The fragments of memories were limited.
The last image Xiao Jin saw was a group of soldiers marching forward in black armor with a cold and murderous aura, adorned with the totem of the Divine Machine Corps, the mysterious bird.
After breaching the city gate, the cavalry raised their flags and rushed into the capital of Yao country.
The country had fallen, and the people were panicking, carrying their belongings and fleeing.
Standing on the wall of the capital city of Yao, the highest general of Qi was looking down at the stubborn soldiers of Yao with a faintly visible hint of pity and sarcasm in his eyes.
It wasn’t until Qi’s army occupied the entire city that the general withdrew his gaze, pulled out the flag of Yao from the city wall, and said to his deputy, “Those who surrender will not be killed.”
Xiao Jin knew who that was.
However, before she could examine it more closely, she was startled back to reality by a loud rumbling sound that was sharp and explosive like thunder.
She opened her eyes abruptly and found herself not in the carriage she was previously in, but in the various furnishings of the mansion, except for the copper gong hanging overhead, everything was normal.
Xiao Jin lay on the bed, looking at the dazzling golden light flickering above her head, suddenly understanding where the deafening noise had come from.
The old Taoist standing by the bed, draped in a blue robe, held a copper gong in one hand and a soul-summoning banner in the other.
Seeing that Xiao Jin had awakened, he couldn’t help but stroke his beard, turning around with a smile to say to Ye Suyu, “Miss Ye, the soul-summoning spell that I just recited really worked.”
“You see, although His Highness the Prince of Yan has been to that chaotic place for the past two days, she has returned to the world with great spirit, which is truly gratifying…”
Xiao Jin: “…”
Xiao Jin originally wanted to stand up and ask that person what he meant by congratulating her on returning to the world as if she had just returned from the underworld.
She also thought that if it weren’t for this person’s meddling, she might have been able to uncover more information.
Unfortunately, Ye Suyu had always been out of tune.
Although she didn’t believe in those shamans and Taoists, Xiao Jin had been unconscious for two days, and the doctors couldn’t find the cause of her illness.
The group of people in the Prince of Yan’s mansion were also helpless.
Taking advantage of Jue Ge and Chu Shao both being away, Ye Suyu was idle and had adopted the belief of trying every method, so she had found a group of Taoists to perform spells.
Unexpectedly, she hit the mark and actually cured her own master.
Ye Suyu was overjoyed and immediately rewarded the Taoists with several silver tickets.
After the reward, she walked to the bedside, looked at Xiao Jin with a smile and said a classic line, “Your Highness, you were unconscious for two whole days, and you have finally woken up now.”
As Ye Suyu looked at Xiao Jin’s face, she felt that her complexion was not very good, and her eyes seemed to be filled with a murderous intent.
Ye Suyu guessed that her master must have had a nightmare in which she killed many people, and that’s why she woke up with such a murderous aura.
Just as Ye Suyu was about to ask her about it, she heard Xiao Jin coldly say, “I don’t believe in superstitions.”
Ye Suyu was stunned.
She never expected that after guarding by her bedside for so long, the first thing her master said to her would be so cold and indifferent.
Although she felt a bit heartbroken, Ye Suyu understood that Xiao Jin’s words had a deeper meaning.
She sighed and had all the “mysterious” Taoists in the room leave.
After clearing the room, only a forgotten bronze gong remained on the table.
Xiao Jin looked at the gong on the table with a cold eye and couldn’t help but admire how good her original owner was at selecting subordinates.
They were all so unique.
With such a team of employees, it was hard to imagine how her original owner was able to survive for three chapters.
Recalling the deafening noise that almost shattered her eardrums, Xiao Jin said to Ye Suyu, “I was unconscious for two days. Maybe you should go to the funeral parlor and pick out a good coffin. It might be more effective than performing a Taoists ritual on me.”
Ye Suyu looked a little aggrieved and explained, “Your Highness, it’s soul-summoning, not exorcism.”
