Han Zhi seemed a bit overconfident. He had always believed that Song Chuyi’s ruthless actions were entirely because of Song Chuning—in his estimation, it was obvious that Song Chuyi had been uneasy about this mortal enemy. From the moment Song Chuning died, she had harbored suspicions and tracked everything down until she obtained information and was able to arrange the ambush precisely.
From her understanding of him, Song Chuyi naturally saw through this point but didn’t tell him that she had been watching him for a long time already. With a slight smile, she nodded and obediently said what he wanted to hear: “Song Chuning wasn’t someone who would die so easily. If she had died spectacularly, dragging more people down with her in burial, then perhaps I would have believed she truly died. But… she died with almost no ability to fight back, which was simply impossible. Moreover, she still had Nanny Sun by her side. I couldn’t afford to be careless, so naturally I had to keep a meticulous watch on her. And in fact, the person who went to the temple where the body was kept came back and told me that on that very night, strangely enough, there was another funeral procession at the temple as well. Could there be such a coincidence?”
Han Zhi’s doubts were resolved, and the heavy burden in his heart finally lifted considerably—otherwise, if Sixth Miss Song’s sense of smell was truly sharp enough that she had started suspecting him from two years ago, that would be truly terrifying.
He stepped back and sat down in his chair, swaying his feet with a rather triumphant smile: “It seems Eighth Miss Song was right after all. If one must treat you as an enemy, the first thing to do would be to kill you. Keeping you alive is simply an endless source of trouble. It’s a pity she couldn’t kill you but was killed by you instead. I’m afraid even in the underworld she cannot close her eyes.” Seeing that Song Chuyi still showed no expression, he restrained his smile and suddenly raised his voice: “Let’s talk business. I certainly can’t afford to provoke the people in Tongzhou, nor do I want to. If the entire estate were implicated, I’m afraid Old Master Song wouldn’t let me off either. But the person who fell into my hands is truly and genuinely one of the murderers. Tell me, if I hand him over to the Shuntian Prefecture, can you, the young lady of the Earl of Changning’s household, still maintain your position smoothly?”
He was certain that Song Chuyi couldn’t possibly have consulted with the Song family when she did this—they were both daughters of the Song family, and even if Song Chuning was detested by the Song family, if Song Chuyi dared to be so ruthless, she couldn’t possibly not be feared for it.
Song Chuyi’s expression finally seemed to soften a bit. Sitting far away across the long bench, she asked him: “Then in Your Highness the Heir Apparent’s view, what kind of conditions would make you willing to release the person? Or to put it another way, what kind of conditions would it take for you to treat this matter as if it never happened?”
“It’s actually quite simple, and for someone as clever as Sixth Miss Song, it couldn’t be simpler.” Han Zhi glanced at her: “I’ve heard that Second Young Master Ye is quite devoted to you. Let’s speak plainly—Sixth Miss Song, you’ve reached this age and aren’t truly some weak maiden who knows nothing. You should understand what people covet most about you at your current age, shouldn’t you?”
Since he had spoken openly about knowing she was reborn, Song Chuyi no longer concealed it and laughed generously: “I didn’t realize the Heir Apparent was such an astute person. Knowing full well what kind of person I am, you still dare to harbor such thoughts. Aren’t you afraid of domestic discord in the future?”
Han Zhi’s face showed undisguised smugness. He played with two shiny little silver balls in his hand, his tone leisurely and content: “Will Sixth Miss Song do that?” The corners of his mouth held a smile of certain victory: “Sixth Miss Song is such a sensible person, she wouldn’t do things that harm others without benefiting herself, would she? Not to mention I still have Ma Wangkun in my hands and can make you lose all reputation at any time.”
He paused here, deliberately slowing his speech, his eyes fixed tightly on Song Chuyi with the flower ornament dotted on her forehead: “Moreover, you can be reborn, Song Chuning can enter dreams—who’s to say that even your son who died young might not also be able to live again?”
Song Chuyi suddenly stood up. Because she rose too hastily, she accidentally knocked over a pot of orchids placed on the solid wood flower stand beside her, and it crashed to the ground with a shattering sound, breaking into pieces.
“Two years ago at the estate, that child wasn’t—Ran’er—he wasn’t really your cousin at all, was he?!” Song Chuyi finally showed some hysteria, appearing to have completely lost her rationality: “He was actually Ran’er! You and Song Chuning hid him away, didn’t you?!”
Only now did Han Zhi laugh heartily without restraint—these two years had truly been suffocating, but now finally the tables had turned. Now it was his turn to be the cat, using sharp claws to toy with Song Chuyi, this mouse, in his hands. He felt every part of his body comfortable beyond measure.
After finishing his laugh, he reached out to Guan Shan and took a peace talisman from Guan Shan’s hand, tossing it to Song Chuyi: “Take a look at this! What is it?!”
Song Chuyi stood there in a daze, clutching tightly the peace talisman carved with the two characters “Shen Ran” in her hand. For a moment she was truly dazed—Han Zhi and Song Chuning truly understood the principle of putting on a complete performance, paying attention even to such minute details. Then again, any parent in the world faced with such a situation—how could they possibly maintain their rationality?
When she raised her head again, tears already brimmed in her eyes. She seemed truly exhausted to the extreme, with a faint crying tone in her voice: “What exactly do you want…?”
Han Zhi was very satisfied with the scene he now witnessed. He approached with ill intent, looking down at Song Chuyi from his superior position, faintly revealing the arrogance of a victor: “I don’t want anything. I’ve made myself very clear to Sixth Miss Song. Sixth Miss Song is a smart person and should know what I need most right now. If you come to your senses, perhaps when I’m in a good mood in the future, I might even let him reunite with you. At worst, I won’t harm his life. But if you can’t see reason…” He examined Song Chuyi for a moment and sneered: “But if you can’t see reason and insist on going hard against me, not only will he die, but you and your uncle who’s blocking the position of Three Borders Commander-in-Chief shouldn’t expect to have easy days either. Think about the benefits your uncle has given you—he was even willing to give you his private troops and help you act recklessly. If because of you this Three Borders Commander-in-Chief with unlimited prospects suffers misfortune, I wonder if the Cui clan will still acknowledge you in the future?”
Outside, Third Young Master Song Jie’s servant Songmu knocked on the door loudly—bang bang bang. Qing Ying opened a crack, glanced back at Han Zhi, and reported to Song Chuyi: “Third Young Master saw that we’ve been in here too long and is asking if something has happened.”
Han Zhi walked past Song Chuyi. As he brushed shoulders with her, he stopped and turned his head coldly to look at her: “By tomorrow at the latest, I hope to hear the answer I want. The residence at the Temple of the Great Immortal Huang—I don’t need to tell you more, you know it, don’t you?”