Or, shall we talk?
In the height of summer, the Xiao Kingdom is scorching hot. The once bustling streets of the capital are now deserted, with only the chirping of cicadas and the clatter of horses' hooves remaining.
The Ministry of Justice prison, which should have been deathly silent, became the liveliest place in Kyoto.
"Fly, fly, fly!"
"Princess, my cicada is about to win."
"Nonsense! It's clearly the princess's cicada that's faster!"
On the south side of the prison cell, the cell door was wide open, and a group of jailers were having a cicada-flying contest with Princess Gu Jinning.
Amidst the fierce competition, several cicadas emerged from the swarm, flapping their broken wings with great effort, and flew towards the distant wall.
Gu Jinning lay on the chaise lounge, her eyes fixed on the flower cicadas flying side by side at the front, her hands clenched into fists, silently chanting, "Win! Win! Win!"
Suddenly, the sound of wheels rolling by startled the black cicadas, while the flower cicadas landed steadily on the wall.
"Yay!" Gu Jinning ignored the pain in her back and cheered, "I won! I won!"
The jailer who lost was extremely disappointed. He glanced in the direction of the sound of wheels and saw that it was an official carrying ice, so he went over to help.
"You've come at just the right time, helping the princess win."
The constables, who delivered ice to Gu Jinning every day, had become quite familiar with her and chuckled, "It's not that I'm lucky, it's that the princess is fortunate."
Together with the jailer, he unloaded a bucket of ice from the trolley and carried it into Gu Jinning's cell. It was a large, well-fed ice pack that had just been transported from the nearest ice cellar.
Gu Jinning raised her eyes and looked at the setting sun shining through the skylight, saying, "I'm late today."
The constable replied, "It wasn't late at all, but we happened to run into Prince Jin returning to the capital, and his army was using our route, which caused the delay."
Gu Jinning paused slightly in her hand holding the cicada cup, and scoffed disdainfully, "He's so glamorous, he comes back and blocks my way."
The bailiffs stopped laughing upon hearing the noise, not daring to respond, and silently carried the old ice bucket back to the cart. The jurors who had been playing around also stopped laughing and dared not be so presumptuous anymore.
The atmosphere inside and outside the cell plummeted to freezing point, like a bucket of ice that instantly extinguished everyone's joy.
Gu Jinning didn't take it to heart, shaking the cicada jar and making the cicadas inside chirp.
She shifted the cushion beneath her, finding a comfortable half-lying position, and called out, "Come on, let's keep playing. This time, it's not about flying cicadas, it's about fighting cicadas. Everyone who wins gets a reward, and everyone who watches gets a share."
Upon hearing that there was a reward, the jailers' faces returned to smiles. They put away their cicadas and followed suit, moving tables and chairs towards Gu Jinning's cell.
"You can choose yourselves, I'll still use the flower cicada."
Gu Jinning placed the cicada jar in the middle of the table, turned to Qinglian, and said, "See the constable off for me, and while you're at it, go to the teahouse and buy some refreshing drinks to beat the heat."
Qinglian took the ice envoy and left.
The cell quickly returned to its lively state of shouting and arguing. Hearing the commotion, guards from other areas came and gathered in ever-growing numbers, creating quite a scene.
"Go! Go!"
"Go, Flower Cicada!"
...
"I won!"
...
They fought for an unknown amount of time, and outside the sun was already setting in the west, while the light inside the prison gradually turned yellow and dim.
"Oh dear, just a little bit short."
The flower cicada was squeezed into a corner by the gray cicada, lying sprawled out, unable to turn over.
Gu Jinning could barely see the cicada's wings and cried out anxiously, "Lights! Lights! Turn on the lights!" But her eyes never left the arena.
The jailer who was closest nudged the jailer next to him and said, "Go and light the lamp."
The jailer then instructed the jailers in the back row, "Go and light the lamp."
"you go."
After all this pushing and shoving, the task somehow ended up on someone's shoulders, until finally a guiding light appeared.
"Put the light here."
Gu Jinning raised her hand high, wanting a light; her cicada flower was about to turn over.
