the truth
The place where Xiao Chengyan lived was filled with the smell of medicine.
He leaned against the couch, his face still pale from his serious injuries, but his deep eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he intently scanned the several Southwest military reports spread out on his lap. Next to the still-wet red annotations were densely packed deployment notes.
Beside his pillow lay a thick stack of confidential letters awaiting processing. Having just recovered from serious injuries, his mind was completely preoccupied with the flames of war on the border, his brow furrowed with an inescapable air of solemnity and exhaustion. His usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor now seemed more like the somber weight of military duties.
The young apprentice, trembling and apprehensive, presented a bowl of steaming hot, bitter-smelling medicinal soup.
"Your Highness... Master Xuan instructed that this medicine... must be taken while it's hot... it will be beneficial to your health." The young apprentice's voice was barely audible, his head bowed low, not daring to look at Xiao Chengyan's cold and hard face.
Xiao Chengyan frowned, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, not even glancing at the medicine bowl, focusing only on handling military affairs.
Seeing Xiao Chengyan's reaction, the young apprentice didn't immediately realize whether the prince didn't want to eat or hadn't heard him. He mustered his courage and said again, "Your Highness..."
Xiao Chengyan did not speak, but turned to look at the medicine boy.
With just one glance, the young apprentice withdrew back the way he came, carrying the medicine bowl.
Seeing the medicine boy leave, Xiao Chengyan subconsciously looked out the window... What had Gu Jinghong been doing these past two days? Why hadn't he appeared yet?
A moment later, the door to the bamboo hut was gently pushed open.
Gu Jinghong appeared at the door, carrying the medicine that the young apprentice had been carrying earlier.
She walked in calmly with no expression on her face, her gaze sweeping over Xiao Chengyan, and she couldn't help but sneer in her heart—a prince, indeed, a prince who hates bitter tastes.
When Xiao Chengyan saw Gu Jinghong, the impatience deep in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a bright and warm feeling, as if he had seen a clear spring in the desert.
His tightly pursed lips relaxed almost imperceptibly for a moment, and in that instant, he suddenly shed his original coldness and hardness, becoming a little softer, and his upright features seemed to become even brighter.
Gu Jinghong carried the medicine bowl, walked to the bedside, and stopped a step away from Xiao Chengyan.
She lowered her eyes slightly and handed the medicine bowl directly to him, displaying a businesslike attitude: "Your Highness, drink your medicine."
Xiao Chengyan felt that the secret expectation in his heart had suddenly been doused with cold water.
—I don't remember ever offending her?
He took the medicine bowl from Gu Jinghong, his brows furrowing slightly, his phoenix eyes fixed on the dark brown liquid...
After struggling for a few moments, he took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and drank the bowl of bitter medicine in one gulp.
A bitter taste instantly overwhelmed his taste buds, making his throat tighten. He barely managed to hold it in, and the veins on his forehead bulged slightly. He placed the empty bowl on the table.
Almost at the same moment he put down the bowl, Xiao Chengyan's hand reached out faster than his thoughts, clearly aiming to grab Gu Jinghong's wrist, pull her towards him, and, like that day, encircle her in his arms, drawing in that comforting warmth.
However, just as his fingertips were about to touch her wrist, Gu Jinghong's gaze, drawn by his action of setting down the bowl, unconsciously swept over the pile of military reports scattered on his lap.
Beneath those urgent military reports lay a letter that was clearly different. The paper was a soft, light apricot color, standing out starkly among the pile of cold, hard official documents.
What was even more striking was the handwriting on the envelope—a delicate and graceful style, reminiscent of a young lady from a noble family. However… the structure of the characters and the turns of the strokes revealed an indescribable sense of familiarity.
That was clearly... the shadow of Xiao Chengyan's handwriting, as if someone deliberately imitated his style, yet incorporated their own gentleness—Mu Chuchu, just another pitiful substitute.
Gu Jinghong abruptly withdrew her hand and instantly floated back two steps.
Xiao Chengyan grabbed at empty air, his arm frozen in mid-air.
He looked up in surprise, meeting Gu Jinghong's clear, cold eyes, as deep as an icy pool.
"Gu Jinghong?" Xiao Chengyan's hoarse voice was filled with surprise and displeasure. His brows were furrowed and his gaze was sharp. "What do you mean by this? Is... something happened?"
Gu Jinghong's expression was calm to the point of being indifferent, and his voice was as cold as ice: "It's nothing."
Xiao Chengyan frowned: "Nothing wrong? You were with me the other day..."
"The other day, it was only because His Highness was seriously ill that we had to act expediently in this emergency. Now that His Highness has regained consciousness, he should abide by the proper measure and should not do such foolish and presumptuous things again."
"A foolish and transgressive act?"
Xiao Chengyan threw off the covers and stood up, staring at Gu Jinghong. Suddenly, he grabbed Gu Jinghong's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
"You mean, you allowed me to hold you while we slept only because you were 'seriously ill and unconscious'? You mean that as long as someone is sick, I can do this to you? I can hold you in my arms? And you were willing to cooperate so completely without moving?"
"Your Highness is wise." Gu Jinghong nodded slightly, without even looking up at him. "When saving a life, one cannot be concerned with many rules. But times have changed. Your Highness is of noble status and should be even more mindful of your conduct."
She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and a faint yet chilling smile curved her lips as she added, "Your Highness, I am preoccupied with trivial matters and have no time to play these...boring games with you."
Xiao Chengyan was speechless at her words and didn't know how to refute her for a moment.
What does "a boring game" mean? A surge of anger mixed with indescribable anxiety, stemming from being belittled, rushed to his head. Every bit of intimacy and dependence he showed her came from the heart; he had never harbored even the slightest thought of playing a game. How could she see him like that?