Xiao Jin didn’t pay attention to Ye Suyu’s unconvincing argument and looked around, but didn’t see anyone else in the room.
She then asked, “What about Jue Ge?”
Ye Suyu looked at Xiao Jin strangely and said, “Your Highness, if you want to know where the Princess has gone, you can just ask directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush.”
Xiao Jin: “…”
It’s so difficult to share a room with Ye Suyu. She doesn’t want to stay in this room any longer.
After calming down, Xiao Jin asked in a slow voice, “Ye Suyu, with which eye did you see that I wanted to ask the Princess where she went?”
“Not with my eyes, but my ears,” Ye Suyu corrected her while smiling. “Both my ears heard it… when you were unconscious, you called the Princess’s name many times.”
Xiao Jin fell silent.
Then, Ye Suyu added evidence, “If you don’t believe it, you can ask General Ye and Yin Zhu. They were also there at the time.”
Xiao Jin continued to be silent.
After all, she never talked in her sleep, so she didn’t believe that she would shout Chu Shao’s name while being in fragments of her memories.
Moreover, she couldn’t make any sound in those memories.
However, since Ye Suyu had already said so with a confident look, Xiao Jin was somewhat anxious.
Calling Chu Shao’s name was not a big deal, but if she unintentionally called Rong Lian’s and Nan Jin’s names and Chu Shao heard them, it would be a big problem.
Of course, in fact, Xiao Jin was more anxious about another thing…
Could Chu Shao have heard what she said to Princess Shao?
Xiao Jin forced herself to calm down and asked Ye Suyu, “Yin Zhu and Jue Ge were also there. Was the Princess staying in the room too?”
“Rest assured, Your Highness. The Princess didn’t stay in the mansion,” Ye Suyu answered.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin should have felt lucky.
However, for some reason, while she let out a sigh of relief, her heart was tinged with a bit of disappointment.
To be fair, Xiao Jin didn’t think there was anything to be disappointed about.
After all, she had only been unconscious for two days and might not have died.
But Xiao Jin repeatedly pondered over what Ye Suyu had said, and she couldn’t get over this hurdle in her heart: Chu Shao didn’t stay in the mansion during the two days she was unconscious, and he seemed to care little about whether she was alive or dead.
Therefore, for Chu Shao, she was insignificant.
In other words, she was not important to her.
Thinking back to what she said to Princess Shao in fragments of her memories, Xiao Jin suddenly felt embarrassed.
“Little Princess, I was thinking…if after a long time, if that person still hasn’t appeared, maybe I can be that kind of person.
By then, I’ll talk to you softly, hold your hand, and sing to you.
Is that okay?”
Xiao Jin found it incredible.
At that time, how did she manage to be ordinary and confident?
You should know that Chu Shao’s favorability towards her was only 40 points.
Just 40 points, what gave her the courage to say such things?
Moreover, it is not yet known whether Chu Shao’s favorability has a maximum value of 100 or 1000.
Perhaps it is 10,000, which is also unknown.
Just as Xiao Jin felt embarrassed for herself, Ye Suyu added slowly, “The Princess did not stay in the mansion. She found that the prince was unconscious and guarded her for a day before going to the Blood Rain Pavilion to seek justice.”
Xiao Jin was stunned.
Ye Suyu continued, “By the way, General Ye also disappeared this morning and is probably with the Princess looking for the Blood Rain Pavilion.”
For a while, Xiao Jin didn’t know what to say.
Because Ye Suyu’s way of speaking was really suffocating.
Xiao Jin was unhappy, and her voice became cold, “Why didn’t you say such an important thing earlier?”
Ye Suyu said innocently, “But you didn’t ask, Prince.”
Forget it.
Xiao Jin didn’t want to talk to Ye Suyu anymore and closed her eyes to rest for a while.
However, just as she closed her eyes, memories that had not dissipated surfaced in her mind again.
