Chapter Forty-Eight: Divorce Is Not Impossible After All

Yin Jiaojiao lay in bed for another full day after waking up before finally getting out of floor-touching. Having learned her lesson, she resolved not to move around rashly even though she was capable of doing so. Her sole principle now was to stir up no more trouble and wait until they crossed the threshold of Nanshan Temple before making any further plans.

Xiao Yuanchi cooperated as well; he had not shown his face since that day. The occasional commotion from outside invariably involved Gu Xuezhi. Just as in her previous life, an imperial decree arrived from the palace, granting Madam Sun permission to return to her husband's family in Liangzhou as a secondary wife, and ordering Xiao Yuanchi to provide an escort along the way. The moment the decree arrived, she gained a righteous and legitimate reason. Word had it that she was bustling about busily, helping Xiao Yuanchi manage the preparations for his new post as if she were already the true mistress of the Prince's Manor.

Qiuming was concerned about her health, so she only mentioned a few brief details before changing the subject. Yin Jiaojiao could not be bothered to pursue the matter further. She quietly drank her medicine and waited in silence, constantly telling herself that nothing else mattered—only leaving was of the utmost importance.

Two peaceful days passed just like that. On the day of departure, Yin Jiaojiao climbed out of bed before dawn. Sitting by the window, she watched the sun slowly rise and listened as the small courtyard transitioned from quiet to gradually bustling. After all, a proper Princess Consort was setting out on a journey, so the fanfare could not possibly be small.

Qiuming's calling out and Mr. Zhang's instructions drifted over from time to time, finally setting Yin Jiaojiao's mind completely at ease.

They were undeniably leaving.

Having been reborn, she had finally created a distinct divergence from her past life right here at this juncture. Xialan had been captured, meaning she would no longer need to pursue her husband across a thousand miles, and the primary reason for the ambush had vanished. It seemed fate had begun to shift—at least, the unwarranted disaster destined for half a month later should now be avoidable.

She stroked the safety jade pendant hanging at her neck and let out a long, leisurely breath.

At the second quarter of the *mao* hour, Qiuming pushed the door open and entered.

"Your Highness, everything is fully prepared."

At a time when the Prince of Qin had been demoted, for the Princess Consort to enter a temple to practice asceticism would inevitably invite unwanted speculation if word got out. Therefore, lively as the manor might be, their carriage and horses ought to be parked by the side gate, facing a deserted, hidden alley to evade prying eyes and set off quietly.

To her surprise, however, Mr. Zhang gestured toward the direction of the main front gate and said, "This way, Your Highness."

"Shouldn't we be using the side gate?"

"His Highness said that you leaving is hardly some shady, underhanded business. There is no need to skulk and hide—you can well afford to use the main gate."

Yin Jiaojiao uttered an "oh," her complicated feelings instantly growing two shades more complicated.

The path leading to the main gate required passing through the front courtyard. Spring flowers were blooming, and petals drifted and fluttered in the breeze. Yin Jiaojiao suddenly recalled the dream she had a few days ago; the confrontation between Yin Chaozong and Xiao Yuanchi in the dream had taken place right here. Even though she had forgotten most of the details after waking, she still remembered that in the dream, Xiao Yuanchi wore mourning white, his face haggard and drawn, save for his gaze, which was as sharp and fierce as a cornered, solitary wolf.

For a fraction of a second, she abruptly wondered if that had not been a dream at all, but rather a genuine event that transpired after her death in her past life.

Unable to stop herself, she halted in her tracks just a few paces from the grand doors and asked, "Mr. Zhang, is His Highness not coming?"

Mr. Zhang lowered his head halfway and said slowly, "His Highness has long been waiting for you up ahead."

Yin Jiaojiao was startled. The next moment, she gathered up her skirts and sprinted toward the main gate.

So be it. Before she left, she would issue him one warning—at the very least, she had to inform him of the potential perils looming ahead. Since she had already escaped the fate of a guaranteed death, she no longer had any reason to want him dead either. Without a life-or-death crisis hanging over them, there was no need for them to destroy one another. A separation by mutual consent was not entirely out of the question.

Traversing the high threshold amidst a flurry of distracted thoughts, she caught sight of a familiar figure at a glance and blurted out, "Your Highness!"

Dressed in an aqua-blue casual robe secured with a leather belt, he stood tall, slender, and graceful in the spring breeze. The wind caught the edges of his robes, causing them to flutter with a dashing, unrestrained air of carefree romance. Just as Yin Jiaojiao was about to speak, she saw a flash of purple emerge before him—Gu Xuezhi, clad in a purple skirt, was tilting her head up to converse with him. Without a doubt, that dashing romance was being lavished upon Gu Xuezhi.

The sudden surge of goodwill within her collapsed by half on the spot. Yin Jiaojiao's lips parted and closed, ultimately resulting in nothing more than a soft huff.

Xiao Yuanchi slowly turned around.

