The carriage, driven by the coachman, traveled further and further away, while Lu Pianpian watched it depart from where she stood.
Inside the car, Jing Yi noticed that Huan Changming was constantly fiddling with the pair of earrings that Lu Pianpian had given him, and then he saw Huan Changming hug the other person. He couldn't help but ask, "Changming, what is your relationship with that person just now?"
“It has nothing to do with it.” Huan Changming replied without hesitation.
Jing Yi was relieved. "You call him Immortal Lord, so he's a cultivator just like Huan Juntian?"
Huan Changming suddenly gripped the earring in his hand, no longer playing with it. "He's just a foolish monk with a lot of pity."
Chapter 14
The sect's study was tightly closed, with only one window wide open.
Huan Juntian stood by the window, quietly watching Lu Pianpian sweeping the desk in the room for a moment, before opening his lips and saying, "Senior Brother."
"Junior brother, what brings you here?" Lu Pianpian put down the rag in her hand and walked to the window. "Do you need the study? I used it for too long a few days ago and it's a bit messy. Wait until I've tidied it up before you come in."
“Senior brother, I don’t need the study.” Huan Juntian pulled Lu Pianpian’s sleeve, and the two stood facing each other. Huan Juntian glanced at the remaining Frost Jade on the table. “Did you give Changming any of the things you made for her?”
"I gave it away." Lu Pianpian picked up the Frost Jade. "There's still a large piece left. The Frost Jade Spirit is really generous."
"What a fine jade," Huan Juntian exclaimed, then paused and whispered, "I want one too."
Lu Pianpian generously placed the Frost Jade into Huan Juntian's palm, saying, "Here you go."
“I don’t want the jade.” Huan Juntian pushed the Frost Jade back to Lu Pianpian. “Whatever Senior Brother did for Changming, I want it too.”
In order to prevent his junior brother from developing any feelings for his master that went beyond the master-disciple relationship, Lu Pianpian practically raised him from the moment he entered the sect.
Junior brother has always been very obedient and sensible since childhood, and has never caused Lu Pianpian any trouble. The number of times he has taken the initiative to ask Lu Pianpian for things like this is even rarer.
Lu Pianpian thought again. As the senior brother of Huan Juntian and Huan Changming, he should treat them equally. If his junior sister had something that his junior brother didn't, it was no wonder that his junior brother cared.
Lu Pianpian knew she had acted inappropriately. "Junior brother, how about I make you a hairpin to tie your hair up?"
"Did Senior Brother also make a hairpin for Changming?"
"no."
Huan Juntian's voice deepened, "I want it to be exactly the same as Changming's, in shape, size, and style."
Lu Pianpian glanced at her junior brother's earlobes; there were no earring marks on them. "Are you really going to wear the same thing as her?"
"yes."
How could Lu Pianpian refuse her junior brother's request? "Alright, I'll make it for you in a few days."
A hint of warmth appeared in Huan Juntian's tense expression. "Mm."
After Huan Changming and Jing Yi left the sect, they arrived at a town along the way. Jing Yi took the lead in sending people to arrange an inn in the town, and immediately went to meet them when their carriage arrived.
Huan Changming, wearing a gauze hat and holding a white cat, stepped down from the carriage.
Jingyi stood beside him, and the two walked into the inn side by side. Jingyi said, "Changming, let's go to the private room for dinner first."
Huan Changming nodded, his eyes discreetly scanning the inn.
It was lunchtime, but there were very few guests, and it was unusually quiet, which looked quite strange.
The cat meowed softly in Huan Changming's arms. Huan Changming patted its head and said, "Quiet."
The waiter led them into a private room, and as soon as they sat down, they heard the sound of the door being locked from the outside.
Jingyi shouted, "What do you mean by this?"
"It's been so hard to find!"
Huan Changming looked over at the sound and saw a strong young man emerge from behind the screen in the side room. He had a hooked nose, deep-set eyes, and a full beard. He had a curved knife at his waist, which looked out of place with the Li Kingdom's clothing. He was clearly a foreigner.
"Who are you?" Jing Yi stood up to protect Huan Changming.
The young man from another race was followed by an attendant. When the attendant saw Jing Yi obstructing him, he was about to step forward to make a move, but Jing Yi stopped him, saying, "Don't be rude. We've come here today to ask for your help."
He sat down opposite Huan Changming and said with a smile, "I am Wu Yao. I wonder if you two have heard of me?"
"Wu Yao?" Jing Yi frowned. "How could the Crown Prince of Xiye Kingdom appear within our territory? What exactly do you intend to do?"
