Chapter 70 He stood before her with the utmost respect, guided by the principle of forbearance…
The eyes that were once so familiar began to look unfamiliar to her.
The pain in his lungs, the crackling of the flames, and his voice all disappeared.
Only the name "Huan Xun" kept crashing in her mind, making her temples dizzy, throbbing, and her vision blurring.
Her gaze met his, and her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
He pressed forward step by step, his handsome, jade-like face showing not a trace of embarrassment, surprise, or panic. Panic…
Even though he was the one whose identity had been unexpectedly exposed, she was trembling uncontrollably. Those two words would be more fitting to describe her reaction at that moment.
She retreated step by step until her heels hit the moss-covered steps, at which point she had to stop.
He remained silent, his cold eyes silently fixed on her.
“You…” Yu Nie’s throat tightened, and the question that had just reached his lips suddenly got stuck.
It felt as if a handful of dry sand had been stuffed into her throat, grinding painfully. In the end, she could only squeeze out a few hoarse breaths, which she couldn't even understand herself.
A treacherous minister who wielded immense power, killed countless people, and held the emperor hostage to command the entire nation.
Commandant Huan, who upheld justice for the common people in Huaiyuan City and killed a member of the royal family.
In Lingbao Temple, the approachable Huan Zijing quietly carried water and chopped firewood, secretly saving a roasted chicken for her.
It was during her low spirits that she solemnly promised to bring Zhao Shuhuai to justice, and Jian'an met the young man who was willing to risk danger to help her escape her arranged marriage...
These drastically different shadows, these vivid images that remained so clear in her memory—how could they be…?
How could it be the same person?
The truth struck her like a thunderbolt, shattering all her thoughts.
All her past knowledge and memories now felt like sharp blades, piercing her with pain.
"Me?" He stood before her with the utmost respect, his voice lowered, carrying an almost cruel patience.
He wasn't worried that she would say something she shouldn't, because from beginning to end, she was the only one who was looking at things from the wrong perspective.
Even if she wasn't in the wrong position, given her current status, if she uttered even half a word that was out of line, he would look at her with more respect.
Yu Nie gazed at the face so close to his.
Those deep eyes no longer held the gentleness they once had for Huaiyuan, making her heart flutter with unease.
The next second, she hurriedly looked away, her fingers clenching her sleeves.
She had already been deceived, and all she could do was silently tell herself that there was no point in pursuing the matter any further.
The young man Huan Zijing, who in her memory would save roast chicken for her and make solemn promises, and who once made her feel reliable and warm, has now become Huan Xun, the villain she avoids most in history books.
What made her feel uneasy was that the secret of her being Princess Shunhe's double was currently in the hands of such a person.
Right now, all grudges and shocks should be put aside. The most important thing is to keep this secret and never let it be leaked.
Thinking of this, she forced herself to suppress her surging emotions. When she looked up again, the panic in her eyes had been deliberately suppressed, leaving only a calm expression as she met his cold gaze.
Even though her heart was already in complete turmoil, she had to keep playing this role.
Her eyes crinkled into crescents, her smile was charming, and she straightened her posture, her tone and demeanor exuding the haughty air of a princess: "What I mean is, Lord Huan... what brings you here?"
In just a few words, she had already drawn a clear line between them, a distance that was more than just a fraction of a second; it was an invisible and insurmountable chasm.
A dark mass of soldiers knelt on the ground. They had rushed in too hastily, and since she was new to the capital, none of them had ever seen her before. Seeing her speak to their master in such a distant and arrogant tone, they assumed she was some ignorant and arrogant princess from a collateral branch.
They were all stunned and looked at each other, remembering their master's advice to keep a low profile, and they were unsure whether they should step forward.
Just then, Lu Jinshi, having dealt with the other two assassins, rushed in with his sword in hand. He immediately spotted Yu Nie's back and was about to step forward when a glance from Huan Xun deterred him.
The astonishment and anger in his eyes disappeared; in the change of emotions, there was also a change of thought.
The interplay of strength and gentleness leads to change. Change brings about events; it is the imperative of circumstances.
He stared at her for a while, his gaze sweeping over her face as she tried to appear calm, which made her feel a chill run down her spine.
His gaze was so sharp that it sent a chill down her spine.
She even had the urge to turn and run, but her legs felt like they were nailed to the spot, too heavy to move an inch.
After a while, the surrounding air almost froze into ice.
He then concealed the sharpness in his eyes, bowed, and adopted the standard posture of a subject, his voice calm and even:
"Your Highness, I encountered an assassin when I left the palace, and that's why I chased him all the way here."
Since returning to Jian'an, countless people both inside and outside the court have disliked him and wanted him dead. These harmless assassination attempts were nothing more than minor incidents to him, and he had already encountered them no less than three times.
He lifted his eyelids to look at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Curfew is approaching, and instead of resting at Hongzheng Pavilion, the princess has come to this desolate old house. Could it be... that she intends to elope?"
The mention of the words "running away from her family" made her heart tighten. She almost immediately concluded that he was doing this on purpose, deliberately bringing up the matter to remind her that she had a secret in his hands and something he could use against her.
How dare she threaten her to her face! She...she...
A surge of anger rushed through her chest. Looking at the face before her, reason prevailed over her impulse, and she swallowed the words she wanted to utter.
What could she do? For now, all she could do was curse him in her heart.
Who would be so foolish as to argue with a madman who is unrestrained by morality, has a heart of stone, and whose next move could be a knife or something else that could kill?
