Phoenix Cries Across the World: The Cold-Hearted Princess is Too Alluring

The scorching sun beat down on Chu Yingge's body. The stick struck Chu Yingge again and again. She lay on the bench, her upper teeth biting her lower lip tightly, and blood slowly seeped out.

She will surely get back at the suffering she has endured today, many times over, in the future.

A sly glint flashed in his eyes. His hands gripped the front of the bench tightly, and large beads of sweat fell to the ground like broken beads. Soon, the ground became damp, but under the sun's evaporation, they disappeared at a visible speed.

Looking at the stubborn woman in front of him, Mu Jingyu suddenly felt a strange sensation. This woman was truly formidable. These sticks might not even be able to withstand the blows from these burly men, but the woman in front of him didn't even utter a sound.

She really doesn't seem like a pampered young lady from the Prime Minister's mansion at all; instead, she seems more like someone raised in a military family.

If he were to make the woman in front of him his empress, he would be able to save himself a lot of trouble in the future.

Thinking of this, Mu Jingyu's eyes darkened. Agreeing to Chu Yingge's conditions and letting Chu Yingge enter the Eastern Palace after the matter was completed was just a delaying tactic. But he had actually been considering taking the person in front of him into his own hands.

This woman truly possesses abilities that cannot be ignored.

"stop!"

An anxious voice reached their ears, and Mu Ziyuan appeared, looking travel-worn, striding over. His demeanor was completely genuine; he was truly anxious.

Upon hearing Mu Ziyuan's voice, the guards all stopped what they were doing, looked at the Emperor, and waited for what he would say next.

Chu Yingge breathed a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness, he had appeared.

Mu Ziyuan's face was gloomy as he looked at Chu Yingge, who was beaten to the point of near death. A surge of anger rose in his heart.

His hands were clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking, his nails digging into his palms, and blood trickling down his palm lines. The unreadable emotions in his eyes were eventually completely masked by calm.

"I don't know what Yinge did wrong to make my brother so angry," Mu Ziyuan said, his tone filled with suppressed anger.

If he hadn't known all along that this was a scheme painstakingly set up by Chu Yingge, he really wouldn't have been able to control himself and would have killed Mu Jingyu. He didn't dare say a word about his woman, yet here he was being tortured like this.

Mu Ziyuan remembered this debt.

Seeing Mu Ziyuan's calm demeanor, Mu Jingyu frowned slightly. Had he misunderstood something before? But it didn't matter; he was determined to place this pawn beside Mu Ziyuan.

"They're not even married yet, and Seventh Brother is already this protective of his own?"

"Yinge is, after all, my brother's future princess consort. Shouldn't I at least inquire about her?" Mu Ziyuan's tone carried a hint of anger.

Chu Yingge frowned. Mu Ziyuan was so smart that he should have been able to guess that she had arranged all of this. Why would he reveal his emotions in front of Mu Jingyu?

Could it be because of me?

Thinking of this, Chu Yingge felt a warmth in her heart, but in front of Mu Jingyu, she still had to put on the act.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It was my singing that was bad and offended the Emperor."

"How dare you, a woman, offend the Emperor?" Mu Ziyuan turned his head, staring at Chu Yingge with nothing but anger in his eyes.

Chu Yingge's heart skipped a beat. Of course, she understood that Mu Ziyuan was blaming her for using herself to dispel Mu Jingyu's suspicions. However, if she continued like this, she would be exposed.

As the emperor, Mu Jingyu is an extremely capable ruler. If he couldn't even perceive this, then he should truly abdicate and hand over the throne to a more worthy successor.

As expected, Mu Jingyu frowned slightly and scrutinized the two people in front of him.

Chu Yingge lowered her head, remaining silent, her eyes revealing an unreadable emotion. It seemed that her elaborate self-inflicted injury scheme had been in vain. Faced with such an inflexible and stubborn person as Mu Ziyuan, she had no choice but to accept it.

After a long while, Mu Ziyuan calmed himself down, let out a long breath, and regained his usual indifference.

"Your Majesty is not one to protect your own, but this song was bestowed upon me by Your Majesty. If I do not value it, wouldn't that be disrespecting Your Majesty?"

"Since you value her, you should teach her the manners of a princess." Mu Jingyu picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and kept his eyes on Chu Yingge out of the corner of his eye.

Mu Ziyuan bowed slightly, his eyes lowered as he looked at the ground: "It is my fault for failing to properly educate you. After you marry me, I will teach you well."

"Forget it, I'm not a petty person. Let's not dwell on today's matter. Let's take the princess back."

"Yes." He nodded slightly. "Your subject takes his leave."

Walking to the bench, Mu Ziyuan looked down at the person who had been beaten, feeling a pang of heartache, but he never bent down to help.

"Can you leave?"

"Okay." Chu Yingge breathed a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, Mu Ziyuan didn't just come up and carry her away. Judging from his posture just now, Mu Ziyuan would have wanted to kill someone.

Chu Yingge struggled to her feet from the bench, her face pale. These men under Mu Jingyu were truly ruthless. Her body was already weak; how could it withstand such torment?

If she were from the 21st century, how could she allow herself to be bullied like this? If she didn't like someone, she would just kill them, wouldn't that be better?

Unfortunately, in this era of power, she might not even be considered an ant in the eyes of those in power. Moreover, Mu Jingyu, as the emperor, wields immense imperial power, which she can never match.

If she wants to overthrow Mu Jingyu, she must first seize the imperial power from Mu Jingyu's hands, but right now, she does not have the ability or qualifications to do so.

The sun was scorching, and Chu Yingge was feeling weak and dizzy. She lost her balance and was about to fall to the ground when Mu Ziyuan reached out but ultimately did not step forward.

The act has already gone this far; if he were to truly follow his heart, all the efforts the young woman had made would have been in vain.

These wounds on my body deserve some compensation.

After a close encounter with the ground, Chu Yingge's vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

Seeing Chu Yingge lying on the ground, Mu Jingyu's slightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. It seemed that he had worried too much; there was nothing fishy between the two of them.

Otherwise, how could Mu Ziyuan not have any reaction when he saw Chu Yingge beaten up like this?

The earlier request to move the wedding date forward was probably a way for Mu Ziyuan to cover his tracks. He also said that he had been fond of Chu Yingge for a long time, but he probably didn't even believe this lie that he made up.

"Seventh brother, you really don't know how to cherish a beautiful woman?"

"Your Majesty is right."

Mu Ziyuan bent down almost without hesitation and picked up Chu Yingge, who was covered in wounds on the ground. He had been waiting for Mu Jingyu to say those words.