Chapter 51. Or is it that he really is as he was before...?
With something on her mind, Biezhi didn't sleep well all night. She closed her eyes just before sunrise, and when she opened them again, the blazing sun slowly shone through the window onto her eyes.
Upon opening her eyes and catching sight of the unfamiliar bedroom, she immediately widened her gaze and sat up, her confused thoughts instantly clearing.
Last night's events came flooding back, leaving Biezhi's thoughts stagnate.
Ji Ran is the master, and also the current regent.
In front of Ji Ran, he not only expressed his dissatisfaction with his master, but also his displeasure with Prince Su.
She failed to escape and was brought here.
When Prince Su left last night, he seemed to have said that he would live here from now on?
Her gaze swept around, and she felt as if she were in a magnificent and exquisite prison.
They say I'm staying here, but it's clearly imprisonment!
"The young lady is awake." Hua Chao came in carrying a copper basin, wrung out a handkerchief, and handed it to the stunned, speechless girl. Her almond-shaped eyes, filled with water, were filled with shock. She then held the handkerchief forward half an inch: "Young lady?"
"What?" Biezhi snapped out of her daze, looked at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes and took the damp handkerchief.
Yes, he was scolded, but he also deceived himself. In the end, they're even, aren't they?
She clutched the handkerchief and pondered for a moment, then felt it was necessary to communicate with Prince Su.
Thinking this, Biezhi nodded heavily, took a deep breath, and asked, "Where is the Prince?"
The girl looked serious, as if she had made a great decision. Hua Chao said, "The prince went to court this morning and has not yet returned to his residence."
Having finally made up her mind, Huachao seemed a little rash the moment she finished speaking, and Biezhi hesitated.
The other party is the current regent; if he's lying to me, does he need a reason?
The most obvious thing is not that he lied to himself.
For the past two years, I've been jumping around on the head of Tai Sui from time to time, and when I'm unhappy, I don't forget to kick Tai Sui in the face. I've really offended Tai Sui.
As Hua Chao straightened her clothes, she caught a glimpse of the girl with a suddenly downcast face. The corners of her mouth curved slightly, assuming that she was unhappy because she couldn't see the prince: "I will immediately send someone to inform Guard Jiang that she is looking for the prince."
Biezhi quickly spoke up to stop Huachao, "I'm not in such a hurry."
Seeing Hua Chao's puzzled expression, she sighed deeply, drooped her ears, and went to wash up. When she returned, she noticed that the guards who had been standing at the entrance of her bedchamber the night before had been removed.
"The prince ordered them to remove it before he left," Hua Chao said.
Upon hearing this, Biezhi turned to look at her, and the dejection in her eyes was gradually replaced by a surge of joy.
Does this mean he's not going to lock himself up anymore?
A sudden surge of joy welled up inside her, making Biezhi feel as if she could fly away. She lifted her skirt, which was in the way, and ran out the door. But when she saw the guards patrolling outside the courtyard, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, leaving her feeling utterly cold.
She stood in the center of the courtyard, her gaze sweeping around.
Not only are there patrolling guards outside the courtyard, but there are also guards on all four sides of the walls. Not to mention a living person like myself, even a fly wouldn't be able to leave this place at will.
I had been here a few times before, but I had never seen so many guards.
She irritably fidgeted with the bushes beside her, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure walking quickly past. He seemed to have noticed her presence as well, and stopped to look.
The four or five courtiers who had returned with him quickly stopped and looked around in confusion.
Fu Huaiqing's gaze was fixed on a branch beneath the treetop. His almond-shaped eyes, which were usually shimmering with moisture, were filled with annoyance. His eyes darkened slightly, and he quickly turned away and strode toward the study.
Within half a day, court officials came in an endless stream to report on government affairs, turning the once quiet Prince's Palace into a bustling hub of activity.
They came one after another without stopping. Often, before the previous group of officials had even left, the next group would already be waiting outside the study. Biezhi, bored, brought Huachao and moved a chair to sit in the pavilion, counting the officials coming and going.
There were nearly twenty people in one day.
Some officials spent no more than fifteen minutes, while others took at least half an hour.
Biezhi couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. He was so busy on weekdays, where would he find the time to pretend to be Jiran and appear before her, let alone occasionally appear as her master?
However, upon further reflection, before he met Ji Ran, his master had always conveyed his missions through Qing Shan, and his communication with him did indeed begin about six months after he met Ji Ran.
Night had fallen, but the court officials still hadn't dispersed.
When Cheng Jin arrived, Bie Zhi was still waiting for the minister who had just arrived, who was covered in dust from his journey, to leave. He had been there for a couple of hours and still hadn't left.
