This thought flashed through, and even Qin Wan herself was startled.

It was a secret buried deep in her heart, one that would shake heaven and earth if spoken. How could she have such a thought?!

Qin Wan quickly lowered her gaze, her breathing becoming unsteady.

Yan Chi quickly noticed her unusual behavior. “What’s wrong with you?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “Nothing, I was just thinking that if we hand over Wang Han, his life would be in Prince Cheng’s hands. Though this man isn’t completely evil and has some righteousness in him, if he can betray the Empress today, he could betray us tomorrow. Hastily handing him over might not be appropriate.”

Yan Chi smiled, “Don’t worry, I will handle these matters.”

Yan Chi’s voice remained deep yet gentle. Qin Wan looked up at him, finding it hard to imagine that this man was the undefeated War Devil of the Northwest. When he said he would handle it, she felt genuinely reassured. Back in Jin Zhou, she had been extremely wary of him, but now she found herself unconsciously trusting him more and more, even becoming dependent on him.

This was truly rare for her.

Qin Wan pressed her lips together, “Do you find me strange for being this way?”

Qin Wan thought about how before, she was the one healing and saving people, investigating corpses, and solving cases. She was compassionate and believed in justice. But now, pushing Wang Han out and falsifying evidence in the Jin Prince Manor case – these weren’t her usual style.

A glimmer flashed in the depths of Yan Chi’s eyes, though his expression remained unchanged. “I think I know what your long-cherished wish is. You want to investigate the Jin Prince’s case thoroughly, to know if Shen Yi was wrongly accused, and if possible, to clear his name.”

Yan Chi had considered this possibility when Zhao Xun appeared.

However, the deeper reasons behind it, Qin Wan had never revealed, and Yan Chi couldn’t find any clues.

She had gone to Jin Zhou three years ago, and Shen Yi had only come to the capital as an official after she left. Even a chance meeting in the capital couldn’t be claimed, as Shen Yi hadn’t left the south during those three years.

Before that, Shen Yi had made a few rare visits to the capital, but at that time, Qin Wan was just a young girl.

What connection could there be?

A connection deep enough that she would risk her life for it!

Yan Chi looked into Qin Wan’s eyes, “I just don’t understand why you must do this.”

Qin Wan’s lips moved as if to speak but stopped, “Yes, I want to know if Official Shen was wrongly accused, and if so, I want to clear his name. As for the reason… perhaps one day I will tell you, but not now…”

Yan Chi looked at her seriously, “Will you tell others?”

Qin Wan was startled, “Of course not! Even if I tell you one day, I absolutely won’t tell anyone else.” After thinking, Qin Wan added, “If anyone in this world could know the reason, there can only be one person, and that person must be you.”

Hearing this, Yan Chi’s lips curved up, and he shrugged, “Then I’m relieved.”

Qin Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry – did he think she would tell others?!

Yan Chi wasn’t one to dig deep into matters. All these years, he hadn’t grown up in a greenhouse. In the Northwest, one could say he lived on the edge of death. He knew that in this world, many things didn’t need questioning about their reasons. Why were the frontier enemies hereditary foes of Great Zhou? And those tribes who weren’t frontier people, why did they harbor innate hatred toward Great Zhou people?!

If he questioned the reason for everything, his spear would be too slow – how could he then block thousands of enemy troops?!

But he wanted to confirm his position in Qin Wan’s heart; this was most important.

Whatever secret Qin Wan held in her heart, not telling him was acceptable, but she couldn’t tell others… The intimacy between two people sometimes indeed needed to be shown through actions that others couldn’t do but you could, especially regarding such mysterious and difficult-to-speak secrets.

Yan Chi was satisfied, “Good, I also want to see what secrets are hidden in last year’s Jin Prince case. Whether it involves the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, or anyone else, it might also relate to Father and the Northwest incident.”

Qin Wan’s heart sank, “You mean…”

“In court politics, pulling one thread affects the whole fabric. I’m not yet certain whose hand was behind Father’s matter, perhaps it relates to both the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng.”

After speaking, Yan Chi suddenly said in a deep voice, “This case has already made the Empress uneasy, you must be careful.”

Qin Wan’s eyes softened, “I know, that’s why I wanted Prince Cheng to step forward.”

Thinking of Prince Cheng, Yan Chi’s eyes darkened. Song Xi Wen’s death was related to the Empress, so the Eastern Palace was likely not clean. Prince Cheng was someone who would seize the opportunity to strike at the Eastern Palace decisively. If the Eastern Palace fell, should Prince Cheng take that position?

Yan Chi didn’t think this outcome was good, but looking at all the princes, was there anyone who earned his respect and satisfaction?

