Chapter 111: Afterword (Part Two)
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As soon as Chu Xie heard that tone, he felt a chill run down his spine. Many memories sprouted like mushrooms after the rain, only to be forcefully suppressed.
Indeed, it was the same person. The tone he used when angry was identical.
Chu Xie’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
“Don’t come any closer.”
“Hey, don’t come any closer.” Chu Xie repeated along with Xu Chunmu, “Or, why don’t you leave first…”
The blade on his neck got closer, and Xu Chunmu, following Chu Xie’s words, further threatened, “Leave!”
A glint flashed in Jiang Yanchi’s eyes, and he already had a small blade tightly gripped in his sleeve. Although Chu Xie couldn’t see his movements, he knew this child too well.
The more silent he was, the more murderous intent he held.
Xu Chunmu’s skills were on a ceiling level. In the previous life, he could sneakily steal evidence and the antidote from the heavily guarded Chu Mansion without anyone noticing, and there was a reason for that.
Unfortunately, times had changed.
Because of the close relationship between Chu Xie and the Crown Prince in this life, the Chu Mansion was always heavily guarded by a special military force. Moreover, Jiang Yanchi happened to be staying in the mansion today, making any attempt to steal evidence more likely to be apprehended.
“Your Highness, Crown Prince, please leave first,” Chu Xie’s face looked a bit strange.
Jiang Yanchi fell silent for a moment, then slowly drew the small blade from his sleeve. “Brother Chu, don’t be afraid.” His gaze shifted to the black-clothed person behind him, but he spoke to Chu Xie, “I will save you.”
Your words make me even more afraid.
The person behind them noticed something was amiss and immediately shouted, “Throw the item in your sleeve out!”
Jiang Yanchi’s movements halted.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Chu Xie’s ears were ringing from the impact, and he immediately echoed, “Throw it out.”
“Brother Chu…”
“Your Highness, please take your people out first.” His tone was almost pleading, and others might think he was excessively concerned about his own life. Still, Jiang Yanchi felt that something was off.
He threw the short blade in his hand out with a loud clatter.
Chu Xie seemed to heave a sigh of relief.
However, just when both of them were relaxed, the scabbard of the blade hidden in the sleeve was thrown out and hit the hand holding the blade, forcing the person to abandon the blade and step back.
As soon as Chu Xie was released, Jiang Yanchi immediately moved forward, lifting the short blade on the ground with his toes and sweeping it towards Xu Chunmu’s throat, barely avoiding cutting the skin.
Staggering to a stop, Xu Chunmu drew the long sword from his waist and started exchanging moves with the Crown Prince.
Jiang Yanchi was amazed at the agility of this person, and he felt that his body movements were somewhat familiar, as if they had clashed before.
At this moment of confusion, he heard a splash from beside him.
Chu Xie had unexpectedly fallen into the deep water of the pool and couldn’t get up for a while, splashing around inside, even swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of water.
In this moment of distraction, Xu Chunmu seized the opportunity, immediately flipping over and flying out of the window.
Without time to consider both ends, the Crown Prince turned over and jumped into the hot water pool where mist lingered, first pulling Chu Xie’s head out of the water.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Chu Xie bent over and spat out two mouthfuls of water, immediately starting to cough violently.
It had been a long time since he had heard him cough so severely. Jiang Yanchi, feeling a bit alarmed, quickly asked, “How are you? Are you okay?” He patted his back, only to find the skin beneath his touch was as delicate as jade, then as if he had been bitten by a snake, he let go.
Chu Xie, lacking support, couldn’t stand steadily and fell back into the pool.
Jiang Yanchi could only lift him again, and with his other hand, he reached into the pool to touch his drenched inner garment.
After feeling around for a while, he finally found it, but it was also soaked through, not seeming to offer any protection. Jiang Yanchi immediately lowered his body, hiding in the white mist and speaking in a cold tone, “What are you dawdling for? Go out and chase after them!”
