Chapter 35: Not Quite So Heartless

Xiao Yuanchi finally stopped, though he did not leave. He reached out to pinch the jade pendant that had slipped behind Yin Jiaojiao’s ear—a peace buckle carved from Dongshan white jade, marked by a winding, lightning-like crack stained with a hint of reddish-brown. The clouded look in Xiao Yuanchi’s eyes gradually cleared.

His voice was deep: "You are still wearing it?"

"You only gave me this one thing; naturally, I wear it every day." Yin Jiaojiao did not want to know what the moisture on his fingertips was, so she tilted her chin away. "Does your Highness wish to take it back?"

"I do not take back what I have given." As he spoke, he pressed the peace buckle against Yin Jiaojiao’s chest. "Likewise, once you have taken it, you must keep it until the end."

Yin Jiaojiao’s heart skipped a beat. She had indeed entertained the thought of removing the pendant, but… she had grown accustomed to wearing it and found it difficult to part with. She had even set a date in her mind to remove it on the day Xiao Yuanchi ascended to the throne, but to her surprise, his ascension had failed.

Yin Jiaojiao looked at him: "What do you mean by 'until the end'?"

A dark shadow passed through Xiao Yuanchi’s eyes: "Until I die."

Her heartbeat, already rapid, quickened further. Yin Jiaojiao blinked blankly, unsure if she was nervous because her plans might be exposed, or because Xiao Yuanchi had spoken of death.

As a god of war who had survived countless near-death experiences, he naturally did not shy away from the topic of life and death. Perhaps it was a casual remark, but for some reason, Yin Jiaojiao felt he was hinting that he was about to enter a period of danger where his survival would be uncertain.

Xiao Yuanchi turned and lay flat, ceasing his banter.

Yin Jiaojiao closed her eyes in a daze, her mind wandering, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

When she woke up again, Xiao Yuanchi was gone. Qiuming brought in a bowl of fresh medicine, which was bitter and sour, tasting truly awful. Yin Jiaojiao sipped it slowly, waiting for Qiuming to share news from outside, but Qiuming remained silent even after the medicine was finished.

Yin Jiaojiao asked curiously: "Qiuming, why are you so quiet today?"

"Answering your Highness," Qiuming sighed, "I said it before, but you do not like to hear it."

Yin Jiaojiao felt a string pull taut in her heart: "Is it that his Highness is protecting Madam Sun again? Do not worry, I am prepared."

"Unfortunately, no," Qiuming said. "Since you were attacked, his Highness has been sleeping in the East Courtyard. For the past two days while you were unconscious, it was his Highness who changed your clothes and applied your medicine. If it weren't for him, your wounds would certainly have worsened from all your tossing and turning. But according to the Divine Doctor Dong, your wounds are healing very well. It seems… his Highness has been taking excellent care of you."

Yin Jiaojiao was stunned.

Qiuming observed her expression: "During this time, his Highness only went to the West Courtyard once. Madam Sun was poisoned by Wanku grass and had been dragging it out for too long; her recovery was not going smoothly, and she was once in critical condition. Doctor Ji sent for him, and he only went because of that. He returned about an hour later."

Yin Jiaojiao clutched the quilt: "Is there more?"

"There is. The assassination caused a great stir, and the Chief Steward from the Emperor’s side came personally to deliver an imperial decree, urgently summoning his Highness to the palace. But his Highness delayed for half a day, and only went to the palace this morning after you woke up." Qiuming paused. "Shall I continue?"

Yin Jiaojiao’s gaze was scattered, and her thoughts were in chaos. Because what Qiuming said was not speculation, but facts she had witnessed. The fact remained that, whether out of guilt or gratitude, Xiao Yuanchi had indeed treated her better.

In her previous life, she had been injured more deeply and dangerously. She had lain in a daze for seven or eight days before waking up. After she awoke, Xiao Yuanchi had been busy between the Ministry of Justice and the palace for many days due to the sudden twists in the Qingzhou corruption case. He had not returned to the Prince’s mansion for over half a month. Every day, she saw only Divine Doctor Dong or Xia Lan. According to Xia Lan, Xiao Yuanchi had no redeeming qualities.

She would say things like, "His Highness only took a brief glance at you before going to comfort Gu Xuezhi," or, "His Highness did not punish the two assassins, but casually handed them over to the Dongdu Prefecture Magistrate without much concern."

