“You know what’s troubling me.” I turned to look into his eyes. “Brother Jin, based on your investigation, did Jiang Yun Qiao really tamper with the golden cup to make me fail?”
An Jin hesitated before nodding. “According to the information I have, it was indeed her.”
My last hope shattered, and my heart sank.
Now, Yun Qiao plans to compete for the position of heir and seek revenge for you. Her approach is vastly different now. Young Master Bai, Yun Qiao has truly loved you; don’t you want to cherish her?
“Can you bear to see her do wrong things for you, going against her own nature?”
“True love? So you believe that someone’s true love should be cherished?” A low, hoarse voice came from behind the white cotton fabric. “I thought that for you, any love except for An Jin should be discarded like an old shoe.”
I dug my fingers into my palm, staring intently at him.
“Bai Chen” elegantly extended his hand, removing the veil hat and revealing his pale face, thinner than before, yet still stunning and now carrying a touch of tragic allure. “What, surprised to see I’m not dead?”
My tense nerves gradually relaxed.
“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—”
“It was me who gave her such a good idea, pity you still escaped,” he suddenly gripped my wrist tightly. “But as long as I’m here, you’ll never have peace. I’ll turn Jiang Yun Qiao against you and help her ascend the throne. By then, you and An Jin will be nothing more than ants in my hand.”
Xia Zhiyuan looked at me triumphantly, as if he had already crushed us.
I forcefully pulled my arm away and slapped him. His head turned, hand covering his cheek, his expression stiff.
“You’re only relying on Yun Qiao’s infatuation!” I sneered. “Do you think this infatuation can last? She’ll wake up and will no longer let you use her.”
His face darkened, then he forced a smile: “I hope you and An Jin get to see that day. And about this slap—” he touched his face, eyes full of hatred, “I’ll add it to the account you owe me.”
Xia Zhiyuan slowly put his veil hat back on. At that moment, someone pushed open the door – it was Jiang Yun Qiao. She looked worried but relaxed upon seeing him.
She had probably heard I was meeting “Bai Chen” alone and feared for his safety. Seeing her like this made my anger rise again.
“A Yao,” she smiled at me. “Why did you come alone without calling me?”
I stepped forward, grabbing her arm. “Come with me.”
I pulled her until we entered a deserted alley before releasing her. She stood behind me, asking, “A Yao, what’s wrong?”
“Who is Bai Chen?” I asked sharply.
She tried to appear calm. “Didn’t you already know? He’s the one I love.”
“You won’t tell the truth?” My anger surged. “He is Xia Zhiyuan! The former Eastern Palace heir of Qi Kingdom, one of the main culprits who caused my family to be destroyed! Do you think he’s really that unblemished youth in the snow?”
She lowered her head. “I know all of this. But those harms were caused by the previous Qi Emperor.”
“You believe him?!” I lost my rationality. “Yun Qiao, he is not the person you love.”
“I believe him,” she said, her gaze persistent. “I know he did wrong things and hurt you. But he is still the person I’ve loved, and I believe there’s still a pure land in his heart.”
I gripped her shoulders and shook her, teeth clenched. “Wake up, Yun Qiao… he’s using you…”
“Perhaps now he is,” she said sadly. “But one day, I will enter that pure land in his heart. He will understand.”
“Pure Land?” I laughed bitterly. “Perhaps he had one before, but people change.”
If he truly had a pure land in his heart, he wouldn’t have incited you against me or instructed you to tamper with the golden cup! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have succeeded already!”
She looked shocked. “Tamper with the golden cup?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” I said angrily. “He admitted it.”
Jiang Yun stepped forward, meeting my gaze. “Indeed, he mentioned it to me. But I didn’t do it.”
I didn’t know whether to believe her. The golden cup had been tampered with, An Jin had confirmed it was done on her instructions, and Xia Zhiyuan had admitted it. The evidence was conclusive, yet she denied it.
“Of course you won’t admit it,” I scoffed. “I never thought you would disregard our sisterly bond.”
“It wasn’t me,” she said, equally angry. “Believe it or not. I didn’t arrange for this to happen.”
Could it really not be her? An Jin had always been cautious, and his findings shouldn’t be wrong. If it was her, why pretend not to know?
“Regardless of whether you did it, Xia Zhiyuan cannot stay,” I turned away. “He’s only here to sow discord between us. If you don’t want the Emperor to know you’re hiding him, send him away quickly, and I won’t pursue this matter further.”
She was silent for a moment before answering, “No, I can’t do that.”
“You—” I laughed in anger. “Fine. If you’re so stubborn, I’ll go see the Emperor and let him decide.”
As I made to leave, she grabbed me and said furiously, “You can go, but don’t forget, your An Jin also has an unclear background!”
Her words struck me like thunder. Xia Zhiyuan was a parricide who fled Qi Kingdom, and An Jin was a traitor long sought by Qi Kingdom. If the people of Nan Rui learned of this, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Are you threatening me?” I murmured.
“You threatened me first,” she replied, calming down and releasing her grip. “If you can unconditionally protect An Jin, why can’t I protect him?”
She turned, walking slowly. “I met him when I was fourteen, but we missed our chance. At the time, I didn’t know his identity. When I first officially visited Qi Kingdom at eighteen, I discovered he was the Crown Prince. Had I not been married with a child, I would have begged my father to let me marry him as a royal consort. Alas, fate had other plans.”