Having not seen her for two days, Yin Jiaojiao's complexion had grown much rosier. She wore a goose-yellow cloak embroidered with small white flowers, and the top button at her neck was undone, revealing a faint, reddish trace that flickered in and out of sight—a silent reminder to Xiao Yuanchi of who had provoked him to the point of losing control that day, indulging in a passion that should never have been unleashed. Yet this wretch had abandoned all responsibility after starting it, actually falling fast asleep by herself right when things were reaching their unfinished climax, leaving someone else to fret and worry.

Xiao Yuanchi's chilly gaze swept over her from head to toe. "Even Xuezhi got up earlier than you," he remarked. "Dawdling like this, do you not want to go at all?"

"Who says that! I got up ages ago!" Yin Jiaojiao let out another huff. "Madam Sun is certainly enthusiastic about seeing people off. I daresay she was practically praying for me to leave."

Gu Xuezhi met her gaze coldly.

"Your Highness is joking. It's simply because I must set off a step earlier and need to bid His Highness farewell."

With that, she offered a slight bow and spun around to leave.

Such unpretentious behavior from Gu Xuezhi was truly a rarity, leaving Yin Jiaojiao momentarily stunned. "Set off a step earlier—go where?"

It was Qiuming who answered. "Madam Sun has an imperial-granted carriage and entourage. Every leg of the journey to Liangzhou must be reported to the post stations, so naturally, she has to depart a little early."

Listening to this, Yin Jiaojiao felt a persistent sense that something was deeply amiss. Before she could figure out what it was, Xiao Yuanchi spoke again: "What was it you called out to me so hurriedly just now?"

"It was nothing."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'?"

"It's just..." Yin Jiaojiao averted her gaze, fixing it on the official hat worn by Su Zhengqing not far away. "I heard that the old Chanyu of the Rouran was nearly sent to his grave because you shot him with two arrows half a year ago. A man of such vicious temperament will never swallow that grievance. News of your trip to Liangzhou has probably already reached his ears by now, and he certainly won't let this opportunity for revenge slip by. Along the entire route all the way to your post in Liangzhou, you're bound to run into plenty of trouble."

She nervously twisted the ties of her cloak.

"You need to be careful of the troops left behind by the former military governor—those people might not all listen to you. Even as a mighty dragon, you can't simply suppress the local serpents at will; it's terribly easy to capsize in a drainage ditch."

"When marching and fighting, you must also... pay close attention to spies around you, and avoid acting rashly..."

Recalling as she spoke, Yin Jiaojiao carefully measured every word, terrified that saying too much would make the man suspicious, yet equally afraid that saying too little would leave him oblivious. After stumbling and stuttering through her warning, Xiao Yuanchi remained silent for a long while, forcing her to turn her gaze back to him.

Xiao Yuanchi looked as though he either hadn't fully understood or had understood all too well, his dark eyes swirling with undercurrents, leaving it impossible to tell whether he was moved or suspicious.

"Yin Jiaojiao," he slowly began, "if I were to make this journey and never return, what do you plan to do?"

"You will return!" Yin Jiaojiao retorted almost without thinking.

"Even you can see that the situation is perilous and this trip is fraught with danger. I am only human, and humans are bound to make missteps. If I accidentally capsize in a drainage ditch, would you be glad?"

Had this been asked a few days earlier, her instinctive reaction would undoubtedly have been joy. Yet after everything that had transpired over these past few days, she hesitated.

Loving to the point of utter foolishness was bound to be this way. Even though the other person had taken her life in her previous life—a grievance as vast as heaven and earth—reborn into a new life, she would still find her conviction shaken by his meager, fragmented scraps of care and concern.

"Your Highness, there is no one throughout the Great Yong who does not know of my devotion to you. Even if you took these words to a storyteller at a teahouse and asked him what Yin the Blockhead ought to do if the Prince of Qin were gone, he would be able to answer." She gazed straight at him. "That Yin the Blockhead has only Your Highness in her heart and eyes; she would naturally be heartbroken to the point of devastation, wishing she were dead."

It was a clear, fine day, and the warm, gentle spring breeze carried the trembling tail-end of Yin Jiaojiao's voice, drifting into Xiao Yuanchi's ears like the tickle of a feather.

Xiao Yuanchi lowered his eyelids halfway.

"Put that way, if I were to cast my Princess Consort out of the mortal world and run off alone, it truly would be a failing on the part of a husband."

Yin Jiaojiao was taken aback.

"A devotion known to everyone in the Great Yong is not something that should be failed."

Wait a minute, this wasn't right at all!

Qiuming had said earlier that Gu Xuezhi was leaving a step early. No matter how early Gu Xuezhi was setting out, there was no reason for her to depart on the exact same day as Yin Jiaojiao. In her past life, she and Xiao Yuanchi had set off on the same day.

Yin Jiaojiao abruptly looked toward the carriage parked at the entrance. It was not the one she routinely used, but rather the four-horse carriage with a blue canopy that Xiao Yuanchi customarily favored. The surrounding imperial guards were fully armed, and Su Zhengqing was among them in plainclothes.

They were merely escorting her to Nanshan Temple—there was no need for this level of pomp and battle array.

Lifting her gaze once more, she saw that Xiao Yuanchi was already smiling, looking exceedingly benign.

"I have already reported to His Majesty. On this trip to Liangzhou, you will accompany me."