“Xia Zhiyuan,” I called out. “I should have realized earlier.”
“That’s right, you should have realized long ago,” he said, picking up a wine cup and twirling it between his fingers. “Given our friendship, I wouldn’t forget to visit you first. My Princess Zhao Hua.”
“Xia Zhiyuan, what do you want?” I suddenly understood. Since Bai Chen was Xia Zhiyuan, it meant that Yun Qiao’s beloved, that youth in the snow, was actually the Eastern Palace heir of Qi Kingdom. No wonder he couldn’t speak or show his face. Could it be that what she wanted to help him reclaim was actually the throne of Qi Kingdom?
“What do I want?” He smiled slightly.
“Since Princess Zhao Yue is kind enough to offer help, I’ll gratefully accept and occasionally give something in return.” His expression turned frivolous. “Although Jiang Yun Qiao isn’t my type, I’m happy to accept her advances. After all, a man can’t really lose out in such matters.”
“You are truly shameless,” I said, feeling anger rise within me. “Yun Qiao loved you for ten years! Since she was fourteen—how can you bear to use her?”
“I wondered why she always tried to get close to me in Qi Kingdom,” he laughed. “Using isn’t the right word. We’re just mutually beneficial—she wants me, I want her power. Besides, I’ve tasted true love once before and suffered enough.”
I was speechless. “Even if we schemed against you, didn’t you and the Emperor scheme against us? You lost your position and were exiled—weren’t we also separated from our loved ones?”
He stared at me, eyes narrowing. “Indeed. Our grievances are now hard to settle. So let’s see who has better skills, who can laugh last.”
“So you won’t give up,” I sighed. “I only feel sorry for Yun Qiao.”
“Instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself,” he replied. “How was this trial? Not easy, right?”
I clenched my teeth.
“It was you—”
