Chapter 86 Part 2

Chu Shao smiled. “If you could live your life again, would you still be the same as you are now? If not, what would you want to do?”

Xiao Jin thought to herself: If I could live it again, I would definitely not have read this cliché, melodramatic web novel.

Yet bathed in the soft sunlight filling the courtyard, with flower petals swirling around and drifting in the breeze, the words that reached her lips came out as: “If I could live it again, I would still want to bask in the sun here for a while, to watch when these flowers bloom and when they drift away.”

Xiao Jin paused, meeting Chu Shao’s clear eyes, and, as if driven by some unseen force, added one more sentence.

“With the princess consort accompanying me at my side, I imagine that would actually be rather wonderful.”

Chu Shao seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then she smiled and asked softly, “Do you truly think so?”

Xiao Jin gave a slight cough. “At least in that instant just now, I thought so.”

Now that she had come back to her senses, she still preferred the idea of returning to the modern world, pulling out her phone to order a cup of milk tea, and spending a leisurely afternoon.

A world without milk tea and food delivery was ultimately far too feudal.

Who knew that upon hearing these words, Chu Shao would smile again, a smile of extreme gentleness.

That smile, inevitably, made Xiao Jin’s heart skip a beat.

It even made her begin to question whether it was her heart trembling, or something else entirely.

Chu Shao leaned gently against the wisteria trellis and said to Xiao Jin, “Sometimes, a person cannot be too greedy.”

“So this humble wife also feels that a single instant is enough.”

…

Deep into the night, the hai hour had arrived.

Inside the study, several oil lamps were lit.

Xiao Jin sat within the room, not reading a book, but casually picking up a pair of silver scissors and absently trimming the lampwicks.

She trimmed until Ye Juege, standing guard to the side, had grown somewhat weary. Only then did Xiao Jin speak.

“Juege, tell me, what kind of person would think a single instant is better than a hundred years?”

Suddenly asked such a question, Ye Juege was still a little stunned.

“Please allow your subordinate a moment to think.”

Xiao Jin tossed the scissors aside. “No matter. This prince was merely asking casually. Take all the time you need to think.”

Ye Juege thought for a long time before giving her answer. “Most likely, it would be an immortal.”

“Immortals have endless lifespans. A single day in the heavens is a year in the mortal realm. A mere hundred years naturally wouldn’t catch an immortal’s eye.”

“…”

Absurd as it was, it somehow carried a sliver of logic.

Recalling the nature of this novel—probably not a cultivation story—Xiao Jin rubbed her brow and asked, “Aside from immortals?”

Ye Juege couldn’t come up with anything sensible either. Bracing herself, she began to talk nonsense.

“Unless that single instant is exceedingly important to that person. For instance, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, or a long drought finally receiving sweet rain…”

“And what if it’s none of those four great joys?”

Ye Juege shook her head. “Then your subordinate does not know.”

“Because your subordinate is merely an ordinary person. I would certainly think a hundred years is better and longer than a single instant. A single instant is but the snap of a finger; how could it compare to the enduring length of a hundred years?”

Xiao Jin did not speak. She lowered her eyes.

She fixed her gaze on the wisteria blossom on the desk, reached out, and picked it up, placing it in her palm.

Then she turned to more serious matters. “These past few days, how many times has Blood Rain Pavilion sent over invitations?”

“Twice in total.”

Xiao Jin nodded, again falling into a long silence, seeming somewhat distracted.

After a long while, she suddenly brought up an unrelated topic. “This prince vaguely recalls that Prince Yan’s Manor acquired more than one residence in Qingzhou. There seems to be a mountain villa as well, on Smoke Mountain.”

Ye Juege had not expected Xiao Jin to still remember this detail. “Your Highness, there is indeed such a mountain villa on Smoke Mountain.”

“What is that villa like?”

Ye Juege said, “I’ve heard that the villa’s steward replaced the previous plantings a few years back and imported many lotuses from the Cloud Qin Kingdom. Nurtured by Smoke Mountain’s hot spring water, they’ve attracted quite a few visitors, and business has grown increasingly better.”

“Whether business is good or not is secondary.”

Xiao Jin caressed the small flower in her palm and said casually, “The key point is that when Blood Rain Pavilion sends a third invitation, we should pick one of our own territories to stay in.”

“Moreover, the location must be a bit remote, and the security need not be overly strict.”

Ye Juege nodded. “If that’s the case, then that villa indeed meets the conditions you’ve specified.”

