Just a moment ago, a sudden inspiration had struck Si Huahuan. Taking advantage of the dim light of dawn, she had crouched behind the thick, solid railing, waiting to see exactly what Changning’s reaction would be.
When the two maids were pulled from the pond, everyone’s attention was fixed on the bank. No one had noticed she had been standing there, watching quietly for quite some time.
Now, hearing her voice, everyone looked upward. There stood the young woman in her scarlet-red gown, facing the wind. In the hazy twilight, she seemed shrouded in a soft glow, just like an immortal maiden descending to the mortal world.
Because she had been crouched low for so long, a faint blush lingered on her cheeks. Set against her skin, fair as snow, it made her appear lively and endearing. Her red lips were curved in an amused, knowing smile.
She was already breathtakingly beautiful by nature. And smiling like that… everyone’s eyes seemed ready to stick to her face, unable to look away no matter what. No one spoke a word.
When Changning saw her, her expression shifted through a rich variety of emotions — turning from red to green, then to white; from feigned delight to utter shock and horror.
Si Huahuan laughed softly to herself. This dramatic change of face was truly marvelous entertainment, far more interesting than the singing and dancing inside the hall.
She tilted her head and blinked. She reckoned she had watched enough of the show.
She had stood here precisely to frighten Changning, and her goal had been achieved. Now, she walked casually down from the bridge.
“Well now… what a lively gathering. Everyone is here.”
She smiled brightly, her eyes sweeping over the crowd, finally settling back on Changning’s face. “How remarkable that news travels so fast. How is it that everyone could rush here so quickly, to this remote little bridge where there is not a soul around? And how were you all so absolutely certain that *this Princess* had fallen into the water? I am truly curious to know… aren’t you, Changning?”
She spoke the last four words slowly and softly. Yet they hit Changning like four heavy stones, striking her again and again until she could barely breathe.
Changning forced a smile. “Perhaps… perhaps she was confused for a moment and saw things incorrectly. I hurried over because I was worried about you, Sister Kangle… It is good that nothing happened. Good… that nothing happened.”
Si Huahuan’s smile turned teasing and mischievous. Changning could tell that Kangle was deliberately provoking her. She knew that the more she said now, the more mistakes she would make, and Kangle would seize upon any slip of the tongue. So she struggled to maintain her smile and said no more.
Everyone present was clever and sharp-witted. They understood perfectly well the hidden meaning behind the words.
Princess Changning is truly vicious!
And utterly brainless too.
To dare to try to harm Princess Kangle… even if her father were not merely the Emperor’s brother, but the Great Jade Emperor himself, he would not be able to save her now.
Emperor Jiaping frowned deeply and asked, “What exactly is going on here?”
“These two people were bold enough to scheme to push me into the water,” Si Huahuan replied in a light, breezy tone. “Sadly for them, they were clumsy and unskilled. They lost their balance and fell in themselves instead.”
Emperor Jiaping’s gaze swept over the two maids, who were now trembling and kneeling on the ground. “Lift your heads.”
The two maids shook even harder, lowering their heads further.
“I said… lift your heads.”
Gritting their teeth and squeezing their eyes shut, they slowly raised their faces.
“Who ordered you to plot against Princess Kangle?”
Their faces turned ashen. Fine beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. Their lips quivered, yet they could not speak a word.
Seeing this, Si Huahuan raised her hand lightly. “No need to answer. Guards! Drag them away and beat them to death immediately.”
Instantly, four palace guards appeared behind them. They seized the two women by their shoulders, one on each side, and dragged them away.
Panic flashed in their eyes. They kicked wildly at the ground. In desperation, they screamed at the top of their lungs: “Princess! Princess! Save us, we beg you!”
Everyone’s gaze sharpened, turning as one toward Changning.
Changning gripped her silk handkerchief so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Nonsense! I do not even know these women! Who… who is trying to frame this Princess?!”
Changning stood at the edge of the bank, very close to the water. Si Huahuan walked slowly to stand right behind her. She lifted her skirt, gathered all her strength, and delivered a powerful kick straight to Changning’s backside.
“I knew it was you.”
There was a loud splash as water surged and splashed everywhere. Changning’s shriek of surprise was cut short as she vanished beneath the surface.
