He was going to break the engagement.

He didn’t like Yao Xi.

These two sentences suddenly floated up from the depths of Jiang Xuening’s mind, like two stones thrown into her heart, shattering the calm and composure she had forced herself to maintain, bringing infinite joy and elation.

There was no longer any need for reservations.

Because it was Zhang Zhe himself who didn’t like Yao Xi, it was Zhang Zhe himself who wanted to break the engagement. And in this matter she had a clear conscience—she hadn’t used any underhanded methods. She had still kept her promise to him from the previous life and wasn’t a bad person.

Jiang Xuening’s heart raced extremely fast.

After Zhang Zhe finished saying those two words, he said another “thank you,” another “farewell,” and turned to walk along that long palace path.

The bright moon in the sky grew dim.

Yet the starlight became brilliant because of it.

Clearly this deep palace shrouded in night held unmeasurable dangers everywhere, yet Jiang Xuening felt all the heavenly radiance draped over him. She incredibly wanted to transform into one of those rays to illuminate the rugged road of his return journey.

Chen Ying waited for him ahead.

The young eunuch carried the lantern with lowered head.

Zhang Zhe’s figure gradually drew near.

Jiang Xuening ultimately felt she would stand in place watching too long. If it fell into the eyes of someone with ulterior motives, it would inevitably leave too obvious a trace. So she turned around to walk back.

The moment she turned her back, a smile overflowed at her lips.

Although in these few short hours tonight she had already encountered a crisis that nearly involved life and death, in this rare quietness she unexpectedly didn’t want to think too much for the moment. She only wanted to purely immerse herself in this kind of joy, even if only a little, even if only for a brief instant.

Even her footsteps involuntarily became light and quick.

When turning the corner ahead at the fork in the road, she finally couldn’t resist a playful impulse and jumped forward one step.

“Ah!”

A startled cry suddenly came from around the corner.

The lantern in the young eunuch’s hand swayed with it. He instinctively said: “How audacious, to dare collide with the Grand Tutor!”

“…”

Jiang Xuening raised her head and saw Xie Wei standing before her. He also seemed not to have expected someone would pop out from around the corner. A flash of surprise showed in his eyes, but after seeing clearly it was her, his brow furrowed heavily.

She suddenly stiffened all over.

Xie Wei turned his head, his gaze passing over her to glance toward the path she had come from.

At that end, Chen Ying and Zhang Zhe had just walked to the far end.

In moments their figures disappeared.

But with slight thought, Xie Wei knew that outer court officials leaving the inner palace at this hour could only be the two from the Ministry of Justice, Chen and Zhang. Looking again at Jiang Xuening’s carried-away appearance, where did she seem like someone who had just been framed and barely escaped disaster?

Jiang Xuening inexplicably felt somewhat apprehensive. She slowly straightened her body, as if the person who had just jumped before him in one step wasn’t her at all. She respectfully curtsied and bowed to Xie Wei: “Greetings, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Wei looked at her quietly: “Are you this happy?”

Jiang Xuening’s scalp tingled.

Xie Wei only took the lantern from the young eunuch beside him, waved him away dismissively, then said: “If I were you, having just been framed and narrowly escaped with my life, I absolutely could not smile.”

Lecturing her again.

Jiang Xuening heard his tone wasn’t good. She thought the joy she could obtain in this palace was only momentary—couldn’t people be allowed to be happy for a bit? She wanted to retort with a few words, but then thought her circumstances were already difficult. If she truly offended him, it would really be impossible to move even an inch.

So she lowered her eyelids without speaking.

Xie Wei then lifted that lantern and walked forward, saying: “What happened in Cining Palace today? Could you tell who wanted to harm you?”

Jiang Xuening was somewhat stunned.

Xie Wei turned his head to see her still standing foolishly in place. His brow furrowed even deeper: “You don’t know to follow?”

Jiang Xuening said: “But I don’t walk this path.”

Xie Wei said: “Yangzhi Studio and leaving the palace are the same direction. Will you walk or not?”

Jiang Xuening shrank her neck, finally reacting: this was Xie Wei! When he carried a lantern and walked ahead, calling her to follow, she should follow. Not listening was seeking death, wasn’t it?

She lowered her head and followed.

Only then did Xie Wei feel his anger smooth out somewhat. As he walked, he said: “Do you have any leads?”

The joy Jiang Xuening had felt just moments ago upon seeing Zhang Zhe was ultimately trampled and destroyed almost completely by this person. Her head cooled down, and she gradually felt this winter night’s cold air could invade her body and penetrate her bones.

Recalling everything in Cining Palace, she fell silent for a moment.

Then she slowly said: “Investigation found it was a young palace maid causing trouble, but the Empress Dowager said it was too late and beating and killing outside the palace gate wouldn’t be proper. So His Majesty ordered her confined to the Office of Careful Punishment for interrogation. I don’t know if results can be obtained.”

