“You must have left, otherwise where did this lantern come from?” Qing Si shook her head. “There’s no such thing in His Highness’s room.”
The servant felt wronged. “I… I have been here the whole time!”
Huaiyu reached out and stopped Qing Si. “Don’t accuse people without evidence,” she said with a soft laugh. “The door is guarded, but what about the windows?”
Some people were accustomed to entering and leaving through the door in a dignified manner. However, if they encountered a mistress who wasn’t so proper, and they learned how to climb through windows, then no one would notice when they did so.
Qing Si understood her implication, but she didn’t seem intent on pursuing the matter, so she kept quiet.
Huaiyu lifted her skirt and entered the room. She picked up the lantern, looked at it for a moment, then gently rubbed it a few times before putting it into her tiger fur cloak and heading to the guest room.
Jiang Xuanjin was lost in thought by the window when suddenly the door was kicked open with a loud bang, startling him. He turned around and saw Huaiyu poking her head in with a mischievous smile. “Do you have a moment, Your Majesty?”
His fingertips trembled, then clenched into fists. He furrowed his brow. “Your Highness should ask properly when knocking on the door.”
“You know me well enough to know that I don’t have the habit of knocking,” she retorted, stepping inside. “It’s rather late for a visit, but I’ll get straight to the point—”
“The moat in Yixian City has slowly begun to fill with water. In a few days, when the dam upstream in Danyang is fully opened, the task will be complete. At that time, I want to officially integrate Yixian City into the territory of Danyang. What do you think, Your Majesty?”
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his gaze, turning slightly away. “Without Your Highness, Yixian City would have long been a dead city. The people here are already wholeheartedly devoted to you. If Your Highness wishes to incorporate it into Danyang, what opinion could I possibly have?”
He made no effort to stop her; in fact, he didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. It was as if he had already considered this matter and had no hesitation in answering now.
Her previous conjecture was invalidated. Huaiyu looked at him steadily for a moment, then walked around to face him and asked again, “Even if Danyang were to border Ziyang from now on, would that be acceptable to you?”
“It wouldn’t be a problem,” Jiang Xuanjin replied, seeming reluctant to meet her gaze as he turned away again.
Huaiyu chuckled, sidestepping to block his view. “What do you mean, Your Majesty? Are we not sworn enemies? Why don’t you argue with me even over border cities?”
She had always thought that she was the only one he considered an enemy. Jiang Xuanjin clenched his hand tightly, his expression somewhat pale. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice, “Aren’t you very clever?”
“Since you’re so clever, then guess,” he continued.
Huaiyu was dumbfounded, staring blankly into his eyes.
Jiang Xuanjin’s eyes were really beautiful—quiet like an ink pool, yet lively like a vast sea. They seemed to conceal many emotions, but when they met her gaze, they all disappeared, leaving only a calm and unwavering darkness.
She reached out and took the lantern hidden in her cloak, holding it up in front of him. “Is this yours?”
Although her expression seemed confident, in reality, she felt quite anxious, like treading on thin ice, afraid that it might crack at any moment. Her breath became extremely light.
Jiang Xuanjin lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the lantern. His pale lips parted slightly. “What if it is?”
He admitted it! He admitted it!
Her heart skipped a beat, and Huaiyu blinked, feeling somewhat incredulous. “You…”
“What about me?” he interrupted, his voice low. “Is it so hard to guess that I’m fond of you?”
Like a huge hammer smashing down on her chest, everything inside her seemed to halt for a moment, then started racing uncontrollably. A wave of heat spread from her throat to her entire body, making her tremble slightly.
Jiang Xuanjin… fond of her?
Huaiyu’s pupils contracted as she looked at him in shock, not just at his words but also at the fact that he had spoken them.
With his stubborn temperament, what kind of mood was he in to say this, especially when he thought she was carrying someone else’s child?
“Do you find it strange?” Seeing her reaction, Jiang Xuanjin sneered, his lips curling up. “I find it strange too. You lied to me, used me, betrayed me, yet I still find you endearing.”
He turned away calmly, his back to her. “So just treat it as a joke. Throw away this lantern; it’s worthless anyway. I’ll take my leave tomorrow and return to Ziyang after sending the congratulatory gifts for your upcoming marriage to Manager Lu. Please see me out.”
His tone was calm. Jiang Xuanjin stepped into the inner room. “Kindly close the door when you leave, Your Highness.”
He maintained a composed posture, not revealing any hint of distress. Once inside the room, he stood calmly by the window, gazing out into the silent night.
Well, everything that needed to be said had been said. After leaving, there would be no regrets. She could mock him behind his back all she wanted, but once she left, it would be difficult to see him again. At the ends of the earth, he could treat it as if she didn’t exist.
It didn’t matter. She could live without him, and he could live without her.
Footsteps approached from behind, and a hand reached out, lifting the hem of his wide sleeve, grasping his trembling fingertips.
“Ziyang Lord, you seem quite carefree,” she chuckled. “If you’re so carefree, why are your hands so cold?”