Once the Imperial Guards had rushed out, he reached out and untied his jade-inlaid belt, using it to secure Chu Xie’s inner garment.
His fingertip traced over the collarbone, heart, and his other hand supported his lower back.
Smooth and without a single scar.
The Crown Prince’s gaze softened, and as he raised his eyes, he once again saw the arm covered in whip marks from Chu Xie’s previous life.
The pupil contracted, and he lifted the hand from the water pool.
He was a bit out of his mind, giving a bitter smile as he shoved his hand back into the snowy white sleeve, dressing him again.
“In the middle of the night, what are you doing over here?” Jiang Yanchi adjusted his collar while pondering the fact that the black-clothed person had kidnapped Chu Xie in such a way. Despite harboring a killing intent, his tone remained calm. “If you want to bathe, couldn’t you have someone fetch water to your bedroom?”
“Your Highness sleeps outside the bedroom; I didn’t want to disturb Your Highness.”
Chu Xie coughed forcefully, and his voice sounded hoarse.
The mist steamed around his jade-like skin, emitting a faint pink hue. His neck was as slender as a crane’s, and now in the water, it looked even more ethereal.
For an instant, the pool water seemed to become scalding.
As if boiling his bones and blood.
Jiang Yanchi took off his outer robe, covering Chu Xie from top to bottom in the heavy black robe, tightly wrapping him up like a silkworm cocoon.
Then, he lifted him out of the warm water.
Kicking the door open casually, as if he were in his own home, he walked straight into Chu Xie’s bedroom.
Feeling a bit cold as the cold wind hit him, Chu Xie shivered. Jiang Yanchi noticed him trembling and hastened his steps, directly jumping across two courtyards from the roof.
When he soared up, Chu Xie was so startled that he shrank into his arms. After landing on the other side, Chu Xie said, “What are you doing jumping around in your courtyard?”
Stepping into the bedroom with giant strides, Jiang Yanchi grinned, “Oh, so this counts as my courtyard. Alright, I won’t jump next time.”
Chu Xie only understood the implication behind his words after a moment and immediately corrected, “It’s my courtyard, not yours.”
Jiang Yanchi’s smile did not diminish, and he placed Chu Xie on the bed. Before the servant girls arrived, he had already unbuttoned his outer garment. He then took off his belt and, after covering him with bedding, finally managed to remove his inner garment. “Alright, next time, I won’t jump anymore.”
“…?”
The process of undressing seemed a bit too familiar. Chu Xie felt like a little plaything manipulated by him, lying in the bedding.
As the maids entered, they heard him instruct, “Go fetch another clean mattress and some clothes, and make a bowl of ginger soup.”
Handing him a handkerchief to cover his face, Jiang Yanchi turned him around and began drying his hair, muttering in a low voice, “I told you not to go drink with others.”
“What does that have to do with drinking?”
The Crown Prince shot him a sideways glance and wiped his hair more vigorously. “If you didn’t drink, would you have the courage to bathe in the middle of the night?”
Hey, what’s with that tone?
Is he out of his mind lately? Chu Xie immediately turned his head, looking at him in shock. “It’s because you insisted on staying in my bedroom that I went to another courtyard to bathe, alright?”
“Why not in your own bedroom then?”
“You sleep in the outer hall, and I bathe in the inner room. It’s just a curtain apart. Is it absurd or not?”
Jiang Yanchi fell silent for a while, vigorously rubbing his hair. He muttered, “Well, when you bathe, you don’t avoid the maids either.”
“Those maids are mine; naturally, they should serve me.” Chu Xie countered with a frown.
Jiang Yanchi finally stopped arguing. The fire in Chu Xie’s heart gradually subsided, and then he heard a very soft voice, “But I am also yours.”
The Crown Prince saw clearly that Chu Xie’s neck stiffened.
After drying his hair, Jiang Yanchi wrapped Chu Xie, who was in the bedding, into a bundle and held him close, whispering softly by his ear, “Brother Chu, I like you.”
“What.”
“Really like you.”
