicked away earlier quickly crawled back to his side, continuing to tie the black cloth that had loosened from his restless movements. Other attendants soon knelt and approached the Regent, helping him put on his outer pants and boots. Gan Qiongying knew Sima Rui was deliberately tormenting her and would not give her an answer so easily. For the moment, she couldn't think of any other way, so she stood at a distance, locked in a standoff with Sima Rui. Sima Rui remained silent, and so did Gan Qiongying. Standing in the most disadvantaged position, the only thing she could do was maintain her composure. After a moment, Sima Rui suddenly sneered again, glancing sideways at Gan Qiongying and saying, "Since you fell off a horse and damaged your brain, your courage seems to grow day by day." Without missing a beat, Gan Qiongying replied, "What else can I do? One can't have everything. It's not like there's no room for improvement anywhere." After saying this, she glanced pointedly at Sima Rui's unmentionable area. Of course, she wasn't being lecherous! She was simply trying to provoke Sima Rui. But Sima Rui, as the Regent, was clearly no pushover. When Gan Qiongying had asked him so abruptly earlier, he hadn't even shown a flicker of emotion in his pupils, making it impossible to glean anything from his expression or reaction. The same tactic of provocation clearly didn't work a second time. Upon hearing her words, the Regent didn't even raise an eyebrow. Instead, he leisurely picked up the teacup beside his seat, blew away the floating tea leaves, and took a slow sip. Then, looking back at Gan Qiongying, his expression turned somewhat playful. "You hold quite a grudge against me. That night, when you failed to conceive my child, were you particularly disappointed?" Gan Qiongying: "...Huh?"