An Xin's face darkened, and her tone became calm, "Jing Lan, I seem to have no grudge against you, so why are you imprisoning my parents?"
He tilted his head.
The usually composed Prime Minister rarely makes such an innocent expression, but in this situation, it's impossible for An Xin to develop a liking for him.
"Perhaps it's because you're relentlessly pursuing the headless corpse, or you've discovered the buried bones... Hmm, Xin'er, you've ruined so many of my plans..."
An Xin gasped.
Even though she had already suspected that these incidents were related to Jing Lan, An Xin was still shocked when she heard him admit it frankly.
“Where is Feng Yi…” An Xin pursed her lips, her body trembling slightly.
“You met last time. He stabbed Yan Zhen, but unfortunately his swordsmanship was inaccurate and he couldn’t kill him.” Jing Lan’s expression showed no concealment of regret.
An Xin's body suddenly stiffened. The strange man who assassinated Yan Zhen was actually Feng Yi!?
Thinking of the severed head lying in front of her, An Xin felt a chill run through her body.
"You killed him, you killed him..." The voice trembled, a kind of unspeakable pain piercing the heart.
"You're wrong. It was Yan Zhen who killed him. He is the most heinous person in the world!"
An Xin stood frozen in place.
"Years ago, my father was nearly wiped out by the Yan family. If they hadn't hidden in Hundred Flowers Valley, they would have surely died. But Hundred Flowers Valley was teeming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts. My mother was brutally mauled by lions and tigers, and my father lost a leg while trying to save her. At that time, I swore that I would make the Yan family pay for their blood debt. Later, my mother died from her injuries, and after my father became disabled, he became an alcoholic. Whenever he was drunk, he would beat and kick me. Heh, at that time, I thought, the Yan family didn't deserve to die. They deserved to suffer a fate worse than death. So, the fire at the Yan family's residence didn't kill many people. I just threw them into pig cages and tormented them until I was satisfied. Someone always has to pay for the dead. Their deaths were not a pity." Jing Lan smiled faintly, her expression pleased.
An Xin felt a chill creeping over her. She thought Jing Lan's methods were cruel, but she never imagined he was so ruthless.
"The reason why the headless corpse was as light as a swallow is because it was just a dummy dressed in white. The reason why it landed without leaving a trace is because it never landed, but was pulled by you with a kite string. The reason why it was headless is because it was deliberately mysterious. The reason for the mysterious act is to confuse my judgment. Jing Lan... you planned this all along."
Jing Lan's smile faded slightly as she looked at An Xin and said, "You're too smart. I just didn't want you to get involved."
An Xin lowered her eyelashes and said softly after a long while, "I thought we could at least be friends."
Jinglan remained silent.
An Xin went straight into the room, saw the wine on the table, poured herself a glass, sat down and said, "You look a lot like someone I know. Before I met you, I was attracted to you because you have the same name. But when I met you, I found that you don't look the same, which made me a little disappointed, but I still like being with you."
Jing Lan paused, then sat down on the other side of the table.
“That person was very ill. I saw him every day, but we never spoke a word to each other. Then one day, he was gone. When I saw him, he was no longer breathing.” An Xin turned her head to look at Jing Lan and chuckled, “When I heard your name, I was very excited. I felt that I finally had a chance to get rid of the knot in my heart, and at least my guilt would be less.”
Jinglan was momentarily stunned. She picked up her wine cup and took a sip. It tasted a little bitter, but it was like the feeling in her heart. She then drank it all in one gulp.
"But Jinglan, what brought us to this point? Maybe it's because of Yan Zhen, maybe it's because of me, maybe it's because of you. I liked him, but you liked me. This is not the outcome I wanted."
An Xin stood up, walked to the door and said, "If you hadn't seen me before the fire, would you have been so persistent in following me?"
“That person is not you…” Jing Lan paused, her voice trembling slightly, “You are not An Xin, who are you? And who is the person I like? Tell me.”
Wen Wan turned to look at him and said softly, "I've only told you this. I don't think you'll let anyone else know." And there probably won't be another chance...
Jing Lan's face was slightly pale.
“I am probably from a long time in the future, where all people are born equal, and all killing is condemned.”
Jing Lan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
An Xin's long eyelashes trembled, then she turned around and said calmly, "I'd rather live with guilt for the rest of my life than see you drive me to my death. Do you understand?"
The door opened, revealing that the Imperial Guard had already surrounded the area, while her parents waited anxiously.
****
As An Xin erected the tombstone, Jin'er came over and whispered, "Sister Xin'er, why is this a blank tombstone?"
An Xin stroked the smooth surface of the monument with her fingers and said, "Perhaps, only a wordless monument can truly interpret his life."
An Jin then asked, "But why is Sister Xin'er crying?"
An Xin tilted her head and glared at him: "Nonsense, I just got sand in my eyes." What a lame excuse.
An Jin exhaled, stretched, and said, "I need to help Father brew wine. That girl An Wan has been stealing a lot of Father's wine these past few days, saying she's giving it to Brother Shen Zhuo. Brother Shen Zhuo is getting fed up with her."
An Xin couldn't help but smile. An Wan had finally changed her personality and understood many things she hadn't understood before...
As I casually swept the dust off the tombstone and reached for the freshly picked flowers, another hand snatched them away first. I was startled and turned around—Yan Zhen's captivating beauty suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“Uh…” They hadn’t seen each other since he was injured last time. Although the letter to the Imperial Guards was sent to the Right Prime Minister’s residence, Yan Zhen did not appear.
He glanced at her indifferently, placed the flowers in front of the tombstone with his own hands, and turned to walk away.
An Xin paused for a moment, then chased after him. "Are you... healed?"
He walked straight ahead, ignoring her.
An Xin twitched her lips. Why did things feel so distant after so many days apart?
"Yan Zhen..."
He paused, and said calmly, "According to etiquette, Miss An should address me as the Right Prime Minister."
"...Your Excellency, the Right Chancellor..." He sneezed?
He turned around abruptly, his face cold, and said, "Why did you summon me? Court affairs are busy. Don't waste my time unless it's something important!"
Looking at his cold, handsome face, An Xin sighed inwardly, wondering how she had offended him.