Chapter 10: 010 Xiao Zhiyan's Secret

“You are so clever, surely you know why this Palace is looking for you?” The main reason Xiao Zhiyan disliked Duanmu Cheng was that this fellow always loved speaking in riddles.

“I do not know.” She hadn't expected Duanmu Cheng to act with the brazenness of a dead pig not fearing boiling water.

“Give Jingman back to me.” Xiao Zhiyan rolled her eyes at Duanmu Cheng. “I say, you are being far too unscrupulous. I won't hold it against you for planting an informant, but why must you be so unprincipled as to dig at my own foundation?”

“I wouldn't dare. It is merely that since Her Majesty the Empress attended to the Emperor's bed, there was a batch of rewards from the inner palace, so I simply sent Miss Jingman to collect them. She should have returned by now,” Duanmu Cheng said quite candidly.

“Really?” Xiao Zhiyan shot him a sidelong glance. A man like him couldn't possibly have borrowed Jingman so innocently. Forget it; fortunately, he had returned her to her. There was no use obsessing over this matter now; she would just deal with whatever happened in the future when the time came. “I understand. Then this Palace will take my leave. Bye-bye!”

“Your Majesty, why are you so certain that Zihuan is an informant I planted here? Since you already believe this, why do you still keep her around?” The corners of Duanmu Cheng's mouth curled up slightly, causing Xiao Zhiyan to frown involuntarily.

“Are you looking for me to give you an answer that will put your mind at ease?” Xiao Zhiyan shrugged indifferently at him. “Isn't the fact that you made it so obvious your way of letting me know that my every move is under your control, warning me never to engage in private dealings with the Feng Kingdom? Zihuan is just a servant; there is no point in making things difficult for her. However, since you asked, it means there is still a possibility for us to cooperate. In truth, you can rest easy. You and Ye Muqing can toss and turn however you please; it is absolutely impossible for me to leak a single blade of grass or a single tree from here to the Feng Kingdom. The Feng Kingdom already betrayed me by selling me here; why should I be so cheap as to let them owe me even more?”

“Your Majesty is indeed exceptionally wise.” Duanmu Cheng suddenly leaned closer to Xiao Zhiyan. His eyes were gray, carrying a dangerous depth that made it impossible to see through him. “Your Majesty’s temperament has suddenly changed, your memories of the past are somewhat blurred, and you even frequently say and write inexplicable things. It seems quite mysterious.”

Xiao Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. So, Duanmu Cheng had sought out Jingman specifically to extract information about her. Jingman was naturally no match for him; it seemed this fellow had already begun to suspect her. His sense of smell was sharper than a dog's—truly irritating. However, despite her shock, Xiao Zhiyan maintained sufficient composure on the surface. “Your suspicion is not without merit. I only wish to ask Lord Duanmu: if I am not Xiao Zhiyan, then who am I? Am I disguised as Xiao Zhiyan, or do I just happen to look exactly like her?”

“You are not disguised.” Duanmu Cheng looked at Xiao Zhiyan's face with a complex expression as he pulled away. “No matter how superb a disguise is, it can never escape my eyes. Nor do you look exactly like Princess He'an; the scars inflicted upon you by Huangfu Lanxi could not have formed overnight.”

Xiao Zhiyan listened intently to Duanmu Cheng's analysis, feeling a growing sense of dread with every word. She had specifically asked Jingman about the origin of the scars on her arms later; they were inflicted by Huangfu Lanxi when the real Xiao Zhiyan was very young. Perhaps, aside from the two parties involved, Jingman was the only other person who knew. What method had Duanmu Cheng used to make Jingman obediently reveal such a trivial matter? Just how many secrets did Duanmu Cheng know—how many things that even she herself might not know?

“Of course, there is another possibility.” Duanmu Cheng's pupils contracted sharply. Xiao Zhiyan's heart leaped. “Oh? I am eager to hear it.” Xiao Zhiyan's expression turned awkward. Anyone would feel uncomfortable being made to feel transparent in front of someone else, let alone someone with a personality like Xiao Zhiyan's.

“The real Princess He'an is dead, and you are merely a wandering ghost from unknown origins, inhabiting the corpse of Princess He'an!” As Duanmu Cheng spoke these words, his bottomless, deep eyes stared intensely at Xiao Zhiyan, as if trying to look through her body to pierce her very soul.

Xiao Zhiyan felt a genuine sense of admiration for Duanmu Cheng. In an era such as this, it was not easy for him to think this far ahead. If she weren't the subject of the discussion, she would have truly wanted to applaud his analysis.

“Heh...” Xiao Zhiyan let out a cold laugh. “Lord Duanmu's analysis is truly magnificent. If it were truly as you say—that I am merely a wandering ghost from another world clinging to this corpse—wouldn't you be afraid?”