Chapter 2

Murong Qiao was furious. “How dare you stop Wan’er from being with me? Woman, you are truly vicious.”

Xia Wan’er quickly tugged on Murong Qiao’s arm as she sobbed. “Your Highness, please don’t blame her. As the younger sister, I shouldn’t have gone against my older sister’s wish. It’s my fault that I couldn’t control my feelings…”

“Wan’er, don’t say anything... You’re too soft-hearted. That’s why she has been bullying you all this time,” Murong Qiao replied.

An insidious flashed briefly in Xia Wan’er’s eyes as she stared at Xia Zian who lay on the ground battered and exhausted. She pleaded, “Older sister, I beg you, please let me be with the Crown Prince. I will remember your benevolence for the rest of my life.”

Zian inhaled sharply as she stared icily at the couple who were acting so affectionately to each other as though there was no one around. She was a military doctor in the Secret Service from the modern era. She came from a generation that interacted in an outspoken and straightforward manner. She despised speaking to these sort of nauseatingly glib and unreasonable people.

From the memories Xia Zian gained, she knew that both of the Prince of Liang’s legs were crippled. His temperament was cruel and violent. Although he did not have a proper wife, he had more than ten concubines in his mansion. Furthermore, she had heard that roughly half of his concubines were crippled. One could only imagine what kind of life they led in the King’s mansion.

The real Xia Zian probably refused to marry the Prince of Liang due to this reason.

Zian endured the pain she felt and mustered all her strength to say through gritted teeth, “You want me to give up my happiness so both of you can be together? You’re really shameless!”

Murong Qiao was furious when he heard Xia Zian’s words. He looked at Madam Linglong, Xia Wan’er’s mother, who was seated on a chair in front of the veranda. “If we don’t hit her, how long would we have to stay here?”

Madam Linglong had been watching the entire time. Her heart was filled with worries. If Xia Zian continued refusing, her daughter, Wan’er, would have no choice but to marry that wicked demon, the Prince of Liang. Initially, she thought it would not take long for Xia Zian to agree since the Crown Prince had come to pressure her today. Who knew she would persist in refusing even though she was continuously tortured. Now that she heard the Crown Prince’s words, her anger was stoked. She ordered in a sharp voice, “Come on then. Hit her. Hit her hard. Hit her until she agrees.”

Two cruel servants stepped out and restrained Zian. A wooden stick fell repeatedly on Xia Zian’s back, causing her flesh to split.

Eight years in the Secret Service had given her iron-clad willpower. She gritted her teeth and endured the agony and humiliation that did not belong to her to begin with. Blood flooded her mouth as she was repeatedly beaten with the wooden stick. It felt as though it would break all her bones.

Madam Linglong and Murong Qiao did not expect Xia Zian would be so stubborn. Linglong’s rage reached its limit. She no longer cared about maintaining a noble image. She quickly got up from her chair and made her way to Zian. She grabbed Zian’s hair and forcefully yanked her head up. She said viciously, “You’ll bring destruction upon yourself if you continue to refuse.”

Zian spat at a mouthful of blood on Madam Linglong’s face.

Madam Linglong was furious. She pulled Zian’s hair again and slammed Zian’s head to the ground. Then, she stepped on the back of Zian’s head and said, “Fine, be as stubborn as you want!”

“Why are you still wasting your time with her? If she continues to refuse, we’ll just follow the Prime Minister’s initial plan. We’ll cast her mother away after we pin the crime of adultery on her. Let’s see if Yuan Shi will be able to survive with such a heavy crime on her shoulders after she’s sent out of the mansion.”

Zian’s heart was filled with a violent rage. There was a tinge of heartache amidst her rage. This emotion did not belong to her. It belonged to the real Xia Zian. She knew that before the real Xia Zian died, the only person she could not leave behind was her mother, Yuan Shi.

In her daze, Zian only heard a majestic and booming voice.

“The wedding is tomorrow. Just hit her a little more. We can carry her into the bridal sedan while she’s unconscious. The Prince of Liang only wants the daughter of the Prime Minister’s first wife as his Princess Consort. He wouldn’t care if she’s crippled or disfigured.”

Zian forced herself to remember this voice. Her experience in the Secret Service told her that this voice should belong to the real Xia Zian’s father, Prime Minister Xia.

A tiger, although cruel, will never devour its cubs. This Prime Minister Xia is worse than a dog and a pig.

The wooden stick landed on her back again. Finally, she lost consciousness…