124. Chapter 124 The Closest One

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Hearing Yuan Qianlu say that they were going back and could not take her to the capital, Xuanyuan Juesi asked, “Have you thought of anywhere else?”

Yuan Qianlu shook his head. “Not for now.”

Xuanyuan Juesi studied him for a moment before asking, “What do you think of Si Xueyi?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You like her, don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved her for no reason. So many people were injured, yet I never saw you save them one by one.”

Xuanyuan Juesi had hit the nail on the head.

“I would never dare,” Yuan Qianlu said hurriedly.

His face flushed instantly.

“Think about it. In truth, you and I are alike. What will happen if the two of them leave for good? That is why I’m giving you some time off. Why don’t you take her somewhere unfamiliar?”

“Does the Prince no longer want me?”

Yuan Qianlu looked at Xuanyuan Juesi with an aggrieved expression, but the latter shook his head.

“Of course not. You are my right-hand man. How could I possibly abandon you? But you must deal with her affairs yourself. However you choose to handle them, I will not interfere.”

If Yuan Qianlu could truly win Si Xueyi over, that would be a good thing. The problem was that Si Xueyi would be exceedingly difficult to win over. Her manner of speaking was even more cunning than Si Nuosang’s. She was so composed and impenetrable that she never lost her temper. That was precisely what made her so difficult to deal with—there was no opening to exploit.

“But, Your Highness, she doesn’t like me.”

“I have great faith in you, Yuan Qianlu. You are an excellent man. You should start a family of your own. Take her away from the capital for three months, and the farther away, the better. Understand? You may leave tomorrow. And remember, do not lose her. That is the only condition. Also, go and collect two thousand taels of silver.”

Xuanyuan Juesi did not truly want him to leave either.

But Si Xueyi’s presence was an enormous problem.

There was no other choice. This was the only way.

The next day, Yuan Qianlu took Si Xueyi away.

He took her away tied up.

“You really didn’t need to bind me. I know I have no choice. I would have followed you willingly.”

Si Xueyi looked at Yuan Qianlu. He shook his head.

“This was not my idea.”

“Xuanyuan Juesi’s? Why is he so wary of me?”

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“Because you intend to take Si Nuosang away. He will never let you find her and take her with you.”

Yuan Qianlu explained, making it clear that none of this had been his idea. For some reason, he felt as though he were betraying the Prince, even though everything he had said was true.

Still, Yuan Qianlu wanted to leave a good impression on Si Xueyi. Perhaps that was because he truly liked her. He had fallen in love with her at first sight.

Unfortunately, it was only love at first sight on his part. Si Xueyi regarded him merely as a stranger and felt nothing more.

“Is that so? I see. But I will take her away without fail.”

“Then he will certainly stop you.”

The two looked at each other. For the moment, Si Xueyi could not escape. But there was still a long road ahead. Who could guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen?

“All right.”

Si Xueyi said no more. She simply gazed at the world outside. It truly was entirely different from her own.

Perhaps that was why Si Nuosang was so attached to this world. But they belonged to the year 2550, not this era.

“What are you thinking about?”

Seeing her expression, Yuan Qianlu assumed she was plotting something.

“I’m thinking about how to escape and find Si Nuosang.”

“You’re certainly honest.”

Yuan Qianlu looked at her. Si Xueyi smiled indifferently.

Whether honesty mattered or not, she had no way to escape at present. She might as well relax and treat this as a journey. She had already endured so many days, and the conditions now were quite good. Besides, she had a goal. That meant she still had some time.

“Where are we going?”

“Clearwater.”

“What? What kind of place is that?”

Si Xueyi did not know the names of the places in this land, let alone where Clearwater was.

“A very secret place.”

Yuan Qianlu kept looking at her, but whenever Si Xueyi turned back, he quickly looked away.

“You people certainly went to a lot of trouble.”

“I had no choice. It was the Prince’s command.”

“Actually, people are equal to one another.”

“I know what you are trying to say. You cannot drive a wedge between the Prince and me.”

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Si Nuosang often said the same thing. That was why she treated the Prince almost as an equal. The Prince truly loved Si Nuosang, so he indulged her temperament.

“I have no intention of driving a wedge between you. You are overthinking it. You people are far too servile; a few words could never separate you. I simply feel that you are being treated unfairly. To be honest, if you spent more time with Si Nuosang, you would realize that we possess a strong sense of equality. We are all human beings. There are no ranks among us, and no one is inherently noble or lowly.”

“I know.”

Yuan Qianlu nodded.

“Oh.”

Si Xueyi said nothing more. She found it impossible to carry on a conversation with this man.

So she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

She suffered from asthma. In the modern era, medication kept it under control. Yet, unexpectedly, it had never flared up after she arrived in ancient times. Perhaps the air here was simply far cleaner.

Her throat, too, needed proper rest.

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Juesi was hurrying toward the capital. Since he was traveling with others, however, their progress was not particularly fast.

Yiyi had already begun to act, but both of her first attempts had failed.

The first had been while Si Nuosang was bathing. She had not expected Si Nuosang to keep the item somewhere plainly visible even while bathing.

The second attempt had been at night, while Si Nuosang was asleep. Yiyi had tried to sneak in and take it.

But she had still been unable to do so.

Yiyi was beginning to grow anxious. At the same time, Qin Shuang had begun drawing Ye Xuan out.

“Young Master, a letter.”

A servant from Night Manor delivered the letter to Ye Xuan. The moment he opened it, he hurried toward the capital.

It was a letter from a stranger. But if his guess was correct, it had been sent by Qin Shuang.

When he saw Qin Shuang, Ye Xuan could not understand why she had not attacked him.

“I do not know why you lured me here. Do you want to kill me? Then why haven’t you attacked?”

“Attack you? You are not worthy of forcing me to do so.”

“Then why did you lure me here?”

Ye Xuan looked at her. Qin Li was easy to read, but Qin Shuang was utterly inscrutable. No matter how he looked at her, he could not understand what this woman was planning.

“To have a chat.”

“Hmph! Do you take me for a child?”

Ye Xuan gave a cold laugh, clearly holding her in contempt.

“Of course not. You needn’t be so hostile toward me. I asked you here because I want to know who killed Qin Li. She was my younger sister, after all. I cannot simply let the matter end like this. And you were the person closest to Qin Li.”