Chapter 33: Be Good, Bear With It a Little Longer

"I shouldn't have hit a vital spot..." Luo Xiang struggled to speak. "She wasn't supposed to die."

"Supposed to? That's a clever choice of words. It seems you didn't want her to die."

"..."

"It appears she played a key role in your plans. Are you accomplices?"

Xiao Yuanchi suddenly loosened his grip. An arrow whistled through the air, grazing Luo Xiang's right cheek before embedding itself into the wall behind her, instantly slicing a bloody gash into her face.

Luo Xiang’s ears rang. She blurted out, "No! Everyone knows the Princess is a sheltered noblewoman who is deeply devoted to the Prince. How could she possibly be in league with us?"

"Your accomplice doesn't say the same. She claims the Princess acted out of jealousy and love-turned-to-hate, hiring assassins to do the deed, and that you were bought by her."

Luo Xiang was stunned.

"Your accomplice also claims that Yin Jiaojiao didn't shield me from the blade on purpose, but was pushed by that maid who tricked her into it. She says the reason she suddenly warned me to be careful wasn't to save me, but to make it easier for you to kill me."

Xiao Yuanchi calmly notched another arrow.

"After hearing that testimony, do you still think Yin Jiaojiao didn't deserve to die?"

The arrowhead pointed directly at Luo Xiang's throat.

"Your Highness! She was subdued by your men early on; how could she have seen anything from so far away? I was the closest, and I saw it clearly." Luo Xiang spoke again. "If the Princess hadn't been worried about you leaning forward—which gave that maid the opportunity—she wouldn't have been pushed into my blade. Besides... my sword was aimed at you. If her body hadn't subconsciously leaned toward your direction, my blade would have merely grazed you and hit nothing."

"Furthermore, money alone isn't enough to pay for our services." Luo Xiang sneered. "Your Highness, my accomplice wouldn't have given such a testimony. This confession is fabricated. What are you trying to test?"

Xiao Yuanchi narrowed his eyes, lowering the arrow slightly to point at her heart.

The man’s presence was overwhelming. Luo Xiang had spent her entire life walking the razor’s edge, yet this was the first time she had encountered an opponent whose mere movements left her trembling. He didn't use torture or verbal threats; he spoke of irrelevant matters as if in casual conversation, but Luo Xiang knew he had already pinpointed her weakness.

She had already lost.

However, Luo Xiang smiled. "That day, you told me I was 'imitating beauty with a frown.' I am naturally the ugly Dong Shi, but the beautiful Xi Shi is not Lady Ningyuan, is she?"

*Whoosh.*

A second arrow flew. This time it did not miss. The razor-sharp shaft pierced clean through Luo Xiang's right shoulder with such immense force that it not only pinned her firmly to the wooden frame, but caused the entire structure to sway.

It was just an ordinary arrow; only staggering arm strength and murderous intent could achieve such a feat.

Luo Xiang choked back a cry of pain.

"You assassins have many traits, but you are too loyal. Yin Jiaojiao was good to you, even if it was just exploitation, and you want to repay her, unwilling to harm her." Xiao Yuanchi tossed the bow to Su Zhengqing. "The current Governor of Qingzhou, when he was in the Gu Army, gained a reputation for taking in orphans of fallen soldiers. I suspect you are one of them."

Luo Xiang stiffened and looked up sharply, but Xiao Yuanchi had already turned and exited the cell.

Su Zhengqing followed behind, cradling the bow. "Your Highness, is the interrogation over?"

"Where is Xia Lan?"

"In the next cell."

Xiao Yuanchi changed course and entered the adjacent cell. Xia Lan was not on the rack, but she was in no better state, disheveled and shackled. Seeing Xiao Yuanchi enter, she hurriedly kowtowed. "Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Forgive which crime? Betraying your master for personal gain, or attempted murder?"

Xia Lan paused. "Your Highness, upon entering the Prince’s mansion, I became a member of this household. It is my duty to resolve your worries. My actions had their reasons."

Su Zhengqing asked in astonishment, "You framed the Princess and tried to kill her—how does that resolve his worries?"

"Yin Jiaojiao is my former master, but she is not the Princess the Prince holds in his heart. I discovered this and decided to help the Prince find his true Princess, which is why I abandoned Yin Jiaojiao and turned to Lady Xuezhi."

