RWNEFE -Chapter 6 Swear a Deadly Oath!

“What scheme are you plotting?” Zhou Ruyuan blocked her, refusing to let her drink.

Shen Lanxi looked at him calmly, then lowered her gaze to Bai Qingling, who was kneeling on the ground.

“I’ll give you this one chance. If someone stops you from drinking, there’s nothing I can do.”

Bai Qingling cautiously lifted her head. Seeing that no one stopped her, she slowly straightened her back and stood up.

“Princess, do your words count?” Bai Qingling was gambling. On the surface, she carried an imperial heir—His Majesty had already spared her life. She didn’t believe Shen Lanxi would dare defy an imperial decree.

Hmph—so what if she was favored by the Empress Dowager and called the Emperor ‘imperial uncle’? Her mother wasn’t a legitimate princess anyway. If Shen Lanxi dared lay a hand on her, it would be harming an imperial heir. She wanted to see if the Emperor would spare Shen Lanxi then!

“Qingling, don’t listen to her!” Zhou Ruyuan said urgently. Though he didn’t know Shen Lanxi well—having led troops to war in his youth—he’d heard plenty about her arrogance and domineering ways. Combined with what she’d done today, he was even more convinced she was vicious at heart.

Her words could not be trusted.

Bai Qingling clutched the fabric of Zhou Ruyuan’s sleeve and leaned slightly toward him, looking utterly dependent and infatuated.

“Ruyuan, for you, I’m willing to do anything.”

Seeing someone rely on him with such wholehearted devotion, Zhou Ruyuan was deeply moved. Only a kind-hearted woman like Qingling was worthy of him!

“Qingling, don’t worry. I, Zhou Ruyuan, will never betray you in this life or the next!”

Bai Qingling took a small step toward the table, her eyes falling on the smaller wine cup.

“I’ll drink this cup of wine right now. I ask the Princess to keep her word from now on, live peacefully with me, and together support the Prince in accomplishing great deeds!” With that, she picked up the cup and tilted her head back to drink.

“Qingling, don’t drink it—I’ll drink it for you!” Zhou Ruyuan snatched the cup and drained it in one gulp.

“Ruyuan, you don’t have to do this. It’s just a cup of wine…”

Shen Lanxi searched their expressions twice without emotion. In that instant, her heart plunged into boundless darkness.

“Why the rush? Not enough to drink? There’s still another cup here.” She pushed the other cup on the table toward Bai Qingling.

This time, Bai Qingling didn’t hesitate at all. She picked it up and drank it down in one go.

Shen Lanxi saw everything clearly. Bai Qingling’s earlier hesitation had been deliberate—she’d wanted Zhou Ruyuan to drink that cup and test the poison for her. It seemed she didn’t love Zhou Ruyuan as much as she claimed.

“Alright, we’ve both drunk the wine. From now on, you’re not allowed to make things difficult for Qingling!” Zhou Ruyuan warned coldly.

Shen Lanxi’s eyes were as deep as an unfathomable icy pool, her voice frosty. “If she brings trouble upon herself by coming to me, then she’s just asking for it.”

Zhou Ruyuan suppressed his anger, his gaze dark and sinister. “Qingling is broad-minded, unlike ordinary women of the inner quarters—nothing like you, who only knows indulgence and scheming. She will never step into this place again!”
By the end, his eyes treated the bridal chamber as though it were filthy trash.

Shen Lanxi smiled faintly. “From now on, if either of you steps into this place even once, you’re asking for it.”

Zhou Ruyuan snarled fiercely, “You said it yourself. From now on, even if you beg the Empress Dowager or Father Emperor, I will never step into your room again.”

“And if you break your word?” Her phoenix eyes sharpened as they fell on Bai Qingling.

Seeing her still refusing to repent and even threatening his beloved with her gaze, Zhou Ruyuan blurted out viciously, “If I break it—may I be struck by heaven’s thunder!”

Shen Lanxi’s expression remained calm, as though she were handling the most trivial matter. On the very first day of marriage, she forced her husband to swear a deadly oath never to enter her room—no one could guess what she was thinking.

The food was brought in.

“Remember the deadly oath you swore. If Bai Qingling steps into my room, the one struck by thunder will be the Prince!”

Zhou Ruyuan understood now—Shen Lanxi was trying to force him to give in. If he never entered the bridal chamber, she’d use it as an excuse to complain to the palace and put him in a bind.

Unfortunately for her, Shen Lanxi didn’t understand him at all. He never accepted threats. As the commander-in-chief of an army, even if he fell, his backbone would remain unbroken.

“Rest assured—Qingling and I will never step into your room. But if you deliberately send someone to summon Qingling here, then the one struck by thunder, dying without burial, will be you!” Zhou Ruyuan had seen through Shen Lanxi completely. This scheming woman only wanted them to swear deadly oaths while leaving herself free to do as she pleased—dream on!

Shen Lanxi’s gaze fell on the food. After this, it would probably be hard to eat such fine dishes so openly again.

She didn’t want these two pieces of trash to taint her good food.

“Fine. You two get out. Don’t disturb me while I eat—or don’t blame me if I regret it!”

Watching the woman start eating voraciously before they’d even left, Zhou Ruyuan sneered inwardly. This woman was indeed cold-hearted and shallow, her narrow mind confined to the petty struggles of the inner quarters—not even worthy of comparing to a single strand of Qingling’s hair.

“Qingling, let’s go!” Zhou Ruyuan and Bai Qingling left one after the other.

As she turned to exit, Bai Qingling pretended to glance back casually out of the corner of her eye.

That woman was burying her head in food. Who would’ve thought that the dignified Princess Lanxi was such an empty-headed fool? She hadn’t even needed to exert herself today—Shen Lanxi had already fallen out with the Prince on her own. If not for her powerful family background, such a woman wouldn’t even be fit to carry the Prince’s shoes.

Chunxue and Qiushuang forced themselves to remain composed. Once only their mistress remained, concern and anxiety immediately appeared on their faces.

“Princess…”

“Call me ‘Miss,’ not ‘Princess,’” Shen Lanxi cut them off.

The two maids had just discussed changing how they addressed her—yet she stopped them after just one word.

What exactly had happened between Miss and the Prince? Had Bai Qingling forced her hand?

“Miss, this servant will go kill that woman!” Chunxue said, pulling Qiushuang as she headed out.

“Stop. I have something for you to do!” Shen Lanxi took a box from the dressing table. Inside were silver ingots and banknotes she had prepared.

Thinking of her family, who had been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, Shen Lanxi’s eyes darkened.

“The Shen family is in trouble. It’s very likely we’ll be sentenced to exile. I want you to take this money and prepare the things we’ll need on the road to exile.” She split several lists in two and handed them to the girls.

“After you’ve prepared everything, don’t return to the Prince’s residence. Go wait for me at Fulai Inn by the city gate.”

The two maids were terrified, their hands trembling so badly they almost couldn’t hold the items.

“Miss, how could this be? Everything was fine when we went out yesterday!” Chunxue said, grief-stricken and incredulous.

“There’s no time to explain,” Shen Lanxi said. “Zhou Ruyuan hasn’t received the news yet, but he will soon. Once he does, you won’t be able to leave even if you want to. Go—quickly!”