Although Xiao Jin didn’t know what the end of the memory would look like, she could guess from the words in the book.
However, whether it was the peach blossoms that vanished with the wind or the silver-blue intertwined tattoo, they were all things of the past.
They were very distant, stories about others.
She had to keep moving forward.
Xiao Jin closed her eyes and dispelled the last trace of melancholy in her mind.
After a moment, Xiao Jin opened her eyes and said to Ye Suyu, “Pack up and prepare to leave.”
Ye Suyu looked at Xiao Jin’s still injured arm and asked, “Where does Your Highness want to go now? If you want to exercise your body, it is not urgent at this moment. After all, the doctor will change your medicine in an hour.”
“No need.”
Xiao Jin had already gotten used to it.
She had gotten used to having one or two parts of her body disabled every once in a while.
Besides, those who accomplished great things did not care about small details.
Xiao Jin put on her coat and said to Ye Suyu, “No need to change the medicine, go directly to the Yuhua Tower.”
…
The Yuhua Tower was the largest restaurant in Qingzhou.
It was very lively inside, and guests were enjoying the most fun pastime in the world by listening to seasonal tunes and exchanging cups with friends.
However, the true owner of the Yuhua Tower had been unhappy lately.
In just two days, Shangguan Xun, who claimed to be the number one playboy, was now almost white-haired with worry.
As the fourth master of the Blood Rain Pavilion, Shangguan Xun’s job was relatively easy.
He was responsible for checking the accounts of the Pavilion and occasionally took care of the pavilion’s properties.
He also conducted academic research on poison with the ten masters.
Of course, mostly it was just his own interest.
But because of an unexpected disaster, in these two days, the once charming and carefree young master in white robes had disappeared, leaving only exhaustion behind.
Shangguan Xun didn’t even have the energy to fan himself with his folding fan.
He could only sit in the backyard and explain himself repeatedly to the person in front of him.
“Princess Chu, you should know that Master Shen is still in the hands of the Crown Prince. How could we stupidly attempt to poison him?”
Considering this was the Yuhua Tower and the visitor’s intentions were likely not good, Shangguan Xun reluctantly acted as the host, still wearing a polite smile on his face, albeit with a mask on.
Chu Shao couldn’t see his expression anyway.
Fortunately, Chu Shao didn’t care whether Shangguan Xun smiled or not. She was just here to get the antidote.
Chu Shao smiled faintly, staring at the mask covering Shangguan Xun’s face. “I’m also wondering, since you keep saying that you have no intention of being enemies with the Prince Yan Mansion, why do you keep finding yourself opposed to them?”
“Princess Chu, the Blood Rain Pavilion has never wanted to be an enemy of the Prince Yan Mansion. If it seems that way, it must be because we have been infiltrated by other forces.”
“According to what Master Shangguan said, if the Blood Rain Pavilion has indeed been infiltrated, then I’m even more curious. Who could infiltrate the Blood Rain Pavilion and have the courage to be enemies with the Yan Mansion?”
Hearing this, Shangguan Xun sighed. “Princess Chu, I am only a small master. I don’t have much contact with confidential matters on a regular basis. As for who is behind those people, I…you really shouldn’t ask me.”
He shrugged. “Even if you do ask me, I have nothing to tell you because I really don’t know anything.”
Chu Shao spoke softly. “Master Shangguan misunderstood me. Whether you know or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I never intended to ask anything from your mouth.”
Shangguan Xun raised an eyebrow. “Oh? If Princess Chu didn’t want to ask me anything, then why did you come to the Yuhua Tower?”
Chu Shao smiled casually. “The reason is simple. I just don’t want my husband to continue to be unconscious, and I think that the poisoning was done by the Blood Rain Pavilion. That’s why I came to ask you, Master Shangguan, for the antidote.”
Shangguan Xun: “…”
He felt like he had just spoken so much to Chu Shao, but it was like talking to a wall.
