Hearing those words, she was genuinely stunned for a while before climbing out of the pile of straw and following Cheng Xu outside.
“Are you alright?” Cheng Xu glanced at her pale face, his brows still furrowed.
Huaiyu wanted to smile at him, but her lips were so dry that when she tried to pull them, they cracked, and blood quickly oozed out.
Cheng Xu was startled; it had only been one night since he last saw her, yet she looked as if she had suffered a serious illness.
Pressing her lips together, tasting the metallic tang of blood, Huaiyu lowered her gaze and stopped looking at Cheng Xu, stepping carefully on the damp floor of the prison as she made her way to the interrogation room.
The interrogation room was brightly lit with many lamps, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable. She closed her eyes for a moment upon entering before finally taking in the scene inside.
Jiang Xuanjin stood with his back to her, facing Bai Ai, who was kneeling on the ground. Upon seeing her, Bai Ai straightened his back, his eyes filled with concern.
“Master,” Cheng Xu announced as he entered, “I’ve brought her.”
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t turn around; the sleeves of his dark green robe embroidered with snow pines were slightly raised: “If you’re not coming in to kneel, do I still need to ask?”
His icy tone was even colder than it had been in the court.
Huaiyu chuckled lightly, walking over to Bai Ai’s side, lowering her head as she slowly knelt.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty,” she said.
Jiang Xuanjin glanced sideways, looking elsewhere: “Your Highness’s people are tight-lipped; I can’t pry anything out of them. Your Highness should come personally.”
Pry Bai Ai’s mouth open? Huaiyu was taken aback, and then suddenly thought of Liang Sixian’s situation. She whispered to Bai Ai, “Are you foolish? At this point, what is there that can’t be said?”
Fortunately, it was Jiang Xuanjin asking; if it had been someone else, they would have resorted to torture without a second thought, and he would have to endure a beating.
Bai Ai stubbornly shook his head—without a direct word from the princess, he wouldn’t say a single word.
“Really…” Huaiyu looked at him, both angry and amused, her eyes slightly reddening.
A long table in front was knocked on, producing a crisp sound.
“It’s getting late,” Jiang Xuanjin said expressionlessly, “Your Highness, please be quick.”
Retracting her gaze, Huaiyu looked at the embroidered patterns on his robe, losing her earlier playful mood. She said seriously, “Regarding the selection of officials, I used my second brother and you. I put a sleeping drug in the protective talisman I gave my second brother; he inhaled it when he left, so he would naturally be drowsy at the examination. I stole his seal, gave it to Bai Ai, and had it stamped on the paper he had written, then returned the seal to the Document Institute.”
In this way, when Bai Ai submitted his paper, during the final review, the reviewers would mistakenly think they had mixed up the papers from the noble and humble families, and based on the seal, they would attribute Bai Ai’s paper to Jiang Shen.
And Jiang Shen, being a member of the Jiang family, would know he had submitted a blank paper and would raise an objection. Jiang Xuanjin would certainly investigate this matter thoroughly for his second brother, and upon investigation, he would discover Liang Sixian’s other vile deeds.
With dark eyes swirling, Jiang Xuanjin said, “So that piece of calligraphy in the Document Institute was intentionally hung there by you?”
“Yes,” Huaiyu nodded, “The Document Institute is indeed Lu Jingxing’s establishment.”
What a coincidence that she happened to see similar handwriting; it was all part of leading him into the trap she had designed.
Jiang Xuanjin let out a cold laugh: “I was the fool.”
Huaiyu lowered her gaze, her voice hoarse: “It’s a fact that Liang Sixian engaged in favoritism and corruption; it’s also a fact that he has harmed students from humble backgrounds for many years.”
“You deceived me.” That was the biggest fact.
“I didn’t deceive you; would you suspect Liang Sixian?” Huaiyu asked him, “In your eyes, is Liang Sixian a good official with decent morals?”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned at her, only to see her suddenly lift her head, her almond-shaped eyes staring straight at him.
“Your Majesty is good in every way, but too naive and upright. Do you think that just because you are righteous, everyone in the world is equally righteous?” She chuckled lightly, “How many people are hypocritical, pretending to be virtuous while acting otherwise behind your back? Do you believe that what your eyes see is the whole truth?”
Her almond eyes, which were delicate and reserved, now exuded a captivating aura.
