After Becoming the Hero's Ex-fiancée

Gutting the Heart (3)

Zheng Wan hated when he was like this the most, as if she was just an ant on the ground, scurrying hither and thither, while he was a spotless cloud, floating in the sky; she was the mud on the ground, while he was the moon in the sky; she had worked all her life in vain, but he only needed to stand there and accept the Heavens’ favour and support.

“I hate you, Cui Wang!”

She grabbed the lapels at her chest, where pain had started up again. “I had been sincere before too! Cui Wang, it was you who didn’t want it, you hurt me, it was you who pushed me out.”

“So, you planted a gu in me?”

“Yes! I could only plant a gu in you. You are such a hard-hearted person, what else could I do but to plant a gu in you? From the time we met, you’ve been cautious at all times, scrutinising me under a magnifying glass, other than planting gu, what else could I do to get close to you?

“Preposterous.”

Cui Wang looked at her. “It’s because you were too greedy; you want to keep your whole family safe, you want to cultivate, and you also want me. Zheng Wan, this world does not revolve around you. If you want something, you must have it, and when you can’t get it,  you cry and make a scene, and use all sorts of tricks.”

“Yes! I know!”

Zheng Wan chuckled. “I know all too well that the world revolves around you, Cui Wang. Didn’t you ask me if I had ever been sincere? No, let me tell you, you are right, everything I did regarding you had been calculated, I had never been sincere for even a moment!

“It was like this with the crown prince, and so it is with you too!”

The entire room fell silent.

Cui Wang suddenly felt that he didn’t even have any interest in wasting a single word. He flicked his sleeves, sending her straight out of the study; the door closed with a “bam”.

Zheng Wan stood at the bottom of the corridor’s steps. The atrium was aglow with moonlight, but it made her feel cold all over. The partly hidden gazes around her made her straighten her back unthinkingly. She smoothed the pleated folds of her skirt and stepped out.

“My lady, wait for me.”

Luodai chased after her.

The servants looked at each other, at a loss of what to do. Oh no, it seems like… Lady Zheng has fallen out of favour.

Zheng Wan returned home in the carriage, had a good sleep, and when she woke up the next day, the skies were already bright.

She called out for her attendants, but no one came, so she lifted her covers and got out of bed.

Just then, Luodai entered in a panic.

“My lady! The State Preceptor has gone to the Upper Realms, he’s gone!”

“Gone?” Zheng Wan’s fists tightened, but she soon said as if nothing had happened, “It’s good that he’s gone.”

“B-but——”

Luodai added anxiously, “The State Preceptor has taken that Third Lady of the Liu Family with him!”

“Oh?”

Zheng Wan looked unperturbed. “Help me wash up. I want to go to Mother’s to greet her.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Luodai bobbed a curtsy, and Yanzhi entered with some maids to attend to Zheng Wan as she cleansed her teeth, rinsed her mouth, washed her face, and put on makeup. When she was about to change her clothes, Luodai suddenly let out an “Eh?”.

The little lady was wearing plain white inner garments in a style with slanted lapels, revealing a slender white neck. On her neck still hung the phoenix pendant that had been “blessed” by the State Preceptor during her last birthday.

But this phoenix pendant seemed to look different from how it usually did.

“What’s wrong?”

Zheng Wan looked down and didn’t notice anything different.

Luodai scratched her head, no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t pinpoint what was different about it. She continued to wait on Zheng Wan, helping her change into a newly made skirt of a light red colour. As she was draping on the shawl, it suddenly came to her.

She smacked her head, “My lady, when did you gain an extra bead under your phoenix pendant?”

Zheng Wan lowered her head; under the phoenix pendant that was strung on snow-white mermaid silk, there was an additional deep blue bead of water, round and smooth, just like her favourite crystal candy ball.

She felt it seemed rather familiar, but when she thought about it, it wasn’t quite the same as what she saw yesterday. This bead carried a deep blue wateriness within it.

“Granny Jin, Granny Jin.”

Zheng Wan shouted, “Look, what is this?”

“Moist— Moistening Essence?!”

Granny Jin was so shocked that her voice was a different pitch. “It’s even the best of the best Bead of Azure Essence that is produced once in hundreds of thousands of years in all the Three Thousand Great Realms!”

“Ohhh, girlie, this is much, much better than that little bead yesterday. With this, not only can you open up your orifice, you can open a hundred orifices!”