Shaking his head internally, Yan Chi even let out a contemptuous snort.

No, there was no one he would willingly submit to.

If he had to say, only the former Jin Prince, with his scholarly elegance and upright loyalty, earned some of his admiration. But even speaking of submission, even Jin Prince couldn’t command it.

Yan Chi suddenly felt a sense of frustration and melancholy – this was royal authority.

Even if an incompetent fool sat in that position, you had to kneel before him.

If that were all, he could accept it. After all, some people were born fools, and their incompetence wasn’t entirely their fault. But if that throne was stained with his father’s blood, even if it were the Jade Emperor himself, he wouldn’t know how to write the word “accept.”

Thinking of this, Yan Chi said in a deep voice, “Regarding Wang Han’s matter, tomorrow I will go see Prince Cheng. You should act as if you know nothing. If Prince Cheng bites down on the Eastern Palace, Qin Shu might still direct his anger at you.”

Qin Wan nodded, “Don’t worry, I’m mentally prepared.”

Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan and suddenly said, “I suddenly feel the wedding date is too late.”

Qin Wan was puzzled. Yan Chi continued, “Leaving you in the Marquis Manor makes me uneasy.”

Qin Wan’s eyes widened, and then she laughed, “Uncle did speak with me a few days ago…”

Yan Chi’s brows furrowed, “What did he want you to do?”

“He wanted me to overturn the previous autopsy conclusions and say that corpse wasn’t Song Xi Wen. At the time, I didn’t know why he ordered this, but now I understand. Song Xi Wen was indeed killed by the Empress, and it would be best if his name never appeared in the world again… I refused then, and though Uncle’s expression wasn’t pleasant, he didn’t say much else.”

Yan Chi’s frown deepened, “He, the noble Loyal and Brave Marquis, actually instructed you like this?!”

Seeing his growing anger, Qin Wan quickly pressed her hand on his, “Think about it. The Eighth Sister is already the Crown Princess. Not to mention how much power the Crown Prince can bring to the Marquis Manor, just for Eighth Sister’s happiness, they have to fully support the Crown Prince.”

Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan’s clear eyes like shallow streams and immediately thought of Yan Che’s intentions which made him grind his teeth just thinking about them. He pulled Qin Wan into his embrace. Those intentions – Qin Wan couldn’t see them, but as a man, he saw them crystal clear!

Yan Chi suddenly felt that his earlier decision to personally meet with Prince Cheng was right.

Qin Wan was caught off guard by this embrace. She only felt that Yan Chi’s emotions had suddenly fluctuated greatly, and his expression had become severely cold, but she hadn’t figured out why. She just continued, “Don’t worry, I am still a member of the Qin family after all. No matter what, he can only be secretly angry, nothing else. What I said earlier about him having killing intent toward me was just a joke, he won’t act rashly against me.”

Joking aside, Qin Wan now held the title of Princess Yong Ci, almost equal to his position as Marquis. Though without real power, she had the favor of both the Grand Princess and Empress Dowager. Qin Shu wouldn’t dare do anything.

Yan Chi held her hand, looking her up and down for a moment.

When Qin Wan examined corpses, she could be cold and merciless, but her waist was so slim it could be encompassed with one hand, and her hands were as soft as boneless. Let alone someone hurting her with force, even if Qin Shu glared at her, he felt distressed. Moreover, as he looked her up and down, he found everything about Qin Wan alluring. He suddenly felt that Yan Che’s intentions probably wouldn’t disappear just because he married Qin Chao Yu. His inner fire flared even more!

Before returning to the capital, Prince Rui Yan Ling had given him many instructions. He understood Prince Rui’s meaning – although he killed without blinking in the Northwest, he understood that the political winds in court had already turned unfavorable to Prince Rui’s faction. Understanding the principle of self-preservation, after returning to the capital, except for thoroughly beating Feng Zhang once, he had been extremely well-behaved and restrained.

But facts proved that his father had still underestimated the treachery of human nature.

And his restraint and self-control had been completely worn away the moment he learned of his father’s death.

Those heavy shackles that Prince Rui Yan Ling had placed on him one by one were being crushed and falling away one by one. Now, he found that the hot-bloodedness in his heart had returned to how it was in the Northwest.

“Yan Chi?! What I said is true…”

Yan Chi’s gaze was dark and uncertain, making Qin Wan feel uneasy in her heart. She couldn’t help but call out.

Yan Chi came back to his senses, imperceptibly suppressing the fire in his heart. His tone was calm yet somewhat sinister, “The wedding date is truly set too late—”

Qin Wan: “…”

“Going to see Imperial Grandmother now, I don’t know if there’s still time.”

Yan Chi was being serious!