Why had he never noticed before that her appearance and her nature were fundamentally different?
His heart ached, and he averted his gaze, saying in a deep voice, “Is this your reason for deceiving me?”
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Huaiyu knelt, lowering her gaze: “It was wrong of me to deceive you; I’m sorry, but I had things I needed to do.”
Fingers curling into a fist, Jiang Xuanjin said, “When you used me to do these things, did you ever think it would come to this?”
Did you ever think about the consequences if he found out?
Huaiyu looked at him, silent.
How could she not have thought about it? But even if she had, she would still have done it.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Xuanjin understood: “You never intended to live a peaceful life with me.”
This sentence was spoken lightly, echoing in the interrogation room like a chilly autumn wind.
Li Huaiyu found it hard to breathe, looking at him with a pale face.
Jiang Xuanjin stood stiffly for a while, then lowered his gaze: “I never asked you why, on the day Liu Yunlie sent people to search Moju, you suddenly thought to transfer the green silk to another place.”
“And I never asked you why, in your eyes, the Emperor is so much more important than I am.”
“Now that these questions have answers, can you still answer my last question?”
Her heart tightened little by little, and Huaiyu seemed to anticipate what he was about to ask, awkwardly turning her head away.
Yet his voice still penetrated her ears: “On the day you went to Bailong Temple, was it you who leaked my whereabouts to Sun Qing?”
As expected.
Huaiyu clenched her hands, panic, and guilt surging up, leaving her feeling somewhat at a loss.
She felt guilty about this matter; Yufeng had said that day was extremely dangerous, and he had almost not returned.
When the carriage passed through the woods, he had even covered her mouth and nose with his hand, and after returning, he hadn’t mentioned a word to her, completely trusting her, fearing she would worry, protecting her well.
But she… had treated him as bait, not caring about his life or death.
Her nails dug into her flesh, and she didn’t dare to look up or speak.
The person in front of her quietly waited, and after a long time without receiving a response, he let out a low laugh: “Are you too lazy to even deceive me?”
The dark green hem of his robe was lifted, and he slowly squatted down in front of her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear: “Deceive me one more time; say it wasn’t you. You don’t know; how could you bear to let me die?”
Her cracked lips moved, and more blood oozed out. Huaiyu averted her gaze, her face pale.
Jiang Xuanjin stared at her, his fingers cold as snow against her cheek: “What is your heart made of?”
Just the day before, she had been joking and teasing him, and in the blink of an eye, she could place him in mortal danger. They were already married; they had exchanged vows and consummated their marriage. She had peeled sweet oranges for him, and he had carried her to see the moonlight in the countryside. They had been so intimate, yet when he revealed his true feelings, why did she pull out a knife?
Why?
“…I’m sorry,” Huaiyu struggled to explain, “At that time… I only heard that you were using the servants of Feiyun Palace as bait to lure the snake out of its hole, so I…”
“So you thought that by gambling with my life, you could lure the snake out, and whether you won or lost, it would all go your way, right?”
It felt as if something had struck him hard in the chest, and Jiang Xuanjin stood up, not wanting to hear her answer any longer. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, taking back the string of prayer beads he had once given her.
“No…” Huaiyu struggled to keep that item, her instincts telling her that it couldn’t be discarded.
However, Miss Bai Si was already too weak to resist, and with a simple motion, the prayer beads returned to Jiang Xuanjin’s hand.
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze, taking out a handkerchief, and carefully and meticulously wiping the beads clean, one by one.
“If you don’t cherish it, then I’ll take it back,” he said.
“Jiang Xuanjin.” Li Huaiyu’s eyes turned red, “I will cherish it well in the future; can you please not take it away?”
With a light scoff, Jiang Xuanjin looked at her: “Do you think you still have a future?”
Rebellion is a capital offense.
“There’s no future in this world; the underworld will do,” she said, grinning, blood droplets on her lips and tears in her eyes, pleading with him, “Please give it to me.”
“You’re delusional.” Gathering the prayer beads, Jiang Xuanjin turned and walked out without looking back.
“Jiang Xuanjin!”
Her hoarse voice echoed throughout the interrogation room, but he paused for a moment before disappearing through the door.
Huaiyu choked back her sobs, sitting on the ground with her knees hugged to her chest, rubbing her empty wrist as tears streamed down her face.
