The days of house arrest in the Yan Mansion were long and quiet.
Apart from Bai Zheng occasionally coming to the mansion to chat and share news from the capital, there were also Princess Zhao Hua, Xu Fanghai, and Shen Shuang.
On the day Chu Shao left the city, Shen Shuang had helped her with the token of the Minister of War, otherwise Chu Shao would not have been able to leave Qi Country without obstruction.
However, since the death of Shen Guichen, Shen Shuang’s temperament had changed a lot.
When talking to Xiao Jin, she drank a cup of Erquan Yinhao tea sent by Xu Fanghai, and her gaze was no longer as clear as before: “If I gain power in the future, I will exterminate all treacherous ministers like Tang Ling and bring peace to Qi Country.”
Xiao Jin remained silent, secretly relieved that Shen Shuang would probably never have the chance to gain power.
If she really did, she would probably be played to death by Tang Ling.
Days went by without sorrow or joy. Xiao Jin was now too lazy to keep track of the time until her departure; it didn’t matter anyway.
Well, in fact, many things are like that. Whether you hope for them or not, they will eventually come to an end.
Xiao Jin said this, but when her injuries were almost healed, she impulsively tried the strong liquor that the original owner disliked.
The gu poison mentioned in the original novel was said to take effect as soon as it was ingested, choking the throat before it even reached the stomach. Such a ruthless and intense poison could sever eternal worries.
The strong liquor was the same.
As the knife cut into her throat and stomach, what Xiao Jin swallowed was alcohol, and when she coughed it up, it turned into blood.
She spent the night vomiting, her throat filled with the smell of blood and alcohol, feeling uncomfortable all over, but unable to shed a single tear from her eyes.
In fact, Xiao Jin didn’t feel much pain, and she even found it quite amusing.
Even after vomiting so much blood, she couldn’t die, which showed how good Chu Shao was to her.
Afterwards, Ming Xun smashed all the wine cups, and Xiao Jin lost interest in testing the limits of her mortality. Instead, she lay on the bed like a corpse, not thinking or doing anything at all.
Late at night, she became delusional and went to the secret chamber.
She pulled open a drawer and looked at the things in the hidden compartment.
Xiao Jin reached out and picked up the plain handkerchief placed deep inside the compartment. Pressing it against her face, the silk fabric was soft and closely touching her skin.
At that moment, Xiao Jin remembered the words she had said to Chu Shao.
An covenant, what covenant?
On the day of the forced marriage, during the bridal chamber with candles, it was all just empty words I made up to save my own life.
Xiao Jin put down the handkerchief, unaware that her hand was trembling.
A metallic taste rose in her throat, and she swallowed it down.
Her fingertips brushed against the dusty city defense map. Xiao Jin murmured unconsciously, “You don’t even need this, so what else can I give you?”
There was also a portrait torn from an illustration book by the original owner, depicting the princess Shao in her prime.
It was evident that the artist favored Chu Shao, as the eyebrows, eyes, and nose were all depicted accurately.
The smile on the person in the painting was difficult to judge, as even a slight change could make it seem off.
It happened to be a bright and sunny day, with light and shadows shining through the bead curtains, casting reflections between her peerless features.
Only then could the artist pick up his brush and capture that kind of smile.
Chu Shao had said that at that moment, she felt a sense of joy because she had encountered a long-lost acquaintance.
Xiao Jin didn’t know who that person was, she didn’t know before, and she still didn’t know now.
But now, she hoped that person would appear by Chu Shao’s side.
They didn’t need to do much, just occasionally show up and make Chu Shao happy.
After putting down the painting, Xiao Jin didn’t dare to look at the pair of pearl earrings anymore because blood had already started to flow from her lips, and she was afraid of dirtying them.
Staggering out of the secret chamber, she looked up and saw a full moon.
Xiao Jin looked at the moon, and the system asked her, “Host, have you decided who you want to use the memory retrospection ability on?”
From the moment she transmigrated into this world until now.
Xiao Jin knew, and it was crystal clear, that regardless of whether someone treated her well or not, it was all related to the Prince Yan who was already dead.
So from beginning to end, she would only have one answer.
“Chu Shao.”
“I want to see Chu Shao.”
….
Light and shadows flickered as Xiao Jin walked through every familiar and winding palace path. She imagined herself as a palace maid in the Liuli Palace, taking a stroll outside the palace and now returning, hoping to see the young Princess who liked to wear white clothes. Following the path in her memory, Xiao Jin walked towards the courtyard.
She stopped in the corridor, although she was now transparent, for a moment, she hesitated to approach.
The young Ninth Princess stood under the peach blossom tree, gazing intently, seemingly wanting to climb up but hesitating, not knowing how to use her hands and legs to do so. “If you can’t climb up, how can you see?”
Chu Shao spoke these words, Xiao Jin didn’t understand, but vaguely understood that she wanted to see something.
