Chapter 41 Don't remember repaying a debt of gratitude, please don't remember it...
Qi Jingxuan stood there stunned for a long time, not knowing how to explain, and could only stammer, "I...I was just guessing."
But how can you fool people like that?
The man in blue carried no bow and arrows, only a kitchen knife. Even if he could guess from his suspicious behavior that he was an assassin, how could he have guessed that he was a skilled archer, let alone knew that he was an excellent marksman who never missed a shot?
Shen Yan wasn't familiar with the man. She had only seen a bow and arrow by chance near him before, which led her to guess that he could shoot arrows. But she only guessed that he could, and didn't know how skilled he was at archery.
Qi Jingxuan was a complete stranger to him, so how could he know these things?
Shen Yan stared at Qi Jingxuan for a long time, many thoughts flashing through her mind. Among them, the one she found most unbelievable was actually the most likely...
But regardless of whether her guess was true or not, it was not appropriate to say it here, so she could only suppress these thoughts for the time being, turn her gaze away and say, "Let's go back and talk about it later."
Qi Jingxuan didn't dare to meet her gaze, he responded softly, and followed her into the car.
………………
While Qi Jingxuan was racking his brains trying to figure out how to explain things to Shen Yan later, things were not peaceful on the painted boat by the Yanliang River either, and everyone's expressions were not good.
As is customary, after the dragon boat race, everyone would have a banquet on the boat. After the banquet, those who needed to return to the palace would return to their palace, and those who needed to return to their residence would return to their residence.
Just as the painted boat docked and everyone was preparing to disembark, the Fifth Princess said that one of her maids had gone missing.
The Fifth Princess was timid by nature. At first, when she discovered that her maid was missing, she did not dare to make a big fuss. She only sent people to search for her secretly. Later, when she could not find her anywhere, she became anxious and went to the Third Princess for help.
The Third Princess, however, did not take it to heart, saying that she was soft-hearted and did not strictly manage the servants around her. Those palace servants who served her were always lazy, and they probably took advantage of the fact that there were many people around and no one was paying attention to sneak away to slack off.
The Fifth Princess said no, the missing palace maid was Su Lan, her most loyal person. Anyone could slip away to shirk their duties, but Su Lan would never do that.
But the Third Princess didn't take it seriously. She thought that Su Lan would naturally come out when it was time to return to the palace. After that, she went to chat and enjoy the scenery with the noble ladies from various families.
The Fifth Princess was at a loss and dared not ask anyone else for help, so she could only send another palace maid to continue the search, but to no avail.
As the banquet was about to end and everyone was about to return to the palace, Su Lan had not yet appeared, so she had no choice but to tell the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince knew the Fifth Princess's temperament, so he didn't take it too seriously at first. He assumed that a palace maid had been slacking off and had drunk too much somewhere and gotten drunk, so he ordered people to go and find her.
To their surprise, the search led them to a corpse inside a cabin.
The corpse lay on its back on the bed, its clothes wide open, its exposed skin covered in marks, and the messy bedding also had spots of dirt and grime, making it clear at a glance what had happened there.
A grand celebration meant for the people has turned into a murder. The Crown Prince's face immediately darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Investigate!"
The accompanying palace attendants and guards immediately dispersed. Some went to question the boatmen and others on the pleasure boat, while others went to the princes, princesses, high-ranking officials, and their families, telling them not to panic and that they could leave once the matter was clarified.
Looking at the palace servants, everyone knew that this was both a way to appease them and to keep an eye on them. No one said anything for a moment, but their good mood had dissipated, and they felt only bad luck.
When Prince An heard that someone had died, he was shocked. Concealing his horror, he whispered to his servants when no one else was around, "What happened?"
Wasn't it supposed to be just a formality? How did it escalate to the point of causing a death?
He and Qi Jingxuan didn't get along, and they had exchanged a few words today. Since boarding the ship, he had been holding back his anger with nowhere to vent it.
As the dragon boat race was about to begin, he noticed that Qi Jingxuan hadn't shown up. Knowing that Qi must have gone off to relax again, he devised a plan to ruin Qi's reputation.
This young man had previously acted improperly while drunk at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, ruining Miss Shen's reputation. Yet, he still put on a show of being deeply in love, not only asking his father, the Emperor, to grant him a marriage and get engaged to Miss Shen, but also improving his reputation among the common people. He managed to turn a bad thing into a good thing.
Since that's the case, then he'll have someone impersonate Qi Jingxuan and harass a palace maid. When word gets out, let's see how he can maintain his good reputation.
Wasn't he devoted to Miss Shen? Now that things have blown up, how is he going to explain himself?
Prince An's plan was simple, and the matter was indeed not difficult. It just so happened that he and Qi Jingxuan were wearing the same clothes today. All he needed to do was have someone find an inconspicuous palace maid, knock her unconscious from behind, bring her into the cabin, and pretend to humiliate her. Then, the maid would come out of the room wearing the clothes embroidered with green bamboo, and pretend to be seen from behind.
Since he, the sixth prince, had been lingering in public and had already changed his clothes, the person who was spotted would not be him, but Qi Jingxuan.
Just as they were about to disembark, and the matter hadn't been exposed yet, Prince An thought the palace maid was just cowardly and had held back her anger. He was feeling resentful when he heard the Fifth Princess and the Crown Prince say that one of her palace maids was missing.
Prince An was overjoyed again, thinking that his efforts today had not been in vain. But a moment later, he heard that the palace maid had died.
