The person across from her smiled sinisterly, asking her what she would do, Jiang Zhiyi.

Yes, what would she do, Jiang Zhiyi—

What should she say next?

Jiang Zhiyi stared directly at Yuance, feeling that she had gotten herself into big trouble, but her mind was now a jumbled mess that she couldn’t sort out.

Being stared at by this gaze that was like both a predatory wolf and a venomous snake, let alone thinking, she could barely catch her breath.

The ancients said, misfortune comes from the mouth, and those who speak more inevitably err.

The ancients also said, of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best.

Jiang Zhiyi’s gaze trembled, her lips trembled, and even her hair trembled, trembling uncontrollably, pretending to have reached her limit of endurance—actually, she had truly reached her limit. With a flick of her sleeve, she turned and walked inside.

Jing Zhe hurriedly followed her, walking with her into the inner room, turning back to close the door.

In the last moment before the screen door closed, Yuance’s slightly raised corner of his mouth flattened out, and he lowered his eyelids indifferently.

In the inner room, Jiang Zhiyi sat on the edge of the couch, pricking up her ears and holding her breath to listen for a long time, and finally heard the sound of the person outside leaving.

Jing Zhe went out to confirm, instructed Gu Yu to continue guarding the surroundings, and then turned back to Jiang Zhiyi: “Princess, what’s going on?”

Jiang Zhiyi slightly raised her palm, indicating that she needed to think. She tried to calm down and dissect those inexplicable words one by one.

Clean, only my elder brother? You like him so much—

This meant that Shen Yuance had an elder brother, and he thought that the person she liked was his elder brother?

That made sense. Shen Yuance didn’t know about the storybooks, so it seemed he had always thought that after she hit her head, she had mistaken him for someone she originally liked.

But why did he think that the “Brother A-Ce” she mentioned was his elder brother? She had no knowledge of any illegitimate son in the Shen family.

Jiang Zhiyi silently repeated his next words: “You like him so much, to the extent that even if I and I…” Jing Zhe, what do you think his unfinished words were, even if he and his elder brother what?”

“Young General Shen then said You don’t recognize the appearance. Could he be saying, even if he looks very similar to his elder brother, you only like his elder brother?”

“But—” Jiang Zhiyi frowned slightly, saying with amusement, “Even if I do look at appearances, if I like his elder brother’s looks but not his, what’s wrong with that? No matter how alike the two brothers look, they must have differences. I have perfectly healthy eyes and shouldn’t be unable to distinguish that they are two different people. Surely these two brothers aren’t from the same mold…”

Jiang Zhiyi’s smile suddenly froze, as if she suddenly felt a cold wind pass over her back, and her whole body gave a start.

“From the same mold, I suppose that’s not impossible…?” Jiang Zhiyi raised her head in a daze.

“If they truly look identical, it would make sense that Young General Shen thinks you’ve mistaken him for his elder brother. But if that’s the case, could they be—twins?” Jing Zhe’s eyes widened.

“Twins…” Jiang Zhiyi blinked in confusion, “If they’re twins, why doesn’t anyone know about this? An illegitimate child is kept hidden from people, but what reason would there be to hide twins…”

In a flash, as if struck by lightning, some vague words echoed in her ears. Jiang Zhiyi stopped talking, recalling the last time she had heard about twins—

On New Year’s Eve, at the Princess’s mansion, when she had curiously inquired about Sister Baojia and Li Dafeng’s past, Cuimei had told her about the reason Li Dafeng’s family had been sentenced to exile. At that time, she seemed to have mentioned an old incident related to twins.

It was said that about twenty years ago, the Jianwei Celestial Master had observed the stars at night and prophesied that in that year, twin evil stars would be born to bring disaster to the country. The Late Emperor had ordered the execution of all twins born throughout the country that year…

Jiang Zhiyi sat up straight with a chill running down her spine, murmuring to herself: “How old is Shen Yuance this year?”

“Nineteen, Princess.”

Nineteen, twenty years ago…

Jiang Zhiyi swayed, her face turning deathly pale as she grabbed the armrest for support.

