On the way back, Shen Xin and Luo Xuegan hardly spoke. Although they tried to appear relaxed, they still revealed some solemnity. Shen Qiu was also uncharacteristically quiet. Though Luo Tan was naturally carefree, she too sensibly detected that something was amiss and carefully refrained from speaking.

Today, they had ultimately offended Princess Mingan, which meant offending the Crown Prince of Qin. The Shen family had just returned and was already pushed to the forefront of controversy. Although Shen Xin had tried his best to avoid it, it was as if an invisible hand behind them kept pushing the Shen family forward. Shen Xin and Luo Xuegan weren’t afraid of potential difficulties, but they worried that Princess Mingan would develop a hatred for Shen Miao and use underhanded means to trip her up.

However, what had happened had happened. They could only deal with problems as they arose, and better protect Shen Miao to prevent any mishaps.

After returning home, Shen Miao entered her courtyard and finished washing up. It was already quite late. She lit an oil lamp, and Guyu, seeing that she had no intention of resting, said, “Is Miss still worried about tonight’s events? It’s alright, with Master and Madam here, they won’t let that Qin Princess act recklessly.”

Shen Miao shook her head. She understood Princess Mingan’s temperament better than others. Princess Mingan was very selfish and competitive. In her previous life, Princess Mingan had also troubled her at the tribute banquet. It was only because Princess Mingan thought that someone as outstanding as Fu Xiuyi had married such a coarse wife, which she found contemptible. Now the people from Da Liang had been replaced by the Rui Prince, and the most outstanding person in Princess Mingan’s eyes had become the Rui Prince, but she still hadn’t spared Shen Miao. Perhaps this was what people meant when they said that some enmities were destined by heaven, persisting across many lifetimes.

“You may go now,” Shen Miao said. “I can’t sleep, I’ll play some chess.”

Guyu wanted to say something, but Jingzhe tugged her sleeve. Jingzhe said, “Then we’ll withdraw first, Miss. Don’t think too much. When you feel tired later, rest early, don’t exhaust yourself. The night is cool, don’t stay up too late.”

Shen Miao agreed, and Jingzhe and Guyu withdrew.

On the small table, the chessboard was empty. Shen Miao held white pieces in one hand and black pieces in the other, earnestly playing against herself.

She played attentively as time slowly passed. The chessboard gradually changed from empty to a complex pattern of black and white. And she went from playing with ease to pondering deeply before placing each piece.

Outside the courtyard, it was completely quiet. Not even the murmurs of birds or chirping of insects could be heard as the capital city fell into sweet dreams. A gentle breeze rustled through the courtyard.

Shen Miao looked at the chessboard and let out a soft sigh.

In two years, various forces had taken turns on stage, and the pieces she had arranged had moved into their designated positions. In some ways, having the initial advantage didn’t necessarily guarantee successive victories. This was a game between her and Fu Xiuyi, but now it seemed she had still thought some things were too simple.

All things in this world were changing. She was changing—she wasn’t the same person from her previous life—and naturally, others would change too. The only constant was change itself, and what changes these would bring to the chessboard, no one could predict.

She glanced at the chessboard on the table, stood up, and walked to the window to open it. The autumn wind blew in from outside, bringing a coolness. The shadows of trees outside the window swayed. She watched for a while, then turned around. The oil lamp in the room had burned its last bit of fuel; the flame flickered and went out.

With the lamp extinguished, moonlight flowed into the room like water, illuminating it brightly. It was cooler than the lamplight.

A soft “tap” sound came from the table. Someone was now sitting before the chessboard. He held a black piece and placed it casually on the board, then raised his head to look at Shen Miao.

The purple-gold long robe appeared even more magnificent in the moonlight, and the pattern seemed somewhat familiar. It was an arrogant posture, but with half his face covered by a silver mask, he appeared somewhat profound.

Shen Miao wasn’t surprised by this uninvited late-night visitor. She calmly closed the window, and the room immediately darkened again. Shen Miao walked to the table, found a flint, and lit another lamp.

