Li Huaiyu navigated the small path to Ming Mountain Palace, relying on her memory. The moonlight was quiet, casting an even more eerie layer over this already desolate place. She stepped over the withered grass on the ground and gently pushed open the door to the side hall within the palace.
Every emperor throughout history had a secret chamber to store important items and documents, and Ming Mountain Palace was the secret chamber of Emperor Xiao. Before her father passed away, he told her that when Huailin turned fifteen and could stand on his own, she could come here to find the things he had left behind.
On the 20th day of the second month in the eighth year of Daxing, Li Huailin turned fifteen, and she came here as promised, filled with anticipation as she opened the mechanism, believing her father must have left them some treasure.
However, unfortunately, there were no treasures in Ming Mountain Palace, only a secret too heavy for her to bear. At that time, Li Huaiyu could not accept it. After reading it, she returned to Feiyun Palace in a daze, forgetting to take that item or destroy it. Later, on a day when Sima Xu imprisoned her, she never had the chance to return here again.
Now, standing once more in front of the bookshelf in this side hall, she thought that once this matter was resolved, she could finally rest easy and be Bai Zhujing.
“Click!” The mechanism on the bookshelf was turned, producing a soft sound, and then the entire wall split in the middle, retreating to both sides.
Thinking of Jiang Xuanjin waiting by the rockery, Huaiyu smiled, already planning how to tease this drunken man later. However, when she looked up into the secret chamber, her smile froze on her face.
Inside the secret chamber, candlelight flickered. Liu Yunlie, dressed in a long robe of vine green brocade, stood ten steps away at the writing desk. He held a folded bright yellow document in his hand, staring at her in shock as if he had been greatly frightened.
A chill settled in her heart, creeping up from her ankles, freezing Li Huaiyu in place, nearly causing her to lose her balance.
“What are you doing here?!”
She instinctively shouted this, but felt it was wrong and hurriedly turned to run.
“Stop!” Liu Yunlie stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and quickly pressed the nearby mechanism, sealing the door to the secret chamber once more. The last gust of wind that slipped in caused the candles on the table to flicker erratically.
“Who are you?!” he barked, his grip tightening, his voice trembling, clearly startled as well.
Huaiyu felt her whole body stiffen, staring at the man before her without blinking. After a long moment, she finally said, “Does Lord Liu not recognize me?”
How could he not recognize her? Every time he saw her, he felt uncomfortable all over, thinking it was the aftereffect of their last fight. But now, it seemed it was not so simple.
“Bai Zhujing…” Liu Yunlie murmured her name, struggling to suppress her resistance.
He had investigated Bai Zhujing, and before she regained her senses, she had no connections with anyone outside the residence. It was already strange that she suddenly knew Lu Jingxing, and now she appeared here.
Aside from him and His Majesty, only the Princess Chang knew about this place.
Li Huaiyu felt her heart racing, twisting her wrist in an attempt to break free, but her strength was no match for his. She could only lean against the wall, waiting for an opportunity.
She had crossed hands with him before and knew very well that if he let go and fought, Bai Zhujing’s body would not be a match for him.
Suppressing the murderous intent in her heart, Li Huaiyu’s eyes darted around, giving up on struggling. “Lord Liu, what are you doing?”
“Still pretending?” Liu Yunlie regained his composure, elbowing her throat and pinning her against the wall, his gaze fierce. “The fourth young lady of the Bai family, suddenly recovering from three years of madness, not only can speak fluently but has also mastered martial arts. Lu Jingxing has given you a dowry, Xu Xian, Han Xiao, and Yun Lanqing have prepared a seat for you at your maternal family’s banquet, and now you appear here again.”
“Your Highness, your servant has failed to welcome you properly.”
Li Huaiyu was taken aback, turning her eyes away. “What are you talking about, Lord? I don’t understand.”
His grip gradually tightened, and Liu Yunlie sneered, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Today, you came looking for trouble. Since you like Ming Mountain Palace so much, why not just rest here for eternity?”
With her neck pressed, she struggled to breathe, her brows furrowing in pain. “Wait… wait! If you want me dead, at least let me die with clarity!”
