Chapter 51: Did They Reach the End in Their Previous Life?

Shen Shuangning hesitated for a day, only setting out for the Office of Pacification the next day.

Yet she did not know what major incident had occurred at the Office of Pacification the previous night.

After Grand Secretary Song was arrested, a group of assassins broke in at midnight, whether to jailbreak or silence him, the Office of Pacification endured a fierce battle.

Xiao Jingyuan was also wounded, taking a sword to his waist and abdomen.

But these reports were kept tightly under wraps, unknown to outsiders.

When Shen Shuangning arrived, the blood on the Office of Pacification's floor had been washed clean, the corpses disposed of, everything calm as if nothing had happened.

Thus, upon entering she caught a faint scent of blood in the air, only puzzling her for a moment before she dismissed it, after all the Office of Pacification differed from an ordinary prison.

Yet she never expected to meet Song Xizhi here; seeing her, Song Xizhi was clearly surprised as well, with a hint of complexity in her eyes.

"How did you come, Ning sister?" Song Xizhi scrutinized her.

Perhaps something had happened at the Song mansion; Song Xizhi's face lacked color, appearing extremely pale, like a delicate white flower that evoked pity.

Shen Shuangning did not hide her purpose, saying, "I heard the Young Marquis was injured in Dan Zhou, I am worried, so I wanted to ask the Heir Apparent to deliver a letter for me."

Hearing this, Song Xizhi seemed to sigh in relief, then glanced inside before turning back to say, "The Heir Apparent is presently preoccupied; Ning sister, if you trust me, I can hand your letter to him for you, and if not, I'll return it to you."

Song Xizhi remained gentle and mild, as if she did not mind Shen Shuangning's previous broken appointment.

Shen Shuangning pondered; she and Xiao Jingyuan had only recently had a disagreement, he is narrow‑minded, fearing his anger has not yet faded, he may not be willing to help.

But if Song Xizhi pleaded for her, given Song Xizhi's weight in his heart, he might agree.

"Then I'll trouble you, Sister Song." Shen Shuangning handed over the letter.

Song Xizhi took the letter from her hand and said softly, "Ning sister, wait here a moment; I'll speak to him for you."

Shen Shuangning nodded slightly, watching Song Xizhi leave.

She could roughly guess Song Xizhi's purpose in coming here—likely for Grand Secretary Song.

Xiao Jingyuan's quarters lay beyond a long, deep corridor; when Song Xizhi arrived, the door was closed.

She stood before the door and raised her hand to knock.

Soon after, the door opened from within, revealing a woman of extraordinary beauty.

Song Xizhi's smile faded instantly.

Seeing her arrive, Yao Niang voluntarily stepped aside and bowed deeply: "Miss Song."

Song Xizhi could treat Shen Shuangning kindly because she knew Xiao Jingyuan fundamentally disliked Shen Shuangning, and in her previous life Shen Shuangning had perished in fragrant demise at the Yan Prince's mansion; she even felt a little pity for Shen Shuangning.

Yet toward Yao Niang, who constantly clung to Xiao Jingyuan's side, Song Xizhi could not genuinely like her.

This feeling largely stemmed from her disdain for Yao Niang's lowly birth—a girl inferior to her in every way, yet relying on some looks and a pitiful background to win the Heir Apparent's special favor.

Whereas she, Song Xizhi, possessed both talent and beauty, her lineage noble and spotless, yet had to strive hard merely to draw near Xiao Jingyuan.

Song Xizhi felt unbalanced inside, thus she loathed Yao Niang all the more.

But in Xiao Jingyuan's presence she would never show it; Song Xizhi gave Yao Niang a faint glance, nodded slightly, then ignored her.

Also present in the room were Su Chen and Xiao He.

"Miss Song, weren't you told to wait first?" Su Chen rose, wearing a helpless expression as he advised, "I know you worry about Grand Secretary Song, but the emperor has issued an order forbidding any visits, so please don't trouble the Heir Apparent."

Song Xizhi glanced at Xiao Jingyuan, seated not far away in a chair.

He had just finished applying medicine, wearing only a white inner robe, with a blood‑stained gauze laid aside that he had removed.

Because his complexion was somewhat pallid, his face appeared all the more cold and stern, unapproachable.

Song Xizhi unconsciously softened her breath, lifted the letter in her hand, and said, "I'm not here to see my grandfather; I'm delivering a letter on behalf of Fourth Miss Shen."

Xiao Jingyuan slightly raised his eyes.

Thus Song Xizhi returned his gaze, her cherry lips parting as she spoke slowly, "She heard the Young Marquis Xie was injured in Dan Zhou, she is deeply worried, so she wanted to ask the Heir Apparent to carry a letter to the Young Marquis; I can see she is on the verge of tears, and if the Heir Apparent refuses, Ning sister will likely be so anxious she cannot sleep."