In the warm yellow glow, the scent of clothes and the shadows of hair all seemed particularly intimate. Shen Miao, holding the lamp, sat down opposite him.

“Were you waiting for me?” The purple-clothed young man’s voice was deep, particularly pleasant in the night. Because he deliberately lowered it, it had a certain hoarseness, like a lover’s whisper in the ear. His voice also carried a smile, as if he was very pleased.

Shen Miao stared at the mask on his face. Even the mask couldn’t hide his handsome features—the beautiful chin and red lips. In fact, by hiding his true appearance, it made him more mysterious and captivating. It was said that members of the Da Liang royal family were all beautiful. She had never seen the Rui Prince’s true appearance, but she knew that in terms of elegance, this person was already quite outstanding.

“Your Highness knocked three times on the pillar, was that not reminding this subject to come pay respects at the third watch? This subject dared not disobey.” She answered.

Hearing these words, Shen Miao saw the man across from her curl his lips and say, “So clever.”

His attitude was frivolous and even somewhat flirtatious, yet somehow it made people feel a certain distance. It was as if one knew the coldness and cruelty at his core. Shen Miao looked at him quietly and said, “What does Your Highness wish to say to this subject?”

The purple-clothed young man casually picked up a black chess piece from the container and played with it. His long, slender, white hands holding the black piece made it appear even more exquisitely beautiful. He glanced at the chessboard and said, “The chess arrangement is interesting. Little girl, you’ve fit all the world’s affairs into this chessboard. I wonder where Da Liang is placed? And which piece am I?”

With one glance, he had discerned that the chessboard mirrored the current situation in Ming Qi.

Shen Miao remained silent.

His voice was languid, with a trace of casualness: “Today, this prince saw you at the tribute banquet, and you seemed to be acquainted with Princess Mingan. Have you met Princess Mingan before?”

Shen Miao’s heart tightened. She naturally knew Princess Mingan. Today’s performance wouldn’t raise any suspicions among the crowd, except perhaps with Huangfu Hao. One was a princess from Qin, the other a noble lady from Ming Qi. Qin and Ming Qi were thousands of miles apart, and Princess Mingan was visiting Ming Qi for the first time. No one would connect her to Princess Mingan. But this person’s single statement almost mercilessly tore away the surface, exposing the truth.

What had he discovered? What had he found out? Or was it just based on their brief encounters at the banquet that he sensed something was amiss? If it was the latter, then the man before her was truly terrifying.

But her expression remained unchanged. The fingers concealed in her sleeves tightened slightly, but a smile appeared on her face.

“Unfortunately, this subject has never met Princess Mingan before, but I am indeed acquainted with the Rui Prince.”

The purple-clothed young man tilted his head to look at her, then suddenly leaned forward with both hands on the table, moving closer to Shen Miao, and whispered in her ear: “Oh? When was that?”

Shen Miao looked at the person who was now very close. His breath was gentle, his golden buttons cold. His lips were smiling, but his eyes seemed indifferent. This was a man who was neither fire nor ice, exuding danger from every part of his being. He was attractive enough, but instinctively made Shen Miao want to avoid him.

Those pitch-black, deep-as-the-sea eyes stared at her. She lowered her head, avoiding his meaningful gaze, and stared at the delicate embroidered button in front of her, saying softly, “It’s been a while, Xie Jingxing.”

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. In the oil lamp, the tiny “crackling” sounds of the burning flame could be heard. A small flame fell, shining like a spark in the night for an instant before disappearing.

Shen Miao looked up at him.

The purple-clothed young man smiled faintly, looking at Shen Miao. Their shadows reflected on the ground, showing an intimate posture, as if he were tilting his head to kiss Shen Miao.

He slowly withdrew his hand, sat back in his place, and his voice was still pleasurable. He said, “It’s been a while, Shen Miao.”

The purple-clothed young man reached out and removed the mask from his face.

Eyebrows extending to his temples, star-like eyes containing emotion, a perfect nose, and lips as if painted with rouge. It seemed like just yesterday he was a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, but after two years, he had become a truly handsome and distinguished man. The smile at the corner of his lips still carried a hint of mockery and mischief, but his eyes no longer held the arrogance and insolence of youth.

