‘You’ll understand, right?’ she asked eagerly. ‘Because An Jin is such a person, so you must understand.’
‘I can indeed understand. However—’
She seemed to have solved a long-standing problem and relaxed. ‘A Yao, I’ve decided.’
‘Decided what?’ I was stunned.
‘I’ve decided to compete with you for the position of heir. Sorry, I went back on my word, but I must do this. A Yao, from today, we’ll each use our own means.’
Chapter Sixty-Eight: Revenge and Hatred
She really said that?”
An Jin furrowed his brow, pacing in the room.
I nodded. “Not a joke. It’s not a problem that she wants the heir position; I just don’t understand her sudden change of mind. There must be something wrong. Her previous words were strange, ‘doing anything for the person you love’? Was she talking about herself?”
“It seems something must have happened during Jiang Yunqiao’s trip,” An Jin concluded. “When I spoke with Consort Yin, he seemed low-spirited and distracted. Jiang Yunqiao’s change of heart must relate to the person she loves, the so-called ‘snow youth.’ But why would she compete for the heir position for him?”
I sighed. “It seems the key lies with this snow youth. But Jiang Yunqiao said he’s from Qi State. How can we investigate?”
“Actually, it’s not difficult. We just need to start with the people around Jiang Yunqiao,” An Jin smiled. “Leave it to me.”
“Are you going to investigate?” I hesitated, thinking that this wasn’t Qi Kingdom and not An Jin’s territory.
An Jin raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery in his voice, “What, don’t you trust your husband’s methods? Did you think I was just leisurely playing around in Nanrui these past few days?”
I suddenly understood, both surprised and delighted.
I remembered that Nanrui had secret agents, and Anjin thrived in the imperial court, establishing contact with these covert operatives. The secret service that once served the Qi royal family had become an independent entity, now only answering to Anjin—something I never expected would prove useful again.
“If I wasn’t confident about the situation in Nanrui, how could I have sent you here?” Anjin smiled. “I had to ensure your and your family’s safety. That was my bottom line.”
“So you knew the Emperor wanted to pass the throne to me, and that Jiang Yunqiao would not harm me,” I realized. Anjin had made all the arrangements in advance.
Anjin shook his head. “At the time, I couldn’t be completely certain that the Emperor intended to favor you. I made sure to protect you and your family. It was risky, but we ultimately won.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I felt regretful. If I had known about these people sooner, perhaps I could have helped him instead of feeling anxious and cautious.
He seemed to see through my thoughts. “Because I didn’t want you to do anything. Just learning to protect yourself was enough. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Anjin’s investigation quickly yielded results. When Jiang Yunqiao returned from her travels, she brought a male companion to the Princess’s residence. Although we couldn’t discern the man’s appearance, he was likely the snow-clad youth she had long thought about. Whether their reunion was accidental or deliberate, Jiang Yunqiao decided to compete for the heir’s position for his sake.
Infiltrating the Princess’s residence would not be difficult, but Jiang Yunqiao had declared that we would compete for the heir’s position by our own means. While this seemed fair, secretly investigating her could jeopardize our already delicate relationship.
I asked Anjin to halt his actions and invited Jiang Yunqiao to meet again. She agreed, suggesting we go to her brother’s tavern to listen to music, just like last time.
We returned to the same private room with musician Bai Chen. Once again, the song “Chang Xiangsi” was played.
Jiang Yunqiao listened intently, her eyes focused on Bai Chen’s fingers. After the song ended, she smiled and said, “Ah Yao, I didn’t expect you to invite me. I hope I didn’t offend you with what I said last time.”
“We’re still sisters, right?”
I returned her an understanding smile. “Not just sisters, but friends. Yunqiao, I want to ask you something.”
“You want to know why I suddenly changed my mind?” She laughed, looking at Bai Chen, her gaze lingering on him. “Ah Yao, what do you think of Master Bai’s performance?”
“Very good,” I replied, surprised by her change of subject.
She stood up, walked to Bai Chen’s side, and unexpectedly bent down to hold his hand.
I was at a loss for words. In Nanrui, her noble birth meant that having another consort was not a big deal. However, I felt uneasy and sensed something was amiss.
“Alright, you’ve fulfilled your wish to be with him, which is fine. You want the heir’s position and to become empress, which is also fine. But if you still consider me a sister, at least tell me who his enemies are. What do you want to reclaim for him?”
Her expression stiffened, and she lowered her head: “Sorry, I cannot say.”
I was choked up, wanting to shake her and make her speak, but I suppressed this impulse.
“Fine, if you won’t tell me, so be it.” I forced myself to calm down and glanced at her. “Before the truth is revealed, I won’t give up the heir’s position either. As you said, let’s rely on our own abilities.”
Throwing out such harsh words was momentary anger. Later, I realized that becoming heir meant nothing to me. Why compete with her? If she could convince Emperor Hong to change his mind and pass the throne to her, I’d be content being a nominal King Yu or receiving a piece of land, living happily with my family. As long as she treats Afu and her consort well, whether she seeks revenge or does anything else, I wouldn’t mind.
However, An Jin disagreed. He believed I should not only hold onto the heir’s position but actively fight for it.
“But I don’t want to be empress,” I said, lying in his arms, enjoying his fingers gently combing through my hair. “I just want to live well with my family.”
An Jin leaned close and softly said: “You’ve declared war on Jiang Yunqiao. Do you think you can withdraw now? The struggle for succession is filled with schemes and bloodshed. Even if you retreat, she’ll think you have another plan. How could she tolerate you once she ascends the throne?”
“Yunqiao won’t do that,” I insisted, closing my eyes.
An Jin chuckled, pinching my cheek. “Haven’t you suffered enough in the royal family?”
I felt troubled. Though An Jin wasn’t wrong, he seemed different from before. In the past, he would have followed my wishes, planning together how to avoid this conflict.
Now, he was urging me to enter this struggle and grasp power.
The departure of my in-laws, the turmoil in the secret department, fleeing to a foreign land, and changes in identity had a significant impact on An Jin. For the first time, I understood he was not a god, not perfect, and could be hurt, lost, and insecure. Perhaps only by holding power could he feel at peace.
I felt deeply sympathetic to him. As Yunqiao said, giving everything for a loved one is a foolish thing everyone might do. An Jin had meticulously planned for my escape from the three-country situation, and now I was willing to re-enter this game for him.
Yunqiao was a formidable opponent. Since our declaration of war, she had been taking action, frequently contacting people from the Cen Taizai faction. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Personnel under her management had made impressive reforms, gradually increasing support for the Second Princess’s faction.
I chose to get closer to Liu Hua. In her early thirties, she was shrewd and decisive. From a commoner background, Liu Hua had risen to her high position in just ten years through her own talent and wit, without relying on family connections – an extraordinary achievement. Her support for me was not due to high regard, but because Cen Taizai was her political enemy.