To prevent any misunderstandings, Shangguan Xun patiently reminded Chu Shao, “Princess Chu only took a sip of tea from your establishment earlier, as I mentioned before, and his unconsciousness was not caused by us at Blood Rain Pavilion.”
Chu Shao nodded, indicating her understanding. “To attend a banquet and poison someone right after is foolish. If this matter wasn’t caused by Blood Rain Pavilion, then who could it have been?”
“That’s exactly the point.”
Shangguan Xun thought Chu Shao had come to a realization, but he was wrong.
Chu Shao paused and said, “But that day, Prince Yan only took a sip of tea from your establishment. If the problem wasn’t caused by Blood Rain Pavilion…”
“So, may I ask Master Shangguan, which link do you think went wrong?”
Shangguan Xun was taken aback and completely speechless.
The fact was that Xiao Jin only drank a sip of tea from Yuhua Tower, and then fell into a coma, unconscious.
Actually, it was not surprising that Chu Shao suspected them.
If Shangguan Xun didn’t know for sure that they were innocent, he himself would have thought that one of the pavilion masters was responsible for this.
But, they really didn’t poison Xiao Jin.
Shangguan Xun looked at Chu Shao’s smile and felt at a loss for words.
He could only raise his head and look up at the higher building.
…
On top of the building, a woman in red stood at a high place, looking down at the scene in the backyard.
After watching for a while, she couldn’t help but sigh lightly and said to the man next to her, “Blood Rain Pavilion has always been known for framing and blaming others, but it’s unexpected that we’ll also be caught one day. It’s really rare.”
The man beside the woman in red was handsome, with an nameless sword at his waist, and he was none other than Shen Lang, Shen Ronglian’s older brother.
Shen Lang’s arrow wound had healed a lot.
His face was calm, but his voice was faintly cold. “Is that so, Vice Master? You seem quite happy about Blood Rain Pavilion being bitten back.”
The woman in red covered her mouth and laughed softly. “It’s rare to see our Fourth Master being rendered speechless by someone else’s question. Aren’t you happy about it, Pavilion Master Shen?”
Shen Lang’s expression did not change at all, and his answer was concise: “Not familiar.”
His sentence naturally referred to the fact that he was not familiar with Shangguan Xun.
The woman in red said, but then she turned her gaze to Chu Shao in the courtyard and raised her eyebrows, pretending to be surprised as she asked, “Pavilion Shen Master, are you really not familiar with the Princess Chu?”
“I used to think that with your relationship, when you met, you would have a good time together. But I didn’t expect that you would greet each other with weapons first.”
The woman in red paused and smiled meaningfully. “And I didn’t expect the Princess Chu’s martial arts to be so accomplished. It’s quite a feat to be able to injure Pavilion Shen Master on her own at such a young age.”
Shen Lang felt a chill in his brow. “Vice Pavilion Master, I don’t want to talk about anything beyond the affairs of the courtyard.”
“Especially anything related to Chu Shao,” he emphasized.
The woman in red seemed unaware of Shen Lang’s displeasure and continued to smile. “Pavilion Shen Master, I didn’t mean to bring up your family affairs. I was just a little confused.”
“Since Miss Shen San is a criminal in Shen’s Village, if Chu Shao killed her, you should be grateful to her. Why do you hate her now?”
“Crack!” A nameless sword was drawn.
In the blink of an eye, the sharp point of the sword appeared, radiating a cold light against the slender neck of the woman in red.
Shen Lang’s expression did not change, but his eyes revealed naked killing intent.
However, his tone remained calm. “Vice Pavilion Master, you talk too much.”
To his surprise, the woman in red did not fear the cold sensation of the blade against her throat.
She even smiled and extended her finger, gently brushing the silver-blue sword. “Even if I say more, Pavilion Shen Master, do you dare to kill me?”
Shen Lang looked into the woman in red’s eyes. “If you weren’t the Vice Pavilion Master of the Blood Rain Pavilion, you would have died a thousand times for what you said just now.”
