Chapter 61: Choosing to Return, Cold Heart as Blade
The morning mist from the dilapidated temple had not yet dissipated. Xie Heng, lying on the haystack, finally slowly opened his eyes. His first question was a hoarse question: "Are you really going back? Back to that man-eating Prince Duan's mansion?"
Yun Zhi was crouching in a corner sharpening a dagger, the rough cloth rubbing against the blade repeatedly, giving it a cold gleam. She didn't stop moving when she heard the question, only raising her eyes calmly: "What else? Stay in this dilapidated temple and wait until Shen Qingyue secures her position as Princess Duan before sending assassins to take our lives?"
"But if you go back, you'll be walking into a tiger's mouth!" Xie Heng propped himself up and tried to sit up, but the arrow wound on his back caused him to gasp in pain. "Xiao Jin's heart is completely focused on Shen Qingyue right now, and Prime Minister Shen sees you as a thorn in his side. If you go back, you'll only..."
"It will only make revenge easier." Yun Zhi interrupted him, hiding the sharpened dagger in her sleeve. She stood up and walked over to him, her tone calm but filled with unquestionable determination. "Brother Xie, do you think I'm going back to die? I'm going to take what belongs to me—the Yun family's innocence, and the debt owed to me by the Shen family and Xiao Jin."
She bent down, pulled out Shen Qingyue's diary from her bosom, flipped to a certain page, and handed it to Xie Heng: "You see, what Shen Qingyue cares about most is the position of 'Princess Duan', and what she fears most is me, her 'substitute'. If I go back, I can just disrupt her plans and expose her flaws. Moreover, only in the palace can I get close to Xiao Jin and find evidence of how he was deceived back then, so that he can see Shen Qingyue's true face completely."
Xie Heng looked at the vicious words in the diary and the coldness in Yun Zhi's eyes, knowing that she was no longer the woman who had harbored illusions about Xiao Jin. He sighed and softened his tone, "I'm not trying to stop you from seeking revenge. I'm just worried something might happen to you. It's too dangerous for you to go back alone."
"I'm not alone." Yun Zhi turned to look at Liu Zhong, who was guarding the temple gate. "Uncle Liu will meet us outside the palace. After you recover from your injuries, take the evidence and contact our father's former subordinates. We'll work together from the inside and outside." She paused, squatted down, and held Xie Heng's hand. "Brother Xie, don't worry. I won't be as impulsive as before. This time, I will proceed step by step until I get back what the Shen family and Xiao Jin owe me."
Xie Heng looked at her determined eyes and knew that he could not persuade her, so he could only nod: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But you must be careful. If you encounter danger, find a way to escape immediately, don't force yourself."
Yun Zhi agreed and turned to walk to the bag that Liu Zhong had prepared long ago - inside was a plain dress that was washed to a pale color, and a small box of powder that Liu Zhong bought from the town. It was the most ordinary kind, just enough to cover up the haggardness on her face without making it look ostentatious.
She shed her dusty, old clothes and donned a plain skirt. Then, facing the temple's only blurry bronze mirror, she applied a little powder with her fingertips and gently dabbed it on her cheeks and under her eyes, covering the paleness and bruises. The woman in the mirror still had delicate features, but her eyes had lost all their tenderness, leaving only a coldness and silence, like the surface of a frozen lake.
"That's good." Yun Zhi pulled the corners of her mouth at the mirror, revealing a meek smile—an expression she had practiced countless times in the palace, a feign of obedience, a way to paralyze Xiao Jin. Now, she was going to use this look again, returning to that cage.
"Miss, the carriage is ready, just down the mountain." Liu Zhong walked in and looked at her attire, his eyes filled with heartache. "Are you really going back like this? If Xiao Jin does this to you again..."
"He will." Yun Zhi interrupted him, her tone calm, "But this time, I won't cry or beg him again. If he wants to humiliate me, I'll endure it; if he wants to use me, I'll let him. As long as I can get closer to the truth, this little bit of suffering is nothing."
Liu Zhong said nothing more, but silently handed over a cloth bag containing a few steamed buns and a small bag of water. "Eat them on the way. When you get to the palace gate, say you were rescued by a kind-hearted person and begged your way back. Don't reveal your true identity."
Yun Zhi took the cloth bag and stuffed it into her sleeve. She took one last look at Xie Heng, who was still gasping for breath, and turned to walk out of the dilapidated temple. The morning mist soaked her skirt, and the mountain path was slippery and difficult to walk on, but she walked steadily and quickly, not looking back.
The carriage stopped in a secluded area at the foot of the mountain. The driver was one of Liu Zhong's former subordinates. He had a scar on his face and looked menacing, but he was exceptionally respectful to Yun Zhi. "Young lady, sit tight. We'll take you to the palace."
The carriage slowly moved forward. Yun Zhi sat inside, lifting a corner of the curtain and watching the rapidly receding trees outside. Three years ago, she was the eldest daughter of the Yun family, riding in a magnificent carriage, accompanied by servants. Three years later, she had become a convict, relying on disguises and begging to return to the palace that had brought her endless suffering.
But this time, she is no longer a lamb to be slaughtered. She has a dagger hidden in her sleeve, evidence hidden in her bosom, and hatred hidden in her heart - these are her weapons.
Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in an alley near the side gate of Prince Duan's mansion. "Miss, the side gate is just ahead. I'll take you there." Scarface turned and handed her a broken bowl. "Do as Uncle Liu tells you. Don't panic."
Yun Zhi took the broken bowl, the rim still stained with dirt, which perfectly matched the illusion of having "begged back." She took a deep breath, straightened the hem of her plain skirt, and, with a slightly stumbling step, walked towards the side door.
The two guards at the side door were dozing off against the doorframe. When they saw Yun Zhi approaching, they immediately stood up straight with vigilance: "Stop! Where did this beggar come from? How dare you hang around in front of the palace? Are you tired of living?"
Yun Zhi quickly lowered her head, her voice trembling with just the right amount of timidity: "I... I'm not a beggar, I'm... I'm from the palace. I was kidnapped by bad guys before, and I finally managed to escape back..."
"From the palace?" The guard looked her up and down. She was wearing a plain dress, which was worn but clean. Her features did look familiar, but he couldn't place her. "Which courtyard of the palace are you from? Do you have any proof?"
"I... I'm Yun Zhi, who used to live in the west wing." Yun Zhi's voice lowered, deliberately revealing a shallow scar on her wrist - it was left when Lin Wanru's maid pushed her down and hit the corner of the table. The guards should remember it. "Before, I was kidnapped by a group of men in black. They stole my credentials, so I had no choice but to beg all the way back... I beg the two elder brothers to be flexible and let me see the prince. I have something important to tell him..."
The two guards exchanged a glance, remembering a convicted slave named Yun Zhi in the west wing. She'd been drugged by the prince for being "pregnant with a bastard," and later disappeared. Now, she'd suddenly returned, looking haggard and speaking in a timid tone, as if she'd truly met with misfortune.
"Wait, let's go and inform them." One of the guards turned and ran into the palace, while the other stayed where he was, staring at Yun Zhi vigilantly, fearing that she would play some tricks.
Yun Zhi lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the dagger in her sleeve, her nails digging into her palms - she knew that this was only the first step, and there would be more difficulties waiting for her next.
Not long after, the guard came running back, followed by a man who looked like a steward. The steward looked Yun Zhi up and down, frowning, "Are you Yun Zhi? The prince is not available to see you right now, but the princess said that since you are back, you should go back to the west wing and wait until the prince is free."
"Yes, thank you, Manager." Yun Zhi hurriedly bowed, her attitude was impeccable and gentle.
The steward said nothing more and waved his hand: "Take her to the west wing and keep an eye on her. Don't let her wander around."
The guard led Yun Zhi through a side door and down a long corridor. The palace looked much the same as when she had left it. The pavilions and towers were still magnificent, and the servants were still doing their jobs. However, in her eyes, all of this was just cold hypocrisy.
She followed the guard to the gate of the west wing. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the doors and windows were closed. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time. "Go in. Someone will bring you food every day. Don't run around." The guard said this and turned to leave.
Yun Zhi pushed open the dilapidated gate and walked into the yard. The wind blew, stirring up fallen leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound that sounded very much like the sound of her crying here in the past. She walked to the front of the house and pushed open the door. The inside was covered with dust, and the tables and chairs were covered with a thick layer of dirt.
She didn't clean up, but walked to the window, opened it, and looked towards the main courtyard of the palace - there, they should be busy preparing a welcoming banquet for Shen Qingyue. Xiao Jin should be accompanying his "white moonlight" now, enjoying the joy of reunion.
A cold smile appeared on Yun Zhi's lips. She took out a dagger from her sleeve and placed it on the windowsill. The sunlight shone on the blade, emitting a dazzling light.
"Shen Qingyue, Xiao Jin," she whispered softly, her eyes as cold and silent as the abyss, "I'm back. From today on, we'll settle everything you owe me, one by one."
She raised her hand and gently stroked the marks on the window sill - those were the words "hate" she had carved bit by bit with her fingernails in the middle of countless nights here before. Now, those marks were still there, and her hatred was even stronger than before.
Next, all she had to do was wait patiently, waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would expose Shen Qingyue's flaws, allow Xiao Jin to see the truth, and allow her to take revenge with her own hands.
Meanwhile, in the main courtyard, Xiao Jin was looking at the list delivered by the servants, which listed the preparations for Shen Qingyue's welcoming banquet. His fingertips traced the words "singing and dancing," and Yun Zhi's face inexplicably flashed through his mind—that woman, who had been missing for so long, where had she gone? Was she truly abducted, or...
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" Shen Qingyue's voice came from behind, so gentle that it could squeeze water out of her.
Xiao Jin immediately came back to his senses, turned around, and a gentle smile appeared on his face: "Nothing, I was just thinking about which song I should let you listen to at tomorrow's banquet."
He walked forward, held Shen Qingyue's hand, and threw all thoughts about Yun Zhi behind his mind - Qingyue was his true love, and that woman was just an insignificant substitute, so what could he do to her?
But he didn't know that the substitute he thought was insignificant had already returned to the palace and was staring at him and his beloved with cold eyes, like a cheetah ready to pounce, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.
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