Chapter 5 — The True Heiress Reads Fates

A Dan stood within the shadow of the Crown Prince, her hollow eye sockets staring blankly in my direction. She had no mouth, yet she seemed to be forming the words: Run quickly.

I was yanked out of the palace gates by Xie Lin Yan the entire way, and it was only upon boarding the carriage that I belatedly discovered my palms were slick with cold sweat. Inside the carriage, scented with a faint medicinal fragrance, Xie Lin Yan sat directly opposite me. His complexion was even paler than before, and his lips were pressed tightly together. I looked straight at him:

"Speak."

He remained silent. Reaching into my sleeve, I withdrew a talisman and slapped it down heavily onto the small table:

"Three thousand taels was only enough to bind my life-force to yours; it was not enough to play guessing games for you."

Xie Lin Yan finally lifted his gaze:

"Sixteen years ago, the Marquis Yongning Manor did not lose just one child who happened to be you."

The tips of my fingers paused slightly. He continued:

"When you were born that year, there was a wet nurse's daughter by your side, born on the exact same day, sharing a somewhat similar appearance to you. Your mother pitied her for being an orphan, so she kept her by her side to be raised, giving her the name A Dan."

When Xie Lin Yan uttered the name A Dan, the first thing that came to my mind was not her face, but the faint taste of sugar. It was intensely sweet, cloyingly so. That winter, she had stuffed a piece of hard candy into my mouth while she could only lick the sugary residue left on her fingertips. When she smiled, she was missing a front tooth, and her padded red cotton jacket had been washed until the color had faded entirely, yet she still loved to hold her chin up high like a miniature military general. I asked in a low voice:

"How did she die?"

Xie Lin Yan was silent for a moment:

"Someone from the Duke Cheng'an Manor used the life-destinies of newborns to forge dark talismans. The Empress discovered that you were born under a lethal star of opposition, possessing an extremely rare life-destiny capable of dying in another's stead, and she intended to abduct you to intertwine your destiny with that of the Crown Prince. A Dan was mistaken for you, and thus she was taken away first."

I clenched my fingers tightly:

"And then?"

"Then your mother realized something was amiss and sent people in pursuit. Amidst the chaos, you were also snatched away by someone, only to be rescued halfway by Master Tang. As for A Dan, she did not survive."

The interior of the carriage fell into an oppressive silence. I had always assumed that my displacement was simply due to an ill-fated destiny. Only now did I realize that my destiny had been so favorable that someone actually coveted it enough to seize it. The scattered fragments within my dreams finally pieced themselves back together one by one. On that snowy night, someone had burst through the door, demanding harshly to know who Shen Gui Yi was. A Dan had gripped my hand tightly, only to release it almost immediately. She had stepped forward to shield me, her small frame trembling violently, yet she still declared:

"I am."

A suffocating ache gripped my chest. It turned out that certain dreams were not merely dreams at all, but rather the lingering echoes of someone who had once died in my place, yet whose very name was on the verge of being erased by this cruel world. I lowered my head to look at my palms. They were clean, devoid of snow and blood alike. Yet I always felt as though a child's hand had once grasped mine, only to let go at the coldest moment of all. Xie Lin Yan spoke slowly:

"The Empress originally believed A Dan was you. But after she died, the fate-defying talisman was only half-completed, and the Crown Prince's destiny remained incomplete. Three years ago, the Crown Prince's lethal tribulation resurfaced, and they once again used the lamp-tending female official Liu Fu Yi to mend his fate."

No wonder the figure I saw lurking within the Crown Prince's shadow was not a female official in green robes at all. That young girl with the snapped neck, dressed in a faded red padded jacket, had never been Liu Fu Yi from start to finish. It was A Dan. Liu Fu Yi was merely another sacrificial life they had shoved into place afterward. And the deadly curse upon Xie Lin Yan was the karmic backlash he bore on behalf of the Crown Prince. I abruptly asked:

"Then my return to the Marquis Manor this time around was likewise no coincidence?"

Xie Lin Yan lowered his eyes. I let out a soft laugh:

"Even if you do not say it, I already know. My master was imprisoned, the divination compass was delivered to the Marquis Manor, I was acknowledged as the lost daughter, and the Empress conveniently arranged for me to enter the palace. There cannot possibly be that many coincidences in this world."

Xie Lin Yan's voice was very soft:

"I merely went with the flow."

I stared at him:

"So it was you who ordered my master to be sent into the Dali Temple prison?"

He raised his head to meet my gaze, his eyes refusing to evade:

"Yes."

I was so angry I laughed outright:

"Your Highness certainly possesses a grand presence. You caused my master to be locked away, yet you still dare ask if I am willing to marry you to mend your life?"

Xie Lin Yan replied:

"My men are inside the Dali Temple prison. Master Tang is at least able to stay alive in there; had he remained in the Southern Market, the Empress's men would have cut out his tongue first."

The smile on my face gradually faded. He continued:

"If I had not acted thusly, you would not have traveled to the capital, nor would you have claimed your parentage, let alone entered the palace. The Empress had already tracked your whereabouts; sooner or later, she would have made her move. Rather than letting her snatch you away in some unseen corner, it is far better to have you stand right by my side."

I said coldly:

"Such fine-sounding words."

Xie Lin Yan murmured softly:

"Shen Gui Yi, I am not afraid of death."

I lifted my eyes. He looked straight at me, uttering every single word with distinct clarity:

"But they should not have calculated her life into my lethal impasse."

The embers burning within my chest suddenly felt as though they had been swept by a sudden gust of wind. They were not extinguished, yet they were thrown into complete turmoil. I averted my gaze:

"Spare me these grand declarations. My master taught me well: of the things spoken by handsome men, nine out of ten sentences are entirely untrustworthy."

Xie Lin Yan inquired:

"And the remaining one?"

I retorted:

"The remaining one is even less trustworthy."

Xie Lin Yan let out a soft chuckle, before lowering his head into a fit of coughing. Initially, I had no desire to pay him any mind, but his coughs sounded truly pitiful. Though I muttered that I would not manage his affairs, my hand had already instinctively fumbled into my sleeve in search of a talisman.