Princess Luoyan agreed with their decision.
Who wouldn’t want their loved ones to spend more time with them?
Orphaned from a young age, she relied on her brother Liu Weiyi and sister-in-law Wei Xin, who were like father and mother to her. Wei Xin treated Princess Luoyan extremely well, and naturally, she wished for her family to spend more time with her.
But they didn’t get to spend much time with her before they were suddenly killed by bandits.
Were they really killed by bandits? Princess Luoyan couldn’t believe it. They were the renowned war gods of the Zhou dynasty; how could they be easily killed by mere bandits? As a young girl, she wanted to investigate further.
But investigating was easier said than done.
She was alone and had no one to help her; she had to rely on herself.
The emperor and empress adopted her as a princess a year after her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths. During that year, Princess Luoyan, filled with doubt, endured countless hardships and eventually found a surviving young bandit.
Before his death, the bandit gave her something.
The young bandit had been poisoned by someone and could only tell her that he found the item next to the bodies of Liu Weiyi and Wei Xin.
They were not killed by bandits.
As bandits, they wouldn’t dare kill members of the royal family for fear of the court sending troops to annihilate them. Moreover, considering their reputation as war gods, the bandits would avoid them at all costs.
But there was no evidence to prove it.
Most of the bandits were already dead.
Everyone believed that Liu Weiyi and Wei Xin, upon encountering the bandits, fought back valiantly but were ultimately outnumbered, leading to their deaths. The bandits bore injuries inflicted by Liu Weiyi and Wei Xin, and the authorities found no signs of other participants, concluding the case.
The young bandit had narrowly escaped death.
The killer had pierced his left chest. Normally, a person with a pierced heart wouldn’t survive, but this bandit’s heart was on the right side, allowing him to escape death by luck.
Princess Luoyan became increasingly convinced that her brother and sister-in-law were murdered and framed by the bandits. Even after becoming a princess, she never gave up on pursuing the truth.
But the longer time passed, the harder it became to investigate.
She couldn’t find the truth.
Despite this, Princess Luoyan refused to give up even the slightest hope.
Now, with the Zhou dynasty set to ally with the Nanliang Kingdom through marriage, she was about to be married off to a foreign land. If she couldn’t uncover the truth within this period, her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths would remain an unsolvable mystery forever.
A few months ago, she received a letter claiming to fulfill her one wish. Embracing a “nothing to lose” attitude, she replied.
Most people couldn’t resist the allure of someone claiming to fulfill a wish, and Princess Luoyan, having a deep-seated desire, found the temptation irresistible, even impatient.
Upon meeting Qi Buyan and He Sui’an for the first time, Princess Luoyan made up her mind.
She agreed to the deal.
No matter the cost.
Some connections are inexplicable. From just one meeting, Princess Luoyan inexplicably believed they could help her find the truth about her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths. Or perhaps, she was desperately clutching at straws.
Princess Luoyan didn’t petition the emperor to reopen the case because she didn’t want to alert the culprits. Most importantly, she lacked concrete evidence.
The young bandit who gave her the item died from poisoning soon after, leaving no witnesses.
In front of the emperor, decisions are based on evidence.
Even though Princess Luoyan had been adopted as his daughter, she knew she wasn’t his biological daughter. She was well aware of her place, and her mischievous nature had toned down since her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths.
After all, the only people who could unconditionally protect her were her doting brother and sister-in-law.
Moreover, the elaborate scheme to murder her brother and sister-in-law likely involved someone from the court. Compared to them, she trusted the people from the martial world who had no connections to the court more.
Princess Luoyan had previously hired people from the martial world to investigate but to no avail.
It was a gamble.
Whether she won or lost, she was prepared to bear the consequences.
Having decided to make a deal with Qi Buyan, Princess Luoyan didn’t plan to hide her identity. Tonight, she intended to reveal who she truly was and share what she’d discovered over the years.
Seeing that He Sui’an and Qi Buyan had finished reading the dossier, Princess Luoyan cleared her throat, “I am actually Princess Luoyan of the Zhou dynasty.”
Qi Buyan remained silent.
He nonchalantly put away the dossier.
To him, princesses were no different from ordinary people; they were just people. Mentioning rare Gu insects might pique his interest.
He Sui’an had already learned of Princess Luoyan’s identity in the alley that night, so her expression remained unchanged upon hearing this revelation.
She called out, “Princess Luoyan.”
Princess Luoyan pouted, “What? Aren’t you guys even a little surprised?”
“It makes me look so unimportant.”
She pretended to shake her head and sigh.
Zhi Mo often found it hard to understand what her princess was thinking. She was so flamboyant in her actions, even arranging a meeting in her own palace pavilion, making it easy for anyone to find out her identity.
On second thought, Zhi Mo believed Princess Luoyan did it on purpose. She never left herself a way out once she made up her mind. Even ten oxen couldn’t pull her back, but that was just like her.
He Sui’an didn’t know how to respond to Princess Luoyan, “Should we be surprised?”
Princess Luoyan laughed so hard she bent over.
She waved her hand.
“No, no, you martial world people are really unpretentious. I like that a lot.” Princess Luoyan clicked her tongue, “In Chang’an, everyone adheres strictly to rank and status. The martial world is much better.”
