She never loved him.
"Does Your Highness recall that on the day of Buddha's Birthday, you ordered me to investigate the whereabouts of nine eminent monks?"
Xuan Ge paused slightly before continuing, "You said that Miss Lin spent a lot of money to invite the high monks to pray for blessings, but in fact, I saw with my own eyes that the nine monks were captured by Mu Zhanjuan and his men and taken away as prisoners."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhian's hand, which had been playing with the jade pendant, stopped for a moment, and he slowly leaned back against the chair.
Having served him for many years, Xuan Ge understood that his posture was a result of his interest; he wanted to hear every detail.
Immediately, Xuan Ge recounted the situation in detail: Lin Huaiyin came out of the abbot's room and bumped into the nine monks led by the young novice. She suddenly waved her hand and gave the order, and Mu Zhanjuan immediately captured them. He then searched the weapons carried by the nine monks, dislocated their jaws, and took them all away. The whole process was silent and entirely under Lin Huaiyin's command.
Xiao Zhi listened quietly, his fingertips caressing the jade pendant once more.
After recounting that harrowing moment, Xuan Ge said with lingering fear, "I never imagined that the Nine Monks were actually assassins. If Your Highness had gone to the Dharma Hall, wouldn't you have fallen into an ambush? What's most puzzling is that Mu Zhanjuan not only obeyed Miss Lin's orders, but also came back afterward to silence me, saying that everything he did was on Your Highness's orders. It was a matter of great importance, and he was in a hurry to leave the capital on official business, so he couldn't explain too much. He only told me to keep it from you for the time being and not to reveal a single word."
"Since it was your order, why did you then have to hide it from me? I am truly utterly foolish. Afterwards, you ordered me to investigate the whereabouts of the Nine Monks, which is even more bizarre. Now that I think about it, it's just like when Miss Lin entered Princess Pingyang's residence with your jade talisman and moved around freely. But Zenghua Bookstore is a secret outpost you set up, and even Princess Pingyang was unaware of it. How could Miss Lin be connected with Mu Zhanjuan?"
Xuan Ge frowned in worry, unable to find a solution. He looked up and saw that Xiao Zhi'an had already closed his eyes and was pressing two fingers to his brow.
After a long silence, Xiao Zhian opened his eyes, his gaze passing through Xuan Ge to the gate. He was hit in the chest by the jade pendant again, and Lin Huaiyin's words echoed in his ears: "I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else."
“She has no connection with Mu Zhanjuan.” Xiao Zhian said slowly, “It is Mu Zhanjuan who is completely obedient to Yinyin, and the reason why this situation has occurred is that, apart from the phrase, ‘A wild deer carrying flowers, as if I were here in person,’ there is no other possibility.”
"A wild deer carrying flowers, as if I were here in person?" Xuan Ge was quite surprised to hear this for the first time—"What is this?"
"This is the secret code agreed upon between me and Mu Zhanjuan, and no third person in the world knows it," Xiao Zhian said calmly.
Xuan Ge was even more confused: "Since no one else knows, how did Miss Lin—"
"Hehehe." Xiao Zhian suddenly shrugged and laughed out loud—"There's more than just this one thing she shouldn't know."
"Go ahead." Xiao Zhian raised a finger.
Xuan Ge and Physician Lu immediately took their leave.
The door closed, but Xiao Zhian's smile remained. He gripped the jade pendant tightly, his knuckles turning blue, as memories of his time with Lin Huaiyin flooded his mind—
He had never seen her before, yet she recognized him even while unconscious. No matter the time, she could always recognize him. She was obsessed with his body and called him "Your Highness" more affectionately than anyone else.
She risked her life to protect him, yet could turn around and kill him without hesitation. She often gazed at him, lost in his gaze, but through his face, she looked elsewhere, at another person in another time and place—another man who told her about "the wild deer carrying flowers."
"Hehehe."
Xiao Zhian laughed. He had never been so proud of his unparalleled talent as he meticulously depicted Lin Huaiyin's true appearance.
Everything that seems unreasonable suddenly becomes reasonable.
The kingfisher feather hairpin she worshipped, the strange scar on her back, her ability to foresee the future, her fear and hatred of Pingyang, and her fickle and unpredictable attitude—Xiao Zhian saw through everything and finally understood Lin Huaiyin, finally realizing that she really had been using him from beginning to end.
She never loved him.
The man she came to him, wanting to share a bed and be intimate with him, was not him at all.
The lover he held so carefully in his hands, whom he couldn't bear to touch, had long since given his body and soul to another man—to a "prince" in another time and place.