Everyone stood stunned, staring at the scene. They all shared the same thought:
Truly, only Princess Kangle fears nothing and no one. She kicks whoever she wants to kick. I have to say… seeing that kick land was incredibly satisfying!
After a moment of silence, Prince Jin was the first to recover. He shouted sharply, “Hurry! Save the Princess!”
Attendants scrambled into the pond, grabbing and pulling Changning out with much fumbling and haste.
She was soaked from head to toe, her hair disheveled and falling loose, looking utterly miserable and humiliated. Prince Jin’s face turned livid. He immediately took off his outer robe and wrapped it around his daughter.
Changning clutched the robe and shivered uncontrollably. Her lips were pale. She looked at Si Huahuan and stammered, “You… you…” But caught between shock and rage, she could not form a complete sentence for the longest time.
The tight, stern look on Emperor Jiaping’s face finally softened. A hint of a smile flickered deep in his eyes. He patted Si Huahuan’s shoulder calmly, then spoke loudly to the crowd: “Very well. Let us all return to Changchun Courtyard and continue the feast.”
In excellent spirits, Si Huahuan walked slowly behind the crowd on the way back. Suddenly, someone pressed lightly but firmly against the coiled hair at the back of her head. She turned and saw it was Xie Yun.
He held his hand suspended in the air, between his fingers a large crimson peony in full bloom.
“What do you think you are doing?”
Xie Yun turned her head back forward, and pressed again gently against the back of her hair. “Your hairpin fell out at the back, leaving it bare. Here, stick this peony in to fill the space for now.”
Is he actually being this kind and helpful?
Si Huahuan felt skeptical. She raised her hand to feel the spot. Sure enough, she could not feel the metal of the hairpin anymore, only the soft texture of flower petals. It must have fallen out and been lost somewhere during the earlier commotion.
The large red peony nestled beautifully into the hairstyle, filling the gap. It was fragrant and strikingly vivid — serving two purposes at once.
“Don’t want it?” Xie Yun raised an eyebrow and made as if to take it back.
Si Huahuan covered the flower with her hand and trotted a few steps forward. She glared at him. “You have no gentlemanly manners at all! How can you take back something you have already given away?”
Her beauty was so dazzling and striking.
It was such that people completely overlooked the large, fresh, crimson peony resting near her temple. Every eye was drawn entirely to her stunning little face, unable to spare even a glance for anything else beside her.
Xie Yun chuckled softly. “And when did I ever say I was a gentleman?”
Too lazy to bother arguing with him, Si Huahuan kept her hand pressed to the flower at the back of her head and hurried to catch up with the people ahead.
*****
When the banquet finally ended, Si Huahuan, exhausted from a long day, washed up and collapsed onto her bed. She soon drifted into a deep sleep.
Perhaps because so many things had happened during the day and her mind was too active, that night she dreamed of her previous life.
Judging by the furnishings, it seemed to be her own Yong’an Palace. Her body lay arranged neatly on the bed, looking beautiful and peaceful, just as if she were fast asleep.
Except for a gaping, bloody hole right in the center of her chest — shocking and horrifying to see. The bedding beneath her was stained a dark, deep red.
Inside the room, imperial physicians and palace servants knelt all over the floor. Jiang Heshu knelt helplessly by the bedside, his hands covered in fresh blood.
Wei Zi and Yao Huang stood to the side, covering their faces and weeping. They sobbed so hard their breath came in weak gasps; it was impossible to tell how long they had been crying already.
She herself was like a spirit, floating high above, watching everything unfold.
A few steps away, Si Huarong and Xie Yun stood facing each other.
Her brother, always gentle and warm, who had never argued or raised his voice in anger at anyone before — was gripping Xie Yun’s collar tightly. Veins bulged on his neck. His eyes were red-rimmed, his lips trembling. He seemed to be shouting questions and accusations fiercely.
Xie Yun was covered in blood, his hands and clothes stained crimson. He merely kept his head lowered, his thin lips pressed together in a sharp, hard line. He listened in silence, letting his clothes be pulled and crumpled, his body perfectly still and unmoving.
Si Huahuan could not hear any sound. She only watched as Si Huarong slowly loosened his grip. His hand fell weakly to his side. He staggered back two steps, then sank heavily onto the floor.
His carefully styled hair came loose, strands falling messily down. He buried his face tightly in his hands. His thin shoulders shook violently, his breathing ragged and fast, as if he were about to retch up his heart and lungs.
