Jiang Songwei was already impatient to know why they had come to see Jiang Xuewan. He Sui’an didn’t beat around the bush and poured out the prepared explanation she had thought of on the way.
Qi Buyan watched He Sui’an intently in the candlelight, her voice continuously filling his ears, stirring something within him.
When she finished, he handed her a cup of water.
Jiang Xuewan’s expression changed, and after a long pause, she said, “To be honest, we have also found out that Liu Yan is involved in this matter, but we haven’t found enough evidence to convict him. However, I…”
She had even considered secretly assassinating Liu Yan.
Jiang Songwei, in a serious tone, said, “You must have come tonight for more than just telling us what Liu Yan has done, right?”
“Exactly.”
Qi Buyan, who hadn’t spoken much, smiled and said, “We came tonight for another reason. We want to kill Liu Yan.”
Jiang Xuewan and Jiang Songwei exchanged looks, sharing the same question: How were they connected to Liu Yan, and why did they want to kill him? Moreover, how did they know the truth about the destruction of Weicheng?
But regardless of how they knew, as long as their goals aligned, it was enough.
Jiang Songwei, quick to understand Qi Buyan’s intentions from his brief words, didn’t probe into the details of how they knew about the destruction of Weicheng. “What do you need us to do?”
Jiang Xuewan listened patiently.
Qi Buyan tilted his head towards He Sui’an.
He casually played with the small silver ornament at the end of her braid.
Knowing it was her turn to speak, He Sui’an relayed Su Yang’s plan to them. Jiang Songwei didn’t respond immediately, but Jiang Xuewan slapped the table, agreeing very readily.
Jiang Xuewan believed her martial arts skills were comparable to those of the generals of the Great Zhou, and those Spirit Gu people wouldn’t easily harm her.
“Third Uncle, why aren’t you saying anything?” Jiang Xuewan noticed his silence.
Jiang Songwei didn’t respond immediately, not because he feared for his life and didn’t want to get involved, but because he was contemplating the feasibility of their plan. He took a bit longer to think it over.
Despite the considerable risk, Jiang Songwei was still inclined to take the chance.
Otherwise, he and Jiang Xuewan alone would find it very difficult to bring Liu Yan down in the future.
This opportunity was too good to pass up.
But he still had doubts: “Are you sure Liu Yan will act on the day the princess gets married? If he doesn’t take action and the emperor does nothing, will you still go after him?”
Qi Buyan released the small silver ornament from He Sui’an’s hair, lifted his gaze, and with a smile said, “No, I will definitely kill him, no matter what method I have to use. I will kill him.”
He Sui’an’s heart tightened involuntarily.
Jiang Songwei felt reassured.
There was a loud crash outside the door—someone was eavesdropping! Jiang Xuewan’s eyes sharpened, and in a swift movement, she opened the door and restrained the person.
By the light of the moon and the candlelight spilling from the room, Jiang Xuewan saw the eavesdropper’s face. She hastily eased her grip and lowered the dagger from the person’s neck: “Lord Xie?”
Xie Wenqiao hadn’t yet processed what he had overheard, his eyes still somewhat dazed.
“Is what you said true?” he asked, still in disbelief.
Xie Wenqiao had come over because Old Zhu had also prepared soup for Jiang Songwei and his niece and intended to bring it to them. Knowing that Old Zhu’s legs would hurt in the cold, Xie Wenqiao decided to deliver it himself.
Just as Xie Wenqiao arrived and raised his hand to knock, he overheard the conversation.
He had listened without realizing it.
The more he heard, the more shocked he became.
Liu Yan had a group of Spirit Gu people, and he intended to kill the Nanliang wedding delegation on the day of the princess’s marriage; the emperor knew about this and had sent a county lord from Fengling Town to handle it, hoping to avoid conflict.
Xie Wenqiao asked again, “Tell me, is this true?”
Jiang Xuewan didn’t know what to do and looked towards the others in the room. Would Xie Wenqiao knowing about this jeopardize their plan?
He Sui’an couldn’t see them.
Qi Buyan had quickly covered her eyes with his hand the moment Jiang Xuewan pushed the door open. Now, her eyelashes brushed against his palm.
Faced with Xie Wenqiao’s question, Jiang Songwei’s lips moved, but he remained silent.
The answer was evident.
Xie Wenqiao staggered a few steps in shock.
Jiang Xuewan quickly discarded her dagger and moved to support him, “Lord Xie.”
Qi Buyan, covering He Sui’an’s eyes to shield her from the snow outside, swiftly tied the silk ribbon back around her eyes, showing no concern for anyone or anything else.
Xie Wenqiao pushed Jiang Xuewan’s hand away, still managing to thank her.
Having experienced many things, he quickly regained his composure and decided to visit Emperor Duan Jing to verify the information: “This is a grave matter. I will confirm it with the emperor.”
With that, he left.
Jiang Xuewan grew anxious and grabbed Jiang Songwei’s hand, “Third Uncle, what about Lord Xie?”
“Let him go.”
Jiang Songwei interrupted her, “Lord Xie is impartial and only follows the facts. He won’t betray us.” Xie Wenqiao going to the palace would also verify whether He Sui’an and the others were telling the truth.
It wasn’t that he distrusted them, but after experiencing the annihilation of his family, he maintained a cautious attitude towards everyone.
