Yue Beiyang's eyes were closed, but he sat upright. Qin Jiujiu couldn't tell if he was asleep, so she only dared to steal glances at him.
She was contemplating how to break this illusion, but at this moment, she had no clue!
Suddenly, the man opened his eyes. Their gazes met, and Qin Jiujiu felt her mind reel. She instinctively turned her head away, pulled aside a corner of the curtain, and peeked her head out.
Fortunately, she was sitting very close to the window!
But Yue Beiyang was staring at her, and that gaze was truly hard to ignore!
Qin Jiujiu pretended not to notice and didn't retract her head for a long time.
"Wow! So lively!" To appear more convincing, she feigned curiosity, unaware that this would only arouse suspicion.
Outside the window was a long, somewhat narrow street, bustling with people. Yet, the carriage continued to move forward, presumably because it bore the royal crest of the Yue clan.
Only when his gaze shifted away from her did Qin Jiujiu dare to pull her head back.
"Princess Consort, you grew up outside the palace, yet you look as if you've never seen such a sight?"
His gaze swept directly at her, and Qin Jiujiu was caught off guard, in a difficult position.
"I haven't been out for a long time, so can't I be curious about the outside?"
System: Host is so magnificent!
But only Qin Jiujiu knew that she was trembling with fear.
"Oh? Then this king is simply being overly concerned?"
His words seemed to be addressed to her, yet also to himself. Qin Jiujiu replied, "You are indeed being overly concerned!"
Yue Beiyang's expression suddenly turned very displeased. This attitude from Xing Ru was unprecedented!
However, looking at her, her physical form was the same. Why had her temperament changed so drastically after being pierced by that sword?
Yue Beiyang no longer believed that the person before him was Xing Ru!
"Is the petal-shaped mark on Princess Consort's neck a birthmark?"
Qin Jiujiu was startled. She had a birthmark on her neck? And it was petal-shaped?
Qin Jiujiu instinctively lowered her head, but even so, she couldn't see her neck. Moreover, she had looked in the mirror before leaving. Where would a birthmark come from?
"It's on the back," Yue Beiyang prompted, as if showing unexpected kindness.
She couldn't see the back of her own neck and had never known about this!
Was this a genuine birthmark, or was he deliberately testing her?
Qin Jiujiu looked up at him, seeking the truth in his eyes.
But Yue Beiyang's face was cold, and she couldn't discern his thoughts!
"System, does Xing Ru have a petal-shaped birthmark on the back of her neck?" Qin Jiujiu asked urgently in her mind.
"Xing Ru's appearance is entirely the host's appearance. The system currently scans and confirms that there is indeed a petal-shaped pattern on your back neck!"
However, the system found it inconvenient to say anything more.
Qin Jiujiu was shocked. Did the original Qin Yunwan have a birthmark? After so long, she had never known?
"The original Qin Yunwan did not!"
Just as Qin Jiujiu thought the system had disappeared, it suddenly interjected, then vanished completely.
"System?"
No matter how Qin Jiujiu called out, the system did not reappear.
Behind the scenes.
The system was regretting its rashness. It had let its guard down and revealed this matter to the host. If the higher-ups found out, it would be punished!
In this era, being a system was tough!
Yue Beiyang was still staring at her, but his gaze was clearly tinged with impatience and suspicion. It seemed he truly suspected her identity!
"It's not a birthmark! I just thought the pattern looked nice and had someone draw it on!"
But who had drawn it? She couldn't possibly say it was Adai, could she?
She felt that if she mentioned that person to someone like Yue Beiyang, he would definitely investigate until he uncovered the truth!
Just as she was agonizing over how to continue the fabrication, she heard Yue Beiyang softly say "Oh," and then he closed his eyes again without further questions.
Qin Jiujiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When she returned, she would have to coordinate her story with Adai!
However, Qin Jiujiu was unaware that during their conversation, Wuhán, who had been hidden in the shadows, had already begun investigating the matter!
Yue Beiyang was naturally suspicious. He wouldn't press for answers; he trusted his own findings more. Thus, just moments ago, Wuhán had received his orders and returned to the Second Prince's manor to investigate this matter.
Without a coordinated alibi, Adai would naturally know nothing. And in her memory, Xing Ru had no birthmark, nor had she ever had such a pattern drawn on her.
Wuhán would find out immediately.
System: This host's aptitude is truly lacking!
General's Manor.
"Your Highness, Princess Consort, please follow me!"
It was Xing Fu's old butler waiting at the main entrance. Upon seeing Xing Ru, the old butler's eyes welled up. Xing Ru had grown up under his watch. To speak frankly, he and Xing Ru were like grandfather and granddaughter.
Qin Jiujiu, having already learned about Xing Ru from the system's implanted memories, did not reveal any flaws when facing the old butler.
Yue Beiyang observed her coldly from the side.
The two followed the old butler into Xing Fu. If not for the butler's guidance, Xing Ru might truly have gotten lost inside, as she only understood the plot but was not Xing Ru and had not grown up there since childhood!
"The General is currently attending to official duties and is not in the manor. However, he instructed this old servant before leaving to host Your Highness and the Princess Consort well..."
The old butler spoke slowly but clearly. Qin Jiujiu followed closely behind, diligently memorizing their path.
If she got lost later, wouldn't that expose her as an imposter?!
"Grandfather, did my father mention anything else?"
"Grandfather" was Xing Ru's affectionate term for the old butler, indicating she didn't regard him as a mere servant.
But Qin Jiujiu knew that Xing Zhan's intentions for this visit were not simply to see his daughter who had recovered from an illness!
Xing Zhan's love for his daughter was absolutely no match for his pursuit of power!
Qin Jiujiu could roughly guess Xing Zhan's purpose and had already prepared her counter-strategies, waiting for their meeting. In front of that person, she could easily expose herself!
"Princess Consort..."
Hearing the address "Grandfather," the old butler was deeply touched. It had been a long time since he had heard his young lady call him that. The old butler couldn't help but shed tears.
Qin Jiujiu naturally saw this and felt a surge of emotion. In this world, the two people who cared most for Xing Ru were Grandfather and Adai!
Although Xing Ru considered Yue Nansang her best friend, in Qin Jiujiu's opinion, Yue Nansang was a love-struck fool. In her heart, love was paramount, and everything else had to make way for her romance.
Otherwise, why would she have secretly left Anzhou with Su Mu, betraying her own people, exposing Anzhou's secrets to outsiders, and then revealing the method of reaching Anzhou to Su Mu...
In the end, when her entire clan was massacred, she only felt that the man had betrayed her and hated him.
Xing Ru liked Bai Qianluo, but she did not like the Yue Nansang in the illusion!