The crisp laughter, like the tinkling of silver bells in the wind, resounded around him. Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned ashen, and he grimly shut his eyes. He must have been an irredeemable villain in his past life, hence encountering such a scourge in this one—unable to break free, unable to escape, despite his utmost efforts, unable to achieve redemption.
The abbot of Hanshan Temple had once remarked that he was knowledgeable in etiquette, self-disciplined, and a person of great wisdom. If he were to see him in his current state, would he be so infuriated as to hammer the wooden fish into pieces?
Li Huaiyu enjoyed her amusement for a while. She lightly rubbed his hand with her thumb and whispered, “You are a fool.”
His lips grew even paler, and Jiang Xuanjin averted his gaze. He knew he was foolish, every word and action of his was utterly foolish.
“I want to return to Ziyang,” he stated.
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, but didn’t insist further, only inquiring, “How long until Qi Jin arrives?”
“At the latest, by early tomorrow morning, we will reach the outskirts of the city.”
“Very well,” she smiled, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll escort you out of the city and pick up Qi Jin on the way. If you’re not in a hurry, you can even meet with Qi Jin.”
Her tone was remarkably light-hearted, devoid of any hint of sadness.
Taking a deep breath, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “In this world, there’s probably no one more carefree than Your Highness.”
“You flatter me,” Li Huaiyu withdrew her hand, still looking at him with a joyful expression.
Qingsi stood on the city tower, watching the carriage move further away along the moat, filled with worry.
Xu Chuniang gently patted her shoulder and handed her a bowl of soup: “Don’t worry, Huaiyu always acts with discretion. Since she has chosen to take this step, it means she has thought it through.”
Qingsi turned her head, her brows furrowed with unease, “Your Highness.”
She feared that Lord Ziyang might develop evil intentions, resenting his master’s betrayal, and directly lay hands on him.
Xu Chuniang seemed to guess what she wanted to say, smiling and shaking his head, “That won’t happen. You should worry more about Lord Ziyang. I don’t think he stands a chance against Huaiyu.”
How could that be possible? His master was pregnant. Unable to engage in combat, Lord Ziyang’s face along the journey looked so unpleasant, as if he was desperately holding something back. If he couldn’t bear it and resorted to violence directly, who would ensure his master’s safety?
But…
Turning to look at Lu Zhanxiang beside him, he didn’t seem anxious either, standing on the city tower, gazing at the carriage from afar with a smile that seemed somewhat ambiguous.
Jiawu stood beside him, asking softly, “Are you content?”
Flicking the jade fan between his fingers, Lu Jingxing calmly replied, “She has never given me a chance, what do I have to be discontented about?”
“Then, are we going to the main city of Danyang?”
“No,” his phoenix-like eyes glinted, “The scenery of Yixian City is unparalleled. I like it here. I wouldn’t trade it for three thousand beauties.”
With that said, he waved his sleeve and gracefully descended the city tower.
Jiawu watched his retreating figure, feeling that Lu Zhanxiang was truly a shrewd businessman. He always knew what decisions were most advantageous.
If only they had met before he encountered Lord Ziyang, would everything have been different?
In the brightly lit Princess Mansion at night, it was unclear whether it was because they were delighted that the waterway to Yixian City had been opened, or for some other reason, but many courtyards had their lights on, remaining alight throughout the night.
“What’s going on?” The servants in the mansion were puzzled. “Mr. Lu can’t sleep, neither can Lord Ziyang.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. Miss Xu and Mr. Jiang haven’t slept either, you see, even the lights in His Highness’s room are still on.”
“That’s strange…”
He didn’t know why others couldn’t sleep, but Jiang Xuanjin knew very well why he couldn’t close his eyes.
The Ziyang Capital and the main city of Danyang were six thousand li apart. He was heading to Ziyang, she was heading to Danyang. Once they parted ways, it was unlikely that they would see each other again until their hair turned white.
She didn’t show the slightest reluctance.
As the lamp burned out and the smoke curled up on the candlestick, the room dimmed slightly, but the moonlight outside remained bright. Jiang Xuanjin reached out, comparing his hand to the moon, gently touching it.
It’s okay that the moon can’t be plucked. When there’s nothing left, at least it’s still up there in the sky, watching over everything.
The silent sky gradually darkened to its extreme, then slowly began to reveal a faint light, as if morning had arrived in a trance.
“Master.” Cheng Xu pushed the door open and brought in water for him.
Jiang Xuanjin snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that his body was stiff from the cold. He chuckled hoarsely, “Cheng Xu, give me a hand.”
Cheng Xu was startled, reaching out and immediately sensing his icy coldness all over.
“You…” His eyes reddened, Cheng Xu gritted his teeth, his brows relaxing and tensing again. He had words of persuasion in his heart, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t say them.
“I’m fine,” Jiang Xuanjin shook his head. No matter what happened, he always said “I’m fine,” or “It’s okay,” as if by saying it repeatedly, it would truly be okay. Cheng Xu was both angry and heartbroken. He poured him hot tea and wrapped him in a cloak.
“The carriage is waiting outside.”
So early? Jiang Xuanjin blinked, washed and dressed as if nothing had happened, and stepped out.
Li Huaiyu, rarely up early, stood in the courtyard wrapped in thick tiger fur. As soon as she saw him, she reached out with her claws and waved at him, “Good morning, Your Highness.”