For some reason, Chu Xie’s mind immediately flashed back to the psychiatrist’s question from his past life, “High school student, huh?”
His ear tips turned slightly red, and he looked away awkwardly.
“It’s quite normal for you to like me. I also like you, Your Highness.”
Jiang Yanchi heard the underlying tone but didn’t continue down that path this time. Instead, he corrected, “Not like this. I admire you, appreciate you. I want to perform the worship of heaven and earth with you, take you as my crown prince consort. Will you or won’t you?”
His eyes looked at him expectantly.
Won’t.
Even though the answer was clear in his heart, looking at Jiang Yanchi’s eyes at this moment, he couldn’t say it out loud.
Jiang Yanchi’s eyes were full of himself.
He had tried it once, and it had been painful.
The closer, the more painful.
‘A person in doubt, sorrow, anger, despair, unable to save even oneself, let alone others.’
The doctor’s confident words echoed in his ears again.
Yes, he had no ability to build an intimate relationship.
Just like how he loved Shen Yin so much, yet he only brought her painful memories.
In this life, being able to fully experience joy and sorrow, and being able to pass through life like a normal person, was his ultimate wish.
He couldn’t like Jiang Yanchi.
He had no ability to like anyone.
“I won’t.”
The words echoed in the quiet night, stirring the flickering candle flame.
In the interplay of light and shadow, he heard Jiang Yanchi’s breath, so close.
Unusually heavy.
The maids happened to bring the mattress and clothes. The Crown Prince tested the temperature of the bowl and handed a bowl of ginger soup to Chu Xie.
Holding the bedding tightly with both hands, he drank the hot soup along with the movement of the other person.
Indeed, he felt much warmer on his body. Overwhelmed by drowsiness, he laid down on his side and slept, as if the conversation just now had never happened.
“Have you ever liked me?”
“Even a little. Have you ever liked me?”
Chu Xie didn’t answer again. He heard Jiang Yanchi get up and go to the outer room. He wasn’t careful, and bumped into the table, making a loud noise as bamboo slips scattered on the floor.
The footsteps were particularly heavy.
He covered himself with the bedding and, in a daze, heard a sigh outside the bead curtain.
Feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his heart, he tossed and turned under the blanket.
Can’t he really like him?
Should he try again? Maybe this life would work; he could try hard to perceive Jiang Yanchi’s emotions and try hard to like him.
But what if it didn’t work?
In the previous life, he had already ruined Jiang Yanchi once.
Do we need to do it again?
The hand in the bedding was tightly clenched, causing pain in the palm.
Why did he have such a severe psychological problem?
Emotional castration accompanied by post-traumatic stress disorder had led to emotional perception disorders.
If the post-traumatic stress disorder could be overcome, maybe the subsequent problems could be completely resolved.
The bedding was suddenly lifted. Chu Xie seemed to have made some determination. He looked at the only open window in front of the bed, reached out, and pulled down the window support.
The window was gently closed.
The room suddenly became extremely quiet.
Chu Xie’s hand holding the window support immediately began to tremble.
He hugged his elbow, leaned against the window, and tried hard to breathe.
However, his body shook more and more violently. He resisted the urge to open the window, turned around, and looked at the dimly lit room, repeatedly self-suggesting: It’s okay, take a deep breath.
But in less than half a cup of tea’s time, more and more sweat appeared on his body, and gradually, his consciousness began to blur.
His palms were sweaty, unable to hold the window support, and the sound of falling alerted Jiang Yanchi outside.
He rushed over with a lit candle, and seeing the dark room, his heart began to beat violently. “What happened? Did the wind blow the window shut?”
While supporting Chu Xie, he heard him murmuring very low, “No, don’t open it.”
His hand was still trembling violently, but it was covered in cold sweat.
Jiang Yanchi was stunned.
But it was only a moment of confusion. He immediately reached out to push open the window, but the person in his arms, with strength from somewhere, pushed him forcefully, causing him to fall to the ground.
“Brother Chu, Chu, Chu Xie?”
“Ah Xie?”
