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Chapter 12
Chapter 12 … Forever, forever. By no means would he turn around and glance at her. During the Spring Welcoming Feast, Gu Hong Jian paid close attention to the activities of the second and third princes the entire time. The two of them really were on bad terms. The second and fourth princes chatted with smiles, occasionally glancing over at the third prince with disdain. The third prince also had an unsightly expression as he bowed his head to eat, occasionally speaking a few words to the people beside him. Accordingly, Gu Hong Jian watched them the entire time, but she subconsciously turned her head at times to glance at Zuo Ning Yan. Zuo Ning Yan was indeed extremely beautiful. Her dress swaying gently in the spring breeze just like the several princesses, Zuo Ning Yan stood out the most in her white fluttering dress. Every frown and every smile could all be painted and immortalized. Gu Hong Jian watched as Zuo Ning Yan smiled with chopsticks in hand, her fingers as spotlessly white as scallions. Gu Hong Jian glanced at her fingers… She bowed her head to examine them. Because she worked for a living and practiced martial arts, her fingers looked very rough and unsightly. Gu Hong Jian somewhat embarra.s.sedly drew her hands back into her sleeves. Lin Si Ze was completely ignorant to this. After returning, he consulted, as usual, about the mission with Gu Hong Jian. The two finally resolved to act in two days. According to the second prince’s habits, he stealthily sneaked out of the palace and returned later that day. During those nights, because he didn’t want to be discovered, the second prince was surrounded by fewer Imperial bodyguards. This made it an exceptionally good time to act. And the one to do so…was Gu Hong Jian. Lin Si Ze was a bit anxious. “Can you do it?” Gu Hong Jian split the firewood in half with her bare hands. Light on her feet, she vaulted onto the eaves of the palace and looked down on him as she remarked, “What do you think?” Lin Si Ze said, “…I worry not about your martial arts, but rather your mentality. After all, you have never genuinely a.s.sa.s.sinated someone before.” “…” Gu Hong Jian herself was stunned. Soon after, she exclaimed, “That’s of no importance! This matter will always have a first time; isn’t it just a wave of a dagger? There should be no problems…” Lin Si Ze reached out with one hand to her. “Come down.” Gu Hong Jian smoothly descended serenely, and Lin Si Ze softly patted her head. “…It’s hard on you.” Gu Hong Jian realized at this time that Lin Si Ze was unexpectedly growing as tall as she was. This guy, how could he grow so quickly…abominable. Gu Hong Jian touched her head, pondering this. Two days pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye. Gu Hong Jian had gone and prepared to a.s.sa.s.sinate the second prince by the busy Vermilion Bird Gate on her lonesome many times. The imperial palace had a curfew. In the evening, one could neither enter nor exit the palace gates. Vermillion Bird Gate was rather special, however, as a waist medallion would allow one to enter and exit at night. Therefore, the a.s.sa.s.sination must occur here. On that same evening, Gu Hong Jian dressed in dark clothes in preparation, a black cloth masking her face. She hid on the eaves above Vermillion Bird Gate, coldly watching carriages pa.s.s through. Truthfully, Lin Si Ze was extremely anxious and even wanted to tag along, but Gu Hong Jian argued, “You will only hold things up and perhaps expose yourself,” making him turn back. The second prince’s palanquin then slowly entered. Gu Hong Jian tailed it, leaping above on the eaves. The second prince was very careless. Probably afraid about too many people learning about his nighttime excursions, he only had four porters and one Imperial bodyguard by his side. After the carriage travelled by an unmanned corner, Gu Hong Jian no longer hesitated and tackled the Imperial bodyguard from the eaves. The Imperial bodyguard simply was unable to react, as Gu Hong Jian had used a scabbard to chop at his neck. At once, he fell unconscious. The porters, who had no martial art skills, believed the Imperial bodyguard to be dead and immediately set down the palanquin, hurriedly scattering in all directions. Gu Hong Jian paid no attention to this and immediately lifted the curtains of the palanquin. Sitting inside was the second prince, a frenetic expression on his face. It seemed that he had yet to understand what had happened. Catching sight of a masked Gu Hong Jian, he first stared at the figure blanking before roaring all helter-skelter, “Who