She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 374 - 373: Not Willing to Cut Ties, Can Only Cut Heads

Chapter 374: Chapter 373: Not Willing to Cut Ties, Can Only Cut Heads

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wu Zhen received a slap across her face and her eyes widened in disbelief, "Have you lost your mind? Huai Xinmei, do you have the courage of the bear and the leopard now!"

How dare she strike her in public!

Wu Zhen felt she had completely lost face today.

Her face turned cold, "Cui Zhi, hold her down!"

Cui Zhi immediately stepped forward, grabbing Huai Xinmei’s hand, pinning her neck, and forcibly pressing her down into a lower stance.

Huai Xinmei knew of Cui Zhi’s tactics and couldn’t escape, so she could only glare hatefully at Wu Zhen.

"The Crown Prince just left, have you forgotten his attitude towards me already? I just spared your lives and now you no longer wish to live, well then, let’s all die together!"

Wu Zhen’s chest heaved, and she fiercely grabbed Huai Xinmei’s chin, "You may have some beauty, but you are still far inferior to the late imperial consort. You haven’t yet understood your own position, still aspiring to cling to the Crown Prince, truly delusional!"

"That’s right, Huai Xinmei, you really have a big appetite, already plotting to seduce the Crown Prince," Chen Di stepped forward, looking down at the distressed Huai Xinmei with deep eyes, he bent over and whispered in her ear, "But the Crown Prince is long gone now, and you are completely trapped. It would be better to beg this young master for mercy. Perhaps I might be generous and let you off today..."

"Otherwise..." Chen Di drew out his words, "between you and me, in the end, one must die to fuel the situation at the Northern Border."

Huai Xinmei snorted coldly, "Me, beg you?"

Her gaze sharply fixed on Chen Di and she spat fiercely, "You are not worthy!"

Chen Di wanting Huai Xinmei to beg for mercy? Maybe in his next life!

Chen Di clapped his hands in cold amusement, "Very good, excellent!" He then looked at Wu Zhen, "Madam Wu, please do me the honor of handing her over to me. Within three days, I guarantee to cure her madness and return a healthy young lady to the Marquis Residence!"

Wu Zhen and Chen Di exchanged glances, each seeing the ugliness and trickery in the other’s heart.

"Since Young Master Chen is willing to take on this task, Madam Wu is of course very pleased," Wu Zhen raised her hand, "Cui Zhi, let go."

Huai Xinmei, seeing Wu Zhen actually hand herself over to Chen Di, cursed furiously, "You dare, you old hag! I am, after all, the young lady of the Marquis Residence. If you hand me over, are you not afraid the Elders will hold you accountable?"

Although the Marquis Residence might be declining, the power and deterrence of those Elders were still very much real.

No matter how low she fell, she had still made contributions to the Marquis Residence over the years.

The Elders would never just hand over a pure maiden like her to Chen Di!

At the mention of the Elders, a wary flash indeed crossed Wu Zhen’s eyes.

"Young Master Chen, this..."

"Madam Wu, it seems you have a short memory. The young mistress of your Marquis Residence and I have already engaged in a lifelong agreement; she is already mine. Why would the Elders hold you accountable?" claimed Chen Di outright.

Huai Xinmei felt a near-blood-drawing fury, "I have nothing to do with you; the whole Northern Border can testify to that. When your father was still alive and wanted to exchange marital vows, my father never agreed—"

"You talk too much, Huai Xinmei," Chen Di said as he waved his hand, and his men immediately stepped forward to cover her mouth.

Huai Xinmei couldn’t break free and could only whimper.

Her gaze met with everyone present, but they either averted their eyes or lowered their heads.

No one... wanted to save her.

None.

Huai Xinmei’s eyes turned desolate as she suddenly pushed away the family servants restraining her, "Let go! I’ll walk by myself!"

All Chen Di wanted was her body and to torment her.

"Chen Di, you’d better kill me tonight; otherwise, it’s you who will surely die!" Huai Xinmei uttered through gritted teeth looking at Chen Di.

Chen Di wasn’t easily frightened and laughed on the spot, "As you wish."

His mocking laughter disgusted many present, who instinctively let out soft snickers.

Seeing their reaction, Huai Xinmei’s face turned paler.

Madam Wu, finding Chen Di vile, urged, "The night is deep; get going now." Eager to get rid of the trouble that was Huai Xinmei.