Xie Wei lowered his eyes. In their depths was a deep, forest-like coldness. He asked again: “Don’t you suspect anyone?”

Jiang Xuening said: “Still thinking.”

Xie Wei hadn’t anticipated that in this troubled time, not only did he have to handle all matters outside the palace, but this one inside the palace also had no ability for self-preservation. The more he thought, the more pressure built in his heart: “Think carefully.”

Jiang Xuening then said: “I have suspected targets, but no conclusive evidence.”

Xie Wei said: “Not everything requires evidence.”

Jiang Xuening thought about it and agreed: “Focusing too much on whether details are reasonable can sometimes inevitably overlook the importance of the overall situation. A person standing at the foot of the mountain and a person standing at the peak—necessarily the latter can glimpse the full picture.”

Xie Wei said: “These words suit my taste.”

Jiang Xuening thought to herself: of course they do.

One should know that in her previous life, she had coincidentally overheard these words outside the main hall of the traveling palace when Xie Wei was speaking to other grand secretaries. The impression was extremely deep and she remembered them for a long time.

His own words—how could they not suit his taste?

Only when Jiang Xuening thought of her own speculation, her face inevitably became covered with dark clouds. She slowly said: “Though I feel she shouldn’t use such simple, base methods, perhaps precisely because I think this way, precisely because it doesn’t match her usual conduct, she deliberately schemes this way. After all, even at this moment, I feel she shouldn’t be this unsophisticated. However, surveying the overall situation, the Empress Dowager’s attitude is ambiguous. This person has the ability to bribe palace maids, learned the full content of those four treasonous lines, and could prepare in advance. This absolutely couldn’t be accomplished just by learning about it after Eunuch Wang went to search the palace. She must have known very long in advance to be so composed and unhurried today.”

Xie Wei then said: “So what will you do?”

Though he could secretly protect her as he had today, he might not always be present. If Miss Ning Two always lacked the ability to protect herself, she would be like a caged songbird—truly not good.

Jiang Xuening didn’t know why, but felt that Xie Wei’s series of questions tonight vaguely seemed to be testing her. But this wasn’t the time to think too much. She only answered: “I haven’t done anything to wrong anyone. So no matter who wants to harm me, ultimately they just can’t stand seeing me well. Then I’ll deliberately live even better to make her uncomfortable watching. Moreover, it’s not as if there’s no way to deal with her. If I don’t respond in kind, perhaps she’ll think I’m easy to manipulate, easy to bully. Since today she dared to make me unhappy, in the future I must make her restless, unable to sleep or eat in peace.”

These words were spoken steadily.

It seemed she already had a plan in mind.

Xie Wei couldn’t help but look back at her.

The dim yellow light of the lantern in his hand fell on her face, making that beautiful face appear remarkably bright. Only she kept her eyelids lowered, her lip line straight, revealing an indescribable detachment. Only then did he suddenly realize she no longer carried the joy from before, much less that lightness and even slightly bashful smile.

Thus he became aware that it was his appearance that had destroyed everything from before.

Xie Wei again felt it was his own restlessness. Once more softening the harsh tone from earlier, he asked her: “Why were you walking this path just now?”

Jiang Xuening said “oh,” and thought of Zhang Zhe again. Her brows and eyes relaxed somewhat as she said: “Official Chen and Director Zhang walked this way. This student was able to escape danger only because Director Zhang investigated and clarified the truth, so I chased over to thank him in person.”

Though it was somewhat improper according to etiquette, at that moment she truly wasn’t afraid.

It was just such an impulse that couldn’t be suppressed no matter what.

Xie Wei saw her expression, his footsteps suddenly stopping: “Zhang Zhe?”

Jiang Xuening raised her eyes to look at him and nodded.

Xie Wei originally hadn’t been smiling. At this moment he examined her eyes and brows once more, his expression darkening somewhat as he asked: “Isn’t the one you like Yan Lin?”

Jiang Xuening froze.

However, the next moment Xie Wei’s question truly made her entire body explode with alarm: “You like Zhang Zhe?”

This was Xie Ju’an’s most terrifying aspect.

Anyone standing before him, showing even the slightest flaw, would be seen through completely by him. Even wearing thick armor, it was difficult to resist!

Jiang Xuening was actually flustered for that moment.

But immediately after she thought—what was there to be flustered about?

She truly, genuinely didn’t love Yan Lin. With everything from her previous life, it was impossible to cast aside those knots in her heart to love him.

Now she wasn’t Empress.

Without those many ritual and legal constraints, she could face her own heart frankly and honestly, face her own feelings.

That bit of wandering radiance finally returned once more to her eyes and brows. Jiang Xuening looked back at Xie Wei, boldly and candidly saying: “I like him.”

Xie Wei gazed at her without speaking.

But she then thought of her guilt toward Zhang Zhe from her previous life. Her brows and eyes couldn’t help lowering again, only feeling bitterness on both the tip of her tongue and in her heart. With slight astringency, she added in a low voice: “Very much, very much…”