The lantern bearer pushed aside the rows of jailers, placed the lantern beside Gu Jinning, and asked, "Here?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Gu Jinning nodded repeatedly, then suddenly glanced at the hand holding the lamp and saw that it was strong and powerful with distinct knuckles, and the iron sleeve on the wrist was tightly closed. The dark gold python pattern on the cuff flowed in the light, clearly indicating that it was not a prison guard.
She subconsciously looked up and was suddenly met by a pair of clear eyes, above which the sword-like eyebrows were relaxed and there was a slight smile.
The warm yellow light illuminated his face, softening his resolute features and making him look so familiar it was almost unsettling.
Gu Jinning panicked for a moment, opened her mouth in surprise, and stammered, "Xiao..."
Upon seeing a stranger enter, the jailer called out first, "Hey."
Gu Jinning rushed forward and pointed at the prison door, shouting, "Lord Wang is here!"
Upon hearing the sound, everyone reacted as if they had seen a ghost. They abandoned their cicadas, grabbed their knives, and ran away, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The prison cell was suddenly illuminated.
Gu Jinning quickly grabbed the cicada jar on the table, put the lid on, and hid it behind her back. When she turned around, she met the probing gaze of the person who had given her the lantern. She squinted and stared at him for a moment.
"Oh my! It really is you!"
She gasped in surprise, as if only now recognizing him, and exclaimed with wide eyes, "Xiao Heng'an, it's been three years since I last saw you, how come you've become even more handsome and dashing, I almost didn't recognize you!"
She quickly supported herself on her arms and moved back to the soft couch, saying, "Please sit down, please sit down. I'm injured and can't get up easily, so please don't stand on ceremony. There's tea on the table behind you; please help yourself if you're thirsty."
Xiao Heng'an didn't stand on ceremony with her, picked up a chair and sat down in front of her bed. "Quick reaction, were you afraid I'd punish them?"
Gu Jinning tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, leaned against the back of the couch, and said, "I was bored and forced them to play with me, so I should be punished. Besides, they don't know you, so their rudeness is understandable."
She seemed rather guilty as she said this, and quickly changed the subject, "I heard you just returned to the capital today, what brings you here?"
Xiao Heng'an turned around, picked up the teapot, and replied, "Just passing by."
Gu Jinning knew perfectly well why he had passed by, and gave a vague "oh," then seized the opportunity to suggest, "How about we talk?"
Xiao Heng'an handed over the fruit tea, gesturing that he was all ears.
Gu Jinning took the cup, tilted her head back and took a swig, then casually placed the cup on the table, looked at him smugly, and said carelessly, "You should ask the Emperor for permission to dissolve our engagement."
Xiao Heng'an seemed to have expected this, and calmly refused, "No. I have already exchanged my military merits for Ji Lin's life, and I have no other bargaining chips to offer."
Gu Jinning said, "Since you've rescued Ji Lin, you might as well marry her, and our engagement will naturally be called off."
Xiao Heng'an's expression remained unchanged, but his five fingers gripping the cup tightened gradually. "You don't know why I'm protecting her?"
Gu Jinning replied, "That's not important."
Xiao Heng'an's expression suddenly darkened, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.
He stared intently at the person he had longed for for three years, feeling frustrated and wanting to explode, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to be angry.
"You caused a scene at the palace three times to break off the engagement, were punished with caning, and imprisoned to reflect on your mistakes. Haven't you come to your senses yet?" He tried to speak earnestly. "Our engagement is entirely up to my brother, and no one can shake it."
"I know it myself."
Gu Jinning pouted. It was precisely because she understood the whole story that she was willing to pay any price to annul the engagement.
Because of the fact that the Duke of Dingguo's family had been empresses for generations, they were able to hold great power and remain in power for a century. As the eldest daughter of the Duke's family, she was to marry her cousin, the Crown Prince, and take over as the next Empress.
The current emperor, Xiao Juebai, was unwilling to let the Gu family's power overshadow everything, so he preemptively betrothed her to Xiao Heng'an, thus breaking the ancestral rule that empresses of all dynasties came from the Gu family.
She was mischievous from a young age and was sent to a mountain villa outside the capital for training. She spent her days with Xiao Heng'an, who had lived in the villa since childhood, and they could be considered childhood sweethearts.
