Nan Shiying released Ji Jinmo’s face and turned towards the couch.
Ji Jinmo, whose complexion had just begun to improve, instantly darkened again. He grabbed Nan Shiying’s hand with force, pulling her into his embrace.
“You want to leave just after admitting you were wrong? This prince thinks you have no idea what you did wrong!” Ji Jinmo said through gritted teeth.
Colliding into Ji Jinmo’s embrace, Nan Shiying naturally wrapped her arms around his neck. Hearing his words, she tilted her head up and met his gaze directly, “I know, I was wrong not to discuss it with you!”
“Anything else?”
Ji Jinmo lowered his head and bit Nan Shiying’s chin.
Nan Shiying disdainfully pulled at his sleeve to wipe herself, rolling her clear eyes like flowing water. Anything else? What else?
Seeing her expression, Ji Jinmo knew she didn’t understand what he truly cared about. When had he ever commented on her decisions? When had he ever cared whether the Xuan Guards in the manor were loyal to him or to her? What he cared about was always only her, and he was bothered that she had placed herself in such a perilous situation.
If Xuan Yi hadn’t come to confess, he wouldn’t have known at all.
Nan Shiying’s eyes flickered, puzzled by Ji Jinmo’s sudden silence.
Ji Jinmo sighed, lowered his head slightly, his lips brushing against her crimson ones. He said, “What I care about is you, and how you could put yourself in such a dangerous position.”
Nan Shiying was stunned. She hadn’t expected Ji Jinmo to be angry about this. She couldn’t articulate her feelings, only that her heart felt filled to the brim with an unnamed emotion.
She leaned forward and kissed him, a brief, butterfly-kiss that was over before Ji Jinmo could savor it.
“I understand!”
Nan Shiying looked directly into Ji Jinmo’s eyes, seeing herself reflected in his phoenix-like gaze. “It won’t happen again, I promise!”
“Good!”
After a moment of silence, Ji Jinmo asked, “So you decided from the beginning to use Yin Si Lan to lure out the remnants of the Miao Jiang?”
“No!” Nan Shiying answered with absolute certainty.
This matter had indeed been a spur-of-the-moment decision. She had wanted Yin Si Lan to die, and also wanted her to serve some purpose before her death.
Nan Shiying said, “I know you and Ji Hong used her to control and reclaim Yùnán Commandery, but every time I see her, I remember the scales appearing on your temples. I was restraining myself every second she appeared before my eyes.”
“Today, I just wanted to kill her. And I felt it would be difficult to explain to Ji Hong if I killed her without reason. I also wanted to see if there were any hidden Miao Jiang remnants in the capital. If no one had come to save her today, I would have taken her back to the imperial prison and let her linger on for a while longer!”
“But it’s a pity she was destined to die today. I wonder what those who came to rescue her would think if they knew their actions had led to Yin Si Lan’s death.”
There was actually one more point Nan Shiying hadn’t voiced. She had taken Yin Si Lan to see Ji Hong’s reaction, to see what was more important in his heart.
Ji Jinmo hadn’t expected that everything she had planned today was because of him.
He and Ji Hong had different reasons for not killing Yin Si Lan. Ji Hong kept Yin Si Lan alive because he always felt that Yin Si Lan, or some people around or behind her, had a way to remove the Gu worms from his body. Yin Si Lan was both a hook and bait. As for him, his initial reason for not killing Yin Si Lan was indeed for Yùnán Commandery, but later it was because of Nan Shiying.
He watched as she poured all her effort into healing him and the Poison Elder, so he had kept Yin Si Lan alive, allowing her to dissect and experiment time and again.
But he hadn’t expected her to misunderstand.
However, it was precisely because of this misunderstanding that Ji Jinmo learned that he held a place in her heart, that he was important!
“Actually, Ji Hong kept Yin Si Lan for me.”
Ji Jinmo didn’t reveal his true reason for not killing Yin Si Lan, but he did reveal Ji Hong’s true reason. Nan Shiying hadn’t expected Ji Hong not to kill Yin Si Lan for Ji Jinmo’s sake. She suddenly smiled. So this was the real reason Ji Hong didn’t care or investigate when he knew she had taken Yin Si Lan, and even ordered Madam Hua to cooperate fully after learning she had taken the woman to Yi Pin Ju.
She had judged a gentleman with the heart of a villain!
However, Nan Shiying didn’t feel bad about it. Even as she mocked herself for being villainous, a hint of joy shimmered in her eyes. How precious were the relatives of the imperial family! She had once believed that imperial families had no affection, but today, she finally realized that even imperial families could have familial love.
“My lord, today’s harvest has been quite bountiful!”
Ji Jinmo didn’t know why Nan Shiying was so happy. Even if hidden Miao Jiang remnants in the capital had been exposed, she didn’t need to be this joyful.
Nan Shiying leaned back, finding a comfortable position to nestle into Ji Jinmo’s embrace. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Ji Jinmo and saying, “My lord, the Miao Jiang remnants exposed today are not just those who came to rescue Yin Si Lan!”
“The Miao Jiang remnants who rescued Yin Si Lan came too quickly. Yi Pin Ju is not far from the imperial city. They chose to act in a busy area, which precisely indicates that their rescue plan was made in haste. This means that the people who appeared in Yi Pin Ju today, and even the people within Yi Pin Ju, could be the deepest moles planted by the Miao Jiang.”
She had taken Yin Si Lan away through the secret passage, so besides the prison guards and the hidden guards around Ji Hong and himself, there were no other informed parties. After she took Yin Si Lan, Nan Shiying believed that Ji Hong would immediately dispatch people to monitor the imperial prison and the guards.
Therefore, the news of Yin Si Lan being taken away from the palace by her could not have leaked from the palace.
That meant that the people who came to rescue Yin Si Lan today only learned about the matter after she had brought Yin Si Lan into Yi Pin Ju.
Therefore, the mole must be among these people.
“Let Ji Hong investigate Yi Pin Ju himself!” Yi Pin Ju was, after all, Ji Hong’s property. Moreover, even Ji Hong’s confidantes within Yi Pin Ju didn’t know their true relationship, so it wasn’t convenient for him to interfere.
Nan Shiying nodded. If Ji Hong’s subordinates were indeed infiltrated, then he naturally had to handle it himself. After all, there were too many matters in Lin Yuan, and she didn’t have time to clean up Ji Hong’s mess.
“By the way, I heard from Xuan Yi that Yu Chengxuan appeared at the scene? And because of his appearance, one Miao Jiang remnant escaped?”
Hearing Ji Jinmo mention this matter, Nan Shiying’s face showed no undue emotion. The one who should have been angry and annoyed even felt like laughing.
Even if Yu Chengxuan hadn’t appeared today, she would have let go of the person she intended to let go!
…
Chang Huai Street.
The man in black fled desperately, weaving through alleys and bustling streets. Relying on his familiarity with the capital’s layout, he gradually escaped the pursuit of the Xuan Guards.
He ran from Chang Huai Street to Si Shui Street, and then entered an alley at the entrance of Si Shui Street. Upon stepping out of the alley, he had already shed his black attire and changed into the coarse linen clothes that ordinary citizens almost universally wore.
He cautiously scanned his surroundings. After confirming he was not being followed, he turned into a dilapidated courtyard.