Jiang Yunshu cleared her throat. "Since the young emperor is the son of your enemy, Your Majesty can kill him if you wish."
"Once you kill the young emperor, you can't kill me anymore."
Xie Lin paused for a moment, then laughed.
"Trading the young emperor's life for yours, Madam—this deal is just barely acceptable."
"But Madam also begged me to spare those palace maids. Whose lives will be exchanged for theirs?"
Jiang Yunshu immediately replied, "Once the Chief Inspector uncovers the truth, the lives of the mastermind and his accomplices can be used in exchange."
"Killing these people will be far more satisfying than executing ignorant maids."
"Those who kill often know that quality matters more than quantity." Jiang Yunshu gazed sincerely into Xie Lin's eyes.
Xie Lin was amused by her once again. "Then let it be as Madam suggests."
Suddenly, Xie Lin regained his appetite and ordered the kitchen to bring his portion of the hotpot broth, intending to dine with Jiang Yunshu.
However, before eating, Xie Lin insisted on bathing first.
Jiang Yunshu couldn't help but remind him, "After eating hotpot, the smell will cling to your hair. You'll have to bathe again, Chief Inspector."
Xie Lin glanced at her. "Is Madam suggesting I skip the bath and eat first?"
He untied his cloak, releasing a thick, overwhelming scent of blood.
It was the first time Jiang Yunshu had smelled something so pungent—so strong that even the aroma of the hotpot couldn't mask it.
The metallic stench triggered her instincts, making her hairs stand on end. Knowing Xie Lin was a killer was one thing, but experiencing the raw evidence of it was another. She immediately turned her face away, covering her nose with her hand.
Jiang Yunshu quickly changed her mind. "Of course, you should bathe first!"
She paused her meal, opened the windows to air out the room, and waited for Xie Lin to return.
After his bath, Xie Lin returned with his damp hair tied into a simple bun and took a seat across from Jiang Yunshu.
The two broths before her had been replaced—one with chicken stock, the other a clear broth. Earlier, it had been dinner, so heavier flavors were acceptable. Now, since it was more of a late-night snack, she opted for something lighter and healthier.
Having been forced to pause halfway through her meal, the tantalizing aroma had only made Jiang Yunshu hungrier. By the time they resumed eating, her chopsticks moved faster than Xie Lin's, despite him not having eaten at all.
She really doesn’t seem afraid… Xie Lin studied Jiang Yunshu, wondering where she found the confidence to believe he wouldn’t kill her.
Normally, Xie Lin had no appetite after killing—he felt sated. In the past, he wouldn’t have even thought of eating, and no one around him would dare remind him.
But today, watching Jiang Yunshu eat with such relish, he found himself unconsciously following suit, consuming far more than usual.
After their separate baths, Jiang Yunshu collapsed onto the bed, yawning uncontrollably.
The night was already deep; if she didn’t sleep soon, dawn would break. She had been frightened earlier, then overeaten, and now, freshly bathed… The moment her head touched the pillow, she was ready to drift off.
Yet Xie Lin insisted on keeping her awake to talk.
He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, winding it idly. "Madam, why aren’t you the least bit afraid that I might kill you?"
Too drowsy to fabricate a lie, Jiang Yunshu yawned, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She answered bluntly, "Does the Chief Inspector truly care if his origins are exposed?"
Whoever had set her up clearly believed Xie Lin cared deeply—enough to use it as a way to eliminate her.
But based on Jiang Yunshu’s understanding of him, she doubted he cared that much.
Xie Lin was momentarily stunned by her response.
Who would have thought that this seemingly silly woman, who ate and slept like a little pig, could be so unexpectedly sharp and perceptive when it mattered?
"Yes, I really don’t care that much."
Xie Lin recalled the first time he stood before the Late Emperor and the Empress Dowager. He had hoped they would recognize him—but neither did.
Even after gaining the Late Emperor’s trust and meeting him daily, the Emperor never realized who he was.
When he rose to power as the East Bureau’s Chief Inspector, countless people tried to uncover his past…
Back then, Xie Lin had eagerly anticipated someone exposing his origins to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Yet, to his disappointment, all those investigators were useless. He had barely concealed his background, yet none of them managed to uncover the truth.
