Chapter 5: Confessing I'm Actually a Time Traveler

Zhao Liangxu lowered her eyes and reasoned with him, appealing to his emotions: "Eunuch An, as you know, I am now just a commoner who has lost my family and home. The title of 'Princess Zhao' that you speak of is nothing but a title that exists in name only. After the fall of the country, I had nowhere to go and could only keep fleeing. But how can a weak woman like me protect herself in this chaotic world? I am nothing more than a expendable object in your power struggles."

"I was dragged to the dilapidated temple by those villains and they committed violence ten days ago. Zhou Feng discovered my evil intentions and sent me to you ten days ago as well. In less than a day, even if Zhou Feng wanted to order me to find or do something in this mansion, I have no ties and no worries. What can he offer me to make me risk my life for him?"

Zhao Liangxu spoke sincerely. After all, the original owner's family members were the royal family of Northern Zhou. Now, some were dead, some had fled, and even if there were any royal family members who survived, they were not close to the original owner. Zhao Liangxu had no reason to seek them out or protect them.

Furthermore, her brothers and sisters are currently nothing more than enemies of Southern Zhou, and Zhou Feng would probably be the first to take them down once he discovers them.

"Oh? Princess Zhao has no attachments? Doesn't Princess Zhao care about her own life? To live and work for Zhou Feng is a perfectly legitimate reason."

An He sneered. What Zhao Liangxu said wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't the whole story. The most likely deal she made with Zhou Feng was her own life, and...

“That old woman found out about your condition a few days ago. What if it’s just something you’ve been faking? I don’t know where you were ten days ago. Maybe you were already hiding in the Prime Minister’s mansion, colluding with him.”

To survive, a person can do the most drastic things.

He had served as a eunuch in the palace for many years, holding the lowest position in the court. Of course, he had seen many people do ruthless things in order to survive.

Ultimately, if you harden your heart, everything else is just material possessions.

Ah, he knew it all too well.

Zhao Liangxu really couldn't explain where she was ten days ago, since only she knew that she had fled alone and that she was the only one who knew her whereabouts.

“I cannot prove the truth of what I said. Only Zhou Feng knows that what I said is true, but you, Eunuch An, will certainly not believe him.”

Seeing that Zhao Liangxu had also admitted it and had nothing more to say, An He's face showed a victorious smile. In the past, he would have executed someone like Zhao Liangxu by now.

But now he had something more he was curious about. He rolled his eyes a few times and said, "I don't think you have anything to prove it. Let's put those aside for now. I'd like to ask, Princess Zhao has become much more mature and composed these days."

“As I see it, Princess Zhao is calm and composed now, completely unlike the lively, outspoken, and cowardly Princess Zhao of the past.”

An He spoke these words carefully, staring intently at Zhao Liangxu's expression, watching her expressions change with great interest.

Even Zhao Liangxu's pupils contracted slightly after hearing An He's words.

She hadn't expected An He to be so perceptive. Even though An He hadn't actually met Zhao Liangxu many times before, and logically he wasn't familiar with her, he had still noticed the change in Zhao Liangxu's personality during their brief interactions.

Zhao Liangxu explained calmly, "I haven't met Eunuch An many times, so it's understandable that Eunuch An misunderstands me. As a hostage in a foreign country, I should be cautious in my dealings with others. If others think I'm overthinking things, it will only make my situation more difficult. Don't you agree, Eunuch An?"

The implication was that her true nature was as she appeared now, and the impressions others had of her were merely a facade. Ultimately, the interpretation rested with her, and Anhe had no idea what she truly thought.

An He naturally did not miss Zhao Liangxu's subtle changes in expression. He rested his chin on his right hand and tapped the table rhythmically with his left hand.

"Does Princess Zhao really think we don't know you? Perhaps Princess Zhao has forgotten that five years ago she was also an exceptionally arrogant and domineering person."

Anhe paused for a moment, leaving Zhao Liangxu to react: "Back then, you punished our family quite severely."

An He narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhao Liangxu like a venomous snake. He was definitely not a good person. An He remembered every single person who had bullied him when he was down on his luck. He had deeply imprinted those unbearable words and the pain he had endured in his memory. As he climbed little by little to the top of power, none of those people could escape.