His movements paused, and Liu Yunlie looked at her for a moment, slightly loosening his grip.
“I don’t know what Your Highness is talking about.” Seizing the opportunity, Huaiyu quickly said, “I just happened to walk over…”
“And then opened the mechanism here?” Liu Yunlie interrupted her lie harshly, tightening his grip again. “If you only want to say these things, then your servant will escort Your Highness out.”
This line wouldn’t work.
Liu Yunlie truly intended to kill her, showing no mercy at all.
Li Huaiyu panicked, and while she could still barely speak, she struggled to call out, “Liu… Liu Zhao!”
Hearing her full name, Liu Yunlie scoffed, “Your Highness finally admits it?”
Even at death’s door, she wouldn’t admit it? She wasn’t foolish! Huaiyu nodded repeatedly, signaling him to loosen his grip a bit.
With his hand relaxed by half an inch, Liu Yunlie’s gaze sharpened. “So, the strange behavior of Ziyang Jun all this time is because you’ve been secretly manipulating him!”
Gasping for breath, Li Huaiyu looked up at him. “Who is Ziyang Jun? How could I manipulate him? He is just doing what he believes is right.”
“Ha.” Liu Yunlie shook his head. “Your Highness is being modest. Without your painstaking efforts to pull strings, how could he have quickly traced it back to Qi Han?”
At this moment, Jiang Xuanjin’s case was stuck at Qi Han, and Li Huaiyu almost thought Qi Han was the mastermind behind it all. But upon hearing Liu Yunlie’s words, she understood.
He was the one hiding the deepest.
Her body tensed, and Huaiyu lowered her gaze, weakly saying, “Since I’ve already fallen into your hands, why not sit down and talk?”
“I dare not.” With his hand still on her throat, Liu Yunlie’s gaze was deep. “I have experienced enough of the princess’s methods. If we are to talk, let’s do it this way.”
He gave her no chance at all. Huaiyu felt heavy in her heart.
Liu Yunlie seemed to have suspected her from the start, so upon learning the truth, he appeared more like he was recalling and verifying what he already knew, piecing together her identity one detail at a time.
After a moment, the panic in his gaze faded, and he appeared much calmer.
Seeing that he seemed to have no more questions, Li Huaiyu asked, “How did you know about this place?”
When her father passed away, only she and Huailin were by his side; even Jiang Xuanjin stood outside the hall. Logically, no one else should know about this place, especially since Liu Yunlie was an outsider.
The man before her smiled faintly. “Your Highness already has the answer in your heart; why bother asking me?”
Aside from her, the only one who knew about this place was…
Huailin.
Furrowing her brows deeply, Li Huaiyu shook her head. “It’s impossible for him to have told you.”
Not to mention that Huailin was only seven years old when her father passed away and might not even remember this matter. Even if he did, there was no reason for him to tell Liu Yunlie.
This man was deceiving her.
“If Your Highness does not believe it, then there is nothing I can do.” Liu Yunlie half-closed his eyes. “I also have a question to ask Your Highness.”
“Ask away.” If she could buy more time to live, Li Huaiyu’s attitude was very sincere. “I will answer whatever you ask!”
“How did you come back to life?” This was what Liu Yunlie most wanted to know.
People cannot be resurrected from the dead; this was a saying passed down from their ancestors. But why was the person before him, who had died, able to borrow someone else’s body and stand here talking to him again?
Her eyelids drooped. Huaiyu said, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
“Just say it.”
Ordinary lies wouldn’t pass Liu Yunlie’s ears. Huaiyu thought seriously for a moment and suddenly had an idea.
“I obtained a treasure in my previous life that can retain a person’s soul, allowing them to die and come back to life.” Lowering her voice, she said, “It was all thanks to that treasure that I had the chance to return.”
A treasure? Liu Yunlie looked at her coldly. “Are you trying to fool me?”
