Chapter 117

Her warm lips touched his cool cheek, and Xie Sui'an suddenly paused. Qin Sang turned around and looked at him, finding the stiff man even more adorable. Her gaze quickly fell on his soft pink lips, and before he could react, she leaned in and kissed him again.

It started as a fleeting, light touch; she pressed against him and kissed him haphazardly, finding him incredibly cool and refreshingly pleasant. But moments later, his tongue took over, parting her lips and probing inside...

Their lips met, their tenderness and affection causing Qin Sang's face to flush red and her back to tense.

The other person's hand unconsciously touched the back of his head, making the two of them appear even closer... The movements didn't seem as clumsy as usual, but rather a little reserved.

However, his initial awkwardness was short-lived. He quickly mastered the technique, weaving all his suppressed, liking, restrained, and heartbroken emotions into the kiss. Qin Sang was so overwhelmed by the kiss that she almost couldn't breathe. She couldn't help but gently push him away, and he finally released her, panting. But they only parted by half an inch, their foreheads and noses almost touching.

His voice was low and hoarse, and after a long while he chuckled softly, suppressing his smile, and said, "I told you you liked me."

Qin Sang blushed, but she was very happy. She touched his face and gently hummed in agreement, "A little."

Xie Sui'an raised his eyes in dissatisfaction, looking at him with a wronged expression: "Only a little?"

Qin Sang: "..."

Xie Sui'an stared at the somewhat bewildered Qin Sang with his clear black and white eyes. Seeing her flushed cheeks and alluring gaze, he couldn't help but smile. He then said, "Just a little is enough." With that, he lowered his head and kissed her again, still wanting more.

After that long, lingering kiss, both of them seemed to be filled with something, and they naturally embraced each other, holding all the hesitation and regret of unrequited love into their arms. As if afraid that she would disappear at any moment, he held her slender body tightly with both hands.

But reality is different. The reality before us is like an invisible rope gradually weaving into a net, tightening around us like a punishment after the passion, leaving us feeling uneasy.

Xie Sui'an gently placed his chin on her shoulder, remaining motionless, having already considered all possible escape routes in his mind.

In fact, Qin Sang was the same.

She said, "I won't marry Prince Ning'an. I can cooperate with him, but I don't have to actually marry him." She swallowed the rest of her sentence—he wasn't fortunate enough to be her husband—and then looked at Xie Sui'an with her big, bright eyes and blinked.

Xie Sui'an raised an eyebrow: "Oh, so how do you plan to cooperate with him? Don't tell me it's a fake marriage."

"Hey, how did you know?"

"…………"

Xie Sui'an lowered his head, seemingly finding Qin Sang's peculiar way of thinking extremely difficult to comprehend. After a long while, he raised his head and said, "If he wins the struggle for the throne, you will be the Empress or a concubine, and you will either die or die of old age... I don't think he will let you leave easily. You are marrying him now, representing our Xie family in this marriage alliance. Once your relationship breaks down, what will those who follow my grandfather think of him? Ungrateful? Crossing the river and burning the bridge?"

Qin Sang stared intently at Xie Sui'an, and for some reason, she suddenly felt that in this short period of time, this young man had shed all his outward sharpness and become more reserved, calm, and thoughtful.

Perhaps it was the sudden change in his family, or perhaps it was Xie Xiao's betrayal, but whatever happened during this period made him grow up quickly. He could no longer be called a boy; he should be said to have become a strong and upright man.

She said, "So what are your thoughts? By openly flirting with the future Princess Ning'an, or rather, the future Imperial Concubine, do you not want to live anymore?"

Xie Sui'an grinned: "In this chaos, who can guarantee their life will survive? We're all just a bunch of gamblers."

He reached out and tidied Qin Sang's slightly disheveled hair: "You don't need to worry about this. Just stay home and recover. I'll take care of the rest."

"Don't tell me you're going to find one of your older sisters to marry in my place..." Qin Sang reached out and grabbed him.

Xie Sui'an smiled gently and placed her hand over hers: "No."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and a voice knocked softly twice, saying in a low voice, "Miss?"

Qin Sang looked in that direction: "What is it?"

A lonely voice rang out: "The First Madam is here to see you. She will be entering the courtyard soon. This servant will come in to serve you."

Qin Sang frowned slightly, wondering why this person had to come at this particular time of year, and looked at Xie Sui'an with displeasure.

Seeing her like this, Xie Sui'an was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling: "I'll come to see you later. My mother has people watching me all day, so I have to go back early. Otherwise, she'll get suspicious, and it will be even harder for me to come out and see you." After saying that, he reached out and stroked her cheek, then lightly kissed her lips, and gracefully turned and left through the back window.

Qin Sang stared at the window that had been silently lowered again, finding it quite amusing. She, a dignified female immortal, had to be so secretive about her love affair. She couldn't help but sigh, but at the same time, she called for Lingding to come in.

The door creaked open, and Lingding entered, only to stare blankly at her daughter for a moment.

Qin Sang asked with a smile, "What are you daydreaming about? Didn't you say the First Madam was coming? Come on, help me get up, wash and dress to welcome our distinguished guest."

