Chapter 6: Chapter 179: It's Good That I Didn't Fall to My Death!

Chapter 179: It’s Good That You Didn't Die from the Fall!

"You can't escape!" the leader of the men in black barked coldly.

"Who sent you?" Duan Zirou looked at the men in black with cold eyes, her voice steady and devoid of even a hint of fear.

"You should know that we cannot say!" The men in black admired Duan Zirou's composure and frankness, but having taken the silver, they had a job to do.

Speechless, Duan Zirou looked back at the bottomless cliff before her and finally threw herself down. Seeing this, the men in black exchanged glances before retreating.

When Ye Zixiao chased all the way to the edge of the cliff that night, all he saw were Duan Zirou's embroidered shoes left there.

"Zirou! Zirou—!" Ye Zixiao suddenly grabbed the embroidered shoes, his deep eyes instantly flooding with tears. There was no blood on the ground, no signs of a fight or struggle, nor any torn fabric. Ye Zixiao knew that Duan Zirou must have jumped from the cliff.

"I'm sorry... It's Zixiao who harmed you! Zirou... where are you!" At this moment, Ye Zixiao gripped the embroidered shoes tightly, letting out a heart-wrenching, desperate cry. His handsome, pale face was devoid of color, and his body trembled uncontrollably from agitation. The pain of losing something that could never be regained felt like a piercing, bone-deep ache, an indescribable agony.

"My Lord, your subordinate should not have left the Princess alone. I am guilty!" Seeing Ye Zixiao's grief-stricken expression, Zhao Wu immediately knelt, drew his dagger, and moved to stab his own chest as he spoke.

In the nick of time, Ye Zixiao violently snatched the dagger from Zhao Wu.

"I order you to investigate the culprits who attempted to assassinate the Princess immediately! If you fail to find them, you shall not be spared!" Ye Zixiao's voice was low and suppressed, his bloodshot eyes flashing with a cold, murderous light.

"Yes!" Receiving the order, Zhao Wu immediately withdrew.

The entire forest fell into silence. Ye Zixiao knelt alone by the cliff, cradling Duan Zirou's embroidered shoes in his arms. Tears blurred his vision, yet they washed clean the human heart.

"Zirou... without you, what use do I have for this empire..." Ye Zixiao sat there quietly until the golden sun set in the west and the jade rabbit rose in the east, until the dawn broke through the night sky to bring the first rays of morning light. Scenes of the past surfaced one after another. Over these many years, he had grown accustomed to the days with Duan Zirou by his side. Even if she had wanted to become a nun, at least she was alive and within his sight. But now, everything was gone...

When Duan Zirou regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a bamboo bed in a haze, a fragrant scent permeating her nose.

"Master, she is awake." Yin Xue tucked the 'Fragrant Spirit Ointment' back into her sleeve and stepped aside.

"Where is this place? Who are you?" The moment she heard the voice, Duan Zirou sat up abruptly, looking warily at the veiled woman before her.

"It is fortunate that the Princess of Jing did not ask Jingxin whether you were dead or alive." Yao Mowan sat lazily in a bamboo chair with her legs crossed, her jade-like finger tapping her cheek, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Your name is Jingxin? I clearly remember jumping off a cliff; how am I here?" Duan Zirou remained vigilant, her brow furrowed and her expression solemn.

"Shouldn't it be a happy thing that you weren't killed by the fall? Why does the Princess of Jing's tone sound as if she is complaining that Jingxin is meddling in affairs that aren't hers?" Yao Mowan said with a sense of melancholy, having picked up on the coldness in Duan Zirou's tone.

"We are mere chance encounters; would you save me for no reason? Forgive me, but I do not believe there are such idle people in this world," Duan Zirou said dismissively.

"The Princess of Jing is quite right. Whether I save you or not, Jingxin loses nothing, because Jingxin's goal has already been achieved." Looking at Duan Zirou, who continued to scrutinize her with a guarded gaze, Yao Mowan couldn't help but sigh—it was hard to be a good person!

