“What child?” Xiao Shao was slightly stunned and immediately asked.

“So you still don’t know?” Yuan Chuan looked at Xiao Shao with feigned surprise, then suddenly slapped his forehead as if just remembering something, and slowly said: “No wonder you don’t know, because I also just found out not long ago. The Princess concealed the fact that she was with child very deeply. Back then, no one there knew about it. She even raised a dog, using the pretext of caring for the dog to snatch food from its mouth—something that would never occur to anyone to suspect. It was probably all for the sake of the seed in her belly. But in the end, it was still one corpse, two lives. Tsk tsk, how pitiful for Prince Jinying’s manor’s little heir—he died in his mother’s womb before even being born.”

Before Yuan Chuan finished speaking, he felt his shoulder blade suddenly dislocate. Xiao Shao didn’t kill him, but he wasn’t about to tolerate him speaking so casually either. Being a martial artist by birth, and showing no mercy with this move, he naturally dislocated Yuan Chuan’s shoulder blade. Yuan Chuan couldn’t help but scream in agony.

“Third Brother…” Mo Cong was somewhat stunned. Yuan Chuan had actually said such things, and he feared Xiao Shao would lose his composure because of this. But Xiao Shao only said coldly: “You’re lying.”

Yuan Chuan endured the pain and laughed: “Why must Prince Xiao deceive himself? You absolutely cannot say the Princess didn’t die just because you find this news unbearable. My life can ultimately be exchanged for Jiang Ruan and Prince Jinying’s manor’s little heir—it’s worth it. Kill me or torture me as you please.”

“You want to use my hand to commit suicide, but I will never grant your wish.” Xiao Shao’s gaze was cold, his tone even colder—cold enough to freeze: “You’re loyal to Dan Zhen. With Dan Zhen dead, you only have revenge left. If what you say is true, and your great revenge is complete, why not die? Why continue to struggle and hide from Xuan Li’s pursuit? This shows Ruanruan is still alive, and you are searching for her whereabouts!”

Xiao Shao’s words made Yuan Chuan’s heart skip a beat. Indeed, that day he watched with his own eyes as Jiang Ruan fell off the cliff—it should have been a certain death. But when he sent people down the mountain to search for the body, they couldn’t find any trace of a corpse. Immediately after, Xuan Li’s people discovered the anomaly. Qi Man probably thought he had succeeded and betrayed him quickly. Knowing that Jiang Ruan died at Yuan Chuan’s hands, Xuan Li naturally wanted to kill Yuan Chuan in revenge. Originally, Yuan Chuan had planned to follow Dan Zhen in death after killing Jiang Ruan, but now with Jiang Ruan’s body unfound for even a day, he couldn’t rest easy. He always felt Jiang Ruan had some backup plan. Unable to confirm Jiang Ruan’s death, he couldn’t die so easily at Xuan Li’s hands. So he could only hide from Xuan Li’s pursuit like a stray dog while secretly inquiring about Jiang Ruan’s whereabouts.

But he never expected this point would also be noticed by Xiao Shao. Xuan Li’s people hadn’t caught him yet, but Xiao Shao had already captured him. Being caught by Xiao Shao meant there was definitely no chance of escape. The only thing he could do now was disgust Xiao Shao and tell him that Jiang Ruan was already dead. He knew Jiang Ruan was pregnant in the end. If Xiao Shao learned that Jiang Ruan was pregnant and still died tragically, he probably would never be able to find peace for the rest of his life. Dan Zhen had followed Xiao Shao for a lifetime, doing everything to confine Xiao Shao to her side, but ultimately lost her life for it, buried in the foreign soil of the Great Jin Dynasty. Since Yuan Chuan couldn’t confirm whether Jiang Ruan was alive or dead, making Xiao Shao live in pain for the rest of his life, spending his entire existence in guilt and self-blame, would also be venting some anger for Dan Zhen.

His thinking wasn’t wrong, but he hadn’t expected his intentions to be seen through by Xiao Shao. Yuan Chuan raised his head and met Xiao Shao’s star-like eyes, feeling that gaze was piercingly sharp, almost as if it could see through his heart. His heart shook, but he raised his lips and said: “How can I make this clear to you? Prince Xiao seems to understand me very well. But I’m not still alive for Jiang Ruan’s sake. The enemies who killed the Saintess aren’t just one—Jiang Ruan was merely the most ruthless one. I naturally want to kill her. Since you don’t believe it, why don’t you ask Princess Yuanrong? Oh, and Xuan Li is the same. That day the fire burned the entire house, and she was burned alive inside. Not even ashes remained. Why is Xuan Li pursuing me? Isn’t it for this reason? Otherwise, do you think if Jiang Ruan were still alive, why wouldn’t Xuan Li hand her over to make a deal with you at this point?”