Cuimei had only given an approximate time, so it could very well coincide. If that were the case, twins would be even more taboo than illegitimate children, and hiding them would be entirely reasonable.

But such an earth-shattering secret that no one in the entire capital knew about, how could she possibly know it? Why did Shen Yuance think she knew he had a twin brother, and that she liked his brother?

She only knew of one Shen Yuance…

Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes suddenly widened.

Of course, she only knew one Shen child, Shen Yuance. Even if there was a misunderstanding, it should be that the person she liked was Shen Yuance.

So, it wasn’t that Shen Yuance thought she liked his brother, but rather, Shen Yuance’s twin brother thought she liked his brother, liked Shen Yuance.

That is to say, the person standing before her today wasn’t Shen Yuance…

No, the person who had been in front of her for these past four months wasn’t Shen Yuance, but Shen Yuance’s twin brother?!

Jiang Zhiyi gasped, goosebumps rising in waves.

…No wonder, she had been wondering why this “Shen Yuance” seemed to have forgotten his affair with Pei Xueqing.

If Shen Yuance and Pei Xueqing’s affair was a secret between the two of them, then Shen Yuance’s brother probably didn’t know about it. When he saw that jade pendant with the “Yi” character, saw her acknowledge this love token, and confirmed that her inner name contained the character “Yi,” he thought she was the one who had an affair with his brother.

So to avoid revealing the truth, the next day he had coaxed her back, trying to stabilize the situation. It wasn’t until much later, when Pei Xueqing came to the door with the other half of the jade pendant, that he realized his mistake.

He was then worried that she would discover the truth once her memory returned, so he decisively proposed to her that night, and later simply abducted her to Hexi.

Jiang Zhiyi slowly covered her mouth.

Jing Zhe, not knowing the past details, was still confused: “What’s wrong, Princess? Don’t frighten me!”

Jiang Zhiyi blankly recalled the various events of the past few months. After a long while, she swallowed nervously: “Jing Zhe, there’s good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

At a time like this, was there still good news? That was truly touching. Jing Zhe answered without hesitation: “I’d like to hear the good news first.”

“The good news is that I haven’t been lovey-dovey with Shen Yuance all this time. It seems I’ve—” As if finding a silver lining in misfortune, Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand and made a small gesture, “survived a little bit.”

“Then, then who has been lovey-dovey with you all this time?”

“This is the bad news I want to tell you,” Jiang Zhiyi took a deep breath, her eyes hollow, “The person who’s been lovey-dovey with me all this time is Shen Yuance’s twin brother, and now that I know this secret, having just survived a little, I might be about to die…”

“Tut-tut-tut! Princess, don’t speak such nonsense!” Jing Zhe quickly waved away these inauspicious words, stomping her foot to crush them, “You are blessed by heaven and will surely live to a hundred years!”

With her terrible luck, was she still considered blessed? Getting a brain injury was one thing, but then to act crazy in front of a confused person, and that confused person believed she and his brother were lovers! Now, they were both confused and had done all sorts of foolish things…

“No, wait,” Jiang Zhiyi wrapped her arms around her knees with a chill, suddenly raising her eyes in horror, “He previously thought I was his brother’s lover, yet he still did those things with me? He, he can be so unscrupulous, so disregarding of human ethics, just to keep their family secret… Shen Yuance is disgusting, but his brother is simply, simply terrifying!”

“So I was the only confused one. He’s so clever, with one scheme after another, pinning me down completely, not only tricking me to Hexi but also taking advantage of me along the way…”

Jing Zhe: “Princess, you were only confused in the past. You’re smarter than him now. See how he revealed himself when he got drunk today? He’s not clever when he’s not sober.”

Jiang Zhiyi thought and shook her head: “No, he wasn’t exposed because he was drunk. How could someone like him be exposed due to drunkenness?”

“Then why?”

“He saw that after I regained my memory, I disliked him. But he also thought I liked his brother. I certainly wouldn’t be so disgusted with someone I liked, so he guessed that I already knew he wasn’t Shen Yuance, and that’s why he felt free to say these things to me.”

“So, he overestimated you?”

