IRTBACIWLATCP CH 04

Chapter 4. I Caught the Pervert, Only to Make an Enemy

Ji-ui smiled slyly.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Ji-ui stripped off the rest of his clothes.

Leaving him wearing nothing but his undergarments, she threw all his remaining clothes out the window.

“I will definitely kill you!”

Gyeong-un struggled desperately, overwhelmed by humiliation as he tried to recover his strength, but it was completely useless.

“You have a pretty good figure.”

A hint of admiration flashed through Ji-ui’s eyes.

“What a shame. It would be a waste for someone like you to die so soon.”

This bandit had a handsome face and a good physique. He even seemed rather well-built.

The problem was that he had been poisoned—and that he had offended her.

Black, dense lines of poison had spread throughout his body, slowly creeping toward his heart.

“Heart-Severing Poison…? That’s one of the most vicious and strange poisons in the world.”

“I don’t even need to do anything. Someone else will take your life for me.”

It had already been two years since Ji-ui had arrived in Xiao Kingdom.

She had read quite a few medical texts from this era, so she had a rough understanding of this poison.

The symptoms of Heart-Severing Poison did not appear immediately.

Instead, the victim initially seemed completely fine.

But once the poison took root in the blood, flesh, and meridians and slowly grew, black poisonous veins would begin to appear.

Eventually, those poisonous veins would spread from the internal organs toward the heart.

The moment the poison finally gathered around the heart, no medicine or acupuncture could save the victim.

Even if a Great Immortal descended from the heavens, there would be no way to save him.

A trace of shock flashed beneath Gyeong-un’s eyes.

This vicious woman knows about Heart-Severing Poison?

Ji-ui stood before him and giggled.

“Bandit, if fate allows, I’ll see you again.”

Just as Gyeong-un was about to speak, Ji-ui’s expression had already twisted into one of terror.

“Help! There’s a criminal here! Someone, please come quickly!”

Ji-ui stumbled out of the room.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and her voice trembled with panic.

The entire inn immediately erupted into an uproar.

“Where’s the criminal?”

“Miss, don’t be afraid. We’ll help you!”

“How dare some bandit come here and cause trouble at Doyue Bridge!”

Trembling, Ji-ui hid behind the crowd and pointed toward the room.

“He’s in there… He came in through the back window. He must be some kind of madman. He wasn’t even properly dressed…”

The people rushed into the room and began punching and kicking Gyeong-un, who was lying helplessly on the floor.

Flames of fury blazed in Gyeong-un’s eyes.

Amid the crowd, he desperately searched for Ji-ui.

This woman actually set me up like this. I’ll find her and make her pay.

Ji-ui smiled in satisfaction as she looked through the crowd.

Her beautiful eyes happened to meet Gyeong-un’s murderous black gaze.

Kindly, she added one more thing.

“Everyone, no matter what, please don’t kill him. I think it would be best to hand him over to the authorities…”

The laws of Xiao Kingdom were strict.

Once this man was taken into custody, he would not be getting out easily.

“The young lady is right. Take him to the Jingzhao Prefecture at once!”

“How dare such a lecher exist in the very capital ruled by the Emperor? He must be properly punished by the Jingzhao Prefecture!”

“Bind him! Don’t let him dirty the eyes of the women here!”

The people wrapped Gyeong-un tightly in a blanket and carried him off to the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Ji-ui did not follow them. Taking advantage of the chaos, she quietly slipped away.

By then, Deputy Magistrate Wen Gyeong-myeong of the Jingzhao Prefecture had already left for the day.

As a result, Gyeong-un was thrown directly into prison.

The next morning, at dawn.

As soon as Wen Gyeong-myeong finished breakfast, his shifu reported the events of the previous night to him.

“My lord, last night, a criminal attempted to harass a young lady from a respectable family at an inn near Doyue Bridge. The common people joined forces and captured the bandit. He is currently being held in the prison.”

Wen Gyeong-myeong’s expression darkened.