She suddenly chuckled twice, looking somewhat timid, and immediately realized that she shouldn't have acted so arrogantly and overdid it.
She quickly put on an innocent expression, composed herself, and spoke with a deliberately serious tone: "Lord Huan is joking. You can't just say things like 'running away from marriage.' How could I, a princess, have such thoughts?"
Changing the subject, she then adopted a more sincere tone, as if they were both in the same boat:
"Speaking of which, we seem to be in the same boat tonight. I was just taking a carriage on the main street to get back home when suddenly several men in black jumped out and chased me, so I ran here in a panic. Luckily, you're here, sir..."
As she spoke, she subconsciously looked back around the courtyard. The dark figures that had chased her so hard that she could hardly breathe had all disappeared.
In the darkness of night, only a bright moon hangs in the sky.
She turned back to him, her gaze falling on him again, and said with a grin, "Look, there's not a soul in sight now. I'm really benefiting from Lord Huan's good fortune."
Huan Xun remained silent throughout, but his right ear twitched almost imperceptibly.
He had excellent hearing from a young age. His keen hearing was a skill he relied on for survival when he was a child.
Suddenly, in a flash, two throwing knives flew from his palms, slicing through the darkness and piercing straight towards the towering rooftops.
With a muffled thud, the dark shadow lurking on the roof ridge flickered and then fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.
His sudden attack was as fast as lightning, startling Yu Nie so much that his heart skipped a beat.
Several guards quickly stepped forward and dragged the two men in black, who were convulsing from being stabbed in the chest, to Huan Xun's feet.
He glanced down at the person at his feet, who was clutching their wound and rolling on the ground groaning in pain. His eyes were deep and unmoved.
Upon seeing this, Lu Jinshi immediately stepped forward to wait.
The veil on Yu Nie's face had already fallen off while she was fleeing for her life.
As he passed by Yu Nie, his gaze inadvertently swept over her, and he stopped the moment he saw her face clearly.
He almost cried out in shock, but seeing Huan Xun's cold gesture, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out, leaving only shock and confusion surging in his eyes.
Huan Xun asked simply, "Report your master, and I may spare your life."
One of the men in black, with a reckless attitude, said, "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you!"
With a flash of light from Huan Xun's blade, the black-clad man who had just been wailing now had a bloody gash on his neck. His eyes widened suddenly, as if he hadn't even realized what had happened, before his body abruptly collapsed and fell silent.
Bright red blood splattered onto her skirt. Yu Nie tensed up, barely daring to breathe. She felt a stench of blood seep into her lungs, making her chest feel tight and her back feel icy cold.
She watched as he moved the blood-stained knife to the side of another man in black's neck, and simply asked, "And you?"
The knife cut was still pressed against the skin, and the warm touch of his companion's blood was still there.
The last man in black was heaving violently, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, his eyes filled with fear and struggle, unable to utter a single word of pleading.
“I don’t have that much patience.” He pressed the blade halfway down the man’s neck: “One.”
Before the last note had even finished, the shadow of death completely engulfed the man in black; fear had ultimately triumphed over everything.
The man in black's voice trembled violently: "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything...!"
"It was Secretary Gao...it was him, he sent us to kill the princess!"
"Secretary Gao?" Yu Nie frowned. She had never heard of this official position before, and her tone was full of confusion and doubt.
She thought to herself, she had no connection with this person, let alone any grudges between them, so why would she be brought to her death for no reason?
The man in black revealed his mastermind, and Huan Xun, true to his word, sheathed his sword with a backhand motion.
"Since Secretary Gao sent you here, give him his name. Only by escaping Jian'an will you have any hope of survival. My men will heal your wounds and send you out of the city. After that, whether you live or die will be up to your fate."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and two guards stepped forward and led the man in black away.
Upon seeing this, Yu Nie felt a surge of anxiety. In her opinion, this person couldn't leave.
She tried to step forward to stop him, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist. His grip wasn't strong, but it made her unable to move an inch.
"You just let him go like that?" She struggled but couldn't break free, extremely anxious: "He was just trying to kill me. If we can't even keep one alive, how are we going to identify that Gao, Gao Shucheng?"
He glanced at her, then looked down at his hand that was holding her wrist, and then released her.
His tone was flat and even: "This Jian'an is the Jian'an of the gentry. Do you think that by keeping him alive, you can punish the Gao family?"
Yu Nie had never truly grasped the extent of the power wielded by the aristocratic families in this capital city, and his words carried a touch of naive innocence:
"Why not? Princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. I'm a princess now, is there no law anymore?"
"Princess?" He let out a sneer, but it had nothing to do with the real meaning of his laughter: "A princess whose maternal family has no power is not as good as the eldest daughter of a noble family. Didn't Xiao Chengyan teach you this principle?"
"Why should I need him to teach me?" She didn't understand why he brought up Xiao Chengyan at this time.
This is something even Huan Xun himself probably couldn't explain. He was momentarily stunned when he said those words.
He seemed to realize something was amiss, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, before he changed the subject, saying calmly:
“Princess Shunhe, Jian’an is far more complicated than Huaiyuan. This is not a world of black and white, nor is it a world where the law can prevail as you claim. This is a hunting ground.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced at her.
Before she could reply, he had already turned and walked towards the gate.
"It's late at night." Without turning his head, his voice came through the darkness: "Your Majesty, this humble subject should escort you back to Hongzheng Pavilion."
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The author's note: The interplay of strength and gentleness leads to change. —From the I Ching
Changes and unforeseen events arise from the subtle forces of fate. —From *Guiguzi*
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