“Princess Zhao probably doesn’t understand how I got to this position over the years. If I don’t even know Princess Zhao’s character, then I’m afraid I’ve been sitting in this position of Grand Eunuch for nothing.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Liangxu knew that An He definitely had some doubts about her, and even believed some things.

No matter how she explains now, the other party probably won't believe her anymore.

In fact, she could insist that her changes were simply due to the many things she had experienced, and Anhe had nothing to say about it. But insisting on this would only anger Anhe, and the outcome would be predictable.

Moreover, Zhao Liangxu was feeling somewhat distressed; if she continued to pretend to be someone else, it would put a great burden on her mental health.

Having a second chance at life shouldn't be a stifling experience.

She already had a bold idea in her mind.

Zhao Liangxu stopped arguing and relaxed slightly before saying, "Yes, Eunuch An, I am not Zhao Liangxu, but I am also Zhao Liangxu."

Zhao Liangxu knelt casually on the ground, no longer in the tense state she had been just now, and said something irrelevant in a slightly relaxed tone.

What does "yes and no" mean?

An He noticed that Zhao Liangxu was somewhat different, and he asked her the question she had asked:

"Oh? Could it be that you are someone with the same name? But how can there be two people with the same name and the same appearance? You're not trying to fool us, are you?"

He became somewhat interested, so he stood up and walked to Zhao Liangxu, staring at her from above.

"Then Zhao Liangxu, tell me properly, what kind of person are you? If you tell me in a way that pleases me, I might consider forgiving you for impersonating Princess Zhao and deceiving me."

Zhao Liangxu suddenly found it very funny that her life was so easily in An He's hands, and she had to try to please him to save her life. This subtle feeling made her very irritated.

She shouldn't beg for her life at Anhe's hands in such a humiliating way, so she nonchalantly tugged at Anhe's sleeve, looked directly at him, and whispered her request:

"If you want to hear a story, you should act like you want to hear a story. Why don't you ask Eunuch An to condescend to sit down and listen?"

Such presumptuous words and actions should have angered him, but looking into Zhao Liangxu's eyes, which held a faint smile, he realized that this Zhao Liangxu didn't seem to care too much about her own life anymore. She was completely different from the person who exuded a will to live ten days ago, which was truly surprising.

As if guided by a ghost, An He sat down by the force of the hem of his clothes, looking directly at Zhao Liangxu.

He had barely sat down when he realized what was happening. He pulled the hem of his shirt out of Zhao Liangxu's hand and frowned, his voice hoarse, "You really don't know any manners."

Seeing An He, who had just been all smiles, being dragged to the ground and then instantly changing her expression, Zhao Liangxu remarked, "You really are unpredictable."

Then Anhe's face visibly darkened. He must be crazy to tolerate Zhao Liangxu's overstepping of bounds just to hear some vague and unfounded stories.

An He tried to stand up and then had Zhang Sheng, who was waiting outside, drag Zhao Liangxu out. Zhao Liangxu grabbed An He's sleeve again: "Eunuch An, you're leaving before you've even heard anything? Are you going to kill me in a fit of anger?"

Before An He could vent his anger further, Zhao Liangxu began to talk about herself.

"My name is Zhao Liangxu, but I accidentally used Princess Zhao's body. Or rather, it was another Zhao Liangxu's soul that occupied this Princess Zhao's body."

"Isn't it terrifying? Do you think I'm some vengeful spirit possessing Princess Zhao?"

"Oh, you believe in ghosts and monsters? Maybe I'm one of those wandering spirits, here to take the lives of the living."

Zhao Liangxu smiled faintly; such words, spoken in such a feudal and superstitious ancient society, would have been enough to frighten a group of people.

An He was indeed startled by those words. He did not try to get up again, but looked at Zhao Liangxu with suspicion, trying to find traces of her lying.

But no.

She acted as if it were perfectly normal.

As someone in a position of power, Anhe knew that many supernatural tales were merely maneuvers orchestrated by others to achieve their goals.

This kind of thing is nothing more than a thought. If you do something wrong, you will naturally be afraid of ghosts and pray for forgiveness from gods and Buddhas.

But he did wonder if some evil spirit had possessed Zhao Liangxu, causing her personality to change so drastically.

Hearing Zhao Liangxu say it herself now, he found it both absurd and perfectly reasonable.

Zhao Liangxu glanced at An He's expression, and a faint smile gradually spread across her face, overshadowing her usual indifferent and calm demeanor.