A light kiss

When Jiang Mian returned from the front yard, she was pale. She never imagined that she would be involved in a power struggle.

"Miss, have a cup of tea." Wanxing suddenly appeared. Jiang Mian was in a state of confusion, so she picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's late, Miss, you should rest early." Wanxing made the bed, extinguished the candles, and then left.

Jiang Mian lay on the bed, her mind wide open, not sleepy at all. In the past, when she couldn't sleep, it was because she would think about things that had happened in the past. But now, it was because of her worries about the uncertain future.

The fragrance of sandalwood wafts through the air, and a deep sense of weariness washes over you.

Before she could think any further, she fell into a deep sleep. Just past 7 PM, all was quiet, the moonlight was covered by clouds, and there was no light in the room.

A soft footstep suddenly sounded, the door opened and closed again, and the woman on the bed fell into a deep sleep, completely unaware of what was happening. The dark figure standing in front of the bed was looking down at her.

A moment later, the figure extinguished the incense and candles, revealing an extremely handsome face—it was Shen Ji.

It has been one month and three days since we parted ways that day.

She left without hesitation, but in doing so, she also found herself in another predicament.

Shen Ji slowly squatted down, his fingertips unable to resist touching her, his hair gently brushing aside. The face that repeatedly appeared in his dreams made his heart ache whenever he thought of it.

“Mian’er…”

Only when she couldn't see him could he reveal such a humble and tender helplessness.

She said his affections were a shackle.

He doesn't understand love at all.

If he didn't understand, how could he have believed her clumsy lies time and time again, knowing full well that she had ulterior motives, yet still allowing her to get close to him?

Jiang Mian, who was asleep, was unaware of what was happening and could not sense that there was suddenly someone in the room. She subconsciously moved her face to the side, and it fell right into his palm.

Shen Ji smiled and gently touched her brow with his lips.

This was an extremely restrained kiss, completely different from his usual forceful and domineering approach. He gently pressed his lips against hers, as if afraid of startling her. But such a light touch seemed insufficient, and he couldn't help himself. His lips slowly moved downwards, and suddenly, the girl's brow furrowed slightly.

Shen Ji stopped, as if his heart had been lifted.

Even though he knew she wouldn't wake up, he was still somewhat flustered.

A moment later, he stepped back half a step, extinguished the calming incense in the room, and left quietly.

The next day, Jiang Mian felt weak all over when she woke up. She hadn't done anything yesterday, but she still felt unwell. Last night, she was upset and not sleepy at all, but the moment she lay down, her eyelids suddenly became heavy.

"Miss, breakfast is ready in the small kitchen. Would you like to eat now?" Wan Li appeared outside the door at some point. Jiang Mian turned her head and, for some reason, felt that Wan Li gave her a familiar feeling.

However, she confirmed that she had never seen her before.

"Oh, okay, I'll be right there." The Crown Prince's residence was not like an ordinary household, and she was in such an awkward situation, without a name or status. There were many beauties in the Crown Prince's residence, and she dared not go out. As for the conditions that the Crown Prince had put forward yesterday, she had almost no room to refuse.

For now, we can only take it one step at a time.

"Girl, have more pear soup. It was simmered in the kitchen early this morning, over low heat for two whole hours. It contains shrimp, so it's delicious and very nourishing."

This time it's late-blooming apricot.

Jiang Mian was a little uncomfortable in this environment, so she took the soup spoon from her and ladled out a lot for herself.

**

"Your Highness, are you really going to send a woman of unknown origin into the palace?"

Inside the Crown Prince's study, the advisors couldn't understand Xie Zheng's decision no matter what. His Majesty's illness had come on so suddenly and was likely at a critical stage. Each of the ten women sent to the palace had to be carefully selected, and their family backgrounds had to be useful to His Highness.

But Jiang Mian, whose origins were unknown, was an unexpected surprise.

"Don't rush, take a look at this."