It was a deeper intensity that made one’s heart tremble, like the night—beautiful because of the starlight, yet chilling because of the darkness. His innate nobility and elegance had developed to the extreme after two years. Every movement carried the natural arrogance of a noble bloodline, cold and detached like the clear moon, yet dazzling like the blazing sun.

Without the restraints and constraints of identity, Xie Jingxing, who had reappeared and no longer concealed his brilliance, was truly so eye-catching that one could not ignore him.

He looked at Shen Miao with a half-smile and said ambiguously, “Two years without seeing each other, who gave you the courage to call me by my name?”

Though he spoke this way, he had ultimately replaced “this prince” with “me.”

Shen Miao said, “Now you’re not the young marquis of Ming Qi’s Lin’an Marquis Estate. If you don’t like being called by your name, I can call you Rui Prince.” There was finally some sarcasm in her words. From the young marquis of Ming Qi’s Lin’an Marquis Estate to the brother of Da Liang’s Yongle Emperor, Xie Jingxing had indeed strayed quite far this time.

But though Shen Miao spoke politely, she underestimated Xie Jingxing. Xie Jingxing smiled lazily and said, “If you insist on calling me by name, I don’t mind. But I forgot to tell you, Xie Yuan is my real name, Jingxing is my courtesy name. When you call me Xie Jingxing, you’re calling me by my courtesy name… What’s this? Grown up and become much more passionate?” The smile at the corner of his lips was wicked and flirtatious. “Have we reached the level of calling each other by courtesy names?”

Shen Miao glared at him angrily.

Apart from family members, only lovers and spouses would call each other by courtesy names. Shen Miao hadn’t expected that when Xie Jingxing changed his identity, Jingxing would become his courtesy name. Come to think of it, she only just realized that Da Liang’s Yongle Emperor also had the surname Xie. The royal family of the Liang Dynasty was the Xie clan.

What a coincidence.

Xie Jingxing poured himself tea, unconcerned. After two years, even though Shen Xin had moved out of the General’s Mansion to open a new residence, Xie Jingxing’s uninvited arrival and making himself at home remained unchanged. It was as if, like two years ago, he treated the Shen residence as his courtyard, coming and going freely. He took a sip of tea, glanced at the angry Shen Miao, and seemed to find it very interesting, saying, “Reciprocity is courtesy. What would you like me to call you, Jiaojiao?”

That “Jiaojiao” was indeed called in a way that lingered pleasantly on the tongue and teeth. Combined with Xie Jingxing’s captivating beauty, if it were an ordinary woman, she would probably have been so enchanted she couldn’t find north. Shen Miao also felt her body heating up from being called that. She thought that Xie Jingxing, regardless of his royal identity, could probably live very well as a top courtesan in a brothel, and might even become famous across the land.

“What are you thinking about?” Xie Jingxing asked.

“I’m thinking that you’re so beautiful, even the top courtesans in brothels couldn’t compare. No wonder you need to wear a mask to cover it.” Shen Miao deliberately provoked him.

Xie Jingxing choked a bit, thinking of something that made his languid expression momentarily rigid. Seeing him like this, Shen Miao felt extremely pleased. Before she could speak, Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow and said, “You’re so concerned about me, it seems you’re quite infatuated?”

Shen Miao said, “Does the Rui Prince know how to write the four characters for ‘self-conceit’?” Having been disgusted by Xie Jingxing’s “courtesy name” reference, and unable to call him Young Marquis Xie anymore, Shen Miao simply used the cold “Rui Prince” instead, clearly intending to draw a line.

“When you hugged me and forcibly kissed me back then, you weren’t so heartless,” he said.

Shen Miao stared at him in disbelief, looking like a newborn deer in a mountain stream, with clear, round black eyes, appearing quite pitiful.

She said, “What do you mean by that?”

