Chapter 39 I'm afraid His Highness will be taken away.

Seeing that he wasn't moving, Jiang Zhishui assumed he was fast asleep. She half-squatted down to look at him, from his eyebrows to his tightly closed eyes, and then to his individual eyelashes. A slight smile played on her lips as she gently touched his eyelashes with her finger, flicking them once or twice, and whispered with a smile, "How come your eyelashes are so long..."

Jing Qianheng suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed her wrist, and said in a hoarse voice, "Are you ever going to stop?!"

Jiang Zhishui was startled, her legs went weak, and she was about to slip down when Jing Qianheng grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto the bed.

Jing Qianheng stared at her intently. The moonlight outside the window was cold and clear, with a sparse layer of light filtering in.

Jiang Zhishui was being held and stared at intently. Feeling guilty, she looked away and tried to pull her hand away, but the other person held it tightly, gripping it even tighter with each movement.

Jiang Zhishui sat quietly for a while, then couldn't help but look up at him and spoke first: "Your Highness, since you're awake, why are you pretending to be asleep to scare people?"

When Jing Qianheng saw her in the middle of the night, he was still a little dazed. When he heard her speak, he reached out and slowly let go of her hand. Her wrist was red all around.

Jiang Zhishui rubbed her hands, noticing that something was wrong with his expression.

Did he regret it?

After so many days, Jing Qianheng may have thought about it carefully after returning home and decided not to marry her anymore. But he didn't expect her to be so enthusiastic, so he is now in a dilemma and doesn't know how to refuse her.

Although both of them were affected by the curse that day and were somewhat delirious, Jiang Zhishui had also considered that the benefits of their marriage outweighed the drawbacks, and Jing Qianheng should have no reason not to agree.

Unless you really can't accept her?

Jing Qianheng was only wearing an inner garment, with his long hair loose. He got up, took an outer garment from the rack, put it on, and stood not far away with his back to Jiang Zhishui.

Jing Qianheng has been acting strangely since he came back. He has had several dreams that are difficult to talk about.

It was so real, so absurd, that it tormented him and kept him awake for several days.

Seeing that he was standing there obediently, neither speaking nor looking at her, Jiang Zhishui felt that he was avoiding her, so she cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are you angry with me?"

Jing Qianheng fastened his belt, took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped and turned to walk towards Jiang Zhishui.

Jiang Zhishui looked up as he approached, feeling inexplicably flustered. He stood in front of her, staring at her, and Jiang Zhishui quickly stood up and moved to the side.

Jiang Zhishui looked at his expression; he seemed to be struggling.

Just as she was about to ask, Jing Qianheng turned around and rummaged through the cabinet next to him. He opened a box, took something out of it, and handed it to Jiang Zhishui.

—It was a white jade and gold hairpin, somewhat similar to the hairpin she had lost before.

Jiang Li had found the hairpin and given it to her apprentice, Jin'er. Jiang Zhishui thought it looked good on her, so she didn't think about getting it back. Jing Qianheng, however, still remembered that when she woke up in his arms, the first thing she noticed was the hairpin in Jin'er's hair.

Jiang Zhishui asked in surprise, "For me?"

Jing Qianheng carefully observed her expression, afraid that she might not like it.

Jiang Zhishui held the hairpin, glanced up at him, smiled slightly, and handed it to him again, saying, "Help me put it on."

A hairpin was stuffed into Jing Qianheng's hand. Jiang Zhishui took a few steps forward, lowered her head, and assumed a position to let the other person help her insert the hairpin.

Jing Qianheng looked down at the hairpin, his face slightly stunned. He slowly reached out and carefully helped her put the hairpin on, his fingers gently stroking the beads a few times.

Jiang Zhishui looked up and asked him, "Is it pretty?"

Jing Qianheng withdrew his hand, his voice soft: "Beautiful..."

Jiang Zhishui hugged him tightly and said coquettishly, "You even prepared a gift for me? I didn't know. I thought you were angry with me."

Jing Qianheng's breath hitched, his hand hovering stiffly in the air. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away.

The other person nuzzled his chest and groaned, seemingly displeased. Jing Qianheng gently released his hand, which he had half-pushed away.

Jiang Zhishui sensed his compromise, and she looked surprised, suddenly unsure of what to do next.

Before the curse of the Gu poison, he was never easy to approach.

Jiang Zhishui looked up at him. Jing Qianheng's eyes trembled slightly, and he looked helpless. The tips of his ears turned slightly red, and his chest thumped loudly.

The sound of his heartbeat was so loud it made her feel uneasy. Jiang Zhishui pushed him away abruptly, taking several steps back. Her face was burning, and she was momentarily startled and at a loss for what to do.

Jing Qianheng staggered from the push, his expression changing slightly as he looked at Jiang Zhishui with disbelief.

She was the one who barged in at midnight, she was the one who flirted with him, and now she's the one who's frantically pushing him away...

Jiang Zhishui didn't know what was wrong with her. She felt a tightness in her chest, as if she couldn't breathe, and her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

Knowing she looked odd, she laughed awkwardly, "It's so hot in here, Your Highness."

Jiang Zhishui saw that Jing Qianheng's expression was very unpleasant. She turned around to open the window, only to find that the window she had sneaked in through was wide open, letting in a draft.

Jing Qianheng walked to the side and lit a candle, instantly brightening the room. Jiang Zhishui had just been about to walk towards the window, thinking it was time to leave, but when he lit the candle, she hesitated, finding it difficult to say that she wanted to go.

Jing Qianheng had his back to Jiang Zhishui, his face grim.