The eunuch beside Prince An was also startled, not knowing why things had turned out this way. He quickly found an excuse to quietly leave and go ask the person in charge.
Before long, the eunuch returned to Prince An's side. His expression seemed no different from usual, but the cold sweat on his forehead revealed his inner panic.
He whispered a few words to Prince An, who gritted his teeth inwardly after hearing them: "A good-for-nothing, more trouble than good!"
After saying this, he instructed the eunuch, "Tell him to keep his mouth shut. If anyone asks, he should say he has never seen that palace maid, let alone had any contact with her! Do you understand?"
The eunuch repeatedly agreed, and then Prince An said, "Put those clothes away carefully, lest anyone find anything."
He intended to frame Qi Jingxuan, but he couldn't let the blame fall on himself, so naturally he couldn't let anyone know that his clothes had been missing for a period of time.
The eunuch dared not refuse and was about to nod when he remembered something and his face turned bitter.
"But Your Highness, Prince Ping... he's not on the ship."
Just now, when the headcount was being taken and everyone was preparing to disembark, they discovered that in addition to the palace maid, Prince Ping and his servants had also disappeared.
Therefore, many people on the ship now speculate that the palace maid was killed by Prince Ping, and that after Prince Ping raped her to death, he was afraid of being discovered and fled with his men in a panic.
If only that were true, but Prince An and those around him knew better than anyone that this matter had nothing to do with Prince Ping.
What if he's not here?
Prince An gritted his teeth and said.
"Doesn't that just prove he has a guilty conscience?"
“As long as no one can prove that he got off the ship before the palace maid’s accident, he will still be the prime suspect.”
"Just make sure our people keep their mouths shut and don't say things they shouldn't!"
He can only take a gamble now, betting that Qi Jingxuan will disembark just before the dragon boat race begins.
Even if someone could testify on his behalf, it wouldn't prove that he was unrelated to the palace maid's death.
As for the testimonies of his entourage... since they were his own people, they are naturally unreliable.
The eunuch dared not object, and could only bow in agreement before going to give further instructions.
About half an hour later, most of the palace servants and guards who had left returned to the Crown Prince's side. The report stated that no one was found to be suspicious, and no one said they had seen Su Lan with anyone near that room.
Although the crown prince had anticipated this outcome, he still frowned.
Today, the people on the pleasure boats are either imperial relatives or noble families. The people sent out can at most question their servants; they can't possibly question the masters themselves, or there would be chaos.
But anyone who would dare to do such a thing on such a day and in such a setting could not possibly be a servant or a boatman.
Since they couldn't question their masters, it was naturally difficult to find out anything in a short time. Without finding anything, they couldn't keep these people locked up on the ship indefinitely.
The Crown Prince had no choice but to summon the officials from the Court of Judicial Review and order them to investigate, while the rest of the officials dispersed.
………………
The carriage traveled smoothly through the bustling streets and finally entered the Prince Ping's residence.
Shen Yan had not yet married Qi Jingxuan, so she shouldn't have come alone at this time, but she couldn't care less about that now.
As soon as the two entered the main courtyard, she dismissed all her entourage, saying she wanted to speak with the man in blue alone.
Qi Jingxuan refused to listen and said urgently, "Aci, this man is an assassin! Even if you know him, you can't let your guard down like this!"
Shen Yan grabbed his arm and said, "You come too."
"ah"
Before Qi Jingxuan could react, she pulled him into the house.
Seeing this, A Yuan stepped forward to stop her, saying, "Miss Chen, you mustn't."
Although it's still unknown whether this mute man is an assassin, he is someone who always carries a kitchen knife and clearly knows martial arts. How could the Prince and Miss Shen be left alone with him?
Shen Yan glanced at A Yuan and the group of servants in the courtyard who were eyeing her menacingly and refusing to leave. She frowned slightly and had no choice but to lean close to Qi Jingxuan and whisper a few words in his ear.
Hearing the extremely low whisper beside him, Qi Jingxuan first frowned, then turned around abruptly, looking at Shen Yan in disbelief: "You...you also..."
"Your Highness, let's go inside and talk."
Shen Yan said in a low voice.
Qi Jingxuan was deeply shocked, still somewhat bewildered, finding it all unbelievable.
But when I thought about myself, it didn't seem like anything was so incredible.
He looked at the mute man who was tied up tightly, then at Shen Yan, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally said to A Yuan, "Tie him up tighter and bring him into the house. Miss Shen and I need to speak with him alone."
A Yuan was unwilling to agree at first, refusing to comply no matter what she said.
But Qi Jingxuan was, after all, his master. Under his insistence, A Yuan finally had no choice but to have someone bring a pair of shackles to cuff the mute man's hands and feet.
The shackles were attached to long chains that extended from the room through the window and were tied to a large tree in the courtyard, ensuring that the mute man could not get close to Qi Jingxuan and Shen Yan.
If he struggles, causing the chains to tremble, A-Yuan and the others can drag him backward in the yard and rush into the house immediately to ensure their safety.
After confirming several times that there was no danger, A-Yuan said that the two could go inside.
Qi Jingxuan nodded, and cautiously led Shen Yan into the house, instructing A Yuan and the others to stand guard outside the door and not allow anyone to approach and eavesdrop.
………………
Inside the room, Shen Yan sat at the table, looking at the mute man, and remained silent for a long time.
She had so much to say and so many questions to ask, but when it came time to speak, she was incredibly nervous, unsure of where to begin, and afraid that the answer would be different from what she expected.
Her hands, resting on her knees, clenched nervously together. After a long while, she took a deep breath and spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"You came to the capital for me."
