Chapter 314 Sharing the Burden

Qiu Heng learned about the forged imperial edict from Xue Han and felt a wave of fear.

"Fortunately, the Crown Prince was not deceived."

Xue Han chuckled: "Now we should call him 'Emperor'."

Although the coronation ceremony is still far off, the crown prince has already ascended the throne before the coffin and received the congratulations of all the officials. According to etiquette, he is already the true new emperor.

When does the new emperor plan to take action against Prime Minister Zhu?

"It will be soon. We'll talk about it after these busy days are over. The Crown Prince's succession is an unshakeable fact. It's others who should be anxious."

When Qiu Heng mentioned her plans for tomorrow, she said, "I'm going to Prince Kang's residence to see Brother Ling and ask him—"

The rest of the words were left unsaid, but Xue Han knew what they meant.

Ask the heir of Prince Kang if he is involved in the death of Emperor Jingping.

"Okay, go ahead," Xue Han said in a muffled voice.

Qiu Heng gently nudged him: "What's wrong?"

Perhaps because the moment and place were too ambiguous, Xue Han couldn't bring himself to hold hands or hug her, and instead asked dryly, "Aheng, why is the Prince of Kang's son so good to you?"

Qiu Heng paused for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her arms around the man's waist, laughing, "Xue Han, are you jealous?"

Xue Hanru touched the charcoal fire, hurriedly pushed the person in her arms out, opened the window, and nimbly climbed out.

Qiu Heng took a step forward and turned her head to look out the window: "Xue Han, you're acting strangely today."

“Ah Heng, this isn’t a suitable place…” The young man outside the window had red ears.

Qiu Heng suddenly understood Xue Han's unusual behavior.

The long-lost sense of ease made her feel playful. Leaning against the window, she smiled and asked, "Why isn't it appropriate?"

Outside the window, the crescent moon hung like a hook; inside, the candlelight flickered; the girl's bright eyes shone, and her smile was as beautiful as a flower.

Xue Han bit his tongue, trying to maintain his composure: "I'm here to talk about serious matters."

If he were to kiss and hug Ah Heng, wouldn't he become a lecherous man sneaking into her boudoir at night?

Qiu Heng's smile deepened: "Haven't we finished discussing the important matters?"

"Then I'll go back."

"Xue Han".

The young man, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks.

A hand reached out, grabbed his collar, and pulled him toward the stained-glass window, then soft, cool lips pressed against his.

Xue Han's mind went blank. When he subconsciously wrapped his arms around the girl inside the window and deepened the kiss, his remaining rationality made him let go and step back.

"Aheng, I should go now."

This is not the tranquil and beautiful Qinglian Lake, nor the desolate deep forest, but Aheng's boudoir.

This place is too dangerous for him; if he lets his guard down even slightly, he might do something outrageous.

Qiu Heng watched the figure disappear into the night, then leaned against the window, lost in thought.

A low voice called from the doorway: "Miss."

Qiu Heng turned her head, a faint smile still on her lips: "Fangzhou isn't asleep yet?"

Fangzhou walked over, peered out the window, and winked at Qiuheng: "Young Master Xue has left?"

Qiu Heng closed the window, pretending not to hear Fang Zhou's words, and walked towards the bed: "I'm sleepy."

“You’re lying, girl. You definitely won’t be able to sleep.” Fangzhou squeezed to the edge of the bed and took Qiuheng’s arm. “Tell me quickly, when is Young Master Xue coming to propose marriage?”

"I don't know." Although Qiu Heng said this, the smile on her face never disappeared.

"Girl, your smile is practically reaching your cheeks."

"You're mistaken." Qiu Heng picked up a pillow and covered Fang Zhou's face.

Fangzhou removed the pillow, her face beaming with excitement: "Miss, now that you and Young Master Xue are married, will you have a baby? Guess if it's a boy or a girl? You can start thinking about names now, right? I saw you kiss Young Master Xue, and he ran away in fright..."