“…” Why did these words make her feel unhappy?

Jing Zhe: “Actually, even if he hadn’t brought you to Hexi, you might not have guessed he wasn’t the original Shen Yuance after regaining your memory. You could have coexisted peacefully. This was completely unnecessary and harmed you!”

“Who says so? How is this unnecessary?” Jiang Zhiyi straightened up with a stern face, “Even if he hadn’t said these things tonight, I would have guessed soon. I already guessed he might have lost his memory. Thinking a bit further, wouldn’t I have gotten close to the truth?”

“…” Jing Zhe frowned with difficulty, “So you think he was right to deceive you?”

“I’m just saying that he was right to think I’m smart. His deception, of course, was a grave error!” Jiang Zhiyi pounded the armrest with a trembling hand, “A pair of twins, the brother abuses me, the brother abducts me—what a fine Shen family!”

“If that’s the case, it seems even harder for us to return to the capital…”

“Not necessarily. Before, I didn’t know why he wouldn’t let me leave. Now that I know, we can treat the disease according to its symptoms,” Jiang Zhiyi pondered, speaking softly, “Let me think, let me think…”

Jiang Zhiyi thought for an entire night.

Early the next morning, Jing Zhe came to help her wash up and was startled to see her red eyes: “Princess, why are your eyes so red?”

Jiang Zhiyi had indeed been so worried that she hadn’t closed her eyes all night. Her body was exhausted, but her mind couldn’t rest. Every time she closed her eyes, all those chaotic events appeared, and just when she finally fell asleep for a moment, she dreamed of being hunted by Shen Yuance… no, by Shen Yuance’s brother, which frightened her awake.

Now she understood everything. Over the past few months, she had unknowingly experienced countless dangers where she might have lost her life. If not for her status as a Princess, if not for his mistaken belief that she was his brother’s lover, she might not be in Hexi now, but in the underworld…

Thinking about it this way, she did have some heaven-sent blessings after all.

With these thoughts, Jiang Zhiyi sat up tiredly: “My eyes can barely open. Are they very red?”

Jing Zhe brought a bronze mirror for her: “Look, if I didn’t know you were thinking of a plan all night, I would have thought you cried the whole night!”

With so much information last night, Jiang Zhiyi hadn’t considered everything at first. Just before sleeping, she suddenly realized that the real Shen Yuance might not be alive anymore, and her feelings were indeed complex.

She did strongly dislike this person, but certainly not to the point of wanting him dead. Thinking that Shen Yuance might have died in battle on some day in the past three years, he would have been a hero who protected the homeland, just like her father. Suddenly, those childhood grudges seemed light and insignificant.

Thinking this way, if he had the chance to return triumphantly, after fighting for three years, he would probably have become steadier, and after returning to the capital, he might not oppose her anymore…

Moreover, if he were to return triumphantly, would she still have all these tangled, messy matters with his brother?

“I did feel a bit sad, but not to the point of crying all night…” Jiang Zhiyi sighed, looking at those red eyes in the mirror, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her, “But, couldn’t I cry all night for him?”

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“Think about it, why doesn’t ‘Shen Yuance’ let me leave? Isn’t it because he’s afraid I’ll expose their family? Now, if I have a reason to make him believe I won’t expose them, wouldn’t he let me go?”

“You mean, since Young General Shen mistakenly thinks you like his brother, you’ll go along with that…”

“Exactly!” Jiang Zhiyi sat thinking for a while, made up her mind, and waved her hand, “Go to the market today to buy some things. Once everything is prepared here, go to the military camp to inform Shen—I don’t know what his name is… go inform the current ‘Shen Yuance’ that I have something to tell him.”

In the evening, at the main tent of the Xuance Camp, Yuance stood with his hands behind his back in front of a sand table, discussing important matters with Mu Xinhong, when suddenly he heard a loud announcement: “Report—!”

“Enter.” Yuance turned his head, saw it was someone from the mansion, and sighed, “Did she run away again?”

“In reply to the Young General, no. The Young Mistress says she has something to tell you and requests you to return to the mansion.”

