Chapter 41: Prophecy

Chapter 41: Prophecy

The atmosphere in the hunting grounds was tense and unnervingly quiet, with countless pairs of eyes quietly watching the scene.

It was no secret among the royal families and noble houses of Lingjing that Qiao Wan had once bought out Mu Chi’s contract at the Songzhu Pavilion.

Back then, Qiao Wan was the peerless and noble Princess Changle, while Mu Chi was merely a male courtesan.

No one had ever imagined that their statuses would be reversed like this. It was likely that Princess Changle was in for a rough time now.

After replying with "You’re welcome," Qiao Wan fell silent, only frowning and glaring displeasedly at Mu Chi. Indeed, this madman lost his mind whenever he encountered Qiao Qingni.

Mu Chi’s pupils were pitch black. As he watched Qiao Wan’s calm and unbothered expression, his fingers unconsciously curled. An unfamiliar, crushing weight pressed against his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

Qiao Wan waited for a while, but when Mu Chi remained silent, she finally lost her patience. She stepped forward to take the flower-butterfly hairpin from his hand but failed.

Mu Chi clenched the hairpin tightly, and it twisted completely out of shape in his palm, turning into a crumpled piece of silver.

"This belongs to me," Qiao Wan frowned and looked up at him.

Mu Chi’s knuckles turned white from gripping the hairpin, but his expression remained amiable: "Princess Changle has given me so many pieces of jewelry. Now that I’ve broken your hairpin, it’s only right that I compensate you with a better one."

Qiao Wan stared at Mu Chi for a long moment. Hearing him thank her for gifting him and Qiao Qingni so many matching pieces of jewelry, she suddenly felt completely fed up. She let go, turned around, and pulled Cheng Qingchuan away. "Let’s go practice over there."

Cheng Qingchuan was stunned but managed to say, "My apologies," to the others before being dragged off.

Mu Chi lowered his gaze, watching Qiao Wan’s hand clutching the scholar’s sleeve.

Her fingers were warm and soft. It was these very hands that had once soothed his back and applied medicine for him.

Now, they were holding onto someone else. After all, it was just archery.

"Master Mu?" Qiao Qingni beside him looked at him worriedly, feeling as though he was like a beast on the verge of losing control, staring intently at its prey.

Mu Chi’s eyes shifted. Without looking at her, he let out a soft laugh: "Princess Zhaoyang, it’s rare for you to come to the hunting grounds. Would you care to see my archery skills in action?"

Qiao Qingni was stunned.

Without waiting for her response, Mu Chi raised his bow again, notched a sharp arrow, and slowly lifted it. But instead of aiming at the target, he gradually pointed it toward the heart of the scholar in white robes ahead.

Qiao Wan had intended to lead Cheng Qingchuan to the targets at the other end but paused for no reason she could name.

When Mu Chi had shot the arrow through her hairpiece earlier, she hadn’t realized the danger until the flower-butterfly hairpin fell to the ground.

But now, she felt a cold and overwhelming murderous intent surging from behind her, completely unconcealed.

Frowning tightly, Qiao Wan turned around, and her eyes widened in shock.

Mu Chi held his bow, the arrow aimed directly at Cheng Qingchuan. Noticing her gaze, he even tilted his head and gave her a faint smile before releasing the string.

The arrow shot forth like a gust of deadly wind, heading straight for Cheng Qingchuan’s heart.

Qiao Wan’s heart leaped to her throat, but she couldn’t utter a sound. Instinctively, she raised her hand and pushed Cheng Qingchuan aside.

"Princess..." Cheng Qingchuan barely managed to utter two words before the cold arrow grazed his arm, tearing through his robe. A searing pain shot through his arm, and a bleeding gash appeared instantly.

Seeing the blood on Cheng Qingchuan’s arm, Qiao Wan’s anger surged.

She had already stepped back for him and Qiao Qingni, yet that beast still couldn’t stand to see anyone treat her well!

"Thank you, Princess, for saving me..." Cheng Qingchuan, pale-faced, was about to express his gratitude when he saw the woman in robes of fiery red press her lips tightly together. Clutching the quiver, she strode determinedly toward Mu Chi.

She walked right up to Mu Chi, grabbed the arrows from the quiver, and slammed them violently at his face and body, breathing heavily from the effort.

Mu Chi stood motionless, watching the woman who had charged up to him. A sharp arrow grazed his cheek, leaving a thin cut from which blood seeped out.