"Fangzhou!"

Fangzhou, having finished laughing, suddenly hugged Qiuheng: "Girl, you're so kind."

Many times, she knew that the girl was walking on the edge of a cliff, stepping on the tip of a knife, and that the slightest carelessness would result in her being smashed to pieces and never recovering.

She hadn't seen the girl smile so easily in a long time. Did this mean that truly peaceful and stable days were coming?

She wants to learn how to make lucky fruit to celebrate properly.

Qiu Heng was silent for a moment, then leaned against Fangzhou and murmured, "Yes, it's really good."

She finally dared to think about her future with Xue Han.

The next day, the sun shone brightly, just like Qiu Heng's mood.

The carriage curtains leading to the Prince Kang's residence had been changed to a more understated color. Peeking out from behind a corner of the curtain, everything was pure white.

The streets were no longer bustling as usual; most people remained silent, and even the peddlers who used to roam the streets and alleys no longer shouted their wares.

During the period of national mourning, no one wants to cause trouble.

The carriage quietly entered through the side gate of the Prince Kang's mansion, where the silence was unsettling.

Princess Jiayi and others waited outside the hanging flower gate. When they saw Qiuheng get off the carriage, they quickly went to greet her.

"Aheng, you've come."

Qiu Heng's gaze lingered on the blue shadow under Princess Jiayi's eyes: "Jiayi didn't sleep well last night."

Princess Jiayi pulled Qiuheng inside, her usually carefree face now showing distress: "My elder brother was reprimanded by Father. I overheard Father telling Mother that my elder brother was getting so close to the Taoist priest Miaoqing. Even if he was unaware of the evil Taoist priest harming people, he can't escape punishment..."

"The new emperor is magnanimous; don't scare yourself unnecessarily."

Qiu Heng gently offered a few words of advice before arriving at Ling Yun's residence.

"Brother, Heng is here."

Ling Yun came out from the inner room.

His gaze was gentle, and a smile played on his lips, showing no sign of the worry he was experiencing while caught in the vortex.

Qiu Heng curtsied: "Brother Ling."

"Jiayi, let's have a private talk between Big Brother and Ah Heng."

The county magistrate of Jiayi nodded and watched the two enter the study, lost in thought.

It seems that the eldest brother and Ah Heng share some kind of secret.

This feeling also existed between Aheng and Rongning...

In the study, Ling Yun pointed to a chair: "Aheng, sit down."

Qiu Heng sat down, took the tea that Ling Yun handed her, and didn't know where to begin.

After a brief silence, she spoke first: "Jiayi... is very worried about Brother Ling."

"It's fine."

Qiu Heng quietly looked at Ling Yun, gripping her teacup tightly.

The young man in white smiled gently, like a warm but not dry breeze in April, soothing and comforting: "The position of heir apparent, or being demoted to a commoner, it doesn't matter. These are all external things to me. Losing them will not make me feel bad."

The words she had carefully chosen to say were useless, so Qiu Heng blurted out, "The late emperor's accident at the Immortal Gathering Banquet... was it Brother Ling who did it?"

"right."

"Is this why Brother Ling became Master Miaoqing's disciple?"

"yes."

"Why?"

“The late emperor’s belief in the path to immortality was a sign of the country’s downfall. Before he could destroy the crown prince, I had no choice but to send him on his way. So I switched the elixir he was supposed to take at the banquet,” Ling Yun said frankly.

“I mean—” Qiu Heng stared intently at Ling Yun, “Brother Ling, you knew what Xue Han and I were going to do at the Immortal Gathering Banquet, so why did you take matters into your own hands?”

Ling Yun remained silent for so long that Qiu Heng thought she would never get an answer, so she raised her hand and gently rubbed the top of her head, letting out a soft sigh.

"Silly girl, you can't do everything. You're just one person."

Even a tyrannical ruler is still a ruler; let him bear the sin of regicide.

(End of this chapter)