Chapter 13

The night was thick and dark, his voice so gentle that Yi Ling didn’t immediately grasp what he was asking. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.  

It wasn’t until his warm breath brushed against her nose once more that she froze, staring blankly at Xie Hengzhi, who was so close she could hardly breathe.  

So he knew everything.  

No wonder the clumsy Princess Yu’an managed to sneak into the Xie Residence so easily.  

No wonder she had been hiding in the bedroom for so long without being discovered.  

Even her escape must have been orchestrated by Xie Hengzhi himself—his movement of turning away while holding Yi Ling’s clothing had been a deliberate act to give Princess Yu’an a chance to flee, not an effort to uphold gentlemanly propriety.  

He had seen everything, as if watching a play, while Yi Ling foolishly believed she had saved the day, smugly reveling in her supposed triumph.  

At this moment, Yi Ling didn’t know whether she felt more embarrassed or fearful of the man in front of her.  

After a long, awkward silence, Yi Ling decided to flip the situation in the pitch-black room.  

“If you heard everything, then you should know I was just making things up to get away. Are you questioning my loyalty to you now?”  

Xie Hengzhi didn’t move, but Yi Ling could feel his gaze fixed on her face.  

“Don’t you already know the answer in your heart?”  

“…”  
Yi Ling took a deep breath and said again, “Everyone knows I’ve admired you for years and even married you as I wished. How could those poems possibly be for another man?”  

Xie Hengzhi replied, “That’s not necessarily true.”  

“…”  
A grown man, holding grudges like this!  

Fed up, Yi Ling gave up entirely. She refused to explain further, simply turning her back to him.  

Before long, the room returned to silence.  

As expected, Xie Hengzhi didn’t press her any further.  

Yi Ling gradually calmed down, but as she listened to Xie Hengzhi’s steady breathing, a sliver of curiosity crept into her heart again.  

Since you witnessed everything, why are you acting as if nothing happened?

Yi Ling turned her head, looking at Xie Hengzhi’s back, and reached out to tap his shoulder.

Xie Hengzhi didn’t move.

Did he fall asleep so quickly?

Yi Ling moved closer, just about to poke him again, when she suddenly heard him say, “If you have something to say, say it.”

The sudden sound startled Yi Ling, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

After a brief pause, confirming he wasn’t going to make any further moves, Yi Ling softly asked, “Since you discovered Princess Yu’an today, why did you let her go?”

“She is a princess.”

Xie Hengzhi, still with his back to Yi Ling, spoke in a tone devoid of emotion. “Naturally, I can’t offend her.”

Doesn’t it sound insincere even when you say it yourself?

Yi Ling stared at Xie Hengzhi’s back, feeling deeply that she would not get an answer.

Or perhaps his actions were already the answer. 

Even if the princess wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t be afraid and wouldn’t take it seriously.

Yi Ling shivered and silently turned around, facing away from Xie Hengzhi.

Someone like him, heartless and unfeeling; if she can’t kill him later, she must stay far away from him.

Just as she thought this, she heard Xie Hengzhi speak again, his voice calm.

“And you?”

“What?”

“Why did you let the princess go?”

“…”
Why couldn’t she control her curiosity and ask?

Yi Ling furrowed her brows in frustration, awkwardly saying, “Naturally, I was worried the princess might harm you, sir.”

“Oh.”

–
For the next period of time, Yi Ling was unusually well behaved.

The shock Princess Yu’an had given her was so great that she dared not act rashly, knowing that self-preservation was the most important.

Otherwise, while Xie Hengzhi might not have been harmed, Yi Ling herself would have been the one to lose her life.

Indeed, no more news about Princess Yu’an came from the palace, and it seemed that she had been confined.

But Yi Ling still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. She always thought that Princess Yu’an’s behavior was so erratic that she wouldn’t just let it go like this.

No matter how she opposed Xie Hengzhi, Yi Ling just hoped it wouldn’t drag her, the innocent unfortunate soul, into it.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she hoped.

Despite Yi Ling praying every night, on the morning of the seventh day, the summons from the palace arrived.

It wasn’t unexpected, but she still held onto a glimmer of hope.

Yi Ling looked at the eunuch delivering the summons, holding her forehead and weakly saying, “Unfortunately, I’ve caught a cold today. I’m afraid I might pass it on to the princess. Perhaps it would be better to delay for a few days…”

“The princess has said.” The eunuch smiled kindly, his sharp voice drilling into Yi Ling’s ears.

“Even if the lady dies, the coffin must be brought into the palace today.”