So, relying on being transparent, Xiao Jin floated up, wanting to help Chu Shao see what was in the palace.
She looked around and realized that the Feng Shui in the Yao Country’s palace was too bad, not even a single bird could be seen.
Chu Shao seemed to have realized this too, that not even a bird could fly into this heavily guarded palace, so she gave up the idea and stopped looking.
She took out a flute from her sleeve and began playing a tune called “Chang Xiang Si (longing for you).”
Since Chu Shao didn’t want to look, Xiao Jin had a thought and pulled herself back from the air.
Xiao Jin was both surprised that she was no different from a human kite and puzzled as to why she couldn’t read the inner thoughts of the young Chu Shao.
But it didn’t matter, even if she couldn’t read them, being able to see was already great.
Spring came and autumn passed, and after autumn came the snowy winter.
Frost became heavier on the tiles, and ice formed on the eaves. Young Chu Shao wore a thick cloak and walked in the snow.
Each step, deep or shallow, left a long string of footprints on the palace’s stone pavement.
Xiao Jin followed her, walking through the splendid lights and also to the desolate and lonely places, watching flowers bloom for a night, and flowers wither for a night.
Even the night-blooming cereus could bloom for two hours, but the winding stone paths in the palace quickly reached their end.
She couldn’t stay in the dream for too long, after all, the her outside the dream was still alive.
Xiao Jin knew that young Chu Shao couldn’t hear her, but she still reached out and touched her head, whispering softly, “I’m leaving now, I’ll come see you again next time, alright?”
Chu Shao held the jade flute in her small hands and ignored Xiao Jin, still playing the tune “Chang xiang si (longing for you).”
Xiao Jin turned around and left the fragments of memory, returning to the Prince Yan’s mansion, continuing to play the role of the imprisoned Prince Yan.
As the days of staying at home grew longer, Xiao Jin even found some joy in it, thinking that living like this was also acceptable.
Unfortunately, Ye Juege sent messages every few months, reminding her from time to time that someone was pushing the progress bar recklessly.
Xiao Jin realized that sometimes, many things couldn’t be forced. “When you want something, it teases you and doesn’t come. When it’s about to come, you can’t bear to let it go and would rather have it stay where it is than to have it come.”
Ming Xun finished applying the last dose of medicine for Xiao Jin and smiled, saying, “With Your Highness’s current state of mind, it would be more than enough to find Tang Ling and ask for permission to shave your hair, then become a monk in the Dali Temple.”
“I don’t dare to.”
Once Xiao Jin got used to the sharpness in Ming Xun’s words, she no longer felt stung by them.
Ming Xun put away the silver needle in the medicine box, but this time she didn’t walk into the room. She said to Xiao Jin, “Your injury is almost healed. I’ll leave tomorrow.”
Xiao Jin looked at Ming Xun and said, “It’s because of me that you’re implicated. Tang Ling’s people have been guarding outside, it might not be easy to leave.”
“Don’t talk about being implicated. If I want to leave, of course, I have a way.”
Xiao Jin smiled and joked, “Doctor Ming, you have extraordinary skills and secret plans. I wonder if you can take one more person with you when you leave, maybe take me along?”
Ming Xun was not actually a doctor, but she seemed to know everything, and Xiao Jin was happy to tease her in this way.
Little did she know, this time Ming Xun didn’t immediately respond with her knife-like mouth.
Instead, she stared at Xiao Jin and asked seriously, “If I really have a way, would you come with me or stay?”
Xiao Jin was stunned.
Ming Xun asked again, “I said I can take you with me, do you want to come with me or stay?”
There was silence in the room.
“The mountains are high and the road is long, it’s not convenient with more people.”
Xiao Jin said slowly, “Ming Xun, you go, I won’t go.”
Ming Xun sneered, “I knew it would be like this. It was the same in the past, and even with a different person, it’s still the same nature.”
After speaking, Ming Xun picked up the medicine box and also took the zither in the courtyard. When she left the next day, she didn’t even bother to leave a letter for Xiao Jin, disappearing without a trace.
Xiao Jin couldn’t help but feel amazed. It turned out that Ming Xun was the one who hid the deepest.
However, such a person had her heart attached to the original owner.
It was evident that the original owner, despite being showered with countless favors, remained oblivious.
Xiao Jin knew that she had no connection to the original owner, so she retreated back into her memories to watch that small figure.
In the spring light, she fixed her gaze on Princess Shao’s pure white robes and couldn’t help but laugh.
Xiao Jin crouched down, looking at the small Chu Shao in front of her, with a gentle expression in her eyebrows and eyes.
She said to Chu Shao, “I won’t leave, I’ll wait for you here.”
She continued, “I’ll wait for you here, waiting for you to come and kill me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Sigh… Destiny is unpredictable. Is killing you the only way for you to live and end your life countdown? Sigh… I hope things go well.
TO BE CONTINUE…Â
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