Cold moon like a hook, summer cicadas chirping, the Golden City official road, invaded by darkness, only a dark horse carriage traveled lonely.
The window gauze fluttered slightly with the warm breeze, but did not disturb the sleeping man inside the carriage.
Drip... drip... drip.
Water... so thirsty!
The sound of water droplets hitting the bluestone entered Lu Wuxie's ears. He slowly opened his eyes. In his blurry vision, he saw a stream of dirty rainwater flowing down from the cracks in the stone under the dim skylight.
He tried his best to grab the withered grass beside him and crawl towards the water.
At the same time, the sound of prison doors opening and closing came from behind.
His body stiffened, and he quickly turned his head.
He saw a familiar male face appear before his eyes.
"It's you?" Lu Wuxie's face showed surprise.
"What, young master, you didn't expect me to be here?" the man said with a smile.
Lu Wuxie snorted coldly. His eyes, which had been thirsty just moments ago, sharpened. "The hundred lives in my Prince Xian's estate, aren't they all because of you..."
"That's right, young master is very smart, I did all this." The man readily admitted.
"Impossible, how could it be you? We have no conflict of interest, let alone..."
Before Lu Wuxie could finish his words, the man had already walked to his side and whispered in his ear.
"How is that possible?" Lu Wuxie's eyes widened after hearing the man's words.
"So now you know why Prince Xian's estate was raided and why not a single soul was left alive?" the man said.
"Hahaha!" Lu Wuxie suddenly burst into laughter, his eyes, which had held a glimmer of hope, instantly turned ashen. "This young master, so smart in life, yet so foolish in one moment. No one would have thought that the one who truly harmed the hundred lives in Prince Xian's estate was myself!"
"It can't be helped, it's a case of the cuckoo hatching its eggs in another bird's nest, cutting the grass and removing the roots. Young master has been influential in the court for many years, you should understand this principle better than me!" the man continued.
Lu Wuxie remained silent, his eyes filled with hatred as he gazed at the man.
"Young master, do not blame me for being heartless." The man waved his hand behind him.
A man in black emerged from behind him, each hand holding a weapon about a foot long, resembling brushes, and slowly approached Lu Wuxie.
"No matter how you play, he cannot live past tonight, understand?" the man instructed the man in black.
The man in black nodded.
Receiving his reply, the man turned and left the prison.
"Lu Wuxie!" the man in black said coldly. "I never expected someone like you to fall into my hands. Die!"
As he spoke, the man in black raised his weapon and stabbed towards Lu Wuxie's wrist.
"Ah!" Lu Wuxie let out a low moan, his tightly shut eyes widening in shock.
"Awake?" A cold voice came from the other side.
Lu Wuxie turned his head following the sound. He saw a flawless woman sitting across the table. Her delicately arched brows gave her an ethereal aura.
His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the incense burner on the table. Wisps of smoke rose from the burner, filling the entire carriage with fragrance.
"Yá xiāng?" he asked, his brow furrowed.
Zhong Li placed the small bronze spoon she had been using to stir the ashes aside and explained casually, "Yes, the Yá xiāng of Madam Hua Rui, as legend has it. I saw that you were asleep with your body tense, your face serious, and your brows furrowed. I thought you might be having nightmares, and I happened to have some calming incense with me. I lit it not long ago, and you woke up."
Lu Wuxie remained silent, his eyes following the woman's movements with her hands. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly said, "Do you remember what I told you about my mother's affairs?"
Zhong Li tossed the last pinch of calming incense into the burner and then looked up to meet the man's scrutinizing gaze, nodding.
"Although I am an ordinary citizen of Anding County, I have heard about the affairs of Prince Xian's estate. The current Princess, who manages the estate's affairs, is not the young master's biological mother, is she?"
Zhong Li asked. She remembered that Prince Xian's original wife had passed away ten years ago. Prince Xian had publicly stated that she died of illness. A year later, Prince Xian's estate welcomed a new Princess, but she didn't know who it was.
Lu Wuxie nodded, his gaze sweeping over the scenery outside the carriage. They were still some distance from Chang'an. It was a rare moment of leisure, and he didn't mind telling her about his mother.
After all...
"The current Princess Consort of Prince Xian's estate is my mother's half-sister." he said casually.
Zhong Li's hand, which was covering the incense burner, paused for a moment before she resumed her activity.
In modern times, it was not uncommon for a brother-in-law to marry his sister-in-law after his wife died, but it was not widespread. After all, under the monogamous system, others would inevitably have their opinions, either that the brother-in-law and sister-in-law had been secretly entangled, or that the sister-in-law was merely a shadow of her sister.
Few, if any, would have pure intentions.
But regardless of the outcome, it was always unavoidable to face gossip from others.
As for the Princess Consort of Prince Xian...
Zhong Li looked at the man opposite her, who was gazing out the window at the scenery. Perhaps in ancient times, this was a common occurrence.
"I know why my father married her." Lu Wuxie continued. "They were too alike."
He seemed lost in his own emotions, his peach blossom-like eyes slowly narrowing. "It wasn't just their appearance, but from their demeanor and actions to their food and preferences, they were almost identical.
My father was busy with official duties before and didn't pay much attention to my mother's needs. It wasn't until...
Lu Wuxie's tone paused slightly. After a long time, he continued, "It wasn't until she died on the way to Qingling Mountain Temple that he realized he had lost his beloved."
Zhong Li lowered her eyes. She remembered Lu Wuxie saying that his mother had died under the judgment brush, so the legitimate daughter of the Xie family must have been assassinated.
But who was the assassin? Why did they kill her? Was it the same person who killed her adoptive father, Gai Chen? If it was the same person, what was their relationship?
Thinking of this, Zhong Li's gaze settled on Lu Wuxie. This was also why she had resolutely followed him to Golden City.
"What happened next?" For the first time, Zhong Li wanted to know what happened later.
Lu Wuxie suddenly chuckled, a hint of disdain in his eyes. "The Xie family knew my mother was murdered. On her seventh day memorial, they sent a representative from her maternal family to mourn. Do you know who it was?"
Zhong Li remained silent, she already had an answer in her heart.
"It was my mother's half-sister, Xie Yunxi," Lu Wuxie said.
Zhong Li's eyes flickered. At this moment, she could imagine the astonished expressions of the old Prince and Lu Wuxie opposite her when Xie Yunxi, clad in mourning, walked into Prince Xian's estate.
"Xie Xiaoyun," she said three words.
Lu Wuxie didn't react for a moment and turned to look at her.
Zhong Li placed a cup of clear water opposite him, her gaze falling on the new scar on Lu Wuxie's wrist. Remembering it, she seemed to understand something and said, "That fake Xie Xiaoyun was also arranged for you by Xie Yunxi, wasn't she?"
Lu Wuxie nodded, his eyes flickering.
Zhong Li said faintly, "Dong Shi will always be Dong Shi. Doing too much only breeds suspicion."