Years passed, and Xie Lin had long given up on anyone joining him in this game.
Now, unexpectedly, the game had begun anew—with Jiang Yunshu becoming the first person in years to hear his secret spoken aloud.
As for her reaction… Xie Lin continued winding her hair around his finger. He wasn’t sure if he was satisfied, but it was acceptable.
"I didn’t know about my origins until I was sixteen," Xie Lin said.
Jiang Yunshu’s eyelids were already shut, but Xie Lin, uncharacteristically, felt like talking.
Half-asleep, Jiang Yunshu felt like she was back in her school days, dozing off in class—only allowing herself eighty percent sleep, keeping twenty percent alert in case the teacher called on her.
"My adoptive father had over a hundred foster sons—some were children abandoned by families too poor to raise them, others were street orphans… I always thought my background was the same as theirs."
Born into poverty, unwanted.
Though some joked that no poor family could produce a child as handsome as Xie Lin, suggesting he might be the lost young master of a noble house, he never believed it.
If he truly were a noble’s son, why would he have been discarded?
Every one of his adoptive father’s foster sons had been castrated. The martial arts their father taught them could only be mastered fully after the procedure.
At first, their father trained them all. But after a few years, he began subjecting them to deadly trials.
Then came the order to turn on each other.
Kill or be killed.
From the start, their father made it clear—only one of them would survive.
Initially, Xie Lin fought alongside Wen Lin, back-to-back, trusting each other with their lives. Together, they killed all the others.
Until only the two of them remained, forced to duel to the death.
That year, Xie Lin was twelve, Wen Lin fourteen.
Neither was a match for their adoptive father yet. If they disobeyed his command to fight, both would die.
Xie Lin wanted to live.
But his survival required Wen Lin’s death.
In the end, Xie Lin made a decision. He told Wen Lin, "Let’s not fight seriously. Pretend it’s fierce, and when I give the signal, we’ll attack Father together."
Both knew the truth—two untrained boys attempting to assassinate their father, a man at the peak of his strength and unmatched in skill, would only end one way.
But Xie Lin would rather risk everything and die together than kill each other.
He thought Wen Lin felt the same.
If it were the present Xie Lin, he would surely have detected the true thoughts hidden beneath Wen Lin's calm facade. But back then, Xie Lin was only twelve years old.
It wasn’t until their final battle, when Xie Lin and Wen Lin pretended to be locked in a fierce struggle, that Xie Lin pointed his sword at Wen Lin and signaled him with a secret gesture…
In that instant, Xie Lin sensed something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
Wen Lin stepped forward, impaling himself on Xie Lin’s blade.
Bright red blood gushed forth, splattering across the ground.
Xie Lin cried out as he caught Wen Lin in his arms. Wen Lin’s head rested lightly against his shoulder, his voice drifting faintly into Xie Lin’s ears.
"The one who most wants to live… deserves to survive."
"Take my share… and live well."
Wen Lin died.
Xie Lin became the sole survivor.
Xie Lin wanted to tell Wen Lin that he, too, no longer cared much for living. But Wen Lin had insisted he carry on for both of them, forcing Xie Lin to trudge forward alone through the hardships of life.
When his adoptive father saw that Xie Lin was the last one standing, his smile twisted into something strange—something Xie Lin couldn’t decipher.
Years later, after relentless training, Xie Lin finally killed his adoptive father with his own hands.
The man’s eyes widened in disbelief, never imagining Xie Lin would turn on him.
"You… ungrateful wretch…"
"If not for me, you would have died at birth!"
With his dying breath, Xie Lin’s adoptive father revealed the truth of his origins—that he was the legitimate son of the empress, born to be the crown prince.
But the imperial consort’s faction had conspired against him, stealing him from the palace as a newborn. Xie Lin’s adoptive father, then a eunuch tasked with the deed, was supposed to kill him.
Yet no one knew that Xie Lin’s adoptive father bore a blood feud against the emperor.
The emperor had slaughtered his entire family. Merely killing the emperor’s infant son—a helpless newborn—would never have satisfied his vengeance.
So he spared the child who should have been heir to the throne… but castrated him, ensuring he could never claim the throne.