Xie Zheng raised an eyebrow and handed over the letter beside him. The advisor was puzzled, but after reading it in three lines at a glance, he suddenly stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"she is……"

Xie Zheng took a leisurely sip of tea. To be honest, he was quite surprised when Shadow discovered this information. That palace secret from back then, if used well, could have been his sharpest sword.

This relates to Princess Xunyang's decision to become a nun more than forty years ago.

Forty years ago, Princess Xunyang was His Majesty's most beloved daughter. Because of her unparalleled beauty in the capital, she was pursued by many talented young men after she came of age. However, Xunyang was arrogant and did not care about the people in the capital. Instead, when she traveled south, she met a scholar and became pregnant.

When a princess committed such a disgraceful act, it not only brought shame to the royal family but also disgusted the people of the world. The emperor secretly sent someone to execute the scholar and forced Xunyang to have an abortion. Afterward, he arranged a marriage for her with the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong.

However, on their wedding night, Xunyang confessed that she had never had an abortion and threatened to kill herself, asking the prince to keep her secret. The prince had loved Xunyang for many years and could not bear to see his beloved suffer such a torment, so he was willing to humble himself and keep the secret for her.

Thus, Xunyang successfully gave birth to a baby girl. Unexpectedly, the affair was exposed, and the Marquis of Zhongyong discovered it and begged the Emperor for an explanation. Helpless, the Emperor had no choice but to issue an edict for the two to divorce and promised the Marquis of Zhongyong a promotion and a higher rank.

The die was cast, and everyone thought the matter would be over. After all, the princess was of noble status, and even if she had betrayed the crown prince, she was still the emperor's beloved daughter. However, on the princess's way back to the palace, bad news came from the Marquis's mansion: the crown prince had passed away due to a heart ailment.

Marquis Zhongyong, deeply concerned for his son, filed a petition with the emperor, threatening to commit suicide to expose the scandal. This shameful affair was finally revealed to the public, causing the emperor great distress. At this very moment, Xunyang learned of the scholar's death and was devastated. Meanwhile, the newborn girl, due to inadequate care, also perished.

Rumors circulated that the Emperor had secretly sent someone to handle the matter in order to appease the Marquis of Zhongyong's grief over the loss of his son. At the same time, the Emperor promised that the Marquis of Zhongyong's title would be hereditary and even exceptionally granted him the title of Prince of He'an. This was the Emperor's way of expressing his guilt towards his court officials.

Marquis Zhongyong knew when to stop and did not sue the princess anymore. At this moment, Xunyang was overwhelmed with grief and despair, so he turned away from the world and went into the temple. From then on, the past glories and troubles had nothing to do with Miaozhu.

Xie Zheng never expected that the baby girl hadn't died, but had been sent away by Xun Yang.

Very few records have been passed down from the palace, but when Xie Zheng was young, he was playful and once accidentally ran into the former bedroom of Princess Xunyang, where he found a portrait of the princess.

He had never seen such a beautiful and extraordinary woman before, and he could roughly understand why she had attracted so many talented young men in the capital.

The first time he saw Jiang Mian, he felt that there was something vaguely familiar about her.

Now that I think about it carefully, Jiang Mian looks almost exactly like Xun Yang back then. With such a face to help him succeed, I believe that if used well, it will definitely become his most crucial help in the future.

"Your Highness wants her to obtain the military defense map, but what if the events of that year are discovered after she enters the palace? If she loses control, wouldn't that be a loss for you?"

The advisors were shocked to learn of this past, but then they thought that His Highness had gone to great lengths to send her to the palace, so he must have made sure that he could keep her in check.

As expected, Xie Zheng curled his lips, a sinister glint appearing in his eyes.

"No matter how high a kite flies, it won't last if you don't hold the string in your hand."

The advisors understood that although Xie Zheng seemed absurd and nonsensical, he was decisive and a man of his word. They were never worried that he would leave himself no way out.

"What does Your Highness wish to do?"

"No rush. The current Empress Dowager was once Xunyang's personal tutor. I heard that every year on that day, the Empress Dowager prays for blessings in the palace. It would be interesting if she appeared in front of the Empress Dowager."

