The night wind tousled their hair, tangling it together inextricably. Xia Ji silently counted the seconds in her heart, afraid her timing would be off. She genuinely kissed him, her lips pressed against his slightly cold face, kissing for a long while before finally pulling away.
Bujing Nu turned his head, his phoenix eyes looking eerily dark. Xia Ji, under his gaze, felt waves of cold creeping up her spine.
Bujing Nu suddenly grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks until her lips pouted. Fearing he might, in a moment of displeasure, slash her mouth with a knife, she quickly backed away, dodging his hand.
"The girls at the brothel said you went off to be a male concubine. True or false?"
Xia Ji decided to do as she always did—act as if nothing had happened and turn the question back on him first.
"What does 'male concubine' mean?" Bujing Nu frowned at her. "Why did Hangiang use her mouth to eat my face? Are you hungry?"
The life of a Death Soldier was extremely isolated.
His knowledge was severely limited. All he knew was that killing people earned him praise, food, a place to sleep, and clothes. He had never even seen a kiss—that common human expression of affection.
He had only ever seen cats and dogs huddling close together. Back then, he hadn't understood, but his master told him that meant they had a good relationship.
When you have a good relationship with someone, you want to be close to them. So when Xia Ji pressed her face to his, he pressed his face to hers in return.
His response cleared every stray thought from Xia Ji's mind: "I'm not hungry."
Her lips were wet, her lipstick smudged. Bujing Nu's dark, eerie pupils fixed on her mouth: "Only I am allowed to eat you. If you dare eat me again, I'll kill you."
Xia Ji: ?
She looked up, stunned, not understanding what he meant at all. Just then, a hot-tempered madam emerged from the cabin: "Changsheng! Why haven't you come in yet?!"
"Ah, I'm coming…" Xia Ji poked her head out from behind Bujing Nu. The madam saw her and immediately waved her over.
"Hurry back, Changsheng! Why are you standing so close to him! His jealousy is too strong—don't think he won't hit you just because you're pretty! Come back now!"
Xia Ji glanced at Bujing Nu, who was frowning as if he didn't understand a word the madam was saying. She moved to go, but Bujing Nu grabbed hold of her.
"What are you doing? Don't kill anyone here!" Any little stir from Bujing Nu now sent her heart racing. But his dark pupils only stared at her.
"No killing. Hangiang, I listen to you. Am I good?"
Xia Ji: …
"Ugh! Fine, fine, fine!"
"You'll take the carriage back later." As he spoke, he lowered his head and slipped four woven bracelets onto Xia Ji's wrist.
Xia Ji: …
Her hands were now covered in bracelets he had made.
"Don't run around. Run around and I'll kill you."
Xia Ji: "Ugh, I know!"
The madam was about to come over, so Xia Ji hurried toward her. The madam immediately wrapped an arm around her waist: "Changsheng, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"
For some reason, the gaze from behind felt like needles pricking her skin, making her heart jump.
Xia Ji pushed the madam's hand off her lower back and walked quickly ahead: "No."
Only as she was about to step into the cabin did Xia Ji turn back.
Bujing Nu stood at the stern. The riverbank behind him was deep and dark, bottomless black. He looked like some inhuman ghost crawling up from those murky depths—skin pale and smooth, hair and eyes too dark. He was still watching her. When he saw her turn around, he seemed to smile, waving at her in greeting.
That was something Xia Ji had taught him. Once, when he came back from one of his rare outings, Xia Ji had waved at him from the bed. He had asked her what it meant.
Xia Ji had been drowsy then and hadn't explained much—just said it was a way of greeting.
She never expected Bujing Nu to remember.
"What's he doing? That look is so creepy." The madam glanced back too, then quickly retreated inside.
Creepy?
Not long ago, she had thought Bujing Nu looked creepy too.
Xia Ji didn't know what had come over her. Now, whenever she saw Bujing Nu, she only thought of the smile on his face. Even though his smile was even creepier, it was also very handsome.
Xia Ji waved back at him.
Seeing her wave, Bujing Nu kept waving too. Even after Xia Ji entered the cabin and glanced back, he was still waving, his pale face wearing an unmistakable smile—a smile so wide his eyes had crinkled shut.
Back at Tianfeng Hall, the drowsy Xiao Pei had already made her bed and waited for her for a long time. Hearing that Xia Ji was cold, she had even prepared a hot water bottle for her.
Xia Ji felt a little regretful for forgetting to bring Xiao Pei any pastries. Tianfeng Hall was surprisingly nice—people treated her kindly, especially Xiao Pei.
Xia Ji wanted to check if the carriage was still there, and on the way, stop by the small kitchen to buy Xiao Pei some pastries as a farewell gift. Just as she was about to step down the wooden steps, a woman emerged from the large communal sleeping quarters across the way.
It was Jin Cai, the one she had seen during the day.
Because she lacked beauty and had no notable talents, Jin Cai hadn't gone to the boat and had stayed at Tianfeng Hall. Xia Ji hadn't expected to run into Jin Cai at this hour.
