Chapter 64: The Prince Tests and Pretends to Be Compromising
The sound of the midnight gong echoed deep within the palace, making everyone's heart clench. The candlelight in the study flickered, stretching Xiao Jin's shadow long and heavy across the cold, blue-brick floor. He sat on the armchair, a glass of ice-cold wine between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the doorway—Yun Zhi had just been ushered in by a guard, still wearing her dusty servant's uniform, her hair held up with an old wooden hairpin. Standing at the doorway, like a frost-bitten weed, she lowered her head timidly.
"Come here." Xiao Jin's voice was hoarse from drinking. It wasn't harsh, but it revealed unquestionable majesty.
Yun Zhi walked over slowly, stopped three steps away from him, and knelt in greeting. "Your servant greets His Majesty. I wonder what your Majesty wants me to do by summoning you so late at night?"
Her head was bent low, and Xiao Jin could only see the top of her black hair and her slender neck. Her skin was pale in the candlelight, and he could vaguely see the faint red fingerprint left by Lord Wang when he pushed her last time. Xiao Jin's gaze lingered on the fingerprint for a moment, and a sense of irritation inexplicably rose in his heart, but was quickly suppressed by the alcohol. He had summoned her here not to see her pitiful appearance, but to test her.
Yun Zhi had been too quiet these past few days. So quiet that he found it unnatural. How could someone who had been treated like that by him, who had also experienced the pain of disappearance, be so calm? Had she truly smoothed out her edges, or was she secretly plotting something?
"Are you getting used to living in the west wing these past few days?" Xiao Jin picked up his wine glass and took a sip of the cold wine, his eyes fixed on Yun Zhi's reaction. "Did Lin Wanru and Su Yurou cause you any trouble?"
Yun Zhi's shoulders trembled slightly, as if frightened by the words "Lin Wanru". Her voice lowered, "Your Highness, I'm living very well. The Princess and the Concubine have never given me any trouble."
"Not embarrassed?" Xiao Jin sneered, slamming his wine glass down on the table, spilling a few drops of wine. "I heard that Su Yurou sent you some snacks the other day, but you poured them all out. What's the matter? Do you think her food is unclean, or do you think you're too noble to eat it?"
Yun Zhi suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of panic, and waved her hands quickly: "No! Your Majesty, I didn't! I just... I just have a poor appetite recently, and I was afraid of wasting Your Majesty's kindness, so..." Her voice became smaller and smaller, and finally almost inaudible, but her eyes were slightly red, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Xiao Jin watched her panic-stricken expression, his doubts slightly lessened. If she were truly planning something, she would have feigned composure instead of panicking. He softened his tone, but still spoke tentatively, "Well, since you've lost your appetite, I'll have someone make you some more porridge. I'm asking you, when you were abducted, what did those people do to you?"
At the mention of "abducted," Yun Zhi's body tensed instantly, her fingers clenching the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white. She lowered her head, her voice tinged with tears, "They...they locked me up in a dilapidated temple, giving me only a little food and water every day. They also said...they said they would sell me to the herdsmen on the border...I'm terrified, and every day I hope the prince will send someone to rescue me..."
She deliberately emphasized "hoping that the prince would save her" in order to poke at Xiao Jin's arrogance - he always felt that even if Yun Zhi hated him, she should still have a place for him in her heart.
Xiao Jin looked at her trembling shoulders and listened to her sobbing voice. As the alcohol took over, his irritation gradually dissipated. He recalled the secret guard's report, saying Yun Zhi was indeed alone in the ruined temple and hadn't come into contact with other men. He felt strangely relieved. He stood up and walked over to Yun Zhi, reaching out to lift her chin and forcing her to look at him. "Then why were you so cold to me after you came back? Do you blame me for not saving you in time?"
Yun Zhi's tears finally fell, landing on the back of Xiao Jin's hand. The warm touch softened his heart. She shook her head, her voice choking with sobs, "I dare not blame the prince... I just... I just feel that my status is low, and as the daughter of a guilty minister, I don't deserve to be near the prince anymore... Especially... especially with Miss Shen back, I shouldn't be an eyesore to the prince..."
As she spoke, she gently pushed Xiao Jin's hand away, lowered her head again, her shoulders trembling slightly, looking both aggrieved and sensible.
