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The Seventh Princess's words brought me back to reality.

I looked at the Fourth Prince, and he looked at me. We sized each other up in silence. I could clearly see surprise, understanding, calculation, and a dangerous glint in his eyes. Before, I wasn't sure if they had hired someone to impersonate Yun Hui and Yun Bai to deliberately target me after I reverted to my female identity, or if they were casting a wide net and I had just stumbled upon this by bad luck. But since I had revealed my identity that day, even if the Fourth Prince couldn't be certain that the dignified Prime Minister of Longyao Kingdom was a mere woman, he could at least be certain that my relationship with him was far from over.

I raised my face slightly and glanced at Tian Xilan, who was also looking at me thoughtfully. I smiled broadly and gently took his left arm with my right hand, saying affectionately and tenderly, "Xilan, you didn't tell me you had guests coming. I wasn't prepared at all. You look so unkempt. Aren't you going to make a fool of yourself?"

I straightened my clothes a little, and Fang Yingying curtsied and said, "This humble woman, Yue Weimian, greets the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Princess. May the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Princess be blessed!"

I rose, head slightly bowed. The Fourth Prince had gone to such lengths to eliminate me; now that I was before him, how could he miss this opportunity? He hadn't spoken, merely because he suspected my relationship with Tian Xilan and was calculating how to bring it up. A bitter smile crept across my face. At this moment, if anyone could protect me, it was probably only this ethereal Tian Xilan before me. Xilan, I'm sorry. I had to use you, deliberately making the Fourth Prince misunderstand our relationship, making him consider you, and considering this connection, so that I could temporarily find peace.

"You...you dare to address Sixth Brother by his given name?" The Seventh Princess seemed startled, rushing to me in a few steps, her face full of disbelief. But she was, after all, a princess of a nation, and possessed manners and upbringing. Although she seemed somewhat angry, she didn't slap me on the spot. I'd been poisoned by television dramas for so many years, always thinking that those pampered ladies in the harem loved to slap people at the drop of a hat.

"Replying to Seventh Princess, this form of address was approved by Xi Lan," I replied softly, still keeping my head slightly lowered and feigning shyness. Ugh, how fake! Even I can't stand it; it's giving me goosebumps.

However, what I said is true. It seems that Comrade Tian Xilan, in order to show his approachability, after I called him "Prince" and then "Prince" and then it turned into me feeding him for a long time the day before yesterday, firmly told me that we should address each other by our names.

"Sixth Brother has been traveling and enjoying himself for over half a year. Even Father Emperor has been nagging him about why he hasn't returned yet. It turns out he's been enjoying himself with a beautiful woman and has forgotten to go home." The Fourth Prince spoke to Tian Xilan with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on me. Ha, how could I not know the blatant probing in your words?

"Xi Lan," I spoke, gently interrupting Tian Xi Lan before she could finish her sentence. I frowned slightly, touched the spot where she had been stabbed last time, and said softly, "I feel a little unwell. I'm afraid it's a relapse of my old illness."

“Alright, then I’ll help you inside to rest for a while.” He looked at me with bright eyes, a hint of mockery in them, clearly seeing through my little trick. Then he turned to the two men and said, “Fourth Brother, Seventh Sister, I’ll help Miss Yue inside first. Please excuse me for a moment.”

After saying that, without waiting for them to speak, he gently put his hand on my shoulder and walked towards my little white house. Only when I was out of their sight and could no longer feel their piercing gaze behind me did I breathe a sigh of relief. I quickly slapped away the fake immortal's hand that was pretending to be on my shoulder, jumped back a few steps to maintain a safe distance, and then said pitifully, "Xi Lan... I..."

I cautiously glanced at the person next to me. He had a leisurely expression, as if he was waiting for my explanation. I immediately lowered my head, my mind racing with calculations. What should I do? Confess and bet he wasn't in cahoots with the Fourth Prince? Keep making things up, until it's so outrageous it's infuriating? What a dilemma! I really wish I had a one-yuan coin nearby, like in the 21st century when I was unsure about something, I could just flip a coin, heads means this, tails means that, euphemistically called following the will of heaven—how simple and convenient!

"Xi...Sixth Prince," I stammered for a moment, then decided it was better to call him Sixth Prince at this time, because that title would make me seem so weak, and maybe I could get some sympathy. "I have something I want to tell you, but please allow me to sort out my thoughts tonight, because my matter is a bit complicated. I'll tell you tomorrow morning, okay?"

I put on a pitiful act; after all, I'm a girl now, so it's just a natural performance. After feigning pitifulness, I tilted my head and thought for a moment, then plastered a fawning smile on my face and said in a pleading tone, "Xi Lan, how about we cooperate with the Fourth Prince and the others for now?"