are you?! Which faction do you come from?! What do you want to do?! Somebody ah——ah…” The second prince’s voice died off all of a sudden—because Gu Hong Jian’s blade had already streaked across his neck ruthlessly. Blood splattered. Gu Hong Jian slightly tilted her body to the side to avoid the gush of blood. She took off her belt, which was actually an unusual belt due to the presence of a weight, and twisted it around the handle of the blade. Using her strength, she easily tossed it into the nearby Xia He pond. Once the blade was discarded, she shed her black coat and mask, regaining the visage of an ordinary little palace maid. She therefore prepared to leave—only, she had to take extreme caution in avoiding any possibly patrolling guards until she returned to Bai Fu Palace safely. Within Bai Fu Palace, Lin Si Ze had not yet gone to sleep. He sat upright in the inner hall, and upon seeing Gu Hong Jian return, he rose and took two steps forward, saying, “Are you alright?” His first reaction was not to ask, ‘Did you succeed?’ Instead, he had asked, ‘Are you alright?’ This significantly astonished Gu Hong Jian. Originally, Gu Hong Jian was very calm all the while. Regardless of when she had been masked, when she had actually performed the a.s.sa.s.sination, or when she had disposed the evidence afterwards, she had been expressionless. Her mind had been abnormally tranquil, as if there was nothing in the heaven and earth but the completion of this task—nothing else. Yet upon seeing Lin Si Ze and hearing him ask about her wellbeing, Gu Hong Jian suddenly relaxed. She pursed her lips and lightly shook her head. “It’s nothing…” After she said this, however, tears began falling. Her body trembled minutely. Lin Si Ze blanked only to immediately walk forward without delay. He said nothing as he straightforwardly enveloped Gu Hong Jian into his embrace. He was still young, so his chest was not that broad. Nevertheless, the embrace made Gu Hong Jian feel a peculiar sense of safety. It was as if Lin Si Ze’s light-as-a-raindrop embrace of her was enough to make all her problems fade from existence. Gu Hong Jian murmured, “My clothes are a bit bloodstained. You…” Lin Si Ze paid her no mind and continued to hug her, his embrace tightening slightly as well. “These bloodstains you gained were for me. How can I possibly mind.” This was the first time Gu Hong Jian showed weakness in front of Lin Si Ze. She rested her head on Lin Si Ze’s shoulder and slightly turned her head, so her eyes could hide in Lin Si Ze’s neck. Her tears had yet to stop. Lin Si Ze lightly patted her back, speaking warmly to comfort her. Moonlight gently spilled onto them. Lin Si Ze whispered warm, comforting words until Gu Hong Jian gradually calmed down. She quietly breathed, “The second prince…is dead.” Lin Si Ze hummed. “Mn.” Gu Hong Jian also wanted to say something else when, suddenly, she heard a loud noise from outside. Immediately breaking away from Lin Si Ze’s chest, Gu Hong Jian sent a mutually guarded look at Lin Si Ze. She then walked outside slowly. “Third princess, I’m a little afraid…” A girl’s voice gradually became more distinct. Gu Hong Jian scowled—why did she feel that this voice slightly resembled Zuo Ning Yan’s voice?” Another girl spoke up then. “What is there to be afraid of.” “This place feels very eerie…” “This place used to be the cold palace. It later became Prince Ping’s Bai Fu Palace. Since that Prince Ping is not very favored, however, there is still no one here…” “Then why are we here?” “Aiya, I long wanted to come take a look at midnight. Don’t you think it’s fun for this to be so eerie? I also didn’t dare to come alone… You just happened to be here tonight, so I dragged you along!” “Third princess…” The stream of dialogue stopped. Gu Hong Jian pondered this and hit upon a revelation. The close relations.h.i.+p between Zuo Ning Yan and the third princess had the former staying overnight in the palace. The third princess, fond of jokes and fun, dragged Zuo Ning Yan to Bai Fu Palace with the intention of ‘adventure.’ Lin Si Ze had been following closely behind her. When he saw Zuo Ning Yan, his expression immediately changed. He pulled Gu Hong Jian back, whispering, “Your clothes still have blood on them. Don’t let anyone see you… Go back and change first. Or, it’s fine for you to simply not come back out.” Gu Hong Jian, confused, returned back to her room and changed her entire outfit. She still couldn’t help, however, quietly slipping back out. She saw that the third princess and Zuo Ning Yan had just sat down in the hall where Lin Si Ze had been embracing her. The third princess seemed a bit reserved and embarra.s.sed. Meanwhile, Zuo Ning Yan was concluding about something that Gu Hong Jian knew nothing of, as she had just gone to change clothes. At the moment, the two seemed to be chatting happily with each other. Lin Si Ze was, in a rare occurrence, somewhat shy. He sat upright, straighter than he had any time previously, yet his eyes held a soft and gentle gaze. This look, he had never revealed such softness and gentleness to Gu Hong Jian. Although he occasionally spoke warmly to Gu Hong Jian, it was not like this. Gu Hong Jian could very clearly see the division. He was gentle to Gu Hong Jian because she did something that he acknowledged. He was thus bestowing softness and gentleness upon her, like just a moment ago when he held her and lightly patted her back to placate her. To Zuo Ning Yan, he was also gentle and soft. Nevertheless, no matter what Zuo Ning Yan did, he would always be like this to her. Gu Hong Jian still carried a faint fragrance of blood. Her hand trembled due to her nerves. Although the weather was warming up again since it was spring, a chilly wind still swept through the night, whistling and blowing at her weak body. And that guy, the one who originally was comforting her, that guy she did all this for, was now in the hall, chatting with another woman about irrelevant things. She eavesdropped for a long time, even occasionally making a bit of noise in hopes of causing Lin Si Ze to take notice—causing Lin Si Ze to turn around and take notice of her. Yet from start to finish, Lin Si Ze did not discover Gu Hong Jian outside the room. Gu Hong Jian gradually got tired of standing and leaned against the room, sitting on the ground. She raised her head to turn her lonely gaze to the sky full of twinkling stars. And then, she began to weep. This was the first time Gu Hong Jian weeped. Before her parents had abandoned her, she hadn’t weeped. When she had been sold to the emperor’s palace, she hadn’t weeped. When the old mómo died, she hadn’t weeped even then. Yet now she weeped, and not simply because Lin Si Ze had abandoned her—because he had gone to chat with Zuo Ning Yan, all smiles. Rather, she suddenly realized that as long as Zuo Ning Yan was here, Lin Si Ze’s gaze would forever remain on Zuo Ning Yan. Forever, forever. By no means would he turn around and glance at her.
Chapter 12 … Forever, forever. By no means would he turn around and glance at her. During the Spring Welcoming Feast, Gu Hong Jian paid close attention to the activities of the second and third princes the entire time. The two of them really were on bad terms. The second and fourth princes chatted with smiles, occasionally glancing over at the third prince with disdain. The third prince also had an unsightly expression as he bowed his head to eat, occasionally speaking a few words to the people beside him. Accordingly, Gu Hong Jian watched them the entire time, but she subconsciously turned her head at times to glance at Zuo Ning Yan. Zuo Ning Yan was indeed extremely beautiful. Her dress swaying gently in the spring breeze just like the several princesses, Zuo Ning Yan stood out the most in her white fluttering dress. Every frown and every smile could all be painted and immortalized. Gu Hong Jian watched as Zuo Ning Yan smiled with chopsticks in hand, her fingers as spotlessly white as scallions. Gu Hong Jian glanced at her fingers… She bowed her head to examine them. Because she worked for a living and practiced martial arts, her fingers looked very rough and unsightly. Gu Hong Jian somewhat embarra.s.sedly drew her hands back into her sleeves. Lin Si Ze was completely ignorant to this. After returning, he consulted, as usual, about the mission with Gu Hong Jian. The two finally resolved to act in two days. According to the second prince’s habits, he stealthily sneaked out of the palace and returned later that day. During those nights, because he didn’t want to be discovered, the second prince was surrounded by fewer Imperial bodyguards. This made it an exceptionally good time to act. And the one to do so…was Gu Hong Jian. Lin Si Ze was a bit anxious. “Can you do it?” Gu Hong Jian split the firewood in half with her bare hands. Light on her feet, she vaulted onto the eaves of the palace and looked down on him as she remarked, “What do you think?” Lin Si Ze said, “…I worry not about your martial arts, but rather your mentality. After all, you have never genuinely a.s.sa.s.sinated someone before.” “…” Gu Hong Jian herself was stunned. Soon after, she exclaimed, “That’s of no importance! This matter will always have a first time; isn’t it just a wave of a