Qiao Wan’s face flushed red with rage as she shouted, "You madman, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Gasps were heard around them. No one had expected that Princess Changle would still be so spoiled and defiant. For a moment, everyone waited to see her come to a bad end.

Even Qiao Qingni’s face turned pale. She had seen Mu Chi casually and effortlessly remove someone’s head with a mere wave of his hand. There was no way he couldn’t have dodged Qiao Wan’s slowly thrown arrows.

But Mu Chi remained where he was, looking down at Qiao Wan. After a long moment, he said calmly, "This is the second time."

The second time she would rather hurt him to protect another man in front of him.

Qiao Wan couldn’t be bothered to think about what he meant by "the second time." She only glared coldly at him and said, "What? Are you going to kill me if it happens again?"

Mu Chi’s gaze fell on her slender neck.

He had had such thoughts countless times—to choke the life out of her. Then he wouldn’t be so affected by such a vain and arrogant woman.

Qiao Wan felt a chill run down her spine under his stare and unconsciously took half a step back.

Mu Chi seemed amused by her reaction, a half-smile curling his lips. "Scared?"

Qiao Wan pressed her lips together and was about to speak when hurried footsteps sounded from behind. A guard-like figure ran over and dropped to one knee, saying, "Greetings to Master Mu, Princess Zhaoyang, Princess Changle."

The guard paused. "Miss Zhao Ying trespassed into the dense forest and accidentally encountered wild jackals there. Her right eye was scratched, and I’m afraid... it can’t be saved. She won’t be able to participate in the competition."

Qiao Wan was stunned. The dense forest of the Hidden Spring Villa connected to the woods west of Lingjing, vast and lush, and indeed known to have wild beasts.

However, when the villa’s owner first built the estate, he had dispatched thousands of guards to fence off hundreds of acres of forest. Untamed beasts had never appeared there before.

"How unfortunate," Mu Chi said without a hint of surprise, smiling at Qiao Wan. "Now we won’t get to see Princess Changle compete."

He then glanced at the scholar in the distance and added, "Nor will we see Princess Changle’s inspiring archery practice with someone."

Qiao Wan frowned, momentarily suspecting that the man before her was responsible for this.

But what benefit would he gain from it? Zhao Ying was Qiao Qingni’s person, and she was happy to see Mu Chi and Qiao Qingni together.

"What is Princess looking at?" Mu Chi met her gaze, a hint of excitement in his tone as he leaned closer and asked.

Qiao Wan snapped out of her thoughts, pursed her lips, and asked, "Did you do it?"

Mu Chi looked puzzled. "Why would I do that?"

Qiao Wan thought it over and saw his point. She couldn’t be bothered to argue with him further and turned to leave.

"Princess," Mu Chi called out to her, quickly stepping in front of her. "The spring banquet is about to end. Princess should return to your estate early."

Qiao Wan frowned. The spring banquet was supposed to end in the evening, with fireworks.

Before she could ponder further, Mu Chi’s voice lowered, gentle yet threatening: "Tomorrow, someone will present you with foot shackles, Princess."

"Since you never listen, it’s better to chain you up."

Qiao Wan widened her eyes in fury. "You're insane!"

"Didn't Princess Changle just call me a madman?"

Qiao Wan glared at him, then suddenly hurled the quiver hard at his face. It made a sharp "smack" as it hit him before falling to the ground.

The crowd fell into a stunned silence, watching in horror as Qiao Wan hit and insulted Master Mu yet remained completely unharmed.

It took a moment for Qiao Wan to realize what she had done. Seeing the cold, dangerous look in Master Mu's eyes, her heart trembled. Pressing her lips together, she decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

She turned and strode toward the edge of the hunting grounds, paused, then turned back to Cheng Qingchuan. Muttering a low "sorry," she turned and left.

The crowd in the distance instinctively made way for her.

Only Mu Chi remained where he was, his head turned to the side from the blow. The smile that had been on his face gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression.

"Master Mu, you're hurt. Let me tend to that for you," a soft, gentle voice spoke up.

A silk handkerchief was offered to Mu Chi. He looked over—on the bottom right corner of the pale pink handkerchief was an elegantly embroidered character "Ni," a world apart from the crude, crooked "Wan" carved into his hand.

Once, Qiao Wan had given him an identical handkerchief and told him to return it to Qiao Qingni.

"Master Mu?" Qiao Qingni called softly.

Mu Chi snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "The embroidery is lovely."

