Jiang Xinzhi frowned slightly. Dong Ying’er’s question clearly didn’t please him, but maintaining politeness, he still replied: “Indeed.”

Hearing these words from Jiang Xinzhi’s own mouth, Dong Ying’er’s heart suddenly ached. She caught every trace of impatience in Jiang Xinzhi’s eyes, and unknowingly, an irrepressible hatred quietly rose in her heart. Why was this? Since childhood, she had been her parents’ precious jewel – cheerful, warm, thoughtful in handling matters, with everyone praising her goodness. But what had she gained in the end? Her father had sent her into the palace to preserve his official career, her beloved treated her cold as ice, and former friends would only stand by and watch her die. Everyone in this world had betrayed her – why should she let any of them have peace?

Dong Ying’er stared at Jiang Xinzhi for a long moment, then suddenly smiled: “I heard that Sister Ruan was kidnapped by bandits and her whereabouts are unknown. She and I were good friends in the past, so I’m truly worried for her. I hope nothing happens to her.”

Jiang Xinzhi sensitively detected something strange in Dong Ying’er’s tone – it seemed to carry a hint of gritted teeth. Though he was protective of his family, his handling of affairs had become more mature than before. Suppressing his displeasure, he didn’t argue with her further, merely saying indifferently: “Thank you for your concern, Consort. I still have duties to attend to, so I take my leave.” With that, he no longer looked at Dong Ying’er, as if even one more glance would pollute his eyes, and strode away.

Dong Ying’er stood in place, watching Jiang Xinzhi’s retreating figure, slowly revealing a smile – only this smile appeared somewhat twisted at the moment.

…

Unlike the chaotic situation in the capital, Jiang Ruan’s environment seemed quite tranquil and elegant. The maid who came to serve her daily was mute, never speaking a word, and apart from this maid, she saw no one else. The room was well-equipped with everything needed, even containing several travel journals, presumably to help her pass the time. Indeed, this bore Xuan Li’s instructions and Qi Man’s execution – knowing she still had value, they didn’t make things too difficult for her.

These past days, Jiang Ruan had also worked hard to adapt to this environment, and as time passed, she became increasingly certain of her pregnancy. With this realization, Jiang Ruan became even more careful in her daily activities, truly treating this place as an excellent retreat for rest and recuperation, peacefully nourishing herself each day. The only regret was the lack of pregnancy-supporting medicine, which made Jiang Ruan more determined to resolve everything quickly and leave this place.

On this day, the weather was somewhat overcast, with rain beginning early in the morning. Being spring rain in early spring, once it started, it continued endlessly. It had been raining from dawn until afternoon, making the air somewhat humid and chilly. The branches outside had already sprouted tender green buds, with delicate shoots looking particularly spring-like. Jiang Ruan stood by the window, gazing at those branches in contemplation, when suddenly the door was pushed open and someone entered.

The footsteps were different from the usual mute maid. The mute maid moved soundlessly like a cat, so Jiang Ruan could hardly hear any sounds in this place. But these footsteps, though light, weren’t cautiously light – instead, they seemed somewhat casual and arrogant, like a beast approaching its prey, crouching low in slow stalking before attack.

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. After waiting so long, someone had finally come. The smile at her lips quickly faded, and when she turned around, she displayed just the right amount of surprise.

Standing at the door wasn’t the mute maid. In contrast to the nearly imperceptible mute maid, this person’s mere presence commanded attention. This was a woman wearing a bright red long dress. But this garment differed from Jin Dynasty clothing – it was sprinkled with gold powder, with gold thread embroidering complex patterns that seemed to shimmer even in sunless weather. Thin red gauze revealed a slender waist, adorned with tinkling little bells, and she wore no shoes, only green bells hanging from her ankles, making her bare feet appear white as jade, like carved antiques.