Jiang Yanchi was a little panicked. He helped him sit up, but he was tightly hugged. It seemed like he had fallen into a nightmare. “Little Yin… Little, Little Yin…”
“Wake up!” Jiang Yanchi saw that he had started to mutter, and he was instantly frightened. He immediately held him to lift him up, but the person in his arms grabbed onto him and clung tightly.
A tight embrace.
He could clearly hear Chu Xie’s heartbeat, which was intense and anxious, as if even his breathing was blocked.
“Jiang… Jiang Yanchi.”
Was he calling his name?
“Jiang Yanchi, Jiang Yanchi, Jiang Yanchi…”
The shouts continuously slipped from his mouth, exceptionally urgent and confused.
Calling out made his heart ache as if being torn apart.
“I’m here, I’m here.” He immediately stabilized the person and placed him on the bed, then picked up the window support to prop up the window.
The bright moonlight once again illuminated the room. In the clear moonlight, Jiang Yanchi assessed the person on the bed.
This person had evidently plunged into a nightmare related to some event with him.
“Ah Xie.”
Jiang Yanchi called out just once, and a teardrop immediately fell from the reddened corner of Chu Xie’s eye.
Dreaming about me.
Is it so painful?
The crown prince’s heart had never been so heavy. He had thought that in Chu Xie’s memories, he might have only brought endless troubles and pain. However, he didn’t know that the pain was so profound that even in a dream, Chu Xie couldn’t find any relief, only shedding tears helplessly.
Was it because he said he liked him?
He had actually started having nightmares.
Suddenly, Jiang Yanchi regretted impulsively confessing his feelings.
Perhaps these three years had been too smooth and comfortable, causing him to forget the bitter consequences of the past life and act recklessly once again.
As he stood up, he noticed some resistance. Turning around, he saw a hand emerging from the bedding, tightly gripping his sleeve.
Following that arm upwards, he saw Chu Xie’s eyes, still vacant, half-open, as if in a semi-conscious state.
Dryly, Jiang Yanchi called out, “Brother Chu.” Fearing that he might not hear clearly, he added, “You, don’t mind what I said earlier; those were just jokes. I don’t really like…”
That hand suddenly loosened.
“You’re not him.”
“Yeah.”
Chu Xie’s eyes remained hollow, but he whispered, “You’re not Jiang Yanchi.”
This seemingly absurd sentence made him freeze in the moonlight, motionless.
Another crystal-clear teardrop welled up from the corner of his eye, then slid into his hair.
He shook his head, choking.
“For the sake of saving Xu Chunmu, for paving the way back home.”
“I little by little, ruined his life.”
“But I… I can’t go back to that world. After being reborn, I came to a new world… I can’t go back, I can’t return there, I can’t save him…”
“He did nothing wrong; he just liked me… He just desperately wanted to save me. He was originally a good emperor; he was originally…”
Jiang Yanchi’s fingertips gradually turned cold, and then, as if a flame surged from the gurgling blood, warmth returned to his limbs.
He gazed deeply at the confused person on the bed.
This was Chu Xie’s nightmare.
“Is that why you cried?”
Squatting down at the bedside, he wiped away the tears continuously streaming from Chu Xie’s eyes. “No.”
“Ah Xie, you didn’t ruin me.”
Holding his hand tightly, he kissed his fingertips, the back of his hand, then stood up, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, nose, and finally covering his thin lips, supporting his head.
This kiss was as tender as a dragonfly lightly touching the water, a recklessness tasted after three years.
“It’s me who didn’t save you.”
Murmuring between lips and teeth, intensifying their friction, “It was me at that time, too terrible.”
The cool hand brushed away his soaked hair, pressed against his cheeks.
“Let’s start over, okay?”
The evening breeze flickered the candle flame. Jiang Yanchi, reluctant to part, released Chu Xie, picked up the candle and lifted the pearl curtain as he left.
