But the court could twist the facts and accuse them of murdering a prince. In that situation, there would be no place to appeal.
In other words, they couldn’t just kill Prince Liu Yan, who wanted to kill them. They needed to plan carefully, or they could face endless pursuit.
Princess Luoyan was to be married off to the Nanliang Kingdom, leaving her powerless to protect them.
Infighting among the royals was nothing new. Each time, it was a high-stakes game with the survivors being the winners.
Only the royals could survive such conflicts.
Ordinary people caught in the crossfire wouldn’t have a good ending. Unfortunately, Shen Jianhe was one such ordinary person. If He Sui’an and Qi Buyan were silenced, he would surely be next.
Moreover, Princess Luoyan wasn’t a true princess. In Shen Jianhe’s eyes, she was just a pawn in a political marriage. She had nothing to fight against Prince Liu Yan, the emperor’s brother.
Absolutely nothing.
Shen Jianhe thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with a good solution. “What are your plans? You helped the princess find the true culprit behind her brother and sister-in-law’s deaths, but she can’t protect you forever.”
Qi Buyan gently pressed the indigo tassel of his bone flute with his thumb, speaking softly, “I will kill him.” Ever since Liu Yan had personally attacked at the banquet last night, Qi Buyan had wanted to kill him.
“Killing him will solve everything.”
He smiled, “Since he wants to kill me, why should I let him live in peace?”
As he spoke, He Sui’an reacted, gripping her layered skirt tightly, creating several wrinkles. Qi Buyan looked down at her fingers, which had turned white from the pressure.
Shen Jianhe was terrified, “Young Master Qi, don’t act rashly. I believe there’s a better solution. Let me think it over. Please, give me some time to think.”
Killing Liu Yan would not end well for them; they needed to find a solution that worked for everyone.
They had to find a way.
The carriage arrived at the princess’s residence, and they got off one by one. He Sui’an asked Shen Jianhe if he wanted to stay with them. If Princess Luoyan knew he was involved, she would agree to protect him too.
Last night, they had checked into the princess’s residence so hurriedly that they forgot to mention Shen Jianhe to her.
Shen Jianhe said he had already found a safe place to stay and didn’t want to trouble them. He would come to the princess’s residence if he needed anything.
He Sui’an didn’t insist, “Senior Shen, take care.”
“Don’t worry.”
Shen Jianhe waved at them in a carefree manner, laughing, “Of the three of us, I’m the most afraid of dying. I’ll definitely take care of myself. You too.”
He Sui’an watched Shen Jianhe leave.
Even though they were characters from a book, they were now flesh and blood. He Sui’an couldn’t accept their fate, especially Qi Buyan’s fate. But could she change it?
So far, everything they had experienced matched the book exactly.
The massacre in Weicheng, the scattered and dead civilians; in Fengling Town, the out-of-control Corpse Gu, the collapse of King Yan’s tomb, killing many; in Qingzhou, the villagers used as test subjects, doomed to die soon, and the suicide of Master Sanshan.
Things were unfolding in Chang’an just as they did in the book, leaving He Sui’an unsure of what to do. Ever since regaining her memories, she couldn’t help but think of the book’s ending whenever she saw Qi Buyan.
So, He Sui’an tried hard to distance herself from Qi Buyan, forcing herself to act on it.
She didn’t want to.
This went against her true desire to be close to Qi Buyan, creating a contradiction in her actions, as if she were split into two.
But those memories replayed in her mind, constantly reminding He Sui’an of the impending events. Knowing her own weakness, she felt helpless about the future, her heart aching with despair.
Warm fingertips touched He Sui’an’s furrowed brow, and she looked up.
Qi Buyan bent down.
He smoothed He Sui’an’s furrowed brow slowly, his breath so close it felt like an intoxicating fragrance, seeping into her lungs.
“What are you thinking about?” Qi Buyan asked softly, his emotions seemingly calm, but his hand remained on her face, pressing down on her once lively, now dull, eyes.
She pulled down Qi Buyan’s hand.
“Nothing.” He Sui’an had intended to release his hand after pulling it down, but she ended up holding it as they walked into the princess’s residence. The guards, having escorted them back, then dispersed.
Princess Luoyan had been summoned to the palace again and wasn’t home, but before she left, she had instructed the servants to take good care of them, with strict orders for the guards to remain vigilant.
As soon as they returned, servants streamed in to deliver lunch to their room.
The aroma of the food filled the air.
He Sui’an rarely had an appetite, but her stomach growled loudly, forcing her to pick up her chopsticks and eat without tasting the food.
Qi Buyan sat across from He Sui’an, eating very slowly, so slowly that even his silver ornaments made no noise when he picked up food. Yet he still ate more than she did, who barely ate anything despite picking up food from here and there.
He didn’t look at her, seemingly focused on his meal, but his hand holding the chopsticks tightened slightly.
Wherever Qi Buyan was, the poisonous Gu would be there too. Occasionally sensing their master’s emotional fluctuations, the Gu crawled around the room, their various colors blending into a dense mass like a nest of insects and snakes.
A silver snake, coiled around Qi Buyan’s boot, cautiously crawled down and squeezed into the space occupied by a red snake, which flicked its tail, sending the silver snake flying.
The silver snake then crawled towards the black snake.
The black snake made room for the silver snake, lying flat with its head down, not daring to lift it.