As Xiao Jin spoke with Ye Juege, she seemed to think of something else and placed the flower back onto the desk.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, she smiled. “Summer has arrived, and that villa has lotuses. If I could row a boat with the princess consort and pick some lotus pods, that would actually be rather nice, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

Ye Juege was speechless.

Seeing her subordinate fall silent, Xiao Jin coughed and tried to cover for herself. “I was joking.”

However, Ye Juege’s face was a portrait of disbelief.

Xiao Jin coughed again.

Ye Juege also began to cover for her. “Indeed, if Your Highness were to take the princess consort to the villa for leisure and then spread the news, Blood Rain Pavilion would have no excuse not to come.”

But she shifted her tone. “However, Your Highness, forgive your subordinate for speaking bluntly.”

“Speak.”

“Your subordinate has always felt that the people of Blood Rain Pavilion are not benevolent or kind. Moreover, the person hidden behind them seems to have an extremely powerful background.”

“They dare to assassinate important court officials. They must be relying on someone backing them to act with such impunity. And now, for Blood Rain Pavilion to be so attentive to Prince Yan’s Manor is very strange.”

Xiao Jin very much agreed with Ye Juege’s view. “That analysis is extremely sound.”

“It’s just that whether Blood Rain Pavilion’s intentions are genuine or not is actually of no consequence to this prince.”

Ye Juege was somewhat puzzled. “Your Highness, why is that?”

Xiao Jin said, “Since we are discussing business, sincerity is enough. As for what they truly plot, if their people don’t say, we naturally won’t know, and there’s no need for us to investigate.”

“If Blood Rain Pavilion has ulterior motives, even if we do nothing, they will be the first to show their hand.”

Ye Juege suddenly understood. “Your Highness is wise.”

It wasn’t exactly wisdom—merely the act of holding steady and observing because she hadn’t figured out Blood Rain Pavilion’s motives yet.

Xiao Jin did not elaborate further. She said to Ye Juege, “Right now, this prince wishes to see a person.”

“Whom do you wish to see?”

“Shen Lan.” Xiao Jin lowered her gaze and placed the flower back into her palm. “This prince will go and have a meeting with him.”

…

Inside the dark chamber, a few candles were lit.

The sound of wheelchair wheels rolling over the ground gradually rose, candle shadows flickering, casting dancing shapes on the walls.

Shen Lan was bound to an iron frame with chains. Hearing movement, he raised his head with difficulty, looking toward the sound.

He spotted Xiao Jin in the wheelchair, stared intently for a long moment, and then broke into violent coughing.

As he coughed, blood seeped from between his lips and teeth. And probably because he had lost so much blood, it was no longer thick; the color was already very pale.

Xiao Jin watched everything coldly, her knuckles moving slightly as she caressed the small flower in her palm, not uttering a word.

Once Shen Lan’s coughing had subsided for a moment, she asked in an indifferent voice, “Reduced to such a state, you must want very badly to kill this prince right now.”

Shen Lan said with hatred, “Whether for my own sake or for Great Yao, I should kill you.”

“Is that so, Yard Master Shen. If that is truly the case, this prince should be even less at ease about letting you go back.”

“If you returned and then came back to assassinate this prince, wouldn’t I have dug a pit for myself and then eagerly jumped in.”

Shen Lan smirked mockingly. “It’s good that you know. You might as well just kill me now to eliminate any future trouble.”

“To eliminate future trouble—that does sound very reasonable.”

Xiao Jin looked at Shen Lan, yet a smile appeared on her face. “However, Yard Master Shen, have you ever heard that a great elephant would refuse to take a step forward for fear of a mouse?”

“Or have you ever heard that a hawk, for fear of ants, would not dare fly into the sky?”

Shen Lan sneered. “The elephant is so massive it wouldn’t even see a mouse. The hawk soars in the sky and has probably never even seen what an ant looks like. Why would it be afraid?”

Xiao Jin fell silent.

It seemed that Shen Lan’s ability to pick up on cues was truly poor, hardly worthy of praise.

A moment passed, and Shen Lan still hadn’t caught on.

Xiao Jin sighed lightly. “Truly, you cannot speak of ice to a summer insect.”

Hearing this, Shen Lan froze for a second.

Only then did the meaning sink in. He erupted in fury. “Xiao Jin! What do you think you are? If you hadn’t been born into the Qi imperial clan, relying on the power and influence of others to throw your weight around, a wretched creature like you would have been killed countless times already.”

Reasonable. She thought so too.

Xiao Jin very much agreed with Shen Lan’s words. “You’re right.”