Zhou Jiayang watched her dazedly, and the tears he had held back finally fell. He left reluctantly.
The next day, as she had said, she packed her belongings and returned to the imperial palace. The Emperor's attitude softened mainly due to his anger at the Zhou family's actions. Furthermore, she had been well-behaved for a while, and her reputation had improved considerably. He decided to grant her wish this time, hoping she would live a good life thereafter.
Initially, the Grand Princess enjoyed a period of leisure. However, she gradually began to feel unbearable chest pain. After examining her pulse for a long time, the imperial physicians diagnosed her with chronic poisoning and delivered a devastating piece of news: the poison had deeply penetrated her internal organs and was incurable.
"Impossible! I'm so young, and I have a whole life ahead of me. You quacks must have misdiagnosed me," the Grand Princess immediately denied upon hearing this, refusing to accept the reality.
Yet, her chest pain worsened day by day. By the fifth day, she couldn't bear it any longer and was writhing on the floor in agony.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor summoned all the imperial physicians to her chambers, having them take turns examining her. Their responses were all the same: the Grand Princess did not have much time left.
Although he had expected this outcome, seeing his daughter's weakened state, the Emperor's eyes welled up with tears. "Is there truly no other way?"
The imperial physicians exchanged glances and lowered their heads. The Emperor closed his eyes, waved his hand, and dismissed them. The physicians quickly scurried away, fearing the Emperor's wrath.
"Father, I don't want to die. Please save me," the Grand Princess weakly clutched the Emperor's hand, pleading.
"I will not let you die. There must be a way," the Emperor said, hugging her tightly with concern.
"I've thought a great deal lying here, and I suspect Zhou Jiayang is responsible. You must avenge me!" the Grand Princess gritted her teeth, vowing that whoever harmed her would suffer a fate worse than death.
"Rest assured. Since you hate him so much, regardless of whether he did it or not, I will not let him off easily. Of course, I will find the true culprit. Anyone who dares to harm my daughter will regret being born into this world," the Emperor declared with determination.
The Grand Princess nodded frantically, tears flowing down her cheeks again. The Emperor patted her hand reassuringly.
When Wu Caiwei heard the news, her nose and eyes were practically smiling. She couldn't help but eat an extra bowl of rice. Ouyang Chenxi couldn't help but shake his head upon seeing her like this.
"If I had known that their falling out would bring you so much joy, I would have insisted, despite your objections, on handling it for you," Ouyang Chenxi said with a hint of regret. He had initially offered to resolve the issue with the couple himself, not wanting to dirty her hands. But Wu Caiwei had vehemently refused, stating that her revenge was her own to enact.
"Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?" Wu Caiwei quickly comforted him when she saw her man was unhappy.
Ouyang Chenxi understood her thoughts perfectly and playfully tapped her forehead.
Strangely, although the Emperor initially suspected Zhou Jiayang of poisoning his daughter, the investigation unexpectedly led to a maidservant in the Grand Princess's residence.
The maidservant, named Shaoyao, had been in the residence for three years. When a strange man appeared before her, she didn't hesitate to draw the dagger she carried and plunge it into her own abdomen.
Looking at his horrified expression, she laughed heartily, "You must be here to avenge the Grand Princess, right? Is she dying? It's all retribution. She killed my sister, an eye for an eye."
This outcome surprised the Emperor. He couldn't help but reconfirm, "Is the Grand Princess's poisoning truly unrelated to Zhou Jiayang?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant has investigated. That maidservant and her sister came from the south. One entered the Zhou family, and the other entered the Grand Princess's residence. Her sister was the concubine the Grand Princess had beaten to death not long ago."
"You mean Zhou Jiayang's concubine? I heard only one woman miscarried. How could the Grand Princess have beaten her to death?"
The head eunuch beside him quickly explained, "She wasn't dead at the time, but it's said she lost too much blood. Even with numerous doctors, she couldn't be saved."
Meanwhile, the Grand Princess also heard this news and said with great indignation, "It all started because of him. I said he is the culprit, and he is the culprit."
As Zhou Jiayang walked out of the Zhou family's main gate, he saw the lingering Wu Caiwei and wanted to bolt. Wu Caiwei, however, had no intention of letting him go. She said leisurely, "Shaoyao was truly devoted, willing to do anything for her lover, protecting him even unto death. It's a pity she didn't know he was a beast worse than any dog, using her from beginning to end."
Zhou Jiayang froze. He wanted to leave but couldn't move his legs. He forced himself to remain calm, "I don't understand what you mean. Who is Shaoyao? What does she have to do with me?"
"Since I dare to say it, it means I have evidence. Pretending to be ignorant is useless. If I were to spread this news, what would be your fate?"
Zhou Jiayang thought he had been sufficiently discreet, but to his surprise, she had discovered it. He didn't believe Wu Caiwei truly had evidence, but if the news reached the Emperor's ears, he would surely send people to investigate. He wasn't sure if Shaoyao had told a third person about their affair over the years, nor was he sure if anyone had discovered any clues.
After a moment's thought, he took a few steps forward and stood before Wu Caiwei. He said sincerely, "I truly did nothing to wrong the Grand Princess. I must emphasize that rumors are harmful. Cousin, whatever you require, as long as I can fulfill it, do not hesitate to ask."
"It would have been better if you had said this earlier. Why would I have to go through such detours?" Wu Caiwei nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "My request is simple. If the Zhou family returns all the property belonging to my Liu family, I will pretend today's events never happened and bury what I know deep in my heart."
"To be frank, it's not that the Zhou family is unwilling to return it, but the Liu family's assets were gone when you entered the household. They were all used to ensure the Zhou family's safety. If you don't believe me, I can swear to heaven," Zhou Jiayang quickly explained. Even if he wanted to return it now, he couldn't come up with that much money.
"In that case, our deal cannot be made. This afternoon, rumors about you and Shaoyao will spread through the streets and alleys. Prepare yourself for the Emperor's investigation," Wu Caiwei said with a hint of regret.
"Don't! I didn't say I wouldn't return it. The Zhou family truly doesn't have that much money. Can you give me some time?" Zhou Jiayang's tone immediately became submissive when he realized she was serious.
"That's not impossible. Starting tomorrow, I want to see two hundred thousand taels of silver every day. After fifty days, we'll settle everything. Don't say I'm not considerate of you; our Zhou family's debt is well over a million taels of silver."
Zhou Jiayang nodded reluctantly. No matter what, he had to appease her for now.
"Madam, are you truly going to let him off?" Jing'er couldn't help but ask her doubts as they walked far away.
"How could I? I only want to reclaim a portion of what rightfully belongs to the Liu family before the Zhou family collapses."