She was frantic. She rushed forward, wanting to throw her arms around him. But her fingertips passed right through his body. Only then did she remember that she was nothing but a wandering soul here. No one could see her, and there was nothing she could do.
She turned around and began to punch and kick Xie Yun relentlessly. Every blow went straight through him without effect or pain, but she needed to vent her rage and grief.
When she was done, she glared hatefully at the silent, motionless man.
After a long pause, his lips moved slightly. He said something.
Si Huahuan read the words from the shape of his mouth: *I am sorry.*
I am sorry?
How utterly ridiculous! Fire suddenly blazed in her chest. What was he playing at now, at a time like this?
Suddenly, a thought struck her. If Xie Yun had successfully led troops to force the Emperor from the throne and seize power himself… why was her brother standing safe and sound here in Yong’an Palace, confronting him?
Could it be that Xie Yun, out of consideration for their past relationship, had spared his life?
She immediately shook her head, rejecting the idea. Impossible. He must have some other scheme or plot in mind.
Before she could think it through further, a maid came running in from outside the door. She looked terrified and distressed, and shouted something loudly.
Si Huarong looked up, stunned and disbelieving. He leaned on the table and stood up weakly. His eyes empty and lifeless, he stumbled and ran out of the room.
A bad premonition rose in Si Huahuan’s heart. She floated quickly after him, desperate to see what was happening. Suddenly, she felt a tremendous pulling force, like a whirlpool, dragging her consciousness out of the dream.
She opened her eyes abruptly. Cold sweat had soaked her inner garments.
Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The shadows of trees swayed across the paper panes. Unconsciously clutching her silk quilt, she sat on the bed, gasping for breath.
Wei Zi heard the sound and lifted the bed curtain. Seeing how pale her mistress looked, she quickly poured a cup of warm water and handed it to her. “Your Highness… did you have a nightmare?”
Si Huahuan took the cup. The warm liquid slipped down her throat, yet it could not chase away the chill deep in her heart.
Was what she had just seen truly only a dream? Or was it the memory of her soul, between life and death, before she was reborn?
She decided to lie back down immediately and try to sleep again. Perhaps she could pick up the dream exactly where it left off and see what happened next.
But she tossed and turned in bed for a long time without being able to fall asleep again. Instead, she opened her eyes wide and stared at the bed curtains, thinking carefully.
When exactly did Xie Yun decide he wanted me dead?
She went over everything she could remember from her past life, but still could not understand or find the answer.
Suddenly, she sat upright and pulled the curtains aside. “Prepare my clothes. I am going out.”
*****
After all, Xie Yun came from a family of generals. Although he currently served as a civil official, he still kept the habit of rising early each morning to practice spear and sword techniques.
His footsteps were steady and firm. The long spear twirled and flipped in his hands. Every thrust cut through the air with a sharp, whistling sound. Then, the flow of the weapon changed abruptly; he turned sideways and swept it horizontally, the shaft drawing a straight line of silver light through the air.
Before the momentum faded, he pulled the spear back sharply. With a flick of his wrist, the tip pointed directly forward. Every movement was precise, clean, and without the slightest hesitation or clumsiness.
From a distance came the sound of birds chirping. He finished his form and stood still, his gaze calm and steady as he watched the young woman approaching him.
Si Huahuan walked very fast. When she reached him, her breath was slightly uneven. Before he could speak, she drew a dagger and held it horizontally right in front of his face.
“Kill me.”
Xie Yun was clearly taken aback. He raised his hand and placed the back of it against her forehead. “You don’t have a fever. What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning?”
There was not a flicker of wavering in Si Huahuan’s eyes. “I will give you one last chance. Kill me. If you miss this chance, there will be no other.”
Xie Yun frowned, his expression searching. He glanced past her at Yao Huang and Wei Zi standing behind her. Both women looked terrified and shook their heads desperately at him, signaling their helplessness.
He snatched the dagger from her hand and threw it onto the stone table behind him. He gave instructions to his chief attendant. “Du Feng, go and fetch Jiang Heshu for me.”
“I am not sick,” Si Huahuan insisted firmly.
Xie Yun picked up the spear and tossed it further away as well. He looked at her sideways. “In my opinion, you are very sick indeed.”