Finally, the three of them arrived at Mingsheng Temple. While the other two were praying for divination in the main hall, Zhuyan quickly slipped out.
Seeking fortune in love was for unmarried women. As someone whose fate was already sealed, she didn’t need to join in the commotion.
Feeling bored, Zhuyan wandered around and spotted two familiar figures in the back courtyard.
She quickly hid and, upon closer inspection, recognized them as Princess Runing and Princess Yong’an.
“Why are these two together?”
Zhuyan was puzzled, but the distance was too great to hear their conversation. From their expressions, it seemed they were having some disagreement.
After a short while, the Long Princess turned and left. Soon after, another figure appeared beside Princess Yong’an.
This new figure was hunched over, their face obscured. Zhuyan grew even more confused and tried to move closer.
But when she took a few steps forward and looked up, the two people had vanished.
Zhuyan was shocked. How could two people just disappear like that?
As she pondered this, she suddenly felt a chill behind her.
She whirled around to see a grotesque face. The person was lunging at her with a dagger.
They truly meant to take her life!
Zhuyan was terrified and tried to flee, but being unfamiliar with the large area, she tripped over a stone after just a few steps and fell to the ground.
Looking back, she saw the figure standing not far away, the dagger gleaming coldly in their hand. More importantly, this person’s face seemed familiar.
After a moment of frantic thought, a realization struck Zhuyan like lightning. Wasn’t this Chen Huoe, who had already been executed years ago?
She had just reviewed Shen Du’s files on the case.
For a moment, Zhuyan even forgot to call for help. How could someone who had been executed appear before her again? Could they truly come back from the dead?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Chen Huoe said nothing, approaching Zhuyan step by step with the dagger in hand.
Zhuyan trembled, having lost all ability to escape. The shock left her unable even to cry for help. She could only watch helplessly as the dagger descended towards her.
At the critical moment, a sudden shout made Chen Huoe halt.
“Who’s there?”
It was the Long Princess’s voice!
Chen Huoe quickly concealed the dagger and vanished in an instant.
The Long Princess hurried over to find Zhuyan sitting on the ground, seemingly in a daze.
“What happened?” the Long Princess asked. Zhuyan, still shaken, looked at her and said, “Thank you for saving my life, Princess. If not for you, I fear I would have met a terrible fate.”
The Long Princess frowned. “Why did they try to kill you?”
“I don’t know,” Zhuyan replied honestly as she stood up. Having calmed down a bit, she looked at the Long Princess and said, “Princess, the Empress has agreed to reopen the Jinxiu Fang case. The injustice you’ve suffered for years can finally be redressed.”
The Long Princess’s expression remained calm, showing no ripples of emotion as if she had seen through everything.
“Even if the case is overturned, what difference does it make? Can it bring back the dead? Moreover, so many years have passed. I’ve long since come to terms with it. The dead are gone, and the living must go on living. I don’t wish to dwell on past matters.”
The Long Princess’s words left Zhuyan speechless. After all, she was someone who had weathered great storms, and her words were not without reason.
Zhuyan lowered her head, pondering for a moment before continuing, “Princess, I saw you with Princess Yong’an earlier. What were you discussing?”
The Long Princess’s eyes grew distant, and she showed disdain at the mention of Princess Yong’an. “What could she possibly have to discuss with me? Just some trivial matters.”
The Long Princess skillfully deflected Zhuyan’s question, but from her expression, Zhuyan could tell that their conversation had been far from trivial.
At that moment, Lu Chuichui and Yunque arrived, each holding a love divination slip. Seeing the Long Princess, they excitedly approached to ask about the meaning of their fortunes.
After understanding their intention, the Long Princess calmly looked at the two and said, “I have only been cultivating here for a few years. My abilities are still shallow, and I’m not very adept at interpreting fortunes. If you have no other business, please return home soon.”
Though her words were polite, their meaning was clear.
It was a dismissal.
Yunque scratched her head in confusion. Could all those legends be false?
By the time they returned to Shen Manor, it was nearly dusk. After dinner, Zhuyan told Shen Du about her encounter and expressed her confusion about the Long Princess’s behavior.
She had expected Shen Du to offer some insight, but to her surprise, his face darkened, and he became angry with her.
“Why are you asking her these things? What business do you have with royal affairs? Why must you inquire?”
Hearing Shen Du’s questions, Zhuyan was also confused. After all, it was a matter of life and death, especially considering her encounter with Chen Huoe.
“What about Chen Huoe coming back from the dead?”
“This case has been officially closed to the public. Don’t dwell on the details. I will investigate the Jinxiu Fang case myself. Don’t you trust me even this much?”
Shen Du’s face was gloomy. Before Zhuyan could respond, he continued, “If you don’t want to bring trouble upon yourself, just focus on your duties as the Dusi Lingshi.”
Zhuyan wasn’t angered by Shen Du’s threat. Instead, she pondered it deeply. “I just feel that there are strange clues in these cases that all point to Princess Yong’an. Perhaps she’s truly plotting something, and we must be on guard against such things.”
Hearing Zhuyan’s words, Shen Du appeared indifferent. “You need not worry about that. As long as the Empress reigns, she won’t succeed in anything.”
“But the Empress is aging. What if one day she…” Zhuyan didn’t finish her sentence, realizing it wasn’t something to be spoken of lightly.
At this point, Shen Du seemed to realize something and looked at Zhuyan with deep meaning in his eyes.
Zhuyan remained silent, but her gaze was equally meaningful. They stared at each other for a long time, as if both had seen something in the other’s eyes.
A terrifying thought formed in Zhuyan’s mind, and her face turned pale.
Although Shen Du was also concerned about this matter, it was merely their speculation and couldn’t be concluded hastily.
He comforted her, saying, “Alright, don’t speak of today’s events to anyone else. Let this matter end here.”
Shen Du’s words sounded like a warning, and Zhuyan understood the danger involved.
Even if she hadn’t colluded with Zhang Xingwei, and even if she were Zhang Xingwei’s pawn, she couldn’t speak of this matter carelessly.