Jiang Zhishui watched his retreating figure, her gaze falling on the black bracelet hanging from his left wrist. She saw him slightly raise his hand, as if he wanted to touch the bracelet, and she hurriedly called out, "Your Highness!!"

Jing Qianheng paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

Jiang Zhishui knew the power of that bracelet and said nervously, "I...I'll get Your Highness a better bracelet next time, okay? As a return gift for the hairpin Your Highness gave me."

Jing Qianheng turned around and said coldly, "No need."

Jiang Zhishui suddenly felt a little annoyed. Why didn't she take the bracelet secretly while he was sleeping?

Jin'er said that the puppet thread was just something Jiang Li did for fun when she was bored, and there was no way to undo it. It would disappear on its own when the time came.

Before Jiang Li died, she said that the puppet thread might not disappear for several years. Jin'er, however, said that her master had a habit of deliberately lying to scare people, so it wouldn't necessarily take that long. She told Jiang Zhishui to relax and that she would find a way to help solve the problem.

However, during this period, the bracelet was in Jing Qianheng's hands, and Jiang Zhishui inevitably suffered some grievances.

Jin'er originally planned to help Jiang Zhishui steal the bracelet back, but Jiang Zhishui didn't want her to get involved. She only asked Jin'er to help her find a way to remove the puppet strings as soon as possible.

Jiang Zhishui thought that Jing Qianheng agreed to marry her probably because of this bracelet, which provided him with a guarantee that he could control her. That's why he agreed to the marriage in such an unusual way.

Jing Qianheng has few people he can trust. Even his uncle is plotting against him. He needs someone who can stay by his side and guarantee that he won't betray him.

Marquis Chengyi has his own connections in various departments in Kyoto, and his power should not be underestimated. Even if Jing Qianheng does not trust that Marquis Chengyi will really turn against him, marrying Marquis Chengyi's daughter can still disrupt the connections between various forces in Kyoto.

Everyone harbors their own plans, unspoken yet ever-changing. Each person keeps a close eye on the turbulent times; one step taken by one person can propel countless others forward.

Jing Qianheng sat down on a chair to the side, and deliberately took off his bracelet and placed it on the table. He poured two cups of tea and gestured for Jiang Zhishui to sit down.

Jiang Zhishui walked over, obediently picked up the tea, took a sip, and asked, "What does Your Highness want to say?"

Jing Qianheng was silent for a moment, then said, "When you say it's okay to get married, do you mean your father agrees?"

Jiang Zhishui and Marquis Chengyi had a tacit understanding, and he was always willing to cooperate with any suggestions Jiang Zhishui made. Moreover, Marquis Chengyi had always doted on his wife, and he never failed to grant her any request.

Therefore, Jiang Zhishui reached a consensus with her family on this marriage in a short period of time.

Jiang Zhishui nodded and reminded him, "But Your Highness will probably have to think of a way to deal with His Majesty. I heard that His Majesty had previously intended to arrange a marriage for Your Highness, and his preferred candidate was General Sheng's daughter."

Jing Qianheng was taken aback and looked up at her. Jiang Zhishui stared at him and said bluntly, "I was afraid that Your Highness would be snatched away, so I rushed over in the middle of the night to talk to Your Highness first. Your Highness said before that you wanted to marry me, so please don't suddenly change your mind and go to marry someone else."

Jing Qianheng's expression was somewhat strange. He didn't say anything, only casually remarking, "I won't go back on my word." Then he opened the door and urged Jiang Zhishui to go back.

Jiang Zhishui originally wanted to talk about the bracelet, but then she changed her mind and thought that this was a critical time and she shouldn't upset him over such a small matter. If he felt at ease with the bracelet, then she would let him have it for now.

I doubt he'll do anything outrageous. Just bear with it and make sure we can get married first. We can figure out a solution later.

Jiang Zhishui was feeling restless and uneasy at home for the past few days, but when she suddenly heard several maids in the courtyard discussing His Majesty's plan to arrange a marriage for the Seventh Prince, her attention was immediately diverted.

This General Sheng's daughter, Sheng Yuchen, is said to be an old acquaintance of Jing Qianheng. When she was young, she entered the palace and accidentally fell into the lake, almost drowning. It was Jing Qianheng who saved her.

From then on, the two often visited each other. Every time Sheng Yuchen went to the capital, she would go to see Jing Qianheng. The two were childhood sweethearts and walked together. One had the bearing of a female general, and the other was calm and handsome. Jing Qianheng was often ridiculed and gossiped about by the palace servants behind his back. Sheng Yuchen was always ready to stand up for him and would always vent his anger for him.

Jiang Zhishui was afraid that things might change, so she didn't think too much about it and was anxious to finalize the marriage to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Before the emperor could even affix his seal to the imperial edict, Zhou Linyuan had already entered the palace to request a marriage decree for Jing Qianheng and Jiang Zhishui, which His Majesty naturally refused.

The Crown Prince had already spoken with Marquis Chengyi, and he also sent people to monitor the Jiang family's every move. For him, the benefits of Jiang Zhishui marrying into the Ling Prince's mansion outweighed the drawbacks.

The Crown Prince made a few disparaging remarks about Marquis Chengyi from the side, openly indicating that he was breaking ties with the Jiang family and that he disdained and didn't care about the marriage between the two.

Zhou Linyuan pressed him hard and became increasingly aggressive. After the Crown Prince analyzed the pros and cons, the Emperor had no choice but to issue the imperial decree to grant the marriage.

A month later, Jiang Zhishui sat at her dressing table, with Liu Chuxi standing behind her. Outside, there was a lot of noise, and everyone was busy preparing for the wedding.

Looking at Jiang Zhishui in the mirror, Liu Chuxi said in a low voice, "Junior sister, have you really thought this through? He might hate you one day."