“Your Highness…” Bai Ai stared at her in shock.
The Princess in his memory had never been this heartbroken, her face crumpled as she cried, like a lost child.
“It was my fault,” Huaiyu cried, “I shouldn’t have done this; it was my mistake.”
Lu Jingxing was right; playing with fire would lead to self-immolation. She was now burned all over, in pain, wanting to cry out loud.
If only everything could start over; if only she could go back, she would never have set that trap for Sun Qing but would have gone with him to offer incense and draw lots, returning home safely.
Cheng Xu was still standing nearby, initially somewhat angry, but seeing her cry so hard, his frown deepened, though he didn’t say anything too harsh: “You hurt people’s hearts.”
“I know, I know,” she wiped her face haphazardly, but the tears only flowed more. “I can’t bear to see him sad, but why doesn’t he even give me a chance to comfort him?”
“How can he give you that chance?” Cheng Xu said, slightly annoyed, “Everything else can be discussed, but you’ve been with His Majesty for so long, and you still want to kill him. What do you expect him to think?”
“I didn’t… I didn’t want to kill him…” Huaiyu shook her head vigorously, her sobs making her voice tremble, “I had already arranged for reinforcements; if I wanted him dead, why would I have informed Jiang Qu and Xu Yan in advance?”
But… even with reinforcements, who could guarantee they would arrive in time? When she made this decision, she hadn’t considered Jiang Xuanjin at all.
Cheng Xu sighed repeatedly, feeling a knot in his heart.
Bai Ai listened nearby and couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t His Majesty also kill the Princess? Moreover, the Princess did die once, and Your Majesty is still alive and well.”
“That’s different,” Cheng Xu shook his head, “When His Majesty acted, he had no feelings for the Princess.”
“Who told you there were no feelings?” Bai Ai’s face darkened.
What feelings could there be between Prince Ziyang and the Princess? Even if they were half-master and half-disciple, they had always been at odds.
Cheng Xu didn’t think much of it, assuming he was protecting his master, and raised his hand to salute before chasing after Jiang Xuanjin.
Huaiyu sobbed silently, and Bai Ai reached out to press her against his shoulder, whispering, “Don’t be sad.”
“Loving someone is so painful,” Li Huaiyu wanted to laugh, but her tears flowed even more fiercely as if she were trying to cry out all the tears she had in her life.
Bai Ai looked pained but didn’t know how to comfort her, so he could only gently pat her back.
“His Majesty has ordered you to be taken back to the prison,” a nearby officer came over, separating the two of them and dragging them out, one on each side.
Huaiyu got up, staggering a couple of steps, her body softening as she almost fell.
“Your Highness!” Bai Ai called out softly.
Waving her hand at him, Li Huaiyu forced herself to stand straight and followed the officer outside.
She and Jiang Xuanjin were indeed a fateful pair, destined from the beginning not to have a good ending, yet she had foolishly hoped for a happy conclusion.
It was time to wake up from the dream; after crying enough, she should return to being the original Danyang.
“Your Highness.”
Back in the prison, Xu Xian saw her swollen eyes and asked, “Did you see His Majesty?”
Picking up the scattered straw on the ground and piling it against the bars, Huaiyu sat down, covering her abdomen as she said, “I did.”
Xu Xian said, “I don’t know what His Majesty is thinking, taking over our case of rebellion; even the Emperor has agreed.”
Before today’s meeting, Huaiyu might have held some hope upon hearing this news, thinking he was there to protect her, just as he had countless times stood in front of her.
However, now she lowered her gaze: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
He certainly wouldn’t let her off easily, as for Huailin…
Li Huaiyu thought for a moment and said, “General Xu, if there’s ever a chance to escape, please make sure to leave the capital without looking back; don’t do anything foolish again.”
Xu Xian was taken aback: “A chance to escape?”
Unless Lu Jingxing found someone to break them out of prison, how could there be any chance to escape?
Huaiyu shook her head, not explaining further. After resting for a while, when her stomach felt less uncomfortable, she called for the jailer: “Please pass a message; the daughter of the Imperial Censor Bai Dezhong, the wife of Prince Ziyang Jiang Xuanjin, has urgent matters to discuss with the Emperor.”
It was common for prisoners in the death cell to request an audience with the Emperor, but upon hearing her title, the jailer hesitated for a moment before going out to report to the head jailer, who bypassed Prince Ziyang and directly reported it to Liu Yunlie.
