Yinyin, is this fair?

Lin Huaiyin spoke of the kingfisher feather hairpin.

Before Xiao Zhian's eyes appeared the Reception Hall of Shengshui Temple, with its faint green light.

The Buddha of Guidance, a glass lamp, and a kingfisher feather hairpin.

She was enshrining a hairpin in the small temple, and the maidservant Xie'ao protected it like a wolfhound, refusing to let her touch it. It turned out it was because of that man.

That man was so cunning; he took her personal belongings without explaining why, which made her unable to forget him even after being reborn.

A scheming man.

Xiao Zhian scoffed.

"What's with that expression?" Lin Huaiyin caught his disdain.

"I think he took your hairpin perhaps to curry favor with Pingyang, who has always liked green objects," Xiao Zhian said, his expression unchanged as he subtly soured his tongue.

“How could that be?” Lin Huaiyin didn’t believe it. “You were in prison at the time, and you probably wouldn’t have been able to see Princess Pingyang at all.”

"So he's stubborn and unrepentant, and not worth your time at all."

Xiao Zhian didn't care at all that the man was imprisoned. He hugged him tightly, emphasizing his own presence, and said, "I'm different. I'll always stand by your side. Yinyin, you're tired. I'll help you bathe and we'll discuss how to deal with Pingyang—"

"No." Lin Huaiyin pressed down on Xiao Zhian's hand pulling on his belt, her eyes darkening.

Since her rebirth, besides revenge, the only thing Lin Huaiyin can't let go of is the fate of the Crown Prince in her previous life.

What is Your Highness's intention in taking the kingfisher feather hairpin?

She disobeyed His Highness's arrangements and recklessly confronted Shen Congyun, missing the opportunity for the bookstore to contact Mu Zhanjuan. Did this ruin His Highness's chance to turn the tide, cause the Crown Prince's irreversible defeat, or even drive him to the brink of despair...?

Did the kingfisher feather hairpin bear witness to His Highness's final escape from being humiliated by Shen Congyun... a bloody dignity... a tragic situation orchestrated by Lin Huaiyin...?

This is another nightmare that haunts Lin Huaiyin. Unlike Shen Congyun, who used her to destroy the Lin family, Lin Huaiyin has long since shed her burdens and refuses to take the blame for the villain.

However, His Highness the Crown Prince truly saved her life and freed her, but she betrayed his trust and affected his plans. Lin Huaiyin could not deny this, and the consequences were unbearable.

She had to find out the fate of the crown prince in her past life. Even if she could never truly understand it in this life or the next, she had to at least get as close as possible. Apart from Xiao Zhian, she had no one else to ask.

With a light touch of her small hand, Xiao Zhian assumed Lin Huaiyin was just being shy and continued to lift the silk to examine the floral knot on her skirt.

"I said no." Lin Huaiyin pressed down on the flower knot, preventing him from untying it. "You believe what I say, and of course I believe you'll join me in dealing with Princess Pingyang. But I really want to know His Highness's purpose in taking the jade hairpin. Zhi'an, consider this a reward for telling you everything without reservation. Help me think, His Highness wouldn't be—"

The delicate, white fingers slowly moved from her chest to her throat. Lin Huaiyin swallowed hard. The candlelight flickered and trembled in her pupils, as if she were imprisoned in autumn eyes, the flame cold and the candle lonely, unable to break free, trembling with desolation.

Lin Huaiyin choked up for a long time before asking the only guess she could think of—"Did His Highness use my hairpin to… to…"

“Impossible.” Xiao Zhian said firmly.

Lin Huaiyin pursed her thin white lips, her face pale and as she looked at Xiao Zhian's face, her pupils revealing the kind of look that sees through him and looks at others.

She thought of other men in front of Xiao Zhi'an, and she became even more blatant and undisguised. She not only thought about them, but also missed them, felt heartbroken, and wished that Xiao Zhi'an was the white-robed prince in the imperial prison, so that she could ask him in person and he could answer her personally.

Her thoughts soared to the heavens.

She drifted towards another man.

Xiao Zhian really wanted to pinch Lin Huaiyin's chin, to pinch her until she woke up.

pinch.

Thinking this, Xiao Zhian couldn't help but pinch a soft spot on her chin, lift his face, and wait until Lin Huaiyin's pupils regained their starlight before saying, "You said he's in the imperial prison, what else could he do with a hairpin? Of course, he'd pry open the prison door, escape, and make a comeback."

Hearing this, Lin Huaiyin felt a surge of warmth and comfort. However, she quickly shook her head, "The situation at that time was beyond saving. His Highness was imprisoned for patricide and regicide. How could he possibly make a comeback?"

