“Is that so?”

A man’s deep voice echoed in the spacious secret chamber. This voice was very calm, even pleasant to the ear, but at this moment, it seemed to carry a heart-stopping power that made one’s hair stand on end.

Xie Changchao froze, released Shen Miao like lightning, and turned to look at the newcomer.

On the wall of the secret chamber hung ox horns containing burning torches. The bright torchlight seemed to divide the dim chamber into two parts. The person opposite stood in the shadows, and in the dim firelight, one could vaguely make out his appearance.

He was an extremely tall and upright young man, wearing an outer cloak of dark sable fur, revealing a purple-gold brocade robe underneath, with deerskin boots and a dark gold belt. Even in such a dark place, his noble aura was not diminished in the least. On his face, he wore a half-silver mask. Though the color was extremely cold, it caught the warm flickers of the torchlight in the secret chamber, involuntarily drawing one’s attention.

Xie Changchao stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, “Your Highness Prince Rui!”

He had seen this person at Ming Qi’s tribute banquet and had encountered him at the Eastern Palace feast hosted by the Crown Prince. Who else could the person wearing a half-silver mask be but Prince Rui of Da Liang? But how could Prince Rui of Da Liang suddenly appear in this place? Xie Changchao’s heart suddenly sank, and he asked, “How did you know about this place?”

This was a secret chamber within the Linan Marquis Household. Even if Prince Rui could infiltrate it, there was no way he could have found this secret chamber. Even Xie Ding knew nothing about it—in the entire Linan Marquis Household, only Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao knew about it. How could an outsider like Prince Rui of Da Liang discover this place? Xie Changwu definitely wouldn’t have revealed it.

Shen Miao felt relieved the moment she saw Xie Jingxing appear, feeling a sense of gratitude. She could certainly have struggled with Xie Changchao and might have found another way to escape, but there was always the possibility of something going wrong. If something had gone badly, the consequences could have been dire. Xie Jingxing’s appearance seemed to eliminate even the word “accident.”

“Tell me, why do you know there’s a secret chamber here?” Xie Changchao suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. This unease wasn’t fear born from the fact that the other person was Prince Rui of Da Liang. It was an instinctive, deep-seated trepidation. But only he and Xie Changwu knew about this secret chamber, not even his subordinates were aware. Today he had come alone, and now it was too late to escape.

“There is no place in the Linan Marquis Household that I don’t know about.”

The purple-robed youth leisurely stepped forward, moving from the darkness into the light. The brighter the torchlight shone, the more the silver mask danced with dazzling brilliance. He curled his lips slightly in a smile that could have been mockery or sincerity, and slowly raised his hand to his mask.

Shen Miao was slightly startled, and Xie Changchao swallowed, staring unblinkingly at the purple-clad youth before him.

The silver mask was removed.

The light crawled inch by inch across the youth’s nearly perfect face. His features were so handsome they could make the sun lose its brilliance. That half-smiling, half-not mischievous expression remained unchanged, and his peach blossom eyes, tempered by the years, had lost the frivolity of youth, gaining a certain indifference and depth. Yet like a small boat sailing on the starry river of a dark night, when one looked down, they were still full of brightness.

It was Xie Jingxing—more handsome, steadier, more unfathomable, and more dangerous than two years ago.

It was Xie Jingxing, who had reportedly been pierced by ten thousand arrows on the battlefield, skinned and dried, becoming a sighing tale in Ming Qi’s history.

Xie Changchao couldn’t believe his eyes.

He shouted, “Xie Jingxing? Xie Jingxing?”

“I’m impressed you still remember my name,” Xie Jingxing said with a smile as he stepped forward, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Long time no see, Xie Changchao.”

“Aren’t you dead?” Fear began to rise on Xie Changchao’s face, and he anxiously blurted out, “Weren’t you pierced by ten thousand arrows on the northern battlefield, skinned and dried for public display, dead without even remains left? Are you human or a ghost? Stay away!” He spoke quickly and urgently, as if this could hide his fear, as if continuously talking about Xie Jingxing’s death would make those words become reality.