With a light sound of the beads, Chu Xie opened his eyes in a daze, feeling as if he had just experienced a bizarre dream. He dreamed of the past life’s Jiang Yanchi, dreaming of their gentle kisses.
There was still a lingering dull pain on his lips.
However, his mind was muddled and exhausted, and soon he sank back into sleep. This time, a dreamless night.
The next day, he woke up late, having missed the morning court.
But this wasn’t the first time he had been late, and the ministers in the court were already used to it. He even missed the dispersal of the court. To maintain propriety, he decided to go to the Qinzheng Hall to pay respects to Jiang Yanchi and formally apologize.
Unexpectedly, there was someone else in the Qinzheng Hall.
Little Xizi didn’t dare to stop Chu Xie, but he also didn’t dare to let him in.
He stood at the half-closed door and saw a person inside with a face like jade and a posture like a tall pine tree.
“Grandson of Marquis Zhenguo, Xu Chunmu – Xu Chunmu, pays respects to Your Majesty.”
It was Xu Chunmu.
He had indeed come to his mansion last night to steal evidence!
Fortunately, he recognized the voice; otherwise, it would have been disastrous.
Jiang Yanchi had looked at the evidence presented by Xu Chunmu, silently examining it for a while before saying, “So, the person from last night was you. No wonder…”
No wonder what.
Jiang Yanchi contemplated for a moment, then carefully kept the evidence. “The case of Jinhuan Gambling House will be handed over to the Yingtian Mansion for investigation.”
Xu Chunmu seemed relieved. After a few more words, he put on the outer garments of a guard and discreetly left the Qinzheng Hall.
Chu Xie was shocked.
Jiang Yanchi had confessed his feelings for him last night, and today, in broad daylight, he accepted the evidence presented by Xu Chunmu.
In the end, the power in hand was more important. Yes, for an emperor, how many didn’t want to consolidate power in their hands?
Chu Xie couldn’t express the complex emotions in his heart.
It should have been something to be happy about.
In this life, Jiang Yanchi didn’t like him as much, so there was no need to follow the old path from the past life.
In the end, a bridge is a bridge, and a road is a road. Wasn’t this the result he wanted most?
Although he said so, there was still a sense of disappointment when he returned home. He didn’t take a sedan chair but walked alone in the streets for a long time before slowly reaching the entrance of his mansion.
However, he saw the sedan chair of the Prefect of Yingtian Mansion, Qi Sui, parked outside the main gate, and the person standing in front of the sedan was waiting for him.
“Lord Chu.”
Qi Sui had always kept a clear boundary between public and private matters. At this moment, he clearly came for official business, and his words were filled with courtesy and distance.
“Does Lord Qi have any business with this official? Should this official go to Ying Tian Mansion?” Chu Xie glanced at the sedan behind him and the few people.
“Lord Chu, I hope my words won’t be too heavy. There is indeed a case, but there’s no need to go to the Yingtian Mansion for interrogation. Could I trouble you to have a cup of tea at your residence?” Qi Sui was a straightforward person, and Chu Xie found his response quite unexpected.
Normally, the case involving Jinhuan Gambling House was a major scandal that shook the court and the public.
If the evidence was conclusive, they could directly drag someone into the Zhao Prison for harsh interrogation, not to mention a routine interrogation at the Yingtian Mansion.
However, Qi Sui claimed he wasn’t there to apprehend him, leaving Chu Xie puzzled about his intentions.
After offering him a cup of tea, though, Chu Xie realized it was a futile gesture. Qi Sui couldn’t distinguish good tea from bad, chugging down the entire cup before getting to the main topic.
“Do you have some understanding of the current Grand Tutor, Su Mingan?”
“I…”
Chu Xie was momentarily choked by the question.
Seeing his difficulty in answering, Qi Sui raised his hand to tap the table gently. “Lord Chu, I am here to discuss official matters. I cannot tolerate any falsehoods.”
“Let’s say I have some understanding,” Chu Xie replied vaguely.
“Some understanding,” Qi Sui adjusted the official hat on his head and lowered his voice. “Let me give you a hint. Jinhuan Gambling House, did it pass through your hands?”