The woman in red reached out her hand and lightly pushed the sword aside. “Unfortunately, that’s the reality.”
“I was appointed by the Pavilion master as Vice Pavilion Master. So, Pavilion Shen Master, you not only can’t kill me, but you also have to stay here and watch the show.”
“Watch the show?” Shen Lang sheathed his sword and suddenly laughed. “But it seems that Shangguan Xun can’t continue the performance.”
The woman in red yawned. “Pavilion Shen Master, what’s the rush? Master Shangguan had some reputation in the Yunqin Kingdom back then. This show won’t end anytime soon.”
…
Shangguan Xun noticed.
“The two people upstairs had never even considered helping him,” it continues.
After realizing this sad fact, Shangguan Xun felt melancholic for a while.
However, when he looked up, the smile under his mask faded.
“Princess Chu,” Shangguan Xun said to the princess, “last time we had some unpleasantness between us, which led to your negative impression of our Blood Rain Pavilion. But, to be honest, everything we have done, we have never denied.”
Chu Shao smiled and asked, “Is that so?”
Shangguan Xun stroked his folding fan and said, “Of course. And we also believe that no one dares to force Blood Rain Pavilion to admit to something we have not done.”
This statement was full of confidence and even hinted at a threat.
A mere martial arts organization dared to threaten the royal family. If there were not some people behind it, then without any internal infiltration, the organization would have already been destroyed.
However, all of this was beyond Chu Shao’s consideration.
Chu Shao just smiled and nodded in agreement, then said to Shangguan Xun, “What you said makes sense. However, it will not affect what I want to tell you next.”
Shangguan Xun frowned slightly.
He had a bad feeling that what Chu Shao was about to say next might not be good news.
The next moment, Chu Shao’s lips curved into a smile. “You make a good point, but I’m sorry, I’ve already decided.”
“I’ve heard of your organization’s methods before. I heard that when your organization threatens others, you often send a few strands of the hostage’s hair or a few pieces of their nail to achieve your goals.”
Shangguan Xun shook his head. “Princess Chu is joking. Our Blood Rain Pavilion has always been civilized and has never done such barbaric things.”
Of course, this was similar to the Black Society saying they were afraid of violence.
Chu Shao ignored Shangguan Xun’s words and said with a smile, “Certainly, although these methods can indeed scare some people, in my opinion, they are a bit of exaggeration.”
Shangguan Xun raised his eyebrows, “Oh? Since the princess feels that this is an exaggeration, may I ask what you think is not an exaggeration?”
Chu Shao pursed her lips and her tone remained gentle, “If I were to threaten someone, I would definitely start with the thing that person values the most.”
“How do you plan to start?” Shangguan Xun did not realize the seriousness of the problem yet.
Chu Shao thought for a moment, and a smile gradually appeared on her face, “For example, I think the thing that Master Shen Lan cherishes most in his life is his proud swordsmanship.”
“If I want to threaten your organization, I will first cut off his right hand that he uses to practice the sword, put it in a box, and send it to you after the blood has dried up.”
Shangguan Xun fell silent.
Chu Shao’s voice was soft, “Master Shangguan, I know you may be thinking that it’s not a big deal to lose one right hand, and he can still adjust and use his left hand to practice the sword.”
Upstairs, Vice Pavilion Master and Shen Lang were still standing there.
Shangguan Xun’s face changed, and he quickly defended himself, “I never meant that.”
Chu Shao said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“This is just a gift I plan to send to you today. If the prince doesn’t wake up tomorrow, I will send Shen Lan’s left hand to you on time.”
“As long as the prince is still asleep, I will continue with this boring thing until there is nothing left that can threaten you on Master Shen Lan’s body. By then, I will let him go.”
Shangguan Xun was speechless.
Chu Shao smiled slightly, “After all, by then, Shen Lan will have become a pile of flesh and blood, with no value or resemblance to a human being.”
