Falling off a cliff
When Jiang Mian woke up, she happened to hear a hushed discussion outside. The voices were not loud, but she could still hear them.
She made no move, listening quietly to the sounds coming from outside.
"If you insist on doing so, then take this old minister's life."
"General Wang." The young man's voice contained a warning, as if telling him not to act rashly.
Wang Shou had no choice but to kneel down.
Shen Ji leaned closer and said a few more words before Wang Shou's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Jiang Mian kept her eyes closed until the young man had arranged everything and entered the inner room. Only then did she pretend to slowly wake up, her eyes glazed over: "Cousin."
"The doctor said you need to rest. How about I have Heyue take care of you for the next few days?"
Jiang Mian looked at him, and her cousin seemed to have returned to his former self, gentle and refined, as if the gloomy and sickly man from before was just a figment of her imagination.
"Okay." Jiang Mian concealed the complex emotions in her heart and a smile appeared on her lips.
Shen Ji tucked the blanket around her without making any inappropriate moves. He stood up and said gently, "I have some official business to attend to. I'll have dinner with you later."
"Okay." Jiang Mian obediently complied.
She lowered her eyes and didn't notice that the young man's eyes suddenly reddened the moment he turned around.
Before long, He Yue appeared in front of her. Jiang Mian smiled at her, and the past grievances were wiped clean.
He Yue had no intention of harming her. Everything she did was at Shen Ji's behest. Now that she was by Shen Ji's side, his men would naturally not hurt her.
Perhaps because she had slept too much, Jiang Mian was unusually awake. She stood by the window, looking at the bright red plum blossoms outside the house. She couldn't help but recall that a long time ago, when she accompanied Shen Ji to stay at the temple, there was also a red plum blossom in full bloom there.
Back then, she racked her brains trying to make him fall in love with her, but she never expected that later he would be so infatuated with her, while she desperately wanted to leave.
After going around in circles, everything seems to have returned to square one.
“Miss, it’s chilly outside. The doctor said you shouldn’t be exposed to the wind for too long.” He Yue was as meticulous as ever. She stepped forward, closed the window, and helped Jiang Mian sit down.
Jiang Mian pursed her lips. She knew clearly that she was not sick, but poisoned.
And there is currently no antidote for this poison.
Shen Ji doesn't need to be so cautious.
She will not die until the poison takes effect.
Jiang Mian was very open-minded. In her life, she was adrift and helpless, and it seemed that she would never stay long no matter where she went. Because of her lack of security, she did many bad things and took many detours.
Looking back now, it's hard to say who's to blame.
The only strange thing is that you shouldn't place your hopes on others again and again.
During the day, she heard what the general said to Shen Ji.
He said she would affect their grand plan. Although she didn't know what they were plotting, after spending so much time together, Jiang Mian knew that Shen Ji was no ordinary person, and his true identity was very likely not that of the eldest son of the Shen family.
Rather, it was someone she could not speak of, someone of unparalleled nobility.
When she heard those words, she thought she would feel bad, as if she would become a burden to others no matter where she went.
But when she calmly listened to Wang Shou's words, she felt no sadness at all. Instead, she agreed with him. If she continued to stay, she would definitely become a burden to Shen Ji.
Let her go in peace.
The wind outside stopped and the sky darkened. He Yue lit the candles in the room. Jiang Mian closed her eyes and suddenly felt something was wrong. But before she could investigate further, the door outside was broken open.
A strange young man walked in.
"Xin Zhuo, what are you doing?" He Yue's eyes were full of vigilance as she pointed the dagger at the boy.
Xin Zhuo clicked his tongue and sighed. He walked slowly, and his narrow, wind-like eyes immediately spotted the girl sitting at the table.
She looks very well-behaved.
it's beautiful.
But it's also... a real nuisance.
“Sister Heyue, we are both His Highness’s people. I do not wish to harm you today. Hand her over to me.”
The boy looked to be sixteen or seventeen, a time when he should be carefree and unrestrained, but Jiang Mian saw a strong killing intent in him, and in his narrow phoenix eyes, he looked at her as if she were a dead object.
"Xin Zhuo, how dare you betray His Highness!" He Yue's expression changed drastically.
"Everything I have done is for Your Highness. Only when she dies will Your Highness not hesitate."
"Don't forget what we've been working towards to get to where we are today!"
Jiang Mian clutched her sleeves in fear. She didn't recognize the young man, but the "Your Highness" he mentioned must be her cousin. Was her cousin going to kill her?
Jiang Mian didn't know, but she clearly saw a fleeting wavering in He Yue's eyes.
Jiang Mian was afraid. Although she was prepared to die, anyone would feel fear when death is near. So, when Xin Zhuo's sword suddenly stabbed at her, Jiang Mian instinctively dodged. In that moment of dodging, another sword stretched out from the side and blocked Jiang Mian's way.
"Xin Zhuo, stop." Yun Qing said solemnly.
"Even you're trying to stop me!" Xin Zhuo's face was extremely ugly.
“You have overstepped your bounds; the young master did not give the order.”
Xin Zhuo sneered and sheathed his sword. "You'd better protect her for the rest of your life. Otherwise, I won't give up killing her. Only when she's dead can Your Highness truly turn back. Otherwise, she'll always be a menace as long as she lives."
Yun Qing remained silent, watching Xin Zhuo's departing figure.