More breathtaking than those feet was the face above. Though Jiang Ruan was already bewitchingly beautiful, this woman could truly overturn nations. Her gaze flowed with life, sacred yet evil. Though her face bore no powder, her lips were painted with the reddest rouge, like a flame suddenly appearing in pristine snow, carrying wild passion ready to consume everything. This woman’s beauty was stunning, but more than stunning, it was a complex emotion combining abstinence and desire. Just being near her made one feel completely drawn in. If Jiang Ruan as a woman felt this way, ordinary men seeing her would surely think her some fox spirit, willing to be drained of their essence.

This must be the Southern Border Saintess. Jiang Ruan felt slightly calmer, slowly meeting the woman’s gaze.

The woman naturally caught the flash of amazement in Jiang Ruan’s eyes, revealing a trace of satisfied charm at her eye corners. This satisfaction didn’t seem annoying coming from her, but rather carried a unique coquettish allure.

“Jiang Ruan,” she said slowly, her tone strange and melodious, like celestial music, as if it had been long since she’d spoken with anyone.

Jiang Ruan nodded: “You are…”

“I am the Southern Border Saintess, Dan Zhen,” she said.

“I’ve long admired your reputation,” Jiang Ruan replied.

Dan Zhen seemed surprised, her voice deepening: “You know my name?”

“Just polite conversation,” Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. “When in Rome, do as Romans do. Perhaps the Saintess hasn’t yet adapted to Great Jin Dynasty’s customs and took it seriously.”

Dan Zhen felt somewhat angry – she naturally heard the mockery in Jiang Ruan’s words. Calling her an outsider, Jin Dynasty people had always looked down on border small countries. Even when Southern Border was still a nation paying annual tribute, they were still affectionately called “Southern Border barbarians” by those Jin people. Now with Jiang Ruan mentioning this again, it sounded particularly grating to Dan Zhen’s ears. She frowned, her delicate brows slightly raised, before slowly saying: “Quite a sharp tongue.”

“Likewise,” Jiang Ruan replied. She wasn’t afraid of what Dan Zhen might do to her at this moment. Though the alliance between Xuan Li and Southern Border wasn’t very solid, this was a critical moment of life and death – Xuan Li wouldn’t allow any mishaps, so he would certainly control Southern Border’s weaknesses to force their compliance with his decisions. As for Qi Man, from years of interaction, this person had determination and schemes, someone who considered the bigger picture. Having no life-or-death enmity with her, she naturally wouldn’t kill her immediately. Jiang Ruan had deduced beforehand that Southern Border currently had two leaders – one was Qi Man, the other was Dan Zhen before her. Obviously, from what she could see now, Dan Zhen fell far short of Qi Man in both skill and temperament, so Dan Zhen could only be a follower. Qi Man was skilled at control, and under her control, Dan Zhen couldn’t possibly act against her.

If this were before, Jiang Ruan would naturally be fearless, but now during pregnancy, even if not considering herself, she had to think about the child in her womb. So all along, she had carefully guided Dan Zhen’s emotions. Dan Zhen was inherently someone who refused to admit defeat, subconsciously wanting to compete with her. This was feminine instinct. For instance, just now, though Dan Zhen was already extremely beautiful, today’s appearance still showed she had deliberately dressed up. Since Jiang Ruan wasn’t even a man, there was no reason for Dan Zhen to dress so carefully for her – naturally it was because Dan Zhen still wanted to compete with Jiang Ruan.

“You’re not particularly beautiful,” Dan Zhen said slowly, giving Jiang Ruan a thorough look from head to toe. She curved her lips, showing some disdain: “Your birth is even more lowly. I heard you were once enslaved by country servants – how laughable.” She played with her slightly curled hair with interest: “I’ve heard of your deeds. When your brother was called the War God, you contributed somewhat to that. I originally thought you must have some ability, but seeing you now, I overestimated you. Being so easily kidnapped and kept here as a captive plaything is rather boring.”

Jiang Ruan looked at her leisurely, showing no unusual expression at these words. Not to mention Dan Zhen was deliberately trying to anger her – even if she didn’t know Dan Zhen’s intentions, such words truly didn’t matter to her. She’d experienced countless rumors and gossip before – how could she take such small verbal attacks to heart?