"You should wash up, and wash up properly, but I'm not some honored guest." Wang Huiwen's voice entered the bedroom before Qin Sang could hear it. Qin Sang looked in the direction of the voice and saw the matriarch of the Xie family smiling gently as she lifted the curtain and entered, bringing with her the fragrance of autumn osmanthus and a light sandalwood scent.

She gestured for Qin Sang not to get up, walked to the bedside, pressed her shoulders to make her lie down, and then began to look her up and down.

"You've lost a lot of weight and your face is pale. Oh, look at the poor thing. You're always running around outside, I don't know what you're busy with. Life outside is not peaceful. You're a young lady, you shouldn't go out and cause trouble anymore." As she spoke, she turned around and beckoned to the maids. Several maids stood in front of the bed with a row of carved rosewood jewelry boxes, and opened them one by one.

"Let the men meddle in their affairs. Who says women can't do great things in the inner palace?" Wang Huiwen reached into the nearest box and took out a white jade hairpin. She held it up to Qin Sang's head as she spoke. "I know what you're thinking, but it's no use thinking about it. Do you think you can get to the bottom of what you want to investigate just by dragging Xie Er along? You've been in the capital for a while now, and the waters here are probably getting muddier the more you try to get in, aren't they?"

Wang Huiwen then took a string of ruby ​​necklaces and held it up to Qin Sang's forehead, making the girl's skin appear even whiter. She gestured to the left and right, and then beckoned for someone to bring her earrings.

Qin Sang looked up and felt that these jewels and gold ornaments were not ordinary. The materials and workmanship of each piece were top-notch. She wondered what Wang Huiwen wanted to do with them.

Wang Huiwen gestured for a while, then had someone bring out a gorgeous dress that was clearly unusual in style.

"The princess's dress." Wang Huiwen said calmly, turning around to examine the dress closely, her eyes flashing with complex emotions. "So many people want to wear this dress, but they don't have the chance."

She turned her head back and looked at Qin Sang carefully again, her eyes revealing the usual loving expression, but with an added layer of deep pity.

Suddenly, her tone softened, and she patted Qin Sang's hand affectionately: "In this world, fortune and misfortune are always intertwined. What others see as glamorous is only known to the person experiencing it..."

She stopped abruptly, pursing her lips, and then waved her hand, dismissing all the maids.

From the moment she entered, Wang Huiwen had been rambling on and on, spouting words of earnest advice and tender affection, seemingly without any beginning or end or logic. But Qin Sang could see through her charade and finally, taking advantage of a moment when the maids had left, asked, "Am I going to see someone? To the palace to see the Emperor?"

Wang Huiwen did not answer, but looked at her with affection, yet his gaze seemed to penetrate Qin Sang's skeleton and look at someone else.

A moment later, her nose turned slightly red and her eyes seemed to well up with tears. She gently reached out and lovingly stroked Qin Sang's face with her fingertips, saying softly, "You look just like your mother and your sister."

Qin Sang was slightly taken aback.

Wang Huiwen continued without changing his expression: "My father made up a lot of twists and turns about your origins, but I knew who you were the moment I saw you. I just couldn't say it or admit it."

Qin Sang finally understood why she had suddenly become emotional; it turned out that she had a private relationship with the protagonist's mother.

No wonder she, a girl from the countryside, was not treated with the slightest grievance when she entered the inner quarters of this wealthy family. She was served good food and drink every day, instructed by the nanny, and the servants did not bully or mistreat her in the slightest.

While the Prime Minister himself sent people to bring her back, there were countless shady dealings within the inner quarters. If the mistress of the inner quarters hadn't been protecting her, how could she have such a peaceful life?

If you can't say it or admit it, then why did you suddenly say you admitted it now? Qin Sang stared at her.

Wang Huiwen couldn't help but feel sad when she recalled the past. She took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears: "You should have lived well, lived well for your family, and never come back. But since you came back and even investigated in secret, I can't stop you. You want revenge, you want to overturn the case, and there are so many things to do, but do you know how dangerous the road ahead is?"

Qin Sang: "...Um...I know."

“You know…you know…” Wang Huiwen choked up, “…then aren’t you afraid?”

"Are you scared?" Qin Sang asked back.

In such a turbulent court situation, a large family caught in the vortex of interests and power could not escape unscathed. They could either continue to enjoy wealth and maintain their position at the pinnacle of power, or be wiped out and disappear without a trace. If they failed, not even a dog of the Xie family would be spared.

“Of course I’m scared, how could I not be? But what’s the use of being scared? This is not something we can choose.” Wang Huiwen’s lips trembled almost imperceptibly, but she quickly regained her composure and smile. “You guessed right, a message came from Prince Ning’an that you will all be going to the palace to express your gratitude in two days.”

Qin Sang's eyes widened slightly: "So fast?"

Wang Huiwen was also taken aback for a moment.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just a bit sudden." Qin Sang was more composed than Wang Huiwen. She didn't really have any feelings for him anyway; while his earlier display of deep affection was touching, she couldn't truly empathize and didn't bother pretending to be heartbroken. The only slightly troublesome thing right now was that, because of Xie Sui'an, she didn't want to marry Prince Ning'an.

Although she didn't want to get married, she hadn't figured out a specific way to deal with it in the rush, so she was a little surprised that she was about to meet the emperor.