The man nodded, his gaze simple and sincere.
This nod essentially confirmed Shen Yan's thoughts, but it was still rather unbelievable. To avoid any misunderstanding, she confirmed again, "You know me?"
The man nodded again.
"But we shouldn't know each other now, you...you know what I mean, right?"
The man nodded again, and not only that, he also held up a ten and then a two.
"The second day of the tenth month..."
Shen Yan watched his gestures and murmured aloud.
The man's eyes lit up, and he began to mimic the same gestures he had made on the street before.
The house was tilted, pointing at Chen Yan, then at himself.
This time he added some details, raising both hands and sweeping them back and forth in the air while making indistinct sounds.
He was mute and couldn't speak, but fortunately he could still breathe, making a series of indistinct breathy sounds.
Qi Jingxuan couldn't understand at all, and couldn't help but tug at Chen Yan's sleeve, asking, "What is he saying?"
He really wanted to ask Shen Yan directly what she meant by what she had just whispered in his ear, but Shen Yan obviously wanted to know something from this mute man first, so he didn't interrupt.
Shen Yan's gaze remained fixed on the mute man, but at this moment her eyes seemed to be vacant, as if she had returned to that "dream" through him.
"Heavy snow... fierce wind..."
She murmured.
Winter comes early to Yingzhou every year, and the winter in my dream was even earlier, with snow falling as early as October, accompanied by a fierce blizzard.
She went to the Zhou family to deliver the winter coats her mother had made. On her way back, she saw a shed by the roadside that had been blown down by a strong wind, and the falling wooden beams had hit the people living inside.
Blood was seeping from the man's head; he remained motionless, his fate unknown.
She rushed over and checked the man's breathing. Seeing that he was still alive but unconscious, she thought of finding someone to help carry him to the clinic.
But in this kind of weather, those who could go home have already gone home, and this street is very remote, so you can't find a single person for a long time.
Dragging him along like this would only allow him to freeze to death or bleed to death. Helpless, Shen Yan had no choice but to laboriously move the wooden beam herself and drag the person out.
Fortunately, the shack was simple and poorly constructed; otherwise, she alone would have had no chance of rescuing the person.
She carried the person all the way to the clinic. The doctor there said it was fortunate that the person was brought there in time; otherwise, with such injuries, lying in the snow, the person would have died soon.
At that time, Shen Yan was glad that she happened to be passing by and discovered the situation in time, saving the person.
But when she returned home, an earthquake struck the entire city of Ganning. Her parents were buried under the collapsed beams right before her eyes, and few other houses around were intact. There were screams and cries everywhere...
Those images flashed before her eyes one by one, and Shen Yan's eyes reddened. She felt a tightness in her chest and found it hard to breathe.
"That was all...real, not a dream."
The mute man paused for a moment before realizing what she was saying, and nodded hesitantly.
It must be true. If it weren't, how could he and this Miss Shen both remember this incident? It's impossible for two completely unrelated people to have the exact same dream.
Shen Yan closed her eyes, a tear slid down her cheek, and she subconsciously raised her hand to cover her chest.
It hurts, it hurts so much...
When she first woke up from the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion, she was heartbroken, which is why she wanted to die then, so as not to let her parents follow the same path.
But many things that happened afterward were completely different from what she dreamed of, so she assumed it was just a dream, or perhaps a sign from heaven that she could avoid some potential misfortunes in the future.
But now, she has learned that it was not a dream...
Everything was real; it actually happened.
Their family fled the capital, returned to Yingzhou, and ultimately died in that natural disaster.
The wind and snow seemed to travel through intersecting time and space, striking her again. Blood was everywhere before her eyes, gradually spreading and endlessly engulfing the land, as if it would dye the entire earth red...
That was the blood of her parents and her unborn siblings.
She watched helplessly as their blood soaked into the bricks and mortar, unable to dig them out of the ruins no matter what she did.
That despair gripped Shen Yan's mind, making it difficult for her to break free from this pain for a long time.
When the mute man saw her suddenly burst into tears, he hurriedly stood up, not knowing what to do.
Qi Jingxuan was already very anxious, but when he saw the man suddenly stand up, he was startled and immediately spread his arms to block Shen Yan: "You...you...what are you going to do?"
The mute man noticed that the chains binding him were tightening, and seeing Qi Jingxuan's tense expression, he quickly retreated to his original position, pointed at Shen Yan, and then pointed at his own eyes, indicating that Miss Shen was crying.
Qi Jingxuan glared at him: "I'm not blind!"
After speaking and seeing that he had no intention of harming anyone, and that the chains bound him and prevented him from getting closer, she turned to look at Chen Yan and said softly, "Aci, what's wrong? What were you talking about just now? What strong wind? What heavy snow? It's only May, where did the snow come from?"
Shen Yan didn't reply, but her tears flowed even more fiercely.
Qi Jingxuan was at a loss. He reached out to wipe the corner of her eye, but the tears seemed endless, rolling down her cheeks incessantly.
Qi Jingxuan really didn't know how to comfort her. After thinking it over, he could only do what his mother used to do when he was a child: gently pull her into his arms, pat her shoulders and back, and say softly, "Don't cry, don't cry."
The mute man, standing there awkwardly, touched his nose, his gaze drifting elsewhere before inevitably returning to the two of them.
After sneaking around and watching for who knows how long, Shen Yan's crying gradually stopped.
He quickly looked away, pretending that he hadn't been staring at the two of them, but was instead curiously examining the furnishings in the room.