Thus, two hours later, Li Huaiyu was shackled and taken into the palace.
Feiyun Palace, with its tightly closed doors and windows, was dimly lit inside. Li Huailin sat on the Hehuan couch, quietly watching her as she stepped through the door.
“Didn’t you recognize me?” Huaiyu smiled lightly, “Why do you have that expression when you see your imperial sister?”
His expression tense, Li Huailin stared at her, his eyes filled with vigilance. When she walked up to him, he finally spoke softly: “Imperial Sister.”
Hearing those familiar words, Huaiyu wanted to pretend to be nonchalant, but her hands couldn’t help but tremble.
“Have I wronged you in any way?” she asked.
Li Huailin looked at the chains on her hands, remaining silent for a long time before speaking: “Do you truly not know?”
Slowly and firmly shaking her head, Huaiyu smiled, her eyes dim: “Please tell me.”
Light streamed in through the intricately carved large window, illuminating the dust in the air. The particles danced, making it hard to breathe. After she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent, with only the sound of the trembling chains echoing softly.
…
Jiang Xuanjin returned to Moju, feeling the familiar aura of killing intent without surprise.
Casting a cold glance to the side, he stood still, waiting for Qing Si to make her move.
However, she slowly walked toward him, her aura thick with killing intent, yet she didn’t strike, only saying, “Do you want to know how Prince Pingling died?”
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze: “You know?”
“Of course,” Qing Si replied, “I’ll trade you two secrets for you to take me into the palace to see the Emperor, how about that?”
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her coldly: “You dare to stab the Emperor?”
“He deserves to die!” Qing Si narrowed her eyes, “The most deserving person to die in the world isn’t Prince Pingling; it’s him!”
“Impudent!” Jiang Xuanjin shouted, “Insulting the Emperor is a capital offense!”
“Insulting the Emperor is a capital offense…” Qing Si’s eyes were filled with mockery. “Then may I ask Your Majesty, if someone usurps the Emperor’s position and harms members of the royal family, what crime would that be?”
He paused, stunned. When he came to his senses, he strode toward the ink-washing pool.
Qing Si followed closely, entering the study and closing the door.
“What do you mean by usurping the Emperor’s position?”
Holding his breath to listen to the sounds around him, confirming that there was no one else besides Cheng Xu, Qing Si finally spoke: “Li Huailin is not the biological son of Emperor Xia.”
A thunderclap out of nowhere, Jiang Xuanjin’s pupils constricted.
Qing Si looked at him, her face cold and expressionless: “This is a secret that the Princess knew before her death; it was precisely because she knew this that it led to her demise.”
“…”
“The Princess could never rebel; everything she did was justified,” Qing Si said. “In the eyes of the world, she has three major crimes: first, she killed Prince Pingling; second, she executed Eunuch Zhang; third, during the plague in Jiangxi, she disregarded the lives of the people in seven counties, sealing the city and allowing the people inside to fend for themselves.”
“But if she was not at fault in these three matters, shouldn’t you reconsider your view of her?”
Jiang Xuanjin slowly sat down behind the desk: “You speak.”
“Regarding the plague in Jiangxi, Your Majesty has interrogated Li Fengxing and should know the ins and outs; it was they who embezzled disaster relief funds first, leading to the drought and subsequently the plague.”
“The idea to seal the city came from the Imperial Physician; the Princess decided to follow through after weighing the options. Although the method was cruel, what was wrong with it? That fierce plague ultimately did not spread beyond the seven counties, did it?”
Qing Si, who usually spoke little, was now defending Huaiyu, each word clear and precise: “As for Prince Pingling and Eunuch Zhang, Your Majesty, do you know what they did to the Princess?”
When Emperor Xia first passed away, Li Huaiyu was only twelve years old, sitting in Feiyun Palace, crying helplessly.
Prince Pingling, Li Shan, was the fifth younger brother of Emperor Xia. By age, it would have been more appropriate for the throne to be passed to him, but Emperor Xia, for reasons unknown, persuaded Li Shan to assist in governance.
Thus, Li Shan naturally moved from Pingling to live in the palace.
Li Huaiyu had never had a good impression of Li Shan; although she had rarely seen this fifth uncle, she avoided him as soon as she saw him, her eyes filled with wariness.