dagger? There should be no problems…” Lin Si Ze reached out with one hand to her. “Come down.” Gu Hong Jian smoothly descended serenely, and Lin Si Ze softly patted her head. “…It’s hard on you.” Gu Hong Jian realized at this time that Lin Si Ze was unexpectedly growing as tall as she was. This guy, how could he grow so quickly…abominable. Gu Hong Jian touched her head, pondering this. Two days pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye. Gu Hong Jian had gone and prepared to a.s.sa.s.sinate the second prince by the busy Vermilion Bird Gate on her lonesome many times. The imperial palace had a curfew. In the evening, one could neither enter nor exit the palace gates. Vermillion Bird Gate was rather special, however, as a waist medallion would allow one to enter and exit at night. Therefore, the a.s.sa.s.sination must occur here. On that same evening, Gu Hong Jian dressed in dark clothes in preparation, a black cloth masking her face. She hid on the eaves above Vermillion Bird Gate, coldly watching carriages pa.s.s through. Truthfully, Lin Si Ze was extremely anxious and even wanted to tag along, but Gu Hong Jian argued, “You will only hold things up and perhaps expose yourself,” making him turn back. The second prince’s palanquin then slowly entered. Gu Hong Jian tailed it, leaping above on the eaves. The second prince was very careless. Probably afraid about too many people learning about his nighttime excursions, he only had four porters and one Imperial bodyguard by his side. After the carriage travelled by an unmanned corner, Gu Hong Jian no longer hesitated and tackled the Imperial bodyguard from the eaves. The Imperial bodyguard simply was unable to react, as Gu Hong Jian had used a scabbard to chop at his neck. At once, he fell unconscious. The porters, who had no martial art skills, believed the Imperial bodyguard to be dead and immediately set down the palanquin, hurriedly scattering in all directions. Gu Hong Jian paid no attention to this and immediately lifted the curtains of the palanquin. Sitting inside was the second prince, a frenetic expression on his face. It seemed that he had yet to understand what had happened. Catching sight of a masked Gu Hong Jian, he first stared at the figure blanking before roaring all helter-skelter, “Who are you?! Which faction do you come from?! What do you want to do?! Somebody ah——ah…” The second prince’s voice died off all of a sudden—because Gu Hong Jian’s blade had already streaked across his neck ruthlessly. Blood splattered. Gu Hong Jian slightly tilted her body to the side to avoid the gush of blood. She took off her belt, which was actually an unusual belt due to the presence of a weight, and twisted it around the handle of the blade. Using her strength, she easily tossed it into the nearby Xia He pond. Once the blade was discarded, she shed her black coat and mask, regaining the visage of an ordinary little palace maid. She therefore prepared to leave—only, she had to take extreme caution in avoiding any possibly patrolling guards until she returned to Bai Fu Palace safely. Within Bai Fu Palace, Lin Si Ze had not yet gone to sleep. He sat upright in the inner hall, and upon seeing Gu Hong Jian return, he rose and took two steps forward, saying, “Are you alright?” His first reaction was not to ask, ‘Did you succeed?’ Instead, he had asked, ‘Are you alright?’ This significantly astonished Gu Hong Jian. Originally, Gu Hong Jian was very calm all the while. Regardless of when she had been masked, when she had actually performed the a.s.sa.s.sination, or when she had disposed the evidence afterwards, she had been expressionless. Her mind had been abnormally tranquil, as if there was nothing in the heaven and earth but the completion of this task—nothing else. Yet upon seeing Lin Si Ze and hearing him ask about her wellbeing, Gu Hong Jian suddenly relaxed. She pursed her lips and lightly shook her head. “It’s nothing…” After she said this, however, tears began falling. Her body trembled minutely. Lin Si Ze blanked only to immediately walk forward without delay. He said nothing as he straightforwardly enveloped Gu Hong Jian into his embrace. He was still young, so his chest was not that broad. Nevertheless, the embrace made Gu Hong Jian feel a peculiar sense of safety. It was as if Lin Si Ze’s light-as-a-raindrop embrace of her was enough to make all her problems fade from existence. Gu Hong Jian murmured, “My clothes are a bit bloodstained. You…” Lin Si Ze paid her no mind and continued to hug her, his embrace tightening slightly as well. “These bloodstains you gained were for me. How can I possibly mind.” This