Shen Yan knew she had lost her composure. She wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief and said to Qi Jingxuan in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine now."
Qi Jingxuan said "Oh," sat back down next to her, and said, "If you're upset, then... we can talk about it another day."
Although he didn't know why Shen Yan was sad, seeing her crying so hard, he knew she must have thought of something extremely heartbreaking.
If that's the case, then... then what she just said can be put on hold.
In any case, now that the mute has been captured, he can no longer shoot arrows at him, so he can rest easy for the time being.
Shen Yan shook her head, sniffed, and said to the mute man who was pretending to look around, "What happened next? Did I die too, and you survived, found out about me, and then... then somehow you went back to earlier times and came to the capital to see if you could help me?"
The mute man nodded, then shook his head. Seeing that Shen Yan was puzzled, he then made a tilted posture.
After thinking for a long time, Shen Yan said, "You...you didn't survive back then."
The mute man nodded, indicating that she was right.
Shen Yan frowned upon hearing this and said, "But if you also die in that earthquake, then wouldn't it mean I failed to save you?"
Upon hearing this, the mute man quickly shook his head and made several hand gestures, his expression very solemn.
She saved him, and that's it. Even if he only lived for a little longer, she still saved him.
A life-saving grace should be repaid with the utmost gratitude.
Unfortunately, the series of gestures was too complicated for Shen Yan to understand at all.
Qi Jingxuan was completely bewildered and couldn't help but interrupt, "Aci, what are you talking about? What are you talking about dying... How could you die?"
How could Aci die? If Aci dies, what will become of him?
Shen Yan then looked at Qi Jingxuan and said, "Didn't I just ask you if you had a dream?"
"In my dream, we were both framed at the spring banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion. The person who framed us also caused a conflict between the students of the academy and the imperial guards, and we died by the imperial guards' swords."
She told Qi Jingxuan everything that had happened in her past life, and finally said, "When I woke up in the Marquis's mansion this time, the Prince took all the blame, and many things were different from then. I thought... I thought it was just a dream, until..."
As she spoke, she looked at the mute man who was shackled, her voice trembling slightly: "Until I saw him."
She rescued the mute man when she was in Yingzhou. At that time, the two of them lived in the same small town and occasionally met on the street. They were not even acquaintances. The only time they crossed paths was when she happened to pass by in a snowstorm and saved him.
When they took him to the clinic, the man was briefly conscious, and it was probably then that he saw her and realized that she had saved him.
"The reason I asked the prince how he knew he could shoot arrows is because I saw a bow in the collapsed shed when I rescued him, and guessed that he must know how to shoot arrows."
But Qi Jingxuan was in the capital and had no idea who this mute man was, so how could he know this?
Not only that, he also knew that he was an excellent archer, hitting the bullseye every time.
Unless Qi Jingxuan had met him or even witnessed his archery skills, he couldn't possibly know these things.
After listening to Shen Yan's words, Qi Jingxuan took a long time to come back to his senses, and he quickly understood many things that he had been puzzled about.
"So...so he's not an assassin, he's from your hometown."
"You saved his life, and after he was reborn, he came to the capital to repay your kindness..."
If he arrives in the capital and finds that Shen Yan is already dead, and everyone in the capital says that Shen Yan was forced to her death by Qi Jingxuan, then...
Qi Jingxuan felt a chill run down his spine, his body went limp, and he slid down the edge of the bed to the footstool, collapsing at Shen Yan's feet.
Shen Yan looked puzzled: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Qi Jingxuan remained silent for a long time, but tears gradually welled up in his eyes, and then large tears rolled down his cheeks. He grabbed Shen Yan's leg and cried even more bitterly than before.
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"
He cried out.
Confused, Shen Yan tried to pull her leg away but couldn't. She could only wipe his tears while asking, "Your Highness...do you...have a different experience than us?"
Based on her experience with the mute, Qi Jingxuan shouldn't know the mute at all now, because in her previous life, the mute hadn't even come to the capital.
But Qi Jingxuan recognized him, which meant they had met before.
But judging from the mute man's expression, he clearly had no impression of Qi Jingxuan, otherwise he wouldn't have kept quiet about it until now.
Qi Jingxuan tremblingly raised one hand, making an eight-character gesture, and choked out, "Eight times... eight times... he killed me eight times!"
Shen Yan and the mute were both taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of what he was talking about.
Qi Jingxuan cried, "This isn't my first time living this life; I've experienced the same thing eight times!"
He pointed tremblingly at the mute man again: "It's him, it's always him! He chases after me and tries to kill me! He's killed me eight times! He's riddled me with bullets!"
"My head, my eyes, my neck, my arms, my legs, and my balls..."
He cried more and more bitterly, sobbing uncontrollably.
"What did I do wrong? I was also a victim! Wasn't killing me once enough? Why did you have to kill me eight times?"
"I wore a breastplate, I put on armor, I even used a body double, but he still recognized me!"
"What a deep grudge! They chased me into the mountains to kill me, they chased me to my fiefdom to kill me, they'd rather die than let me die!"
"I was a victim too, I was a victim too..."
He was crying so bitterly that even Ah Yuan outside was disturbed. She couldn't help but knock on the door and ask, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Do you need anything...?"
"roll!"
Qi Jingxuan roared at the door, then hugged Shen Yan's leg and continued to cry, "Aci, I'm so miserable, I'm really so miserable..."
Shen Yan and the mute were both stunned by his crying, their minds filled with countless thoughts, finding it all unbelievable.