Besides, Xie Wenqiao’s visit to the palace wouldn’t harm their plan.
Jiang Songwei glanced back at Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan, seemingly indifferent to his thoughts, stood up, “We’ll be leaving now.”
Jiang Songwei nodded.
Jiang Xuewan escorted them to the gate.
He Sui’an bid Jiang Xuewan farewell. Jiang Xuewan wanted to shake He Sui’an’s hand but, seeing Qi Buyan holding it, she refrained and instead clasped her hands in a formal gesture, “Miss He, Mr. Qi, until we meet again.”
—
Prince Qing’s Mansion.
Liu Yan was playing chess by himself. He used to play with Aunt Cui, but since she was no longer there, he didn’t want to play with anyone else.
His trusted aide stood nearby, respectfully asking about Qi Buyan, inquiring if he should capture him today to drain his blood for the Spirit Gu people.
“You are no match for him,” Liu Yan said indifferently.
The aide, embarrassed, knelt to apologize, “It is my incompetence, unable to assist you, my lord.”
Liu Yan placed a chess piece on the board.
“It’s not your fault. Another day, let him live a few more days; after all, he just got married. It would be too cruel otherwise.” He added, “That girl, He Sui’an, is also pitiful. So young and destined to be a widow.”
“Yes.” The aide had another question, “Why doesn’t the prince send people to keep an eye on them? If they escape Chang’an in the next few days, it would be very difficult to find them again, wouldn’t it?”
“They won’t. The young lord has the Heavenly Silkworm Gu in his body; it’s impossible for him to hide.”
Liu Yan placed the final black chess piece.
The aide then reported on the recent activities of Su Yang and her group, concluding, “They are definitely trying to thwart your plans, my lord.”
“Let them be.” With the Spirit Gu people at his disposal, Liu Yan was fearless, “By the way, has Princess Luoyan visited the manor in the past few days? She used to come frequently with pastries.”
“No, my lord, the princess hasn’t come in the past two days. Would you like to see her?”
Liu Yan laughed self-deprecatingly.
See her?
He messed up the chessboard and left the table, “The pastries she brought me were laced with deadly poison. She’s still a child at heart, unable to hide anything. If she saw me, there would be quite a scene.”
The aide dared not comment.
Having served Liu Yan for years, he could tell that Liu Yan treated Princess Luoyan as his own daughter.
—
Before the curfew began in Chang’an, He Sui’an returned to the house where she had spent her wedding night.
Qi Buyan carried her back.
He Sui’an held the food she had bought in her left hand and an umbrella in her right. Qi Buyan, with his arms around her legs, carried her into the house and towards their room.
The first thing he did upon entering the room wasn’t to put He Sui’an down but to close the door. She heard the door close but said nothing, fully understanding why he insisted on doing so.
Once the door was securely closed, he set her down.
Still holding the food and unable to see where to put it, He Sui’an leaned her head towards Qi Buyan, “Help me remove the ribbon.”
Qi Buyan untied the ribbon from her eyes, took the items from her hands, and lit the lamp. She squinted for a moment, adjusting to the light, then looked at him. The young man’s features were like a painting, and he was also looking at her.
He Sui’an opened the large paper bag of food, and they sat down to dinner together.
He didn’t eat much.
She insisted that Qi Buyan eat a roasted duck leg, and he complied, eating it as she wished.
After dinner, they bathed and washed up, then lay down on the bed. She nestled in his arms, reading a book, and neither mentioned anything about the snow.
Yet Qi Buyan still thought about it.
Watching the snow allowed He Sui’an to see her parents, but would preventing her from seeing the snow really stop her from leaving? Perhaps she would leave before the snow stopped, even without knowing it herself.
Just like how He Sui’an had unknowingly come into this world in the first place.
Leaving.
Qi Buyan couldn’t accept it.
He looked down at the red thread on their wrists. The love-binding gu had another function: it allowed Qi Buyan to constantly sense whether He Sui’an was alive or dead and enabled them to live and die together.
While his love-binding gu might have failed in making He Sui’an develop feelings for him, its ability to sense her life and death and to bind their fates together was undoubtedly effective.
Because Qi Buyan could indeed feel He Sui’an’s heartbeat.
However, the shared life and death aspect of the gu required Qi Buyan to activate it for it to take effect. He hadn’t activated it yet. If activated, should she die, he would die; should he die, she would die too.
Activation was quick.
It could be done in the blink of an eye.
Qi Buyan wouldn’t let himself die before He Sui’an. He would definitely activate it before he died and also before she left, ensuring she would die with him.
He couldn’t accept that He Sui’an might leave, yet he readily accepted this course of action.
The unattainable, love’s separation.
What is the unattainable, what is love’s separation? It is wanting something that can never be obtained. If that’s the case, Qi Buyan would make the same choice as before.
That is to destroy it.
Even if it meant destroying himself too.
But why did his heart ache at the thought of He Sui’an dying? Clearly, this was the only way to keep her by his side forever.
Qi Buyan stopped thinking.
He took the book from He Sui’an’s hands and kissed her. She was a bit surprised but embraced him. They kissed for a long time, and he again felt the desire to be intimately close to her.
Qi Buyan wanted to possess He Sui’an, and he also wanted He Sui’an to possess him.