CXD - 13

“What are you doing here—”

Through the fallen screen, Yuan Ce’s cold eyes bore into her.

Jiang Zhiyi, who had just been dozing on the bed, was instantly wide awake.

The man standing before her was unmistakably the same person who had treated her with nothing but tenderness in the past. Yet, in this moment, Jiang Zhiyi felt as though she were being stared down by a strange, menacing wolf. Chills crept up her spine, and an overwhelming sense of danger filled the air.

She had just woken from her sleep and hadn’t fully gathered her thoughts, but when she hesitated for even a split second, the man across from her seemed to lose all patience. With a flick of his boot, he stepped onto the overturned screen and kicked away the pile of shattered porcelain.

A sharp crack echoed through the room, and Jiang Zhiyi trembled, instinctively covering her ears. As he advanced step by step, she instinctively backed away, her knees hitting the edge of the bed, causing her to fall back onto the monk’s bed behind her.

Yuan Ce stopped in front of the bed, lowering his gaze as his hand slowly tightened around the hilt of his sword.

Looking at the delicate blue veins beneath her exposed neck, it was almost as if he could already see the thin skin being sliced open by a sharp blade, blood gushing forth—

“Why are you being so frightening… It’s scary…” Jiang Zhiyi opened her bewildered, fearful eyes and glanced at him, her shoulders trembling.

Suddenly, the bloody scene that had filled his mind receded like a tide. Yuan Ce paused mid-motion, his hand gripping the sword.

What was he being so angry about?

…Wasn’t it obvious?

Jiang Zhiyi: “What… Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“…”

After killing so many people, it was the first time he’d drawn his sword only to be mistaken for someone starting an argument.

It would be best if she was just pretending to be ignorant, otherwise, while he might endure insults, his sword never would.

“Argue?” Yuan Ce gripped the sword hilt, laughing bitterly as he nodded. “Argue…”

“You haven’t even started arguing with me yet, and you’re already taking the initiative…” Jiang Zhiyi pouted, then suddenly stood up, puffing out her chest, placing her hands on her hips, and taking a bold step forward. “Alright then, let’s argue! I’m looking for a way to vent my anger anyway!”

Yuan Ce took a step back, absurdly lowering his head.

She was barely tall enough to reach his shoulder blades, yet this indignant step seemed to carry an air of superiority. After displaying such bravado, she quickly retreated into self-pity, pursing her lips as if on the verge of tears?

…Playing both the red face and the white face all by herself.

Yuan Ce pressed his thumb tightly against the sword pommel, narrowing his eyes in exasperation. “You’re still angry? What kind of anger is this?”

“You said all those sarcastic things this morning, how can I not be angry! Explain yourself clearly—Is the girl you brought here today someone you were involved with at the border?”

Yuan Ce glanced toward the eastern wing, raising an eyebrow. “And if she is?”

Jiang Zhiyi gaped at him, unable to believe what she was hearing.

And if she is?

How could he say something so shamelessly nonchalant…

“…You’ve become fickle, abandoning the old for the new!”

“Fickle? At least there has to be something ‘old’ to abandon. May I ask, Your Highness, what ‘old’ connection do we have?”

Jiang Zhiyi faltered, suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu. It reminded her of the day she encountered bandits and woke up in the military camp, hearing him say—Does this servant have any connection with Your Highness?

At the time, there were others in the tent, and she had assumed he was just putting on an act to mislead them. But Mu Xinhong had already discreetly left the room, leaving only the two of them.

There were no more excuses for her to deceive herself.

Since his return to the capital, he had shown no kindness toward her. Even in private, he addressed her formally as “Your Highness,” without mentioning their past at all. Clearly, having found someone new, he intended to erase their history!

Jiang Zhiyi trembled as she took a deep breath, holding back her tears and averting her gaze.

As she did so, she suddenly noticed a crescent-shaped jade pendant lying amidst the shards of broken porcelain.

Adorned with snow-blue tassels, the smooth white jade bore the character “Yi” carved into it.