He wanted Xie Lin to kill his own father, to avenge him.
With his final breath, the man chuckled darkly. "Did you truly think the imperial consort’s faction could pull off stealing an imperial heir without help?"
"They succeeded only because the emperor allowed it."
"Your own father… wanted you dead… for the sake of his other son."
His adoptive father died.
Xie Lin entered the palace.
Piece by piece, he uncovered the truth of the past, confirming nearly everything his adoptive father had said.
Only one question remained unanswered: Had the emperor truly been unaware, or had he silently permitted the imperial consort’s scheme? There was no way to know now.
Xie Lin didn’t bother finding out. He simply killed his father.
With the emperor dead, his elder brother ascended the throne.
Xie Lin knew that to complete his revenge, he would have to kill his brother and the imperial consort as well.
But he was in no hurry.
Life was dull, yet he couldn’t end it. So he sought his own amusement…
Xie Lin manipulated the new emperor into trusting him, depending on him… luring him into debauchery and tyranny…
Like Nuwa molding clay figures, he meticulously shaped a ruler into a tyrant, curious to see how far a kingdom could fall under such rule…
Xie Lin’s voice grew quieter as he noticed Jiang Yunshu’s breathing steady into sleep. He didn’t wake her.
"I had planned to let him live… my game had only just begun…"
But then the Late Emperor issued an edict, naming a daughter of the Marquis of Xiping’s Mansion as his consort.
"He could have chosen anyone… but he chose you…"
Xie Lin had no choice but to cut his game short, ensuring the Late Emperor died on his wedding night.
Jiang Yunshu, whom Xie Lin had thought asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.
Her gaze was like a deep lake—calm on the surface, turbulent beneath.
"So that night… the Late Emperor didn’t die of natural causes?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain. She already knew Xie Lin had killed the emperor.
On her wedding night… Xie Lin had murdered the emperor.
Everything Jiang Yunshu hadn’t understood before now fell into place.
She said, "You had seen me before I entered the palace."
"On the day the imperial consorts were to be buried alive, even if I hadn’t begged for your help, you would have saved me."
Xie Lin laughed softly. "I didn’t expect Your Majesty to be so sharp-witted…"
Once again, Jiang Yunshu’s quick thinking surprised him.
"Your Majesty, have you never heard that those who are too clever don’t live long?"
Xie Lin reached out to grip her throat.
But now, he could no longer intimidate Jiang Yunshu.
Her lips curved into a radiant smile as she leaned down, taking his fingers into her mouth.
=
Jiang Yunshu wracked her memory but couldn’t recall ever meeting Xie Lin before entering the palace.
Given his status and striking appearance, she should have remembered him instantly. Yet she had no recollection at all.
"When did you see me before?" she pressed, but no matter how much she prodded, Xie Lin refused to answer.
Her curiosity burned, and she pestered him relentlessly.
Her warm breath brushed against Xie Lin’s ear until he could bear it no longer. He pulled her into his arms, gave her a firm smack on the backside, and ordered, "Sleep."
"Oh." Thoroughly chastised, Jiang Yunshu obediently closed her eyes.
When and where had Xie Lin seen her before? The question lingered in her mind as she drifted off in seconds.
Xie Lin nudged her lightly, confirming she was truly asleep before shaking his head in amusement.
After such a perilous day, and after hearing his dark past, she had fallen asleep without a second thought.
Xie Lin had expected to lie awake all night, but the soft rhythm of Jiang Yunshu’s breathing and the faint fragrance of her hair lulled him into slumber as well.
He slept soundly until dawn, waking refreshed.
For once, he didn’t rise immediately. Instead, he idly twirled a lock of Jiang Yunshu’s hair around his fingers, then pinched her nose and poked her eyelids.
She didn’t stir, sleeping peacefully through it all.
Xie Lin marveled at how deeply she slept. Then, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he leaned in and bit her delicate ear.
The moment he did, he froze, bewildered by his own actions.
Perhaps her fair, pink-tinted ear had simply looked… edible?
Surely this would wake her. Worried she’d catch him, he quickly rolled away.
But Jiang Yunshu merely brushed her ear drowsily and turned over, still fast asleep.