Su Chen's brow twitched again, and then he saw the ever‑composed Heir Apparent Xiao Jingyuan—his eye corner seemed to twitch, as if he were angered—after which he clenched a fist to his lips and began to cough.

Before anyone else could react, Yao Niang darted forward, bowed, and offered him a cup of tea.

Xiao Jingyuan did not take it, merely gesturing for her to set it aside, then turned to Song Xizhi and asked, "Why didn't she come herself?"

"You seek a favor yet refuse to show yourself, showing no sincerity—do you think you deserve her indulgence?"

Song Xizhi blinked: "Perhaps she is simply afraid of the Heir Apparent."

"Afraid?"

Xiao Jingyuan almost wanted to laugh.

"When she was pointing at his nose and cursing him, there was not a trace of fear!"

Xiao Jingyuan did indeed chuckle, though it was a cold laugh.

Just as Song Xizhi thought he would refuse, she heard him say, "Just leave it there."

Song Xizhi then placed the letter on the table; seeing he was wounded, she added a few words of concern before taking her leave.

But when she closed the door, she did not immediately depart.

Inside, Xiao Jingyuan's distinctly displeased voice could be heard.

"Who gave you permission to let her in? Do you think the Office of Pacification is some place anyone can come and go as they please?"

The one who let Shen Shuangning in was Qing Feng; he thought Fourth Miss had come to see the Heir Apparent for something important, who knew it was merely concern for the Young Marquis...

As Qing Feng went to receive his punishment, he really didn't understand why the Heir Apparent flew into such a rage—Fourth Miss wasn't even an outsider...

Qing Feng certainly didn't know that the two had just quarreled, and the Heir Apparent had come out on the losing end.

Shen Shuangning knew none of these things.

After sending off the letter, she had also settled one of her worries, and that night she slept fairly soundly.

But on the other side, Xiao Jingyuan was somewhat displeased.

He had gone several days without dreaming, yet that night he dreamed again of Shen Shuangning.

In the dream he was preparing to march to the Northern Border, accompanied by Prince Rui.

Prince Rui rode on horseback, showing him a sachet personally sewn by a woman; the sachet's stitching was fine and delicate, small and exquisite, clearly made with care.

"Xiao Jingyuan, do you know who gave this sachet to me?" Prince Rui held the sachet in his hand, his brows flashing with blatant provocation.

"Forget it, if I tell you you'll just be unhappy again."

He naturally ignored it, but deep down he seemed to have an answer.

Prince Rui always claimed that he and his consort were childhood sweethearts; this provocation was childish and also annoyed him greatly.

Afterwards he saw Shen Shuangning, who, like the families of other soldiers, had come to fulfil the ritual for him.

That day was a rainy day.

The rain fell lightly, not heavy, but she seemed to be in a hurry; A Heng, holding an umbrella behind her, couldn't keep up, and when she reached him and lifted her head, her hair was wet and stuck to her cheeks, looking somewhat disheveled.

He twitched his fingers, as if wanting to tidy her messy hair.

But right after, she produced a sachet identical to the one in Prince Rui's hand and handed it to him.

He had long known that she was secretly preparing a ritual gift for him.

But he hadn't expected that it wasn't the only one.

Afterwards he said many hurtful words, and she burst into tears; rain and tears mingled, making her look utterly miserable.

Yet he remained unmoved, leaving her behind and striding away.

When Xiao Jingyuan woke up, the image of the woman's heartbroken face lingered in his mind; he pressed his hand to his chest, feeling both suffocated and pained.

Since he first dreamed of Shen Shuangning, these dreams have been like fragments, not continuous.

For now, consider them as from a past life.

Given his understanding of himself, his past self probably didn't love Shen Shuangning that much; it was merely because she was his consort that he naturally felt possessive.

Thus, his reaction to Prince Rui's provocation and her unfaithful behavior was especially emotional and angry.

Their marriage in the past life was largely unhappy...

Thinking this, Xiao Jingyuan couldn't help but ponder: since they didn't love each other, had he and she reached the end?

He calmly analyzed: the Yan Prince's Manor is wealthy and powerful, with countless servants; even if he didn't like her, he would certainly not shortchange her materially, so she should live well.

I don't know the past court's situation, but as long as the Yan Prince's Manor stands, it could shield her for a lifetime of peace and safety.

If the Yan Prince's Manor fell, she still had the Duke of Rong's Manor; her parents and brothers doted on her and would surely protect her, not letting her suffer any harm.

Failing that, she still had Prince Rui.

Thinking thus, Xiao Jingyuan's emotions gradually calmed.

He had little to feel guilty about toward her.