Dan Zhen smiled slightly, slowly approaching Jiang Ruan, suddenly reaching out to grasp her neck. Dan Zhen’s hands were very soft, seemingly boneless. Such small hands, held by a man, would be enough to make him restless with desire. But now wrapped around Jiang Ruan’s neck like a snake, they only brought cold, sinister chills, ghostlike.

“You’re truly weak,” Dan Zhen admired Jiang Ruan’s expression. “If I made a cut here, you’d be dead. What Princess Jinying?”

“Oh?” Jiang Ruan turned her head aside, avoiding her hand, staring into her eyes: “Why would you want to kill me? Because of Xiao Shao?”

At mention of “Xiao Shao,” Dan Zhen’s expression changed slightly. In that instant, her originally spirited eyes seemed to suddenly become very twisted, the coldness within making even Jiang Ruan feel somewhat uneasy. Her obsession ran so deep? Jiang Ruan felt both surprised and angry. Though Xiao Shao and this woman had only met a few times, she had stubbornly pursued him from Southern Border to Great Jin Dynasty. Under the pretense of restoring her country, she desperately wanted to destroy her – wasn’t it all because of that troublemaker?

“Do you understand him well?” Dan Zhen suddenly laughed coldly: “Do you think being Princess Jinying makes you so remarkable? He’s an eagle of the grasslands, a lone wolf of the desert, who will never have any entanglements in this life. You’re just an ugly stumbling block, yet you dare be so complacent – utterly ridiculous! Ridiculous!” By the end, she couldn’t help becoming angry again.

Jiang Ruan raised an eyebrow. Dan Zhen’s obsession with Xiao Shao ran very deep indeed – just mentioning Xiao Shao easily stirred her emotions. What was this? A pure, abstinent Saintess experiencing worldly desire for the first time, and because she couldn’t have him, no one else could either? What did she ultimately want to do – turn Xiao Shao into a puppet for eternal collection? Like those Southern Border secret arts in story books? As for lone wolves and eagles, Jiang Ruan found it rather amusing. Perhaps that man did indeed present such a majestic, inviolable appearance before others, but having seen his clingy side, Dan Zhen might not be so obsessed.

Only Xiao Shao’s clingy side wasn’t something just anyone could see. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “I am indeed a stumbling block, but this stumbling block was something he chose to pick up himself. Perhaps the Saintess isn’t a stumbling block but an aid, yet didn’t he still kick you aside? Oh, I misspoke – now that your paths diverge and you can’t work together, you were destined to be enemies long ago. What does the Saintess want to say?”

Jiang Ruan’s counterattacks had never changed over the years. She disliked wasting too much breath, always going straight for the jugular, finding people’s wounds and viciously stepping on them, then sprinkling salt – done with elegant efficiency. Anyone who engaged in verbal sparring with her ended up half-dead with anger. Dan Zhen was a Saintess with extremely high status in Southern Border, usually high and mighty, never having spoken so much with anyone. No one had ever made things difficult for her – everyone unquestioningly executed her words. In contrast, from childhood through past and present lives, Jiang Ruan had faced countless challenges and questioning, making such counterattacks second nature.

Dan Zhen was indeed angered by her words, her expression changing. Any woman losing face before her rival, especially when that face was taken by her beloved, couldn’t remain unmoved. Dan Zhen almost wanted to devour Jiang Ruan alive, her beautiful face nearly tearing apart, but moments later, she revealed a smile, mockingly saying: “What use are these words? I never needed his willingness – what I want is his submission.”

“Submission?” Jiang Ruan seemed to hear something amusing, smiling at Dan Zhen: “Saintess, didn’t you say he was an eagle of the grasslands, a lone wolf of the desert? You also know eagles soar through nine heavens, lone wolves walk thousands of li – they can be hunted but cannot be tamed. Have you ever seen tamed eagles and wolves? If so, how can you speak of submission?”

