Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 42 Getting ready to leave
To convince Jiang Lanye of what she said, that night she deliberately forced herself to stay awake until Jiang Lanye's breathing became steady and long before she suddenly spoke.

"No...don't kill me."

Her babbling went on and on, and Jiang Lanye, a light sleeper, was awakened from the moment she uttered her first word.

He opened his sleepy eyes and vaguely saw Song Yi with her eyes closed in the darkness, her head shaking back and forth, as if she were having a nightmare.

Jiang Lanye stared at her thoughtfully for a long time.

Song Yi mumbled incoherently for a while, then gradually closed her mouth, but her delicate eyebrows remained tightly furrowed, making her look extremely frightened.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and saw Jiang Lanye staring at her. Without thinking, she threw herself into his arms.

Jiang Lanye caught Song Yi in surprise, not expecting to be embraced by her. The faint fragrance emanating from her lingered in his nose.

He instinctively pulled his arms closer, holding her tightly, feeling her warm body, and asked in a low voice, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Song Yi's voice was hoarse, and upon closer listening, it sounded somewhat aggrieved.

"Yes, I dreamt that I was being chased by a masked man on a rainy day. He wanted to kill me."

She clung tightly to Jiang Lanye, burying her face in the crook of his neck without a care in the world.

Feeling the tickling sensation on his neck, Jiang Lanye stiffened, looking down at the person clinging to him and moving around, and said helplessly, "Dreams are all fake."

He never comforted anyone, and seeing that Song Yi was truly frightened, he could only utter this one dry sentence.

Song Yi refused to let go, clinging to him like a cat, greedily inhaling his scent.

"Your Majesty, please have the Imperial Observatory come and take a look. I am truly uneasy for no reason."

She had laid the groundwork for so long before finally revealing her true purpose.

As perceptive as Jiang Lanye was, he would normally have been able to discern Song Yi's intentions. However, tonight, touching her soft body, he found himself at a loss for words. He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered, "Okay."

Upon receiving his response, Song Yi's body softened, and she finally released Jiang Lanye.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Jiang Lanye stared intently at her, feeling her hair slip through his fingers, and felt a strange itch in his heart.

"You are not allowed to sleep close to me tonight."

Song Yi was taken aback. "Why?"

Because he won't be able to sleep.

However, Jiang Lanye did not say it directly, but only said, "I despise you."

Song Yi couldn't understand why he had been holding her so tightly just moments before, but now he suddenly seemed to dislike her.

She pursed her lips and whispered, "Okay."

After they lay down, the warmth from the blankets dissipated. Feeling particularly aggrieved, Song Yi grabbed a piece of the blanket, wrapped herself up, and turned her back to Jiang Lanye.

Jiang Lanye sighed silently.

He had always considered himself to have good self-control, but tonight...
He sat there calming himself for a while, then slowly lay down and, just like before, stretched out his arms to encircle her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Sleep now. With me here, no one will dare to kill you."

Song Yi did not move.

He would dare to kill her if Jiang Lanye knew her identity.

Jiang Lanye kept his word. The next day, when the Imperial Astronomical Bureau arrived, he said to Song Yi, "Your Majesty, I observed the stars last night. In recent nights, the stars have been numerous, the moon has been bright, and there have been no clouds in the sky. Therefore, it will not rain."

Upon hearing this, Song Yi, fearing that Jiang Lanye would suspect her, deliberately said, "I always dream of rainy days, so I feel that something bad will happen on rainy days. Are you sure it won't rain recently? And... there haven't been any cloudy days either?"

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory official, a rather old man, stroked his beard and said leisurely, "Five days from now, it is very likely that the sky will be overcast, but it will not rain."

"Five Days Later"

Song Yi murmured softly, her eyes flickering slightly, and smiled, "Since that's the case, I'm relieved." After the Imperial Observatory left, Jiang Lanye glanced at her and asked calmly, "Are you still afraid?"

Five days later, that should be quick.

In the past two days, she has focused on finding a secluded open space where no one passes by, preparing everything she needs. As soon as it gets dark, she plans to leave this world again without telling Jiang Lanye.

She smiled sweetly and said, "This concubine is not afraid."

Although her face was veiled and could not be seen, whenever she smiled, her eyebrows and eyes would curve into small crescents, and her eyes would be as bright as stars.

Jiang Lanye looked away uncomfortably and said, "Since you're not afraid anymore, come and grind the ink."

Song Yi quickly went over.

Her fingers were slender and white, like scallions, and as she gently held the ink stick, her fair fingers were even more striking.

"Why haven't I seen you go to your study these past two days?"

After all, she insisted on going into that study at first, and Jiang Lanye agreed, but she's not going today.

Song Yi thought for a moment and said, "This concubine is tired of it."

Jiang Lanye gave a sneer with an ambiguous meaning, feeling inexplicably displeased.

"What? You get bored so easily?"

Song Yi realized she had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to appease him: "I am indeed someone who gets tired of things easily, but I have only ever liked Your Majesty for decades."

Jiang Lanye raised an eyebrow: "Ten years? You've been by my side for less than half a year."

Song Yi deliberately said, "Even if it's ten, twenty, or thirty years from now, I won't get tired of it."

Jiang Lanye gave her a deep look and asked, "Then will you stay by my side forever?"

His gaze was exceptionally earnest, as if he could see right through her body; no lie could hide from him.

Song Yi's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Of course."

A mocking smile curved his lips.

"Your words are just like hers."

Song Yi felt a slight coolness at her fingertips, realizing that Jiang Lanye was referring to Consort Yun from three years ago.

It seems she did say something like that.

However, whenever she uttered such words, all she was thinking was to please the tyrant, to make him feel better, and to stop him from making things difficult for her.

But Jiang Lanye always seemed to take it seriously.

While Song Yi was still lost in thought, Jiang Lanye suddenly said, "I will be very busy these two days, and the morning court session will end later than before. You can have your breakfast first; you don't need to wait for me."

Song Yi glanced at the memorials piled up on the table, which were almost like a small mountain, and understood.

"Your Majesty, I understand."

Early the next morning.

Jiang Lanye was busy with political affairs, so Song Yi simply left the Golden Palace and walked along the path leading to the Imperial Garden. The path wound its way through almost the entire Imperial Garden. When she saw a dense bamboo grove in front of her, her eyes lit up.

I almost forgot about this place.

Although this bamboo grove is small, the green bamboo is planted densely. It used to cover a small pond, but now it has been filled in and turned into an open space.

And because of the bamboo's obstruction, few people come to this place.

After finding a suitable spot, Song Yi went to Yingchun Palace, took a bunch of candles, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and sneaked back to this small place, where he temporarily hid the pile of things at the base of the bamboo.

Then, she picked up a sharp stone and drew several lines on the damp ground, each pointing in a different direction.

(End of this chapter)