CHAPTER 542: CHAPTER 541: HOOKING UP WITH CHU QI, SHIFTING THE FOCUS

The first thing Su Bai did upon returning to the palace was to soak in the hot springs, washing herself clean and refreshed, followed by changing into a new set of clothes.

It wasn’t that she was being fastidious, it’s just that bathing was impossible in the dungeons.

She couldn’t possibly bathe in a tub in front of a bunch of criminals and the prison guard, could she?

At her age, she had to have some dignity.

After cleansing herself of all the grime, Su Bai’s mood greatly improved as well.

At that moment, she distinctly felt another presence in the room.

"Long time no see, did you miss your brother?" Yan Li’an appeared accurately behind Su Bai.

Su Bai found this discordant brother of hers quite exasperating.

She hoped that after regaining her memory, he would still be his usual self.

Seeing Su Bai silent, Yan Li’an stepped forward and started rubbing her head vigorously.

"Just washed your hair, huh? It’s still wet." Yan Li’an, without another word, took the dry cloth from Su Bai’s hand and efficiently began to dry it for her.

Su Bai was stunned; looking in the bronze mirror, their faces and features not much different, she felt dazed.

"Did you used to dry my hair like this before?"

She couldn’t help but ask.

Were they this close?

Yan Li’an increased the force in his hands. "What are you thinking? The skills I’ve honed are all from the experiences in gentle territories."

Su Bai: "...Scram!" She snatched the towel from his hand and started drying herself.

Seeing her annoyed, Yan Li’an pursed his lips.

"Don’t be angry, I did once help someone like this," Yan Li’an’s tone was much more restrained.

Feeling the melancholy in his voice, Su Bai was surprised and in that moment of distraction, the towel was again taken from her hand.

This time, Yan Li’an diligently dried her damp hair, carefully drying each strand.

"Do you have a woman you love?"

"I used to," Yan Li’an replied without evasion.

Su Bai, shocked: "Then she now..."

"Don’t talk nonsense; she’s alive and well," Yan Li’an interjected immediately.

"Then why aren’t you together? Why isn’t she my sister-in-law?"

That question struck a nerve with Yan Li’an.

The dry cloth in his hand, now damp from towel drying, was absently folded into a square and held tightly in his palm.

After a long while, just when Su Bai thought he wouldn’t answer,

Yan Li’an said, "Everyone has different destinies, which means they can’t always end up together; it’s all fate."

Su Bai detected a lot of helplessness and profound sadness in his tone.

What kind of emotion was this?

It made Yan Li’an, usually so out of tune, show such a painful expression.

She grew curious about the identity of that woman.

And began to feel a strong desire for her lost memories.

Restoring her memory seemed the only way to know everything.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this. Yan Jing has arrived in Chu Kingdom, when do you plan to take action?" Yan Li’an changed the topic.

Talking business, Su Bai’s expression grew much more serious.

"I think Chu Qi and Song Huaxu must be aware of your existence. The last time in the Imperial Study, I sensed their guard, so before completely dispelling their caution, we need to continue being careful for a while."

"How do you plan to dispel it?"

"Song Huaxu is paranoid, and after the incident at the cliff you mentioned before, he must be even more cautious, so trying to dispel his thoughts is undoubtedly a fantasy. We don’t have the time or energy for that." Su Bai paused.

Yan Li’an immediately caught her drift: "You want to focus on Chu Qi? He harbors feelings for you, you know."

"Well, it’s an option out of necessity." Su Bai found Chu Qi somewhat easier to strategize against.

Yan Li’an inhaled sharply: "You’re not planning on using a seduction strategy, are you? Oh, Yan Wanqing, Yan Wanqing, I must remind you, your husband Xiao Pingfeng is famously jealous far and wide, and if he finds out, you’re in deep trouble!"

Su Bai looked at him oddly: "But if I really am not Yan Wanqing, what does that Xiao Pingfeng have to do with me?" She couldn’t recall a single moment from her past, let alone this Xiao Pingfeng.

Thinking of him, the only thing that sparked within her was the fiery anger about the massacre of the Su Family.