"That is a ridiculous excuse."

Xia Lan ignored Su Zhengqing and looked at Xiao Yuanchi. "Your Highness, do you not wish for Yin Jiaojiao to leave the mansion?"

Xiao Yuanchi laughed.

"Whether she leaves or stays is a matter between her and me. Is it your place to decide? Moreover, you keep claiming you switched your loyalty to Xuezhi. She might think so, but I do not."

Xiao Yuanchi stepped on the shackles on her wrists, pulling her until she was sprawled on the ground.

"You had ulterior motives before Xuezhi even moved in. Or rather, ever since Yin Jiaojiao and I began to cross paths, you have been restless. That trip to Qujiang Lake—that was your first attempt." He curled his lips. "So, you don't belong to the Gu family. You belong to the Yin family."

Su Zhengqing was stunned, and Xia Lan grew terrified; her eyes darted around in panic.

"I... I was born into the Yin household, so I count as a Yin."

"Don't play dumb."

Xiao Yuanchi suddenly lifted his foot and kicked the shackles with such force that Xia Lan was sent flying, crashing into the stone wall behind her and coughing up a large mouthful of blood.

"An ordinary maid would not have survived that kick. Your skills are on par with those two assassins. If you had been willing to help, Yin Jiaojiao would not have had to take that arrow." Xiao Yuanchi said coldly. "She has no sisters, yet she treated you like one. For over a decade, you lived more comfortably by her side than a high-born lady. You harmed her many times with clumsy schemes, yet she never suspected you. Even when she set a trap for you, she never intended to take your life. You, however, never thought of that when you struck."

Xia Lan gasped in pain, refusing to answer.

"If you won't confess, then so be it. Best of luck on the road to the afterlife."

Xiao Yuanchi finished speaking and turned to leave.

Xia Lan watched his back and suddenly said, "Your Highness, do you want my life to vent your anger on behalf of Yin Jiaojiao?"

Xiao Yuanchi acted as if he hadn't heard, his pace never faltering.

***

Su Zhengqing felt that Xiao Yuanchi was furious, but this level of interrogation was not enough to make him lose his composure. He dared not ask Xiao Yuanchi, so he retreated a few steps to ask Mr. Zhang.

"The Prince is acting a bit strange, Mr. Zhang."

"How so?"

"Just now, when interrogating Luo Xiang, why did he fabricate that accomplice's testimony? And he made it sound so convincing. What was he testing?"

Mr. Zhang glanced at him sideways. "There are many possibilities, but I am inclined to believe... that testimony was the Prince’s own conjecture. But he didn't believe it, so he had to test others to see if he could get a different result."

"Ah?"

Mr. Zhang sighed. "And that Luo Xiang gave the Prince a different result that he liked, so the Prince was in a better mood."

"Ah??"

"As for Xia Lan," Mr. Zhang shook his head, "the Prince detests betrayal more than anything. He was simply disgusted."

"Is that so?"

Mr. Zhang smiled. "Just a guess. Take it for what it's worth."

Su Zhengqing scratched his head. "I think you're teasing me."

"Silly child," Mr. Zhang said enigmatically. "Remember one thing."

"What is it?"

"The wind is rising, and the mountain is about to be swept away by the storm."

"Can you speak like a normal person?"

"In plain language: attempting to assassinate a prince at a banquet—a banquet where both the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin were present—means the Emperor will intervene whether the Prince likes it or not. The Qingzhou embezzlement case is about to take a turn, and I fear it will be a bad one. Just wait."

This was still hard to understand, but Su Zhengqing kept his mouth shut.

***

Yin Jiaojiao awoke again in the middle of the night.

She looked at the gold-plated, silver-filigree incense ball hanging from the canopy, carved with flowers and birds. She thought hazily, *I had Qiu Ming put away these items that were always soaked in Xiao Yuanchi's favorite scents long ago. Why are they hanging here again? Could it be that I have been reborn once again?*

She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her right shoulder made her moan, "It hurts."

Before she could finish the word, the arm beneath her neck moved, followed by a gentle kiss on her temple.

Xiao Yuanchi whispered, "Be good. Bear with it a little longer."