The Emperor appeared to be granting their deep affection by arranging their marriage, but in reality, he was plotting against Xiao Heng'an as well.
Because the Empress was a staunch believer in family etiquette, she would never allow her to marry someone else.
The struggle between the princes and the crown prince also required the Gu family's power and influence, and they had long coveted her.
In this power struggle, she was like a puppet on a string, being pulled around and unable to break free.
Xiao Heng'an was different. He didn't need to get involved in this mess; it was the emperor who dragged him in.
The only unexpected thing was that Xiao Heng'an accumulated countless merits during his three years on the border, gaining high prestige in the army and becoming a pawn that Xiao Juebai had to be wary of.
Once they get married, Xiao Heng'an and the Gu family will both become victims of the power struggle.
"Xiao Heng'an, I've thought about this for three years, and this is the only way I can think of. Trust me, breaking off the engagement is better for everyone."
Gu Jinning looked at Xiao Heng'an with eyes that were calm yet sharp, almost pleading.
Xiao Heng'an was almost burned by her gaze, so he turned away and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't disobey the imperial decree. I can't help you."
"You can do it, as long as you want to, your uncle won't make things difficult for you."
Gu Jinning's eyes grew increasingly intense, filled with an urgent desire to escape.
Those desires transformed into sharp daggers, tightly binding Xiao Heng'an and piercing his heart, where he still harbored a sliver of hope.
He did not believe that breaking off the engagement was the only way out.
Gu Jinning was equally persistent.
"You have military power."
Xiao Heng'an's expression instantly shifted back to the coldness and decisiveness he displayed on the battlefield, and he flatly refused, "No, I cannot relinquish my military power."
Gu Jinning saw through his cold expression to his heart, and dejectedly lowered her head, turning away and murmuring, "Is power really that important?"
Xiao Heng'an remained silent. "Sometimes, power is indeed important."
Gu Jinning was utterly disappointed.
“I knew it. Once the Xiao family gets involved with power, they become obsessed and lose their true selves. Without exception.”
Seeing her like this, Xiao Heng'an knew she had misunderstood, so he wanted to use her position in the Gu family to help her understand her dilemma. However, he hastily said, "Isn't the Gu family in the same situation?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinning assumed he was mocking her for being like the Gu family, spending her entire life scheming for the position of Empress. She immediately sat up, ignoring the injury on her buttocks and the pain, and glared at him fiercely.
"Yes, the Gu family members are all greedy and scheming, not a single one of them is good."
Her cold words made Xiao Heng'an flustered, and he hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant."
Gu Jinning glanced sideways with her almond-shaped eyes, her red lips moved slightly, and a cold snort escaped between her teeth.
"If that's not what I meant, then what was it? Just like everyone else, they think that my making a scene to break off the engagement is just to become the Crown Princess so that I can become the Empress."
Her lively face was covered in frost, and her eyes and brows showed a hint of sharpness and grievance.
Xiao Heng'an hadn't expected her to be so angry. He wanted to comfort her but couldn't find the words, so his face contorted in pain. The fatigue from days of traveling suddenly overwhelmed him, making him dizzy and disoriented.
"Why don't we both calm down and discuss the annulment of the engagement another day?"
Right now, they all need to calm down.
Gu Jinning remained silent, only giving him a cold stare.
When the Emperor bestowed the marriage, he promised a three-year marriage period. Xiao Heng'an returned to the capital three months early to save Ji Lin, leaving her only three months to deal with the situation.
If the marriage cannot be called off within three months, then there is no other way.
She yearns for the world of martial arts, detests power struggles, and longs to regain her freedom tomorrow so she can roam the world carefree.
Unfortunately, Xiao Heng'an, who grew up with her and should have understood her the most, became the one who understood her the least. It was truly despicable.
Gu Jinning became increasingly annoyed and irritated as she thought about it. In her frustration, she threw the cicada jar far away, scattering the various cicadas all over the ground, chirping softly.
"Prince Jin, please return; we have nothing to discuss."
Gu Jinning gave him a ruthless order to leave.
Once inside the palace walls, even the closest people will feel a distance, let alone someone from the Xiao family. She shouldn't have had any expectations.
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