"I heard that today there was a male favorite who was jealous of your looks. Is that male favorite also one of Prince Beikang's men? Have you met him before? Or did you have a grudge from earlier? What's his background? Prince Beikang has many informants—could he also be one of Prince Beikang's informants?"
She suddenly leaned in, and this barrage of questions gave Xia Ji a headache. Xia Ji looked around—it was late at night now, and no one was around.
Although she felt that pretending to be a male favorite definitely wasn't Bujing Nu's intention, because he didn't even seem to know what a male favorite meant. He was just a Death Soldier disguised in identity to carry out business, and yet everyone had mistakenly assumed he was some remarkable male favorite.
Xia Ji wasn't stupid either. Bujing Nu was definitely one of Prince Beikang's men, and this Jin Cai was one of the Second Prince's people.
The Second Prince seemed to think she was now following Prince Beikang too—that it was only by following Prince Beikang that she had managed to stay alive. These speculations were exactly the same as in the original novel.
Xia Ji's soft, gentle face slightly pursed her lips, her apricot eyes darting subtly. She looked completely harmless, but a mischievous idea had already sprouted in her mind.
"We had a grudge from before."
"What grudge?" Jin Cai pressed, needing to understand everything. "I suspect that male favorite can't possibly be the person His Highness is tracking down. You've read the letter, right?"
"I didn't read it. It's all your fault," Xia Ji furrowed her soft brows, her apricot eyes like a fawn's as she looked at her. "You put the letter paper on the stool, and the paper got all wet. I couldn't see anything."
"My fault, I apologize. His Highness is in a difficult position right now," her voice was extremely soft, and she pulled Xia Ji to stay in one spot without moving. Xia Ji guessed the two of them were now standing in the most soundproof area of Tianfeng Hall.
"Prince Beikang has a Death Soldier under his command. You need to find out this person's identity, otherwise we have no strategy at all. Marquis Zheng Ting was originally one of our people too, did you know? Now, because that Death Soldier appeared out of nowhere in Jinling, Marquis Zheng Ting grew timid and never responded to the Second Prince again… As for that male favorite, he's not the Death Soldier either. I've checked."
"You checked… you checked?"
"Mhm, he's too young, skinny, and not tall either. The legendary Death Soldier kills at the touch of blood, utterly devoid of human feeling. He's probably around thirty years old, over eight chi tall—no connection to this male favorite whatsoever. But this male favorite is very skilled at navigating between people, definitely a know-it-all among the nobility. Don't get on bad terms with him. Why did you end up in a conflict with him?"
Skilled at navigating between people…
He'd drive everyone to death with anger, more like.
Oh heavens, "skilled at navigating between people" indeed.
Anyway, since the misunderstanding had already become a complete mess, Xia Ji didn't mind throwing a couple more cigarette butts into the pot. Consider it avenging the original body—though the original body didn't need her revenge, since the original had her own happiness.
But as a corporate wage slave, Xia Ji absolutely would not tolerate this kind of bitter, life-risking devotion for a lifetime without receiving proper compensation!
At least in the original novel, the original body was the first "meritorious contributor" for "supporting the dragon"! How could her ending be living outside the palace with a child after giving birth! Have some shame! Settle the compensation that should be settled, thank you!
"He likes me," Xia Ji leaned in close, looking at Jin Cai. "In the prince's mansion, the moment he saw me, he liked me. He praised my beauty, told me to follow him, and said he would never treat me poorly in the future. He is quite handsome, but I am His Highness's woman in life and His Highness's ghost in death. I stubbornly refused, and he hit me."
"Hit… he dared to hit you?! But miss, aren't you also one of Prince Beikang's people now?! How dare he!"
"Yes," she wanted to laugh so badly, and Xia Ji couldn't help it—she laughed, then hastily composed her face. This laugh made her fate seem even more bitter. Xia Ji looked up, and Jin Cai didn't seem suspicious of her at all.
It was truly because of the personal information about the original body that the Second Prince had provided, and because Xia Ji herself simply looked too honest.
"Prince Beikang actually has no feelings for me at all. Throwing me here was also to humiliate me, to humiliate His Highness. That male favorite seems to know about this too. He's extremely arrogant and said that from now on, every time he sees me, he'll hit me, all because I refused him. Just now was the same—I never expected that enemies would cross paths again. The moment he saw me, he said I was ugly and told me to get out."
"Miss Xia Qiu…"
"You go up first. I already understand what you all mean. I'll try my best to build a good relationship with him. If it really doesn't work out, then I'll just go along with him. As long as His Highness doesn't blame me."
With that, Xia Ji patted Jin Cai on the back. Jin Cai's expression turned quite unpleasant: "This… I'll need to discuss this with His Highness first. Miss, your devotion to His Highness is absolute, and His Highness adores you as well—"
Just as she was speaking, with her excellent hearing, she caught footsteps downstairs. Before Xia Ji could even react, she hurriedly made her way upstairs in small steps.
She turned to exchange a glance with Xia Ji, then turned around and went back into her room.
Xia Ji waited until she was completely gone before withdrawing her gaze and heading downstairs.