“Of course, it’s because the Lin family still exists.” Xiao Zhian replied without hesitation.

Lin Huaiyin immediately corrected, "But the Lin family has already—"

"It's not that easy." Xiao Zhian shook his head, smiling contemptuously: "Loyalty and righteousness are timeless. Even if the Lin family bloodline is gone, as long as the Yuan Cong Imperial Guards remain, the Lin family's will to be loyal to the emperor and protect the country will remain. If it were just a matter of deposing the crown prince and imprisoning him, perhaps the Yuan Cong Imperial Guards would be fooled and tacitly allow Pingyang and Shen Congyun to ascend to the throne. But if the crown prince and the Lin family perish together, how can the Imperial Guards sit idly by and wait for their doom? Unless all 100,000 Imperial Guards are wiped out, Pingyang and Shen Congyun will never have a peaceful day."

Xiao Zhian's eloquence was based on the sincere bond between the Lin family and the Yuan Cong Imperial Guard, a bond passed down through two hundred years of bloodline. It was reasonable, well-founded, and plausible.

Very likely.

Especially since Lin Huaiyin fought alongside them in this life, the Imperial Guards were seasoned veterans, all passionate men who could distinguish right from wrong, and were bound by a deep bond of life and death; their understanding was unspoken. They would never believe in any talk of the Lin family's rebellion or misfortune; they would definitely take action.

Xiao Zhian is right.

Lin Huaiyin was deeply shaken. The tangled mess in her heart, the dark cloud of fear that had killed the Crown Prince in her previous life, gradually dissipated, and her gaze once again revealed Xiao Zhian's face.

Yinyin is back. Xiao Zhian enjoys Lin Huaiyin's gaze, enjoys the fact that she only has his face in her eyes and worships his wisdom. His fingers and brain have already completely dissected Lin Huaiyin and swallowed her whole. On the surface, he desperately suppresses his smile and pretends to be calm.

It should have been like this long ago, Yinyin should have been like this long ago. In her eyes and heart, there was only him. Xiao Zhian was extremely proud. With his silver tongue, he easily won Yinyin back.

Previously, Xiao Zhian didn't understand why Lin Huaiyin stared at him so intently. He couldn't find a chessboard for a game, nor an opponent for a decisive battle; he could only stare in frustration. Now, he understood Lin Huaiyin's worries and her concern for that man's life or death. Having found the chessboard, making his move was naturally effortless.

First, the man has to be alive; otherwise, if he dies, he will be completely rotten in Yinyin's heart, impossible to dig out or clean up.

Secondly, the man depends on Yinyin's family to survive, so Yinyin is the one who has done the favor. When she thinks of the man, she will not feel indebted. Especially since Yinyin has used the power of "Wild Deer Carrying Flowers" in this life, it is as if she has received his favor. In this way, there is a give and take, and neither of them owes the other anything, so they can break off the relationship cleanly.

Lin Huaiyin was relieved, and Xiao Zhian was happy.

His fingertips traced a path from Lin Huaiyin's chin to her lips, gently caressing them. He leaned down and slowly kissed her lips, then raised his phoenix eyes, which seemed to enjoy stirring things up, and said, "Don't worry about it. While you're racking your brains trying to figure things out by my side, he's probably already ascended the throne, surrounded by three thousand beauties in his harem, and has long forgotten about you."

Xiao Zhian continued to sow discord, determined to possess Lin Huaiyin completely, inside and out.

However, when Lin Huaiyin heard the words "ascend the throne and become emperor, with three thousand beauties," her expression froze, and her sweet lips and warm heart suddenly trembled with cold.

"Xiao Zhian!" Lin Huaiyin shouted angrily.

The crab next door immediately pricked up its ears and pressed them against the wall to listen.

Xiao Zhian was stunned by the shout and didn't dare to move like a little chicken.

Lin Huaiyin slid off the bathtub lid like an eel, jumped up, and pointed at him, yelling, "Fine! Xiao Zhian, you're really something! You blurted out your true feelings, didn't you? With three thousand beauties around, do you think I'm dead?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhian's face was filled with bitterness: "Yinyin, I—"

"What do you mean, 'you'?"

Lin Huaiyin was so angry that she jumped up and down. She looked all over the room but couldn't find a suitable tool. She didn't want to hit Xiao Zhian with her hands, as that would only get her hands dirty.

Xiao Zhian bent down and begged, but she bared her teeth and claws, refusing to let him touch her. Instead, she launched a verbal attack, cursing him: "You have no conscience!"

Xiao Zhian, I killed assassins for you, I took knives for you, I worried about you every moment, and I always indulged you no matter how stupid you were. I told you a long time ago not to get involved, and that I would come to the East Palace to talk to you and make things clear once I was done with my work!

