Forced love, an inescapable fate

Chapter 126 Self-deception

Early in the morning of the second day after Wanyue left, Xiaotao told her that most of the people in the mansion had left.

She had previously thought that Xiaotao was also Jiang Ci's person, after all, there was the precedent of Wanyue and Baiyu.

But not long after Wan Yue left, Bai Yu also came to find her and gave her a list of all the people in the mansion. It clearly stated who were sent by Jiang Ci and who were the people purchased by the mansion. He also handed her the indentures of all the purchased people.

Holding the list and the indenture in his hand, Mu Qingli felt complicated.

After the Little New Year, it is only a few days away from New Year's Eve.

Now that more than half of the people in the mansion were gone, she remembered what Feng Zong said before he left. Even if she and Jiang Ci had broken up now, in the eyes of outsiders, they had long been firmly tied together. As for the so-called eldest prince, she had to be on guard against him.

So before New Year's Eve, I planned to go with Xiaotao to select some more guards who know martial arts for the mansion.

However, just as they were about to leave the house, they were blocked by Bai Yu, who had just left last night.

When Bai Yu saw her, he knelt down in front of her, looking more flustered and anxious than ever before.

"Princess, please save Wanyue."

Mu Qingli didn't understand what was going on and frowned, not wanting to say more to him.

They just left here last night, and only a few hours have passed. Now they come to look for me. Could it be that they are trying to deceive me again like they did yesterday when they said Jiang Ci was unconscious?

Every failure makes you wiser. Once you’ve been fooled, you won’t be fooled again.

But looking at the expression on Bai Yu's face, it didn't seem fake. Combined with what Wan Yue said yesterday, he suddenly seemed to understand something.

Wanyue indirectly told him the truth that Jiang Ci had hidden for a long time, but he could think that Wanyue did it on purpose. How could Jiang Ci not think that Wanyue was Jiang Ci's secret guard, which also meant that her action was a betrayal.

As for the traitors, these princes and nobles will not let them go easily.

Thinking of this, she no longer hesitated and motioned Bai Yu to stand up and speak.

"Jiang Ci wants to kill Wan Yue?"

Bai Yu was stunned. He didn't expect her to react so quickly. However, the master didn't seem to say that he wanted to kill Wan Yue, but her understanding seemed correct.

Seeing Bai Yu still in a daze, Mu Qingli urged him anxiously.

"Then why are you still kneeling? Why don't you leave quickly? Are you waiting to collect Wanyue's body?"

After saying that, she ignored Bai Yu and took Xiao Tao directly to Jiang Ci's mansion.

-

In the main hall of the Sixth Prince's Mansion, Wan Yue knelt on the ground. In front of her was a contract to sell her body and a bottle of poison that was said to kill one without any pain.

Jiang Ci stood in front of Wan Yue with a cold expression on his face. The chill around him was so chilling that even Jiu Yue outside the hall felt creepy.

Although Wanyue was kneeling at his feet, her back was straight.

"Lin Wanyue, your methods may be considered clever for a fool like Bai Yu, but do you think you can hide it from me? Do you think I don't know that you deliberately revealed the truth?"

The cold voice made Jiu Yue, who wanted to come forward to report the news, stand outside the hall and feel extremely conflicted.

Jiu Yue: I will be implicated if I go up at this time, but Bai Yu went to the Princess's Mansion. Given his feelings for Wan Yue, he would definitely do something like kidnap Princess Qingli. If he calls the Princess over and sees the scene, it will probably make the relationship between her and his Highness even more tense. So should I go and remind her?

Jiuyue was still struggling here, but Wanyue, who was kneeling in the hall, spoke.

But every word he spoke undoubtedly made Jiang Ci feel even colder.

"Then how long do you want to keep this a secret from the princess? A year? Five years? A lifetime? The princess narrowly escaped death last time. Do you want that to happen again? How long do you think you can keep this secret?"

"I will find the right opportunity to tell you the truth, sister, instead of you taking matters into your own hands. Are you satisfied with the current situation? Lin Wanyue, I've been so tolerant of you because of your sister's kindness. Now, you've crossed the line. There are two options now. First, you can abandon your skills, take your indenture, and leave the Dark Guard Camp. From now on, you will have no connection with the Sixth Prince's Mansion. Second, you can defend your dignity as a Dark Guard, drink the poison, and die in apology. Choose between the two options."

Wanyue did not make a choice as he asked, but questioned again.

"When is the right opportunity that Your Highness is talking about? Lies will eventually be exposed. Why should Your Highness deceive yourself? Besides, the princess is not stupid. She has already become suspicious. Even if I don't tell her the truth, she will find out."

Jiang Ci sneered a few times, his eyes full of paranoia.

"Self-deception, huh, so what if I deceive myself? This prince only wants her to be the same as before, and all she thinks about is me. It was you, Lin Wanyue, who pushed her away from me. If it weren't for you, how could she be involved with Su Minsheng? If you hadn't let her know the truth in advance, how could she have admitted in front of my father that she had feelings for Su Minsheng? How could she marry Su Minsheng? She is my elder sister, and the person she cares about most can only be me."

"So, Your Highness has admitted it, that His Highness's feelings for the Princess are no longer simply brotherly love. Your Highness's love for the Princess is a man's love for a woman, right?"

"So what if it is? So what if I admit it? She is mine, and only mine."

The determined look in Jiang Ci's eyes frightened Wan Yue.

Jiuyue looked at the two people in the hall and could only sigh in her heart for Wanyue's ignorance of her own life and death.

If someone else had questioned him like this, he would have died countless times over.

He dared not provoke this unpredictable master easily.

Besides, what Wanyue did was a real betrayal, and the two choices given to her now are already enough face.

Wanyue's legs were numb from kneeling. She looked back outside the hall, but apart from Jiuyue silently lip-syncing to her to bow her head and admit her mistake, there was no sign of the person she expected.

In the end, he just gave Jiu Yue a faint smile of gratitude, then turned around and kowtowed to Jiang Ci in a standard manner.

"Your Highness, I have said everything I wanted to say. Wanyue thanks Your Highness for your tolerance towards me over the years. I also know that what I am doing as a secret guard is already a betrayal. Your Highness is giving me two choices now, which is the greatest kindness. Wanyue understands it. Wanyue thanks Your Highness. As for these two choices, I choose the second one. Before I die, I want to tell Your Highness that you and the princess are not suitable. If Your Highness wants to do her best, you should give her freedom and respect and let her choose her own life."

After saying these words, she reached out and picked up the bottle of poison in front of her.

However, just as she was about to bring the poison to her lips, she heard an anxious and panicked voice coming from outside the hall.

"Wanyue, don't."