The Empress Chose My Bride, and Now I’m Stuck with a Yandere at -9999 Affection - Chapter 22:

Chapter 22: The Sickly Beauty and the Fragile White Flower

At the moment Jiang Xuan saw Murong Ying, his instinct was to escape without hesitation. However, he quickly calmed himself down. His current appearance was his true face, and Murong Ying had never seen it before. 

So, as long as he handled the situation properly, he could still deceive her. As for Murong Ying’s first words, Jiang Xuan figured she was simply trying to provoke him into admitting his identity. Therefore, Jiang Xuan greeted her politely, “Um… it seems you might have misunderstood something. By the way, you appear exceptionally graceful, so you must be Lord Murong. I’ve often heard my mother talk about her thrilling experiences with you on the battlefield.” 

He continued, “Lord Murong, my name is Jiang Xuan. According to seniority, I should call you Aunt Murong.”

When Jiang Xuan spoke, he deliberately changed his voice, making it sound completely different from when he had impersonated Lin Xuan. 

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Murong Ying crushed her wine cup into powder. Smiling sweetly, Murong Ying said, “What did you just call me? I didn’t quite hear it. Why don’t you say it again?” 

Seeing Murong Ying smash the cup and noticing that her Favorability had dropped to -6666, Jiang Xuan, who was always flexible, immediately corrected himself, “Um… although by seniority I should call you that, considering how young and beautiful you are, Lord Murong, it’s more appropriate for me to call you Sister Murong. Let’s treat each other as equals.”

“Oh? It seems you are quite a clever and thoughtful junior. Then, how about this—you accompany me for a few drinks instead of your mother?” Before Jiang Xuan could refuse, Murong Ying had already ordered the Jiang family guards to carry the drunken Jiang Yuyan away to rest and dismissed all the servants. Her swift and commanding actions made her seem like the true master of the Jiang family.

Now, only Jiang Xuan and Murong Ying remained in the main hall. Feeling her constant, scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Xuan grew a little nervous, worried she might detect some connection between him and Lin Xuan. Fortunately, after returning to the Jiang family, he had changed into a different outfit, and his appearance differed greatly from his disguised look. 

Jiang Xuan thought to himself, “There’s no way she could recognize me like this. Besides, knowing Murong Ying’s character, if she had truly recognized me, she would have attacked immediately, not spoken so calmly.”

However, what Jiang Xuan didn’t realize was that Murong Ying’s gaze had settled on a certain mark on his neck, her expression darkening. 

Regaining his composure, Jiang Xuan tried to refuse politely, “Um… Sister Murong, I’m not very good at drinking…” 

Murong Ying replied casually, “That’s fine. Just sit next to me and chat. I still have a lot I want to know about you. You look so good; of course I have to get to know you better.”

Jiang Xuan could only sit by obediently, taking a clean cup and refilling Murong Ying’s wine. “Sister Murong, please enjoy yourself.” Then, he sat quietly at the side. Murong Ying lightly swirled her wine cup and asked casually, “Xuan, I heard you already have a fiancée. How’s your relationship with her?”

Jiang Xuan: ???

Murong Ying’s question left Jiang Xuan dumbfounded. 

What was going on? 

He suspected Murong Ying was still trying to probe whether he was Lin Xuan. Bringing up another woman in front of a man—no matter how he answered, it would never be perfect! 

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xuan answered cautiously, “It’s good. The Empress personally bestowed the marriage, so I’ll just follow the flow.”

Murong Ying frowned slightly and said, “That won’t do. Marriage is a lifelong matter. Let me decide for you. You only need to tell me—do you like your fiancée or not? If you don’t, I’ll help you cancel the engagement.”

Jiang Xuan: !!!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan instinctively refused, “No, I can’t cancel it.” 

After calming down, he realized that he was too kind-hearted. 

In truth, if he had let Murong Ying intervene and ruin the engagement, it might have given him a chance to eliminate Nangong Liuyun. However, his innate kindness led Murong Ying to misunderstand completely.

Murong Ying suddenly crushed another wine cup, her tone becoming icy. “So that’s it. Now I understand. This is why you ran from me without hesitation, isn’t it?” 

Her voice turned even colder. “Xuan, you even lied to me endlessly for another woman, and I foolishly believed everything you said. Looking at it now, every word you said and every letter you left for me must have been lies.”

Jiang Xuan: !!!

Seeing Murong Ying’s overwhelming rage, Jiang Xuan quickly denied it, “Sister Murong, you must have mistaken me for someone else!” 

Murong Ying sneered, “Mistaken? How laughable. Xuan, even now, you want to deceive me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Murong Ying leaned over and grabbed Jiang Xuan’s face with both hands. “This is your true appearance, huh? Even more handsome than I imagined. But why… why does your body carry another woman’s scent and bear marks left by her?”

While saying this, Murong Ying’s finger lightly traced Jiang Xuan’s neck. Jiang Xuan turned his head aside awkwardly. Murong Ying was simply too close, and it was too much for a kind-hearted young man like him.

“Sister Murong, I think you’re misunderstanding me. Besides, you’re my elder… can you please let go of me first…” Jiang Xuan said helplessly.

“Misunderstanding? Fine. Let’s make things clear.” Murong Ying’s eyes turned cold. “Then tell me, why is the mark I left on Lin Xuan before we parted now on your body?”

Jiang Xuan: !!!

He was completely stunned.

[This woman even secretly marked me? That’s too much! Where’s the trust between people? She was just a former benefactor; how could she pull such tricks? I’m done for!

Seeing Jiang Xuan remain silent, Murong Ying squeezed his face harder. “Not trying to fool me anymore? So you admit it? Do you know what happens to someone who deceives me for so long?” 