Yuance raised his eyebrows, made a gesture indicating he understood, and dismissed the person, but remained standing where he was, turning to look at Mu Xinhong.

Mu Xinhong found his hesitant gaze strange: “You needn’t worry about the camp, please go. I’m here.”

“Am I worried about the camp?”

“Then why are you hesitating?”

Yuance gently exhaled: “If you knew your wife at home wanted to see you, possibly to quarrel, wouldn’t you make some preparations?”

“But you’re just standing there, not making any preparations.”

“Isn’t mental preparation a preparation?”

“Oh,” Mu Xinhong chuckled, “I see. Well, I usually make other preparations.”

“Such as?”

“Such as—” Mu Xinhong pointed to his knee, “Kneepads for convenient kneeling. Would you like me to prepare some for you?”

“…”

“Keep them for yourself.” Yuance walked out of the tent and mounted the horse that a soldier had brought.

About half an hour later, he arrived at the mansion and went straight to the inner courtyard.

It was already dark, and lamps had been lit in the inner courtyard, making the courtyard bright. However, for some unknown reason, Jiang Zhiyi’s bedroom was dark, as if the gilded lamp tree he had ordered for her had not been lit.

Yuance frowned slightly, knocked twice on the door, heard a maid answer “Come in,” and pushed open the door with both hands.

The sight of white mourning candles all over the floor greeted his eyes. Yuance stopped with one foot at the threshold and slowly raised his head.

In the dimly lit room was an altar table with incense and candles lit, offerings arranged, and a nameless tablet set up. Before the altar, Jiang Zhiyi, dressed all in white, knelt rigidly on a rush cushion, quietly paying her respects with incense.

Yuance’s boot, suspended at the threshold, slowly came down with hesitation.

At the altar, Jiang Zhiyi, holding three thin sticks of incense, heard the movement behind her, and her already anxious heart leaped to her throat.

Hearing Yuance walking step by step towards her, Jiang Zhiyi held the incense with lowered eyes, silently reciting in her heart—

Shen Yuance, the deceased, deserves respect. Past grudges are now wiped clean. May you be born into a good family in your next life and not encounter such a birth again. As for this life… I still need to live on. Your brother deceived me first, and now, for my freedom, I have no choice but to use your name to gain my liberty. I hope you won’t blame me!

After her silent prayer, Jiang Zhiyi held the incense and bowed three times, was helped up by Jing Zhe, and placed the thin incense sticks in the burner.

The incense trembled, and ash fell on her hand. Jiang Zhiyi hissed “ah” in pain, but before she could shake her hand, suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist.

Jiang Zhiyi abruptly looked up and saw Yuance holding her hand, quickly brushing off the incense ash from the back of her hand: “How can you even when offering incense—”

Halfway through his sentence, as if sensing her sudden rigidity, Yuance’s movement paused, and he raised his head.

He saw her eyes, red as if she had cried for a day and a night.

Jiang Zhiyi’s gaze flickered, and she slowly withdrew her hand.

Jing Zhe hurriedly went to fetch ointment.

Yuance turned his head away, looking at all the funeral items in the room: “His death anniversary is in the fifth month, not today.”

“I know…” Although she didn’t know it was in the fifth month, she certainly knew it couldn’t coincidentally be today. “But I just learned of his passing last night, so today I’m offering a belated memorial service.”

—Besides, for what she was about to say, it was better to have this mournful atmosphere. Otherwise, she feared her acting would be exposed again.

“So this is what you called me here to say.” Yuance turned his eyes back to her.

“Of course not just this,” Jiang Zhiyi pointed to a long table on the ground, “Let’s sit down and talk.”

The two sat on opposite sides of the long table, one sitting sideways, the other cross-legged.

After gathering her thoughts for a moment, Jiang Zhiyi spoke the words she had deliberated over all day: “Before last night, I wanted to escape and find him at all costs, but since I can’t find him anymore, I’m no longer in a hurry to leave Hexi.”

“I want to walk around, see the places where he spent his last three years. Surely you won’t forbid this as well?”

Yuance turned his head away and didn’t speak.

