Chapter 99

As for why she had ended up in bed with Jian Yuyan back then, there was no particular reason. It wasn’t because she liked or valued him, it was simply due to her identity and circumstances at the time.
An actress putting on airs of purity was truly laughable.
Even now, when Yan Yiming thought back on it, she didn’t feel any closer to Jian Yuyan because of it. However, it was clear that Jiang Yi cared deeply and was deeply affected by it, so much so that he wanted to take Jian Yuyan’s life over this matter.
Yan Yiming did not for a moment think Jiang Yi was joking. Given Jiang Yi's temperament and Jian Yuyan's current predicament, Jiang Yi could easily silence Jian Yuyan with just a word.
As Jiang Yi had said, someone of Jian Yuyan's status would face certain death if exposed. But even if Yan Yiming didn't care about that, she couldn't let Jian Yuyan die.
If Jian Yuyan died, her hope of returning home would be completely shattered, and she would be trapped here forever.
Panic surged through Yan Yiming. Meeting Jiang Yi's gaze sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Compared to the prospect of never going home, things like having her identity exposed seemed trivial.
With difficulty, Yan Yiming met Jiang Yi's intense stare and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Young Master, it was an accident, I never intended, “
“An accident?” Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening. “Did he force you?”
“No, no,” Yan Yiming shook her head hastily. She wasn't sure how to explain it to Jiang Yi. After a moment's thought, she said, “Young Master, everyone has their own way of life. At that time, I was an actress, no different from the female performers in the Plum Garden or Li Garden. Being favored by a nobleman meant a chance to survive, and from then on, I belonged to them. The life I led was the same as any other woman in those gardens, so there was no special reason behind it.”
“Even so, he still had you,” Jiang Yi said quietly, his gaze fixed on her. His fingers gently brushed her brow. “I cannot tolerate it.”
Obsession is a sickness, and it really needs to be treated. Yan Yiming felt on the verge of collapse. Even if you can't tolerate it, please try to endure it. If you don't, what am I supposed to do?
“Young Master,” Yan Yiming looked up at him earnestly, “the body back then wasn't truly mine, so even if something happened, there's no need to dwell on it. If Jian Yuyan were to die, I wouldn't be overly sad, but I still hope you'll spare him because his survival is very important to me.”
Jiang Yi picked up a strand of her hair that lay scattered on the pillow. His long lashes veiled the deep contemplation in his eyes as he asked naturally, “What about me?”
“...You're important too.”
“Hmm,” Jiang Yi smiled, as if the oppressive atmosphere from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion, vanishing without a trace. “But what I meant to ask was whether you would be sad if I died.”
“How can you joke about something like that?” Yan Yiming sighed helplessly.
Jiang Yi didn't press further about why Jian Yuyan's survival mattered so much. Noticing his visibly improved mood, Yan Yiming softened her tone, “When I look back on those four years now, I still feel nostalgic. They were the most peaceful and content days I've had in all these years. So if you were truly gone someday, I would certainly grieve and feel sorrow... Wait, Shaojun, what are you doing again?”
Jiang Yi lowered his head, pressing a warm, damp kiss against Yan Yiming's delicate collarbone.
“Still kissing you. Why do you always ask?” Jiang Yi nibbled gently at her collarbone, the skin beneath his lips smooth and warm. Since Yan Yiming had left years ago, he had never indulged in romantic affairs, but now he found it hard to suppress his restless urges.
His lips paused over her chest as Jiang Yi lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers with a playful blink. “May I continue?”
“Continue, my foot!” Yan Yiming clutched her thin undergarment. “Do you really think the maids outside are deaf?”
“I never intended to go that far. Where did your mind wander?” Jiang Yi chuckled softly. “I just wanted to...”
His fingers deftly loosened the loosely tied sash, his palm settling on the smooth skin of her waist. Wrapping his arm around her slender frame, he whispered with a light laugh near her ear, “Take a look.”
He maintained the demeanor of a gentleman, yet every word carried a hint of ambiguity.
Many years ago, when Jiang Yi was still a youth, he had been the same, dripping sweet, coquettish words as he pressed against her, complaining pitifully that he wouldn't do anything. Yet, without fail, their kisses would always lead to clothes slipping off haphazardly.
The only promise he kept was never taking things to the very end. He insisted that should be saved for their wedding night.
Reaching back, he unhooked the silver clasp holding the bed curtains. Layer upon layer of gauze veiled their faint silhouettes as the candle flame flickered a few times before steadying. Jiang Yi lay on his side on the bed, turning his face toward her. “May I stay here to rest tonight?”
Yan Yiming closed her eyes. “No, we'll be discovered.”
“You're a fox spirit, how could anyone discover us?” Jiang Yi laughed. “Alright, I'll stop teasing. I'll leave before dawn.”