Xie Jingxing reached out and pinched her face. He moved too quickly, and Shen Miao couldn’t dodge in time. By the time she reacted, Xie Jingxing had already withdrawn his hand. After pondering briefly, he said, “It seems you don’t remember. On the first night you left the capital, I bid you farewell.”

Shen Miao was stunned, looking at him without speaking.

Xie Jingxing sighed, “Indeed, after drinking, you don’t recognize people. You don’t remember what you did to me?”

Shen Miao’s face showed a conflicted expression.

As the saying goes, alcohol leads to reckless behavior, and drinking causes trouble. She had a decent alcohol tolerance, but that night, the plum blossom wine was too intoxicating. She had specifically avoided others and slept alone in a room to prevent herself from saying or doing something wrong that might arouse suspicion, but unexpectedly… had Xie Jingxing come?

“The Rui Prince is joking. Our acquaintance is like strangers meeting by chance. What could I have done?” Shen Miao suppressed the unease in her heart, but her face remained composed. However, she knew little about matters between men and women. In her previous life, she had only tried to please Fu Xiuyi and didn’t understand men’s thoughts. In this regard, she was truly as naïve as blank paper. And when dealing with someone as black-hearted as Xie Jingxing, she was quite inexperienced.

Xie Jingxing smiled, not rushing to refute, and spoke unhurriedly: “You seem very eager to be the Empress. After getting drunk, you still wanted to pull Eunuch Li to watch fireworks, and you still wanted the Crown Prince and Princess to accompany you.” He looked at Shen Miao with interest: “Empress Shen?”

Shen Miao, who had been covering up by drinking tea, almost spat it out!

How many years had it been since she heard that title? Shen Miao almost thought for a moment that she was dreaming, that this reality after rebirth—filled with flowers and all her loved ones—was just a beautiful dream, and when she woke up, she would still be in that cold palace, walking step by step toward the end where she lost her child and her clan was destroyed.

Shen Miao’s entire body stiffened, and she had to admit a fact. Originally, she thought Xie Jingxing was deliberately saying this to trick her, but now it seemed that he had come that night and had witnessed her drunken state. Otherwise, how would Xie Jingxing know so much? How could he know all of this unless he was a god? But… how much had she said, how much had Xie Jingxing heard, and how much had the clever Xie Jingxing guessed?

Her uneasy expression fell into Xie Jingxing’s eyes, and his eyes darkened slightly, but he smiled and said, “Don’t be so afraid. I’ve always been lenient with women. Want to know what you did to this prince?”

“What did I do?” Shen Miao calmly met his gaze.

“Nothing much,” Xie Jingxing said lazily, supporting his chin with his hand, seeming to ponder, but what he said was shocking: “You just hugged me, not letting me leave, pressed me down and kissed me, crying and shouting that you wanted to be my empress, begging me not to neglect you.”

Shen Miao: “…”

“I never did such a thing,” Shen Miao said. No matter how drunk she was, she wouldn’t develop romantic thoughts about Xie Jingxing. Moreover, such behavior wasn’t her style.

“Are you trying to deny it?” Xie Jingxing frowned. “That’s not fair, Shen Jiaojiao.”

“I’ll give you money,” Shen Miao decided immediately. “However much you want, I can compensate.”

Xie Jingxing looked at her quietly for a while. For some reason, Shen Miao felt that his gaze carried knives, as if Xie Jingxing wanted nothing more than to kill her. After a long while, Xie Jingxing finally smiled and said through gritted teeth, “Do you think I’m a courtesan or a male pet? Money? This prince has never lacked money.”

Shen Miao fell silent.

Xie Jingxing took a deep breath and asked, “How did you figure it out?”

Shen Miao was caught off guard by his change of topic and asked in confusion, “What?”

Xie Jingxing picked up the mask on the table: “How did you discover my identity? Two years ago, I died in battle. No matter what, guessing my identity the moment you saw me isn’t very reasonable.”

“I guessed before seeing you,” Shen Miao said. “I guessed you were from Da Liang, but I didn’t guess you were from the royal family. Later, seeing you at the tribute banquet, I vaguely felt familiar and boldly made a guess.”

