Chapter 10: Does That Make You Happy?
Sang Zhi's almond eyes widened uncontrollably the moment she recognized his face.
This person was... Second Prince Xiao Henian??
The villain of the book—and the worst male supporting character, at that.
In the original plot, Xiao Henian was naturally licentious and promiscuous, never lacking women by his side.
After the female lead entered the palace, Xiao Henian was drawn in by her beauty and developed lustful intentions. He even took advantage of a misunderstanding between Xiao Yan and the female lead to poach his own brother's girl.
But in the end, Xiao Henian gradually fell in love with the female lead, going so far as to stage a coup for her sake.
And he had once been betrothed to Sang Zhi.
Xiao Henian's maternal family was the Qinghe Liu clan, long on friendly terms with the Sang family.
Liu Ruyan, a daughter of the Liu family, was the Emperor's favored consort. After giving birth to Xiao Henian, she arranged this childhood betrothal with the Sang family.
Four years ago, when the Sang family fell and the hundred thousand elite troops were reclaimed by the Emperor, Liu Ruyan decisively petitioned His Majesty to annul the engagement.
Xiao Henian himself couldn't have cared less. He liked beautiful women, but he found Sang Zhi too delicate and spoiled.
Later, he came to hate her to the bone.
Before staging his rebellion, he even sent men to infiltrate the Eastern Palace's water dungeon and torture her thoroughly.
Recalling these plot points, Sang Zhi was speechless. Of course—all the suffering was destined for her.
Just then, Xiao Henian released the palace maid, giving her backside a light pat to signal she could go.
Then he walked straight toward Sang Zhi.
Sang Zhi's inner voice screamed: Don't come over here!
She retreated several steps, but her foot caught on an uneven stone in the path, and she went down flat on the ground.
A burning pain shot through her backside.
"Little Princess Consort, are you so scared of me that you're crying?"
Xiao Henian's amused gaze settled on the girl across from him, his sword-like brows arching slightly.
He had spent a year at his maternal grandfather's estate in Jiangnan and only returned to the palace this year. He hadn't expected to run into the Little Princess Consort he hadn't seen in so long.
He called her Little Princess Consort in jest, though he was barely older than her.
But this time, Sang Zhi seemed different—like a flower bud touched by spring wind, suddenly bloomed into full beauty.
At this moment, the girl lay fallen on the ground, lifting a panicked little face to look at him. Her chin was delicate, her cheeks tinged with faint pink, soft and charming and frail.
More pitiable than any woman he had ever seen.
Xiao Henian had meant to keep teasing her, but for some reason, seeing her fall made his chest feel oddly uncomfortable.
Then a flicker of suspicion crossed his eyes.
This Little Princess Consort had appeared here today and just happened to fall.
Could she... have done it on purpose?
She was still thinking about that marriage, still wanting to marry him—wasn't she?
Xiao Henian raised an eyebrow and leaned down close to her. "Sang Zhi, are you deliberately seducing me?"
Sang Zhi suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and replied coldly, "...I am not. Your Highness can rest assured."
So filthy—who would want to seduce him...
Bah!
His hide was thicker than a city wall!
Sang Zhi cursed inwardly. Suddenly a shadow fell over her.
A large hand appeared in her line of sight—clearly Xiao Henian's.
Thinking about how that hand had just been lingering on the palace maid...
She chose to ignore it and pushed herself up from the ground.
Xiao Henian smiled mockingly and withdrew his hand.
As she rose, Sang Zhi's gaze inadvertently swept across the man's waist.
On the black-blue silk sash hung a jade pendant carved with flowers and birds, its color deep and steady.
She stared at it. It looked familiar.
Like the token of love her father had given her mother.
That jade pendant should have returned to the capital with her parents' coffins, but Sang Zhi had never found any trace of it.
Why was it now inexplicably on the Second Prince?
Seeing her silently staring at the jade pendant he wore, Xiao Henian seemed to understand something. His lips curled, and a gleam of triumph played across his handsome face.