This direct approach stunned Chu Xie. “Lord Chu, please don’t rush to deny it. Although this matter passed through your hands, His Majesty has already ordered the Ministry of Punishments to investigate. You were also manipulated, and in the end, did the silver end up in the Su Mansion and the Ministry of Revenue? Not only the answer to the case of Jinhuan Gambling House, but also seven years ago, the horse smuggling case that shook the border and the Northern Xiong Royal Court. Was it also related to you, and did the silver end up in the Grand Tutor Su’s hands and the Ministry of Revenue?”
Qi Sui’s demeanor didn’t resemble someone handling a case.
It was more like a casual conversation.
Even mentioning the Ministry of Punishments’ secret investigation was odd. Chu Xie had the Ministry of Punishments under control. When did this secret investigation take place, and how could Jiang Yanchi command the Ministry of Punishments without him knowing?
Qi Sui’s relaxed attitude suggested that the case had already been ironclad in the Yingtian Mansion. He was here just to follow the procedure and gather a confession to complete the case file.
Whatever Chu Xie said didn’t matter; it was only to fill in the gaps.
“When did His Majesty suddenly become suspicious of Grand Tutor Su?”
“You don’t know.” Seeing Chu Xie’s confusion, Qi Sui kindly dropped a hint, “Grand Tutor Su was originally a Yue Clan person. Rumor has it that he might be related to the late Emperor’s death, but this matter needs further investigation. The case of Jinhuan Gambling House is just the beginning.”
Chu Xie remained stunned for a long time, unable to regain his composure.
Jiang Yanchi.
How could he start targeting Su Mingan so early?
To uncover the true flow of silver from Jinhuan Gambling House was already one thing, but discovering a connection between the death of Emperor Xuanhe and Grand Tutor Su was unimaginable.
Incredible.
Could this be the correct way for the male lead to unfold the story?
The more Chu Xie thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
This didn’t seem clever at all.
It was more like someone holding a script.
Could it be…
Chu Xie suddenly remembered the bizarre dream from last night and the gentle whisper of “Ah Xie.”
In the previous life, Xu Chunmu would be reborn due to the thirst for the truth, and the original Chu would be reborn because of the strong desire to save Xu Chunmu.
So, is it possible?
In this life, Jiang Yanchi was also reborn.
The speculation in his heart seemed to become more and more certain, but Chu Xie couldn’t be completely sure.
“Ah Chu, what’s wrong with you?” Qi Sui reached out and waved in front of his eyes. “Is the alcohol from last night still not worn off? Well, let’s talk about this. Even if you can’t completely clear yourself, it won’t be too heavy if the Crown Prince protects you. It’s just that we can’t let that Yue Clan person continue to stir up trouble in the court…”
However, Chu Xie staggered two steps and stood up. “I have something to do. I need to go to the palace.”
“Hey, hey! I haven’t finished my words. I said it’s official business, official business!”
The voice behind him was left behind as Chu Xie just stepped out of the mansion and saw a dark figure coming towards him.
His eyes suddenly turned red.
When did Jiang Yanchi in this life grow so big and tall?
Standing under the green wall, the black robe, auspicious clouds, and golden embroidered totem made him appear exceptionally noble and refined.
He clearly looked like a sixteen-year-old young man, with a smile in his eyes, not much different from his expression in the past three years and unlike the Jiang Yanchi from the previous life.
Chu Xie’s heart slowly sank back to its original position, and after a long time, he remembered to interlace his hands and bow slightly, “Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“No need for too much courtesy.”
Jiang Yanchi replied obediently.
As he passed Chu Xie, he boldly grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers.
“Go in, Ah Xie.”
The tone was as obedient as ever, but holding his hand was firm and gentle.
A gust of wind came, blowing away the strands of hair in front of his forehead, revealing a stunned gleam in his eyes.
The sunlight was bright, casting a warm glow in the courtyard.
Bright and clear, as if everything had become transparent.
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