Without An Jin, I would have become a chess piece in the power struggle between Xi Liang and the royal family of Da Qi, and no matter who ultimately prevailed, I would only receive deception, false kindness, betrayal, and exploitation, forever losing my freedom. The Qi Emperor, the Crown Prince, Xia Zhichun, Yan Huo – each was deeply calculating and a master of intrigue. What they schemed for was power and dominion, just like my biological father, that ambitious imperial consort. And my husband An Jin, all his schemes were merely to protect those he loved. To have such a husband, what more could a wife ask for?
Chapter Fifty-Six: Fleeing to Nan Rui
When the Qi Emperor proposed that An Jin pretend to defect and go to Xi Liang to investigate Xia Zhichun’s whereabouts, An Jin had already prepared two contingency plans. If the Qi Emperor kept his word, he would investigate the Third Prince’s location, return and hand over the Secret Department peacefully, and then take his entire family to escape, with everyone satisfied. However, the Qi Emperor chose to plot against the An family and target An Jin. Fortunately, An Jin had a backup plan, having made arrangements for the Secret Department in advance and staging a performance for the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince to make them believe he had been killed by Tang Wei.
The Qi Emperor thought An Jin was dead and that imprisoning his mother-in-law would give him control of the entire Secret Department, unaware this was all deliberately arranged by An Jin. The reason for this arrangement was that An Jin and his mother-in-law needed to confirm what private forces the Qi Emperor still had and whether there were any dissenting hearts within the Secret Department. Originally, An Jin only planned to arrange everything and then send me and his family out of Yan Feng, planning to reunite with us later. But unexpected events occurred – the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince imprisoned my entire family, my father-in-law passed away, and I was forced to marry the Crown Prince. It was clear that even if he died and the Secret Department returned to the royal family, they had no intention of sparing me and my family.