Hearing this, Xie Jingxing gradually furrowed his brows, looked at Shen Miao, and said, “You guessed two years ago?”

“That night at Wolong Temple, the Young Marquis came over to drink tea and eat pastries,” Shen Miao said calmly. “Fortunately, I also ate some of those pastries.”

Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “So what?”

“Unfortunately,” Shen Miao said, “those pastries seemed to be made by the royal chef of Da Liang. They were very delicious.”

Xie Jingxing was slightly taken aback.

Two years ago, he had encountered Shen Miao framing Shen Qing and the Yu Prince at Wolong Temple, and out of interest, he had gone to her room. Having been on the move for half the night and feeling hungry, he had eaten some pastries with Shen Miao’s tea… and had even fed Shen Miao a piece. While working in Ming Qi, he still lived a life of luxury. The chef from Da Liang who made the pastries was also with him, and those pastries were indeed made by the Da Liang chef.

Xie Jingxing had considered many clues that might have led Shen Miao to guess his identity, but he never expected this one. A package of pastries had also revealed the truth. However… his gaze sharpened as he looked at Shen Miao and asked, “How did you know these were made by a Da Liang chef?”

“I happened to have eaten them once before,” Shen Miao said.

She had indeed eaten them once before. At Ming Qi’s tribute banquet, there would naturally be gifts from other countries. As for those pastries, they were just small gimmicks. Ming Qi’s Yongle Emperor loved pastries, and the royal chef was innovative, adding fruit juice to the pastries, giving them a fruity aroma. Having tasted Da Liang’s pastries at the tribute banquet and finding them quite novel, Shen Miao had specially made them a few times for Fu Xiuyi, but Fu Xiuyi didn’t like sweets and often gave them directly to his servants, which had made her sad for quite a while.

And the pastries Xie Jingxing ate that night contained the fruity aroma characteristic of Da Liang royal pastries. At that time, the tribute hadn’t yet taken place, so these pastries couldn’t have been passed over. Shen Miao had found it strange at the time.

Although Xie Jingxing didn’t know where Shen Miao had eaten these pastries, he didn’t inquire further. He just asked, “Just that?”

“I just made a lucky guess,” Shen Miao lowered her eyes. She couldn’t have been certain Xie Jingxing was from Da Liang based solely on a package of pastries. The real suspicion began when she saw Imperial Physician Gao Yang in the palace. She had only felt he looked familiar at the time, but later she finally remembered that she had seen this Imperial Physician Gao before. In her previous life, at the tribute banquet, Da Liang had sent a prince and a high official. That high official was a famous strategist in Da Liang, and Fu Xiuyi had even instructed Pei Lang to pay special attention to him. He was none other than Gao Yang. At that time, Gao Yang’s identity wasn’t some Imperial Physician Gao, but a court official of Da Liang. That day in the Ming Qi palace, she noticed a subtle familiarity between Xie Jingxing and Gao Yang, and combined with the pastries from before, she had made some connections.

Later, she went to the northwest, and news of Xie Jingxing’s death in battle arrived. After the initial shock, Shen Miao gradually calmed down. In her previous life, Xie Jingxing shouldn’t have gone to battle at this time, yet in both lives, Xie Jingxing met the same end. Shen Miao didn’t believe in fate, and given what she knew of Xie Jingxing in this life, she couldn’t believe that someone as formidable as him would die so tragically.

If one were to say that Xie Jingxing was plotting something with this step, she would be more inclined to believe it. If dying in battle allowed him to start anew with a new identity, free from all possible troubles, it would fit this person’s efficient nature. After all, the identity of the young marquis of Lin’an Mansion couldn’t support Xie Jingxing’s ambition.

What exactly was his ambition? Shen Miao’s gaze fell on the black and white chessboard, a flash of shock passing through her heart.

“Your luck has always been good,” Xie Jingxing said composedly as he looked at her.

“But…” Shen Miao hesitated, but finally couldn’t help but ask, “How did you become the current Rui Prince?”

