The Prince Wants to Assassinate Me Every Day-Chapter 860 - 444: Coming Clean, A Nightlong Conversation (Fourth Update)
Xiao Jinxing didn’t expect that when he arrived at Xiaoxiang Palace, An Ning was bathing.
When he entered, he saw her lying by the edge of the bath, her fair body captivating his attention.
He dismissed the palace maid and approached her side.
She seemed deep in thought and hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Several times he wanted to approach her back and help her wash, but each time he put down his arms.
He was afraid.
Afraid of losing control.
He didn’t dare to move a muscle.
Even if his breathing became slightly hurried, he feared it would trigger his nerves, leading him to act impulsively.
But he understood clearly.
If he acted while she was angry.
She would hate him to death.
So he waited quietly, hoping for her to notice him on her own.
The moment she truly noticed him.
He clearly saw a trace of panic in her eyes, though she tried to maintain composure.
She was even suppressing anger.
Every expression.
Was just like Ye Qichi in the past.
Xiao Jinxing’s eyes grew moist.
But she probably didn’t notice.
She only wanted to chase him out.
Yet the more she acted like this, the more he wanted to tease her.
Just like before.
Even if it was just banter.
He dared not recall the bits and pieces of the past he shared with Ye Qichi when they were at Prince Chen’s Mansion in the outskirts.
Ye Qichi didn’t hate him at that time, though she often annoyed him.
Back then, there weren’t many schemes; Prince Chen’s Mansion was still a peaceful place.
Uncontrollably, his Adam’s apple bobbed again.
Actually.
If she just showed a bit of softness, he would respect her departure.
He didn’t expect.
She appeared before him like this.
So straightforward.
Suddenly Xiao Jinxing thought.
The person truly being tormented might not be Ye Qichi.
He struggled to relax.
Then lowered his head and helped her put on the undergarment.
The bright red color formed a sharp contrast with her fair skin.
Making one feel intoxicated.
Xiao Jinxing spent a long time dressing An Ning.
Covering her body completely.
Once dressed.
Large beads of sweat formed on Xiao Jinxing’s forehead. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
His palms were also drenched with sweat.
Finally, she was fully dressed.
He heard An Ning’s light and bland voice comment, "The emperor’s ability to dress people is still inferior to Nan Mu and Xia Zhu."
Xiao Jinxing lowered his eyes.
Like being pierced by a thousand arrows.
An Ning seemed oblivious to Xiao Jinxing’s anomaly, dressed, she walked out of the bath.
Yue Ying saw her come out and hurriedly saluted, also nervously respectful, "Your Majesty."
"Brew a pot of tea for the emperor, tonight His Majesty will have a long talk with me."
"... Yes." Yue Ying was respectful.
Mulling over.
Wasn’t the emperor coming today for Her Majesty to serve him in bed?!
How come they would have a long talk.
Secretly lamenting, serving by Her Majesty’s side was too difficult.
Completely unable to discern her thoughts.
An Ning donned a coat.
April nights were still chilly.
She sat on the soft couch in the main hall.
Xiao Jinxing sat facing her.
Yue Ying poured the tea.
The two just looked at each other.
An Ning straightforwardly opened up, without the imagined awkwardness, candidly admitting, "Yes, I am Ye Qichi."
Xiao Jinxing looked at An Ning.
Even though he already believed she was Ye Qichi.
Hearing it directly from her mouth still touched him once more.
"I didn’t die after jumping off the city wall and was saved by the person you hated the most, Xiao Jinsen." An Ning laid it all out, no need to hide from Xiao Jinxing, "Rest assured, Xiao Jinsen is dead, crushed beneath me when we fell from the city wall, shattered into a million pieces."
"Xiao Jinsen created the false impression of dying with me to grant me freedom. At the moment you all thought I was dead, Xiao Jinsen’s trusted guard had already escorted me out of the border and given me lots of gold."
Xiao Jinxing listened silently.
Listening to the things he promised Ye Qichi back then.
Only in the end, it was Xiao Jinsen who fulfilled them for her.
"With the gold, I went to Xuzhou and only realized I was pregnant when I got there, initially planning to abort." An Ning spoke calmly.
Yet at that moment it tightened Xiao Jinxing’s heart.
She never intended to bear his children.
"But then I thought, being alone anyway, why not give birth to two to keep me company and perhaps not be lonely, so I had them, having nothing to do with you."
Xiao Jinxing remained silent.
He made no response.
An Ning continued, "What you most want to know might be about my appearance. Simply put, this face is called cosmetic surgery, it’s reconstructing facial features with a knife and transforming into another person’s appearance. The reason I did this was to sever all ties with you, to live freely in the vast kingdom of Daxuan, should I encounter acquaintances that recognize Ye Qichi, it would be too easy to find me."
So she underwent surgery to fundamentally leave him.
He hadn’t witnessed it personally, but he could imagine how bloody the process would be.
He even thought, at that time she had lost her self-healing ability.
Yet she still resolutely underwent facial surgery, completely abandoning the identity of Ye Qichi, becoming An Ning.
"That’s all I’m confessing to you." An Ning looked at Xiao Jinxing, "Do you have any other questions? I’ll answer them all tonight."
"Why did you leave?" Xiao Jinxing’s voice was hoarse as he asked her, "Since you didn’t die, why did you leave?"
"I’ve told you early on, once the matter was over, we’d separate, and when we did, you’d give me enough wealth, and we’d go our separate ways. But clearly, you thought I was lying. Even today, you still believe that those words were only meant to catch your attention." An Ning sighed a bit helplessly.
Xiao Jinxing lowered his gaze.
Indeed.
Even now he thought Ye Qichi’s words were just angry words.
Just an effort not to hurt himself, spoken so casually.
"So, it wasn’t because you hated me?" Xiao Jinxing suppressed the discomfort in his heart, raised his eyes and asked her.
It wasn’t because on the city wall in Muge City he chose to give up on her, and in a fit of anger, she left him?
"No." An Ning answered definitively, "I don’t hate you, even if there’s some discomfort, since when facing life and death, nobody is a saint. But I understand you, standing from a human nature standpoint, people are selfish, choosing the person they love to survive is natural. In the same way, if one day I had to choose between you and Fu Xingyi, I would unhesitatingly choose Fu Xingyi."
Xiao Jinxing listened.
Listening silently.
So Ye Qichi truly had no feelings for him, which is why she left him.
Truly no feelings, which is why there’s not even hate.
"Who is Fu Xingyi?" Xiao Jinxing asked her.
Having never met, yet mentioned many times by her.