“There was such a bold madman in Gyeongseong, the capital where His Majesty resides? Bring him here at once. I’ll interrogate him personally!”

The shifu immediately brought Gyeong-un before him.

The effects of the medicine had already worn off, and Gyeong-un had fully recovered his strength.

Although he was wearing prison clothes with a few pieces of straw clinging to his hair, he stood beneath the court hall with his back perfectly straight.

A dark and ferocious aura radiated from his entire body.

The moment Wen Gyeong-myeong entered and took his seat in the court, he slammed his hand down on the desk.

“You lecherous criminal! How dare you be so insolent! You don’t even kneel when you see me!”

Gyeong-un stared at him with his dark, sunken eyes.

The atmosphere inside the courtroom instantly froze.

“Lord Wen, you certainly have quite an imposing presence. Now that you’ve risen in rank, you’re certainly different from before.”

“Y-You insolent bastard! How dare you…”

Wen Gyeong-myeong was about to reprimand him when he took a closer look at Gyeong-un’s face.

In an instant, cold sweat ran down his back.

“Y-Your…”

Half an hour later.

After changing his clothes, Gyeong-un quietly left through the back gate in an inconspicuous carriage and returned to Prince Jing’s residence.

“Your Highness! You’ve finally returned!”

Jeong-hun had spent the entire night sending people out to search for Gyeong-un. He had been nearly driven mad when they failed to find him.

Only after seeing that Gyeong-un had returned safely could he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Gyeong-un’s face was deathly pale, and murderous intent radiated from his entire body.

“Go and investigate that woman Lu Hyeong-un brought with him.”

“Find out her name, which family she comes from, and everything else about her. I want the full report within one day.”

Jeong-hun asked in surprise,

“Your Highness, have you become interested in a woman?”

His Highness has never been interested in women before…

Gyeong-un said coldly,

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Jeong-hun immediately lowered his head.

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll investigate at once.”

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized something.

I heard that the woman Lu Hyeong-un brought with him saved his life. If that’s true, their relationship must be rather unusual.

Could His Highness be planning to use this matter to shake up the Lu and Yeop families?

Gyeong-un sat down and took a sip of tea.

Ji-ui’s image kept appearing in his mind.

The pitch-black hair and fair skin he had seen the previous night, the flushed cheeks and seductive expression, the way she had stripped off his clothes and ultimately turned him into a lecher who had become the subject of gossip…

His blood suddenly surged with anger.

“Ugh…”

He eventually spat out a mouthful of black blood.

“Your Highness!”

Jeong-hun cried out in shock.

“Quickly, call Physician Son!”

He hurriedly supported Gyeong-un and helped him sit on the bed, tears welling up in his eyes.

“You shouldn’t have taken that Thunderbolt Pill… This is all my fault.”

The Thunderbolt Pill was a medicine that could forcibly elevate a person’s physical condition to its peak for a short period of time.

However, Gyeong-un had already been poisoned for three years. His body was weak, and his vital energy had been severely damaged.

Under such circumstances, forcibly drawing out his strength would inevitably trigger an outbreak of the poison.

The previous night, he had entered the palace with Gyeong-un to search for evidence, while Jeong-hun had deliberately lured the Dragon-Scale Guard away and acted as a decoy.

But contrary to their expectations, Lu Chen had not been fooled and had continued guarding the vicinity of the Imperial Study.

“It’s not your fault. Lu Chen is deep-minded, ruthless, and certainly no ordinary man.”

Gyeong-un’s pale face twisted as he spat out another mouthful of black blood.

His large hand, with prominent knuckles, gripped the bed tightly, causing the blue veins to bulge. His eyes were filled with fury.

Lu Chen was from a collateral branch of the Lu family rather than the main line, so he had never received the full support of the Marquis of Anjing’s residence.

Even so, he had managed to rise to the position of Commander of the Dragon-Scale Guard, which proved that he possessed considerable ability.

However, he was also someone who could never ultimately become one of his people.

The ones who brought me to this state are Lu Hyeong-un and that woman.

Murderous intent flashed in Gyeong-un’s eyes.