Xie Jingxing asked, “You tell me, am I human or a ghost?”

Xie Changchao was stunned.

The youth before him was dressed luxuriously, with an elegance ingrained in his very bones. If two years ago Xie Jingxing had been like a magnificent, ornate sword, now that sword had finally been unsheathed, carrying a restrained killing intent that no one could ignore beneath its sharp blade.

Xie Changchao’s gaze fell on the silver mask in Xie Jingxing’s hand, and something clicked in his mind.

If Xie Jingxing were truly a ghost, how could he appear as Prince Rui? Xie Changchao remembered clearly that when Xie Jingxing, before him, put on the mask, he was Prince Rui of Da Liang. No wonder he and Xie Changwu always felt that Prince Rui of Da Liang strongly resembled someone, but could never place who. Now it was clear—it was undoubtedly Xie Jingxing. But the news of Xie Jingxing’s death on the battlefield two years ago was common knowledge, and no one would connect Prince Rui with a person who had been dead for two years. Little did they know, this person had already switched places.

Thinking of this, Xie Changchao suddenly laughed coldly, “So that’s how it is. So you didn’t die but fled to Da Liang, and somehow transformed yourself into Prince Rui of Da Liang. You faked your death and betrayed your country; you don’t deserve to be a descendant of the Xie family. If Father knew of this, he would certainly be ashamed of you. Big Brother, I truly admire you.”

Shen Miao had retreated to the corner, and upon hearing this, she was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected Xie Changchao to think that Xie Jingxing had become a traitor to Ming Qi and fled to Da Liang. But he should have considered that even if Da Liang generously treated talented individuals, the identity of the Yongle Emperor’s brother was not something that could be casually given to others.

Sure enough, Xie Jingxing gave a light laugh, his gaze growing cold. “Don’t compare your tainted bloodline with mine. To be my brother, Xie Changchao, you’re not worthy enough.”

Xie Changchao sneered, “Could it be that you think having the title of Prince Rui makes you the Yongle Emperor’s brother? Xie Jingxing, you’ve always thought yourself superior to others, and now you’ve even learned to daydream.”

Xie Jingxing neither confirmed nor denied.

Seeing this, Xie Changchao’s expression gradually changed. He said, “You… you are Prince Rui of Da Liang?”

“So what if I am?” Xie Jingxing stared at him. “Haven’t I told you before? Don’t touch what belongs to me.”

Xie Changchao was stunned. From when he and Xie Changwu were very young, they had despised Xie Jingxing. The servants in the Linan Marquis Household were originally Lady Yuqing’s people, and when they occasionally gathered to talk, Xie Changchao overheard them saying that Madam Fang had forced Lady Yuqing to her death. Xie Changchao had never known Lady Yuqing, who had died before they were born, but he deeply resented Xie Jingxing. The reason was simple: Xie Ding doted on Xie Jingxing for no apparent reason.

Xie Jingxing always had the best of everything in the Linan Marquis Household—food, clothing, toys. No one dared to stop Xie Jingxing from doing whatever he wanted. Even if he committed a grave error, like hitting a prince or the son of a high official, Xie Ding would merely apologize to himself and let Xie Jingxing off lightly. Once, a tiger skin was sent from overseas, and Xie Ding gave it to Xie Jingxing. It was an extremely rare, complete tiger skin. Xie Changchao and Xie Changwu, being young, secretly went to Xie Jingxing’s room and played with the tiger skin for an entire afternoon.

Later, when Xie Jingxing returned, Xie Changchao would forever remember his expression. Xie Jingxing glanced at the fur that the Xie brothers had crawled over and casually told the housekeeper to burn it.

He said, “Don’t touch my things. They’re dirty.”

Xie Ding severely scolded the two Xie brothers but didn’t rebuke Xie Jingxing for making a mountain out of a molehill. From that time on, Xie Changchao developed an obsession with Xie Jingxing’s possessions. Shen Miao was the same.