A mute person cannot speak, and even if they have many thoughts in their heart, they cannot express them.
Fortunately, Shen Yan knew how to speak and asked the question he also wanted to ask: "Your Highness, are you saying... you've experienced the same thing eight times already, and every single time..."
She stopped talking and looked at the mute man, finding it hard to believe.
To be honest, she didn't have much of a relationship with this person. If it weren't for the dark blue mark on his forehead and the fact that he was mute, and the fact that some mischievous children in the city liked to chase after him and play around with him, she probably wouldn't have any impression of him at all.
If this person hadn't survived the earthquake, then her so-called life-saving grace would have only allowed him to live for a little longer.
For these small acts of kindness, would he repeatedly travel to the capital to seek revenge on Qi Jingxuan?
When the mute man saw Shen Yan looking at him, he shrugged, indicating that he knew nothing.
In his memory, he had only lived this life once, and apart from this time, he had no other memories of Prince Ping.
But he believed what Prince Ping said was true, because he was indeed an expert marksman, never missing a shot. How could Prince Ping know this if he hadn't witnessed it firsthand?
Moreover, given his personality, if he were to be reborn every time and never remember killing Prince Ping, then he would indeed pursue and kill him again and again.
But you can't really blame him; he doesn't remember killing anyone. If he did remember...
Remembering him doesn't necessarily mean they'll let him go.
The mute man didn't care at all, and felt no psychological burden whatsoever. He just thought it was really unsightly that Prince Ping, a grown man, was crying like this after only dying a few times.
Shen Yan, who had just been grieving over her past life, was now somewhat bewildered.
She wanted to ask Qi Jingxuan some questions, but seeing that he was only focused on crying and couldn't listen to anything, she could only continue "talking" to the mute man.
"You came all the way to the capital like this? Aren't you afraid I won't recognize you? What if I don't remember anything from my past life? Wouldn't you be in danger today?"
If he were truly sent to the palace, even if it turned out to be a misunderstanding, he would likely suffer greatly.
The mute man pointed at her, then at Qi Jingxuan, and gestured with his hands.
Gan Ning City is not large, but the story of Shen Yan and Qi Jingxuan in his previous life was widely circulated there. Although he did not know her personally, he had heard about it.
He was in the clinic when the earthquake struck, buried under a pile of broken bricks and tiles. He thought to himself, "What bad luck! I was just rescued, and now I'm going to die again."
But when I opened my eyes, I found myself back in March of this year.
The mute woman knew who had saved her, and considering the possible situation she might face in the capital, she rode at top speed to get there.
But when he arrived, he found that things here were completely different from what he knew in his previous life.
The prince admitted that he had taken advantage of Miss Shen while drunk, and even asked the emperor to grant them a marriage. The two would soon be getting married.
The mute man didn't know what he could do for his savior, nor could he simply go to her door and say that Shen Yan had saved him in a past life and that he had come to repay her kindness.
So he stayed at a distance from Shen Yan, protecting her safety and preventing any accidents from happening to her.
After all, this Prince Ping seems to be quite troublesome, and he might drag Shen Yan down with him at any time.
Those guards who have been secretly following them will definitely prioritize protecting Prince Ping in case of trouble, and may not care about Shen Yan's life or death. He will have to protect Shen Yan in the event of trouble.
The mute man had a large, bluish-black birthmark on his face, which extended to about half an inch below his eye. It was so conspicuous that if he frequently appeared near Shen Yan, it wouldn't be long before A Yuan and the others noticed him.
In order to avoid being noticed, he never dared to get too close.
The reason he came to this place today was because he saw Shen Yan and Qi Jingxuan enter Sibaozhai, and there were many diners on the platform on the second floor of Sibaozhai, including a man surnamed Lin.
He didn't know the man surnamed Lin, but once when he was with Shen Yan, he saw this man staring fiercely at Shen Yan on the street, his eyes filled with malice, or even murderous intent.
To find out who this person was, he followed him all the way to a large mansion.
He then spent a few more days there and confirmed that this was the man's residence. The man was known as Master Lin, and some acquaintances called him Lin Si.
Seeing Lin Si and Shen Yan together, even though it could very well be a coincidence, what if it wasn't?
The people around Prince Ping were all focused on their master and hadn't paid any attention to who harbored any ill will towards Shen Yan, so they were naturally completely unprepared for Lin Si.
If he suddenly attacks, and the guards are too slow to react, and he is too far away to act in time, what should be done?
The mute man had no other choice but to risk getting closer.
But they were discovered not long after they started following him. And it wasn't A Yuan and the others who discovered him, but this seemingly foolish prince.
Until now, he had been wondering how the Prince of Ping had recognized him. Now that he knew that he had shot him before, and more than once, it was no longer surprising.
If it weren't for the strict regulations in the capital, and the fact that bows and arrows are too large to conceal and impossible to carry, he wouldn't have needed to get so close today. He could have simply found a high place to squat and kept watch, ensuring that Shen Yan would be safe from any accident.
But since we've been found out, we might as well accept it; it's no big deal.
The mute man thought that Shen Yan wouldn't recognize him at this moment, but Shen Yan was clearly surprised when she saw him on the street just now.
He quickly realized that Shen Yan might also have been reborn, just like him.
Although he wasn't afraid of being taken away by Qi Jingxuan's men, at worst he would be tortured and released after his identity was verified, and the worst outcome would be death.
But since it's possible to survive, then it's naturally better to survive.
He was making so many gestures that, despite his best efforts to use simple language, Shen Yan still couldn't understand him. She could only ask, "Can you write?"
