conflict

A flash of blue light appeared, and the cold blade approached Gu Youan's neck. Gu Youan opened her eyes and saw Xiao Junqi, dressed in black, standing at the head of her bed. The moonlight illuminated his face, and she gripped the hilt of the sword.

"Why not just cut his neck?" Gu Youan said coldly, staring intently into Xiao Junqi's eyes.

With a gentle snap, the blade broke. Gu Youan tossed the broken sword to the ground, slowly sat up, and said with a smile, "What, you're already upset?"

She pressed closer, and Xiao Junqi retreated step by step. She grabbed his arm and said, "How could you be so heartless as to poison the Fifth Princess? She's your own sister!"

Xiao Junqi pushed Gu Youan away and said, "I didn't kill her, I didn't poison her."

"Gu Youan, why did you approach Sheng Jingche? Why did you want to be married off?" Xiao Junqi asked, tears welling in his eyes.

Gu Youan leaned down and looked at him, saying, "I love Sheng Jingche. I want to marry him and have his children. Only I can marry him and become his lawfully wedded wife."

Xiao Junqi loved Sheng Jingche, so she deliberately provoked him. Xiao Junqi slumped to the ground, and Gu Youan looked into his eyes, asking him in a sinister tone, "Why did you poison the Fifth Princess?"

The sword hilt fell to the ground, and a beam of light shone into the dark room. Gu Youan looked up, and Sheng Jingche pushed open the door and entered.

Gu Youan looked at him, while Sheng Jingche's eyes were fixed on Xiao Junqi.

Gu Youan smiled and said, "So it turns out I've become an obstacle for the two of you."

Sheng Jingche quickly walked to Xiao Junqi's side, squatted down, and Sheng Jingche threw himself into his arms. Gu Youan looked down at the two of them and said, "What a loving couple. Have you forgotten that he just broke into my palace and tried to kill me?"

Sheng Jingche grabbed Gu Youan's sleeve, not daring to look up at her. She snorted coldly, pulled her sleeve away, looked down at him and said, "I want to see how long you'll keep covering for her."

Sheng Jingche knocked Xiao Junqi unconscious. He stood up and looked into Gu Youan's eyes. Gu Youan touched her neck and backed away step by step, saying, "What do you want to do?"

Sheng Jingche sighed. She knew what Gu Youan's deliberate guiding actions during the day meant.

"Didn't you lead him here tonight, Gu Youan? You suspect he's involved in the princess's poisoning case, so you suspect him. But you saw it today, he really doesn't know the truth. You've made such a big fuss today, do you really want him to go to the Dali Temple with you?"

Throughout history, members of the royal family have been brought before the Dali Temple, let alone those convicted of a serious crime like murdering a princess.

Sheng Jingche gently took Gu Youan's hand and wiped the blood from her with a handkerchief. "I know you have many questions, but you can't become someone else's weapon now. Please believe me, I will definitely protect you."

Gu Youan clenched her fists and pulled her hands back. "Are you protecting him or me? Why didn't you come before he arrived?"

Sheng Jingche looked at her quietly and said calmly, "I know you are very sad, but I am not protecting him, but protecting everyone."

The night was still, and the afterglow shone on his face, as if draped in a thin mist. His eyes were deep, his thoughts drifted far away, and long-forgotten memories were awakened.

"The poison that afflicted the Fifth Princess was created by you. You are the best assassin and the best alchemist on the Emperor's Ship. Only you know the antidote?"

Gu Youan looked at him suspiciously and said, "The Emperor's title is in Dayong. How could I have brought the poison here? You need to find evidence to frame someone!"

Sheng Jingche sighed, took Gu Youan's hand and touched his chest, saying, "There is another person living here, your partner, Jiannan. I have two souls in one body, and he is asleep."

Gu Youan's hand trembled, and her heart contracted little by little as she carefully felt the other heartbeat.

"I don't care who you are, the deaths of the Fifth Princess and Consort Lin have nothing to do with me."

Seven years of lost memories—what in those memories could turn an innocent and naive young girl into a ruthless killer?

"The Dali Temple should handle cases impartially if it wants to catch the murderer. If I am really a suspect, just arrest me directly. Why bother with all this trouble?"

Gu Youan turned to leave, regardless of what Sheng Jingche said tonight, it was only his side of the story.

Sheng Jingche waved his hand, and a strong gust of wind blew towards her, and the door suddenly closed.

Sheng Jingche suppressed his voice and said to her, "I know you don't want to remember everything from the past, but this is reality, and you can't escape it. Only when you remember everything from the past can you save yourself. No one can find your past memories for you except yourself."

Gu Youan smiled and said, "No matter what happened to me before, or what those seven years of memories were, you shouldn't have dragged me into it. Since you and he are so deeply in love, why did you ask me to marry you?"

He placed Gu Youan in the position of a third party. Xiao Junqi targeted her, Emperor Huaming plotted against her, and the affairs of the Sheng Kingdom's harem were also plotted against her. Gu Youan's eyes flickered. It seemed that no one cared about the sleeping princess. Could there be a bigger secret behind this? Could they be using her to find out the real culprit who killed Consort Lin?