"Greetings, Prime Minister's son." Wu Yao casually clasped his hands in greeting to Jing Yi. "I'm here to discuss a deal with Her Highness the Princess."
He discovered Huan Changming and Jing Yi's identities, and it was clear they had come prepared.
Huan Changming remained calm and composed. "Crown Prince Wuyao flatters me. I am but an unfavored orphan. What could I possibly have to offer the Crown Prince?"
The veil obscured Huan Changming's face, so Wu Yao couldn't see his features clearly. He said, "You are not some orphan. You are the only bloodline of the Princess of Xiye Kingdom. Back then, the Princess sacrificed herself for the sake of the entire Xiye Kingdom and even when she was six months pregnant, she did not forget to assassinate the Prince of Li to avenge the soldiers of Xiye Kingdom who died in battle. Her loyalty and righteousness deserve to be remembered for generations!"
After a few moments of silence in the room, Huan Changming asked, "What is the Crown Prince trying to do by telling me these old stories?"
“As the daughter of the eldest princess, have you never thought of avenging her? The royal family of Li Kingdom treated you like a slave. I don’t believe you still have any affection for them…” Wu Yao cut to the chase, “My father is seriously ill. After he dies, I will succeed to the throne. The first thing I will do then is to wage war against Li Kingdom and wipe away the shame of the defeat of Xiye Kingdom back then! And you are the key to whether I can win this war.”
Huan Changming stroked the cat's back. "His Highness the Crown Prince wants me to betray the country and collude with the enemy during the great war, helping the Xiye Iron Cavalry to crush the Li Kingdom?"
"The princess is indeed intelligent!"
Huan Changming said softly, "Changming is just a woman, insignificant in the Li Kingdom. The Crown Prince thinks too highly of Changming."
Wu Yao suddenly moved closer to Huan Changming's face. Jing Yi was displeased and wanted to stop him, but was stopped by Wu Yao's attendant, "Please do not disturb the conversation between these two, young master."
Wu Yao lifted half a corner of Huan Changming's veil. Even though he was somewhat prepared, he was still stunned by her beauty when he saw her face beneath the veil. "My cousin is so beautiful. Countless kings and nobles in the country have knelt at her feet. Achieving great things is nothing more than a matter of beckoning her with a wave of her hand..."
"Your Highness is too kind."
Wu Yao glanced at Jing Yi, whose face was extremely displeased, and said in a low voice, "Isn't there a man who is currently under my cousin's spell?"
He removed Huan Changming's veil and sat back down. "My cousin is exceptionally intelligent and beautiful. If she agrees, my trusted confidants in Li Kingdom will naturally assist her."
"Since it is a cooperation, Your Highness, what benefits will Changming gain from it?"
Wu Yao laughed heartily, "I will personally kill the entire royal family of Li Kingdom for you, so that you can avenge your mother and enter the royal family of Xiye Kingdom to become a truly supreme and honorable princess. How about it?"
Huan Changming chuckled ambiguously. Wu Yao, thinking he was tempted, added fuel to the fire, "If my cousin feels this isn't enough, I'll grant you the title of Queen of Xiye, and we cousins will then be united in a timeless marriage..."
If Huan Changming could truly help him achieve his great cause of conquering the Li Kingdom, he wouldn't mind handing over the mere position of Queen to Huan Changming, especially since Huan Changming did indeed have a face that captivated him.
"Really?" Huan Changming was indeed tempted. "This is my first meeting with the Crown Prince, but I find it hard to believe him based on just a few words."
"Bring me my seal!" Wu Yao shouted. His attendant immediately brought the seal. Wu Yao wrote down the promises he made to Huan Changming on the blank edict, stamped it, and handed it to Huan Changming. "The edict is stamped as proof. Can my cousin rest assured now?"
Huan Changming accepted the imperial edict with great care and nodded.
Wu Yao's identity prevented him from staying in the Li Kingdom for long. Once he had dealt with this important matter, he would set off to return to the Xiye Kingdom.
Before leaving, he gave Huan Changming a bottle of poison and instructed him: "If Jingyi and my cousin are not of one mind, remember not to let him return to the capital of Li Kingdom alive."
As soon as Wu Yao left, Jing Yi immediately asked Huan Changming, "Are you really going to negotiate with a tiger for its skin?"
"He helped me take revenge, so why shouldn't I conspire with him?" Huan Changming shook the bottle of poison and asked Jing Yi with a smile, "Or is it that... as the son of the Prime Minister of Li Kingdom, you are unwilling to collude with me and tarnish the reputation of loyalty and righteousness of your Jing family?"