…
Shangguan Xun didn’t know what to say.
After a long time, he said, “Princess Chu, but the blood of the Shen family still flows in your body.”
After hearing this sentence, Chu Shao smiled, “The blood of the Shen family? So what?”
“By that reasoning, I also have the blood of the Yao Country royal family. Now, should I go and kill the Yan prince of the Qi country?”
Shangguan Xun did not say anything.
Obviously, he was a normal person, so it was difficult for him to understand Chu Shao’s peculiar way of thinking.
Chu Shao smiled and said, “What did Yao Country give me? What did the Shen family give me? I don’t love Yao Country, and Yao Country has never treated me kindly. We don’t owe each other anything.”
“But the Yan prince of the Qi country not only makes me very happy, but also told me that she will talk to me softly in the future, hold my hand, and sing to me.”
“Therefore, Master Shen, why should I owe anything to Yao Country and kill the Yan prince? And why should I show mercy to Shen Lan’s men because of shedding Shen family’s blood?”
As an ordinary person, Shangguan Xun only understood the middle part and looked confused.
Holding hands and singing, is this what the Prince of Qi Country can say? Why does it feel like being inexplicably shown off? Anyway, the matter of the Prince of Yan being poisoned is really unjust for the Blood Rain Pavilion.
Shangguan Xun’s mind went blank, and after careful consideration, he reluctantly said: “Princess, this is not something we, the Blood Rain Pavilion, did. Except for waking up the Prince of Yan, we can negotiate everything else.”
Chu Shao frowned.
Obviously, she was not satisfied with this result because she didn’t want the Blood Rain Pavilion to do anything.
Just as she was about to refuse, she suddenly remembered the negotiation that day.
Although she didn’t have anything for the Blood Rain Pavilion to do, Xiao Jin did.
So Chu Shao smiled and, in the gentlest tone, spoke the most absurd words: “Within two hours, I want the head of Mu Yuan. Can you do it?”
A figure climbed up the stairs. After closing the door, Shangguan Xun took off his mask and reported the conversation.
Of course, he also knew that the people in the courtyard had probably already reported it.
At the same time, Shangguan Xun was convinced that the vice pavilion master would not agree to such a ridiculous request.
Sure enough, after hearing it, the woman in red asked in surprise, “Did the Princess Chu really make this request?”
Shangguan Xun thought, “You already knew it. Why pretend here?”
He sighed and replied, “Probably, and the Princess Chu also said that we must kill Mu Yuan within two hours.”
Through the mask, the woman’s voice was very cheerful, “Since that’s the case, let’s do it according to the Princess Chu’s request.”
Shangguan Xun was dumbfounded.
He had never been confused so many times in his life.
Although the woman in red had said so, Shangguan Xun couldn’t help but advise her, “Vice Pavilion Master, Mu Yuan is a household department minister. Even if he is the lord, it will take some effort to kill him.”
The woman in red laughed, as if afraid that the world would not be chaotic, “Yes, Mu Yuan is a household department minister. If he dies, it means that the Mu family is not far from collapse.”
Shangguan Xun was about to say a few more words, but suddenly understood, “You mean that the lord has wanted to deal with the Mu family for a long time? But if you act in advance, the one above may not be happy.”
“Yes, that person indeed won’t be too happy.” Saying so, the woman in red casually took off her butterfly mask.
……
Jue Ge was originally worried that Chu Shao would go to Yuhua Tower alone and encounter something unexpected, so she left the mansion and went to Yuhua Tower to find her.
However, Jue Ge did not expect that when she found Chu Shao, she would see such a scene.
The Princess was dressed in a white robe, standing between the landscape courtyard, more clear and gentle than the orchids planted on the side.
While Jue Ge was feeling emotional in her heart, she didn’t know why, but no matter how many times she saw the princess, she always stared blankly and couldn’t help but look more.
Sometimes, she even had the illusion that this was not her true intention.