She could only call that man "Your Highness," and she was so infatuated with him that she forgot everything else.
"Hehehe."
Xiao Zhian laughed. He told her to call him "Zhian" and treat her like a wife. What a ridiculous joke!
What right does she have to call him Zhi'an?
She never loved him.
She only saw him as a shell of that "Your Highness," someone who would come and pester her when she was happy, and turn away when she wasn't. If he didn't do what she wanted, she would compare him to that "Your Highness," angrily yelling that she had mistaken him for someone else, and then poisoning him, strangling him, and treating him like an enemy.
She viewed him as her enemy.
"Hehehe."
Xiao Zhian felt a chill run through his body.
He gave her everything, he gave her all his love, he always protected her no matter what she did, he was afraid that his love for her was not enough or good enough, he regarded her as his only wife in his life, and he treated her the same way. But what about her?
How dare she, Lin Huaiyin, how dare she treat him like this?
This is outrageous!
"Click".
The jade pendant broke in two.
Crimson blood gushed from his palm, dripping onto the ground and blooming into blood-red plum blossoms.
——
Imperial Guard Camp.
Lin Huaiyin was acting coquettishly with Lin Shifeng.
The snake catcher admired her archery skills, and she used this as an excuse to ask for a jujube wood bow, saying she needed it to perform.
The new plan is very simple: as long as she has a bow, she can tamper with Princess Pingyang's horse on the way back to the capital tomorrow. If she frightens the horse, the carriage will run amok, and Princess Pingyang will have to fend for herself.
This is a good idea with no future problems, since if something goes wrong with the horse, it can't be blamed on the Imperial Guards or the brothers.
However, Lin Shifeng was wary of her and refused to nod no matter what she said.
The brother and sister were locked in a stalemate, one firm and the other yielding, when several imperial guards rushed over in a panic.
"General!" The Imperial Guards were visibly nervous.
"General Lin." Xuan Ge led a group of guards into the tent and nodded slightly. "I am ordered to arrest the suspects who assassinated Minister of War Zhao Changji and forged His Highness the Crown Prince's secret edict. Please come with me, Madam Shen."
As they spoke, Xuan Ge raised his palm, and the Eastern Palace guards stepped forward and took Lin Huaiyin's lightning-struck jujube wood bow.
“Take it. That bow should be the murder weapon.” Xuan Ge’s attitude was cold and hard. He turned to the side and extended his arm, gesturing to Lin Huaiyin: “Madam Shen, please.”
The incident was sudden, and Lin Shifeng was puzzled. Zhao Changji's assassination might have been done by Lin Huaiyin, but what about the forgery of the secret edict? He had never heard of it before.
Your Highness said this morning that you liked Third Sister, so why did you suddenly come to take her away?
Lin Shifeng was completely confused, but he still stepped forward to stop them: "Wait!"
"General, please calm down." Xuan Ge didn't give Lin Shifeng a chance to speak, but nodded to Lin Huaiyin and said, "Madam Shen's crimes may not be limited to this. The death of Imperial Censor Liu Cang is still under investigation—"
"That's enough." Lin Huaiyin stepped out from behind Lin Shifeng. "I'll go with you."
“That would be excellent, Madam Shen, please.”
Xuan Ge kept Xiao Zhi'an's instructions in mind and insisted on calling her Madam Shen by name as often as possible.
He stepped aside to let her pass.
Lin Huaiyin took a step forward.
A guard placed a wooden peg on her wrist.
The wooden cane wasn't a particularly cruel instrument of torture, but it was extremely humiliating. When it was used on Lin Huaiyin, the imperial guards present were all enraged and spontaneously surrounded her.
The imperial guards formed a human wall, creating a heavy atmosphere and a strong sense of obstruction.
Lin Huaiyin shook her head repeatedly, signaling them to move aside.
The Imperial Guards ignored them, remained rooted to the spot, and refused to yield an inch.
"What are you all doing?" Lin Shifeng stepped forward and reprimanded, "If you are guilty, the emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people. If you are wronged, the Crown Prince will naturally have to apologize. Now get out of here at once!"
With a loud shout, the Imperial Guards had no choice but to clear the central path.
Just like that, in the blink of an eye, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Huaiyin was taken away as a suspect.
Lin Huaiyin sensed the scent of power.
Xiao Zhian's grand arrest was meant to let her know that he could cover for her, but he could also expose her at any time; he could do whatever he wanted, and she would have to endure both his thunder and rain.