As if catching hold of some incriminating evidence, Jiang Zhiyi pointed to the ground. “You say we have no past—then what is this jade pendant?”

Yuan Ce turned his head and looked down. “?”

Jiang Zhiyi picked up the jade pendant and held it up to his eyes. “This is a token I gave you. Don’t think you can deny it!”

He had endured enough of her dramatics, and now she even brought props. Yuan Ce closed his eyes impatiently, thoroughly tired of these theatrical performances.

Arguing was more exhausting than killing someone.

“A token for me?” Yuan Ce opened his eyes, snatched the jade pendant from her hand, and with a darkened expression, hurled it into the corner.

With a clatter, the jade pendant shattered just like the porcelain vase.

Yuan Ce: “Now that I’ve thrown it away, is Your Highness satisfied?”

Jiang Zhiyi stared blankly at the ground, her eyes fixed on the shattered jade pendant. She stared for a long time before she could believe what had just happened.

It was as if she had suddenly fallen from a great height, her heart plummeting to the bottom of a valley. The tears she had been holding back for so long instantly welled up in her eyes, trembling in their sockets.

“Fine…” After a moment, she slowly turned her tear-filled eyes to him and nodded. “From this day forward, our ties are severed, and we shall never see each other again!”

Without another word, she turned and ran out crying.

The study fell into sudden silence.

Yuan Ce’s temple throbbed visibly as his gaze swept over the mess on the floor. He loosened his collar with a flick of his hand.

Qingsong rushed in urgently. “Master, did I just imagine it? Didn’t the Princess leave earlier? Why did she come out of your study…?”

Yuan Ce’s suppressed anger flared up again. “You’re asking me?”

Qingsong’s heart sank, and he lowered his head, shrinking his neck.

“How could you be unaware of a living person in the study after spending the entire day in this courtyard? And you’re asking me?”

Qingsong bowed his head in apology and quickly picked up a broom to clean up the mess on the floor. As he swept toward the corner, he suddenly paused.

“Huh? Isn’t this Master’s jade pendant?”

“What are you talking abou…” Yuan Ce turned his head sharply. “What did you say?”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about you, Master, I was talking about the elder Master!” Qingsong pointed to the ground. “Isn’t this the jade pendant the elder Master used to love so much?”

Yuan Ce slowly lowered his eyes, staring at the broken pieces of jade for a moment before blinking. “Say that again?”

“Yes, this is definitely the elder Master’s jade pendant!”

An incense stick later, Qingsong stood beside the desk, drenched in sweat, having painstakingly pieced together the fragments of jade. Except for the dot in the character “Yi” that had chipped off somewhere, the original form was mostly restored.

Beside him, Mu Xinhong’s eyes were as wide as copper bells. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely certain! I remember clearly—the elder Master spent half a year before his departure frequently playing with this jade pendant. I even asked him once why he didn’t wear it since he liked it so much. He said he spent his days chasing chickens and dogs, and wearing it outside would risk breaking it.”

“After the elder Master went to war, I never saw this jade pendant again. I never expected it to be hidden inside this porcelain vase. No wonder the elder Master forbade servants from touching the items on this curio cabinet…”

His words trailed off, and the study fell into a sudden, profound silence.

The air in the room seemed to freeze solid, utterly still.

Yuan Ce sat motionless at the desk, lost in thought. Minutes passed without a single sound escaping him.

Everyone believed the Shen family had only one son, but eighteen years ago, twins were born into the Shen household.

However, the moment they were born, the twin brothers were forcibly separated—

The elder brother was named “Shen Yuan Ce” and remained in Chang’an as the sole heir to the Shen family, living under the public eye.

The younger brother was secretly sent to the borderlands, renouncing the Shen surname and adopting the maternal surname Yuan. Named “Yuan Ce,” he grew up in obscurity.

For over a decade, the two brothers never met.

Until three years ago, the elder brother left the capital to go to the border.

