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Consort Liang wore a simple palace dress without any jewelry and sat on a round-backed chair, waiting. Her expression was not pleasant.
The moment He Chengjin entered the room, he sensed that something was off.
But the matter between him and Zhenzhen had only just happened—his mother shouldn’t have found out so quickly.
Could there be something else?
After bowing in greeting, he took a seat below Consort Liang.
“Mother, why have you summoned me?”
Consort Liang seemed weary, absentmindedly looking at the nail lacquer on her fingertips.
“The other day, when I asked you to investigate Fang Zhiyi, I was worried for your safety. So, I had the Liang family assign a few secret guards to follow you.”
He Chengjin turned to his mother, his voice slightly anxious. “You knew? Then did they see who was trying to harm us?”
Consort Liang let out a long sigh. “Even if I tell you, you won’t believe me. You’ll think I’m trying to drive a wedge between you two. The secret guards are at the Liang residence—you can ask them yourself. Whether you choose to believe their words or not is up to you.”
“These days, your father has been busy, and the Crown Prince has been sharing his burdens, earning much praise. He has inquired several times about what you’ve been occupied with lately.”
“I couldn’t very well tell him that you’ve been disregarding the royal family’s dignity, spending all your days obsessing over how to marry Fang Zhenzhen. So I told him that since General Fang’s whereabouts are unknown and his family is in crisis, you sympathize with their plight and wish to investigate Fang Zhiyi’s case, to show the court that the royal family still values them. That answer finally satisfied him.”
Consort Liang slowly rose to her feet, looking utterly exhausted. “I’m truly tired. You may leave.”
With unease in his heart, He Chengjin hurried out of the palace. But after visiting the Liang residence, his frown only deepened.
The two female secret guards both reported the same thing: Fang Zhenzhen had taken medicinal powder from her sachet and applied it to her lips.
She must have taken the antidote in advance, so she remained conscious. Once He Chengjin lost awareness, she helped him to the ground, loosened their clothing, and staged the scene to make it appear as though something had transpired, waiting for him to wake up.
Walking through the bustling streets, He Chengjin felt as though he heard nothing. His mind kept circling back—why had Fang Zhenzhen done this?
The next moment, he dismissed the guards’ claims.
His Zhenzhen was the purest and kindest person in the world. She would never do such a thing.
He needed to ask her himself.
Fang Zhenzhen hadn’t expected He Chengjin to visit again so soon. Fortunately, she had already disposed of the sachet.
The two sat in the pavilion in silence for a long time.
Seeing He Chengjin’s grim expression, she grew uneasy and spoke first:
“It’s alright if it doesn’t work out. Her Highness has already compromised—it was our carelessness.” Her voice was soft.
He Chengjin lifted his gaze, his expression complicated. “Mother said she assigned secret guards to protect me while I investigated Fang Zhiyi’s case, fearing I might be in danger.”
“There were witnesses to what happened inside that room.”
“What?” Fang Zhenzhen’s face turned pale, her voice unconsciously rising. Her weak and pitiful demeanor shattered in an instant.
Her reaction confirmed her guilt.
He Chengjin’s eyes reddened as he let out a bitter laugh. “Why?”
Under the table, Fang Zhenzhen clenched her hands tightly, her thumb digging into her palm to steady herself.
She avoided his gaze, but He Chengjin suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him.
“Answer me. Why?”
Though his words carried anger, his voice was soft and slow.
Fang Zhenzhen stubbornly met his eyes, as if full of grievances. As her tears fell, she cried out:
“Why else? Because I love you! You’ve always been so good to me. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to marry you, so I wanted to give myself to you on my birthday. Was that wrong?”
“My sister’s case wasn’t solved even with all those investigations back then. After nearly two years, how could it suddenly be solved now?”
“I didn’t want to make things difficult for you or upset Her Highness, but I also wanted to fulfill my own wishes.”
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed. “But I’ve never done anything like this before. Maybe I used too much of the drug—I don’t know how you ended up unconscious. I loosened your clothes, but nothing actually happened.”
She wiped her tears, sobbing pitifully, but inside, she felt completely uncertain.
She didn’t know how much the guards had seen. Her only option was to gamble on He Chengjin’s trust and continue her deception.
He Chengjin’s jaw tightened.
He forced himself not to look at her, slowly withdrawing his hand, now damp with her tears.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhenzhen peeked at his expression through her tears.
His cold, emotionless face made her more anxious. Panic crept in.
“Brother Jin, I’m sorry. I ruined everything, but please don’t ignore me, alright?” she pleaded.
Receiving no response, she stood up and cautiously approached He Chengjin, taking out the jade pendant hidden beneath her thin robe.
“Brother Jin, you once said this jade pendant could grant me three wishes.”
“Then… please don’t ignore me, alright?” She lifted the pendant, stepping closer.
“Even when we broke off our engagement, I never used it to ask for anything. Now, I only ask that you don’t ignore me. Please?”
He Chengjin stared at the jade pendant, then at Fang Zhenzhen.
He had lost count of how many times he had felt that the woman before him was nothing like the girl who once saved him.
Would the girl who left without revealing her name, with such a carefree spirit, ever beg him like this?
His mind was a mess. Her cries made him inexplicably restless.
Without giving her an answer, he turned and left.
Fang Zhenzhen’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, watching He Chengjin’s retreating figure through her tears.
Though he was still angry, at least she was safe now.
A flicker of resentment crossed her face as she blamed Consort Liang.
If not for her endless interference, she would have married Prince Qi long ago.
That wretched woman!
Once she reconciled with Prince Qi, she would find a way to drive a wedge between him and his mother.
For now, she wasn’t sure how he would react, so she dared not act recklessly. All she could do was wait.
Her only hope lay with the assassins. She prayed they would return soon with good news.
But instead, she received word that Fang Zhiyi had returned safely.
Yongding Marquis Manor.
Since morning, the servants bustled about, cleaning and preparing, the entire residence in a state of organized chaos.
In the afternoon, when the sun wasn’t as scorching, a servant rushed back from the city gates with news.
“Madam, the young lady has entered the city!”
Seated in the side hall, Qin Xuan broke into a smile upon hearing the news. Holding the hands of her two daughters, she headed toward the main gate.
A large crowd of masters and servants gathered at the gate, eagerly waiting.
Qin Xuan gazed down the long street, scanning the distant figures over and over.
A quarter of an hour passed with no sign of her daughter, and Fang Yuean grew bored. She squatted beside the steps, resting her chin on her hand and poking at the dirt with a wooden stick.
Irritated, she turned to Huai Ze and asked: 【It’s been days. Why are you still uncertain?】
She had been discussing her eldest sister’s situation with Huai Ze when she suddenly realized something—Er’er, an ordinary human, had been able to hear their conversation.
If Er’er, a true mortal, repeated what she had heard to another mortal, would that count as revealing the secrets of fate?
If not, then why was she allowed to hear it?
Curious, she asked Huai Ze. He had said he needed to investigate further.
Days had passed, and she still had no answer.
Huai Ze, looking weary with tufts of feathers sticking out at odd angles, sighed:
【Stop rushing me! I’m still investigating.】
【Why are you so impatient? You ask me eight hundred times a day! If I weren’t so good-tempered—】
Fang Yuean narrowed her eyes: 【What did you just say?】
Sensing danger, Huai Ze immediately changed his tone:
【I said… something feels strange.】