Тhe Emреrоr's dесree to аrrаnge a mаrriage bеtwееn Irinа аnd Fu Yunхi now seеms fraught with suspicious points. Whаt сould mаke а sоvеrеign risk losing trust bу rеtrасting his wоrds? A figurе surfaced in Наn Yan's mind—thе Empress Dоwager.
Тhen, cоuld thе оnе whо sрrеad the rumоrs аbout hеr аnd Zhuо Qi be thе long-missing Sеvеnth Princе?
Аs she рondered this, а sudden gust of wind sweрt frоm bеhind her. In thе next momеnt, а fаmiliar figurе арреаred bеfоre hеr. Zhuo Qi grinnеd at her, "Littlе girl, why hаvе уou соmе bаck?"
Han Yаn replied coldlу, "To makе room fоr yоur sistеr. If I didn’t return, hоw could she become the Xuan Qing Prince Consort?"
Zhuo Qi seemed accustomed to Han Yan’s sarcasm and merely shrugged indifferently. "Thank you for yesterday," he said, referring to how Han Yan had taken him, injured, back to the inn and found a doctor to treat him. Zhuo Qi still remembered waking up to find Han Yan asleep at the table. At the time, he had expected her to simply walk away. After all, he could tell Han Yan was a person with strong objectives, someone who could quickly weigh the pros and cons of any situation. Saving him, whether publicly or privately, offered no benefit to Han Yan. It would have been normal for her not to save him, yet she had brought him back.
In his life, Zhuo Qi had suffered many injuries—on the battlefield, off the battlefield, from enemies, even from friends. He would grit his teeth, endure it, and move on. People never noticed the scars on his body. The world always judged by appearances, but even the most radiant exterior could not conceal the wounds beneath. Yet, as Han Yan watched over him, Zhuo Qi suddenly felt a warmth he hadn’t experienced in a long time. He had felt it once before, long ago, but after his father’s death, that feeling had vanished. Han Yan’s frame was slender and delicate, yet she gave him a sense of peace.
It was something Zhuo Qi craved, something he never wanted to let go of again.
"About yesterday’s incident, now the entire capital knows. Was it you?" Han Yan didn’t waste words and got straight to the point.
"It wasn’t me," Zhuo Qi answered bluntly.
Han Yan studied his expression, and seeing no sign of deceit, she nodded thoughtfully. "How strange. That matter spread the very same day."
Zhuo Qi said, "So you moved out of the prince’s residence?"
"Not entirely because of that," Han Yan shook her head at him. "There were many reasons. But this matter did start because of you. I’ve saved you twice now, so you owe me two favors."
"Wrong, just one," Zhuo Qi met her gaze with a smile. "I’ve already repaid one favor."
"When?" Han Yan asked.
"During the last Spring Sacrifice, when you were cornered at the edge of a cliff, I stepped in to help. Doesn’t that count as repaying a favor?" Zhuo Qi grinned as he looked at Han Yan.Han Yan was taken aback, thinking to herself, So it was him. Last time, she had sensed that someone seemed to be secretly helping her, but at the time, she found it strange—if they were helping her, why wouldn’t they show themselves? Now, thinking back, it made sense. At that time, the Western Rong and the Great Dynasty were at odds like fire and water. Zhuo Qi, a person from an enemy nation, lurking in the Great Dynasty would naturally be hard to justify. Even if he had revealed himself, it would have dragged her down with him. People would have thought that she, Zhuang Hanyan, was colluding with the Western Rong.
Han Yan looked at him and thought for a moment. "Even so, you still owe me a favor, don’t you?"
Zhuo Qi’s green eyes flickered. "How do you want me to repay you? With my hand in marriage?" Zhuo Qi wasn’t foolish. Han Yan’s words clearly implied she wanted him to do something. The thought that Han Yan had rescued him with an ulterior motive made him somewhat uncomfortable. However, since Han Yan had sought him out instead of her own confidants, it seemed this matter required his involvement. At the very least, Han Yan still trusted him, which was far better than her turning to Fu Yunxi for help.
Han Yan smiled faintly. "Forget about marriage. I want you to help me investigate someone."
"Who?" Zhuo Qi stared intently at Han Yan.
"This person’s name contains the character ‘Qiao’ and is related to the Tang Sect," she said.
Zhuo Qi fell into thought. After a moment, he asked, "The Tang Sect is a martial arts sect in the jianghu? Why are you investigating this?"
Han Yan smiled slightly. "You don’t need to know that. Will you agree or not?"
Zhuo Qi curled his lips into a smile. "Of course I’ll agree. But once this is done, how will you thank me?"
"You’re quite the character," Han Yan said. "Even if you succeed, it would only be repaying the favor you owe me, settling the debt. How can you ask for thanks on top of that?"
Zhuo Qi didn’t miss a single expression on Han Yan’s face, smiling meaningfully. "Whether it’s just repaying a favor or not, little girl, you know very well in your heart, don’t you?" His voice suddenly softened. "You don’t need to thank me much. We’ve helped each other before, and now we can be considered friends. Helping a friend is only natural. What do you think of being friends?"
His tone was sincere. Without the identity of a Western Rong prince, he seemed like just an ordinary person seeking acceptance. Han Yan suddenly remembered how Zhuo Qi had held her hand in his unconscious state the previous night, how vulnerable he had looked. How difficult must it be for someone to live alone in this world? She nodded.
Zhuo Qi burst into laughter. "You’re my first friend in the Great Dynasty, and you’ll be my last."
Han Yan frowned slightly, only to hear Zhuo Qi add, "I’ll take my leave now. Whether there’s news or not, I’ll return in two days." He thought for a moment and added, "Be careful yourself. Don’t mind what others say."
Han Yan was startled, but he had already vanished from the courtyard in a flash. He truly treated the Zhuang Manor as his own backyard, coming and going as if no one were around.
Shu Hong asked with some confusion, "Miss, why did you entrust that matter to him? Do you really intend to be friends with him?"
"What’s wrong with being friends?" Ji Lan replied instead. "He’s a Western Rong prince, yet he’s surprisingly unpretentious—tall, handsome, gentle, and considerate. If it weren’t for his help during the Spring Festival last time, who knows what might have happened to our Miss?"Han Yan was both amused and exasperated. Ji Lan had praised Zhuo Qi to the skies, so she sighed and said, "I was lying to him."
There was a reason why Han Yan had asked Zhuo Qi to investigate this matter. Since Zhuo Qi was in the Great Dynasty, many things came with restrictions. To grasp various situations, he would inevitably have to place many informants within the Great Dynasty. Han Yan didn’t know exactly what kind of person Zhuo Qi was, but judging by how effortlessly he handled every situation he encountered, it was clear that the power of these informants should not be underestimated. Having Zhuo Qi investigate might yield better results than if Fu Yunxi were to do it.
Zhuo Qi’s fragile appearance was indeed pitiable, but not everything in this world could be helped with "sympathy." While sympathy played a part, what mattered more was that Zhuo Qi was worth using. As for friendship, becoming friends with someone like him carried far too great a risk. Whether Zhuo Qi’s words were sincere or not, in Han Yan’s life, friendship required time to prove itself, and the time she had known Zhuo Qi was far too short. At most, she could only regard him as a stranger she didn’t particularly dislike.
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