"Your goal? Did you send those assassins?" Duan Zirou looked at Yao Mowan in realization, questioning her sharply.

"Is this all the intelligence the Princess of Jing possesses? It isn't hard to guess who actually wants your life!" Yao Mowan reminded her intentionally. After a moment of hesitation, Duan Zirou's eyes suddenly brightened.

"Yao Su luan! It is Yao Su luan who wants my life!" Duan Zirou stated with certainty.

"That is correct. Yao Su luan's purpose in helping the Prince of Jing rebel is the position of Empress, and your existence as the Princess of Jing is absolutely an obstacle to her," Yao Mowan analyzed the situation pointedly.

"You're talking nonsense. The Prince of Jing has no intention of rebelling." Although Duan Zirou had already accepted Yao Mowan's words in her heart, she refused to admit the fact of Ye Zixiao's rebellion with her lips.

"You don't actually think Jingxin is just trying to trap you with words, do you? The Princess of Jing overthinks things. In fact, Jingxin knows far more than this. Of course, Jingxin does not require the Princess of Jing's acknowledgment. The reason I saved the Princess is simply to let you see clearly: in Ye Zixiao's heart, is his grand ambition of becoming Emperor more important, or are you?" Yao Mowan looked at Duan Zirou with interest.

"What is the difference?" Duan Zirou looked at Yao Mowan suspiciously, her voice gradually softening. After only a few exchanges, Duan Zirou could already sense that the woman before her was no ordinary person.

"There is a difference, of course. If Ye Zixiao has you in his heart, once he knows it was Yao Su luan who harmed you, he will not conspire with her. He might even manage to save his life because of it. If... he does not have you in his heart and continues to cooperate with Yao Su luan, then his life is also destined not to last long." For Yao Mowan, saving Duan Zirou was indeed unnecessary; after all, in Ye Zixiao's heart, Duan Zirou was already dead. However, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since Yao Su luan was desperate for Duan Zirou to die, she would insist on this person living. More importantly, Duan Zirou was a good person, and Yao Mowan could not bear to watch such a person be torn apart. She wondered if this meant she, too, was a good person, and gave a bitter smile.

"I would very much like to know, who are you?" Duan Zirou was somewhat astonished. The affair between Zixiao and Yao Su luan was a secret, and even she had only just found out. Yet, listening to the words of the woman before her, she seemed to know much more than she did.

"That is not important. The most important thing for you right now is to pray for Ye Zixiao, hoping that he loves you enough..." Yao Mowan smiled leisurely and then turned to leave.

"How long do you intend to keep me here?" Seeing Yao Mowan about to rise and leave, Duan Zirou hurriedly chased after her. As she stepped out of the room, Duan Zirou realized she was in the middle of a bamboo forest; before her was an endless sea of bamboo, and her location was a simply decorated small cottage within this bamboo sea.

"If you still hold hope for Ye Zixiao, then wait here for him to come and fetch you. If not, you may leave at any time. Thirty miles north of this cottage is the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. There is enough silver and food in the room. Whether you stay or go is up to you," Yao Mowan spoke indifferently, then left the bamboo cottage without looking back.

It wasn't until they were far from the cottage that Yin Xue finally spoke.

"Master, your subordinate does not understand. Why did you tell Duan Zirou how to leave? Are you not afraid that she will return to the Prince of Jing's manor to report back?" Yin Xue did not understand. The Master had set this trap for a long time; once Duan Zirou returned to the manor, all previous efforts would be in vain.

"Yin Xue, I'll make a bet with you. Duan Zirou will definitely not leave. She will wait here until Ye Zixiao comes to find her." A smile played on the corners of Yao Mowan's lips, and beneath her long eyelashes, the light emanating from her eyes was as brilliant as a flower.

"Whatever Master says, your subordinate believes!" Yin Xue's lip twitched for a moment. A bet? She had seen far too many examples of what happened to Ye Junqing!