The mute man shook his head, indicating that he did not.
Shen Yan sighed softly, unsure how to continue communicating with him. She could only comfort Qi Jingxuan, patting his back gently as he had comforted her earlier, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, it's all in the past. Everything is different this time, and that kind of thing won't happen again."
Qi Jingxuan cried, tears and snot streaming down her face, staining her skirt. She looked up, choking back sobs, and asked, "Really? I really don't have to die again?"
"It shouldn't be...it shouldn't be, right?"
Shen Yan said.
Seeing how uncertain she sounded, Qi Jingxuan opened his mouth to wail again.
Shen Yan quickly said, "No, definitely not. We already know what's going to happen next. It would be foolish to fall into someone else's trap."
Qi Jingxuan sniffed, nodded, and thought she was right, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was wrong and that he had been scolded.
He went through it time and time again, knowing what was going to happen each time, but he couldn't avoid it each time, and in the end he still died.
Qi Jingxuan thought about it and couldn't help but want to cry again. Just as he was about to burst into tears, he realized that something was wrong.
Shen Yan and the mute man clearly had no recollection of the previous lives he had experienced, and he had no recollection of the life they were talking about.
So... what was his fate in that lifetime they experienced? Did he survive?
He couldn't help but ask, and Shen Yan was taken aback, hesitating to speak.
Qi Jingxuan knew from her expression that things were not going to end well. He looked at the mute woman in disbelief, then at Shen Yan.
"No way, could it be that I was killed by him in that life too...? He killed me nine times?"
Shen Yan quickly shook her head: "No, he shouldn't have left Yingzhou at that time, so he couldn't have killed you."
"Then... then what exactly is wrong with me?"
Shen Yan pursed her lips, and seeing that he insisted on asking, she said, "Three months after I returned to my hometown, I heard my parents mention that you were demoted from the capital and were assassinated on your way to your fiefdom."
"But Yingzhou is a thousand miles away from the capital, and only a few words were transmitted there, without any detailed information."
In fact, her parents talked about it secretly behind her back, without mentioning it to her at all. As soon as she entered the house, they stopped talking about it.
At that time, all they wanted was to stay away from all the trouble and controversy. Whether Qi Jingxuan was good or bad was irrelevant to them.
Upon hearing this, Qi Jingxuan was stunned for a long while, then murmured, "So... I still died."
Even if the mute archer hadn't appeared, he would still have died, killed by the real assassins.
Why, why can't he escape this fate? Is he destined to die?
Shen Yan didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only say, "Isn't this another round? And this time, many things are different from before. Let's... let's think about what to do next."
The past was painful, but at least it's over.
If they don't want to repeat the same mistakes, they can't stay stuck in those pains; they have to keep moving forward.
"Next"
Qi Jingxuan murmured to himself, then snapped back to reality and pointed at the mute man.
"Yes, yes, let him go, drive him out of the capital, and make sure he never appears in front of me again! The moment I see him, I..."
My whole body aches, this hurts and that hurts.
Although he felt this person wouldn't harm him again, nothing is absolute, and what if something does happen?
The mute rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention.
He came for his savior; what does he have to do with this Prince Ping? He'd lose face if he just left because he was told to!
One of these two is clearly mute, yet they seem ready to start arguing at any moment.
Shen Yan was speechless and could only advise, "Your Highness, why don't you first tell me in detail what happened in those lifetimes you remember?"
"Although in the end it's all..."
She then realized she didn't know the mute man's name, so she asked, "What's your name?"
Because of a birthmark on his forehead, the people of Ganning City called him Ah Chou, but Shen Yan felt that the name was impolite and never dared to say it.
The mute was delighted to see that he didn't call her Ah Chou like others did, but instead asked her name. She pointed to the birthmark on her forehead with her shackled finger.
Shen Yan glanced at it and guessed, "Ink."
The mute man shook his head.
Shen Yan added, "Black."
The mute man still shook his head.
"……green"
Shen Yan could only try asking again.
The mute man nodded vigorously, indicating that he was right.
Shen Yan nodded, then asked, "And the surname?"
The mute man shook his head, indicating that he did not.
"Is it just the single name 'Qing', Ah Qing?"
The mute man smiled happily, clearly indicating that she had called him correctly.
He was an orphan adopted by his master, without father, mother, or surname. Because of a dark blue birthmark on his head, his master named him "Qing".
However, he grew up in the army and rarely returned to Ganning City. It wasn't until his master passed away and the army refused to keep him that he moved back.
The people in the city didn't know who he was or what his name was. He was mute and couldn't speak, so he could only let others call him Ah Chou.
Knowing his name, Shen Yan said to Qi Jingxuan, "Although it was A Qing who killed you those times, the real person who killed you was actually the one hiding behind the scenes. If we don't bring him out, even if we drive A Qing out of the capital, it's hard to guarantee that you won't be plotted against again in the future."
Shen Yan had no recollection of the eight times Qi Jingxuan had experienced, but she knew that since A Qing had come to avenge her, it meant that in those instances, neither she nor Qi Jingxuan had escaped the manipulation of the mastermind and had fallen into a deadly predicament.
The key to escaping this predicament lies not in Aqing, but in whether the mastermind behind it can be brought to justice.
Qi Jingxuan snapped out of his daze, nodded slowly, and then shook his head violently.
"No, no, no, the most crucial thing isn't the person behind it all, it's you! It's you, Aci!"
"I"
Shen Yan was puzzled.