In the Gobi Desert, amidst three years of sandstorms, the young general should have wielded his halberd under the bright sun, defending his homeland. But instead, he was betrayed in secret, buried in the sands, unable to even have a gravestone erected…

One disastrous battle led to nationwide condemnation. Shen’s father, a lifelong soldier whose honor and blood had been poured into his service, was disgraced. The entire Shen family became eternal sinners.

On one side was the punishment handed down by the court; on the other, enemies taking advantage of their weakness. The younger brother, who had always remained hidden in the shadows, had no choice but to step into the light. He concealed the elder brother’s death, posing as the surviving elder brother, and took up the spear—

Within half a year, he led the Xuan Ce Army from near collapse to a miraculous comeback, driving the Northern Jie people out of Hexi, counterattacking into enemy territory, trampling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and burning the Northern Jie King’s tomb, shocking the world.

Finally, the nation’s condemnation subsided.

After the war ended, the younger brother returned to Chang’an bearing the blood debt of the Shen family, assuming the identity of the elder brother to begin settling accounts.

…

Yuan Ce slowly returned from his memories, lifting his eyes to focus once again on the jade pendant before him.

“Is there something wrong with this jade pendant…?” Seeing Yuan Ce and Mu Xinhong suddenly grow so serious, as if facing an enemy, Qingsong stammered nervously.

Mu Xinhong glared at him, gritting his teeth. “Didn’t you say that the Princess and the elder Master were mortal enemies?”

“Yes!” Qingsong was stunned. This question had been asked of him at least three times in recent days by both the Master and General Mu. “Back then, the elder Master was playing with crickets, and one accidentally jumped onto the Princess, scaring her. Her attendants crushed the cricket, and the Princess, frightened, blamed the elder Master for losing his beloved pet. That feud was set in stone from then on… I was there! No one knows their enmity better than I do!”

Frustrated by Qingsong’s ignorance, Mu Xinhong pointed accusingly at him. “You know? Then how don’t you know that the Princess’s maiden name contains the character ‘Yi’?”

“The Princess’s maiden name isn’t something lowly people like us are worthy of knowing…” Qingsong’s mouth moved faster than his brain, but halfway through his whining, his mouth snapped shut. He turned his head toward the jade pendant on the desk and gasped. “So does this mean this jade pendant was given to the elder Master by the Princess…?”

A token of affection?!

Mu Xinhong smacked his thigh in frustration.

This Qingsong claimed to have followed the elder Master since childhood, claiming to know everything about him. Moreover, on the day the young general returned victorious, the Princess publicly provoked him at the teahouse and then privately challenged him at the military camp. Her attitude was entirely consistent with Qingsong’s account, including how the Shen family’s step-lady viewed the relationship between the Princess and the elder Master—

After repeated confirmation, they naturally concluded that the Princess’s recent strange behavior was ill-intentioned.

Qingsong: “This can’t be… How could this be? Could it be that the Princess and the elder Master were only pretending to be mortal enemies, but were actually lovers?”

Mu Xinhong: “Is there any other possibility at this point?”

Though it sounded absurd at first, upon closer inspection, this explanation made perfect sense. Lately, the Princess had been provoking the young general in public while being affectionate with him in private. Though annoying, she had no intention of harming him—

Upon reflection, this answer seemed quite reasonable.

Even last night, when the Princess pretended to be pitiful to sneak into the Shen residence, it now made sense.

The young general had just returned to the capital, dealing with numerous matters. These days, he had been meeting with the emperor and handling military affairs with officials, facing people far more important than a mere maid. He hadn’t paid much attention to her, never imagining that nearly slipping up here!

Mu Xinhong looked at the long-silent Yuan Ce and scratched his head. “Young General, it’s all my fault for carelessly mentioning your identity today. I don’t know if the Princess heard it or not. If she calms down and reflects on it later, she might discover your anomaly. In that case, this Princess might be—”

“The greatest variable for me in this city of Chang’an.” Yuan Ce slowed his speech, watching the jade pendant as he spoke each word deliberately.

Qingsong: “Then… what do we do now?”

Mu Xinhong: “Either we kill her to silence her, or…”

—Having inherited the elder Master’s identity, he would also have to inherit the elder Master’s… lover.