“…”
How could this princess, a fellow victim of Xie Hengzhi, be so vicious?

Yi Ling opened her mouth but found no words to say, so she could only nod.

“I’ll change my clothes and come.”

“Then please hurry; the princess is very anxious.”

Back in her quarters, Yi Ling waved her hand to lift the curtains and buried herself under the blankets.

She regretted her actions, wondering why she had to provoke such a princess.

Now, she didn’t know how much effort it would take to deal with this little tyrant.

Once inside the palace, it would be the princess’s domain. Who knew what would happen?

As the sunlight shifted and filtered through the gauze curtains onto Yi Ling, she turned her head and saw a maid coming in to collect the sleeping clothes Xie Hengzhi had changed out of in the morning.

Although the situation in the palace was unpredictable, Xie Hengzhi was in the palace every morning. If something were to happen, surely he wouldn’t abandon his wife, right?

Thinking this, Yi Ling felt a little more at ease.

Just then, Mama Cao prepared breakfast, and Yi Ling stood up and walked past the Eight Immortals table, glancing at the delicious dishes on the table with a soft sigh.

The three meals a day were the most comforting moments, but now, with the princess’s command, Yi Ling didn’t even have time for breakfast.

Wait a minute.

Yi Ling had already passed the table and chairs but suddenly thought of something and quickly turned back.

Why were there two sets of chopsticks on the table?

Usually, when she woke up, Xie Hengzhi had already left, so she ate alone for breakfast.

Could it be…?

She immediately asked Mama Cao, “That person… didn’t go to court today?”

Before Mama Cao could reply, someone entered the room.

Yi Ling looked up and saw Xie Hengzhi striding in, his right hand effortlessly removing the leather belt from his waist, and his neatly structured brocade robe billowed around him like a celestial being.

He handed the belt to a nearby maid, lifted his robe, and sat down across from Yi Ling, giving her a casual glance.

“That person is on leave today.”

“…”
Why did he take a break today of all days, not earlier or later?

Yi Ling nearly collapsed, standing there dumbfounded, unsure if she was still going to the palace today.

Seeing her in such a daze, Xie Hengzhi didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he said directly, “Don’t worry about entering the palace. Even if the emperor summons you today, he would have to think twice before touching a hair on your head.”

“Hmm?”

Yi Ling came back to her senses and realized Xie Hengzhi was sipping from a bowl of porridge as if he were talking about something trivial.

She, on the other hand, was so nervous that it took her a while to understand what he meant.

How arrogant.

But Yi Ling had to admit that hearing Xie Hengzhi’s words did give her some comfort.

Just before stepping out the door, she paused, still with a hint of worry, and asked, “Princess Yu’an isn’t as wise and powerful as the emperor. Can you guarantee that I’ll come back unharmed?”

At the distrust in her eyes, Xie Hengzhi obviously felt uncomfortable.

“I can guarantee that you will stay alive.”

“…”
That would have to do.

–
The carriage entered the palace through Shenwu Gate, and they were about to get off and walk.

With a heavy and uneasy heart, Yi Ling hadn’t eaten properly, and now she had to walk such a long distance. She almost looked like she had “wanted to die” written all over her face.

But when she stood in front of the Hehuan Palace, where Princess Yu’an resided, she immediately put on a smile.

She could think of dying, but she couldn’t actually die.

As for Princess Yu’an, being “under house arrest” seemed more like a form of rest for her.

At the moment, she was reclining halfway on a rattan chair under the He Huan tree in front of the hall, with a pile of fruit on her left, stacked like a small mountain. She didn’t eat it, only smelled the fragrance. A maid on her right held a delicate knife, cutting a golden, shiny new orange, sprinkling it with a layer of fine salt, and feeding it to Princess Yu’an.

When she saw Yi Ling arrive, she didn’t even spare a glance. Only after Yi Ling had saluted and asked after her well-being did she lazily wipe her hands and dismiss the surrounding servants.

“Why are you so late?” 

Looking at the small knife next to her, Yi Ling didn’t dare to act rashly. She cautiously replied, “I caught a cold, so I was slower in my movements. Please forgive me, Princess.”

Upon hearing this, Princess Yu’an didn’t argue. She stood up, took a couple of steps, and raised her chin as she stopped in front of Yi Ling.

“This morning, after waking up, I figured it out. What you said that day was very reasonable.”

It took her seven days to figure it out?

“Thank you; Hengzhi really cannot be killed.”