Upon seeing her, Cheng Jin immediately asked, "What kind of novels or fiction do you like to read, young lady?"
Thinking he was there to deliver a message, Biezhi paused, taken aback by his question: "A novel?"
“Miss is used to traveling all over the country, and it must be quite boring for her to be idle at home all of a sudden.” Cheng Jin and Jiang Yue had already guessed that she would be puzzled, and they had been rehearsing their answers since last night, so that she would notice the slightest flaw in their responses. “I wonder if there is anything Miss would like to see? His Highness has ordered us to go and search for it to entertain Miss.”
Biezhi had read quite a few books recently, and didn't have any particular desire to read any more right now. "Nothing in particular—" she said, then paused, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes, "but there are some I really want to read."
"What?" Cheng Jin was overjoyed and quickly asked.
Biezhi smiled brightly: "The imprisonment type."
Cheng Jin: "...?"
Did he mishear something?
“Imprisonment—” Cheng Jin hesitated slightly, “What does ‘type of imprisonment’ mean?”
“The man is in a high position of power, and the woman is all alone. The man imprisons the woman somewhere for various reasons. The woman flatters him on the surface, but secretly she is plotting her escape.” Biezhi patiently explained to him to prevent him from bringing back some useless information. “In the end, the woman gets what she wants and leaves successfully. This is probably the type of situation.”
"Having left, will they ever come back?" Cheng Jin's heart skipped a beat. He felt that this didn't match what he was looking for. He was looking for a poignant ending, not a parting of ways. If he were to find those who had parted ways, the prince would surely drown them at the bottom of the lake to feed the fish. Thinking of this, he shuddered: "A tragedy?"
“No, that’s not it.” Biezhi realized the difference in their thinking and added, “In the end, the man will definitely find the woman and the two will live happily ever after.”
Cheng Jin breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help asking, "Is the kind of man the girl likes also the kind of person who acts like the characters in novels?"
“Uh.” Biezhi fell silent. Of course she didn’t like it. If she encountered a man from a novel in real life, she would definitely run as far away as possible. “I like good-looking men.”
Cheng Jin was speechless.
He paused for a moment, then said, "The prince is quite handsome."
Biezhi was so startled that she hiccuped.
Her lips moved for a long time before she said seriously, "Don't say such scary things."
Prince Su was handsome, but his handsomeness was deadly!
She could be intimate with Ji Ran, but if the man that night had been Prince Su, she would never have dared to be disrespectful to him, even if she had a thousand times the courage.
Thinking of this, Biezhi subconsciously glanced up at the empty corridor, then looked back at Cheng Jin, who seemed hesitant to speak, and couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "Is he always this busy?"
“I’m relatively free today,” Cheng Jin said, as it was still early in the night. “Normally, Your Highness is busy in the palace until midnight, and if it gets too late, he usually stays there to rest.”
Biezhi blinked, puzzled.
Why are you back so early today?
When Grand Secretary Lin Yiqing left, it was already 1:15 PM.
In the study, Fu Huaiqing put down the memorial he was reading, pressed his temples, and asked indifferently, "Has she retired for the night?"
"The lights are still on in the courtyard, so it shouldn't be open yet." Jiang Yue placed a fresh cup of tea on the table, glanced at his master's gaze towards Qinghe Courtyard, and said, "Would Your Highness like to go and take a look?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards in the academy stepped forward.
"Your Highness, Miss Biezhi requests an audience," the guard said.
Upon hearing this, Fu Huaiqing raised his eyebrows slightly.
He really didn't expect her to come looking for him; he thought she was planning to hide away for a while.
Jiang Yue led everyone away, making sure to close the door behind them.
After Lin Yiqing left, Biezhi waited for a while to make sure no more court officials would come to report on government affairs before coming over. Her first visit to the Prince Su's residence was to the study, so she was quite familiar with the environment inside.
The only difference was the man behind the desk.
Last time he was just Prince Su, now he is her master, and also 'Jiran'.
Fu Huaiqing stood up, gazing intently at her face: "Have you eaten?"
Their casual conversation sounded very familiar, as if they often did this before. Biezhi remained silent for a moment, nodded, and stared at the man, hesitant to speak.
On the way here, she had many questions she wanted to ask and was determined to ask them, but now that she saw him, she was a little hesitant to ask.
Fu Huaiqing saw through her thoughts, but did not ask any questions and waited quietly.
Biezhi had prepared herself mentally for a long time, so long that even the gentle breeze that had been blowing around her had gradually stopped, before she finally pursed her dry lips and said, "I want to see Jiran, is that alright?"
She wanted to see the real Ji Ran, not the Ji Ran he was pretending to be.