But unconsciously, she had already looked at her many times.
When Jue Ge regained her senses, she discovered that there was a man holding a box standing next to the princess.
The man wore a mask, but couldn’t conceal the scholarly aura all around him, but the smell of blood seemed heavy.
Jue Ge became vigilant and was about to move to Chu Shao’s side secretly, guarding against the man’s sudden attack.
Who knew that the next moment, the gentle and kind princess smiled and took the box from the man’s hand: “I didn’t expect it to be delivered from the capital to Qingzhou in less than half a day. Your organization is really efficient.”
The man smiled apologetically: “Yes, it’s heavy, and it’s still fresh and hot.”
Jue Ge was stunned in place, even more confused.
It seems that the princess is conducting a transaction with Blood Rain Pavilion. But what kind of transaction can be described as “heavy” and “fresh and hot”?
Chu Shao knew that there was another person in the courtyard.
But she didn’t care too much.
Before opening the box, she smiled and praised: “It looks like it’s still packed in a sandalwood box. Your organization really goes all out.”
Shangguan Xun thought to himself that it was just a matter of inspecting the goods, why was she still admiring them here?
But he had to pretend and followed suit with a smile: “The goods are valuable, and naturally the box must be carefully chosen. Moreover, sandalwood has a calming and soothing effect, and it’s also in the right place.”
Calming and soothing, in the right place?
This seems to be a riddle.
Jue Ge silently watched everything, feeling that the whole world had become incomprehensible to her.
However, it was only when Chu Shao opened the box that the world truly began to collapse in front of Jue Ge.
If Jue Ge were a modern person, she would surely find the most appropriate words to describe the feelings in her heart at this moment. “My three views have been destroyed.”
Jue Ge looked at the Princess’s beautiful white hand, then at the head covered in blood lying in the box.
As her vision darkened, she collapsed and thought, “This hand can do anything – hold a sword, play the piano, make tea and cook, but it shouldn’t be holding a box containing a human head.”
Jue Ge really didn’t know that Chu Shao had many more surprises that she was unaware of.
While Jue Ge was lost in thought, Chu Shao had already taken the portrait handed to him by Shangguan Xun, and was staring intently at the head in the box, carefully comparing its features.
The more serious Chu Shao’s expression became, the more painful Jue Ge’s heart felt.
After comparing the features, Chu Shao closed the box with satisfaction and said to Shangguan Xun, “I will accept this gift on behalf of the prince, as for the Master Shen of Yan Yan Mansion, we will entertain him well for the time being. However, if the prince is still not awake today, then I apologize for disturbing you, and I will have to come again tomorrow.”
Since she had to deliver a gift to Xiao Jin, Chu Shao’s mood was not bad at this moment. She even used the word “I” instead of “this princess”.
She also had a faint expectation in her heart, wondering if Xiao Jin would be surprised after seeing this gift when she woke up.
Shangguan Xun was already speechless.
Chu Shao’s mood swings were completely unpredictable, and he could only nod and bow his head, saying, “Farewell, Princess Chu.”
In fact, no one wanted Xiao Jin to wake up more than the Blood Rain Pavilion did.
We really didn’t want to shoulder this responsibility.
It was not until Chu Shao walked out of the backyard with the box that Jue Ge snapped out of her thoughts and caught up with her.
Smelling the faint sandalwood and the bloody scent coming from the box, Jue Ge couldn’t help but find a topic to talk about, “Princess, are you going to the Blood Rain Pavilion for the antidote?”
“No.”
At this point, Chu Shao’s mood seemed to be extremely good, and she even smiled, “The doctor I invited said that there is no new poison in the prince’s body, so the Blood Rain Pavilion cannot provide any antidote.”
Jue Ge was stunned.
“So, you know that the Blood Rain Pavilion is not the mastermind behind this, but still went to the Yuhua Tower to ask them for the antidote?”