was the first time Gu Hong Jian showed weakness in front of Lin Si Ze. She rested her head on Lin Si Ze’s shoulder and slightly turned her head, so her eyes could hide in Lin Si Ze’s neck. Her tears had yet to stop. Lin Si Ze lightly patted her back, speaking warmly to comfort her. Moonlight gently spilled onto them. Lin Si Ze whispered warm, comforting words until Gu Hong Jian gradually calmed down. She quietly breathed, “The second prince…is dead.” Lin Si Ze hummed. “Mn.” Gu Hong Jian also wanted to say something else when, suddenly, she heard a loud noise from outside. Immediately breaking away from Lin Si Ze’s chest, Gu Hong Jian sent a mutually guarded look at Lin Si Ze. She then walked outside slowly. “Third princess, I’m a little afraid…” A girl’s voice gradually became more distinct. Gu Hong Jian scowled—why did she feel that this voice slightly resembled Zuo Ning Yan’s voice?” Another girl spoke up then. “What is there to be afraid of.” “This place feels very eerie…” “This place used to be the cold palace. It later became Prince Ping’s Bai Fu Palace. Since that Prince Ping is not very favored, however, there is still no one here…” “Then why are we here?” “Aiya, I long wanted to come take a look at midnight. Don’t you think it’s fun for this to be so eerie? I also didn’t dare to come alone… You just happened to be here tonight, so I dragged you along!” “Third princess…” The stream of dialogue stopped. Gu Hong Jian pondered this and hit upon a revelation. The close relations.h.i.+p between Zuo Ning Yan and the third princess had the former staying overnight in the palace. The third princess, fond of jokes and fun, dragged Zuo Ning Yan to Bai Fu Palace with the intention of ‘adventure.’ Lin Si Ze had been following closely behind her. When he saw Zuo Ning Yan, his expression immediately changed. He pulled Gu Hong Jian back, whispering, “Your clothes still have blood on them. Don’t let anyone see you… Go back and change first. Or, it’s fine for you to simply not come back out.” Gu Hong Jian, confused, returned back to her room and changed her entire outfit. She still couldn’t help, however, quietly slipping back out. She saw that the third princess and Zuo Ning Yan had just sat down in the hall where Lin Si Ze had been embracing her. The third princess seemed a bit reserved and embarra.s.sed. Meanwhile, Zuo Ning Yan was concluding about something that Gu Hong Jian knew nothing of, as she had just gone to change clothes. At the moment, the two seemed to be chatting happily with each other. Lin Si Ze was, in a rare occurrence, somewhat shy. He sat upright, straighter than he had any time previously, yet his eyes held a soft and gentle gaze. This look, he had never revealed such softness and gentleness to Gu Hong Jian. Although he occasionally spoke warmly to Gu Hong Jian, it was not like this. Gu Hong Jian could very clearly see the division. He was gentle to Gu Hong Jian because she did something that he acknowledged. He was thus bestowing softness and gentleness upon her, like just a moment ago when he held her and lightly patted her back to placate her. To Zuo Ning Yan, he was also gentle and soft. Nevertheless, no matter what Zuo Ning Yan did, he would always be like this to her. Gu Hong Jian still carried a faint fragrance of blood. Her hand trembled due to her nerves. Although the weather was warming up again since it was spring, a chilly wind still swept through the night, whistling and blowing at her weak body. And that guy, the one who originally was comforting her, that guy she did all this for, was now in the hall, chatting with another woman about irrelevant things. She eavesdropped for a long time, even occasionally making a bit of noise in hopes of causing Lin Si Ze to take notice—causing Lin Si Ze to turn around and take notice of her. Yet from start to finish, Lin Si Ze did not discover Gu Hong Jian outside the room. Gu Hong Jian gradually got tired of standing and leaned against the room, sitting on the ground. She raised her head to turn her lonely gaze to the sky full of twinkling stars. And then, she began to weep. This was the first time Gu Hong Jian weeped. Before her parents had abandoned her, she hadn’t weeped. When she had been sold to the emperor’s palace, she hadn’t weeped. When the old mómo died, she hadn’t weeped even then. Yet now she weeped, and not simply because Lin Si Ze had abandoned her—because he had gone to chat with Zuo Ning Yan, all smiles. Rather, she suddenly realized that as long as Zuo Ning Yan was here, Lin Si Ze’s gaze would forever remain on Zuo Ning Yan. Forever, forever. By no means would he turn around and glance at her.
