Chapter Forty: The Beginning of Deception

Si Yan gazed at Ye Qianling, who lay on the bed unable to open her eyes, silently bowing his head to hide the coldness in his gaze. Raised in the imperial palace since childhood, the relentless pursuit of power had forced him to suppress any trace of compassion in his heart.

For a long time, Ye Qianling heard nothing. After a while, she cautiously whispered, “Young Master Chi, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Hearing her, Si Yan lifted his head, his voice returning to its usual tone. “Rest well. I’ll fetch your medicine.”

Ye Qianling wanted to respond, but his words left her no room, and before she could say anything, the young man hurried away as if escaping.

Once he had gone, Ye Qianling’s smile vanished instantly. Pretending to be cheerful was exhausting. As the effects of the anesthetic slowly wore off, pain returned to her chest.

“Time to get up and take your medicine.” The door creaked open, and Si Yan entered holding a bowl. He saw Ye Qianling, now awake and curled up, her large eyes lifting toward him at the sound of his voice, which was deep and magnetic.

Her trembling hands tried to reach for the bowl, but the pain was too much; she couldn’t hold anything. After several failed attempts, Si Yan sighed inwardly and sat beside the bed, watching the girl’s awkward struggle. After a moment, realizing she truly couldn’t manage, he said softly, “Don’t try anymore. Let me feed you.”

Ye Qianling was startled, looking up at Si Yan in disbelief. She wanted to refuse, unwilling to trouble others, but recognizing her own helplessness, she thought for a long time. Her sweat-soaked face relaxed, and a blush appeared on her pale cheeks. “I’m sorry to trouble you, Young Master Chi.”

Si Yan, seeing her reaction, seemed to understand something. He picked up the spoon and brought it to her lips.

Ye Qianling watched his gentle movements. She felt dissatisfied with her sudden weakness and dependence, yet she couldn’t deny that her gaze toward Si Yan was changing. Indeed, she was moved by his care.

These days had been agonizing. She had always endured alone. Despite her shocking wounds, no one cared, not even a little. Yet here was a boy she’d known for only days, showing her such concern—whatever his motives, warmth surged through her heart.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling onto the spoon and mixing with the medicine as she swallowed.

The room turned silent. Ye Qianling, being fed, dared not look at Si Yan; her tear-filled eyes, obeying gravity, could not hold back the flow.

“What are you two doing? We’ve been waiting forever and you still aren’t done?” came a brash voice. Both immediately composed themselves, pretending nothing had happened.

Chu Zimu and his companions entered without knocking, startling the pair. Though they tried to hide their reactions, it was too late. Seeing Si Yan feeding Ye Qianling, none had expected their relationship to progress so quickly.

Chu Zimu’s expression was especially intriguing—somewhat stunned, a bit angry, and puzzled.

“How are you feeling now, Miss Wu?” Zhao Mengge asked.

“It’s nothing. My injuries are almost healed. Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhao.” Ye Qianling did not want others to worry or pity her, so she hid the truth.

But her complexion betrayed her lie. Since she clearly wished to keep it private, they dropped the subject.

Sui Ying’ai took the bowl from Si Yan and continued feeding Ye Qianling. By now, Ye Qianling’s tears had stopped, leaving no trace after a short while.

“Did you go to that place? How was it?” Ye Qianling asked calmly.

“It was alright, but the beef brisket soup was so sweet, we could barely eat it,” Zhou Xiaojie replied immediately, expressing his dissatisfaction.

“I don’t like sweet food either. Once I ate their beef brisket soup and fasted for three days—it was unbearable,” Ye Qianling agreed.

“You two didn’t eat anything, so we brought some food back for you. We bought the dishes we liked best—try them, and if they’re good, I’ll go get more for us to take home,” Jian Suifei said, placing several large bowls and pairs of chopsticks on the table.

“I’ll take a bit of each dish. Miss Wu just had anesthesia and can’t get out of bed, so she should eat here,” Si Yan remarked casually.

Ye Qianling felt embarrassed by his words, but after refusing help and struggling several times to sit up, she finally forced herself upright, leaning on a cushion and painstakingly picking up bits of food with shaky hands.

Sui Ying’ai had wanted to feed her, but seeing Ye Qianling’s determination, she refrained. Even though they had only known her a few days, everyone understood how much Ye Qianling valued her dignity and so said nothing more about helping.

“I’m going out for a walk to find places we can visit once Miss Wu feels better,” Chu Zimu said, exchanging a glance with Si Yan.