As the words fell, the large study fell into a deathly silence.
Fu Huaiqing glanced at her slightly upturned gaze, his eyes filled with a hint of determination, as if she wouldn't leave if he didn't agree.
His eyes darkened. "Why?"
“The Ji Ran you see is all an act by me.” His clear voice was tinged with a slight hoarseness. Fu Huaiqing wasn’t unaware of her reasons for wanting to see Ji Ran, but he was unwilling to admit it. He lowered his eyes and gazed at her. “Even so, do you still want to see him?”
The man's deep voice carried a subtle, oppressive force that he himself was unaware of, making it hard to breathe.
Biezhi's hard-won courage waned considerably, and she subconsciously took a half-step back, a hint of fear in her eyes, but she did not back down: "Actually, in my eyes, no matter who is pretending, he is just lonely."
All she had ever seen were silent faces.
That's all.
She didn't know if they would be different in any other way; perhaps they would be, perhaps they wouldn't.
Fu Huaiqing chuckled to himself.
His temples throbbed wildly as he asked, "What will happen after you see him?"
Biezhi hadn't thought about what to do after seeing him; she would only be sure after seeing him. She shook her head: "I don't know."
Fu Huaiqing laughed in anger.
His gaze fell on her face, scrutinizing her, and he stepped closer, saying, "Let me tell you how I'm different from him."
Biezhi glanced down at the tips of his shoes and retreated with his steps.
Before she could retreat to a safe place, he grabbed her palm, his slightly calloused fingertips brushed against her pulse, and subtly pulled her forward a few steps.
Afraid she would break free, he tightened his grip.
After struggling a few times without success, Biezhi gave up. Feeling somewhat uneasy under his gaze, she frowned and unconsciously said, "I know I've offended you in many ways—"
“My eyes are different from his.” Fu Huaiqing interrupted her slowly and deliberately, not wanting to hear another word from her so unfamiliar. He had considered all sorts of scenarios after she found out about his identity, but he hadn’t expected this one. “The Ji Ran you see most of the time is me.”
Biezhi had already realized this while tossing and turning last night, just as the day after she returned to the capital and took Jiran to meet her senior brothers and sisters, the real Jiran was the one she saw.
What makes them different is precisely these eyes.
The true silence was utterly silent, and the emotions in his eyes were far more subtle than those in my own eyes. If the silence in my eyes was a lake rippling with waves, his eyes were a still pool of water.
"So it still doesn't work?" Fu Huaiqing's voice was not as steady as usual, and his gaze was fixed on her eyes. "Even if it's all my fault, it still won't work?"
“In my eyes, he is Jiran, and Jiran is him.” Biezhi was so overwhelmed by his words that she spoke with the thought that she could kill or torture him at will: “Does Your Highness mean that if you are disguised as Jiran, you will not appear as Jiran? All the men who have appeared in front of me and the men who have had close contact with me have been Jiran, not Your Highness, in my eyes.”
She was never one to be easily manipulated. Having walked on the edge of a knife so often, how could she keep backing down? "Even if the person who impersonated Ji Ran that night wasn't the prince, but someone else, to me it was still Ji Ran, still Ji Ran's face. So naturally, the one I kissed was him."
Biezhi blurted out everything without a care in the world, her voice trembling slightly at the end. She couldn't tell whether it was from anger or from the fear that belatedly welled up inside her.
She was slightly out of breath as she stared at him.
After hearing her finish speaking, Fu Huaiqing's expression faltered slightly, and the large hand that was gripping her wrist loosened by half an inch.
That's exactly why Biezhi seemed a bit lost and stood there.
Last night, when she was least afraid of death, she thought that at worst she would die, and he could do whatever he wanted, whether he wanted to kill her or torture her. She never imagined what would happen today.
He seemed somewhat stunned.
In an instant, a fleeting thought flashed through Biezhi's mind.
She inexplicably felt that no matter what she said, he wouldn't kill her.
Prince Su valued this friendship even more than she had imagined.
Bie Zhi frowned slightly and glanced at him cautiously. Could it be that because he was in a high position, no one but herself dared to speak so frankly, and he accepted it willingly?
Or is it that he really has feelings for me, as he previously claimed?
Biezhi: "..."
It's a ghost story.
Is it really possible for anyone to like someone who constantly talks badly about them behind their back?
No way, really?
Biezhi still thinks it's highly unlikely.
Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but wonder if she had gone too far. After a moment's hesitation, she tugged at her wrist, which was in his hand, but couldn't break free.
Fu Huaiqing's gaze froze for a moment, his throat seemed to be blocked by a breath, and he finally spoke after a long while: "Even if it was someone else pretending to be Ji Ran that night, you would still kiss him?"
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