So when he heard Xie Jingxing’s words, he immediately laughed, looked at Shen Miao in the corner, and said maliciously, “Xie Jingxing, so what? I’ve touched your woman. Are you going to burn her too, like you did before? I just touched her—don’t you find her dirty?”

Shen Miao’s gaze darkened. Xie Changchao truly had a talent for making people want to kill him the moment he opened his mouth. Not just someone with Xie Jingxing’s strong temperament, even she, with the good temper she had maintained since her rebirth, now wanted to have Xie Changchao dragged out and beheaded.

“She’s different from the tiger skin,” Xie Jingxing smiled slightly. “Back then, the tiger skin was worthless in my eyes, so I burned it. Now…” His gaze turned cold, and though his words were gentle, they carried a piercing chill.

“I think you’re too dirty, so I might as well burn you instead.”

Xie Changchao first gave a disdainful laugh, but as he laughed, looking at Xie Jingxing’s composed expression, he suddenly couldn’t laugh anymore. Xie Changchao sat on the ground, retreated a step, and, forcing down his inner fear, asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Xie Changchao, after all these years, you still haven’t improved.” Xie Jingxing seemed somewhat disappointed with his reaction and sighed. “You’ve seen my face. Do you think I’ll let you live?”

Shen Miao found it somewhat amusing.

Xie Changchao’s caliber was like that of a child before Xie Jingxing; no wonder Xie Jingxing felt disappointed. From the moment Xie Jingxing removed his mask, Shen Miao had known that Xie Changchao would not leave this place alive today.

Deep fear showed in Xie Changchao’s eyes, and he said, “You wouldn’t dare. I am Father’s son. This is the Linan Marquis Household. If you kill me, others will discover your identity. You won’t get away with it either.”

“Don’t worry,” Xie Jingxing smiled. “Today, the Marquis of Linan and Xie Changwu are attending a banquet and won’t return until late at night. No one will discover your whereabouts.” He continued, “For the sake of you having called me ‘Big Brother’ for so many years, I’ll also take care of you. I won’t leave you alone on the path to the underworld. Xie Changwu will come down to accompany you, though we’ll just drop the ‘Xie’ part.”

Xie Changchao finally seemed to believe that Xie Jingxing was serious and stood up to run outside. But he had not been a match for Xie Jingxing two years ago when Xie Jingxing still showed restraint, so how could he possibly escape from Xie Jingxing’s hands now? Before he could even see clearly, he was kicked in the knee from behind, and in a flash, his throat was caught in a vise-like grip.

Shen Miao was watching when suddenly something dark covered her face. Reaching out, she found it was Xie Jingxing’s cloak.

Xie Jingxing had thrown his cloak over her head, saying, “Don’t look.”

While his tone was gentle on this side, on the other side, he mercilessly tightened his grip on Xie Changchao’s throat. The crisp sound of bones breaking could be heard in the secret chamber.

With a “thud,” Shen Miao pushed aside the cloak covering her head. Xie Jingxing was already wiping his hands with a handkerchief. On the ground, Xie Changchao lay on his back, eyes wide open, clearly lifeless.

Xie Jingxing’s actions were decisive and ruthless. It was the first time Shen Miao had seen him kill someone, yet his expression remained calm, without the slightest change. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

She handed the cloak back to Xie Jingxing. Seeing this, Xie Jingxing glanced at her and turned his head away, saying, “Keep it for yourself.”

Shen Miao followed his gaze and realized that during the struggle with Xie Changchao, her robe had been torn, now exposing even a glimpse of her undergarments. She was startled, then silently cursed Xie Changchao before wrapping Xie Jingxing’s cloak around herself.

Xie Jingxing’s cloak was too large for her, and the front buttons wouldn’t fasten. Shen Miao fumbled with it for a while without success. Seeing that she was taking a long time, Xie Jingxing turned around and, upon seeing her still struggling with the cloak’s buttons, walked over and crouched in front of her. He pulled out the strings from the collar of the cloak and tied them for her.

His hands were very beautiful, with distinct, slender joints. His movements were deft and gentle as he tied the strings—if one ignored his cold face. Shen Miao looked up at him. Xie Jingxing’s eyelashes were extremely long, and when lowered, they softened his sharp gaze, showing a rare gentleness.

