Chapter 545 – The Winds of the World (Fifteen)
“How did An Yina die?!”
Wu Ma Jun stealthily snuck into the palace, instructing his confidant maid to relay a message to Hui Jun, asking her to come.
As soon as Hui Jun arrived, he unloaded a barrage of reprimands and questions.
“Heh, how she died has nothing to do with me! If you’re so curious, you should ask someone else. Why are you asking a mere concubine in the inner palace?”
Hui Jun, dressed in a complex palace outfit, looked as beautiful as a painting—no less than a celestial fairy! She resembled a delicate flower, blooming ever more vibrantly, capable of capturing anyone’s soul simply by standing there. Unfortunately, Wu Ma Jun was too furious to appreciate such beauty.
Wu Ma Jun intended to berate Hui Jun, wanting to hear her reasoning, gather information—but instead, she spoke like this!
In an instant, Wu Ma Jun’s face turned crimson with rage, his eyes nearly bulging out. Consumed by fury, he felt like squeezing Hui Jun to death.
“I know it! You must have figured out a way to kill her, right? You ignorant woman! Do you even know how important An Yina is? As long as she lives, I can gain the power she wields, and overthrow that old, stubborn Emperor! But here you are, just…”
Hui Jun chuckled coldly. “Although it’s daytime, dreaming during the light isn’t advisable. Without any evidence, how can you claim I killed An Yina? She’s the second prince’s consort, and I’m your father’s most favored concubine. By relation, I’m actually An Yina’s senior! We hardly have any conflict; why on earth would I want her life? Is it because of you?”
Wu Ma Jun countered, “Is it not because you know about my relationship with her and are jealous, that you resorted to poisoning?”
Even though he had completely fallen out of favor with the Emperor and had even received a kick to the chest, leaving him bedridden for half a year, Wu Ma Jun didn’t think he lacked the opportunity to ascend the throne. He had collaborations with both An Yina and Changshou Wang.
If he had arranged things properly, perhaps he would already be sitting on the throne!
Little did he know, misfortune had befallen him back to back.
First, Liu Huan gave birth to a pair of monstrous babies in the palace. He was placed under house arrest by the Emperor, and Liu Huan “died due to complications.” With Liu Huan gone, he lost the support of the powerful Liu family, and then An Yina had her sudden death, cutting off his connections in the Northern Border.
Now, without the support of these two factions, how could he negotiate with that old fox Changshou Wang?
The throne that had once been so close was now slipping further away, and Wu Ma Jun couldn’t help but feel resentment!
After mulling it over, he firmly believed that An Yina’s death was somehow connected to Hui Jun.
Before An Yina’s demise, she had visited the Empress in the palace and then headed to Hui Jun’s palace where she exchanged a few words with her, only to die that very night.
That was what Wu Ma Jun had been able to uncover.
From this information alone, his gut told him that An Yina’s death must involve Hui Jun.
Thus, he had risked sneaking into the palace seeking just a sliver of truth.
Hui Jun almost burst out laughing upon hearing Wu Ma Jun’s narcissistic remarks.
Would she actually be jealous of Wu Ma Jun and scheme against An Yina?
What kind of ridiculous drama was playing out in that guy’s head?
“Believe what you want; An Yina’s death has nothing to do with me. If you don’t believe it, then don’t!” Hui Jun appeared weary, waving her sleeves and preparing to leave. Wu Ma Jun, unwilling to let her go, was seething with anger and finally raised his hand to slap her.
A clear, red handprint appeared on her fair, delicate skin, one side of her cheek swelling noticeably.
Hearing that resounding slap and feeling the numbness in his right hand, Wu Ma Jun finally calmed down.
He had hit her quite hard, and Hui Jun’s face turned sideways from the impact.
Feeling a metallic taste spreading in her mouth, Hui Jun extended her tongue to lick the blood from the corner of her lips.
She didn’t cry; instead, she showed a seductive smile, lamenting, “You useless man, always claiming to love me. For a dead person, you blame me with baseless accusations, only to soothe your own fears… Wu Ma Jun, you really have guts!”
With that, she angrily swept away, leaving Wu Ma Jun startled by his own actions, stunned in place as her heartbroken, desperate gaze echoed in his mind.
Wanting to chase after her to apologize, he found Hui Jun had already left.
“Oops, I really hurt her this time… Could it be that An Yina wasn’t killed by her after all?”
Wu Ma Jun muttered to himself, a look of regret on his face.
The “sadly departing” Hui Jun, however, was cold-faced, dabbing some rouge on her face with a napkin.
Since entering the palace, she had grown especially healthy, with skin so tender that it easily marked, yet healed quickly.
Wu Ma Jun’s slap had indeed stunned her, leaving her cheek swollen and looking quite tragic.
Nonetheless, Hui Jun clearly knew that such injuries would fade in no more than a quarter of an hour; with the right medicine, she could heal even faster.
“Tsk… If An Yina hadn’t died, it would’ve been me dead instead…”
After sending the maid away, Hui Jun softly murmured to her reflection in the bronze mirror, her eyes flashing with a determined venom.
Why did An Yina have to die?
Simply because the woman had uncovered some secrets that shouldn’t have been unearthed—secrets that could bury Hui Jun!
Hui Jun came from the slums of the capital, merely a lowly songstress bullied by everyone.
The Liu Residence had helped her hide her identity, and it should have been foolproof, but An Yina seemed to know about events from years ago.
Thinking of this, Hui Jun’s face darkened, her mind drifting back to that day when even now, resentment churned within her!
An Yina, using the excuse of congratulating the Empress on her longevity festival, visited the palace and chatted for a while. Afterward, she came to Hui Jun’s palace, and her very first words made Hui Jun’s heart tremble in fear. Thankfully, she maintained her composure, managing not to reveal her true feelings.
An Yina said, “This princess knows you are just a lowly songstress at the foot of the capital!”
Hui Jun’s heart jolted, but she smiled as she responded, “What do you mean, Your Highness? I’m completely innocent; since when have I become a songstress?”
An Yina had no concrete evidence but was merely hinting at some suspicions.
Therefore, she seized this opportunity to probe Hui Jun.
However, Hui Jun’s reaction was so normal that it made An Yina feel uncertain.
She continued, “I’m afraid you still don’t know, right? That face of yours is the spitting image of a certain favored Concubine from years ago. The Official Master cherished you just because of this face! The Concubine was exceptional in beauty, but Heaven was jealous of her looks, and she sadly passed away at a young age. The Official Master was distraught and ordered the search for beautiful women resembling her across the lands to commemorate her. Among them, there was one woman whose resemblance was striking… but she was already married and three months pregnant…”
As An Yina spoke, her meaningful smile hinted at something deeper, and Hui Jun’s expression began to shift.
She asked, “What are you saying this for?”