Anxiety surged within him, and his grip tightened unconsciously: "Playing games? Gu Jinghong, who do you take me for? To make fun of you with something like this?"
Gu Jinghong twitched the corner of his mouth, his gaze seemingly sweeping over the military reports, before turning to leave: "...Your Highness, please take good care of yourself."
"Stop!" Xiao Chengyan was not about to let her go. His long, strong hand not only didn't loosen, but tightened even more, firmly restraining her wrist.
His eyes were dark and unfathomable. "Don't even think about leaving until you explain yourself!"
Gu Jinghong raised her eyes and coldly met his gaze.
The force on her wrist made her wince, and she instinctively increased the strength of her struggle.
The two were silently vying for dominance, back and forth, when Xiao Chengyan suddenly realized that he was about to hurt her. His heart tightened, and he almost instinctively let go.
Her palm suddenly fell into emptiness, leaving only the slightly cool touch of her wrist and the resolute departure of her back.
That figure stood straight and cold, without a trace of lingering affection. It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over his head, making Xiao Chengyan's chest feel tight. An inexplicable sense of irritation suddenly surged up, making him restless and unable to sit still.
Blood was seeping from his shoulder, and his breathing was somewhat unstable.
The empty medicine bowl still sat on the small table, its lingering bitter smell stubbornly reminding him of his earlier embarrassment.
He irritably looked away, but caught a glimpse of the corner of the light apricot-colored letter he had casually pressed under the military report. The soft color stood out starkly against the backdrop of cold, hard documents.
Xiao Chengyan's gaze froze on the letter. A thought flashed through his mind like lightning—could it be... because of this?
He closed his eyes, raised his hand to pinch his brow, let out a long, silent sigh, and called out in a deep voice towards the door, "Changfeng."
A short while later, Changfeng pushed open the door and entered.
The prince sat back in his armchair, his face paler than paper. His shoulder seemed to be bleeding again. The contrast between the red and white made him appear weak and still recovering from his serious injuries, like a thin white porcelain vase with blood seeping through the glaze. He was incomparably noble, yet so fragile that he seemed to shatter at the slightest touch.
However, those deep eyes were dazzlingly bright, and the cold aura emanating from him made the entire bamboo hut seem to have cooled down several degrees.
Xiao Chengyan didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the cold ground, his voice hoarse yet imposing: "What did you say to Jinghong?"
Changfeng's Adam's apple bobbed, his hands hanging at his sides clenched quietly, his lips moved, but he ultimately couldn't utter a single word.
Silence pressed down between the two like a boulder.
Xiao Chengyan's patience ran out in the silent stalemate. He slowly raised his eyelids, his bottomless black eyes locking onto Changfeng: "Changfeng, you have followed me for many years. I know you are not a person who oversteps the bounds of propriety. Why did you tell Gu Jinghong about Mu Chuchu? Tell me yourself, or should I tell you for you?"
Changfeng looked at Xiao Chengyan and was speechless for a moment.
This was the first time Changfeng had ever been entangled in matters of the heart, yet he cared so much about Gu Jinghong. Instantly, the worry in Changfeng's heart overwhelmed his hesitation.
Your Highness is the pillar of strength in the southwest and the backbone of hundreds of thousands of soldiers! With the flames of war still burning on the border and powerful enemies surrounding us, how can you let personal feelings hold you back?
Moreover... that woman's identity is a mystery, and she is ultimately a potential threat!
Thinking of this, Changfeng steeled his resolve and abruptly looked up to meet Xiao Chengyan's icy gaze: "Your Highness! You previously ordered me to thoroughly investigate Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan's backgrounds, and it has now been confirmed! Both of them are core high-ranking members of the Qianyuan Pavilion! Gu Jinghong is a deputy secretary, and Xie Yan is a provisional deputy secretary!"
A thunderbolt exploded in Xiao Chengyan's mind!
Despite having suspected it beforehand, when Changfeng so clearly threw out these cold titles—"Qianyuan Pavilion," "Zhuangmu Pavilion Assistant," and "Quanzuo Pavilion Assistant"—and landed right in front of him, an indescribable feeling instantly swept over him.
Beneath the desk, her well-defined hand clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white, and she trembled slightly uncontrollably.
However, his face was as if he were wearing a perfect mask, with no flaws to be found except for his lips, which were pressed so tightly together that they were thinner and sharper than a blade.
The previous frustration, questioning, and even that secret expectation seemed to be frozen and crushed by this sudden truth.
Angry? Of course! Disappointed? Yes. But more than that, there's a chilling feeling of being manipulated and... a sense of being outmaneuvered.
A myriad of thoughts clashed violently in his mind, causing even the usually composed King of Ash to momentarily freeze in his thoughts.
He had suspected earlier that Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan were members of the Qianyuan Pavilion, because one of them was quick-witted and decisive, and the other was highly skilled in martial arts. They were both extraordinary people, yet they were still controlled by an invisible "godfather" and could not even reveal their identities when they were seriously injured.
Most of the underground organizations in the capital were recorded and monitored by the imperial court. However, the Qianyuan Pavilion was the only one that acted ostentatiously and had deep ties with certain officials of the court, yet it was able to remain hidden for so long. That's why he set his sights on the Qianyuan Pavilion.
Unfortunately... he had only guessed at the time, but now Changfeng had confirmed it verbally, so the two were ultimately different.
A feeling of anger, melancholy, and even a touch of confusion quietly enveloped Xiao Chengyan, leaving him momentarily undecided.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Chengyan's tightly clenched fist finally loosened, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks on his palm.
He looked up, the surging emotions in his eyes forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless, icy pool.
"This matter," he paused, then said, word by word, "must never be heard by a third party again."
Changfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded heavily in silence: "Yes! Your subordinate understands!"
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