Chapter 56

A mouthful of blood gushed out, and the man gripped the edge of the table tightly with his right hand, but his eyes were fixed on the bed to his left.

Thankfully, I didn't wake her up...

The potency of this thing was greater than he had imagined.

Fortunately, he didn't let Si Yanmo endure it last night, otherwise he would have gone crazy if something had happened to her small body.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, then got up and went back to the bedside.

Si Yanmo was still fast asleep; she must have been exhausted last night.

The man raised his hand and tucked the stray hairs from her cheek behind her ear, his thumb lingeringly caressing the beauty mark under her eye.

She's so beautiful, even when she was crying last night she still looked beautiful.

"Amo, when you wake up, don't hate me." He said, then rubbed his cheek against the girl's palm before reluctantly leaving.

He rarely went out when the sun was high in the sky, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Consort Qin, who seemed hesitant to speak. "Yan Qing..."

He raised his hand to stop his mother from speaking, his voice cold, "Wu Guan, help the Empress pack her luggage. Mother, you should go back now."

"Zhou Yanqing! I'm doing this for your own good!" Consort Qin panicked when she heard that he wanted to send her back. "Don't you want to gain your father's approval?"

"I don't want to!" He looked at his mother, his eyes blazing with anger. "I never wanted to! I don't need that person's approval!"

"You like that person, you want his approval, that's your business! But my liking for Amo is also my business! When we get together, when we want children, is our business, not for that man!"

Zhou Yanqing became more and more excited as she spoke.

"Do you know what kind of medicine that is? Do you know that if it's not handled properly, she will die, and I will die too? You don't know because you don't care! But I do care! I care about her, so I will respect everything about her. I won't take a concubine, nor will I force her, because I want us to be mutually in love, unlike you and..."

He held back from saying those hurtful words. He knew that the victim in that incident was his mother, and no matter how much she liked that man, it wasn't her fault.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Go back, Mother. I wish you all the best, but please don't interfere in my life anymore."

Zhou Yanqing strode away, leaving Consort Qin standing there for a long time, unable to believe that he, who had always been so respectful to her, would say such a thing.

It took a long time before Wu Guan's calls brought her back to her senses.

"Alright, pack everything up and prepare the carriage."

——

It was already afternoon when a little dog landed on the edge of the bed and cried out twice, waking Si Yanmo from her deep sleep.

She rubbed her eyelids, and her vision gradually cleared, as did her memories of last night.

Si Yanmo immediately sat up, her face burning.

She actually dated Zhou Yanqing...

A long sigh.

We agreed not to get involved with these people!

In her past life, Si Yanmo, who died on the sacrificial altar, knew a truth that applies to the royal family: "Serving a king is like serving a tiger."

It's not just about how dangerous this "lord" might be, but also about the safety of those around him.

Just like in her previous life, she only wanted to live a peaceful life in Zhou Junsong's inner quarters, even if she wasn't favored. But Lin Jiao'er wouldn't let her have her way, and Zhou Junsong wouldn't protect her either.

So, after being reborn, the first thing she warned herself was to never, ever, ever get involved with these people.

If she had simply avoided the palace banquet incident, she could have stayed away from that complicated world.

But Zhou Yanqing's appearance was like a tiger blocking her way, forcing her to step back into this world.

She told herself not to pity him or meddle in his business, but she still became friends with Zhou Yanqing through their daily interactions.

She could accept that being friends was fine, at least Zhou Yanqing wouldn't be as detached from her as Zhou Junsong.

Perhaps once everything is over, her life can return to normalcy, at least a normalcy free from the struggles for imperial power.

She never expected life to play another cruel joke on her...

She vaguely remembered the argument between Zhou Yanqing and Consort Qin last night. This woman really wanted a grandson so badly, she actually drugged her own son and daughter-in-law?

Now, the harmonious relationship she had painstakingly built with Zhou Yanqing has been shattered once again.

The man's voice lingered in her ears last night—

"Amo, call my name."

"Amo, don't be afraid, it's alright."

"Don't cry, did I hurt you? Okay, I'll be gentler."

...

His voice was so gentle, it had an eerie beauty that made her feel as if she were back in the previous night, his breath brushing against her ear...

Si Yanmo broke out in a sweat just from reminiscing; her whole body felt damp, but not sticky.

She then realized that someone had changed her bedding and cleaned her room.

There could be no one else but Zhou Yanqing.

She smiled, a smile that carried a hint of self-deprecation, yet also a touch of heartwarming warmth.

But if that's the case, does it mean that her marriage with Zhou Yanqing has no end?

Si Yanmo didn't know what to do.

On one hand, she felt that Zhou Yanqing was a decent person, and it wouldn't be bad to spend her life with him. At least her hopes from her previous life could be fulfilled in this one.

On the other hand, she felt it shouldn't be like this. She had already been reborn, so why should she be bound to someone she didn't like for the rest of her life? Besides, he probably didn't like her either, right? Since neither of them loved the other, what was the point?

Unable to think of anything, she simply stopped thinking about it for now, as there was no point in torturing herself.

She asked Wu Guan to boil some hot water; she wanted to take a bath and wash away the thoughts in her mind along with the sweat on her body.

