This person must possess extremely deep internal strength, practicing an invisible and sinister martial arts technique used for killing.

The movement of his blade was swift and fierce, locking onto his throat in an instant, forcing him into immobility. Fang Linyuan had no weapons except for a golden pole, which was also seized in a counterattack, clattering as it fell to the ground.

"Who are you?" Fang Linyuan's carotid artery pulsated against the blade, and for a moment, he dared not make a move.

The person behind him remained silent.

Most likely, this person was an assassin, but it was unclear whose life they were after.

Within the palace, there were guards stationed everywhere, and security was tight. The fact that this person could manoeuvre within it suggested they were an extraordinary master in the world.

Fang Linyuan's heart rose to his throat.

"Where is the princess?" he hurriedly whispered. "If it's only between you and me, she is just an ordinary woman, unrelated to you."

Unexpectedly, the person behind him heard this and let out a light, disdainful laugh.

Contemptuous and cold, as if hearing a joke.

The next moment, his dagger gently turned, compelling Fang Linyuan to turn around.

As Fang Linyuan faced the person with eyes covered by a red veil embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, the person raised a hand and pulled off the veil.

The candlelight flickered, casting light on that extraordinarily beautiful face.

The pearls on the phoenix crown sparkled, beneath which, the person with stunning features raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

They were undeniably the eyes of someone with deep emotions, like peach blossoms scattered under distant mountains. Fang Linyuan had seen her from a distance after the morning court. Although she remained as cold and aloof as he remembered, there was an added touch of ethereal elegance in her beauty.

But now... her face was the same, yet she seemed like a completely different person.

Those cold, icy eyes were like poisoned needles hidden in peacock feathers, sweeping over him in an instant, sending chills down his spine.

Fang Linyuan was completely speechless.

"You... you..."

Meanwhile, the man in front of him, dressed in elaborate attire, calmly moved the dagger in his hand. The dagger clung to him like a third hand, and with a slight rotation movement, he forced both of them to change positions, with Fang Linyuan forced to sit on the bed.

The shadows of the dragon and phoenix candles were cast behind him, enveloping Fang Linyuan entirely.

It blocked all his exits.

And Fang Linyuan was left in a state of shock, his eyes staring in disbelief at the man before him.

Identical. In stature, physique, those stunningly beautiful features devoid of dullness, those lips as thin as blades, and those peach-blossom eyes, lighter in colour than ordinary people's, transparent as glass.

How could this be?

At that moment, the man in front of him spoke again.

This time, his lips uttered the voice of a stranger.

"You don't need to know unnecessary details. Speak and ask less. After everything is done, I will leave on my own," he said.

"...Are you Zhao Chu?" Fang Linyuan called the princess by her name and title for the first time.

The man's face sank into darkness, his eyes looking down at Fang Linyuan, his high and mighty posture mocking his foolishness, as if trampling on his shattered feelings.

"It's me," he said lightly.

"...Are you a man?" Fang Linyuan felt as though he had seen a ghost.

The man in the phoenix crown and red veil remained calm.

"I've never said I'm a woman."

Nonsense.

Who has ever heard of a man being a princess, or a man marrying someone? Who would dress up as a woman every day and blame others for mistaking him for a woman, especially when Fang Linyuan had heard his voice before, clearly a woman's voice!

But the dagger rested against his neck, leaving Fang Linyuan no room for rebuttal.

"Let me make it clear, I won't keep troublesome people around, let alone leave any hidden dangers," Zhao Chu continued.

With that, he raised his eyes calmly, gazing into Fang Linyuan's eyes.

"So, obey my orders, or else not a single one of the 145 members of the Anping Marquis's residence will survive."

This person even remembered the exact number of his relatives, down to the last one.

His tone was indifferent, his eyes extremely calm, but Fang Linyuan felt a chill creeping up his spine during their gaze.

It was like a venomous snake coiled in front of him, silently spitting its venom.

"Understood?" Zhao Chu asked him.

Under the coercion of the dagger, Fang Linyuan nodded.

Zhao Chu smirked slightly. "Don't create unnecessary complications," he emphasized lightly.

The next moment, the sharp dagger left Fang Linyuan's skin.

But the icy sensation, following his nerves, froze his entire body.

*

Fang Linyuan covered the side of his neck where the dagger had pressed against, and as he felt the cold trace, he glanced at Zhao Chu's face with suspicion.

There were rumours of disguise techniques in the martial world, could it be...

Seemingly aware of his doubt, Zhao Chu retracted the dagger and, with his fair, slender fingers, dipped them into the wine in the jade cup on the table, generously spreading it across his face.

"See, my true face."

Fang Linyuan felt a sense of humiliation in his self-declaration.

Like he had been seen through and played with in the palm of someone's hand.

But Zhao Chu didn't seem to care. He glanced up, as if just realizing what wine he had used, "Ah, the bridal wine."

He looked at Fang Linyuan, seemingly asking with his eyes, "Will you still drink?"