“No, no!” Li Huaiyu stamped her foot. “I’m not lying to you! Do you remember when the Eastern Jin visited the Northern Wei in the fourth year of Daxing? Among the treasures presented by the Hundred Flowers Jun, there was a strangely shaped jade pendant! I didn’t know its purpose at the time, but after I died, my soul was absorbed by it, and then the fourth young lady of the Bai family drowned, and I ended up in her body.”
After all, no one else had died; who could discern the truth of her words?
The living facts were right before him, and even if Liu Yunlie didn’t believe it, he had to. A strange light flickered in his eyes.
“Where is that jade pendant now?”
Everyone fears death, and those with a stronger desire for power fear it even more. For those in power, living a long life and being resurrected are treasures worth their weight in gold.
Huaiyu saw a glimmer of hope and finally smiled. “My life is in your hands now. If you kill me, I still need that treasure to come back to life. How could I tell you where it is?”
To have lived once and be able to live again? If one obtained that thing, wouldn’t they never die?
Liu Yunlie frowned, half-closing his eyes as if pondering something.
“I’m only alive this time to clear my name.” Huaiyu sighed deeply. “Look at who I have harmed. Those who were imprisoned and wronged, which one of them did not suffer retribution? You don’t need to kill me. Once the case is overturned, I will honestly stay by Jiang Xuanjin’s side and won’t hinder you in the slightest.”
“You still want to return to his side?” Liu Yunlie sneered. “If he knows your identity, do you think you can still live?”
Your greatest enemy from the past, borrowing a corpse to become his wife, scheming, using, and being affectionate with him—all to clear your name.
If Jiang Xuanjin knew this…
His gaze shifted slightly, and he suddenly released her.
“Cough, cough, cough!” With the pressure on her neck gone, Huaiyu bent down and coughed for a while.
“Let’s make a deal.” Liu Yunlie said, “I’ll let you go if you give me that treasure.”
Smirking secretly, Huaiyu asked, “Will you keep your word, my lord?”
“The mechanism is right next to you; you can open the door and leave now.” Liu Yunlie said, “But if I can’t find that jade pendant, I will expose your identity and have you poisoned again.”
How could that be? Once she went out, the old case would be overturned, and the charges would disappear. Huailin knew her identity and would be overjoyed; how could he still poison her?
Smirking secretly, Li Huaiyu straightened up and said, “I’ll leave here first. Once it’s safe, I’ll have someone deliver that jade pendant to you.”
Liu Yunlie stood with his hands behind his back, watching her activate the mechanism on the wall, saying meaningfully, “Life is hard to come by; Your Highness should cherish it and not play any tricks.”
“Rest assured, my lord.” As the wall cracked open, a refreshing breeze blew in from outside. Huaiyu took a deep breath and calmly walked out, lifting her skirt.
Ming Mountain Palace was still very quiet, but the banquet at Xile Palace seemed to have ended, and the lively sounds from before had vanished.
Her hands trembled slightly, and her steps felt a bit unsteady. Li Huaiyu didn’t dare to look back, walking faster and faster until she burst out of Ming Mountain Palace, running as if her life depended on it.
It felt like a nightmare. No, she could never have imagined seeing Liu Yunlie in the secret chamber! What should she do now? Liu Yunlie knew her identity and could tell Jiang Xuanjin at any moment, and then everything would be over.
He let her go today only because he wanted the treasure. What would happen after she gave him that treasure? Her secret was in his hands, and he had always wanted her dead; the outcome was self-evident.
Liu Yunlie could not be allowed to live.
Realizing this, her mind raced.
Returning along the palace path to Ming Mountain Palace, Huaiyu composed herself, intending to find Jiang Xuanjin, who was waiting for her by the rockery.
However, it seemed she had delayed too long; the palace banquet had dispersed, and there was no one left on the rockery.
Feeling a bit anxious, she grabbed a passerby and asked, “Have you seen Ziyang Jun?”
Coincidentally, the person turned around, and it was Yun Lanqing. He looked at her in surprise. “Jun Madam? The Jun has been waiting for you for a long time and has been reluctant to leave. But he is very drunk, and several of the Jiang family members have taken him back to the residence.”