After her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths, in the year before she became a princess, Princess Luoyan endured countless snubs and saw the coldness of human nature in Chang’an. People there loved to flatter the high and trample the low.
Zhi Mo felt the same way.
She had followed Princess Luoyan since childhood, experiencing everything alongside her. When the master’s status was precarious, the servants suffered even more.
Princess Luoyan stopped teasing He Sui’an.
She took out the item the young bandit had given her, a jade pendant. Many people in Chang’an wore jade pendants, so at first glance, it seemed impossible to trace.
However, this jade pendant was special.
There were only five such pendants in the entire Zhou dynasty, said to be made by a master craftsman. The five pendants had identical patterns and couldn’t be forged.
After the master craftsman’s death, his son sold all five pendants.
Rarity made them valuable.
The five pendants fetched a high price.
Over the years, Princess Luoyan had only managed to identify three of the pendant owners. None of them were suspects in her brother and sister-in-law’s murder.
The other two pendant owners remained untraceable. Princess Luoyan’s wish was to find the murderer before her marriage to the Nanyue Kingdom. This was her deal with Qi Buyan.
Then, she would personally kill the culprit.
No matter who it was.
Princess Luoyan handed the jade pendant to He Sui’an. The jade was smooth and cool. He Sui’an looked down at the pendant.
Princess Luoyan said, “I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Zhi Mo looked at them with hope as well.
They were her only hope. Though Zhi Mo spent all her time with Princess Luoyan, she wasn’t entirely ignorant of the outside world.
She had heard about Qi Buyan killing a man in the Western Market. Zhi Mo found Qi Buyan both ruthless and fittingly capable of helping her princess achieve her wish.
Princess Luoyan was aware of what Zhi Mo had discovered.
At that time, she was practicing archery.
The arrow hit the bullseye.
Being in the royal family, she had seen many cruel things. She didn’t think Qi Buyan killing a person was terrifying. On the contrary, she was pleased that the person she was making a deal with was powerful.
In the royal family and the martial world, the law of the jungle always prevailed. If you didn’t want to be eaten, you had to become strong. Princess Luoyan understood this well.
She didn’t ask them about the incident.
Anything that didn’t interfere with their deal wasn’t her concern. Princess Luoyan wouldn’t meddle. If they needed help, she was willing to assist, but she doubted they would need it.
Especially someone like Qi Buyan.
—
They didn’t take the dossier, only the jade pendant given by Princess Luoyan.
Back at the inn, after bathing and changing clothes, He Sui’an sat at the table, examining the jade pendant closely by the candlelight. She didn’t know much about jade, but the intricate patterns on this pendant were exquisite.
Princess Luoyan had been investigating for many years, only to find this jade pendant as a clue. It was understandable, being a princess, she enjoyed certain privileges but also faced many constraints and had to be cautious.
There was another problem.
The jade pendant could be sold and resold freely.
If the pendant in Princess Luoyan’s possession had been traded multiple times, finding the true owner who lost it beside her brother and sister-in-law’s bodies would be extremely difficult.
He Sui’an stared at the jade pendant for a long time until a shadow fell over her, enveloping her. Qi Buyan, who had bathed later than her, had just finished. While he was bathing, she had been examining the pendant.
In the candlelight, the jade pendant glowed.
Qi Buyan first looked at her, then at the pendant.
Suddenly, He Sui’an remembered her promise to Qi Buyan, to try something with him tonight. She wanted to distract him by kissing him, then quickly go to bed and think about the pendant tomorrow.
So He Sui’an put down the pendant, stood up, and kissed Qi Buyan. Qi Buyan’s hand, which was reaching for the pendant, froze in mid-air.
Originally, he hadn’t planned on trying to become more intimate with He Sui’an tonight.
Because it was late.
Another day would be just as good, but did He Sui’an’s action mean she wanted to try being more intimate with him now? Qi Buyan’s eyes curved with a smile.
Qi Buyan lifted He Sui’an onto the table, letting her sit while he bent down, making it easier for her to kiss him. She was just tired of standing on tiptoes and craning her neck to kiss him, so she sat comfortably, feeling justified.
With his dark blue clothes covering her long skirt, their breaths mingled together in confusion.
Gradually, she became immersed in the kiss.
In the midst of her dizzying emotions, He Sui’an opened her eyes to see Qi Buyan. She saw blue butterflies appearing on him again, beautiful little blue butterflies that made her heart flutter with affection.
There was also a blue butterfly on Qi Buyan’s finger. At some point, it had slipped into the hem of her skirt, slowly making its way inside. The blue butterfly entered a slightly moist crevice, as if stirring honey.
He Sui’an was stunned.
A finger slowly followed, along with the blue butterfly.
It only lightly grazed the surface, and soon the honeyed crevice automatically absorbed the blue butterfly, like a mouth.
Soon, honey coated the butterfly.
Qi Buyan finally lifted his hand, and naturally, the honey was sticky.
The young man looked at the honey on his fingertip, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly with an almost innocent expression. His thin lips parted slightly as he, still quite inexperienced, tried to lick it away just as he had last time.