His body tensed, and the figure by the window stiffened but didn’t turn around.
Huaiyu reached out, pinching his chin as she used to, forcing him to turn his face towards her.
Such a solitary and aloof person, yet at this moment, his eyes were red, his thin lips stubbornly pressed together, and his eyes filled with mist.
She cleared her throat, smiling teasingly. “Can I interpret this as you truly liking me and wanting to live happily ever after with me, hence your current distress?”
“No,” he croaked, his voice hoarse. “It’s just too cold.”
Shaking her head with a wry smile, she said, “Tell the truth. You dared to speak earlier, so why be afraid now? Wouldn’t it be better to be honest?”
“You’re asking these questions now, does it even matter?” he frowned.
“It does,” Huaiyu nodded earnestly. “It matters to me.”
The night breeze blew in, slightly chilly, and Jiang Xuanjin glanced at her before reaching out to close the window. “If I didn’t want to live happily ever after with you, you’d be like Bai Xuanji, unable to even enter my courtyard, let alone anything else.”
“Huh? Wait, what?” Huaiyu looked bewildered. “Bai Xuanji didn’t enter your courtyard? Who’s lying here? Didn’t you favor her the very day she arrived?”
Jiang Xuanjin furrowed his brow, giving her a look as if she were a complete idiot. “Who told you that?”
“Bai…” Huaiyu’s mouth twitched. Suddenly, she realized she had been foolish. Did she believe Bai Xuanji? Bai Xuanji would love nothing more than to see her suffer, and yet she fell for it.
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her strangely. “Do you think of me as a fool? Anyone can just enter my courtyard at will?”
Feeling a lump in her throat, Huaiyu scratched her temple with her index finger, finally swallowing her words. “Then… if you’re so at ease with the idea of being with me, why don’t you trust me?”
Jiang Xuanjin asked in a low voice, “Trust you with what? Trust that you’re not the Princess Chang of Danyang, or trust that you didn’t approach me for revenge?”
From the moment she confessed to Yun Lie in the bamboo forest to confronting him in the dungeon, she never denied these two points. If she had continued to lie and deny, he might have wavered.
But she didn’t. She was indeed Princess Chang, she came for revenge, and she deceived him.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked her. “If you were me, what would you do?”
Huaiyu fell silent.
She knew the answer to her question very well. If she were him, and someone dared to deceive her like this, she would have them torn to shreds and hung at the city gate.
“Fate is playing tricks on us,” she muttered. “If Huai Lin hadn’t sent you to poison me, I wouldn’t have thought you were my murderer, and I wouldn’t have come looking for trouble with you.”
From the beginning, they had missed each other by fate. She cherished him, but in his eyes, she was a demon. He sent her on her way, and she saw him as an enemy. Meeting again, she was filled with thoughts of revenge, but she never expected to target the wrong person.
Now, when she wanted to regret it, all the truth had been revealed, and there was no escape. They were destined to drift further apart.
If Jiang Xuanjin hadn’t spoken those words today, Huaiyu was ready to let go. Time would erode everything, and two people without fate, separated by so much hatred, forcing themselves together would only lead to misery. It would be better to forget each other.
But he spoke, revealing that he, like her, hoped for a happy ending.
She hadn’t lost to him, so who had she lost to? God?
Narrowing her eyes slightly, Li Huaiyu suddenly felt very dissatisfied.
Was it really satisfying to let him go, carrying the unresolved love and hate alone? A person’s life is so long, and emotions can’t just be carried from life to death. If she didn’t resolve things in this world, she couldn’t carry them to the underworld!
Feeling clear in her heart, she asked him, “Could you write me a divorce letter?”
Without a divorce letter, getting married again would be somewhat inappropriate, right? Jiang Xuanjin lowered his head and whispered, “Sure.”
“There’s one condition to be added to the divorce letter.” Huaiyu handed him a pen and ink. “After you divorce me, anything we shared, anything I want, belongs to me.”
If someone else heard this, they would surely scold her for being domineering. But Jiang Xuanjin said nothing, just nodded.
Watching him write, Huaiyu smiled contentedly. When he finished, she took the letter from him, blowing on it carefully, folding it, and tucking it into her bosom. Then she asked him, “Do you know where Qi Jin is?”
“In Ziyang. If you want to see her, I’ll have her accompany you,” Jiang Xuanjin replied.
“That’s great.” Huaiyu patted her belly. “I trust Qi Jin’s medical skills. With just a few months left until delivery, can you have her assist me during childbirth?”
Her complexion grew paler. Jiang Xuanjin hesitated briefly, then nodded stiffly. “Alright.”
“You should stay too,” she insisted. “Since you’ve been here for so long, a few more months won’t make much of a difference, I’m sure.”
Jiang Xuanjin shook his head, already prepared to refuse.
Huaiyu intercepted his response with a smile. “It’s settled then. His Highness, remember to send a letter to Qi Jin promptly. And when she responds, do let me know. Also, the opening of the moat is imminent. It would be appreciated if His Highness could grace us with his presence to witness the event.”