Had Xie Jingxing created a false identity? If so, his boldness was truly too great. The person he was impersonating was none other than a member of the Da Liang royal family, the brother of the Yongle Emperor. If discovered, dying a thousand times wouldn’t be enough. But if it were true… then what was his identity for the previous dozen years? Why had he become Xie Ding’s son in Ming Qi?

“I’ve always been Da Liang’s Rui Prince,” Xie Jingxing said. “Now I’ve returned to my rightful place.”

Shen Miao’s heart stirred: “Marquis Xie is not your father?”

Xie Jingxing laughed contemptuously: “The Lin’an Marquis? What qualifies him to be my father?”

So Xie Jingxing wasn’t Xie Ding’s biological son. Shen Miao felt increasingly shocked. Xie Jingxing’s identity probably could implicate many things, and in her previous life, she had never paid attention to these things. Shen Miao suddenly thought, in her previous life, Fu Xiuyi had relentlessly suppressed Xie Jingxing, even going so far as to arrange his people in the Xie family’s army, ultimately causing Xie Jingxing to die at the hands of his people. Both father and son of the Xie family were wrapped in horsehide in death, and the Xie family had no descendants except for Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao. Was it really because the Fu family wanted to strike at the Xie family’s meritorious service, or had Fu Xiuyi also discovered the irregularity of Xie Jingxing’s identity? Was Fu Xiuyi trying to… cut off the roots?

Her expression flickered with these thoughts, and Xie Jingxing saw it all, his gaze profound, though his smile grew increasingly warm. His appearance had improved, with handsomeness and allure well integrated, proper yet wicked, quite a sight to behold. He tapped the table: “Today I came to see an old friend, and you’ve improved quite a bit.”

Shen Miao came back to her senses and looked at him, saying, “The Rui Prince is now also infinitely glorious.”

From the young marquis of the Lin’an Marquis Estate to today’s Rui Prince, Xie Jingxing had become even more valuable. Previously, he only strode about freely in the capital city of Ming Qi, but now with the Rui Prince’s reputation out, he would likely soar to the heavens.

“Are you satisfied?” Xie Jingxing raised his lips in a smile. “Feeling proud by association?”

Shen Miao maintained a dignified expression: “This subject is from Ming Qi, the Rui Prince is from Da Liang. We don’t interfere with each other’s affairs, how could I feel proud by association?”

Xie Jingxing picked up the mask on the table and put it back on. The silver mask perfectly fit his features, not only failing to conceal his brilliance but making him even more captivating with his mysterious, night-like quality.

“When you kissed me, that’s not what you said.” his eyes were more enchanting than the autumn moon outside, flowing over Shen Miao, and he said, “Didn’t you say I was yours?”

Shen Miao adamantly refused to admit it: “The Rui Prince remembers incorrectly.”

“I’ll help you remember in the future,” Xie Jingxing stood up, the corner of his purple robe suddenly sweeping across the table, disrupting the entire chess game.

He said, “I’ll come see you again, Shen… Jiaojiao.”

Shen Miao: “…”

Xie Jingxing leaped out through the window. Shen Miao watched his silhouette, thinking that tomorrow, she would need to ask Shen Qiu to arrange more guards at the courtyard gate. After all, many skilled fighters lived in this residence—Shen Xin, Luo Xuegan, and Shen Qiu had all served in the military—how could they not have any alertness? Allowing someone to come and go freely in the mansion was truly a joke.

Outside the window, on the street by the wall of the Shen residence, a man in purple was walking. At the third watch, the street was empty of people, with only this man and the guards behind him, their shadows elongated in the moonlight.

Even the moonlight couldn’t conceal his brilliance, and the silver mask also gleamed brightly. The guard behind him said, “Master seems to be in a good mood.”

He said he was meeting an old friend, but from the time he entered the Shen residence until he came out, he had been smiling the whole time. It was as if he had heard some good news, making him so happy.

The young man glanced at the guard, the gold threads on his sleeves faintly visible, a brocade robe at night still showing his handsome figure and spirit. His eyes held a half-smile, his voice as pleasant as the spring breeze brushing past.

“Seeing an interesting person, naturally, feels good.”