He concentrated on tying the knot, but maintained a cold expression throughout, as if in a bad mood, though it wasn’t clear who had upset him.

After tying a secure butterfly knot, Xie Jingxing had not yet stood up when Shen Miao said, “You didn’t need to kill him.”

She was referring to Xie Changchao. Xie Jingxing hadn’t needed to kill Xie Changchao. Xie Changchao was right—even as a concubine’s son, he was still Xie Ding’s child. Although she didn’t know exactly why Xie Jingxing was still in Ming Qi, this would certainly bring him some unnecessary trouble.

“He saw my face. I couldn’t leave him alive,” Xie Jingxing said.

Shen Miao mentally rolled her eyes. Nobody had wanted to see Xie Jingxing’s face. From beginning to end, it had been Xie Jingxing himself who had voluntarily removed his mask. Xie Jingxing had already decided to kill Xie Changchao and was just finding a flimsy excuse.

“Go out less in the future,” Xie Jingxing said. “If I had arrived a little later, you would have been in trouble today.” As he said this, he slightly furrowed his brows. Combined with his cold expression, he somewhat resembled someone earnestly instructing.

Shen Miao was momentarily speechless. After thinking for a while, she asked, “How are my parents and brother now?”

“The entire Shen army has been mobilized. They’ve searched every household in Dingjing several times without success,” Xie Jingxing said. “No one guessed you were hidden in the Linan Marquis Household.” After a pause, he added, “Luo Tan was seriously injured and has been unconscious. Gao Yang has gone to the Shen residence to save her. I heard the situation is now better.”

“Luo Tan was injured?” Shen Miao was surprised. “How severely?”

“Stabbed,” Xie Jingxing tilted his head to look at Shen Miao. “You didn’t know?”

Shen Miao shook her head. “I was knocked unconscious and put on a horse. I don’t know what happened afterward.” After a moment of silence, Shen Miao suddenly remembered something and looked at Xie Jingxing. “If Luo Tan is injured and unconscious, how did you find this place?”

Xie Jingxing looked somewhat confused. “What do you mean?”

Shen Miao’s heart stirred. With Luo Tan seriously injured and unconscious, she naturally couldn’t have met Xie Jingxing, nor could she have conveyed Shen Miao’s request to him. So Xie Jingxing’s rescue mission was his idea?

For a moment, Shen Miao’s feelings were quite complex.

As for Xie Jingxing, his eyes flashed slightly before he suddenly moved closer to Shen Miao, his hands propped beside her, almost embracing her. He curved his lips and said, “From what you’re saying, you had Luo Tan find me? To ask for my help?”

Shen Miao pushed him away, knowing that Xie Jingxing was clever and wouldn’t be fooled. She said, “I just thought you had the capability, and your identity was also much more convenient.” She emphasized, “I had Luo Tan find you because it was to be a transaction. Once you rescued me, I would naturally pay the appropriate compensation.”

“Compensation?” Xie Jingxing said dismissively. “The Shen family has offered a reward of ten thousand gold taels, but I don’t care about that. Da Liang’s treasury has plenty. What can you offer?”

Shen Miao gritted her teeth. “As long as it’s not offering myself, anything else is acceptable.”

Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow and looked at her, sighing, “So that’s what you’re thinking. Are you perhaps reminding me that you want to marry me? Women should be gentle and reserved. This approach of yours isn’t good.”

Shen Miao could only respond with a cold laugh.

“Never mind,” Xie Jingxing said. “Rescuing someone is a small matter for me, so I won’t make it difficult for you. The compensation is simple.” He stared at Shen Miao with a half-smile and said, “Writing poetry, playing the zither, making pastries, sewing… just these few things for now.”

Shen Miao: “…”

She said, “Choose something else.”

“This Prince wants these,” Xie Jingxing refused Shen Miao’s suggestion. Perhaps feeling that the ground was cold, he pulled Shen Miao to her feet.

