Chapter 195: Chapter 194: Mad DemonHer light laughter had an air of disdain for everything, so arrogant that it was repulsive.
Sang Yan frowned and walked over, sitting down in front of her.
He Hongzhao picked up the teapot, poured her a cup of tea, and pushed a plate of seeds toward her.
This calm and composed demeanor made her even more irritating.
Sang Yan finally lost her temper.
She knocked over the fruit plate, her eyes filled with disappointment and shock.
"You’re about to die, how can you still act as if nothing’s happening?"
"What else should I do?"
He Hongzhao, holding her cheek with one hand, swayed the teacup in front of her with the other.
The teacup’s tea floated unknown petals, the tea color pale red, wafting a wispy fragrance.
She drank the tea, smiling radiantly at Sang Yan, seemingly delighted to see her angry.
Sang Yan suppressed her anger and asked, "You have nothing to say to me?" S~ea??h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
With an innocent expression, He Hongzhao countered, "What do you want me to say?"
Seeing this, Sang Yan, enraged, wanted to explode: "He Hongzhao!"
He Hongzhao took a few more sips of tea, laughing with coughs: "Cough, haha, Sang Yan, cough, your reaction gives me a sense of superiority as the victor."
Sang Yan: "..."
She hated her lack of struggle: "You’re really insane!"
The insane He Hongzhao finished the tea in her cup, picked up the teapot, and poured herself another cup.
The tea that was poured still carried unknown petals but was a brighter red and had a richer fragrance.
She continued to sip the tea, mouthful by mouthful, without speaking further.
Sang Yan closed her eyes, slowed her breathing, trying to calm herself.
Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms, the pain brought her back to rationality, and when she opened her eyes again, she had regained her composure.
"Do you want to infuriate me?"
She analyzed He Hongzhao’s psychology.
He Hongzhao wiped the tea from her lips with a handkerchief, feigning surprise: "You figured it out."
She never believed Sang Yan truly considered her a friend.
Her politeness and friendliness were merely because she thought she could save her lover.
Why bother with pretenses?
She purposely angered her, wanting to see her angry, wanting her to shed that layer of hypocrisy and expose a heart as filthy and selfish as hers.
Sang Yan was indeed very angry.
She was no saint; her earnestness was being used against her own lover, how could she not be angry?
But considering He Hongzhao’s background?
Her heart was angry, full of hatred, yet she also felt sympathy for her.
"He Hongzhao, I ask you, did Qi Wuya force you?"
She wasn’t giving up.
Perhaps, He Hongzhao was coerced.
Qi Wuya was ruthlessly manipulative; initially, Jiang Ke refused to submit to him and was killed by him.
Who knows whether He Hongzhao was rebellious against him and he used another method to control her?
He Hongzhao hadn’t expected Sang Yan to still be making excuses for her.
She stared fixedly at the beautiful woman under the candlelight, and after a long while, she burst out laughing.
It was as if she heard the funniest joke in the world; her pale face even flushed with laughter.
She pointed at Sang Yan, appearing almost mad: "Cough, Sang Yan, you really are, cough, the most foolish woman I’ve ever met! Even now, you are still soft-hearted? What happened to Mr. Jiu? To fancy a foolish woman like you?"
She didn’t understand!
She really didn’t understand!
How could her godlike Mr. Jiu fall in love with such a woman?
She thought she was different in his heart.
Born under an unlucky star, destined for an early death, she never yearned for his love, but she couldn’t bear the thought of his love going to such a woman!
Upon seeing this, Sang Yan suddenly felt overwhelmed with endless sorrow.
She should have known the answer—He Hongzhao liked Qi Wuya. Out of love, she had betrayed her own country.
"You asked the maid to leave first and stayed here alone, were you waiting for Qi Wuya to come rescue you?"
"Don’t interfere!"
He Hongzhao, having her true feelings poked at, suddenly changed her expression and glared fiercely at Sang Yan, "You don’t need to stir up trouble between me and Mr. Jiu!"
"What else is there for me to stir up?"
Sang Yan laughed angrily, "Qi Wuya will not come to rescue you! You are merely his pawn. No, you are now nothing more than a discarded piece!"
As she spoke, she reached out her hand, toying with the Snow Monkey that was eating sunflower seeds on the table.
Unaware of the danger, the Snow Monkey still leisurely enjoyed Sang Yan’s touches.
"Was this Snow Monkey a gift from Qi Wuya? With just a Snow Monkey and some time spent together, he had you loyally serving him?"
As her words fell, her eyes hardened, and she grabbed the Snow Monkey’s neck.
The Snow Monkey, frightened, scrambled with its limbs and squealed loudly.
"Stop! Let Ah Jiu go!"
He Hongzhao’s face turned pale; she struggled to stand up, trying to stop Sang Yan.
Unfortunately, she was so frail, she barely stood before tumbling weakly to the floor.
With a stern expression, Sang Yan, clutching the Snow Monkey, looked down dominantly at the woman scrambling pitifully on the ground.
Now, this woman had finally changed her initial frenzied and arrogant demeanor, clutching at Sang Yan’s dress, her face showing fear.
"Give it back to me! Cough cough, Sang Yan, let go, give it back to me..."
She cried while pleading, her appearance humble and pitiful, as if she were begging Sang Yan to spare her most cherished possession.
Seeing her like this, Sang Yan grew immensely angry, "You care about the life of a mere beast, yet disregard that of a living person! Have you ever thought about how many innocent people will suffer from war if you harm He Ying and Beiqi troops trample over He Country’s territory? He Hongzhao, you are a Divine Doctor who once bestowed good upon the populace, are you really determined to disregard thousands of your countrymen for such a deceitful man?"
She interrogated her, crouching down, grabbing He Hongzhao’s chin, forcing her to look into her eyes, "What has Qi Wuya done to you! He Hongzhao, until when will you remain deluded?"
She didn’t actually want the Snow Monkey’s life.
The Snow Monkey took advantage of her letting go and immediately fled back into He Hongzhao’s arms.
He Hongzhao, seeing her weak point no longer controlled, sneered twice, brushed her hand away, and struggled back onto the nearby wheelchair.
She straightened her clothing, sat upright, picked up the teacup again, put on a smile, and leisurely sipped her tea, as if the person who had just lost her composure was not her at all.
"Empress, what are you talking about? I’m but a lone girl, who has lived in seclusion in Cangcui Mountain since childhood, the countryfolk?"
He Hongzhao sipped her tea, looking at Sang Yan, her eyes filled with disdain, "Heh, what do they have to do with me? The world has never treated me with kindness, yet you expect me to return it with kindness? Where is the sense in that?"
Sang Yan furiously retorted, "The ones who hurt you were your parents, you shouldn’t involve the innocent people—"
"The common people have nothing to do with me!"
He Hongzhao interrupted her, her gaze tenderly resting on Ah Jiu nestled in her arms as if she were looking through it at the man deep in her heart.
"A man would die for those who appreciate him, dying for Mr. Jiu would be my honor."
She drained the tea from her cup, revealing a satisfied smile.
Sang Yan was chilled through: this woman had truly been brainwashed by Qi Wuya.
Hopeless!
Further conversation with her would only be wasting words.
"If you are so madly obsessed, then I will fulfill your wishes."
Sang Yan’s heart had gone numb, and her gaze at He Hongzhao showed neither sorrow nor joy, "I will ask the Emperor to leave you a dignified end. I hope in your next life you live more freely."