Chu Shao didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, “Although it wasn’t their poison, the prince still fainted after meeting with the Blood Rain Pavilion, so they cannot shirk their responsibility.”
Holding the box with Mu Yuan’s head, Chu Shao continued, “Moreover, this head is extremely precious, and I believe it has caused quite a stir in the capital by now. This way, it can help the prince verify some of her suspicions.”
Chu Shao’s tone was very natural, and she did not realize that she had unconsciously begun to consider some things for Xiao Jin.
She was even thinking about things like intrigue and power struggles, which were so boring.
Jue Ge was absent-minded just now and did not pay attention to whose head Chu Shao was holding in her hands.
Now that Chu Shao brought it up, Jue Ge asked, “Why did the capital cause a great uproar? What is in this box… what is it?”
She always suspected that she had misheard, or perhaps what the Princess said was about someone with the same name and surname as Minister Mu.
Chu Shao broke Jue Ge’s illusion: “Mu Yuan, the son of Prime Minister Mu, and the attendant minister of the Ministry of Households.”
Jue Ge remained silent.
Even when Chu Shao asked her if Xiao Jin had regained consciousness, she only answered in a dazed manner.
Jue Ge always found it hard to accept that the head of the attendant minister of the Ministry of Households was cut off by the people of the Blood Rain Pavilion, put into a box, and sent to Qingzhou, where it was given to Chu Shao.
What are all these things?
Chu Shao heard that Xiao Jin had not yet awakened, and even if she held a gift ready to be given, she was somewhat uninterested.
After all, if Xiao Jin didn’t wake up, she couldn’t personally give the gift.
And even if she did give it, if she couldn’t see Xiao Jin’s surprised or happy expression, what was the point of the gift?
She restrained her smile and gradually fell behind Jue Ge, following her.
So much so that when Chu Shao lowered her eyes and unconsciously walked out of the Yuhua Tower, she found that Jue Ge suddenly stopped walking.
Chu Shao didn’t know why Jue Ge didn’t continue walking.
She looked up and saw that the people around were gathered together, crowding the entrance of the carriage from a distance, as if watching some spectacle.
The discussion was endless: “Who is that? Such a grand scene, so many people gathered here to watch.”
“He brought so many guards. I think, it should be the Emperor’s sedan chair.”
“A group of ignorant people, still thinking it’s the Emperor! You open your eyes and look at the totem and that character on the sedan chair, is that a character the Emperor can carve?”
“Hmph, I thought it was some kind of special character, turns out it’s just the character ‘Yan.’ So what if it’s the character ‘Yan’?
Wait, Yan, could it be…”
The reason why the people gathered here was mainly because it was too… strange.
If this was indeed the carriage of that person, with her identity, she would not be going to meet someone else, so why would he personally appear in a place like the Yuhua Tower?
After a moment, they knew why.
The carriage with the dragon totem slowly stopped, and the onlookers saw the dust rising around, consciously giving way to a path.
At this moment, a hand lifted the curtain.
The fingers were fair and slender, adorned with a jade thumb ring.
As the hand brushed the curtain aside, the embroidered snow waves on it were lifted like rippling water.
The person lifted their head slightly, with no hint of a smile on their lips, making it hard for others to feel any warmth from them.
They held up the curtain with a calm expression, as if searching for something with their gaze.
However, their search seemed casual, as if they did not hold much hope of finding what they were looking for at the door or finding the one they were seeking.
The slightly cold expression on their face made people feel distant and unapproachable. Chu Shao remained in place, watching for a long time, until their eyes met in the crowd.
It was then that the coldness on the person’s face melted a little, revealing a hint of a smile.
Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin, and Xiao Jin looked at her.
She watched as Xiao Jin lifted the curtain and then held out her hand, palm up, towards her.
Xiao Jin lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at Chu Shao for a long time before suddenly smiling, “I have come to take the Princess back home.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Damn!. It’s too sweet! 🤧
TO BE CONTINUE…
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