“I can’t send you back to the Shen residence now. You’ve been missing for three days, and rumors are flying outside. If you return now, people will inevitably be suspicious,” Xie Jingxing said. “I’ll arrange for someone to take you to the Princess’s mansion. Aunt Rong will help you.”

Shen Miao was stunned. She looked at Xie Jingxing and asked, “Does Princess Rongxin also know your identity?”

Xie Jingxing shook his head. “Among the people of Ming Qi, you are the only one.”

Shen Miao fell silent. Xie Jingxing looked at Xie Changchao’s corpse on the ground, his eyes flashing with disgust. Suddenly, he said, “However, today I killed someone to save you, which might cause trouble. Since this matter originated with you, from now on, we’re in the same boat. You are my ally, understand?”

“I don’t believe I agreed to that,” Shen Miao said angrily.

“My agreement is enough,” Xie Jingxing said happily, snapping his fingers. Two men in black walked in from outside.

“Take it back,” Xie Jingxing nudged Xie Changchao’s corpse with his foot.

Shen Miao was surprised. “What do you want his corpse for?”

Xie Jingxing raised an eyebrow. “It will be very useful.”

Tie Yi and Nan Qi carried Xie Changchao’s corpse out. It was fortunate that the Xie brothers had built such a secret chamber that even the servants of the Linan Marquis Household didn’t know about. The secret chamber had a tunnel dug through, allowing direct access to the outside. This made their departure much easier.

The Princess’s mansion had not had visitors for a long time.

Since the news of Xie Jingxing’s death on the battlefield two years ago, Princess Rongxin had fallen seriously ill. After recovering, she seemed to have developed chronic health issues and rarely attended even royal occasions. She left the Princess’s mansion less and less frequently, and even refused all visitors. Everyone knew this was because Xie Jingxing had died. Princess Rongxin had no children of her own and had treated this nephew as her son. Previously, when Xie Jingxing was alive, he would visit the Princess’s mansion every few days. After Xie Jingxing’s death, with Princess Rongxin’s peculiar temperament, the mansion had become almost deserted.

Today, however, a guest had come to the Princess’s mansion.

The maid sweeping outside was an old servant of the Princess’s household. She immediately recognized that the young lady sitting in the carriage had visited the Princess’s mansion two years ago. At that time, Princess Rongxin had warmly received her. Her name was Shen something, but the maid couldn’t remember clearly. However, the person who went to announce the visitor didn’t have to wait long before seeing the Princess’s female official hurriedly come out and welcome the female guest and her guard in.

The remaining maids who were sweeping gathered together and whispered among themselves: “Who is that young lady? The Princess hasn’t received any visitors in these two years, but today she’s seeing someone.”

“Look at how eager she seems, as if she can’t wait. She must have had some connection with the Princess before. It’s rare to see someone like that.”

“She came here two years ago, too. At that time, the Princess’s attendant Xi sent her back to her residence. She’s the one with the surname Shen.”

The maid who had been racking her brain to remember the name suddenly had a flash of insight. Slapping her forehead, she said, “I remember that young lady’s name now! Isn’t she the legitimate daughter of the Mighty General, Shen Miao?”

Everyone was first enlightened, then their expressions became increasingly interesting.

They certainly recognized Shen Miao. Recently in Dingjing, there had been an uproar about her disappearance for three days without a trace, with Shen Xin even willing to offer ten thousand gold taels to save her. Everyone had speculated that Shen Miao must have met with misfortune, but they hadn’t expected that the subject of all this discussion would now appear at the Princess’s mansion.

What was Shen Miao doing at the Princess’s mansion?

Shen Miao sat in the main hall as maids came to serve her tea and snacks. She could still feel some covert glances examining her. Shen Miao accepted this calmly. If someone recognized her, they would naturally wonder why she was at the Princess’s mansion now.

But there was no other choice. As Xie Jingxing had said, if she returned home alone now, she couldn’t prevent rumors from spreading. She needed someone of high rank and authority, whose word was trustworthy, to vouch for her. Last time at the Lantern Festival, Princess Rongxin had vouched for her once, and this time she would need Princess Rongxin’s help again.