Qi Jingxuan nodded firmly, his tone resolute: "That's right, it's you!"
As he spoke, he recounted his experiences from his previous lives to Shen Yan, explaining how he had tried every possible means to escape being banished from the capital, how he had encountered assassins time and time again, and how he had been chased and killed by A Qing.
“I originally thought he was also one of the assassins, but now I think he probably came to the capital from Yingzhou and heard that you were dead, or that I forced you to your death. In order to avenge you, he followed my group all the way, looking for an opportunity to assassinate me.”
"It just so happens that the person behind the scenes also arranged for assassins on the way, so he... he took advantage of the chaos caused by those assassins to make his move."
"That way he can kill me and then slip away unnoticed, making people think he's with those assassins."
The only time this didn't happen was because the emperor had arranged too many guards for Qi Jingxuan, so the person behind the scenes didn't dare to send someone to assassinate him along the way, and A Qing couldn't find a suitable opportunity along the way.
It wasn't until Qi Jingxuan arrived at his fiefdom and lowered his guard that he risked being trapped in the city and unable to escape, and delivered a fatal arrow to his throat.
Qi Jingxuan had never understood why such a skilled archer would sacrifice himself in his fiefdom just to assassinate him, a leisurely prince who would never have a chance at the throne. Was it worth it? What was the person behind it thinking? Had they lost their mind?
Now he understood that this archer was not one of the assassins at all. It wasn't that others didn't value his life; it was that he himself didn't value his own life, willing to die to avenge Shen Yan.
He recounted everything he could remember in one breath, and finally said, "When I woke up this time, I felt that the key still lay with you. You cannot die; if you die, I will inevitably be unable to escape either."
"After hearing your accounts of your past lives, I am even more certain of this."
Perhaps because she lacked those memories, Shen Yan listened to these words with relative calm, unlike the anguish she felt when recalling her parents' deaths. Seeing Qi Jingxuan's certainty, she felt puzzled and asked, "Why?"
“Look,” Qi Jingxuan said, “in the lifetime in which you have memories but I don’t, I clearly died a few months before the earthquake, but I was not reborn at that time, at least I have no recollection of it.”
"On the contrary, after you, Aci, also had an accident in Yingzhou, you returned to the spring banquet of the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion with your memories. I was also reborn at that time. However, because I failed to seize the opportunity and was unable to stop you from committing suicide, I was eventually killed by someone and did not have a good end."
Doesn't this just show that the key to solving the problem lies with you?
Shen Yan thought about it carefully and shook her head: "But in the few times when you had the memory but I didn't, didn't I die early? Yet you are still alive."
What's the point of my life?
Qi Jingxuan said.
"My life consists of constantly being assassinated, then constantly returning to the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion, and then constantly dying."
"It's clear I'm useless in life; the real culprit is you!"
He clung to Shen Yan's leg and insisted, the more he talked, the more reasonable it seemed.
"Look at you, you've lived a good life, neither forced to death nor driven out of the capital. And so have I, neither driven out of the capital, nor encountered assassins, nor..."
He pointed in Aqing's direction, then quickly withdrew his hand as if he'd been poked by something: "He didn't kill me with a single arrow. That shows you're the most important person. Only if you live can I survive!"
He had always thought so, and after today's events, he was even more certain of it.
Shen Yan looked at him silently, and after a while, she nodded with a light smile, a look of realization on her face.
"No wonder...no wonder you not only took all the blame this time, but also insisted on marrying me. You think...I can save your life?"
Qi Jingxuan looked embarrassed, his gaze darting away: "I...I'm really terrified of dying."
After saying that, he quickly assured her, "But now that I'm married to you, I will definitely treat you well and will never let you down!"
Shen Yan didn't think about whether she would let anyone down, since she had never taken the marriage seriously from the beginning and already had a divorce agreement in hand, so she could leave the Prince's mansion at any time.
Although she had previously thought that Qi Jingxuan, like her, had chosen to get married in order to escape the trap set by the person behind the scenes, she still didn't quite understand why Qi Jingxuan was so serious about this marriage. Now she finally understood the reason.
She smiled and said, "Your Highness, you'd better not think that way. The person behind this is targeting you. To him, I'm just a tool, something that can be used or discarded. Even if we get married and stay together, the person behind this won't necessarily stop targeting you."
"I might be able to save my life then, but the prince might not."
"So it's best to find that person, otherwise you'll be living in fear for the rest of your life."
Qi Jingxuan pondered for a moment and nodded: "What you said makes sense. That person really needs to be caught, but you can't get into trouble either."
“I’ve died eight times… no, nine times. This time I have a feeling that if you live, I might not live, but if you die, I’m sure I will die.”
He didn't know why he had this feeling. Perhaps it was because he had finally had a period of peace after preventing Shen Yan from being forced to her death, and he deeply felt that only by staying by Shen Yan's side could he save his own life.
Shen Yan was both amused and exasperated, and tried to pull him up from her feet.
Qi Jingxuan refused to get up, sitting on the footstool and holding onto her legs tightly, as if she would run away if he let go.
Having no other choice, Shen Yan had to give up and asked, "Having gone through so many things, does Your Highness have any thoughts about the person behind the scenes?"
Qi Jingxuan was taken aback, and his shoulders slumped immediately: "No."
If he had, he wouldn't have repeated the same mistakes time and time again.
After saying that, fearing that Shen Yan would think he was too useless, he quickly added, "It's not that I didn't want to investigate, it's just that I didn't have the opportunity."
"The person behind this is too ruthless. Even if you hadn't committed suicide then, they would have tried every means to force you to do so later."