Xiao Jin's doubts vanished as he watched her like this. He assumed Yun Zhi's indifference was due to her low self-esteem and Shen Qingyue's return, not anything else. He recalled how Yun Zhi used to follow him around, chattering away about trivial matters, her eyes full of light. Now, though she was obedient, that light was gone, leaving only humility and cowardice.
He felt a trace of pity inexplicably in his heart, and reached out to touch her hair, his tone softening: "If you behave yourself, this prince will naturally not treat you unfairly. Although Qingyue has returned, you have stayed in the palace for so long after all, and this prince will not let you suffer any injustice."
Yun Zhi's body paused, then she regained her obedience, her voice trembling slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness... This servant... This servant simply hopes to stay by Your Highness's side, even if it means just being a servant girl. I am willing to do that."
She deliberately displayed a "remaining attachment" to completely let Xiao Jin down. Seeing the "affection" in her eyes, Xiao Jin smiled with satisfaction—he knew that this woman still had him in her heart. Her previous calmness was just a pretense of strength.
"Okay, it's late, you can go back." Xiao Jin waved his hand, his tone was a little tired, "I'll ask the kitchen to stew some bird's nest for you tomorrow to replenish your body."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Yun Zhi bowed and turned to walk toward the door. Her steps were still steady, but a little slower than when she came, as if she was reluctant to leave. When she reached the door, she turned back to glance at Xiao Jin, her eyes filled with "attachment", then gently closed the door and retreated.
Xiao Jin sat on the armchair, staring at the closed door. He picked up the wine on the table and drank it all in one gulp. He felt that his previous suspicions were unnecessary. Yun Zhi was just a convict whose edges had been smoothed out, unable to cause any trouble. He recalled the look in Yun Zhi's eyes when she turned back just now, and a long-lost warmth suddenly surged in his heart - perhaps, keeping her was not such a bad thing after all.
As for Yun Zhi, as she walked down the steps from the study, the "attachment" and "cowardice" on her face instantly disappeared, leaving only a cold hatred. She raised her hand to wipe away the tear marks on her face - they were just smeared with her fingertips dipped in tea. The choked sobs used to disguise her crying were also deliberately practiced.
In the study, she had not only successfully deceived Xiao Jin but also taken the opportunity to observe the key on his waist—the key to the secret room, currently hanging from his belt. Made of brass, it was engraved with intricate patterns. She had memorized the shape of the key; now, she just needed to find an opportunity to copy it.
"Xiao Jin," Yun Zhi whispered softly, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes, "Do you think I'm still the Yun Zhi who still harbors illusions about you? You're wrong. Every bit of pity and trust you have in me will become a weapon of revenge, and I will eventually drag you and Shen Qingyue into hell together."
She turned and walked towards the west wing. In the night, her figure seemed particularly thin, yet resolute. As she reached the corner of the corridor, she saw a dark figure flash by—it was Liu Zhong's man, delivering a message. She followed him calmly and took a note from behind the rockery. It read, "Dr. Xie's injuries are gradually recovering and he is available for cooperation at any time."
Yun Zhi crumpled the note into a ball, stuffed it into her mouth, and swallowed it. Her eyes became more determined. She looked up at the study. The candle was still lit. Xiao Jin was still inside, perhaps thinking about Shen Qingyue, or perhaps feeling complacent about his "control."
She sneered, turned, and continued walking. This drama has only just begun. Xiao Jin, take your time to enjoy your so-called "control." Soon, you'll know what it means to be forced to do something, what it means to be irreversibly doomed.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jin, in the study, was unaware that he had already walked step by step into Yun Zhi's trap. He picked up an old hairpin from the table—it was the one Yun Zhi had worn when she first entered the palace, but he had later discarded it in a corner, specifically to test her. He stroked the pattern on the hairpin, thinking about Yun Zhi's reaction just now, and a conceited smile played at the corner of his mouth: "After all, she is still a woman who cannot leave me."
He didn't know that this old hairpin was just a small prop in Yun Zhi's plan. And the key at his waist would soon become the key that would unlock the door to the truth. A larger conspiracy was quietly brewing, but he was still immersed in the illusion he had woven, unaware of it.
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