"What love, what husband, all nonsense."

Whenever she thought of that person, she wanted nothing but to kill him for revenge.

Su Bai could not deny that Song Huaxu must have had a hand in it.

But now, she really felt nothing but hatred towards Xiao Pingfeng, devoid of any tender emotions or fluctuations.

"Fine, fine, fine, I’ve warned you," Yan Li’an said, raising his hands in surrender, "I’ll pretend I know nothing about this matter; you go ahead and seal your fate."

Su Bai rolled her eyes, "All this is a sacrifice I make to regain my memory; didn’t you tell me to hurry home?!"

"You make your own decisions, but if that rascal Chu Qi dares do anything to you, I will definitely chop his offspring into pieces and feed them to the dogs." Yan Li’an said, baring his white teeth, which looked terrifying.

The sight was extremely frightening.

Su Bai felt a little warmth in her heart.

With such a brother by her side, she could relax a little.

No matter who she really was.

She was grateful for Yan Li’an’s presence during this time.

It allowed her to experience the long-lost warmth of the human world.

Over these three years, she had been a merciless killing machine, constantly on the battlefield, amidst bloody pools, engaging in fierce battles, and earning military honors that men dared not underestimate.

It was this ruthlessness that kept her standing unyielded before hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Although there were still civil court officials who criticized her, in the hearts of the military generals, Su Bai was an absolute deity.

As long as she was on the battlefield, she would not let any blood be shed in vain, nor any soldier die in vain!

Yet, even so, she still couldn’t fill the emptiness in her heart.

There was always a voice screaming that she shouldn’t lead such a life.

Before Yan Li’an appeared, she thought that a couple like the Chen family was already very happy.

But now, she had become much greedier.

She wanted to regain all her memories, return to her family, and live even happier days.

At home there would be her mother, her siblings, and her own children... perhaps a lover who never stopped thinking about her.

Thus, that one secret room, she must enter it no matter what.

"While you were in the dungeon, I did something," Yan Li’an recalled.

Su Bai’s thoughts were interrupted, and she looked up, puzzled, asking, "What did you do?"

"I struck a deal with one of the concubines in the palace."

"Concubine Chen Jieyu?" Su Bai guessed without even thinking.

Yan Li’an’s mood to tease her instantly vanished without a trace.

From childhood, his sister had been more intelligent than others; whenever he tried to establish his image as an impressive big brother, she never gave him the chance.

"Yes." Yan Li’an felt bored.

Su Bai nodded, "It’s not difficult to guess; without the guidance of someone wise, Concubine Chen Jieyu’s simple mind wouldn’t have won Chu Qi’s favor so quickly."

Yan Li’an was rather pleased with himself.

"As the saying goes, no one understands men like another man."

That day, he found Concubine Chen Jieyu, who dared only to sob in the corner of her chamber, and he offered her an olive branch.

He told her that relying on others, neither she nor her brother would have a future.

She could only rely on herself.

And the most powerful person in the inner palace was the Emperor.

She had to firmly grasp the Emperor’s heart to secure her and her brother’s future.

"Fortunately, she was willing to listen to advice. Just yesterday, I heard her brother had been promoted and enriched, escaping from the grasp of Mei Changfeng," Yan Li’an shared the news he had received with Su Bai.

"Using Concubine Chen Jieyu to break down Consort Mei’s spirit, that’s a ruthless move." No wonder Consort Mei was desperate yesterday, kneeling all night to admit her mistakes.

It turned out to be thanks to her own brother’s efforts.

Consort Mei should now clearly understand that once the Mei Family falls, she will truly have nothing left.

At this moment, Chu Qi dislikes her, and over the years, she has made countless enemies in the palace with her maternal family’s power; once the Mei Family collapses, her life will be worse than a dog’s.

"Let’s start making preparations, and shift Song Huaxu’s attention; only then can I flirt with Chu Qi." Su Bai used the word "flirt," her eyes playful.

Yan Li’an raised his hand and hit her on the head, "You better not play with fire and burn yourself."

"No, no, I know what I am doing."