Bang!

He slammed his fist down on the table.

“When I find that woman… I’ll have her executed by a thousand cuts!”

Just then, a voice came from outside the door.

“Her Ladyship, Consort Yang, has arrived!”

“Why has Mother come here?”

Gyeong-un tried to get up, but at that moment, an elegantly dressed woman hurried inside.

“Gyeong-un! Has your poison flared up again?”

The woman possessed an air of nobility and grace.

A gold hairpin adorned her hair, pearl earrings hung from her ears, and she wore an exquisitely embroidered Consort’s robe.

She was none other than the only Imperial Noble Consort in Xiao Kingdom—Consort Yang.

Seeing Gyeong-un’s pale face and weakened appearance, her heart ached, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“If I ever catch the person who poisoned you, I’ll tear them into a thousand pieces with my own hands!”

Gyeong-un comforted her.

“Mother, don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Consort Yang wiped her tears with a handkerchief and forced a smile.

“I’ve prepared plenty of nourishing medicines for you. I’ve also summoned several renowned physicians. They’ll be arriving soon. They’ll definitely be able to cure you.”

She was so afraid that Gyeong-un’s poison might flare up again that she did not even dare to cry loudly.

“I’ll do as you say, Mother.”

Gyeong-un answered quietly.

He already knew that he would not live much longer.

His condition could no longer be cured with medicine.

But Consort Yang simply could not bring herself to accept that fact.

After comforting Gyeong-un for a while longer, Consort Yang suddenly glanced toward his waist.

The place where his jade pendant normally hung was now empty.

The jade pendant, carved with a dragon and phoenix, had been personally given to Gyeong-un by her.

Half joking and half serious, she had once told him to give it to a woman he truly liked someday as a token of affection.

Gyeong-un had never once taken the jade pendant off.

But now… it’s gone.

Remembering how her son had repeatedly rejected marriage proposals sent from the palace, Consort Yang’s heart suddenly began to race.

Gyeong-un must have fallen for a woman.

She simply did not know who that woman was.

Consort Yang’s lips moved slightly, but in the end, she asked nothing.

Only after getting into the carriage on her way back to the palace did she quietly instruct the Gold Rooster Nanny beside her,

“Find out which young lady Gyeong-un has been spending time with lately.”

Gyeong-un has finally given his heart to a woman for the first time.

As long as the girl comes from a respectable family and has good character, I must bring her here and make her Gyeong-un’s princess consort.

Gold Rooster smiled and replied,

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

Ji-ui had no idea that she had gained someone who wanted her dead.

She went to a real estate broker to look for a house.

In Yeonghyeon, Song Ji-ui’s parents ran a small business. Their family could not be called wealthy, but they were fairly well-off and certainly not struggling.

Song Ji-ui’s older sister, Song Ji-shim, and younger brother, Song Ji-ha, each had their own rooms.

But Song Ji-ui, the second child, had been living in the firewood room.

During the winter when Ji-ui transmigrated into this world, the original owner of the body, Song Ji-ui, had fallen seriously ill with a high fever.

Yet not a single person in the family noticed.

I could scream until my throat broke calling for help, and it still wouldn’t have mattered. Are they really my biological family?

After arriving in this world, Ji-ui had cured herself and sold several medicinal herbs. At first, she had planned to leave the Song family.

But while gathering herbs, she unexpectedly ended up saving Lu Hyeong-un.

Because of his injured leg, Hyeong-un had no choice but to stay with the Song family for the time being.

However, once the Song family realized that she could earn money—and saw how drastically her personality had changed—their attitude toward her completely changed.

The old real estate broker, Madam Son, took Ji-ui around for half a day and showed her three houses.

Ji-ui chose the Sanzhu Courtyard on Chang’an Street.

The house was not particularly large, but it was neat, elegant, and tastefully decorated.

It even had a small garden, which she absolutely loved.

Yes. I’m going to start a new life here.

What’s the big deal about not getting married? Am I going to starve to death just because I don’t marry?