Princess Yu’an stood tall and walked slowly, with the air of someone making plans: “Chu Ren is my intended son-in-law, protected by heaven, so he must still be alive.”

Yi Ling perfunctorily nodded. “Mm-hmm, Princess is right.”

“Now, perhaps only Hengzhi knows where he is. I need someone to extract the truth from his mouth.”

Princess Yu’an turned around, her gaze firmly fixed on Yi Ling. “Since we are both enemies of Hengzhi, will you ally with me?”

“…”
From her lone act of storming into the Xie residence, Yi Ling didn’t seem keen on allying with her.

“Of course, I would love to. I can’t ask for more.”

After speaking, Yi Ling couldn’t help but make a final struggle.

“But as you know, Princess, Hengzhi and I are not the kind of couple who share everything. He won’t tell me the truth.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Princess Yu’an patted Yi Ling’s hand reassuringly, “I have my ways to help you, to make Hengzhi obedient and reveal Chu Ren’s whereabouts.”

Really?

Yi Ling wasn’t convinced.

“What method?”

“I heard that in the Sifang Medical Center in the East City, there’s a special herb called Xuantiansan.”

Although there was no one around, Princess Yu’an leaned closer to Yi Ling’s ear and whispered, “It’s colorless and tasteless. If mixed into tea, it makes people tell the truth.”

“Whether you can get this medicine,” Princess Yu’an pinched Yi Ling’s hand, “depends on your abilities, Mrs. Xie.”

—
Actually, Yi Ling didn’t think Princess Yu’an could handle Hengzhi, so she didn’t want to help her.

But the Xuantiansan she mentioned was truly fascinating and sparked Yi Ling’s curiosity.

If it really works, wouldn’t it be possible to find a fatal weakness in Hengzhi?

Yi Ling had heard about the Sifang Medical Center from Yi Yun before. On the surface, it appeared to be a respectable place, but behind the scenes, they sold all kinds of shady medicines.

Such a miraculous item wasn’t something just anyone could acquire.

To get into the underground market of the Sifang Medical Center, there was a specific password:
“What brings you here?”

If the password was wrong, even the king himself wouldn’t be allowed inside.

Princess Yu’an had only told her to buy the Xuantiansan but hadn’t helped her find the password to enter. She had to figure it out herself.

At that moment, the carriage had been parked in an alley not far from the Sifang Medical Center for half an hour.

Yi Ling lifted the curtain and carefully observed the side door of the Medical Center, deep in thought.

How could she get in?

Just as she was pondering, a similar carriage approached from the opposite direction, slowly stopping in front of her.

Then, a familiar maid jumped down and bowed to Yi Ling before opening the carriage door. A round-faced young woman poked her head out.

“Xie Xuan?”

Yi Ling looked at her in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Xie Xuan’s sparkling eyes fixed on Yi Ling, and she gestured with her hands: There’s a street performance in the East City today; I came to see it.

Yi Ling nodded and instructed the coachman to move the carriage aside to give Xie Xuan space.

“Go back quickly. It’s cold today.”

After speaking, Yi Ling continued to think about how to enter the Sifang Medical Center.

After a while, she turned her head and noticed Xie Xuan had not left. She was still smiling and watching her.

“Is there something else?”

Xie Xuan, embarrassed, bit her lip and gestured to ask what Yi Ling was doing here.

Yi Ling wasn’t in the mood to deal with her and just wanted to brush her off.

“I came to buy some…”

Midway through her sentence, Yi Ling’s mind shifted, and she suddenly softened her voice, saying slowly, “I came to buy some herbs. Would you like to come with me?”

Xie Xuan’s eyes brightened, and she immediately nodded, jumping off the carriage and eagerly heading inside.

Being invited by her clever sister-in-law was just wonderful!

Her steps were light; she opened the side door before Yi Ling stepped in.

But when she looked up, there were two burly men standing inside, glaring at her, and Xie Xuan froze in place, scared.

“Who goes there?!”

Yi Ling, holding her dress, stepped in behind her, calmly surveying the situation and walked forward confidently.

“She is Hengzhi’s younger sister.”

The two gatekeepers relaxed slightly upon hearing this.

But after glancing at Xie Xuan, they still coldly asked, “What do you want?”

Xie Xuan, timid and not used to such situations, hurriedly gestured to explain that she was just there to buy medicine.

The gatekeeper on the right couldn’t understand her gestures and turned to Yi Ling. “What did she say?”

Yi Ling smiled and whispered to him, “She said if you don’t let her in, she’ll have her brother kill your whole family.”