Dan Zhen had gradually adapted to Jiang Ruan’s speaking style. She slowly smiled along, that smile looking rather eerie: “Miss Jiang, how naive. Perhaps this is why Jin Dynasty women raised in inner chambers are so innocent. Actually, the submission I speak of isn’t what you mean. What you speak of is submission of the heart – what I speak of is submission of the person. When your country, the entire Great Jin Dynasty, submits under Southern Border’s feet, not to mention eagles and lone wolves – even this sky, this desert, must submit to me!”

Her words were so arrogant that Jiang Ruan didn’t respond. This silence appeared to Dan Zhen as Jiang Ruan retreating. She smiled with satisfaction: “Rest assured, I never intended to become his aid. Whether he’s an eagle or lone wolf, he can only stay by my side in this life. If he wants to leave, I’ll break his wings and pull out his fangs. When Southern Border’s iron hooves trample this land and all your people become our captives, I’ll poison his eyes blind, break his legs, let him live well – live beside me.”

Such a bone-chilling way of expressing love was something Jiang Ruan had never heard in past or present life. If Xiao Shao heard these words, she wondered what his expression would be. Jiang Ruan sighed inwardly but showed nothing on her face, only looking at Dan Zhen: “Then I’d be useless. Why not simply kill me?”

“Hehe,” Dan Zhen laughed, this time with some excitement: “I naturally want to kill you – how could I spare you? Simply killing you would be too easy. He was originally my prey, yet was defiled by filthy you. I’ve already decided how to deal with you – riddle your body with holes, then pour in Southern Border’s tiniest, longest-lasting insect eggs, letting them sprout and grow in your body. You’ll become a living vessel, suffering in agony for a long, long time. You and the insects alike, watching him submit under my feet – wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Jiang Ruan started slightly. Somehow, she was reminded of her previous life’s final moments when Jiang Susu had turned her into a human pig, unable to live or die, also to make her watch Pei’er suffer helplessly. That was indeed unbearable torment. Dan Zhen’s hatred for her ran deep indeed. But Jiang Ruan knew Dan Zhen’s current reluctance to kill her wasn’t for this reason – it was merely because of Xuan Li and Qi Man’s orders making it inconvenient to act now.

And she needed to use Dan Zhen for something.

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “How could Southern Border so easily trample Great Jin Dynasty’s land? Are all our Dynasty’s soldiers and heroes dead? The Saintess probably thinks the current tense palace situation presents an opportunity, and I imagine the Saintess has formed an alliance with the Eighth Prince. But doesn’t the Saintess think this alliance was formed too hastily? You should know that in His Majesty’s arrangements, there’s no mention of the Eighth Prince becoming Great Jin Dynasty’s future heir.”

Dan Zhen also smiled: “What does your Emperor amount to? Now he’s just a useless person.”

“But there’s still the Thirteenth Prince,” Jiang Ruan interrupted her: “The Thirteenth Prince is intelligent and learned, with extensive knowledge. More importantly, he has legitimate claim…”

“Legitimate claim?” Dan Zhen seemed to think of something, her eyes suddenly brightening as she looked at Jiang Ruan: “You probably think so-called legitimate claim means an imperial edict, and with this edict, you’ve bet on the right horse and have hope.”

Jiang Ruan nodded, though her eyes showed understanding. Dan Zhen laughed coldly, turned and left the room. Moments later, when she returned, she held a long wooden tube. Her smile was rather malicious: “Miss Jiang, does this thing seem familiar?”

Jiang Ruan said nothing, only staring intently at the tube. She knew perfectly well what was inside. Seeing her motionless gaze, Dan Zhen seemed even more excited. She suddenly opened the tube, pulling something out. That something was very familiar – a long scroll that, when unrolled, was clearly an imperial edict.

“Did you think hiding the edict in the carriage meant no one would discover it? I must say, you’re always so bold, but boldness easily leads to mistakes. Now your so-called hope rests in my hands. You should know that without this edict, that Thirteenth Prince has nothing. If the Emperor dies at this time and it’s connected to this Thirteenth Prince, what do you think will happen?”

What would happen? Jiang Ruan also laughed coldly inwardly. She knew better than anyone what would happen, because in her previous life, she had been similarly slandered as a nation-destroying enchantress, with the Emperor’s death blamed on her, ultimately becoming the world’s greatest sinner. While Xuan Li emerged completely clean, cleanly ascending to that position with nothing but praise and merit – this was the truth.

