“Of course I remember. Thank you for looking out for me.”
Situ Li chuckled. “This Prince found that I could empathise with you, and just happened to be in a good mood, so I took pity on you. However, I never expected that I’d be the person who needs help now.”
Su Xi-er asked in a rising tone, “Help? And why would you think I’ll help you?”
If he hadn’t been in the opposite camp, perhaps I really would have helped him. With things as they are though…
“You can see this as me asking for help, but really, this Prince just has a few questions for you.”
Situ Li’s brows knitted as he asked, “Apart from being Princess Consort Hao and the Imperial Princess of the Western Region, do you have any other identities?”
Su Xi-er’s heart sank, though her expression remained calm. Why is he suddenly asking about this? Does he suspect something?
“Don’t want to share? Let this Prince guess then.” There was a darkness in Situ Li’s eyes that seemed to pierce deep into her soul as he spoke.
“This Prince knows Yun Ruofeng, and I also know that there’s no way he would’ve fallen for someone in the short time that you visited Nanzhao with Prince Hao. I was also the one who provided the fragrance that caused you to lose all your strength the night that Yun Ruofeng tried to abduct you. However, this Prince didn’t expect him to not only fail but also fall from the cliff.”
“I won’t make wild guesses about what went on in Prince Yun’s mind, but what are you trying to get at, Third Imperial Prince? You’ve already admitted to colluding with him, but you are the Third Imperial Prince of Beimin. You should know very well that colluding with foreigners is a crime.”
Situ Li gave a mocking laugh. “If that’s the case, you have broken the law an uncountable number of times. There aren’t many women who can obtain Yun Ruofeng’s affection, not even Ning Anlian. Not to mention, even if you were born as royalty, there is no way for you to possess the bearing that you do now without going through some extraordinary experiences. It’s completely abnormal, and you should know that I’m no fool.”
He stopped to observe Su Xi-er’s reaction, but she let nothing slip.
“So, who do you think I am?” Su Xi-er calmly asked with a smile.
Situ Li kept his eyes on her as he spoke. “It’s just a bold guess and I’m not confident that I’ll be right, but do you believe in resurrection after death?”
Su Xi-er laughed when she heard this. “No. If people could resurrect after death, you wouldn’t have to go against the court like this. You’d just have to find a way to bring your Empress Mother back to life.”
Situ Li’s expression seemed to darken at the phrase ‘empress mother’. I would bring her back if I could, but not everyone has Su Xi-er’s luck.
“Su Xi-er, apart from the Western Region, you have close ties with Nanzhao as well. Even the Emperor of Nanzhao treats you well, and I couldn’t help but find it bizarre; aside from Ning Rulan, who else in this world can make Ning Lianchen and Yun Ruofeng act in such a manner?”
He is intelligent, but even if he’s gotten everything right I won’t acknowledge it.
“What about Ning Rulan? I’m not familiar with her.” Su Xi-er answered steadily.