He mimicked my gesture, tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed with great delight, "Great! You and Fourth Brother have been staring at each other ever since you met. You wouldn't happen to be my future Fourth Sister-in-law, would you?"

Wha...what? I almost fell to the ground. Tian Xilan, your imagination and comedic talent are simply off the charts! It's so impressive and astonishing! Your fourth brother is hoping I die soon, and you're going to marry me off to him, and maybe I'll even be a concubine! Isn't that practically driving me to suicide?! Turns out you're just pretending to be smart. I really misjudged you. I thought you looked like an immortal, so your intelligence must be at least half that of an immortal. I never imagined you could see our hateful and angry gazes as a loving exchange. I'm impressed!

I was about to give him a dirty look when I unexpectedly saw the mockery on his face and the deep smile in his eyes. I was stunned. What was wrong with me? I almost fell for his trick: "Xi Lan, you should have known that I didn't get along with your fourth brother when you saved me that day, right? Why are you saying things like that to shut me up?"

"Then why don't you and Fourth Brother get along?"

That's the question he really wanted to ask. He must have seen the scarred man when he rescued me, so how could he not know that the Fourth Prince had sent someone to kill me? Then, since he brought me back to the palace, why wouldn't he let me leave the Little White Palace? Was it because he was afraid I might run into the Fourth Prince?

"Xi Lan, you'll know the answers to these questions tomorrow." Does this mean I really have to confess everything to this person tomorrow? I was just trying to portray myself as the Fourth Prince's bickering lover, following his lead.

“Okay,” he said, smiling at me with clear eyes and a rare hint of interest.

"Well, you deal with the people outside for now. I'm going to rest. See you tomorrow morning." I said curtly, my tone somewhat like a leader addressing a subordinate. Ignoring his reaction, I walked straight towards my little White House. Sigh, actually, I'm just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong. Knowing that Tian Xilan is relatively kind and hasn't shown any ill will towards me so far, I'm itching to ignore his prince status. After all, I'm a citizen of Longyao Kingdom, and he's a prince of Tianqing Kingdom—to me, he's just a foreigner, isn't he? Besides, my current status is that of a guest. A guest is like a god, so naturally, I can put on airs from time to time. You mean a life-saving grace? Oh, sorry, I forgot. And I quite admire a saying, what was it again? Right, "Repay kindness and forget favors," hahaha!

I lay on the bed, pondering whether or not I should completely reveal my identity to Tian Xilan. I thought I should be honest; now that I'm alone in this palace, whatever my needs require his help, I should be as honest with him as possible. But would there be any unforeseen negative consequences after I confessed?

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of something dark flying towards me at breakneck speed. I screamed and quickly covered myself completely with the blanket. What was that?! It scared me to death! Even setting aside the Fox Kingdom's palace, the security at Yun Mansion and Qianzui Residence is a hundred times better than here. Imagine if a legendary flower thief came in the middle of the night—wouldn't I be utterly helpless, left to be brutally violated?

There was no sound outside for a while, and with no one to lean on, I had no choice but to sneak a peek out from under the covers. I met a pair of strange little eyes, and I was startled. I threw off the covers, and there stood the owner of those little eyes on my bed, watching my panicked state with an air of amusement. That... that wasn't the legendary fox's hidden dove! Oh dear, my dear, I've finally been waiting for you. It seems the matter of the Phoenix Orchid Jade Pendant is quite newsworthy, worthy of attention, anticipation, and follow-up reporting.

I smiled and waved to the little black dove, but the bird took a few steps and refused to come closer to me. I was furious, so I grabbed the little black dove and held it by its claws for a long time before finally pulling out the note.

"Qianqian: Things are more complicated than expected. Don't be reckless. If you're not confident, get out unscathed. Remember that!"

The fox's handwriting was tiny, and I stared at the luminous pearl for a long time, my eyes wide. How stupid of me! Back in the Yun residence, why didn't I think of using a luminous pearl for lighting? I instead lit candles, which is so out of place with my usual image of wisdom. And it seems the fox and the fly didn't have this awareness back at the Shallow Drunken Abode either. The combined brains of those two grown men are only on par with mine. Fox and Fly, you two are truly pathetic.

I calculated the dates, and when Fox wrote this letter, he probably didn't know about my attack. So what did he mean by "things are more complicated than expected"? Did he receive news from his secret agents again? Since Fox had already agreed to let me come out, why is he still so worried? And judging from his tone, it seems he wouldn't worry about me slinking back home. It's strange. Is he no longer worried about becoming a king who will lose his kingdom? Or does he have other plans besides this move with me?