Gu Youan was stunned. There was only one reason now: Consort Lin had died a few months ago, followed by her daughter. Anyone would have doubts about that.

Gu Youan turned to look into Sheng Jingche's deep eyes. The answer was obvious, but beneath his calm gaze lay a turbulent undercurrent. She stared at him intently and said, "How did Consort Lin die?"

The Fifth Princess is unconscious, and the person behind it clearly wants to use the Fifth Princess's poisoning incident to uncover the truth about Consort Lin's poisoning. But what makes him think that Gu You'an, a princess sent for a political marriage, can accomplish this?

Gu Youan smiled and said, "I never thought I would become someone else's pawn."

Emperor Huaming did not want to investigate this matter, but the person behind him wanted to find out the truth about Consort Lin's death, even going so far as to threaten the princess's life. Could this person be Consort Lin's former lover? But the palace rules are strict, so how could Consort Lin have been having an affair?

Sheng Jingche looked into her eyes and said calmly, "Consort Lin was also an assassin of the Emperor's Ship. After the entire Emperor's Ship of Dayong was wiped out, Consort Lin died."

Gu Youan lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "You mean someone wants to investigate the truth behind the destruction of the Emperor's Ship?"

Sheng Jingche nodded and said, "The pill I gave you was a pill made by the Emperor, and there was only one left, but you destroyed it with your own hands."

Gu Youan was stunned for a moment, then said, "So there's only one left."

Sheng Jingche said in a deep voice, "Sheng Kingdom is in grave danger. Only by remembering all your past memories can you save yourself."

Gu Youan looked into his eyes and said, "Was I really that good before?"

Sheng Jingche smiled gently, as if reminiscing about the good old days. He said, "You are the most outstanding person in our year. My second personality can only play a supporting role for you."

Gu Youan looked up at his sharply defined jawline, lost in thought. Countless light and shadow overlapped as she reached out to touch his face, as if all of time had stopped at this moment, and an old friend had come to visit.

“Jiannan.” Gu Youan was speechless.

The face of the person whose features she could never quite make out in her memory overlapped with the face of the person in front of her. A tear welled up in her eye, and she reached out to touch it, looking at the tear on her hand with confusion. Suddenly, she froze, and tears gushed from her eyes.

A sudden, involuntary pain shot through her chest. She gently clutched her chest, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Sheng Jingche, asking, "Why do I feel so terrible?"

Sheng Jingche reached out and hugged her, saying, "After Jiannan fell into a deep sleep, the only thing he was worried about was you."

Suddenly she pushed him away, shook her head and said, "You are not him."

She felt an extraordinary familiarity with this body, but when he held her tightly, she felt no relief, and there was no pity in his eyes.

It's the same body, but the eyes are different. The man in her dream, though she couldn't see his face, would protect her in every way, unlike now, when he's indifferent and lets Xiao Junqi hurt her.

She said calmly, "Don't look at me like that. You are not him. If Xiao Junqi lays a hand on me, I will not let him off the hook either."

Sheng Jingche paused, looked into Gu Youan's eyes, and reached out to stroke her face, saying, "He is a prince, and this is the inner palace. Don't act impulsively."

Gu Youan pushed Sheng Jingche away and said, "If you've come here today to lecture me, then please leave. It's the middle of the night, and if outsiders find out, it might tarnish your reputation."

Gu Youan pushed the door open forcefully, and the cold air from outside instantly entered the room. She pulled her clothes tighter and said, "Please leave. This is my boudoir. Although you are my fiancé, we are not yet married."

Having left Dayong, she spoke with less arrogance. In Dayong, she had no one to rely on. If Sheng Jingche allowed Xiao Junqi to harm her, she would be powerless to protect herself. Suddenly, she walked up to Xiao Junqi, reached out and put a pill into his mouth. Sheng Jingche reached out to stop her, and Gu Youan smiled coldly and said, "Are you that afraid I'll poison him?"

Sheng Jingche awkwardly withdrew his hand and said, "I was just afraid you would get hurt!"

Gu Youan smiled dismissively and said, "If it weren't for you, I would have run away with Ye Qingchen long ago."

Sheng Jingche picked up Xiao Junqi and said, "I will never let him hurt you again."

A gust of wind swept past the doorway, and Gu Youan was stunned for a moment. Ye Qingchen emerged from the shadows, and Gu Youan smiled gently and said, "The harem of this Sheng Kingdom is truly interesting."

Ye Qingchen felt a chilly wind behind him. He lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Miss, please let Young Master Sheng go."

Gu Youan looked up at the trees in front of her. Her eyes were bright and dark, sweeping away the gloom from before and leaving her with a desire to conquer.

The unconscious fifth princess was the key to the whole incident, and Gu Youan had a bold idea in mind.

"Tomorrow you and I will go to Fuxiang Palace to investigate the truth of the matter."

"Miss, Fuxiang Palace is heavily guarded, I'm afraid..."