Seeing him, Huaiyu’s expression was extremely complicated. She clenched her fists, and opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed it back.
Seeing her expression, Yun Lanqing’s gaze deepened. “I’ve always had a question for you, Madam.”
“How did you know there was a problem with the Luohua River dam?”
Her heart was in turmoil, and Huaiyu didn’t even have the strength to beat around the bush. She turned pale and said, “Do you suspect that I am Danyang?”
Such a direct question left Yun Lanqing dumbfounded.
“I don’t have time to explain too much to you right now.” Huaiyu lowered her gaze, her voice trembling slightly. “Lanqing, please tell Lu Jingxing to prepare; I have someone I need to kill.”
I have someone I need to kill.
This audacious tone instantly brought Yun Lanqing back to half a year ago in Feiyun Palace, where he suddenly saw a woman in palace attire, who was completely unladylike, sitting with her legs crossed, saying to them:
“Here comes the work, gentlemen. Catch a bug and find a way to kill him.”
…
“Your Highness?” Yun Lanqing tentatively called out to the person before him, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
Huaiyu nodded, her legs going weak as she squatted down on the ground. “Do as I say.”
Behind them, Han Xiao was looking for someone. He walked over and called out loudly, “Lanqing, I’ve been looking for you for ages…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Bai Zhujing, hidden behind Yun Lanqing.
“Eh, why is Jun Madam here too?” Han Xiao was surprised. “The Jiang family is looking for you everywhere.”
Huaiyu looked at him helplessly, having lost the strength to explain further. She shook her head, propping herself up on her knees to stand, just as she saw Liu Yunlie returning from behind.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she turned her gaze away, frozen in place, not daring to move.
“What’s wrong?” Han Xiao, unaware of anything, looked at her curiously. “Is Jun Madam drunk too? Why does your face look so bad?”
Liu Yunlie walked over step by step, a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown on his face. He stopped not far from them and clasped his hands. “Are you gentlemen leaving?”
Yun Lanqing noticed Li Huaiyu’s unease and stepped forward to shield her, returning the greeting. “The palace banquet has ended.”
“Then please take your time.” Liu Yunlie raised his eyes, looking at the person behind Yun Lanqing, and smiled lightly. “Jun Madam, please take your time.”
After saying that, he turned and continued toward Xile Palace.
Han Xiao frowned at his retreating figure, muttering, “What’s with this guy today?”
Yun Lanqing turned back to look at Huaiyu and asked, “Did something happen?”
Huaiyu shook her head, softly saying, “Could you two please escort me for a while?”
“Sure.” Yun Lanqing agreed without a second thought.
Han Xiao was taken aback. “This… Lanqing, are you okay?”
Isn’t he usually uninterested in meddling in other people’s affairs?
Pulling him over, Yun Lanqing said, “I’ll explain to you when I have time. First, let’s take Jun Madam back to the Jiang residence.”
Seeing his serious expression, Han Xiao understood that something was amiss and quickly followed behind Jun Madam, no longer asking questions.
Back at Moju, Huaiyu first went to find Qingsi, whispering, “I need your help with something.”
Seeing her pale face, Qingsi was startled, looking her up and down. After confirming she was uninjured, she nodded, signaling her to continue.
Huaiyu casually found a jade pendant in the makeup box and said, “I was discovered by Liu Yunlie, and I must kill him now. Take this to Lu Jingxing; he will help you arrange for people.”
Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Qingsi’s expression turned cold. After hearing the latter task, she stood up and tucked the jade pendant into her bosom.
“Be careful.” Huaiyu urged.
“You should go see the Jun first.” Qingsi knelt and bowed, leaving with that parting remark.
What happened to Jiang Xuanjin? Huaiyu steadied her mind and left the room, heading toward the main building.
The main building was quiet. Cheng Xu and Yu Feng stood outside the door, not daring to enter. As soon as they saw her, they immediately pushed the door open, signaling her to hurry inside.
Anticipating that the man would be difficult to deal with after getting drunk, Huaiyu had already prepared to coax him to sleep.
However, upon entering and looking up, the person sitting in the room had clear eyes and had already sobered up.