I gathered paper, pen, and ink, thought it over carefully, and then replied to the fox: "Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. You're already in the palace, awaiting my good news. Now, being alone, I feel somewhat relieved. One person's hunger is no problem for the whole family. As long as I can protect my own life, I don't have to worry about the lives of those around me. This makes me feel much better. I will be more careful and vigilant, and I will never give up halfway. Having made a decision, I must see it through to the end. How can I go back halfway? If I were to return like this, what would be the point of Hong'er and Yunhui's sacrifice?"

I looked outside and saw the black pigeon, but not Night Wind, which made me slightly uneasy. But in this remote place where transportation relies mainly on walking and communication on shouting, information lag was a fact I couldn't change. I imitated the fox, rolling up the note and tying it to the little black pigeon's leg, then kindly feeding it some pastries. The pigeon ate its fill, flapped its wings a few times, and flew away without even a grateful glance. How heartless!

Clouds Drunk, Moon Slightly Asleep (Revised Edition) Volume Two: Where Does the Vast Sky and Water Lead? The Mountain Rain Is Coming, the Wind Fills the Tower (Part One)

Chapter word count: 3777 Update time: 08-12-21 16:21

A storm is brewing (Part 1)

I slept soundly through the night. Yawning, I walked outside and was startled to see Tian Xilan standing at the door, smiling at me. Oh no! I had an appointment to meet someone early yesterday morning, but I slept until late morning. I wonder how long they've been waiting. I was trying to gain their sympathy, build their trust, and flatter them, but my oversleeping seems to have ruined everything. Oh dear, this is bad!

I quickly reached up and touched my chin, and after my mouth returned to normal, I said with a silly smile, "Xi Lan, so early!"

He didn't speak, only nodded, looking at me with clear, bright eyes filled with a gentle smile. What's wrong with him? He's always so mild-mannered and innocent. What if he finds out I lied to him one day? Would he suddenly do something drastic like slitting his throat?

"Xi Lan," I sat with him on a small wooden stool in the garden, took a deep breath, and thought, "I'm going to risk it all, so be it! But you imposter immortal, you saved my life, and I don't think you would go through all that trouble to save me only to kill me, doing something so self-defeating."

"Xi Lan, there are some things I want to tell you frankly." I looked at him, carefully observing his facial expression, and decided that if anything seemed off, I would immediately shut up. One can't be stubborn!

"Okay." He smiled at me. Sigh, you imposter immortal, stop grinning like that! You're making it impossible for me to accurately judge your true thoughts, which hinders my ability to correctly analyze the situation.

"Xi Lan should know the purpose of the Wangyue Kingdom's envoy's trip, right?" Hearing that the Wangyue Kingdom's envoy had arrived, Xi Lan, who had been traveling at the beginning of the year and only returned two days ago, and who hardly ever paid attention to politics, would surely know about such a big matter as a prince. "I am a citizen of Longyao Kingdom."

"And then?" He still had a smile on his face, showing no surprise or understanding at my words, as if he had known my background all along.

I couldn't help but feel a little flustered. His demeanor was too calm and composed, as if he had seen right through me, while I had no idea of his plans. Could I really be completely honest and gamble that he wasn't with the Fourth Prince, or even that he might be at odds with him?

“Xi Lan, I never intended to harm anyone. I just didn’t want my country to be stained with blood. If you feel that my identity is inconvenient, please take me out of the palace. I will never forget your life-saving grace. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay you with my life.”

"How can you, a woman, turn the tide and save the country from peril?" He didn't seem worried about my identity. He was more curious about why I, a woman, would step forward at such a time and try to change the course of the world.

"Xi Lan, are you curious? Then just wait and see." I smiled slightly at him, a sly glint in my eyes, then continued seriously, "Xi Lan, what I need to do requires waiting until the envoy from Wangyue Kingdom successfully completes his mission and leaves Tianqing Kingdom. Until then, I can only remain inactive. In the meantime, if you keep me in the palace, can you promise to protect my safety? Otherwise, please send me out of the palace!"

I looked him straight in the eye. After observing and considering this for the past three days, I believed he wouldn't harm me, at least not in the short term. His gaze brightened, a fleeting look of appreciation and realization crossing his eyes, as if he already understood what I was about to do. His eyes returned to their usual smiling tone, and he said gently, "How do you know I will definitely help you, Wei Mian?"

"You saved my life. If it was truly destined to end in the Azure Kingdom, then having you take it back would be the best arrangement for me." I smiled, feeling relieved. Xi Lan's words meant he had tacitly agreed to my request.