Drink what!

Fang Linyuan stood up, suppressing his anger and stared at him, "As a man, why did you marry me?"

Zhao Chu sneered, "Did I marry you, or did you marry me?"

"You, being a princess, have the power to resist orders," Fang Linyuan remarked.

The Zhao Chu in front of him curled his lips with a cool arc.

Fang Linyuan couldn't know that Zhao Chu had only learned about his marriage from his informants on the day the imperial decree was announced to the world, while he was still trying to discern if he was just a puppet leaving the palace.

"After it's done, I'll leave on my own," he said.

Fang Linyuan's gaze halted, "Were you planning to use me to leave the palace?"

That wasn't entirely wrong.

Zhao Chu's eyes neither confirmed nor denied.

"Play your role well, and don't worry about the rest," he ordered.

Fang Linyuan looked at him incredulously.

Years of sincere affection were not only wasted on the wedding night but also left him alone, like a joke.

Watching Zhao Chu pick up a cherry from the table and put it in his mouth, Fang Linyuan realized how his wife, once supportive and respectful, had become the dominant figure in their relationship.

Fang Linyuan's throat trembled, and when he spoke again, his teeth were clenched, "Aren't you afraid that I'll go to the emperor right now and expose your identity? Being a princess, it's a crime to deceive the emperor."

Zhao Chu raised his eyebrows.

"You need to think carefully about that," he said.

"What?"

"Your troops are at the border, and in your mansion, there's only your sister-in-law with a six-year-old child. With sixty servants and guards in the mansion, most of them are in the front yard. If you enter the palace, before you reach Xuanwu Street, your sister-in-law and nephew will already be in my hands."

With his eyelashes lowered, seemingly uninterested in cherries, Zhao Chu picked a plum from the plate.

Hearing his light tone as if only choosing fruit, Fang Linyuan's spine chilled.

Indeed... he seemed to have a choice, but he was actually already on the chopping block.

Someone who could disguise himself as a woman for nearly twenty years without being noticed in the imperial city was undoubtedly a meticulous and ruthless character. Which bullied orphan girl, which bird struck down by a snowstorm? These were just stories as his disguises.

Beneath the mask, he was the ferocious beast lurking silently in the palace, waiting to strike.

And Fang Linyuan was the dupe who, because of foolish love, had set fire to himself and invited wolves into his house.

Fang Linyuan stood still, watching Zhao Chu finish his fruit and pour himself a glass of wine, then drank it all.

He was beautiful, and his dignified and elegant demeanour was cultivated day and night in the palace. When he drank, his fair and slender neck resembled a crane about to sing, but also an invisible blade.

Putting the cup back on the table, Fang Linyuan heard Zhao Chu lightly say, "It's time to rest."

How can one sleep with a bird of prey in the room?

Fang Linyuan stared at Zhao Chu, his scrutinizing gaze as cold as a knife.

But Zhao Chu seemed indifferent, and his words didn't seem like genuine advice for Fang Linyuan to sleep.

Having finished eating, Zhao Chu stood up, lazily stretching his neck with one hand pressed against the back, seemingly uncomfortable under the weight of the golden phoenix crown.

Then, he raised his hand, skilfully pulled out a few pearl hairpins from his hair bun, and removed the entire phoenix crown.

Underneath the crown were hairpins and jade belts, forbidden to touch.
His freed long black hair cascaded, as smooth as a waterfall, and draped over his shoulders.

Legend has it that princesses and noblewomen in the palace maintain their hair with white jade powder, complemented by fragrant flowers and herbs, resulting in soft, fragrant, black locks.

However, Fang Linyuan observed that without the embellishment of pearls and jade, the face appeared like a ghost shedding its painted skin, gradually exposing masculine features.

One by one, the complicated and luxurious wedding clothes of a woman were removed by him, revealing the demon's true form.

When those trivial decorations were removed, he seemed to relax a bit, with one finger fastening the jade button of his collar, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he untied the ribbons with one hand, and the embroidered golden peony robe fell off.

At the moment he opened his shirt, Fang Linyuan instinctively closed his eyes and turned his head.

He didn't dare to look.

His instinct still regarded this person as an untouchable lady, and at certain moments, he must not look without permission.

Only after turning his head did Fang Linyuan realize what he had just done.

—What was he hiding from!

Behind him came a soft laughter.

Fang Linyuan's ears felt like they were burning.

He lowered his head in frustration, but his hand hanging by his side happened to catch his eye.

Just moments ago, he had been holding that person's hand all the way, cherishing it as if holding a rare treasure.

In an instant, it felt like there were countless ants crawling in the palm of his hand, making him clench it tightly and rub it vigorously.

But the sensation of holding hands with a man seemed to be etched onto his skin, something he couldn't shake off.

 

--

Author's note:

Fang Linyuan: I feel dirty.

Zhao Chu: It's not that serious.

Fang Linyuan: ? (Frantically washing his hands)

 

Translator : DarNan