Chapter 554: You Can Do Whatever You Want to Me

"Creak."

The carriage finally stopped in front of the Imperial Palace.

Qin Jian followed Xue Qinghe off the carriage; under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two of them tacitly refrained from any further intimate gestures.

It was just that the knights who had been guarding the left and right of the carriage all had rather strange looks in their eyes.

What are you two still pretending for? You were just hugging and gnawing on each other a moment ago...

It really is true these days that as long as you look good, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman...

The knights believed they had grasped the true meaning of life, and thus, the world gained a few more good comrades who enjoy fencing.

Walking through the palace gates, one enters the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, where brilliance and luxury coexist.

Xue Qinghe led Qin Jian inside the whole way; people bowed along the path, and she always returned the greetings with grace and elegance, her image as an approachable and kind Crown Prince deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Qin Jian and Ning Rongrong had once lived in this Imperial Palace for half a year, so he was still somewhat familiar with it.

However, once they walked into the inner palace, he could no longer tell where was where.

"This is Xue Ye's bedchamber. Since you will be living with me in the Eastern Palace from now on, you must at least say a word to Xue Ye..."

Xue Qinghe said casually: "Although, he isn't capable of making any decisions now anyway..."

"Xue Ye? You've even changed how you address him?" Qin Jian said, speechless.

Xue Qinghe glanced at him: "You know my identity, so what else is there to hide?"

Qin Jian curled his lip: "I don't care about your identity or anything like that; I'm only interested in your gender."

Xue Qinghe chuckled and said nothing.

"Huh? This is Emperor Xueye?"

Qin Jian looked in surprise at the withered old man on the bed, barely able to recognize that this was Emperor Xueye.

Xue Qinghe casually tapped her fingers: "Mm, he is at the end of his rope; he can live for a few months at most."

"Father Emperor, I am adding one person to my Eastern Palace staff. You know him too; he is the Spirit Hall Chief Judge, the successor to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Jian Douluo, Qin Jian." Xue Qinghe said by the bedside.

Qin Jian saw that Emperor Xueye's eyes, which were already about to dim, darkened by a few more shades.

"I assume Father Emperor will not object, so Qinghe will take her leave."

After Xue Qinghe finished speaking, she took Qin Jian's hand and walked out again.

"Xue Ye can't even speak anymore?"

Outside the palace, Qin Jian was still a bit confused: "So you just dragged me over here to go through the motions?"

Xue Qinghe smiled: "He is terminally ill now; he can hear but cannot speak. His consciousness is still clear, but he can no longer make any movements."

"As for why I brought you here once, of course it wasn't for him to know, but to let others see it, to continue my perfect Crown Prince persona..."

She said intentionally or otherwise: "Although I am practically the one overseeing the state now, as long as I haven't ascended the throne for a single day, I cannot let my guard down. If I were to leave behind any handle, I fear I would be caught by Teacher..."

Qin Jian walked by her side and said: "Are you so sure that Ning Shu will trip you up?"

Xue Qinghe sighed and said: "I don't know why Teacher's heart suddenly changed. He used to be my staunchest supporter, but now he has parted ways with me."

"Qin Jian, do you know why?" She turned to look at Qin Jian.

"This..."

Qin Jian folded his arms: "Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you..."

Xue Qinghe pursed her lips, a moment of disappointment flashing in her heart.

"That's true. No matter what, I can't compare to Ning Rongrong's place in your heart. How could you be willing to betray the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."

She sighed again and said: "But Qin Jian, this time it might be that Teacher suspected you first. I hope you can continue to hold your ground."

"That's not my concern. Anyway, according to the requirements, I just need to stay by your side. As for the rest, no matter what you all do, I won't interfere, and I don't want to know." Qin Jian continued to fold his arms.

Xue Qinghe looked at him with great surprise.

"You actually have this kind of thinking... staying neutral?"

A very gentle smile slowly appeared on her face: "This means you have no bias in your heart, which is to say, you have placed me and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the same position."

Not only that, Qin Jian is by her side now; in the eyes of others and Ning Fengzhi, that means he is standing with Xue Qinghe.

Therefore, while it seems there is no bias, in reality, it is actually biased toward her, Xue Qinghe.

Thinking about it, her smile became sweet...

Qin Jian watched her expression, looking completely bewildered.

He had no idea what Xue Qinghe was secretly pleased about, because he knew himself that he was actually still biased toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect...

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, where are we going next?"

Qin Jian interrupted Xue Qinghe's thoughts, which had drifted to the ends of the earth. It was just that with Xue Qinghe wearing a neutral face and looking at him with such affection, he was afraid he would turn gay if he looked too much.

"Why do you still call me Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

Xue Qinghe was walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder with him: "Can't you change how you address me?"

"Change how I address you?"

Qin Jian glanced at her: "I don't even know what your real name is."

"Hm? You don't even know this?"

Xue Qinghe was startled at first, then realized: "That's right, we agreed beforehand that we couldn't reveal our true identities. Not just gender, it should also include names and such..."

Qin Jian smiled helplessly: "I already know who your parents are, yet you still won't tell me these things. Really..."

"This requirement was agreed upon by Bibi Dong and my grandfather, right?"

Xue Qinghe's eyes were a bit strange: "They must both be worried about the same thing."

Qin Jian shrugged: "Worried about my relationship with you, I suppose."

"So you knew all along."

Xue Qinghe blinked: "Then, can you still not guess my gender?"

Qin Jian crossed his arms: "Of course I have my suspicions; it is precisely because they are guarding so strictly that I suspect your gender."

Xue Qinghe could not help but laugh: "The more carefully one guards, the easier it is to reveal flaws; I didn't expect Bibi Dong would also make such a mistake."

"By saying that, you're admitting it?" Qin Jian glanced over and said.

Xue Qinghe neither nodded nor shook his head, continuing to maintain a smile: "I said, that is for you to discern yourself; I certainly won't help you."

Qin Jian felt a bit of a headache.

This kind of thing is simply a disaster for someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder; even if he were ninety-nine percent certain, he still couldn't be completely at ease.

"Hey, Qin Jian."

For the first time, Xue Qinghe did not call him Little Brother Qin: "If you are willing to sever your relationship with Bibi Dong and help me with all your might to become the Pope and unify the Dalu, then I can tell you what you want to know right now."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Qin Jian pointed at himself, speechless: "Your conditions are completely disproportionate to my requirements; the scales have been tipped over!"

Xue Qinghe did not look at him, however, but looked ahead and said: "If you are truly willing to help me, then, you can do anything you want to me..."

She thought for a moment, then added another sentence: "Anything at all."

Qin Jian: "..."

(End of this chapter)