PFC Chapter 214 Should We Give Up?
Chapter 214 Should We Give Up?
Everything in the room had been moved out, leaving only a dressing table.
The dressing table was a gift from the Empress when she came of age, and it was the only piece of clothing she brought from the Jiang family. She sat in front of the dressing table, gazing at the beautiful but no longer innocent and gentle face in the bronze mirror, a hint of ruthlessness in her pupils.
She was adopted into the eldest branch of the family at the age of four, and all her knowledge and learning were for the purpose of becoming empress one day and securing greater benefits for the Jiang family. She had already entered the Eastern Palace, but was forcibly driven out. She dared not even think about what awaited her after returning to the Jiang family.
What right do they have to treat her like this?
Her nails dug deep into her palms, and the pain only made her more lucid. The ruthlessness in her eyes deepened. Was she really willing to give up the position she had worked so hard for to a sickly girl whose background was far inferior to hers?
No, she won't give up!
Whether she is the Crown Princess or the Empress, she can only be Jiang Ruoyi.
His dark eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them, as his gaze fell upon a small drawer on the dressing table. He pulled open the drawer; the unopened letter remained inside. He opened it, revealing half a crimson fingernail. He stared at the half-fingernail for a moment, then placed it back in the envelope and handed it to the maid.
"Deliver this letter to the mortuary in the west of the city and give it to the manager surnamed Mo. Tell him that I have agreed to what he wants."
Thinking of that man's gaze, Jiang Ruoyi felt a bit disgusted. If he could help her succeed... she could then use the Jiang family's power to get rid of him.
Although Bixi was puzzled, she remained silent, took the envelope, and walked out.
Jiang Ruoyi called out to Bixi, who was standing by the door, and scanned her from head to toe several times.
Bixi felt uneasy under her gaze and asked nervously, "Is there anything else you need, Miss?"
"Tourmaline, how have I treated you?"
“Miss has been kind to me like a second life. If it weren’t for Miss, Bixi and Bixi’s parents would have died long ago, and my younger brother would not have been able to go to the private school to study.”
That year, Bixi's father fell ill. Taking advantage of their lack of family members, her uncles drove her sick father, helpless mother, and young child and brother out of the house. Fortunately, they met Miss. Miss not only found a doctor to treat her father, but also found work for her mother, brought her into the Jiang family, and provided her brother with a private school.
With the Jiang family's backing, the eldest uncle and younger uncle sheepishly returned their belongings. Over the years, their family had lived very well, all thanks to the young lady.
Bixi kowtowed to Jiang Ruoyi: "Miss, rest assured, I belong to you in life and in death. I will only say what you command me to say, and I will never reveal a word of what you forbid me to say, even if I am torn to pieces. I swear on my own life and the lives of my family that in this life and the next, I will be loyal to you."
"It's not that serious." Jiang Ruoyi helped Bixi up. "Change your clothes before you go. Don't let people know that you belong to me, Jiang Ruoyi."
“I understand.” Bixi gripped the letter tightly in her hand: “I will never let anyone suspect Miss.”
Jiang Ruoyi's expression softened considerably. Holding Bixi's hand, she instructed, "Be careful in everything you do. Leave as soon as you deliver the message. Don't linger there."
Bixi nodded, carefully hid the letter on her body, and walked out. Jiang Ruoyi watched until Bixi's figure disappeared outside the door.
The housekeeper came over and asked if the dressing table needed to be moved. Jiang Ruoyi smiled and bowed, "Of course it needs to be moved. Thank you for your help, housekeeper."
The housekeeper looked at Jiang Ruoyi and felt that something about her had changed.
As night fell, a dark figure nimbly slipped past the guards and appeared in the Jiang family's inner quarters. With a flick of his finger, two gatekeepers fell to the ground. The figure quickly straightened them and slipped into the bedroom.
Inside the crescent-shaped bed curtains, Jiang Ruoyi was wide awake, staring intently at the ceiling. A dark figure stood before the bed, its large shadow obscuring the flickering candlelight. Jiang Ruoyi was startled, and sat up after realizing who it was.
The shadowy figure pulled off his mask and leaned down to look at Jiang Ruoyi: "You came to me on your own initiative, so you've changed your mind?"
Jiang Ruoyi met his gaze: "I want you to help me kill someone!"
The shadowy figure smiled and sat on the edge of the bed: "Murder? I've already retired from that kind of thing and don't want to do it anymore."
Jiang Ruoyi panicked and grabbed the dark figure's arm, saying, "I saved you, have you forgotten? If it weren't for me, you would have been in the underworld long ago."
The shadowy figure turned and grabbed Jiang Ruoyi's chin. Jiang Ruoyi struggled, but the figure's thumb pointed upwards, rubbing her lips. Jiang Ruoyi tensed, watching him warily. The figure moved closer, his gaze shifting from her eyes to the bridge of her nose, then from her nose to her lips. Just as Jiang Ruoyi thought he was about to do something to her, the figure released her and sat at the foot of the bed, looking at her with a half-smile.
“Miss Jiang, have you forgotten that I have already repaid the life-saving debt I owe you?” With that, she took out the envelope and poured out half a fingernail: “If it weren’t for me, Miss Jiang would have been expelled from the Jiang family’s main branch long ago. How could you be sitting here threatening me? I heard that the Jiang family’s side courtyards are very small, and the concubines live in even worse conditions. Those who are not favored are even worse off than the maids in the mansion.”
"I'm not threatening you, I'm begging you." Jiang Ruoyi moved forward slightly. "As long as you help me kill her, you can have anything you want."
"What if I wanted Miss Jiang?"
“I am the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, and it is impossible for me to marry you. Even if I agreed, the Jiang family would not agree.” Jiang Ruoyi avoided the shadowy figure’s gaze: “You can choose other things, such as gold and silver jewelry, official positions, and anything that I, Jiang Ruoyi, can do, I will never refuse.”
"I don't want you to marry me, I just want you to belong to me." The shadowy figure reached under the covers and grabbed Jiang Ruoyi's ankle. "Someone like me could die at any moment. Marriage and children are unrealistic for me. All I care about and want is the present. Miss Jiang, killing someone in the palace is a risky business. Without sufficient reward, I won't risk my life."
Jiang Ruoyi wanted to kick the dark figure away, but she was afraid of offending him. She hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile and slowly approached: "Okay, I promise you."
Three years ago, Jiang Ruoyi was punished in the ancestral hall. Outside the hall, she rescued a blood-covered figure. He was an assassin who had come to kill members of the Jiang family but was discovered by the family's guards and escaped to the ancestral hall severely wounded. Jiang Ruoyi didn't know what she was thinking, but she brought the figure into the ancestral hall and hurriedly cleaned up the bloodstains he had left in the courtyard. She not only had Bixi bring her wound medicine but also carefully cared for the figure for three days until he was able to leave the Jiang family.
The shadowy figure owed her a favor and promised to do her a favor. Not long after, she had the shadowy figure kill the person in the Jiang family who was most likely to replace her as the eldest daughter of the main branch. That fingernail was broken off when that person gripped her arm tightly as he died.
Three years have passed, and the scratches from my fingernails on my arm are still there, though they're not as clear anymore.
The shadowy figure pushed her sleeve up to her shoulder, exposing her entire arm. Jiang Ruoyi held her breath, watching the figure kiss the scar, and couldn't help but shiver. The figure looked up and asked, "Miss Jiang, would you like to continue?"