There was no alternative. Everyone knew that Princess Rongxin was straightforward and just, to the point of being somewhat cold and unfeeling. If the words came from Princess Rongxin’s mouth, indeed, no one would doubt them.

A moment later, footsteps sounded behind her. Shen Miao turned to look and saw Princess Rongxin being supported by a female official, slowly approaching.

Shen Miao was shocked.

The newcomer wore a thin autumn-colored gauze robe with a cloak draped over it. She had probably applied rouge and powder to her face, but they couldn’t hide her aged and haggard appearance. The last time Shen Miao had seen Princess Rongxin, two years ago, she had still been a woman full of spirit. Now, however, she looked as if her soul had been drained overnight, making one feel somewhat sad just looking at her.

Even in her previous life, when Shen Miao saw Princess Rongxin in her truly advanced years, she hadn’t appeared as haggard as she did now. Shen Miao knew exactly why this was the case. It seemed that the news of Xie Jingxing’s death had hit Princess Rongxin extremely hard, causing her to become so haggard in just two years.

She rose to curtsy to Princess Rongxin.

Upon seeing her, Princess Rongxin revealed a nostalgic expression, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. “I haven’t seen you for two years. When General Shen left in a hurry back then, this Princess hadn’t yet had the chance to send you farewell gifts. When you returned to the capital, the Princess had caught a cold and didn’t attend the tribute banquet. I’ve never had the opportunity to meet you again.”

She sat down at the table and gestured for Shen Miao to sit as well.

Shen Miao nodded slightly. “I should have come to pay my respects.”

“I knew before that you were beautiful,” Princess Rongxin smiled as she looked at her. “Now seeing you, it fulfills the image in my heart. You were a beauty from childhood, and now you’ve become even more outstanding. If my nephew were still alive…” Her voice gradually lowered, a flash of pain passing through her eyes, and she couldn’t continue.

Shen Miao didn’t know what to say either.

But Princess Rongxin herself smiled again and said, “This Princess always says things that make people unhappy. Every time I tell myself not to think about it, but in the end, I always do. Making you unhappy along with me… You must be sad too. This Princess has only been thinking of my sadness, without considering how you would feel hearing this. It’s truly my fault.”

That such a fundamentally strong person as Princess Rongxin would apologize to someone was surprising to Shen Miao, but even more so, she felt sympathy. Xie Jingxing’s identity couldn’t be revealed to Princess Rongxin, but in the Princess’s view, the nephew who had accompanied her for many years had died on the battlefield in such a tragic manner. The depth of her grief was understandable.

Princess Rongxin smiled and said, “This Princess has heard about your situation. Don’t worry. Two years ago, this Princess helped you, and naturally, this Princess will help you this time as well.”

Shen Miao only said that she had been abducted by villains, but because they were close to the Linan Marquis Household, she had been rescued by Xie Jingxing’s former personal guard. Since Xie Jingxing’s guard had met Shen Miao before, he had offered assistance, but returning directly to the Shen family might cause rumors, so she needed Princess Rongxin to intervene.

Just mentioning Xie Jingxing always made Princess Rongxin particularly accommodating. Moreover, the so-called former personal guard of Xie Jingxing truly possessed a token bestowed by Xie Jingxing, which Princess Rongxin had seen with her own eyes, so she no longer had any doubts. Additionally, she had originally been quite fond of Shen Miao, so she readily agreed to help.

“This subject daughter is most grateful to Your Highness,” Shen Miao said. “Each time I trouble Your Highness, I truly feel ashamed.”

“What trouble is this?” Princess Rongxin smiled bitterly. “Back when Jingxing was around, whenever he made a mistake, he always liked to run to the Princess’s mansion. Each time the trouble he caused was bigger than the sky, but I never saw him show any shame. I originally thought that I was doing good deeds, and when I grew old, I would trouble him in return. Who would have thought…” Princess Rongxin’s smile turned somewhat ugly. “Now I wish he would cause me more trouble, but I can’t wait for that anymore.”