“Where have you been?” he asked coldly.
Her heart skipped a beat, and Li Huaiyu hurriedly approached, sitting in front of him. “I got lost. I intended to bring you tea, but I lost my way while walking. It was Lord Yun and Lord Han who found me and brought me back.”
His dark eyes stared at her without blinking. Jiang Xuanjin said, “You’re lying to me again.”
Her whole body tensed, and Li Huaiyu thought he had discovered something, the color draining from her lips.
However, he continued, “I waited for you for half an hour by the rockery. You think you can just say you got lost and let it go?”
Stunned for a moment, Huaiyu chuckled. “Is that what you’re talking about?”
“Do you have any other lies to tell me?” Jiang Xuanjin frowned.
“No, no!” Huaiyu quickly grabbed his hand, speaking softly. “How could I lie to you? Getting lost wasn’t intentional; please don’t be angry, okay?”
Jiang Xuanjin was extremely displeased, his face darkening as he stared at her.
Having just experienced a life-and-death escape, seeing him now made Huaiyu feel a bit teary. She lunged forward and hugged his waist, her voice hoarse. “Please don’t be angry…”
It sounded like she was about to cry.
Jiang Xuanjin was startled, feeling her body trembling slightly, and his anger dissipated immediately. He reached out to pat her back. “The one who bullies others is now the first to cry?”
“I didn’t bully you.” Huaiyu choked.
“…” Supporting her shoulders, he lifted her head, frowning as he looked at her red eyes. “What happened?”
Huaiyu shook her head, her arms wrapping around his neck, pressing her entire body against him, holding on tightly.
“Shall we leave the capital for a while?” she asked softly.
Jiang Xuanjin thought for a moment and said, “Qi Han is returning to the capital tomorrow. I need to take him to confront His Majesty. Once the old case with Sima Xu is settled, I’ll take you out for a walk.”
Huaiyu shook her head. “I want to leave immediately.”
She had a very bad premonition. If she could take Jiang Xuanjin away from the capital…
“No.” He said, “I am the main judge of this case and cannot leave until it is resolved.”
Tears welled up, and Huaiyu stared at him in disbelief.
“Don’t be willful.” Jiang Xuanjin reached out to wipe her tears. “I have things I must do.”
What he had to do was naturally far more important than her little temper. Li Huaiyu obediently nodded, but her tears kept flowing.
“Alright.” He hugged her, helping her change into nightclothes and undoing her hairpin, allowing her to sit on the bed.
Huaiyu clutched the quilt beneath her, watching him. She opened her mouth to ask something to reassure herself but feared it would raise his suspicions, so she could only lower her gaze in silence.
After the lights went out, as soon as Jiang Xuanjin lay down, the person beside him pressed down on him.
“Jiang Jian.” She whispered, “I truly like you.”
He paused slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he turned his head away. “Why are you suddenly saying this?”
“I’m afraid you don’t understand, so I must tell you.” In the darkness, her apricot eyes sparkled, and Huaiyu lowered her head to rest against his forehead, speaking earnestly, “I want to have a child with you.”
The hand resting on her waist suddenly tightened, and the man beneath her moved, flipping her over and pinning her against the pillow.
Gently caressing the contours of his face, Huaiyu smiled. “You’re so handsome; I want to peel the sweetest oranges in the world for you to eat.”
In the past, she said this to tease him, wanting to see him blush with anger. But now, when she said it, it was sincere. If she could survive this ordeal, she would never lie to him again and would peel him big, sweet oranges.
Jiang Xuanjin thought she was just being glib, snorting lightly as he lowered his head to kiss her lips, his tongue gently licking, annoyed. “The sweetest oranges have already been eaten by you.”
Otherwise, why would she be so sweet?
Huaiyu chuckled, wrapping her arms around his waist.
In the middle of August, it unexpectedly started to rain late at night. The drizzling rain was blown into the main building by the wind, soaking the clothes hanging on the screen.
The exposed skin felt the crispness of the autumn rain, and Huaiyu pulled the quilt around her, shivering slightly.