Jing Yi was indeed conflicted. After thinking for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "My feelings for you are as clear as heaven and earth, as bright as the sun and moon."
Huan Changming feigned surprise, "Really?"
Jing Yi lifted his long robe and knelt at Huan Changming's feet. "Your humble servant Jing Yi is willing to go through fire and water for Princess Changming, and even die for her!"
Huan Changming poured a pill from the medicine bottle, picked it up with two fingers, and fed it to Jing Yi's lips. "Here, take this pill, and I will believe in your loyalty."
Jingyi's face immediately turned pale. They both knew perfectly well what taking this pill meant.
Jing Yi hesitated for only a moment before opening his mouth to swallow the poison. Huan Changming pulled his hand back, threw the poison on the ground and crushed it, then helped Jing Yi up with both hands. "You've been so good to me, how could I bear to let you actually eat it?"
Jing Yi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Huan Changming was only testing him and didn't really want him to die. "Princess, it's good that you trust me."
Huan Changming said sincerely, "In this world, I only trust you."
Huan Changming stayed in Lu Pianpian's room for more than a month. This time, he left in a hurry and didn't have time to take many things with him.
Lu Pianpian stared blankly at the pale yellow silk dress stored in the corner of the closet.
"Senior brother?" Huan Juntian stood at the door, sword in hand. "What happened?"
Lu Pianpian snapped out of her daze and said, "It's nothing."
He casually closed the cabinet door, and Huan Juntian caught a glimpse of a pale yellow outfit inside. His eyes flickered slightly. "Is that Changming's?"
Lu Pianpian was surprised by her junior brother's sharp eyes. "How did you figure that out?"
"My senior brother has never worn pale yellow."
Lu Pianpian picked up the sword hanging on the wall and walked towards Huan Juntian. "Junior brother, you are so meticulous. You even remember clearly whether I have ever worn a pale yellow color."
Huan Juntian responded, and after Lu Pianpian walked to his side, he changed the subject and asked, "Senior Brother, are you worried about Changming?"
Since her junior brother had seen through her, Lu Pianpian didn't intend to hide it anymore. "She has a tragic background. Before she left, she told me that she had no one she could rely on. So I was worried that the person who came to pick her up might have bad intentions towards her."
Huan Juntian pondered, "Senior brother, Changming chose to go with him willingly, which is enough to show that she can rely on this person."
Lu Pianpian then recalled Huan Changming's words when they parted, saying that he would be a thousand times better off than before, and felt relieved. "Junior brother, you're right. I was overthinking it."
Huan Juntian said, "Let's go down the mountain."
"good."
As they left the royal palace, Huan Mi's men returned from scouting outside and reported to her, "Princess, what the scouts said is true. Young Master Jingyi has indeed brought back that criminal slave, and their carriage is almost at the palace gate."
"You lowly slave!" Huan Mi exclaimed in anger, smashing her teacup. "Guards! This princess wants to see how this lowly slave managed to escape death!"
She stormed angrily to the palace gate with her entourage, just in time to see Jingyi helping Huan Changming down from the carriage. She then took off her cloak and draped it over Huan Changming, saying, "The cold palace is chilly at night, don't catch a cold."
Huan Changming was not only alive and unharmed, but even the face that she loathed was completely intact. Her beloved was now being so gentle and considerate to this lowly servant. Huan Mi felt a pang of bitterness in her heart and tears streamed down her face.
"Your Highness, please don't upset yourself..."
The palace maid's voice, which was trying to comfort Huan Mi, was noticed by Jing Yi and Huan Changming. When Huan Changming saw Huan Mi, he hid behind Jing Yi in fear, like a mouse seeing a cat.
Jingyi immediately shielded Huan Changming behind him, "Princess Huan Mi, what brings you here?"
"Brother Jingyi, are you really going to protect this lowly slave?"
Jingyi knew all about what Huan Mi had done to Huan Changming. Although he was angry, Huan Mi was, after all, a princess and was greatly favored by the Prince of Li. It would be detrimental to him to have a conflict with Huan Mi now, so he did not intend to get entangled with this willful and capricious princess any further.
"If the princess is alright, then I shall take my leave." He shielded Huan Changming, blocking Huan Mi's view. "Let's go."
Huan Mi watched their departing figures, utterly humiliated. Furious and enraged, she yelled at the palace servants, "Get out! All of you, get out!"
Jingyi sent Huan Changming back to the Cold Palace and instructed him, "Huan Mi will not let this go easily. You must be very careful in the palace."