Xiao Shao didn’t speak, but Yuan Chuan felt the dagger at his throat tremble slightly. Even if it was only for an instant, Yuan Chuan still felt it—Xiao Shao was nervous.

Xiao Shao—this man, rumored to be cold-hearted and unfeeling—but once such a person has attachments, it’s for life. Dan Zhen loved Xiao Shao, so Yuan Chuan had naturally gathered plenty of information about Xiao Shao, knowing that Xiao Shao’s feelings for Jiang Ruan ran deep. No matter how rational and composed a man might be, he wouldn’t remain unmoved when facing the possibility of losing his beloved forever. Xiao Shao was ultimately just an ordinary person—he wasn’t a god, he also had emotions and desires. It seemed Yuan Chuan’s words had finally planted seeds of doubt in his heart.

When the great fire started that day, Xuan Li’s people had been drugged unconscious by Yuan Chuan, leaving only his own people. Qi Man had already cleaned up those people, so when Xuan Li’s people woke up, all they knew was that in this great fire, Jiang Ruan had died tragically. The sparse remains left in the fire could indeed support this story. Those guards, to avoid Xuan Li’s anger, would naturally unite to distance themselves from the matter. Since Qi Man said it was Yuan Chuan who set the fire, it was equivalent to having a scapegoat. Naturally, they all unanimously blamed Yuan Chuan for everything. And Yuan Chuan would never say that Jiang Ruan might still be alive, even unto death. As long as Xuan Li knew there was even the slightest possibility that Jiang Ruan might still be alive, she would find ways to rescue Jiang Ruan.

So until now, all Xuan Li knew was that Yuan Chuan had burned down Jiang Ruan’s house in a great fire, and had also burned Jiang Ruan to death.

This was exactly what Yuan Chuan wanted to achieve. Confirming Jiang Ruan’s death would, on one hand, make Xiao Shao suffer for a lifetime, and on the other hand, completely cut off any possibility of Xuan Li getting anything from Xiao Shao regarding Dan Zhen. Jiang Ruan had been right—if Jiang Ruan had schemed to make Dan Zhen burn the imperial edict and ultimately die tragically, then Xuan Li was the direct killer of Dan Zhen. Yuan Chuan had no way to confront Xuan Li directly, but he would never let Xuan Li gain any advantage. As long as Jiang Ruan was dead, Xiao Shao and Xuan Li would inevitably become mortal enemies, and for his entire life, Xiao Shao would find ways to avenge this. Watching enemies kill each other—wouldn’t that be delightful?

“Third Brother,” Qi Feng quickly stepped forward and glanced at Yuan Chuan. His heart was naturally also stirred by Yuan Chuan’s words, but he still retained some rationality. Xiao Shao looked at Jiang Ruan from a husband’s perspective, naturally thinking she must have suffered greatly. But in Qi Feng’s eyes, Jiang Ruan wasn’t such a fragile person. If she could be killed so easily, it definitely wouldn’t be her. If she was pregnant, she would fight even harder to stay alive. So he looked at Xiao Shao and said: “This person’s words are probably deceptive. Third Sister-in-law isn’t someone who could be killed so easily. If she was pregnant, she would only be stronger. We need to investigate this person’s words further. As for now…”

“Take him away.” Xiao Shao suddenly withdrew his dagger and looked down at Yuan Chuan from above. Yuan Chuan had been somewhat smugly watching Xiao Shao, but now being stared at by Xiao Shao’s gaze, he actually felt a fear rising from the depths of his heart, subconsciously having an impulse to flee. It was a coldness that had completely abandoned human emotions, as if looking at a corpse, or even something inferior to a corpse. What did he want to do?

Xiao Shao said flatly: “In the Embroidered Uniform Guard, when interrogating criminals, use whatever methods you have. Don’t let him die.” After speaking, he turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away without looking back, ignoring everyone behind him.