Lin Huaiyin understood what Xiao Zhian was doing, but she didn't understand why.
Two hours earlier, she had almost strangled him, but he still came close to her and called her "Yinyin" without any resentment.
Xuan Ge's constant references to "Madam Shen" must be at Xiao Zhi'an's behest, a deliberate attempt to provoke her.
But what kind of stimulation is this? Lin Huaiyin didn't care at all. What was Xiao Zhian doing? Could he be any more childish?
However, simply calling it childish wouldn't be accurate. He publicly announced her crimes, and once he said it, he couldn't take it back. He went so far as to leave no room for maneuver.
Lin Huaiyin finally realized something was wrong—Xiao Zhian wasn't just making excuses to see her; he was serious and wanted to teach her a lesson.
Xuan Ge strode ahead.
To the left and right are the Eastern Palace guards.
Upon arriving at Xiao Zhian's courtyard, the guards threw her into a room, and the door slammed shut.
With no windows and her hands locked behind her back, Lin Huaiyin could see and touch nothing. It was as if she had stepped back into the imperial prison. In her panic, she spun around in place, her left and right feet twisting together, and she fell to her knees with a thud, her knees aching so badly they felt like they were about to break.
"Ugh." Lin Huaiyin gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.
Xuan Ge frowned as he walked quickly to find Xiao Zhi'an.
"Your Highness, Lin San—"
"Hmm?" Xiao Zhian held a scroll in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Madam Shen, it's Madam Shen." Xuan Ge quickly corrected himself, "That room is dark, too damp and cold. Madam Shen's back injury hasn't healed, and she seemed to have fallen just now. Should we let her out first and call Physician Lu—"
"Whoosh," the page turns.
This was a signal to be quiet, which Xuan Ge received accurately. He immediately stopped talking and left.
Xiao Zhian leaned against the soft couch reading a book, reading ten lines at a glance, faster and faster, focusing entirely on recognizing the characters. He recognized every single one, but after turning the page, he couldn't remember anything.
Xiao Zhian was furious.
He clearly has a photographic memory, but a book that he's read so many times that it's practically rotting in his head suddenly appears and works against him, becoming unrecognizable.
Dropping the book, Xiao Zhian was seething with anger. He reached for the teacup, and with a flick of his finger, the teacup spun around and crashed to the ground with a loud "crack."
The annoying sound made Xiao Zhian even more irritated, so he got up and looked outside.
Hearing footsteps, Xuan Ge quickly opened the door, assuming he was going to see Lin Huaiyin. However, Xiao Zhian raised his hand to indicate that he was not allowed to follow, as he wanted to go out for a walk by himself.
Xiao Zhian only ordered Xuan Ge to find the darkest and coldest house to imprison Lin Huaiyin. As he walked out, he did not know where Lin Huaiyin was being held. He seemed to hear a woman's moans as he passed through each door.
The wailing was good. Xiao Zhian liked the incessant, mournful cries in his ears; he even considered opening the door to hear her screams for himself.
Isn't Lin Huaiyin nostalgic for the past and reluctant to let go of it? Wasn't everything about the past wonderful, making her unable to forget it?
She could just call her "good prince" to rescue her.
Anyway, he's a villain, an enemy. If she can be ruthless to him, he'll retaliate a hundredfold. If she can't endure it, in the next life, she'll have two "good princes" in her memories.
He wanted to make Lin Huaiyin feel fear and weakness whenever she thought of his face, so that she would never remember her "good prince" again.
The thought of her being afraid made Xiao Zhian feel relieved. He was going to find Princess Pingyang. He hadn't cared about Pingyang for a long time. How could he abandon his sister for the sake of a mere Lin Huaiyin?
Lin Huaiyin is beyond redemption, but Pingyang is different. Pingyang is wicked with a clear conscience. Who doesn't want the throne? She has the right to snatch it. She snatches it openly and honestly, unlike Lin Huaiyin who is sneaky, insidious, vicious, and has no bottom line.
Didn't Lin Huaiyin link him to Pingyang, thinking he was protecting Pingyang?
He could easily go and protect her and show her what he's capable of. He could also order Lin Shifeng to march south and conquer a female empire for his Pingyang.
Xiao Zhian walked out of the courtyard gate and headed towards Princess Pingyang.
From the corner, a crab claw poked its head out—"Hey!"
"Come here, come here." She beckoned to the male fox, Xiao Zhian.
"You're here to rescue the young lady too?" Crab Claw continued to beckon. "I didn't realize you were so loyal. Let's go together; more people means more work."
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