“Wait, I’ll come too.” Si Yan stopped Chu Zimu from leaving, putting down his chopsticks, having eaten little himself. He felt he ought to say something, so he followed Chu Zimu out.

The two walked side by side in silence for a long time until Chu Zimu finally stopped and looked at Si Yan. “What are you thinking?”

“What do you think, Zimu?” Si Yan replied, lifting his head to look at Chu Zimu with a blank expression.

Si Yan and Chu Zimu were not recent acquaintances; they had grown up together as close friends. Chu Zimu’s true identity was Si Yan’s tutor as crown prince. Five years ago, Chu Zimu’s father worked as a spy in the capital and needed his son to make the act more convincing, so he brought Chu Zimu to the Night Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, five years later, Si Yan sent a carrier pigeon to Chu Zimu saying he would be staying in the Night Kingdom’s capital for some time.

Chu Zimu was shocked by the news—he could hardly believe it. Si Yan was the crown prince of Yan Kingdom, the future heir to the throne—his safety was paramount. Besides, Night Kingdom and Yan Kingdom were the two most powerful nations on the continent, rivals for a hundred years. Even now, their relationship was a fragile calm beneath brewing storms, unable to withstand any unexpected incidents. For the crown prince to travel incognito to a rival nation was unthinkable.

Chu Zimu instinctively rejected the idea, urging Si Yan to reconsider. Such an unrealistic plan would never be approved by anyone. But after hearing Si Yan’s reasoning, Chu Zimu immediately understood why Si Yan had made such a choice. He knew Si Yan’s plight within the Yan royal family, but as a crown prince in a hostile country, the dangers were obvious. Nevertheless, after analyzing the situation with Si Yan, Chu Zimu stopped hesitating.

Si Yan told Chu Zimu he had ambitions to rise above others; this was his critical moment. His maternal family was in peril, and only by temporarily leaving Yan could he save himself. The upheaval in the Night Kingdom’s palace provided a rare opportunity.

Once their decision was made, they began preparations. Entering this place, Si Yan originally hoped Chu Zimu would not be involved, but Chu Zimu’s father learned of it by chance and resolutely committed a crime to enter prison, so his son could stay by Si Yan’s side and do what he could to protect him.

“What do you mean, what do I think? Yan, don’t you feel you’re being too attentive to Ye Qianling? Even I was caught off guard by your actions,” Chu Zimu said, lowering his voice as he glanced around to ensure no one was near. “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Ye Qianling after only a few days. Don’t forget—she’s the fifth princess of Night Kingdom. Do you not know how many of our people she’s killed?”

“You’ve known me long enough—do you really think I’d fall for her?” Si Yan’s voice was commanding and magnetic.

“I know you wouldn’t, but your behavior just now left even me confused. If you feel nothing for her, why show such concern?” Chu Zimu pressed.

He stared at Si Yan’s enigmatic smile and gradually understood. “Don’t tell me—” Chu Zimu started, but seeing Si Yan didn’t deny it, his eyes widened in disbelief. “You really mean it, don’t you?” Realizing the truth, he continued, “But I heard Ye Qianling tried to kill herself after the Night Kingdom’s queen saved her, and recently she’s been tormented to the point of ruin. Did you see her hand just now—she couldn’t even hold a bowl. Are you sure you want to treat her this way?”

“Are you getting soft?” Si Yan’s gaze was expressionless, his brows raised, eyes turning cold. Chu Zimu sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn’t change Si Yan’s mind. Though his hatred for Ye Qianling was born of battlefield enmity, seeing her so broken and abandoned, nearly cast out of her family, he couldn’t bear to kick her when she was down. Si Yan’s voice came from beside him: “Just as you said, she killed too many of our people. Among them were children not yet twenty, families losing their pillar, and even worse tragedies. Don’t you think of them? Did they deserve such suffering?”

Chu Zimu knew that once Si Yan resolved on something, it was hard to change his mind. For the sake of their homeland, shallow camaraderie formed in battle was best ignored. He changed the subject. “When do you plan to return? I’ve heard His Majesty has tried several times to summon you back, but the concubine’s faction keeps blocking it. It seems you won’t be called back unless you choose to return yourself.”

“I know. Within two years, I’ll make everyone see that I am the future ruler of Yan Kingdom and I hold that power.” Si Yan would say such words only to Chu Zimu. The pride and confidence of a crown prince, so rarely revealed, could always be seen in the real Si Yan.