At this moment, Jiang Ruan only said indifferently: “So what if you obtained this edict? Someday it will be found, will see daylight again. As long as that day comes, my hope won’t be in vain.”

The hope in Jiang Ruan’s eyes struck Dan Zhen, suddenly generating irritation. She didn’t understand why, at this point, Jiang Ruan still held such great expectations for something impossible. Was this stupidity or naivety? Dan Zhen didn’t know – she only knew she desperately wanted to see a different expression on Jiang Ruan’s face. Not this – she should be regretful and dejected, in agony, self-reproaching and guilty, not hopeful.

The thought of making her regret now echoed madly in Dan Zhen’s mind. No longer caring about anything else, she suddenly produced a fire starter from her bosom. The fire tinder ignited instantly as she threw the edict onto it. Immediately, flames engulfed the bright yellow silk.

Jiang Ruan’s expression changed dramatically. Crying out “No!” she rushed forward to snatch the edict from Dan Zhen’s hands, but Dan Zhen wouldn’t let her succeed. With a light, graceful dodge, the bright yellow silk – somehow dusted with some powder – burned even more fiercely. In just an instant, flames completely consumed the thing, leaving only red embers pitifully lying on the ground.

Jiang Ruan stared blankly at the ashes on the ground. Though somewhat displeased that she hadn’t shown the imagined agony, seeing the previously aggressive woman who seemed to control everything now display such bewildered confusion, Dan Zhen was finally satisfied. She slowly approached Jiang Ruan, deliberately asking: “Look, your hope is gone.”

Jiang Ruan lowered her head without speaking. Dan Zhen laughed coldly: “In my eyes, you’re merely an ant-like existence. Your so-called hope means nothing to me. So Jiang Ruan, even your Great Jin Dynasty, the Thirteenth Prince you support, will become like this burning edict – a pile of ashes, nothing at all. And he will certainly only be able to stay by my side in this life.” After saying this, Dan Zhen paid Jiang Ruan no more attention, striding out. Today she had vented her anger thoroughly, feeling extremely pleased. Going out too long might arouse suspicion – today she had come without Qi Man’s knowledge.

Qi Man had given strict orders not to harm a hair on Jiang Ruan’s head, which angered Dan Zhen. Watching someone she despised while being unable to kill her was pure torment. Fortunately today, seeing that woman lose her composure seemed quite satisfactory. Dan Zhen wasn’t worried about the edict at all – keeping it would only be a disaster. Even Xuan Li himself would eventually destroy the edict. Rather than let Xuan Li personally destroy it, better to destroy it before Jiang Ruan’s eyes, equivalent to destroying Jiang Ruan’s hope – enough to make her collapse, which was exactly what she wanted to see.

After Dan Zhen left, the mute maid returned. She looked at Jiang Ruan somewhat fearfully – she had probably waited outside and seemed quite afraid of Dan Zhen. Jiang Ruan looked at her expressionlessly: “Clean this up.” Then she rose and walked toward the bed.

The mute maid was somewhat surprised. From their expressions earlier, Jiang Ruan clearly cared deeply about this thing, yet now that Dan Zhen had destroyed it, shouldn’t Jiang Ruan be heartbroken? How could she speak so matter-of-factly, even showing no trace of sadness?

Jiang Ruan paid no attention to the mute maid’s thoughts, only leaning somewhat wearily against the bed cushions, lightly sighing with relief. That performance had been quite exhausting. Now that her body was heavier, whenever she exerted herself too much in anything, she tired much faster than before. Today, maintaining perfect composure before Dan Zhen without showing any flaws had been no easy task.

But the effort hadn’t been wasted – everything had proceeded as she’d imagined.