Qin Wan pushed Yan Chi’s arm, caught between laughter and tears, “What’s wrong with you? Uncle won’t drive me out, and besides, I’ve already made arrangements. In the future, I definitely won’t end up homeless.”

Yan Chi narrowed his phoenix eyes, “What have you done? Why don’t I know about it?”

Qin Wan rolled her eyes and then told him about her instructions to Han Dong. After listening, Yan Chi looked at her with a strange expression for a moment, “Why didn’t you come to me? The business in Han Dong’s hands has been managed by Qin Shu for many years. Do you think he won’t know if you move the underlying assets?”

Qin Wan hesitated for a moment. She had thought about it, but she had no better solution.

Qin Shu’s words that day had given her a warning. She wasn’t born to Qin Shu and his wife. Back then, Qin Xiang was driven out with just one word from Qin Shu, and in the future, the same could happen to her. She originally didn’t want to touch the Second Branch’s assets, but thinking about how she had nothing of her own, she needed some family wealth to rely on. That’s why she planned to properly gather the Second Branch’s business, to avoid truly becoming a homeless commoner when the time came.

“I… but the Prince Rui Manor…”

Qin Wan didn’t know what family assets the Prince Rui Manor had. Prince Rui had spent his whole life in the Northwest, and Yan Chi hadn’t stayed in the capital much either!

One look and Yan Chi knew what Qin Wan was thinking. His eyes showed several complicated expressions, seemingly finding Qin Wan’s thoughts too naive. After a moment, he sighed, “I’ll have Bai Feng arrange it, and then hand it over to Bai Ying.”

Qin Wan opened and closed her mouth, and after a while nodded, “Then… alright.”

Yan Chi’s expression relaxed. Seeing the sunset’s afterglow falling outside and the sky growing dim and dark, he rested his chin on Qin Wan’s shoulder, his hands unable to resist pulling her closer to himself. Qin Wan kept glancing toward the door. Though the door was closed, anyone could push it open at any moment. “You…”

“Don’t move, let me lean for a while—”

Qin Wan moved her lips but didn’t push him away. Yan Chi leaned closer and closer, tighter and tighter. Suddenly Qin Wan felt something hot and wet on her neck, something soft and warm sliding across her neck, followed by a pain. Qin Wan hissed, her face immediately turning bright red. As she was about to raise her hand to push him away, Yan Chi lifted his head. Seeing her face as red as dripping blood, his smile grew wider. Qin Wan was about to raise her hand to hit him, but seeing Yan Chi’s smile, her embarrassed anger dissipated. She just secretly thought that it had been a long time since she had seen Yan Chi smile like this—

In this moment of distraction, Yan Chi had already grabbed her hand, “Come, hit me—”

Qin Wan came back to her senses, and snorted, her eyes wide and round, but broke free from Yan Chi’s hand to cover her neck. She couldn’t believe that Yan Chi had actually “bitten” her. Besides the pain, there was also a tingling sensation on her neck, especially that wet and hot sliding…

Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi’s teeth, her face turning even redder.

“You… how improper?!”

Qin Wan’s voice was low and weak as she rebuked, not scary at all, but rather particularly enticing!

Yan Chi pulled open his collar, “Then shall I let you return the favor?”

There was quite a bit of playful anticipation on Yan Chi’s handsome face. Qin Wan, being teased to her limit, wasn’t willing to show weakness. Looking at the exposed neck of Yan Chi, she gritted her teeth. Yan Chi thought Qin Wan was going to pounce and bite him back, but unexpectedly, she lowered her head and bit his hand instead. Yan Chi’s bones were hard and his skin rough, he didn’t feel any pain at all, only feeling a wet and hot patch on his hand. He felt a heat in his lower abdomen, but before he could fully experience it, Qin Wan had already bitten and left, leaving shallow teeth marks on his hand.

Yan Chi’s eyebrows didn’t even move, only worried that his hand might have hurt Qin Wan’s teeth. He glanced at Qin Wan’s cherry lips, and couldn’t help but swallow, “Satisfied? Why not try again?”

Qin Wan had wanted to prove to Yan Chi that she wasn’t incapable of doing it, but who knew it wouldn’t have any deterrent effect at all? On the contrary, she saw what flashed in Yan Chi’s eyes, that aggressive, heart-pounding…

Qin Wan immediately tried to stand up, but just as she moved away, she was pulled back into Yan Chi’s embrace. This time, Qin Wan felt the changes in the body of the person before her. She widened her eyes, “How did you…”

Yan Chi almost pressed Qin Wan against his chest, his voice hoarse as if going mad.

While taking deep breaths, he said in Qin Wan’s ear, “Wan Wan, you should just bite me a few more times…”