“Hey…” Mo Cong wanted to chase after him but was grabbed by Qi Feng, who looked at Xiao Shao’s retreating figure with some complexity and said: “Let him be alone for a while.”

“What about him?” Mo Cong looked at Yuan Chuan on the ground and asked.

A strange smile appeared on Qi Feng’s face. He was naturally handsome and usually maintained a courteous and refined appearance, but when this smile appeared on his face, it seemed to suddenly bring a trace of killing intent, momentarily resembling Xiao Shao. He slowly said: “Didn’t you hear what the master said? Take him back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and torture him severely.”

At this, even Jin Yi and Jin Er nearby showed strange expressions.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were all assassins who never claimed to be good people, so their methods of interrogating criminals were naturally endless and without mercy. Only Xiao Shao had always preferred the swift efficiency of cutting down enemies like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, rarely using those torture methods established by the old Prince Jinying. Now that he had given special instructions, Yuan Chuan would naturally have a bitter time ahead.

Several Embroidered Uniform Guards stepped forward, first crippling Yuan Chuan’s martial arts, breaking his limbs to prevent suicide, then carefully searching for poison hidden on his body. They nearly stripped him naked and threw him onto a horse’s back before all shouting and heading back together.

…

That night, Xiao Shao didn’t return until the third watch. After returning, he said nothing and shut himself in his study, allowing no one to enter. Butler Lin stood at the door watching and sighed. Qi Feng walked over, looking at the lamp in the study somewhat absent-mindedly.

After capturing Yuan Chuan, Xiao Shao had immediately led the Embroidered Uniform Guards to investigate the temple Yuan Chuan had mentioned. That temple was dozens of li outside the capital—already a long journey—but Xiao Shao had gone regardless. That place had originally been a settlement for lepers, with a ruined temple where the monks were also lepers. The Nanjiang people had killed the local sick people and disguised themselves as patients and monks, naturally able to deceive the inspecting officials. After all, no one would think to hide in such a place—one careless move and contracting leprosy would ruin one’s life.

When Xiao Shao led the Embroidered Uniform Guards in a mad rush to get there, the Nanjiang people had all left—the place was empty, with only the hastily buried corpses of the original patients underground. In that temple, there was a place burned completely black, obviously almost reduced to ashes.

When Xiao Shao saw that ruined area, he was shocked and personally went in to investigate, along with the accompanying Embroidered Uniform Guards. The room had been burned beyond recognition, but on the walls, one could still vaguely see deep scratches clawed by someone before dying—definitely a woman’s fingerprints. The bed curtains and such had been completely burned, but the room’s furnishings showed it had definitely been a woman’s dwelling. Moreover, there was an iron chain for tying up a dog inside.

Yuan Chuan had mentioned that Jiang Ruan had raised a dog to hide the fact that she was pregnant, even using the dog as cover to take food from its mouth. This dog chain undoubtedly proved something.

And Ye Feng, who had gone to search for other things, had indeed found pregnancy-preserving medicinal herbs in a servant’s room.

All the evidence indicated what—at least it showed Jiang Ruan’s situation wasn’t optimistic, perhaps more likely dead than alive. All the Embroidered Uniform Guards present knew this fact, but no one dared speak it aloud. Finally, Ye Feng couldn’t help feeling heartbroken and walked to Xiao Shao’s side, saying: “Master…”

Everything had been burned to ashes. Even the bone ash was mixed together—how could they bury her? Should they erect a cenotaph? No matter what, Xiao Shao’s heart must be enduring tremendous grief. But Xiao Shao merely glanced at the ruins indifferently and said: “The Princess is not here. Continue searching.”

Where else could Jiang Ruan be if not here? Xuan Li hadn’t sent people to search for Jiang Ruan’s whereabouts—there were only two possibilities: either Jiang Ruan was in Xuan Li’s hands, or Jiang Ruan was already dead. But if Jiang Ruan were still in Xuan Li’s hands, Xuan Li wouldn’t hide her and refuse to show her to others. And everything before them seemed to indicate that Yuan Chuan hadn’t lied. All the Embroidered Uniform Guards had only one thought—that Xiao Shao was deceiving himself.

This man, usually calm and rational, strong enough to face any situation with composure, was now very afraid to face reality. So he was escaping from reality, but everyone couldn’t bear to cruelly expose this fact. They didn’t want to cruelly shatter Xiao Shao’s illusions.