You wouldn't listen to my advice and insisted on jumping, jumping and jumping, trying to stop me! I didn't blame you, I never blamed you, because you're not His Highness the Crown Prince, you don't understand anything, I've forgiven you eight hundred times, do you know that?

I sought revenge, and you stopped me. You kept professing your love for me, knowing full well that Shen Congyun had completely deceived me, yet you still insisted on loving me and wanting to marry me. But behind your back, you were already plotting to plunder women after ascending the throne! You hypocritical bastard, you're even worse than Shen Congyun!

Lin Huaiyin grimaced, her face turning red and her neck thickening.

"Yinyin, I just misspoke, I didn't—" Xiao Zhian weakly interrupted to explain, trying to comfort her with a hug.

"Slip of the tongue? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" Lin Huaiyin shoved Xiao Zhian's hands away, her cat fur bristling and hissing – "You have talent in your heart, but you just blurt it out! I even thought you were somewhat like His Highness the Crown Prince. I thought you would protect me and be good to me like him. Now I'm telling you, you're not like him at all. From head to toe, you don't resemble him in the slightest!"

I am his Crown Princess. I consummated my marriage with him and died pregnant with his child. I will be his Crown Princess for life!

If he were by my side, he would help me take revenge, he would gently protect me, trust me, and I would be his lover, sharing life and death with him. I would be with him for life, one and only. You want three thousand beauties? Fine, go find your three thousand, thirty thousand, whatever you want, I'm not serving you anymore!

Lin Huaiyin angrily cursed, and by the end she was just spewing nonsense, her brain was so congested that she no longer knew what she was saying.

Xiao Zhian, however, had been standing there in a daze for a long time and no longer came over to pry her away.

After being rendered speechless, Lin Huaiyin suddenly snapped out of her daze. Xiao Zhian remained motionless, his expression still that of a humble and ingratiating man when he was coaxing her, but his eyes seemed hollow, as if his soul had been ripped out.

He was tall and imposing, with a deathly pale face and eyelashes casting shadows beneath his eyes. He looked like a precarious peak about to collapse.

Lin Huaiyin had never seen Xiao Zhian like this before.

Was the scolding too harsh? A hint of panic flashed across Lin Huaiyin's eyes. She raised her hand from her sleeve, but couldn't lift it. She didn't know whether she wanted to move away or get closer, or what she wanted to do.

After her outburst of shouting, she felt as if she had emptied herself out, leaving her heart and body feeling completely empty.

He was the one who said he had three thousand women first; he broke his promise. He sought three thousand women, while she only sought one. She wasn't being unreasonable. Lin Huaiyin argued in her mind.

But he was very good to her, extremely good. He was indeed unlike His Highness the Crown Prince; he was Xiao Zhi'an, and he had his own good qualities. Lin Huaiyin's conscience stabbed her in the back.

If he says one more nice word, she'll forgive him. Lin Huaiyin bargained.

Heartless. Lin Huaiyin's conscience closed its eyes.

Lin Huaiyin dug her fingernails into her palm from her sleeve.

To go in or not to go in, that is the question.

Just then, the candlelight flickered and struggled, and the room was dimly lit again. Lin Huaiyin timidly glanced at Xiao Zhian's face. Darkness descended, and a wisp of burnt smell wafted out.

It turned out the candle had gone out.

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Huaiyin's heart. In the dark, he couldn't see her. What if he was afraid of the dark? She had to protect him. Should she—

There was a rustling sound, the sound of fabric rubbing together in the darkness.

It was Zhi'an who admitted his mistake; he couldn't bear to part with her after all. Lin Huaiyin was secretly delighted and reluctantly extended her hand, indicating that she was willing to reconcile.

As expected, Xiao Zhian wrapped his arms around her slender waist, tightened his grip, and, as always, brought his chin close to her ear.

In that case, she could say something nice to coax him.

Lin Huaiyin thought: Let's each take a step back.

"Yinyin." Xiao Zhian spoke first, tightening his arms around her to hold her tightly. His hoarse voice was heart-wrenching, his question weary and broken: "You don't love me, yet you want me to become him, Yinyin, is that fair?"

"I--"

Lin Huaiyin opened her mouth.

Xiao Zhian suddenly let go.

In the darkness, only footsteps could be heard, and the door opened.

With a creak, Xiao Zhian closed the door, recalling the warning he had given himself atop Crane Cry Mountain—never look at her again, never bow down for her.

He was the crown prince, a lonely figure, like the moon in the sky, drifting with the clouds. He was alone, but at least he was at peace.