Chapter 261 – She Looks Like Ye Zhen! (1)

The words stilled the air, the man and woman looked into each other’s eyes- a staring contest had begun, none was ready to relent. His hawk-eyes were suffused with astonishment while her doe-eyes nothing but unveiled resentment.

Ye Zhen’s heart raced, her fists clenched to her side. She was unreconciled, she wouldn’t accept this! She had spent an entire lifetime pining for this man, who had done nothing but shun her, going as far as awarding her death in return for her love.

And now, in this life, he was shamelessly chasing after her, coercing her to be his woman! How could she accept Mo Rongzhan falling for her! He was the one who had actively kept her at bay once, so then why did he suddenly want her to enter the palace this badly?

No one knew this man better than her- his wants, needs, and taboos. He never did things without a motive, there was no such thing as ‘genuine feelings’ when it came to this man, just advantages and disadvantages. He was a tyrant, who never cared about anyone else’s feelings, just doing as he willed. No one was clearer than her- he may let her off now, but there was no telling when his whims and fantasies would run rampant and he would decree her to enter the palace.

The way to stop this once and for all was to make him loathe her. And who better than his greatest taboo ever to nip it in the bud?!

One could say she was being myopic. The prudent Ye Zhen was overlooking the fact that being the most favoured concubine came with its fair share of benefits. This status would not just aid, but perhaps even expedite her revenge on the Lu Family. Although she stood to gain from it all, she was absolutely unwilling.

No doubt she wanted to avenge her father and brother, as well as herself, but she was not willing to deliver herself to a lifeless life, let alone marry Mo Rongzhan. One lifetime had been enough for it to say nothing of another. No one knew better than her about the golden cage called the imperial harem. It was all nice and rosy on the outside, but there was nothing but melancholy and despair laying in wait.

And besides, what was the best way to deal with your enemies? It was to ruin the things that cherished.

Yes, she wanted to absolutely ruin Lu Lingzhi and Lu Wushuang’s reputation–their glory and wealth, and destroy Mo Rongzhan’s Jin Country. The trio that was her undoing, needed to pay for their crimes and atrocities. So, why should she torment herself in the process? She was here to inflict pain not suffer herself.

That said, even if she became a beloved concubine, all she could do was live within the walls of the palace all her life, only relying on Mo Rongzhan’s favor to avenge her. But what if his favor was but a passing whim? Didn’t history have enough proofs of emperors and their ephemeral love? What hope could she have in her life then?

As for the said man, he was still trying to process her words. It wasn’t the first time that this girl had brought that person up, but what she said was truly shocking. He wasn’t sure if she was saying things just to rile him up and escape. He simply stared at her, lost.

“Your Majesty, it seems like you don’t remember at all what your former wang fei looked like. Aren’t you disgusted with Ye Zhen? Do you not know that anyone in the capital who has seen Ye Zhen says that I look very similar to her? Yet, you still demand for me to enter the palace, is it because your conscience constantly reminds you of her?” Ye Zhen provoked as she looked at Mo Rongzhan straight in his sharp eyes, which was the only way to stop him from wanting her. She didn’t know if his brazen behaviour should be attributed to infatuation or willfulness, whatever it was she wanted to kill it right here, right now.

Mo Rongzhan loosened his grip and no longer held her in his arms, his face frosty and stern, gone was the playfulness from a moment ago. “Have you ever seen Ye Zhen?” he asked tersely.

“No, I’ve just heard from others,” Ye Zhen said as a matter-of-factly.

“You heard from your Teacher Shan?” Mo Rongzhan coldly asked.

That woman had been his bane, how he had been compelled into doing things against his will all because of her. Of course, he loathed her; he had not the slightest remorse about his deeds involving her or her death. He felt she deserved every bit of it. He had been relieved at the news of her passing, and now never wanted to be reminded of her in any way whatsoever. He had made sure her name nor memory existed.

And if this woman … Lu Yaoyao really looked like her, he wouldn’t let her be around either.

At the mention of Teacher Shan, Ye Zhen’s fury surged, she had long stoved away that fire only for it to be rekindled now. “Is it you who dismissed Teacher Shan from the academy?” She demanded.

Despite her seething mien, Mo Rongzhan did not respond immediately, merely looking at her coldly. In all truth, he did not know what Ye Zhen looked like until this moment when he heard for the first time that Lu Yaoyao resembled her.

“Leave at once!” Mo Rongzhan said icily, having had enough of Ye Zhen’s provocation.

Ye Zhen sneered in her heart as she looked at him. See, this provocation is quite effective.

His sudden shift in attitude was evidence of his deep loathing for Ye Zhen, just the fact that she bore resemblance to her disgusted him enough to dismiss her at once. So much for his insistence on her entering the palace!