He helped Jiang Mian up. He thought the little girl would be frightened, but the first thing she said after getting up was: could she go back to Yangzhou?
This was the first time Yun Qing had disobeyed Shen Ji's orders.
The next day, as expected, Shen Ji was furious.
It was snowing heavily outside, and everyone kneeling inside was trying to persuade him. It wasn't until Yun Qing returned in silence that the young man seemed to finally come back to his senses. No one had ever seen him so out of control, and they asked him cautiously.
Yun Qing knelt down.
"Young master, I deserve to die! On her way back to Yangzhou, the Fifth Miss was attacked by bandits and fell off a cliff..."
The young man was incredulous. He had faced life and death with composure countless times, yet now he had lost his composure so much because of a little girl.
"Your Highness..." Everyone in the room was shocked.
Shen Ji actually vomited blood.
His illness came on suddenly due to a sudden attack of anger and anxiety.
Xin Zhuo stood outside the door, staring at Yun Qing with a sinister expression: "You took her away, is this the way you want His Highness to give up?"
"Whether she lives long or short, what difference does it make?" Yun Qing said calmly, looking around the room.
He couldn't help but recall the pleading look in the girl's eyes three hours earlier.
His life was never in his own hands.
He would do anything for his lord.
Even death would be a sweet experience.
But that girl is the young master's beloved, and he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
Xin Zhuo sneered, laughing at his stubbornness.
Shen Ji slept for a day and a night. When he woke up again, two whole days had passed. However, the first thing the young man asked after opening his eyes was, "Where is she?"
Yun Qing remained silent, kneeling with her back ramrod straight.
"I'll ask you one more time, where is she?"
His hoarse voice was somewhat strained. The doctor who had examined him said that the young master suffered from a cold-related illness, and now the sudden onset of internal heat had affected his heart. It was crucial to prevent a relapse in the near future.
Yun Qing clenched her fists tightly: "She's dead."
Upon hearing this, the young man stood up, his sword suddenly pointing in front of Yun Qing, and coldly asked as if he had no humanity whatsoever: "Where do you want to die?"
**
The roadside was covered in snow, and in such cold weather, there were many livestock that had frozen to death.
A figure galloped across the long street, kicking up layers of white mist. Before long, Shen Ji arrived alone at Yunshan Cliff.
The area is covered in white snow, and even if there were signs of a fight, they would soon be covered by the heavy snow.
He didn't know where to look for her. Yun Qing said that she had disappeared on this cliff. It was so cold here, and she was usually most afraid of the cold.
Why choose this location?
"Everyone must be seen alive or dead."
Shen Ji stared coldly at the cliff, his gaze as dark as a wisp of fog.
Yun Qing chased after him in a disheveled state: "Young master, let's go back. Miss Jiang is no longer here. Even if she were alive, she wouldn't want to see you like this."
Shen Ji remained silent; no one dared to disobey his orders.
The group immediately descended the cliff, but below was an icy spring. Although it was frozen, the immense impact meant that anyone who sank into the spring would never return.
That little girl is probably really dead.
Shen Ji stared blankly at the cliff, ignoring Yun Qing's pleas. The guards had other things to do, and after searching for a whole day, they found no trace of him.
Everyone left.
Only he stared blankly at the snow before him, as if he had lost his soul.
It took him three whole days to return.
At that time, Xin Zhuo was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. When he saw Shen Ji, he immediately went to greet him.
The young man looked at him coldly and suddenly said, "Kneel down."
"Your Highness?" Xin Zhuo dared not disobey.
"Go to the Jie'an Hall to reflect on your mistakes. You are not to come out without my order."
After saying that, Shen Ji took a step forward. Xin Zhuo, unconvinced, couldn't help but ask, "Is Your Highness blaming me for secretly killing her that day?"
"She is currently poisoned. Even if I don't kill her, she won't live much longer. Are you keeping her by your side to trade your own life for hers?"
"Your Highness, don't forget that she is nothing in the face of a blood feud. It's fortunate that she is dead today, otherwise, I would have eliminated anyone who stood in Your Highness's way."
The boy curled his lips into a smile, his eyes burning with ruthlessness.
Shen Ji turned around calmly, and a sword suddenly emerged from his sleeve, stabbing at Xin Zhuo without mercy.
The sharp blade pierced the boy's heart, yet his smile remained unchanged, his eyes revealing extreme ruthlessness.
"Who do you think you are to talk about her like that?"
With a "pfft," everyone panicked, but He Yue reacted quickly and knelt down: "Your Highness, please forgive me. Xin Zhuo did it all for Your Highness."
"Your Highness, please forgive us." Immediately afterward, everyone realized what had happened.
Shen Ji loosened her grip on the sword hilt and looked at the people kneeling before her. Behind each familiar face was a look of glee at her death.
He suddenly had a headache, like a ray of light that he had finally managed to grasp.
It suddenly went out.
No one would ask him whether the light was important to him; they would only cheer and rejoice that he could continue to walk in the darkness.
Shen Ji fell silent.
He went back into the house and found everything related to Jiang Mian.
There are clothes she wore, calligraphy she wrote, lip rouge she used, and hair ornaments she wore.
That night, a great fire broke out in the Shen residence, and everything about her was completely destroyed in the flames.
At the same time, a scandal broke out in the palace.
The current emperor, through treason and usurpation, secretly murdered Crown Prince Yong'an.
From this point on, the world descended into chaos.
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