But he didn’t take the handkerchief. Instead, he turned and walked away from the spring banquet. The sunlight around him seemed to freeze, and the once-glittering red bean hairpin in his crown now looked dull and faded.

Qiao Qingni watched Mu Chi's retreating figure, her red lips pressed tightly together. She followed him and finally called out to him just as he was about to board his carriage. "Master Mu."

Mu Chi paused.

Qiao Qingni's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "The wedding procession from Great Qi will depart from the capital, Yan, in the next few days."

Mu Chi slowly turned around. The chaos in his eyes gradually stilled.

He looked at the beautiful woman standing before him, the one who should have been by his side. For some reason, her face seemed to grow increasingly blurry.

Si Li approached from a distance, bowed respectfully, and called out "Master" before standing silently by the carriage.

Mu Chi collected himself. "Princess Zhaoyang will always be the Princess Zhaoyang of the Li Kingdom."

Reassured by his promise, Qiao Qingni relaxed and smiled gently. "Thank you, Master Mu."

Mu Chi nodded, then turned and entered the carriage.

Qiao Qingni watched as the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance. Thinking of what had happened at the spring banquet, she couldn’t help but lower her gaze.

Si Li, sitting at the front of the carriage, waited until they were alone before speaking. "Master, the dense forest has been taken care of."

A long silence followed from inside the carriage before a low, hoarse "Mm" was heard.

Si Li was taken aback, feeling a pang of concern.

But when the carriage stopped at the Mu residence and the master stepped out, aside from his pale complexion and the dried blood on his cheek, he showed no other signs of distress.

Si Li frowned, unable to shake the feeling that his master wasn’t as composed as he appeared.

Mu Chi went straight to his study.

Even though the weather was warm, a brazier was always lit in his study.

As he walked in, Mu Chi removed the red bean hairpin from his crown. He stared at the red bean embedded in it, then slowly crushed it between his fingers until it turned to dust, which he casually let fall to the floor.

His ink-black hair cascaded down like silk, contrasting sharply with his snow-white robes, giving him an ethereal, almost demonic appearance.

When he reached his desk, Mu Chi unclenched his other hand, which he had been tightly holding all along. The flower-butterfly hairpin lay in his palm, stained with blood from his hand. The silver and red were mingled, and it was utterly ruined.

Mu Chi turned his hand over, letting the hairpin fall to the floor. His gaze fell on the wooden box on his desk.

—The box containing all the jewelry Qiao Wan had sent him.

Now, it seemed bitterly ironic.

Every single item inside had been sent by Qiao Wan—each one a matching set meant for him and another woman.

A wave of fury rose in his chest, mixed with a heavy, suffocating feeling.

Mu Chi suddenly swept the box off the desk.

It crashed to the floor, splitting open instantly. The jewelry inside scattered everywhere, and the sound of shattering porcelain echoed through the room.

Hearing the noise, Si Li hurried in but froze at the sight of the mess. "Master?"

"Throw it all away. Every last piece," Mu Chi said darkly.

Hesitating for a moment, Si Li knelt and began gathering the items. But as he picked up a white jade porcelain jar, it suddenly cracked along a seam.

Hearing the shatter, Mu Chi’s gaze sharpened.

The jar containing the white jade ointment had broken, and the high-quality salve spilled out.

Beside the spilled ointment, the half-burned tablet, still blackened, lay beneath a paired hairpin. The rough handwriting on it was faintly visible.

Once, beneath the ginkgo tree at Banruo Temple, a young girl had carefully carved those four characters, her profile serious and her expression devout.

*

Not long after Qiao Wan left the spring banquet, she heard that this year’s event had ended abruptly.

At the exit, she encountered the Zhao family. They were carrying Zhao Ying, who was covered in blood and trembling in fear. Her right eye was a mangled mess, and none of her former arrogance remained.

Qiao Wan waited until the Zhao family had left before boarding her carriage.

Leaning against the carriage wall, she finally allowed herself to close her eyes.

Zhao Ying had been arrogant, but Qiao Wan had been even more so.

For a moment, she felt as if it weren’t Zhao Ying covered in blood—but herself.

Qiao Wan hadn’t wanted to return to the princess’s manor so early, but the servants looked at her with such unease that she reluctantly let the carriage carry her, swaying and jolting, back to the manor.

The princess’s manor felt even more solemn than before. Guards stood expressionlessly at the entrance, and unfamiliar servants moved about with stern faces.

Even Lingjing felt increasingly foreign.