From every word of sympathy Xia Lan offered, Yin Jiaojiao heard Xiao Yuanchi’s indifference.

Her wounds ached, but her heart ached more. She could not believe that even after she had risked her life for him, she could not earn a shred of his affection. Thus, she waited for his return every day, hoping for a kind word or two, only to be met with arguments where they spoke past one another. The result of those arguments was Xiao Yuanchi ordering thirty strokes of the cane for Xia Lan as a warning to others.

At that time, Yin Jiaojiao only felt he was killing a chicken to scare the monkey. But now that she thought about it, Xia Lan was indeed not a good person. So… perhaps the Xiao Yuanchi of her past life had not been so heartless after all.

"Your Highness?"

"Continue."

"That is all," Qiuming shook her head. "His Highness has only done these things in the past few days. Oh, and he interrogated the assassins and Xia Lan, but the results are unknown. Deputy General Su was likely warned by Master Zhang, as he refuses to say a word to me. I cannot find out anything."

Naturally, she could not find out anything. If she remembered correctly, handing the assassins over to the Dongdu Prefecture Magistrate was likely related to the Qingzhou corruption case that Xiao Yuanchi was investigating. It was clear this assassination was not simple, and Xiao Yuanchi could not handle it privately.

Yin Jiaojiao subconsciously stroked the peace buckle, beginning for the first time to consider whether there were hidden motives behind the calamities of her past life, and who might be involved in them.

She had tried her best to avoid this assassination, yet the outcome had not changed much: Xiao Yuanchi remained unscathed, and she had once again taken the blade for him.

Was it that Xia Lan was fated to harm her once, or were the nodes of destiny truly unchangeable?

If they were unchangeable, was her death in half a year also fated, with no room for reversal?

Yin Jiaojiao felt dejected. Qiuming, thinking her wounds were hurting again, hurriedly said: "Your Highness, if your wounds ache, here is the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Elixir left by his Highness. He instructed me that if you were in great pain, I should let you take one."

As she spoke, Qiuming poured a red pill from a jade bottle.

Yin Jiaojiao frowned and put it in her mouth. A salty and sweet plum flavor bloomed on the tip of her tongue, and her face immediately crumpled.

"Miracle pills must be very bitter, your Highness, please bear with it."

Qiuming advised her earnestly. Yin Jiaojiao held the "miracle pill" in her mouth, cursing inwardly. What Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Elixir? It was clearly a preserved plum candy from the Nanbei Shop! When the shop first launched these snacks, she had bought a large amount and eaten them for over a month—she could never mistake the taste!

The dignified Prince of Qin was actually playing such a boring and childish trick just to tease her!

Yin Jiaojiao raised her eyebrows, just about to lecture Qiuming not to listen to the Prince on everything, when she suddenly froze.

How did Xiao Yuanchi know she loved the plum candies from the Nanbei Shop? Such low-class snacks were never allowed in the back chambers of high-ranking noble families. She had even kept it a secret from the people in the Yin mansion, fearing that if word got out, it would displease her stepmother. She had been even more careful to hide it from Xiao Yuanchi, terrified of damaging the perfect image she held in his eyes.

Was Xiao Yuanchi teasing her, or was he warning her that he knew everything about her, and that she should not act rashly or do things she shouldn't?

Clearly, given Xiao Yuanchi’s past behavior, the latter was more likely.

Another day passed, and just like in her past life, Xiao Yuanchi did not return to the mansion.

Yin Jiaojiao was now able to walk around. She leaned on Qiuming and walked to the window to watch the sunset, when she saw a maid from the outer courtyard hurrying over to report.

"Your Highness, the Prime Minister’s wife and the Third Miss have come to visit."

The Prime Minister’s wife, Lady Li, was the eldest daughter of Duke Li. She had married into the Yin family half a year after the death of Yin Chaozong’s first wife, Lady Cen. She was the stepmother whom Yin Jiaojiao had called "Mother" for twenty years. The Third Miss of the Yin family was her only daughter, seventeen years of age, who had been pampered and spoiled since childhood and often accompanied Lady Li to various banquets and gatherings. For a long time, the outside world did not know that the true eldest legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion was actually Yin Jiaojiao.

"Your Highness, they will arrive shortly. Will you see them?"

Yin Jiaojiao gripped the window sill and said solemnly: "I will."