She leaned in even closer. “I also secretly checked earlier—you’re just a 1st stage Martial Disciple Realm cultivator. I don’t know how you saw through my cultivation last time, but now, you can’t escape from me.”

Jiang Xuan remained silent. 

Murong Ying was eagerly awaiting his reply, expecting him to show fear and regret. Although she hated that Jiang Xuan had lied to her and hidden the truth for so long, deep inside, she didn’t want to kill him. 

Instead, she wanted him to surrender willingly—to kneel, apologize, and beg for her forgiveness. Only if Jiang Xuan showed enough guilt and remorse could she convince herself to indulge in the nearly insane desires within her heart.

Realizing her own twisted thoughts, Murong Ying blushed slightly, her gaze toward Jiang Xuan becoming greedier. Meanwhile, Jiang Xuan had finished arguing with his system, but the system didn’t offer him any treasures. 

The only consolation was the system’s assurance: [Regardless of what the host does, under the aura of maxed-out charm, there will be no life-threatening danger. If there is, the system will intervene.]

Since the system said that, Jiang Xuan decided to boldly test it. 

He looked very calm and said, “Yes, Sister Murong, you’re right. I deceived you. If killing me will make you feel better, then go ahead. I have no objections.”

While Jiang Xuan spoke, Murong Ying observed him closely. She saw mockery and sorrow in his eyes, but no guilt or regret, which made her frown even deeper.

“Xuan, are you hiding something else from me? After deceiving me for so long, do you not even have a single apology?”

“No. Toward you, Sister Murong, I feel no guilt,” Jiang Xuan replied firmly.

Murong Ying’s anger exploded. She grabbed Jiang Xuan’s neck tightly. “Tell me! Why did you deceive me in the first place?”

“It wasn’t deception,” Jiang Xuan said calmly. “At most, it was a kind lie. I didn’t expect that to maintain the lie, I would have to create countless others. At first, when I learned Sister Murong had returned from the battlefield in a broken state, I felt sympathy. There were even rumors you hadn’t yet escaped your battle mode—you wouldn’t let anyone approach and had become violent and bloodthirsty. No one dared to serve you.”

“I had never met you before, but I had heard countless stories about you from my mother. She always said her proudest achievement was mentoring the Dajiang Empire’s war goddess. She often spoke of your incredible feats on the battlefield. Originally, she had hoped that I would marry you one day. She once said that among all the women in the empire, you were the one she valued most.”

“But Sister Murong, you repeatedly refused the proposal. I had no resentment—only admiration for your dedication to the empire. When I heard about your condition upon returning, I thought, if no one dared approach you, then I would do it. I disguised myself to get closer to you.”

“After spending two or three days with you, your condition improved. But then I realized you had fallen for me and even dismissed all your servants to keep me close. At that point, I was terrified. I feared that if you discovered my real identity—that I was the man you had rejected—you would think I approached you with ill intent.”

“I truly only wanted to help you. It had nothing to do with rewards or Spirit Stones. I admired the war goddess who protected the empire. Later, when you passed out, I used a little trick to heal your hidden injuries from the battlefield. I could have left quietly, but I worried you would lose yourself in despair. So, I left a letter to give you hope and strength.”

“As for everything afterward, you already know. So, Sister Murong, ask yourself: have I ever harmed you or wronged you? After you rejected the engagement, weren’t we simply strangers?”

Hearing Jiang Xuan’s words, Murong Ying’s hand trembled, and she slowly released him. Tears streamed down her face. Looking at the faint mark on Jiang Xuan’s neck, she felt even more guilty.

“Xuan… I… what have I done… I’m sorry… it’s not like that… we’re not strangers…”

Recalling their days together, Murong Ying knew Jiang Xuan’s words were all true. The boy she had rejected and broken had still risked everything to care for her, heal her, and encourage her to move forward. A kind young man—yet she had bullied him, forced him to apologize, tried to sabotage his engagement, and even tried to force him to submit to her.

What right did she have to do that? She, who had rejected the marriage, and he, who had never wronged her.

Realizing how shameful her behavior was, Murong Ying broke down, clinging to Jiang Xuan and repeatedly apologizing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xuan thought to himself, “I only slightly modified the story, and the effect is this good? Good, good, I should use this opportunity to get this boss off my back. She’s soaking my clothes with tears. Which young man could endure this kind of situation?”

Thus, Jiang Xuan gently hugged Murong Ying and whispered in her ear, “Sister Murong, I didn’t tell you all this to see you so broken. Don’t cry anymore—you won’t look good. Let the past stay in the past. By the way, I’m a bit tired today. Could you visit me another day?”

Murong Ying nodded desperately, “Alright, Xuan… whatever you ask, I’ll agree. I’ll make it up to you…”

“No need, Sister Murong. You’ve never owed me anything,” Jiang Xuan said gently.

Hearing this, Murong Ying hugged him even tighter. In her heart, she wanted to give Jiang Xuan everything she had. She truly believed the man she loved was still so kind.

Of course, although she felt guilty, Murong Ying was no fool. Such a wonderful young man—how could she possibly let go?

However, for now, she couldn’t cross that line. She had to wait.

After a while, Murong Ying finally got up. Her cheeks were still flushed, not just from the tears but because she noticed that Jiang Xuan clearly had some feelings for her as well.

Hmph, men might say otherwise with their mouths, but their bodies were honest enough.

Satisfied, Murong Ying smiled and said to Jiang Xuan, “Xuan, you rest well. I’ll visit again tomorrow morning. I’ll bring a proper gift to apologize to you then.”

As her voice faded, Murong Ying’s figure disappeared from the main hall, leaving behind a very confused Jiang Xuan in the chaotic room.