“You needn’t worry that I’ll expose your identity after I leave. You see me favored by Imperial Uncle and think I’m on Imperial Uncle’s side, but when I was six, my father sacrificed himself for Imperial Uncle’s great cause, and my mother also died as a result. Do you think I haven’t harbored resentment towards Imperial Uncle?”

Yuance raised his eyes and looked at her again.

“You see Imperial Uncle favoring me, perhaps there’s some guilt, but more so it’s for show. Because Imperial Uncle came to the throne by marching a thousand li to support the Emperor, not by proper imperial decree, the remaining rebel forces were strong at that time. To secure his position, Imperial Uncle had to greatly promote and reward meritorious officials and treat their families well, expanding his power base. My father’s sacrifice was so tragic, and I became the best example, allowing Imperial Uncle to display his benevolence and gain more hearts and support.”

“You know all this?” Yuance narrowed his eyes in surprise.

Of course, Yuance knew all these things, but although he hoped Jiang Zhiyi would stand on his side, he had no intention of using this to disrupt her relationship with the imperial family.

Just as the Yong’en Marquis had said, she was merely consoling herself with glory and wealth. Being a bit more naive might make her happier.

But as it turned out, she knew it all.

“I’ve known since I was very young, but Imperial Uncle’s favor is indeed beneficial, so why should I dwell on these things and trouble myself?” Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand to support her forehead, “I’m telling you all this today just to let you know that I don’t worship Imperial Uncle as much as you think. If I had someone I liked, I wouldn’t choose Imperial Uncle; I would choose him.”

“So the person you would choose is my elder brother.”

So when he asked her if she could choose him once, the choice before her wasn’t between him and the imperial family, but between his elder brother and the imperial family.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t abandon the imperial family; it was that her choice simply didn’t include him.

Jiang Zhiyi coughed lightly: “I wanted to escape before because I thought you had stolen his identity. After calming down and thinking last night, I realized you had no choice. So—I’ll keep your secret, and you let me leave. Our debt and grievances will be settled, and we’ll owe each other nothing!”

Yuance curved his lips: “Debt and grievances settled, owing each other nothing?”

…Why was he smiling so eerily again?

“Don’t you believe me?” Jiang Zhiyi tried her best to smile with more confidence, “Even though he’s gone, the Shen family still has his stepmother, and the Xuance Army still has his brothers. I won’t harm them!”

“Is it that—” Yuance recalled what Pei Xueqing had said in Tinglan Water Pavilion, “You couldn’t protect him, but at least now you can protect his family?”

“Yes, I see you understand.” Jiang Zhiyi nodded appreciatively.

“So, as a brother, I should honor your deep feelings and let you go?”

“…That’s the idea.”

Yuance leaned across half the table, bending forward to slowly approach her: “Jiang Zhiyi, you’re dreaming.”

Jiang Zhiyi propped her hands on the ground and moved backward, suddenly regretting that the table was prepared too narrowly.

“Aren’t you only keeping me here because you’re afraid I’ll expose your identity? Isn’t that why you proposed to me?”

“That might have been true before today, but just now, I changed my mind.”

Seeing him drawing closer and closer, their noses almost touching, Jiang Zhiyi’s heart pounded like a drum. She leaned back until her waist was almost breaking, moving her lips carefully: “You, you sit back first, let’s talk properly… this place can barely be considered your brother’s memorial hall…”

Yuance blinked, looking down at her trembling lips: “What’s wrong with me, at my brother’s memorial hall, with my properly betrothed fiancée, doing what?”

“You, you… The name written on the marriage contract is Shen Yuance, not you!”

“The birth date and time are mine, and besides, I can also be called Shen Yuance.”

“Your family is so strange…” Jiang Zhiyi was on the verge of tears. “Then what will it take for you to let me go?”

“No matter what—I won’t let you go.”

Jiang Zhiyi’s held breath released, and her waist collapsed.

Yuance’s arm crossed over, catching her in one swift movement, and the person in all white had her raven hair cascading like a waterfall.

“Jiang Zhiyi, have you forgotten your oath? You said that if one day you became tired of me, I would bind your hands and feet.”