This jade pendant had been one of many gifts from local officials during his trip to Jiangnan. He'd found it pretty and taken to wearing it.
It counted as his personal item.
The girl was staring at the pendant, those big eyes full of longing.
Clearly she couldn't forget him and meant to use the pendant to reminisce.
Xiao Henian chuckled and studied Sang Zhi properly.
She stood quietly, strands of hair scattered at her temples falling onto her collarbone, making her small face look even whiter.
Very pure.
He used to like the provocative type, but switching to someone pure and beautiful like Sang Zhi didn't seem bad either.
Sang Zhi noticed his gaze.
Different from Xiao Yan's—Xiao Henian's eyes held a certain lewdness.
It made her deeply uncomfortable.
She withdrew her gaze, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and was about to turn away when Xiao Henian stopped her.
He smiled meaningfully, his whole face exuding wicked charm. "Sang Zhi, do you want my jade pendant?"
She did want it, originally. After all, it was her mother's relic.
She had transmigrated into this world in the womb, raised since childhood by the Marquis of Zhenbei and his wife and her eldest brother, whom she regarded as family.
Four years ago, her father and mother donned armor and rode to war, and fell in battle. Her eldest brother had also vanished mysteriously in that brutal campaign.
She had never given up searching for him.
Perhaps Xiao Henian, this villain, had some connection to her brother's disappearance.
But since the jade pendant now belonged to Xiao Henian, she could no longer ask for it.
And this man would become dangerous in the future—the less contact, the better.
Without hesitation, Sang Zhi denied it. "Your Highness misunderstands. If there is nothing else, your servant takes her leave."
Just as she turned to go, Xiao Henian called out again.
"Sang Zhi, if you want this jade pendant, I can give it to you."
Her footsteps halted abruptly.
Xiao Henian untied the pendant from his waist and dangled it in his hand. "Then call me 'Second Brother,' the way you call Imperial Brother, and I'll give it to you."
Sang Zhi blinked. That simple?
She thought for a moment, opened her mouth, and said, "Sec—"
The trailing sound hung in the air, abruptly cut off by an extremely low voice from behind her, thick with pressure.
"Zhi Zhi."
Sang Zhi jumped.
In the next instant, a tall, upright man strode over, a cluster of attendants at his back.
His features were handsome and cold, his brows and eyes deep, his aura imposing. The moment he appeared, the light and sound around them seemed to dim.
This was the supreme authority possessed only by those long seated in high places, holding power in their hands.
By comparison, Xiao Henian before him seemed half a head shorter. He even instinctively lowered his head, his expression turning much more restrained.
"Imperial Brother." Xiao Henian performed a salute, head half-bowed, the jade pendant he'd been dangling now clenched tight and hidden in his palm.
Xiao Yan ignored him. His gaze swept past all the kneeling palace servants and landed directly on the girl beside him.
Meeting his pitch-black, cold eyes, Sang Zhi felt an inexplicable chill.
She hadn't offended this dog of a Crown Prince today—why was he looking at her like that?
It gave her the nervous dread of being caught red-handed.
Sang Zhi pressed her lips together. Just as she was about to crouch and perform a courtesy, a sharp pain shot through her lower back.
She hissed, a layer of mist rising in her almond eyes.
It must be from the fall—she'd landed on her lower back.
Seeing her flushed cheeks and pained expression, Xiao Yan's face darkened further.
"Zhi Zhi."
He spoke, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone—especially Xiao Henian. "Come here."
His tone brooked no refusal.
"Yes."
The girl pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and took a few steps forward on her own.
Unexpectedly, the man moved to meet her at the same moment.
Sang Zhi didn't notice in time and collided into a solid embrace that smelled of cold, crisp fragrance.
Her waist was instantly seized by the man's large hand.
The scent of cold cedar wrapped around Sang Zhi completely. Xiao Yan was tall and imposing; from Xiao Henian's vantage point, the slender, delicate girl was almost entirely enclosed in his arms.
Xiao Henian's pupils dilated.
The way Imperial Brother and Sang Zhi stood—it was far too intimate.