The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 290 Jiang Jinshuang, you can't be so domineering.

Jiang Biechen looked at Jiang Jinshuang, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He opened his mouth, but after a long while, he heard his own voice: "Jiang Jinshuang, do you... have no regrets?"

That's the throne.

—That is the throne that everyone covets!
But she just smiled and waved her hand, dismissing it like trash.

“Jiang Biechen, after Wan Jin, I will entrust the reins to you,” she paused, then smiled easily, “but if you really become some kind of tyrant, I can also lead the Black Armor Cavalry to step into Chang’an again.”

Raindrops fell from the eaves to Jiang Jinshuang's feet.

Jiang Jinshuang seemed to sense something; she looked up and gazed towards the outside of the Golden Palace.

A figure in a dark gold robe stood amidst the misty rain, holding a blue oil-paper umbrella.

It was Pei Du.

Jiang Jinshuang smiled slightly, then turned to look at Jiang Biechen: "Brother, let me give you a friendly reminder: if you ascend the throne one day, Pei Du's sword will be very sharp. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

Without looking at Jiang Biechen again, Jiang Jinshuang simply took a step forward. Before the rain could even touch her head, Pei Du, who was standing quietly to the side, stepped forward.

The rainwater overhead was completely blocked.

Jiang Jinshuang looked down and saw the slightly damp corner of the man's clothes.

And the hem of her skirt was completely dry.

Without exchanging glances with Pei Du, Jiang Jinshuang walked alongside him toward the palace gate.

Pei Du simply nodded slightly to Jiang Biechen, then turned around, holding his paper umbrella, and left with her.

Jiang Biechen watched the girl's departing figure in the rain.

He suddenly remembered that a long, long time ago, the girl had also stood in front of him, protecting him from behind.

"Brother, don't be afraid. No one will bully you."

At that time, the young Princess Zhaoming said this to him.

— Jiang Biechen forgot.

Jiang Biechen deserted.
-
On Chang'an Avenue.

Pei Du held up an umbrella and walked alongside Jiang Jinshuang on the long street.

After the calamity subsided, the way the people of Chang'an looked at Jiang Jinshuang became unusual.

When Jiang Jinshuang walked the streets of Chang'an, the people would either whisper curses or grit their teeth in hatred.

Now, as she walks down the street, the people who look at her seem to have a hint of unspoken words in their eyes.

But when Jiang Jinshuang looked over, the people would tacitly lower their heads, busy with their own affairs, and refuse to meet her gaze.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned slightly, finding it somewhat strange.

"They want to thank Your Highness."

Seemingly sensing Jiang Jinshuang's confusion, Pei Du spoke in a clear, cold voice.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled: "Why are you thanking me?"

"Because Your Highness protected Chang'an, saving the people from being displaced and homeless."

Jiang Jinshuang shrugged: "But this is what I should do, and I don't need anyone's thanks."

Uncle Wang said that Wan Jin is a good country. Even though the country still has many shortcomings, everyone is trying their best to live and everyone wants to live well.

She couldn't bear to let such a thoughtful gesture go to waste.

Jiang Jinshuang's gaze swept over the crowd of people on Chang'an Street again, and after a moment of thought, she said, "Oh, I see, do they feel guilty?"

Did they feel ashamed and uneasy because they had misunderstood her and were subjected to those vicious insults and curses?

“But that was the side I wanted to show them,” Jiang Jinshuang murmured to herself. “If they weren’t deceived by my actions, then everything I did back then would have been meaningless.”

Jiang Jinshuang is quite open-minded about some things.

The reason those people hated and insulted her was because, in the eyes of outsiders, her actions were utterly heinous and unforgivable. If she were one of those uninformed people, she would have done the same.

There's nothing to feel guilty about.

Jiang Jinshuang's thoughts do not represent the thoughts of these people.

For several months afterward, every time Jiang Jinshuang opened the gates of the princess's mansion, she would see all sorts of objects placed outside the gates.

Sometimes it's a few fresh, plump fish, sometimes it's two large bags of rice and flour, and sometimes it's even two or three baskets of cabbage.

In short, during that period, the princess's kitchen was constantly offering a variety of dishes, which allowed Jiang Jinshuang to enjoy a feast.

Those people probably felt they were bad at expressing themselves, so they could only use this method to express their gratitude and remorse.

Jiang Jinshuang let them be.

The two stopped outside the princess's residence.

Jiang Jinshuang tilted her head and looked at Pei Du: "Let's leave it here, Lord Pei."

The man tightened his grip on the umbrella handle slightly, looked at Jiang Jinshuang, and said in a slightly deep voice, "Your Highness, you are quite right."

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow slightly: "What does Lord Pei mean?"

The man spoke slowly: "When the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, this sword of mine may indeed injure him."

A hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Jinshuang's eyes.

He had overheard the conversation with Jiang Biechen.

“But you won’t.” Pei Du looked at Jiang Jinshuang, his expression unchanged.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang smiled casually, but her eyes revealed a hint of emotion: "Pei Du, I am really curious."

“Everything you’ve done, said, and done shows that you like me, admire me, and are devoted to me,” Jiang Jinshuang paused, tilting her head, “but Pei Du, is it so hard for you to just say you like me?”

Jiang Jinshuang didn't understand.

Before this battle, if Pei Du had refused to answer her "I like you," she could have told herself that he didn't have those feelings for her and that his actions were merely a means to get revenge on her.

However, now, at this moment of battle, describing Pei Du's actions as "revenge" would be too simplistic.

Jiang Jinshuang could sense Pei Du's affection, but she truly didn't understand—

Why won't he tell me?
Jiang Jinshuang looked at Pei Du.

Just like Pei Du at this moment, he also looked at Jiang Jinshuang.

The oil-paper umbrella let in half the light and shadow, which shone on Jiang Jinshuang's face.

The man's dark eyes were clear, but his gaze towards her was filled with countless emotions.

"Jiang Jinshuang, you were the one who said you liked me first, you were the one who started it."

The man's tone seemed to carry an accusation that Jiang Jinshuang did not understand.

"If I say 'I like it,' then what else do I have to rely on?"

—She clearly started it first.

She told him she liked him, admired him, and was deeply in love with him.

Now, she has withdrawn her feelings, leaving him alone, trapped in the same spot, unwilling to leave.

The arrogant and spoiled princess used her wild and overwhelming love to pull the moon down from the clouds, only to discard it cleanly and decisively.

But because of that love, he spent his entire life imprisoning himself within a self-imposed prison.

If he were to speak, if he were to utter the words "I like you," then he would have nothing left.

All his arrogance and integrity ultimately relied on nothing more than her simple statement of "like".

"Jiang Jinshuang, you can't be so domineering."

"That's not fair to me."