When women compare themselves with other women, they always hope to see the other at her most failed. Dan Zhen was the same – she wanted to see Jiang Ruan’s most regretful and dejected state. Unable to kill her yet desperately wanting to tear away Jiang Ruan’s composure, under Jiang Ruan’s deliberate guidance, Dan Zhen believed that Jiang Ruan’s current calm came entirely from the hope that edict gave her. Destroying the “hope” would be equivalent to destroying Jiang Ruan’s faith, and Jiang Ruan herself would live in despair daily.

Dan Zhen was from Southern Border – Southern Border people couldn’t read Jin Dynasty script. Qi Man was a forbearing person who wouldn’t open this edict beforehand, delivering it intact to Xuan Li. Jiang Ruan’s plan had been extremely risky from the start. If Xuan Li saw this edict, not only would everything fail completely, but even Xiao Shao’s identity would be exposed. So the crucial point was that before Xuan Li could see the edict, it must already be destroyed.

Only Dan Zhen could destroy the edict.

She had both the ability and the impulse – she was the perfect choice. Dan Zhen thought the edict named Xuan Pei as crown prince, but in fact, the heir’s name on the edict was Xiao Shao. With the Emperor remaining unconscious and this edict’s complete destruction, Xiao Shao’s identity would be permanently buried in history’s dust. He would forever remain just the young prince of Prince Jinying’s manor, the young master of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, not imperial bloodline.

Dan Zhen would remain quiet for some time, and Xuan Li, with his extremely conservative, stable nature, certainly wouldn’t appear at this time. He would wait until the commotion died down before coming to see her. Dan Zhen wouldn’t voluntarily mention the edict beforehand either, so when Xuan Li arrived, there would be no edict. Even if he suspected, he couldn’t find any evidence. Moreover, he wouldn’t suspect – he would relax his vigilance against Xuan Pei in the palace, focusing entirely on the Emperor.

Stealing the beams and changing the pillars, transplanting flowers onto different trees – though it appeared simple, each step was like walking on steel wire, where one careless move meant falling into an abyss. Jiang Ruan had boldly conceived this plan and boldly executed it. Every step here, made difficult by the child in her womb, had been incredibly arduous. Normally simple tasks now brought perspiration. After watching briefly, she suddenly beckoned the mute maid. The mute maid awaited her instructions as Jiang Ruan said: “I’m rather bored. Please find me a dog for company. With only myself in this place, having a dog for companionship would be quite nice.”

The mute maid seemed surprised by this request, but naturally couldn’t ignore Jiang Ruan’s words. Perhaps those above had already instructed that whatever Jiang Ruan wanted must be provided. So after her surprise, the mute maid went out directly, not noticing Jiang Ruan gently rubbing her forehead behind her.

Her appetite was growing larger now. With an additional little one in her belly, the usual meals were clearly insufficient. Moreover, something was wrong with this place – though the food was exquisitely prepared, it was mostly simple porridge and side dishes that looked unappetizing. Without pregnancy-supporting medicine and poor nourishment, she might harm the child. But suddenly eating more might arouse suspicion – these people were deep-thinking and would immediately notice any abnormality. Better to get a dog – while people could eat vegetarian food, dogs couldn’t. This way, eating more could be attributed to feeding the dog.

Jiang Ruan felt inexplicably amused. In this lifetime, from destitute ruin to luxurious prosperity, through ups and downs experiencing all worldly warmth and coldness, no one would imagine that after marrying Xiao Shao and becoming the well-fed Princess Jinying with seemingly secure backing, she would end up competing with a dog for food.

Precisely because others couldn’t imagine it, Xuan Li and Qi Man’s people naturally couldn’t either. They couldn’t understand how a high-status princess would compete with a dog for food. No one would believe it if told, and Jiang Ruan intended to exploit exactly this point to conceal her true intentions.

I’m truly sorry. Jiang Ruan’s hands unconsciously caressed her small abdomen. From the moment of arriving in this world, you’ve been in such dangerous circumstances – it’s all your mother’s fault. But every mother in the world will fight with everything to protect her child’s safety. Even if ahead lies a mountain of knives and sea of fire, she would ensure her own safety for the child’s sake.

As for the capital, she pictured Xiao Shao’s gentle smile in her mind, smiled along, and whispered to herself: “I leave it to you.”