At first, Qing Si found it strange, thinking the Princess was shy, but later she discovered that Prince Pingling’s behavior was extremely despicable. Whenever he got close to the Princess, he would pretend to be a loving elder, hugging her inappropriately.
After realizing this, Qing Si always kept the Princess behind her, never allowing Prince Pingling to get close.
However, that day, Eunuch Zhang came to deliver a message, saying he had found some relics left by the late Emperor and asked if the Princess wanted to see them.
Eunuch Zhang had served the late Emperor for many years, and Huaiyu trusted him greatly. Even though Qing Si was not there at the time, she still went with him.
As a result, Eunuch Zhang took her to Prince Pingling’s quarters.
When Qing Si discovered this and rushed to save her, the quarters were already in disarray. Her Princess was crouched in a corner, covered in blood, her clothes in disarray, her eyes filled with rage. Meanwhile, Prince Pingling had a large bloody bite on his hand, cursing loudly.
“Your mother isn’t a virtuous woman; what are you pretending for?!” Li Shan shouted in anger, “If it weren’t for me, do you think you could still be the Princess?”
Qing Si listened, trembling with anger, and quickly walked to the Princess’s side, helping her up.
Twelve-year-old Li Huaiyu was delicate and frail, only as tall as her shoulder, often crying.
Yet that day, Qing Si didn’t see a single tear in her eyes.
She straightened up, retying the loose ties of her palace dress, and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe the blood from her mouth.
“Your Highness…” Qing Si called out worriedly, wanting to go up and hit Prince Pingling.
Huaiyu reached out, her small hand gently pulling at her sleeve.
“Don’t rush.” She looked at the man in the distance, her voice calm, “He will die by my hand sooner or later.”
It was from that day onward that Li Huaiyu changed. She rarely cried again and never mentioned what had happened that day. She began to learn how to wield power, negotiate with officials, and gradually reclaim the power that belonged to her younger brother from Li Shan.
This long struggle lasted four years, during which Danyang endured grievances unimaginable to Li Huailin and faced many life-threatening situations. If it hadn’t been for the support of Xu Xian and others later on, she wouldn’t have been able to hold on.
Fortunately, after four years, Li Shan’s power was completely undermined, and he was moved to the Pingling residence outside the palace. Li Huaiyu cheerfully counted the days, waiting for her mother’s memorial day, and went to find him with the Heart-Eating Powder.
“Huaiyu, you’re my niece!” Li Shan was frightened and ran around the room, looking at the item in her hand, shaking his head repeatedly, “How could you want to harm your uncle? I’m your fifth uncle!”
“I’ve met my fifth uncle,” Huaiyu said with a smile, opening the vial in her hand and having people pin him down on the soft couch.
“Don’t be afraid, uncle; this thing is very precious. It contains the finest nightshade poison and arsenic, mixed with fresh snake venom; it should taste good.”
Li Shan looked at her in terror, panicking and scolding, “How can you be so vicious?!”
“Vicious?” Huaiyu murmured, “If you only knew a few types of poison and called me vicious, what would you say if you knew that this Heart-Eating Powder would cause your internal organs to rot, making you bleed from your seven orifices and die in agony for several hours?”
Li Shan was stunned, staring at her in shock.
Huaiyu placed a handkerchief under his chin, pried his mouth open, and poured the medicine down his throat.
“You… cough cough…” Li Shan struggled desperately, but he could only watch helplessly as the medicine slid down his throat.
“I told you, you would die by my hand sooner or later.” With a flick of her finger, the empty vial fell to the ground and shattered. Huaiyu stood up, smiling at him: “Don’t worry; without you, I can still be a good Princess.”
…
Low laughter echoed in Feiyun Palace, and Li Huailin looked up at the pale-faced person in front of him, softly asking, “Didn’t Imperial Sister see the things in the secret chamber? I saw those things when I was ten.”
The “Restoration Edict” written by Emperor Xia.
Li Huailin was not the biological son of Emperor Xia; he was the illegitimate child of the late Empress and Prince Pingling. Emperor Xia had deep feelings for the late Empress; he knew she had betrayed him but still raised Huailin as his own son.
However, “raising” him as his own was not the same as being his true son.
Emperor Xia was not without his reservations; he had Li Huailin wear the dragon robe merely to prevent Prince Pingling from usurping the throne. He left behind the “Restoration Edict,” instructing Huailin to relinquish the throne when the first child of Danyang turned fifteen.