He Sui’an, lost in thought, didn’t notice this.
After finishing his meal, Qi Buyan put down his bowl and chopsticks and lightly tapped the table, indicating it was time to feed the poisonous Gu as usual. The Gu understood his command but didn’t crawl over immediately today.
He Sui’an heard Qi Buyan’s tapping, snapping out of her thoughts. Her gaze fell on his distinct profile; when his lashes lowered, he appeared gentle and easygoing.
Living with Qi Buyan for so long, He Sui’an knew he was about to feed the Gu.
Strangely, not a single poisonous Gu came over.
Qi Buyan’s expression remained unchanged.
He made no further moves. Suddenly, the silver snake used its tail to flick the black snake, throwing it precisely at Qi Buyan’s feet. The black snake tried to slither away but was caught by its tail.
The black snake seemed to glare at the ungrateful silver snake, which turned its head as if to ignore it. He Sui’an was puzzled by their behavior. Normally, they would scramble for food, but today was different.
Suddenly, the black snake leaped up.
He Sui’an saw something flash before her eyes and closed them briefly. When she opened them again, the black snake had jumped into her lap, looking up at her pitifully, startling her.
Its tail hurt from being pinched.
Her heart softened at the sight of the black snake, though she didn’t know why it had jumped to her. She nervously held the snake that clung to her. “Give me the meat, I’ll feed it.”
Qi Buyan placed the bowl of meat in her palm. Without experience in feeding the Gu, it took her a while to finish feeding the black snake. As soon as it was full, it quickly slithered away, biting the silver snake on its way out.
The poisonous Gu left the room one by one.
Servants from the princess’s residence came in to clear the dishes, working quickly. In the blink of an eye, they were done and thoughtfully closed the door behind them, leaving just the two of them in the room.
He Sui’an went to wash her hands.
Qi Buyan stood beside her, immersing his hands in the water basin as well. The reflections on the water surface blurred their faces.
After washing her hands with soap, He Sui’an leaned on the windowsill, looking out. The windowsill was built a bit high, reaching her shoulders, so she could just rest her chin on it.
Footsteps approached from behind.
One step, two steps, three steps… He Sui’an knew he was coming over.
Qi Buyan casually rested a hand on the windowsill, right next to He Sui’an’s slightly chubby chin. Her hand hanging by her side tightened.
He bent his waist significantly to assume the same posture as He Sui’an, resting his chin on the back of his hand and turning his face to look at her. The silver ornaments at the ends of his long hair fell to his slender waist.
He Sui’an tried to keep her gaze on the courtyard, but she couldn’t ignore his presence.
She turned to speak.
Qi Buyan kissed the corner of her mouth.
He Sui’an’s mouth, open to speak, closed again, her eyes widening. Their breaths mingled, and Qi Buyan’s lips, initially on the corner of her mouth, moved to her lips, touching lightly.
Their hair tips brushed against each other, and his silver ornaments tangled with her hair. He cupped her face with one hand, kissing her.
There was a faint aroma of tea between Qi Buyan’s lips and teeth.
After eating, he habitually drank some tea. The tea provided by the princess’s residence was top-quality and smelled even more fragrant. Now, that tea fragrance was transferring to He Sui’an’s lips, making her involuntarily swallow.
Rationality told He Sui’an that she couldn’t continue. She quickly turned her head, and Qi Buyan’s kiss brushed across her soft, pale cheek.
Qi Buyan murmured, “You don’t want to kiss me anymore. Why?”
He Sui’an’s heart pounded like a drum.
Because she might kill him.
There was a character named He Sui’an in the original novel, and the things that the He Sui’an from the novel did matched exactly with what she, now inside the book and suffering from amnesia, had done.
Before she transmigrated into the book, she had finished reading the entire story. She remembered that the author never revealed the original He Sui’an’s identity, leaving it a mystery. But she had transmigrated, entering the book entirely.
So what about the original He Sui’an?
She couldn’t figure it out.
Most importantly, the He Sui’an in the novel would kill Qi Buyan in the end. The thought of killing Qi Buyan terrified her. She was afraid she might break his silver butterfly chain and kill him.
Because the story had not deviated from the original plot at all up to this point.
He Sui’an was too scared. She wanted to leave, to run far away from Qi Buyan. Perhaps if she left him, he could be safe.
She couldn’t stay by his side anymore.
She had to go.
Qi Buyan asked again, “You don’t want to kiss me anymore. Why…”
He Sui’an didn’t want to hear Qi Buyan’s voice right then. She stood on tiptoe, reaching up, and kissed him in frustration, drowning his words in a lingering kiss.
His eyes moved slightly.
Qi Buyan lifted He Sui’an, placing her on the windowsill so she no longer had to tiptoe. Before she could catch her breath, he kissed her again, gently licking as if savoring a rare delicacy.
Golden sunlight spilled over the eaves, like a net enveloping He Sui’an.
Her shadow fell to the side.
The boy stood in front of the windowsill, and the girl sat on it, their clothes intertwined—her skirt mingling with his indigo attire. Her legs hung around his waist, her embroidered shoes fell to the ground with a “clunk,” rolling a few times.
He Sui’an kissed Qi Buyan with her back to the sunlight, the line between light and dark right at the windowsill.
She was in the light, and he was in the dark.