Then let them pretend Jiang Ruan was still alive—Princess Jinying was still alive. After all, the body hadn’t been found, right? If no body was found, perhaps she was still alive. Everyone could only deceive themselves this way.

“Young Master Qi,” Butler Lin said, “you should… try to persuade the young master.”

“Butler Lin, please don’t put me in such a difficult position. I can’t persuade him.” Qi Feng smiled bitterly: “I regret this to death now.” I can’t even persuade myself, he thought silently. Jiang Ruan’s plan had been discussed with him initially, and he had agreed to it. When news from the Embroidered Uniform Guards reached his ears, Qi Feng felt as if time had stopped in that moment. All he could see was Jiang Ruan’s determined expression that day. He couldn’t stop her, and in the end, he thought it was a good plan—he simply didn’t try to stop her. So ultimately, he had watched Jiang Ruan walk to her death.

Xiao Shao couldn’t forgive himself, and he couldn’t forgive himself either. Especially learning that Jiang Ruan had been pregnant—he had failed not only Jiang Ruan but also the child in her womb, and Xiao Shao. The living must bear pain ten thousand times greater than the dead—Qi Feng understood this better than anyone.

When the former Prince Jinying and his wife died, Xiao Shao had already endured such pain. He had completely sealed himself off, and when he met Jiang Ruan, he had finally emerged from that state. But now facing such a blow again, for Xiao Shao, this might mean that the last trace of tenderness in his life would be extinguished, and from then on, this person could truly no longer be considered a “person.”

How could Jiang Ruan bear to do this? Qi Feng closed his eyes. He felt this spring wind was particularly cold, and the lamp in that study was very dim, as if it might go out at any moment.

Butler Lin stopped talking. After a moment, he said: “This old man is muddled. He’s just like his father—both are passionate souls. Back then…” Butler Lin didn’t continue. Back then, Prince Hongxi had lost all will to live after Xiang Xiaoyuan’s death, ultimately using such a tragic method to follow Xiang Xiaoyuan in death. The Xiao family—no, it should be the Xuan family—produced passionate souls. Father and son were the same. Prince Hongxi was gentle as a lotus, Xiao Shao cold and clear as water. He seemed more cold and hard than Prince Hongxi, but his heart was softer than anyone’s. Now even his last bit of softness was to be taken away? Butler Lin looked at the sky and silently prayed: Prince, please open your eyes. If you have spirit in heaven, don’t let your only son suffer such anguish.

In the room, Xiao Shao sat at the desk, still wearing his dark gold outer robe, stained with cold dew from outside. He had no mind to change clothes, just sat at the desk in a daze.

The brush on the desk—she had touched it. The paper—she had used it. The teacup—she had drunk from it. The chair—she had sat in it. Every corner of this room seemed filled with her smile and brightness. She always waited here with a lamp for his late return. Each time he would scold her to sleep earlier, but now there would never be such scenes again.

Xiao Shao stared blankly, thinking of Yuan Chuan’s words about Jiang Ruan carrying their child in her womb. His heart suddenly ached. He suddenly felt he had never truly fulfilled a husband’s duties. Because she appeared strong, he assumed she was strong, forgetting that she was just an ordinary woman.

Jiang Ruan’s previous life had been miserable. He had resolved to protect her well in this life, but was this how he protected her?

Xiao Shao suddenly covered his face with his hands. The wind in this room was bitterly cold. This not-large study suddenly became vast and empty, and he felt very lonely.

He slowly lowered his hands, took a piece of letter paper from the desk, drew a brush from the brush holder nearby, ground ink and moistened the brush, then began to write.

He wrote: “My beloved wife Ruanruan…”

He wrote carefully and attentively. The lamplight cast his eyelashes straight and long, his profile heroic and handsome, yet he looked extremely sorrowful.

After writing word by word, he finally put away the full page of letter paper, folded it into an envelope, and rolled it into a small iron tube. He whistled, and a snow pigeon flew in. Xiao Shao tied the small iron tube to the snow pigeon’s leg, reached out to stroke the pigeon’s head, then raised his hand. The snow pigeon flew out through the window.

He stared out the window in a daze.

Outside, Qi Feng and Butler Lin both looked toward the snow pigeon that flew from the room and disappeared into the night, both sighing softly.

This snow pigeon—where would it carry the letter from the man in the room? Could it even be delivered?