Chapter 49 Entwined

The way Jing Qianheng treats Jiang Zhishui now is so different from before. Not only is Jiang Zhishui uneasy, but Su You, who is watching from the side, even suspects that Jiang Zhishui has put a spell on Jing Qianheng.

Jing Qianheng hooked his wristband and asked in a low voice, "She also complained to you?"

Su You hesitated for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "No... His Highness was very fierce towards her back then, and would often tell me to send her away. Speaking of which, Miss Jiang was quite good to His Highness back then..."

Jing Qianheng recalled those days at the Ziyang Immortal Abode, his eyes softening, and he said softly, "Yes, she pulled me down into the river to save me, picked peaches for me to eat, stood up for me, told countless lies, took me out for a walk but accidentally pushed me off a cliff, and she even..."

Su You listened, nodded, then looked up with a strange expression: "Hmm?"

Jing Qianheng paused for the second half of his sentence and didn't say anything more, "Never mind, it's not entirely her fault."

Su You's curiosity was piqued, and she was about to ask a question when Jing Qianheng suddenly changed the subject, "Several people died at the Invitation to Gods meeting. I remember those were old ministers who supported the Crown Prince."

“These people are dead, and Zhou Linyuan is not in the capital. The Crown Prince will probably think that I am the mastermind behind this.” Jing Qianheng’s eyes turned slightly cold. “The Imperial Preceptor Li Si has obtained the Dragon-Attracting Technique, but has not made any move yet. Go and investigate him.”

Su You's expression was solemn. After answering, she was about to turn and leave, but then she suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "Your Highness, should we also send someone to keep an eye on Marquis Chengyi's side?"

Jing Qianheng said, "No need."

Su You stood there for a while, still unwilling to give up, and said, "Your Highness, Miss Jiang seems like a nice person, but I always feel that she is too dangerous. Your Highness must stay clear-headed and not be deceived by her sweet words."

"She said she's always loved me." Jing Qianheng reached out and caught a flower petal. "Do you think she's lying?"

Su You was taken aback, but said without refutation, "She's always been very clingy to His Highness, this..."

Jing Qianheng turned his head to look at him and said in a low voice, "I was wondering if the person she used to know looked a lot like me. Was she nice to me at first because of that person?"

Su You frowned and listened intently as he stared at her. Jing Qianheng followed his current train of thought and could only come to this conclusion.

Su You pondered it repeatedly, then turned pale with shock.

Does this mean that Jiang Zhishui already has someone she loves, and that the person she loves looks just like His Highness, which is why Jiang Zhishui is so persistent in pursuing His Highness?

Jing Qianheng got a headache just thinking about it. He put his hand to his forehead and said anxiously, "Who exactly is this person? When did such a person appear in her life? Why can't we find out anything?"

Su You was shocked and asked in a trembling voice, "Did Your Highness ask her?"

Jing Qianheng looked up at him, his eyes filled with weariness and sorrow. "She won't say."

Su You had followed Jing Qianheng for many years, witnessing the Seventh Prince's tragic childhood and his nonchalant, wooden demeanor. His spiritual blood was a life-saving elixir, endlessly extracted from him without complaint. He was like a god, but occasionally also like a malevolent ghost from the underworld, chilling and frightening.

This person, because of Jiang Zhishui, looked aggrieved, with sorrowful eyes, like a bullied young man, pitifully complaining to those around him: she wouldn't say anything.

Jing Qianheng had no idea how much she had been wronged by Jiang Zhishui. Once she started talking about it, she went on and on: "That incident too, she said she would pretend it never happened, and she really did pretend it never happened. What did she take me for!"

Su You was confused and couldn't quite follow Jing Qianheng's train of thought. "Your Highness, what is it?"

"That day she..." Jing Qianheng grew angrier as he spoke, gritting his teeth, "...and even called out that person's name!"

Su You glanced at his expression, then lowered her eyes to think to herself, then looked up at Jing Qianheng, still not understanding.

At the Ziyang Immortal Abode, during the time when Jing Qianheng was most seriously ill, when he was delirious with fever, he was still calling out Jiang Zhishui's name. Su You leaned closer to listen and heard him saying things like "go away," "let go," and "I can't stand being bothered."

Su You thought Jiang Zhishui was very capable, able to push Jing Qianheng to this point.

Su You took a step forward, clenched her fist, and said, "Your Highness, we can't always let her lead us by the nose. Sometimes we have to fight back."

Jing Qianheng looked at Su You with shining eyes, "How do you do it?"

Su You was indignant for a moment, but seeing Jing Qianheng's expectant expression, she gritted her teeth and tried to come up with a solution: "Your Highness cares too much about her, which makes her feel emboldened. Why don't we separate for a while and let her know that Your Highness doesn't need her?"

Jing Qianheng raised his eyes slightly and said coldly, "No, we can't separate. The kind of person she is, once we separate, she will forget me completely. She doesn't care about these things at all, she can forget them as easily as she wants. I can't let her go. I have to make her know that I exist at all times. No matter how good that other person is, she probably won't be able to see him anymore. Otherwise, she would have left me long ago to go find that other person and wouldn't stay here with me."

Su You was speechless.

Su You looked Jing Qianheng up and down, suspecting he was delirious from illness again: "Your Highness, have you taken your medicine? Should you go back to your room to rest?"

As Jing Qianheng spoke, he seemed to suddenly realize something and said happily, "That's right, we should make sure she thinks of me all the time."

Su You stood to the side, looking at him with a worried expression.