Hearing Madam Wu speak, Huai Xinmei revealed a bone-chilling smile, "Auntie, what goes around comes around. Just wait for your karma."

The servant pushed her hard from behind, causing Huai Xinmei to stagger forward; she found it all so ludicrous.

Those elders who had good relations with her father, those noble girls who called her sister on regular days, were just watching her march towards her doom.

Everyone understood the predicament she would face if taken away by Chen Di, yet, up until now, not one person had uttered a word.

They probably wanted her dead even more than Chen Di did.

Huai Xinmei thought so in her heart.

Just then, a soldier clad in iron armor, wielding an iron sword, walked in from outside. The originally noisy banquet hall instantly fell silent as a tomb.

"The Crown Prince decrees, ’The young miss of the Marquis Residence, of delicate grace and tender heart, has struck a chord with me from the first meeting. I look forward to the young miss attending the Summer Sacrifice in full regalia three days from now.’"

After the soldier recited the decree, he looked around at the crowd, quiet as frightened cicadas, before his gaze finally landed on Huai Xinmei, "Are you the young miss of the Marquis Residence, Huai Xinmei?"

Huai Xinmei immediately stepped forward to greet him, "Replying to your honor, I am indeed she."

"You heard the decree, did you not?" the soldier said patiently.

Huai Xinmei’s heart jolted; she knew the Crown Prince had deliberately instructed this official to ask her again, offering his support. She immediately nodded, "I heard it. On the day of the Summer Sacrifice, I will certainly attend in my finest attire."

"Good," said the soldier with profound meaning before departing, "Miss, remember not to forget one’s benefactors amidst wealth and status."

Such a line about not forgetting one’s benefactors amidst wealth and status.

It led to ample speculation.

Chen Di’s face turned the color of clay.

Huai Xinmei straightened her backbone and turned to look at the crowd, raising an eyebrow, "Eldest son of the Chen family, shall we go?"

"Go, go where?" Chen Di stuttered for a moment.

Huai Xinmei sneered, "Didn’t you want me dead?"

"Haha, you must have misheard. This young master would not even bear to step on an ant outside, how could I possibly wish for Miss Huai, lovely as a flower and precious as a gem, to die?" Chen Di forced a laugh, his mind racing for strategies.

Why had the Crown Prince taken an interest in Huai Xinmei of all people!

This was truly troublesome.

"Is that so?" Huai Xinmei turned to Wu Zhen, "Does my grand-aunt also think this?"

Cold sweat ran down Wu Zhen’s spine as she wrung her handkerchief, "Of, of course, whatever you say now is right."

"What about the others?" Huai Xinmei asked coldly, her watery eyes surveying the people around her.

She watched as they each lowered their heads, unlike before, their eyes now revealing guilt and fear.

Even a few of the sisters who had previously been on good terms with her tried to approach her with flattering faces, only to be stopped by Huai Xinmei’s indifferent gaze, and they stood frozen in place.

She had no need for such false gestures.

Huai Xinmei had finally managed not to waste her efforts, successfully arousing the Crown Prince’s interest in her.

"My grand-aunt should let everyone disperse now. After all, family disgraces shouldn’t be aired in public."

Being specially looked after by a decree from the Crown Prince himself, what Huai Xinmei said was correct by default.

Wu Zhen quickly had the guests escorted out, leaving only her and Cui Zhi in the courtyard.

As for Chen Di, he had already slipped away in the chaos back to his residence.

"The Crown Prince wishes for me to attend in full dress, but my grand-aunt knows that my father left the Marquis Residence with hardly a penny to his name."

"Whatever you want to buy, just go to the treasury for the silver," Wu Zhen was now being led by the nose.

She wasn’t bold enough to oppose imperial power.

Huai Xinmei boasted proudly, "Then I must thank my grand-aunt. There’s one more thing for which I hope my grand-aunt can nod her head. The courtyard where I currently reside no longer suits my status. My grand-aunt’s Glazed Glass Courtyard is spacious and well-lit, a truly enviable place indeed—I wonder if you could bear to part with it?"

A courtyard.

If she didn’t part with it, she’d have to part with her head.

Wu Zhen immediately agreed, "If you like it, then move in. Your grand-aunt will pack up and move out tonight."

"That’s really wonderful. My grand-aunt truly is the most adaptively shrewd person in the entire Marquis Residence," Huai Xinmei said without any pretense of politeness.