When Li Huaiyu learned this secret, she felt as if the sky had darkened. She hadn’t expected her father to hide so many things from her, nor had she anticipated that he would have thoughts of having Huailin restore the throne.
However, the late Emperor had miscalculated one point—normally, a girl of seventeen or eighteen should have a child, but Danyang, at twenty, still had no real man in her life.
She felt that it wouldn’t matter if Huailin sat on the throne; even if he was the child of Prince Pingling, he was still of royal blood and her brother.
But she hadn’t expected that Huailin had seen this thing before her.
Her throat tightened slightly, and Li Huaiyu smiled gently, looking at him with the chains in her hands: “So, are you seeking revenge for your father’s death?”
Li Huailin trembled slightly, his eyes meeting hers as he hoarsely asked, “Shouldn’t I seek revenge? What wrong did Prince Pingling do? He has always assisted me, helping me; you fought for power and position, yet you still killed him?”
“You…” The pain in her heart was unbearable, and Huaiyu could no longer stand, slowly crouching down, her voice hoarse: “Do you think I killed him just to fight for power?”
“Otherwise, what?” Li Huailin frowned.
Huaiyu fell silent, recalling the past, her expression somewhat grim.
Li Huailin thought she was feeling guilty and asked unwillingly, “Imperial Sister, why did you change?”
When their father was still alive, she had been so gentle, but since she took on governance and donned court robes, she had become someone he no longer recognized—cruel, ruthless, and cold-blooded. Although she still smiled at him and protected him, he was not a blind fool who knew nothing.
The things she had done were deserving of punishment; he had done nothing wrong.
Slowly covering her eyes with her hand, Huaiyu trembled as she said, “If Father hadn’t died, I would have wanted to remain a naive Princess forever, unchanged.”
But Emperor Xia was dead; her naivety had brought countless people’s covetous eyes upon her, coveting the throne. What use was that naivety?
Did she really think the court was a place for children to play house, where two foolish kids could point fingers?
Li Huailin looked deeply at her, his eyes filled with sadness and reluctance, but also the indifference of an emperor.
“Your Imperial Sister has already passed away,” he said. “Since she has already passed, why not obediently follow the messengers of death and not stir up trouble in the court?”
“Do you think that’s why I’m here?” Huaiyu smiled bitterly, “Do you think I still want to use this body of Miss Bai Si to compete with you for the throne?”
Li Huailin frowned.
I’m still doing this for you.
—This sentence, Li Huaiyu couldn’t bring herself to say. She felt foolish, even more foolish than Jiang Xuanjin.
She thought that treating him as her biological brother would mean he would treat her the same way, but who knew that since five years ago, he had already harbored grievances in his heart?
How could she… not have noticed at all?
Now it was good; she had been stabbed in the back, in pain with nowhere to hide, and didn’t dare to look back to see if the one holding the knife was him.
With a hoarse laugh, Huaiyu shook her head, thought for a moment, and shook her head again, mumbling something that Li Huailin couldn’t hear clearly.
“Since Imperial Sister doesn’t want to compete for the throne, shouldn’t you hand over the military token?” he said. “It’s useless to keep it.”
The military token of the Imperial Guards had been sought by Li Huailin since the day they entered the prison, but he had searched all the residences and still hadn’t found it.
“From childhood to now, whatever you wanted, Imperial Sister would give you,” Huaiyu raised her gaze to look at him, her voice gentle, “If you want the military token, Imperial Sister will naturally give it to you, but… this time, Imperial Sister needs to ask you for something.”
Li Huailin frowned slightly, pondering for a long time before asking, “What does Imperial Sister want?”
“The lives of those people in the death cell,” Huaiyu said, “You know they have no rebellious intentions; they were only implicated by me, which is why they fell into your trap.”
Looking at her with difficulty, Li Huailin said, “They have always been my hidden danger.”
“Imperial Sister knows,” Huaiyu nodded, “So this time, as long as you let them go, Imperial Sister will ensure they never return to the capital, is that alright?”
Li Huailin smiled faintly: “Imperial Sister, you understand the saying ‘wildfire cannot be extinguished; spring winds will blow again,’ better than I do, right?”