Heh…
Occasionally telling a lie was actually quite entertaining.
On the painted boat, Marquis Zheng Ting kept a few people behind to discuss matters concerning the Second Prince.
This was a topic everyone kept sealed in their hearts and dared not mention. The reason Marquis Zheng Ting brought it up was because another major incident had occurred in the palace recently.
Inside the Prince Beikang's residence in Jinling, unfamiliar eyes had been planted. Within just two days, the Jinling Death Soldiers had uncovered one eunuch and one female official, both of whom had ties to the Second Prince in the capital.
They had assumed these were people the Second Prince had planted, but a twist followed—the female official's blood deed of indenture was discovered in the Sixth Prince's courtyard. And the Sixth Prince was the Second Prince's full-blooded younger brother.
Upon hearing of this, the Second Prince had fallen ill within the palace, crying out night after night about his foolish younger brother. Every day he wrote letters, sending them out to plead for mercy on the Sixth Prince's behalf.
The Son of Heaven was advanced in years, yet the position of Crown Prince remained unstable. Moreover, they had only recently been at war with another nation, and no prince had performed exceptionally—only Prince Beikang had shown himself passable.
But as things stood now, one by one they all proved far inferior to the Second Prince in wit and shrewdness. As for the Sixth Prince—whether he had truly done this deed or been framed—one fact was established regardless.
The Sixth Prince was also a fool.
"I had intended to abandon the Second Prince and throw my lot in with the Sixth Prince, and have Noble Consort speak well of him going forward. But now this matter has arisen—the Sixth Prince is dull and mediocre, hardly fit for greatness."
This was what was discussed on the pleasure boat.
Marquis Zheng Ting intended to continue supporting the Second Prince and Prince Beikang. After analysis, the others also felt that the Son of Heaven would likely lift the Second Prince's house arrest soon enough.
That is, as long as the Death Soldier who had come from Jinling didn't suddenly dig up something that would shake heaven and earth.
The appearance of this Death Soldier had caught everyone off guard. Moreover, the Second Prince's initial intention to rebel had reportedly also been exposed by this Death Soldier—which was why, on the very night of the Second Prince's rebellion, the palace had already prepared all its defenses.
They had caught the Second Prince completely off guard.
"Who knows who that Death Soldier could possibly be."
The banquet had ended. Secretary Li, along with two colleagues who had heard the confidential matters, rode back in a sedan chair together. Due to his lower status, Secretary Li had only managed to squeeze into the sedan by tagging along with them.
On an ordinary day, even riding a small donkey would have been a stroke of luck. His sedan fell to the rear, trailing behind.
"I suspect it's the Commander of the Military Patrol, Lord Guan Fei,"
the official surnamed Zhang on the right spoke in a guarded tone. After speaking, he nervously turned his head, caught a glimpse of Secretary Li behind him, and his gaze immediately turned contemptuous. A sneer curled at his lips as he turned back around.
"Other than him, who else could it be?"
"Among those who came over from Prince Beikang's side this time, there are three I think could be candidates,"
the official beside him replied. "One of them, I hear, is a burly man from a martial arts family. You saw him too—a body of solid muscle. I didn't even dare speak when I looked at him."
"I know him. His surname is Qin. He's not from Jinling—formerly from Jizhou. He holds no official post, working solely for Prince Beikang. I also think he's quite likely."
"Alas, ever since this Death Soldier came to Jinling, I haven't slept a wink at night. Marquis Zheng Ting has an illicitly close relationship with the Noble Consort, and we have a good relationship with Marquis Zheng Ting. The Xia family was just executed in full—I'm terrified every single night."
Hmph.
Secretary Li, at the rear, heard their conversation and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Cowardly mice.
The moment the thought settled in his mind, he suddenly heard an extremely strange sound beside his ear—like a hurricane sweeping past. On any ordinary day, he wouldn't have paid it any mind, but at this moment, Secretary Li frowned and shrank his neck.
Three sedan chairs had already passed through the bustling streets and slipped into darkness, lit only by the small lanterns hanging on either side of the chairs. The road was empty, and the two men ahead were both laughing.
"If you're that afraid, why not spend your days in the brothel instead of going home? It's at home that you think too much."
"What nonsense are you talking?"
"I know a courtesan more beautiful than that Changsheng girl who appeared today. Come, come—don't take us home. Let's go to Qingluo Court right now!"
More beautiful than that Changsheng girl?
Secretary Li heard this. He felt a bit of desire to go as well. He opened his mouth, about to shamelessly ask them to bring him along for a look, when warm, scalding liquid sprayed all over his face and body.
Secretary Li froze. His sedan crashed to the ground with a bang, jolting his body with pain—but there was no pain in his neck. He looked up in a daze. The sedan bearer who had been carrying him no longer had a head.
What was on him wasn't water either.
He was covered in blood—so much of it that it dripped down from the sedan in a steady trickle. The lantern light on either side of the chair cast the blood in a thick, glaring red. The bearer's head had been tossed right beside him, staring at him with a calm expression.
Blood. It was all blood. And his own body was bleeding without stop.