When Xiao Mingyue returned to the Prime Minister’s Estate, she found Prime Minister Pei Yanli waiting for her.
Xiao Mingyue walked up and asked, “Why are you here?”
The question felt a bit redundant; after all, this was his estate.
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that,” Xiao Mingyue smiled awkwardly, but Pei Yanli merely waved his hand. “It’s alright, I understand.”
He then added, “I heard Feng Buji is getting married.”
“Huh?” Xiao Mingyue was puzzled. What did Feng Buji’s marriage have to do with her? It wasn’t like he was marrying her.
Pei Yanli’s gaze grew deep, staring at her until she began to feel a bit self-conscious.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Xiao Mingyue’s open and frank demeanor made Pei Yanli’s dark, subtle look stand out even more.
“Do you truly not know the significance of Feng Buji’s marriage? He plans to hold a ghost marriage with you at the same time,” Pei Yanli said.
Xiao Mingyue sighed. “So what if I know? He’s a lunatic. Not even the Emperor can interfere with what he chooses to do, so what can I possibly do?”
“True.” Pei Yanli nodded. He suddenly caught sight of the begonia-patterned gold hairpin in Xiao Mingyue’s hand and asked, “Who did you meet today when you went out?”
“Just two friends.”
“Gu Liyu and Shen Wanxin?”
“Ah? How did you know?” Xiao Mingyue could not hide her astonishment, her eyes glinting with surprise. Pei Yanli always seemed to guess her inner thoughts. She wondered to herself—her feelings didn’t usually show on her face, did they?
Pei Yanli smiled. He suddenly took the gold hairpin from her hand and examined it. The craftsmanship was exquisite, delicate, and lustrous—clearly an item from Linglong Treasure Pavilion.
“The craftsmanship is nice, but the style lacks a bit of refinement,” he said.
Naturally, he knew who Xiao Mingyue’s friends were, and he knew everything she held dear. But he couldn’t let it show. Recalling how cold he used to be toward her, such meticulous attention to detail now would make him seem like a sinister stalker.
“Before you enter the palace, I also have a gift for you,” Pei Yanli said, his eyes crinkling with a smile, while his fair skin flushed slightly pink.
“What gift?”
“Also a gold begonia hairpin.”
“Oh… I see.”
“It’s the one you wanted so badly before. It was part of the late Empress Dowager Bu’s dowry. After His Majesty ascended the throne, considering my contributions to his ascension, he bestowed it upon me, saying it was meant for the future Lady Pei,” Pei Yanli explained.
“Ah, this… since it’s for your future wife, how can you give it to me? You know that we…”
“You don’t need to say more, I understand everything. It’s just that I likely won’t ever marry in this lifetime. As my sister in name, please accept it on my behalf.”
Xiao Mingyue hesitated, wanting to speak, but Pei Yanli gave her no chance to say more. He turned around and left to attend to official matters.
There were still two weeks left before the imperial draft selection, and Feng Buji’s wedding day was only a few days away. Before that, Xiao Mingyue intended to sneak into Prince Regent Feng Buji’s estate.
Pei Yanli had secretly dispatched considerable manpower and resources to investigate the treasonous letter, but they only managed to trace its origin back to the Regent’s Estate. She needed to find out whether it was Feng Buji’s handiwork or Hua Heng’s.
The only thing Xiao Mingyue was currently certain of was that no matter if it was Feng Buji or Hua Heng, all they wanted was the military tally in her father’s hands.
Unfortunately, her father was foolishly loyal. If he truly had the ambition to commit treason, he would have rebelled long ago—how could he have allowed himself to be captured so submissively?
A few days later…
Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, Xiao Mingyue disguised herself in a fitted black outfit and climbed over the wall into the rear courtyard of the Regent’s Estate.
As luck would have it, just as she got inside, she overheard a conversation between Hua Heng and a stranger.
“Have you found the military tally yet?”
“Young Mistress, please quell your anger. It is this subordinate’s incompetence.”
“A bunch of useless trash! You can’t even handle a simple matter like this!” Enraged, Hua Heng slapped the man across the face.
Xiao Mingyue’s brows furrowed tightly. Young Mistress? Could Hua Heng have another identity she didn’t know about?
Xiao Mingyue asked Xiaowei, “I remember you saying that I am the female lead of a sadomasochistic romance novel in this world. So all the characters and plots in this world are pre-designed, right? Can you reveal Hua Heng’s true identity?”
Xiaowei: 【Hua Heng is a system tasker—a quester. She doesn’t belong to this world, so the things she does are unrelated to the set plotline. As for her background, Xiaowei doesn’t know either!】
【Xiaowei would also like to remind the Host: once you enter the palace, you will stray from the plotline’s course. A butterfly effect may occur in the future. If the plot doesn’t match up, please don’t be too surprised. Xiaowei believes that human effort can overcome fate, and destiny is written by oneself. Keep it up, Host!】
“Alright then.”
Xiao Mingyue felt a bit disappointed, but she quickly pulled herself together.
Xiaowei was right: human effort can overcome fate, and destiny is written by oneself. She would definitely clear her father’s name and avenge him.
Feng Buji, Hua Heng, just you wait.
The night was as dark as ink, swallowing up the last remaining traces of the estate’s former glory.
Feng Buji sat alone in the middle of the main hall, his figure sunken deep into the armchair like a forgotten rock.
In front of him, the nanmu coffin prepared for Xiao Mingyue lay open and empty, like an unhealing wound stretched across his heart.
Being far apart brought longing, yet drawing close brought pain; it seemed that whatever he did was wrong.
Why had so much happened in just one short month? To this day, he still couldn’t bring himself to believe that Xiao Mingyue was dead, let alone that she had died by his own hands.
What Feng Buji found even more bewildering was that the person he clearly loved was Xiao Mingyue, so why did he care so much more about Hua Heng? Hua Heng was carrying his child, but no matter how important they were, could they ever be more important than Xiao Mingyue?
Feng Buji’s inner answer was: No. If truly compared, they weren’t worth a single hair on Xiao Mingyue’s head.
So why did he harbor those feelings toward Hua Heng? Why did his heart involuntarily lean toward Hua Heng whenever Xiao Mingyue and Hua Heng stood side by side?
Feng Buji watched Hua Heng walking toward him from the doorway, and his heart suddenly grew soft again, as if she were his beloved. Yet his mind rationally screamed at him: The person you love is Xiao Mingyue!