"As soon as you died, I was immediately locked up in the Prince's mansion and placed under house arrest. I couldn't even take a step outside and could only wait for news from the outside. I couldn't even investigate."
The biggest problem is that, despite appearing to be favored over the past decade or so, he has been viewed with suspicion by many and has never been able to cultivate his own people.
He thought this was the safest and most secure option for a leisurely prince, but when trouble actually broke out, he had no ability to protect himself and could only rely on the emperor.
Once the emperor is also hampered, his position becomes precarious.
Shen Yan nodded slightly, but said nothing.
Although she was a woman and could not serve as an official in the court, she was the only daughter in her family. When she was in Yingzhou, she often helped Shen Mingshan with some official business, and Shen Mingshan would also talk to her about things in officialdom from time to time.
Although they lived in a small border town, far from the imperial court, and were not clear about many things, they still knew some common knowledge.
The current emperor was not born to the late emperor, but was adopted by a collateral branch. When he first ascended the throne, he had little power in the court and was manipulated by powerful families, nobles, officials and ministers, and was almost reduced to a puppet.
He carefully managed his affairs, and with his ruthless nature, he gradually secured his position in the court.
Even so, he could only maintain a balanced relationship with the court officials; it was impossible for him to subdue everyone on his own.
Under such circumstances, if the emperor had shown even the slightest intention to pass the throne to Qi Jingxuan, Qi Jingxuan would not be alive today.
By the same token, if Qi Jingxuan had even the slightest intention of seizing the throne, he would already be a skeleton.
Therefore, the emperor only dared to favor Qi Jingxuan, but dared not relinquish power, and could only let him be a leisurely prince.
Although Qi Jingxuan was favored, he dared not interfere in court affairs, nor did he dare to cultivate his own people, lest he arouse suspicion and be eliminated to prevent future troubles.
Originally, there was nothing wrong with this. Once Qi Jingxuan was granted his fiefdom, he could do so. As long as he didn't rebel for no reason, no one would remember him or want to get rid of him as soon as possible.
But now he doesn't know who he has inadvertently offended, and the other party is determined to kill him.
If they knew who their opponent was, that would be fine, but they currently know nothing about the other party's identity and are completely in the dark.
Shen Yan didn't have the memories of those lifetimes, so she could only fill in the gaps based on her own understanding of herself: "In those lifetimes you mentioned, I probably didn't commit suicide in all of them. There were a few times when I was killed by someone."
Qi Jingxuan stiffened upon hearing this, his neck feeling as if something was choking him, and he slowly raised his head: "...What did you say? He was murdered?"
He clearly had someone keeping a close eye on him every time, and even if he couldn't do it himself, he had his father send someone to keep an eye on him, so how could this be...?
Shen Yan said, "I can't be sure about the others, but the time I threw myself into the well, it was definitely not something I did myself."
Qi Jingxuan was about to ask why when his mind suddenly changed and he suddenly understood. The hand on her lap tightened involuntarily, squeezing her skirt into a ball.
"Yes, you're afraid of water. You never go to the water's edge alone, so why would you jump into a well?"
Shen Yan stabbed her neck with a hairpin, slashed her neck with broken porcelain, and even once crashed her head into a stone lion in front of the Dali Temple, dying on the spot.
If she doesn't seek death, that's fine; but if she does, she must be extremely determined to die.
Even if there wasn't a sharp weapon to help her commit suicide, there must have been plenty of stones and walls along the way from the Shen family's house to the well.
She could have just randomly chosen a spot to kill herself, why would she choose water, which she fears most?
Qi Jingxuan's body trembled slightly, and his face turned somewhat pale.
He never expected this, he never expected it.
A few days ago, Aci told him that she was afraid of water, but he had never thought about it.
He was only concerned with enjoying the comfort of the present moment, and it seemed he was about to put the events of his previous lives behind him.
He felt wronged, but wasn't Aci even more wronged?
He did die time and time again, that's true, but Aci also died time and time again. Does her not remember mean she hasn't died?
Moreover, even if it wasn't his intention, Aci did die because of him. What right did he have to protest his innocence in front of her?
Qi Jingxuan was overwhelmed with shame and buried his face in Shen Yan's knees, not daring to say a word, nor did he have the face to say anything.
Shen Yan didn't notice his expression. After thinking for a moment, she continued, "It's not necessarily that I did the hanging myself."
“When I went out with my father in Yingzhou, I saw a person who had hanged himself. The way he died was not very good.”
"If I had any other choice, I probably wouldn't have chosen to hang myself."
"Of course, if there is really no other way, I might do that."
She sighed again as she spoke, "It's a pity I don't have the memories of those lifetimes, otherwise, if the two of us worked together, we might be able to make some deductions about the person behind it all."
Upon hearing this, Qi Jingxuan quickly shook his head and hugged her legs tightly.
"No, no, no, you mustn't remember!"
The experience of dying again and again was too painful; it was enough for him to remember it all by himself.
Although he died a horrible death, always shot to death, Aci's suicide might not have been any better.
Besides, she was murdered on several occasions...
I've heard that drowning is extremely painful, and the process is also very long, which doubles the suffering.
She was so afraid of water; I can only imagine how desperate she must have felt when she was thrown into the well…
There's also hanging, which also results in suffocation and is probably no better than drowning.
Qi Jingxuan felt a chill creep down his spine the more he thought about it. He buried his face in her lap, shaking his head repeatedly, saying, "Don't remember, don't remember, please don't remember..."
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A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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