“I understand,” Huaiyu nodded, “So as long as you let them go, I will take my own life, taking with me everything that could threaten you, and go to the underworld, is that alright?”
To publicly declare that Bai Zhuzhi was Danyang’s reincarnation would not convince the officials and the people of the world. With the protection of Bai Dezhong and Jiang Xuanjin, if he wanted her dead, it wouldn’t be so easy.
So, as long as he agreed, she would die herself.
Li Huailin’s throat moved slightly, his gaze complex. He wasn’t weighing the pros and cons of this matter; he was carefully observing her reaction, with a hint of caution and an inexplicable sense of pity.
“Do you know I want you dead?” he asked softly.
Huaiyu chuckled: “Many things. It’s just that I trusted you too much, pretending not to know.”
“Just… this time, can you not use Prince Ziyang’s hand to kill your Imperial Sister?” Pressing down the pain in her heart, she smiled, “You know what he means to your Imperial Sister.”
Prince Ziyang…
Li Huailin closed his eyes, feeling guilty.
A long time ago in Longyan Palace, Prince Ziyang would come every day at the hour of Wei, dressed in a dark green embroidered robe, his jade crown high and captivating. At this hour, the palace maids who volunteered to guard the door would be particularly numerous, secretly watching him teach the Emperor how to write.
Li Huailin was used to this scene; he knew Prince Ziyang was very popular, and all the palace maids, big and small, admired him.
However, he didn’t know when it started, but one day, when he casually glanced outside, he caught a glimpse of his Imperial Sister.
Stunned, Li Huailin widened his eyes, looking at the fleeting peony-patterned skirt and then at the serious Prince Ziyang beside him, feeling that something was off.
Everyone in the palace knew that the Princess and Prince Ziyang were at odds; Prince Ziyang taught her etiquette and calligraphy, but she never learned, only fooling around and making the Emperor angry.
But Li Huailin knew that his Imperial Sister actually liked Prince Ziyang; it was just that… she seemed to be concerned about something and never dared to get close to him, only stealing glances when he wasn’t paying attention.
This little secret, the Imperial Sister generously didn’t hide from him, only reminding him not to tell anyone, but it became the sharp knife he later stabbed into her heart.
He knew how heartbroken his Imperial Sister would be; he knew it all.
But he still did it.
“Does Imperial Sister hate me?” Li Huailin asked softly.
His legs felt a bit numb, and Huaiyu slowly sat down on the ground, whispering, “I don’t know.”
Being beaten would hurt, but if the blow was too hard, one might not even react.
She was in such a state now.
Li Huailin seemed unable to sit still. He stood up, holding his dragon robe, and walked in front of her: “I promise you, if you want them to live, I will let them live, but… what you promised must also be fulfilled.”
“Alright.” Huaiyu nodded slowly and earnestly.
Seeing him eager to leave, Huaiyu called out to him: “Imperial Sister has one more question to ask.”
“You may speak.” Li Huailin stopped, his hand already resting on the door’s latch.
Smiling slightly, she asked, “Which is greater, the Emperor or Imperial Sister?”
Li Huailin was taken aback, his fingers tightening slightly.
The innocent laughter seemed to linger in Feiyun Palace, the little child held in Emperor Xia’s arms, answering without hesitation.
“Imperial Sister.”
He heard his own voice, resonating with that innocent child’s voice.
A low, hoarse laugh came from behind him, and Li Huailin felt a heaviness in his heart, not daring to look back or linger, pulling on his dragon robe and stepping out of Feiyun Palace.
“Tell me, shouldn’t such a person die?”
In Moju, Qing Si finished recounting the past and coldly asked this question.
Jiang Xuanjin sat quietly behind the desk, his long fingers resting against his brow, his knuckles pale and cold.
He showed no expression, and Qing Si felt anxious.
Did he believe it or not?
“Master.” Cheng Xu called from outside, “The young master is coming.”
“Mm.” Jiang Xuanjin responded lightly, standing up without looking at Qing Si again, saying, “Stay in Moju and don’t move.”
How could she not move if she wanted to kill the Emperor? Qing Si was somewhat annoyed: “Do you intend to go back on your word?”
“I have never promised you anything; how could I go back on my word?” He said this in a flat tone and stepped outside.
Qing Si was stunned, then realized that he truly hadn’t made any promises, and her expression darkened immediately.
If he wouldn’t help, she would have to rely on herself.