Nodding at her, Jiang Xuanjin didn’t raise his eyes, staring at a certain spot on the ground, and asked, “When are we leaving?”
Huaiyu raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to him, and whispered, “Why is Your Highness in such a hurry to leave? Wouldn’t you miss me?”
Stiffening, he replied coldly, “Your Highness worries too much.”
“I had a dream yesterday.” She absentmindedly tugged at the fox fur on his cloak, plucking out a strand, blowing on it, then looked up at his face. “I dreamt that Your Highness left the outskirts of the city and then returned.”
“Dreams are always opposite,” Jiang Xuanjin said, “This prince will not turn back.”
“But what if you do turn back?”
The tone sounded as if she had him all figured out, full of confidence.
Jiang Xuanjin’s jaw tightened, and he looked back at her, “Impossible.”
“Is it?” The person in front of him wasn’t scared by his gaze at all, she grinned mischievously at him, then went to call Lu Jingxing from the neighboring courtyard.
“Why drag me into this?” Lu Jingxing, still sleepy-eyed, yawned, “Can’t I stay behind?”
“Nope.” Huaiyu shook her head, “You’re at least pretending to be the father of my child.”
Looking at her intently, he asked, “Have you made up your mind?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “If there’s no love, so be it. Since I can’t bear to let go, giving it another chance wouldn’t hurt.”
“You’re quite open-minded.”
“I’ve never liked making things difficult for myself.”
Talking to Lu Jingxing was easy. A few words with no beginning and no end, he understood, and she understood. The person next to them looked puzzled, but they had already communicated their intentions.
As dawn broke, everyone got on the carriage. Jiang Xuanjin intended to avoid Li Huaiyu, but when he lifted the curtain, she was already sitting there, waving at him, “Come up.”
Clutching the curtain, Jiang Xuanjin seriously considered whether to sit in the carriage with Lu Jingxing.
“I have something to tell you,” Huaiyu said.
After a moment of silence, he stepped onto the carriage shaft and sat across from her.
As the wheels began to turn, Li Huaiyu propped up her chin and asked him, “If I were to say that I truly loved you when we were together, would you believe it?”
His hands, placed on his knees, slowly clenched. Jiang Xuanjin replied, “Your Highness’s understanding of love may differ from mine.”
She was accustomed to being surrounded by people, perhaps whoever she liked the most was considered to be truly in love with her. But it was different for him. His understanding of love was something that could only be given to one person.
Huaiyu pursed her lips, “I think you have a deep misunderstanding of me.”
“Would Your Highness like to explain?”
“To be honest, I’m not very content about it,” Huaiyu smiled, looking at him, “I feel quite wrong. If I don’t have you to comfort me, I won’t be able to open up.”
Did she feel wronged? Jiang Xuanjin gritted his teeth. How could it seem like she was the one feeling wronged?
“Will you comfort me?” she asked.
Keeping a bit of pride, he pursed his lips and shook his head.
“Don’t blame me if I don’t remind you,” Huaiyu chuckled softly, “You’ll regret it.”
He had too many regrets already, and since things had come to this point, what’s one more regret? Jiang Xuanjin turned his head to look out of the carriage.
The carriage passed through the bustling market, then out of the heavily guarded city gate. Half a mile ahead was the relay station.
Jiang Xuanjin watched quietly, his throat tightening more and more.
“In the future…” he whispered, “In the future, don’t lie to people anymore.”
The liar sitting across from him laughed heartily and hugged her stomach, “Okay, I’ll treat Lu Jingxing well, live affectionately every day, and after having children, I’ll be a good wife and mother, and turn over a new leaf.”
He nodded slowly. “What should we name this child?” Huaiyu smacked her lips and murmured, “Your Highness is exceptionally talented. Do you want to help choose a name? How about Lu something?”
His gaze hardened, and Jiang Xuanjin remained silent. As soon as the carriage stopped, he lifted the curtain and stepped out.
Any name with “Lu” would be fine; it had nothing to do with him.
Qi Jin was already waiting at the relay station. Jiang Xuanjin wanted to leave directly, but when he thought of the round belly of the person in the carriage, he hesitated for a moment and walked toward the relay station.
However, as soon as he opened the door, someone knelt in front of him.
“I am guilty!” Qi Jin banged her head on the ground, trembling as she spoke, “I shouldn’t have agreed to keep the Lady’s secret. Please, Your Highness, forgive me in light of this joyful occasion!”
Jiang Xuanjin looked at her inexplicably, “What are you talking about?”
Hearing his tone, Qi Jin thought she hadn’t been sincere enough, so she quickly knocked her head twice more, “I only acted on orders. I thought the Lady would immediately tell Your Highness about her pregnancy. Who knew so much would happen later, I didn’t know what to do, so I didn’t report it…”
Qi Jin knew about Li Huaiyu’s pregnancy.
Jiang Xuanjin couldn’t quite grasp the situation, “You diagnosed her?”
Qi Jin hesitated and nodded, “At that time, it was still early, so I didn’t dare confirm, but it was highly probable. The Lady was very happy and said she must tell Your Highness in person, so…”
“Hold on.” His heart pounded, and Jiang Xuanjin’s pupils constricted, “She said she wanted to tell me herself?”
“Yes.” Qi Jin nodded, “Second Madam also knows about this. It was just two days before the incident in the palace.”