The Seventh Prince has been imprisoned since childhood and knows very little about matters between men and women. When he encounters someone as shameless as Jiang Zhishui, he is no match for her at all. If this continues, it's no wonder he will be completely taken advantage of.

Su You wanted to offer a few more words of advice, but Jing Qianheng had already made up his mind and turned to leave.

When Jiang Zhishui returned to the Chengyi Marquis's residence, she encountered an unexpected person before even seeing Madam Jiang.

Marquis Chengyi was receiving guests in the hall. When Jiang Zhishui returned, she went to greet him first. When she saw Pei Yan, her smile froze. She glanced at Marquis Chengyi and said in a low voice, "Father."

Pei Yan, with her mouth full of pastries and her cheeks bulging, turned her head at the sound, immediately threw away the pastries, rushed towards Jiang Zhishui, and threw herself into her arms, "Sister! I've finally found you!"

Jiang Hanfeng looked puzzled and stood up to ask, "This child has been making a scene at the gate, saying he wants to see you. Do you know him?"

Jiang Zhishui hesitated, about to utter a "no," when the child suddenly pinched her waist. She pursed her lips and said, "Yes... I have seen him before. Father, please don't worry about it. He's just a child I knew before. He may have run into some trouble. I'll handle it."

Jiang Hanfeng was preoccupied with several murder cases in Kyoto, so he didn't ask any more questions and let Jiang Zhishui take the person away.

Jiang Zhishui met with Madam Jiang, chatted for a while, had lunch together, and then went to find Pei Yan after Madam Jiang had gone to sleep.

The child was being looked after by the maids, who were jumping rope with him. Jiang Zhishui sat to the side drinking tea, and when he got tired, she came over herself. "Sister, are you done with your work?"

The maids withdrew on their own, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.

"What are you doing here? Did your brother send you?" Jiang Zhishui saw that he was covered in sweat and poured him a glass of water. "Are you alone?"

The demonic mark on Pei Yan's forehead had disappeared, his lips were pale, and after drinking the water, he sat down to one side, his voice low and somber: "Just me."

Jiang Zhishui noticed his strange expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

In the illusion of Qiyun City last time, this child was full of energy and had a very cute smiling face. Although he was a demon, he was indeed handsome and cheerful. He was always running around and never stopped for a moment.

This time, things have clearly changed a lot.

Pei Yan remained silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "Father was killed, and my brother did it to protect me..."

Holding the empty teacup, he lowered his head and slowly recounted the chaos in the Demon Realm and his escape. The demons, allied with the Demon Lord, were locked in a fierce battle with internal rebel forces. The Demon Lord was killed, and in the chaos, Pei Jing sent Pei Yan out of the Demon Realm to find Jiang Zhishui. He, on the other hand, remained in the Demon Realm to continue dealing with the rebel forces.

Jiang Zhishui found it strange. According to the system notification, the Demon Lord in the original story died at the hands of Jing Qianheng, but now he was suddenly killed in the internal strife of the Demon Clan...

Could the plot have been changed? She's only married to Jing Qianheng so far, and she hasn't even started using those schemes to frame him behind his back. How could there be such a big change all of a sudden?

Does that mean the plot where she gets poisoned by Pei Jing's Yin Emperor Gu can be skipped?

Pei Jing is currently in dire straits himself and probably can't even look after her. So... what should we do next? Should we still follow the original plan and lure Jing Qianheng to the Demon Realm?

Jiang Zhishui was preoccupied with her own thoughts when she suddenly heard a soft sob. She looked up and saw Pei Yan with tears in his eyes, a pout on his lips, and a sorrowful expression.

"Did your brother say anything?" Jiang Zhishui handed him a handkerchief.

Pei Yan took the handkerchief, held it in her hand, and looked at Jiang Zhishui with her watery eyes. "Brother said that I must never show weakness in front of others. I can't cry, I can't let others know that I'm hurt. I have to pretend to be happy, I have to learn to pretend, and I can't trust anyone."

Jiang Zhishui was stunned for a moment. Seeing him crying as he spoke, she frowned slightly: "Then... you're still crying in front of me?"

"My brother said you would definitely protect me."

Jiang Zhishui thought for a moment and said calmly, "That's true, after all, I still need his antidote."

Pei Jing is currently overwhelmed with dealing with the internal strife within the Demon Clan. Meanwhile, the Jin Kingdom is also fraught with crisis, with everyone plotting their own schemes. Jiang Zhishui dares not act rashly for the time being and can only play her current role and act according to circumstances.

"You'll stay here for now. If you need anything, just tell the maids. Don't wander around. Are your injuries serious? Do you need me..." Jiang Zhishui paused, then muttered, "No, I can't call a doctor for you either."

Seeing the troubled look on her face, Pei Yan stared at her for a while, then his eyes darted around before he said, "I'm fine, I'll be alright after a while of rest."

Jiang Zhishui thought he must be a high-level demon, and his power must be considerable. She nodded, stood up and said, "It's getting late, I should go back. You should rest well, and I'll come to see you again when I have time."

Pei Yan grabbed her sleeve and asked urgently, "Isn't this your home? Where are you going?"

Jiang Zhishui thought he was scared because he was a child in an unfamiliar place, so she patted the back of his hand and said, "Don't be afraid, you are a demon, what are you afraid of?"

Jiang Zhishui was somewhat relaxed, captivated by his innocent, childlike face. But as soon as she spoke, her heart sank. She looked up at him and warned, "I've put up talismans here to protect the house. Don't have any bad intentions. Take good care of yourself, understand?"