“Go, just go,” Yan Yiming grumbled in frustration.
After a moment, Jiang Yi pulled her back into his embrace. “May I hold you while we sleep?”
“...Aren't you already holding me?”
Jiang Yi chuckled, got up to blow out the candle, and returned to bed. His clear voice, now slightly huskier than usual, murmured as he kissed her ear, “It's late. Let's rest. I'll leave after the fourth watch.”
Yan Yiming closed her eyes and soon drifted into a light slumber. Meanwhile, Jiang Yi, who had claimed to be drunk, lay with eyes clear and sober in the darkness, his slender fingers gently combing through her long hair.
He had indeed drunk a lot, but he wasn't drunk.
He had come here because his heart ached too much and he desperately wanted clarity from Yan Yiming, but there was another reason, to confirm what influence he, the Crown Prince, Jian Yuyan, and others held over her.
Though Yan Yiming hadn't given a direct answer, Jiang Yi had already pieced most of it together.
If Yan Yiming had no feelings for Jian Yuyan, then saving him must have been necessary. Jiang Yi had never forgotten something she said when he first recognized her.
She said she never expected to be recognized, just as she never expected to return here.
If she wasn't returning here, then where was she returning to?
Thus, the fox spirit who descended to the mortal realm to undergo trials should have returned to the heavens, yet for some unknown reason, she remained in the mortal world.
Yan Yiming had said that Jian Yuyan's life was crucial to her. Initially, he had speculated that killing Jian Yuyan might endanger her life, but now it seemed there might be another explanation, such as if Jian Yuyan were to die, Yan Yiming might remain here, unable to return to the place she wished to go.
He had also just tested Yan Yiming, asking her if his own death was important, to which she replied that it was equally important.
From this, it could roughly be inferred that besides Jian Yuyan, he himself, and perhaps even the Crown Prince, must all remain alive to ensure her goals were achieved. So, she had used the identity of Princess Ming to betray Chancellor Jian, thereby protecting Nan Gongxuan's safety, and deliberately leaked information to Jian Yuyan to ensure his safety as well.
It seemed he had grasped Yan Yiming's weakness and found a way to make her compromise.
The fox spirit had once walked through his world without restraint, never imagining she would be caught off guard.
Jiang Yi lowered his head, his fingers gently brushing Yan Yiming's cheek. His exceptionally handsome face took on an inexplicable, fierce intensity in the darkness. Little A, who had witnessed Jiang Yi's sudden change in demeanor, shrank timidly into the corner of the bed. Even though it knew Jiang Yi couldn't hear its voice, it still tightly covered its mouth, turning itself into a statue.
Although, in its view, nothing particularly scandalous had happened that night, it still felt inexplicably uneasy, not as a person, but as a machine.
Perhaps it was Jiang Yi's overwhelming presence. Little A kept its neck tucked in, not daring to sleep until the fourth watch, when someone gently tapped on the window outside. Only then did Jiang Yi quietly get out of bed, carefully tuck in the blankets, and leave without a sound.
Little A finally breathed a sigh of relief, curled up in the corner of the bed, pulled the covers over itself, and closed its eyes.
When Yan Yiming woke up, Jiang Yi had already left, leaving no trace that anyone had been there. If not for the many lingering red marks on her body, she might have even suspected that the previous night had been a dream.
After that day, Jiang Yi never again intruded into Yan Yiming's room at night, and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
The weather grew increasingly colder as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached. Three days before the fifteenth, Prince Yue, who had been far away in Beiping, finally rushed back to the capital on horseback.
Wei Xiongjie deliberately went to join the excitement and, upon returning, told her that Prince Yue and the Crown Prince truly resembled each other as brothers, except that Prince Yue didn't have many days left to live.
Yan Yiming turned her head and looked at the confident Wei Xiongjie, wanting to throw his words right back at him. But recalling their acquaintance over the past half-year, though Wei Xiongjie was particularly fond of chattering, aside from aligning himself with the wrong faction, he didn't seem to have made any major mistakes.
He reached out and patted Wei Xiongjie's shoulder, earnestly reminding him to be cautious during the Mid-Autumn Festival operation and prioritize his safety above all else.
Wei Xiongjie's eyes suddenly lit up, and he was about to say something more when Yan Yiming stood up and turned to leave.
Wei Xiongjie sighed, watching Yan Yiming's retreating figure for a long while before finally getting up to attend to his duties. Time was drawing near, and they needed to make their final preparations.
With Prince Yue's return to the capital, the Nan clan was finally reunited. The prince was ready to move, while Shao Jingyu's army had yet to return. The northern army in the capital and the southern army in the palace were already under their control. The emperor still trusted Chancellor Jian implicitly, suspecting nothing, and every aspect of their plan was flawlessly executed.
Now, all they had to do was wait for the Mid-Autumn Festival to arrive slowly.