When Qiao Wan returned to her bedchambers and had just finished bathing, she heard Yicui outside say, "Princess, Princess Zhaoyang is here."

Qiao Wan frowned. She couldn’t leave the manor, but some people could still enter—though only after layers of questioning. Yet Qiao Qingni could come and go as she pleased.

Then again, she thought, that was Qiao Qingni for you. Mu Chi had control over Qiao Heng, had reprimanded the crown prince, and had placed Qiao Wan under house arrest. Only Qiao Qingni remained free.

That's the difference.

Qiao Wan couldn't be bothered changing clothes. She simply dried her damp hair, tossed on a cloak, and headed to the main hall.

Qiao Qingni was already seated there waiting, still wearing that gold wire and red bean hairpin. Seeing her arrive, she stood up slightly. "Sister."

Qiao Wan wasn't in the mood for any sisterly affection routine. She merely nodded and slumped into the main seat. "What is it?"

Qiao Qingni looked at her, paused for a moment, then slowly sat down. "Great Qi has already sent people to fetch the bride. The wedding date is set for the sixth of next month."

Qiao Wan shot her a sideways glance. "Does Sister truly believe this wedding will go ahead as planned?"

Just Mu Chi alone wouldn’t allow it.

Qiao Qingni pursed her lips slightly and gave a faint smile. "Master Mu says it won't."

She didn't want to marry a crown prince from a distant land, especially now that the Qiao royal family had lost power. If she went, she would inevitably be neglected—merely a fraud for that "prophecy."

Qiao Wan wasn't surprised by Qiao Qingni's answer; she had known it all along. "In that case, why did you come to see me?"

Qiao Qingni fell silent for a moment. "Master Mu treats you... a little differently."

"Oh?" Qiao Wan looked at her mockingly. "More differently than someone with your supposedly noble fate?"

Qiao Qingni shook her head, dropping the subject, and simply remained silent.

After a long while, she suddenly spoke. "Do you really think my destiny is noble, Sister?"

Qiao Wan frowned.

Qiao Qingni smiled self-deprecatingly and confessed, "The Royal Astrologer's prophecy was fake."

Qiao Wan froze, staring at her in shock.

"The year the Empress had me, Consort Jing had just given birth to a prince, and Beauty Lin also had a son. Only the Empress—she had me."

"A princess—the title might sound fancy," Qiao Qingni's eyes darkened, "but in this backstabbing palace, in the end, I was a liability."

"The Empress feared falling out of favor because she had me, so she bribed the entire Royal Astrologer's office and released that prophecy."

"Father indeed grew more and more fond of the Empress and even gave me the title of Princess Zhaoyang." Qiao Qingni laughed softly. "Mother only intended to deceive our foolish father, but she never imagined that this prophecy would end up deceiving the entire world."

"So I had to strive desperately to excel, to live up to Father's favor and the judgmental eyes of everyone."

Listening to this crazy secret, Qiao Wan found it completely absurd. "You're telling me this—aren't you afraid I'll spread it and cause trouble for you?"

Qiao Qingni looked at her and shook her head. "I'm telling you because..." Her eyelashes fluttered downward. "Mu Chi has known all this for a long time."

"He said he never believed in destiny, so from the very beginning, he never believed this prophecy."

Qiao Wan's expression froze for a moment before it sank in.

Mu Chi had known all along that the prophecy was fake—that obtaining Qiao Qingni wouldn't mean obtaining the world. Yet he still chose Qiao Qingni.

What a touching, admirable love story!

Qiao Wan couldn't stop herself from sneering. "So you came to me to flaunt your rock-solid relationship? And to tell me not to make a fool of myself chasing him?"

Qiao Qingni lowered her eyes. "This is also Minister Wen's intention."

Minister Wen.

The prime minister who now wielded great power in the Li Kingdom.

Qiao Wan looked at Qiao Qingni, her thoughts gradually calming. After a long while, she let out a sharp laugh. "Fine, Third Imperial Sister."

Qiao Qingni was a little surprised.

Qiao Wan smiled at her. "However, I need to make a trip to the palace. Arrange it for me."

Qiao Qingni was puzzled. "Qiao Heng treated you like that—do you still see him as Father?"

Qiao Wan paid no mind to her words and continued, "I also need twenty thousand silver taels."

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t do losing deals."

"Twenty thousand taels—that's the amount I spent at the Songzhu Pavilion."

Author's Note:

Wan Wan: Preparing to run off with the money~