Xie Zheng revealed a meaningful smile. Everyone said that he loved beautiful women and was licentious, but they did not know that beneath his handsome and absurd appearance lay a heart that was so cruel that it was numb.

A cold wind was blowing, and the doors and windows were suddenly blown open by the wind. The weather was not good today, and it was snowing lightly outside. Jiang Mian sat in the house, and suddenly her eyes became a little sore.

When I was little, my mother would sew me a very warm winter coat every time it snowed. After my mother passed away, my grandmother took me in and provided me with the best of everything. However, my grandmother passed away that winter.

Jiang Mian's eyes were a little blurry. Wan Li relit the charcoal brazier, turned around and saw Jiang Mian's sad expression. She pursed her lips and stepped forward: "Miss, are you missing your family?"

Although she knew Xie Zheng had ill intentions, the two maids he sent were very warm and attentive to her. Jiang Mian wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes and smiled slightly at her.

Wanli hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and comforted her, "I've heard that if you really miss your loved ones, you can write your blessings and thoughts on a silk ribbon and tie it high up on a tree. If the wind blows it away, it will carry your words to your deceased relatives."

Jiang Mian was amused. She wasn't a three-year-old child, so she naturally didn't believe in these unfounded things. But Wan Li meant well; perhaps she saw that Jiang Mian was bored every day and came up with this idea to distract her.

However, she really couldn't continue to be depressed.

Practicing calligraphy can calm one's mind, especially in such a snowy scene. As she picked up her brush, many memories suddenly came to mind. After hesitating for a moment, she wrote her thoughts of her mother and grandmother on a silk handkerchief. After finishing, she looked at the inkstone and her gaze froze.

Suddenly, he remembered the days half a year ago when she was locked up by Shen Ji. He was afraid she would be bored and annoyed, so he often gave her little trinkets to cheer her up.

One day, he acquired a fine inkstone. Seeing that her handwriting was crooked, he personally ground the ink for her and taught her to read and write.

Jiang Mian lowered her eyes, a slight sadness rising in her heart telling her that she couldn't dwell on the past.

If Shen Ji hadn't forced her, perhaps she would have truly fallen in love with him. Unfortunately, his personality was too obsessive; he forbade her to speak with strange men or go out. He only acted according to his own will, but his behavior disregarded her feelings.

Moreover, she couldn't be with Shen Ji, otherwise she would have no face to face her maternal grandmother. Her grandmother regarded Shen Ji as her most precious child, her most outstanding grandson. If her grandmother knew about her past with Shen Ji, she probably wouldn't forgive her easily.

Jiang Mian knew she wasn't a kind person. In the past, she had boldly seduced Shen Ji in order to control her own destiny. Now, she had to make plans for herself.

She doesn't necessarily want to climb the social ladder; what she needs from beginning to end is to take control of her own destiny.

No one could hold an umbrella for her forever, so she started looking for opportunities for herself.

Entering the palace to work for Xie Zheng is a perilous path, but who knows, there might be a chance for survival in this desperate situation.

She is not a person who wallows in self-pity.

She has been looking for opportunities.

"Have you finished writing, Miss?" Wanli approached unnoticed. "Then I'll go find a ladder and tie this red silk high up. Your longing will surely reach your loved ones."

Jiang Mian smiled and looked at Wan Li's unwavering expression. She didn't say anything, but watched Wan Li bustling around, her movements nimble and efficient.

At night, Jiang Mian suddenly felt thirsty and got up to get some water.

Through the slightly ajar window, a glimpse revealed that the silk handkerchief tied to the tree seemed to have vanished.

Wanli's words echoed in my mind. Could it really be that strange?

"Young lady, what are you looking for?"

The sudden sound startled Jiang Mian. She turned around and saw Wan Li carrying a lantern, appearing under the eaves.

"I...it's nothing." Jiang Mian was still surprised. She had checked several times just now, and the ribbon was indeed gone.

"It's getting late, Miss, you should go to bed early." Wanli blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness. Jiang Mian clutched her pounding heart.

There are no strange powers or supernatural beings in this world; it must have just been blown away by the wind.