Whether it was the hot water or her body that made her feel hot, the bath did not help her calm down. Instead, she could see Zhou Yanqing's magnified face as soon as she closed her eyes.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes had lost their former sharpness; when they looked at her, they were so gentle they could melt water, making her lose all strength and willingly lean into his arms...

The leaves outside blocked out the sun, dimming the light inside, and everything seemed to return to the time when the candlelight flickered last night.

Si Yanmo felt like she was going crazy, and Zhou Yanqing on the other side felt the same way.

On the riverbank at the training ground, it was early summer, and the river water was still cool. He soaked himself in the water, closed his eyes, and kept moving his hands, trying to dispel the remaining lingering stench, but to no avail. His mind was filled with the image of the girl being passionate in his arms last night, and his eyes were red.

He truly regretted not kissing her then, but he was also glad he hadn't acted impulsively, otherwise Si Yanmo would have hated him.

Neither of them knew that the other's struggle was simply an attempt to suppress the impulse within them.

Though in different places, they sank into the water together, until...

"Your Highness!"

Zhou Yanqing emerged from the river, blood gushing from his mouth and staining the water red. Chen Wu, who was standing nearby, rushed over and helped him up.

"princess!"

Wu Guan's voice rang out from outside the door. Si Yanmo suddenly opened her eyes, sat up and gasped for breath, splashing water all over the floor.

She took a deep breath, changed into clean clothes, and opened the door while drying her wet hair.

"What's wrong?"

"It was sent by Director Du." Wu Guan handed her a folded document.

She opened it and read that Du Ruoshan had taken people to re-examine Qi Muchen's body yesterday and found that although his heart and liver had been removed, the real cause of death was strangulation, especially since a small ligature mark could be seen on his neck.

Du Ruoshan guessed that it wasn't fishing line, but rather something like a musical instrument string or a pipa string.

Upon seeing the words "qinxian" (琴弦, a string of zithers), Si Yanmo's intuition led her to connect it with the conversation she had overheard at Yunjianxuan that day. For some reason, she felt that this matter was related to Lin Niang.

Si Yanmo is the kind of person who wants to verify things once she thinks of them. Ignoring her still damp hair, she asked Zhao Wan to accompany her to Yun Jian Xuan.

The two quickly arrived at Yunjianxuan in their carriage and went straight up to the second floor to knock on Lin Niang's door.

Who is it?

Inside the house, Lin Niang was studying the new tea sent from Nandu when she heard a knock on the door. She almost dropped her teacup, and was somewhat unhappy.

Upon opening the door and seeing Si Yanmo, she put on a smile again.

"Xiao Mo? Your hair..."

This girl's hair is all messy, could it be that she had another fight with Zhou Yanqing?

Si Yanmo cut to the chase, "Lin Niang, I heard a man's voice in your room the other day. I want to know who that person is? And what is their relationship with Tan Yin?"

Lin Niang's smile froze, quickly turning into embarrassment. "You silly girl, I thought it was something serious!"

She mysteriously pulled the two into the room before speaking again: "It's just that Lin Niang is getting old and living alone, so she inevitably has some needs in that area. She just found a companion."

Si Yanmo was stunned, and Zhao Wan, who was standing next to her, was also stunned.

"But that man sounds very young!"

"Are you saying your Lin Niang is old?" Lin Niang was displeased.

"No, no, no!" she quickly waved her hand, then realized something was wrong. "But I heard that person say something like 'a treacherous villain deserves to die.'"

Lin Niang smiled mysteriously, then said with a hint of reproach, "That boy must be pretty boring in bed, right?"

Why are we bringing up Zhou Yanqing again?

Si Yanmo felt hot whenever she mentioned this person. She was unaware of the side effects of Ye Shengge, only finding it strange.

Seeing that she was blushing and looked at a loss, Lin Niang knew that she had not fully understood, so she took out a few storybooks and handed them to the two of them.

This storybook was unlike any other; it was practically a forbidden book among forbidden books, making the two young girls, Si Yanmo and Zhao Wan, blush with embarrassment as they read it.

Lin Niang explained to them that what happened yesterday was just the two of them being affectionate, and they were naturally startled when Si Yanmo interrupted them. The man immediately jumped out the window and ran away.

As for her unusual behavior when mentioning Tan Yin, it was because she was one of the witnesses back then. She had met Tan Yin when she was studying in Nandu in her early years, and it was inevitable that she would feel nostalgic for the old friend when he was mentioned.

Upon hearing this, Si Yanmo dispelled her doubts and regretted her own wild thoughts.

That's true. Lin Niang was good friends with Qin Zixiu and the others back then. If she really hid the Tan family members, Zhou Yanqing would have found out.

She apologized to Lin Niang for her rashness, exchanged a few pleasantries, and prepared to leave, but Lin Niang stopped her and forced a few storybooks on her, saying that she would take them back to add some fun to Zhou Yanqing's life.

Inside the carriage, Si Yanmo held the books helplessly, feeling as if they were hotter than a stove. She quickly shoved the books at Zhao Wan, pretending nothing had happened.