A Mirror That Longs To Return - Chapter 15
The following day, everyone at the Southern Pacification Office behaved perfectly normally upon seeing He Jingling. They treated her exactly as they usually did.
Some were even more attentive than before, eagerly approaching her.
“Lord He, it has been many days since we last saw you. We heard you were supervising the examination. Did you see anything interesting?”
“Nothing particularly noteworthy.”
He Jingling answered casually while striding quickly toward the main hall.
After exchanging polite greetings with everyone along the way, He Jingling sat down and began reviewing the case files.
Several days of forced leave had not made her unfamiliar with her work in the slightest.
Seeing that He Jingling paid them little attention, the other Jinyiwei officers felt deeply unsettled.
Although Lord He had recently become involved in some trouble, it was also true that Eunuch Wei had personally requested her by name to supervise the examination.
Was her official career flourishing, or was her future in jeopardy?
No one could say for certain.
As a result, everyone maintained a delicate balance.
They could not flatter her too eagerly, lest her misfortune spread to them.
Of course, they could not ignore her completely either. Lord He still appeared to have a very promising future!
While the men were discussing the matter among themselves, He Jingling emerged from the hall again.
The gossiping men immediately fell silent, each lowering his gaze and pretending to mind his own business.
He Jingling glanced sideways at them and casually instructed, “This official is going out to perform official duties.”
The moment they heard this, someone stepped forward.
“Lord He, will you be all right going alone?”
He Jingling looked toward the voice.
The man before her, surnamed Sun, was one of Pei Jin’s subordinates. He ordinarily remained at the Southern Pacification Office on Pei Jin’s behalf, acting as his informant and keeping watch over everything.
Now that he had suddenly volunteered, he was most likely trying to gather information.
Naturally, the answer was no.
He Jingling shook her head and refused.
Seeing that He Jingling had left no room for discussion, Sun Qi knew there was nothing he could do and could only accept it.
However, after He Jingling left, he still followed her furtively.
Sun Qi firmly believed that anything abnormal had to conceal something suspicious.
Although He Jingling had returned from supervising the examination, Lord Pei had punished her even earlier. She could not possibly behave as though nothing had happened so quickly.
Thus, he followed He Jingling throughout the city, hoping to discover something unusual.
Yet Chiliarch He truly lived up to her reputation.
From the City God Temple to Wanfu Inn, she traveled hurriedly the entire way, appearing as though she truly were pursuing a criminal—
Sun Qi never learned whether He Jingling actually caught the thief.
Because he lost her.
By sunset, amid the dense crowds, Sun Qi had completely lost track of the intersection where He Jingling had disappeared.
He looked left and right, muttering to himself.
“How strange. Where did Chiliarch He go…?”
“Your Highness, Chiliarch He of the Southern Pacification Office requests an audience. She claims to have found your jade thumb ring.”
Dusk had fallen.
Faint points of light filtered through the window lattice and spilled over Yan Changjun’s short nails, painted a vivid red with balsam dye.
Upon hearing the report, Yan Changjun laughed softly twice and set down the exquisite embroidered pouch in her hand.
“At last. I have finally waited long enough. Summon her inside. But first, take the bows, crossbows, and targets from the storeroom and arrange them in the courtyard.”
“Yes.”
Lüqi nodded, bowed slightly, and withdrew.
Although she did not understand, since Princess Jialang had ordered it, there had to be a reason.
Perhaps Her Highness wished to practice martial arts again…
Just moments ago, Lüqi had seen the princess embroidering a pouch.
Lüqi had only begun serving Yan Changjun when the Princess Manor was established. Even back then, the princess had been exceptionally skilled in needlework.
However, Her Highness seemed to learn embroidery for reasons unlike those of ordinary noblewomen.
She appeared to embroider simply because she wished to make something, not to please anyone.
He Jingling was currently waiting calmly outside the gates of the Princess Manor.
She had needed to shake off that irritating follower, deliver a letter for her younger sister, and finally return the Eldest Princess’s jade thumb ring.
She had been rather busy today.
That follower had truly been troublesome.
He had pursued her from early morning until the sky was nearly dark, and only then had He Jingling finally managed to lose him completely.
Fortunately, she had escaped him.
Unfortunately, she had now spent far too long waiting outside the Princess Manor.
For once, He Jingling could understand a fraction of how Xu Zhiyan had felt that night.
There was no helping it.
Her Highness the Princess simply enjoyed tormenting people.
He Jingling touched the brocade box tucked inside her robes, already having formed a plan.
She had come here to investigate the current situation within the Princess Manor.
Yan Changjun could not possibly have no reaction after hearing that her fields and estate had been seized.
He Jingling could not determine what she was thinking, so she had decided to come and find out.
Whether the property had truly been seized or the entire matter was fabricated, and whether He Jingling would be punished—
Everything depended upon a single thought from Yan Changjun.
In any case, He Jingling had delivered herself directly to the princess’s door and had even recovered her lost possession.
While she was still thinking, Lüqi appeared.
“Lord He, please come inside. Forgive us for keeping you waiting. The Princess Manor was preparing a few things.”
“It was no trouble at all.”
He Jingling’s gentle expression remained unchanged as she patiently followed Lüqi.
However, Lüqi did not lead her into the main hall.
Instead, she turned toward the central courtyard, where several young servants were moving targets, bows, and crossbows.
An ominous feeling suddenly arose in He Jingling’s heart.
When the targets had all been erected, that ominous feeling became completely real.
The last desolate light vanished from the horizon, and darkness finally enclosed the surroundings.
Clear moonlight passed through thin clouds and fell across the courtyard, draping silver radiance over the upright targets.
“Lord He has gone to such trouble. You found my thumb ring and even delivered it personally.”
A cool, crystalline voice approached from the distance.
He Jingling turned toward it and saw Yan Changjun walking gracefully toward her.
Within her own residence, Yan Changjun dressed far more simply.
She lacked the headful of jewels and the overwhelming brilliance of gold and jade she had worn when they first met.
Yet even with only a single golden hairpin securing her hair, she remained intimidating.
However, she wore a smile, lazy and languid like a resting leopard.
“Forgive me for failing to welcome you properly.”
He Jingling hurriedly replied, “This is merely part of this subject’s duty.”
Yan Changjun lifted her skirts and leisurely descended the stone steps.
She stopped beside He Jingling, shifted her body slightly, and tilted her head back to stare into her eyes.
“Why does every single one of Lord He’s duties seem to concern me?”
Her intonation rose at the end, her soft voice flowing gently.
He Jingling choked slightly.
“This subject is a member of the Jinyiwei, while Your Highness belongs to the imperial family. Naturally, my duties are performed for Your Highness.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Yan Changjun nodded thoughtfully.
“Lord He truly is devoted and loyal.”
But what He Jingling said was incorrect.
The Jinyiwei had been founded solely for the emperor. They were the emperor’s personal guards, not hers.
Yan Changjun did not expose the mistake.
“Speaking of which, where is the jade thumb ring now?”
He Jingling held out the brocade box with both hands and respectfully presented it to Yan Changjun.
“It is here.”
Yan Changjun did not look at the box.
Instead, she examined He Jingling with interest.
“Where did Lord He find it?”
“At the examination compound, when I was the last to leave.”
Yan Changjun continued questioning her relentlessly.
“Is the jade thumb ring truly undamaged?”
“…”
He Jingling could not guarantee that.
Her brows drew together slightly. She murmured uncertainly but failed to produce an answer.
“It does not matter. Even if it is damaged, that is no great concern.”
Yan Changjun’s red lips curved upward. She reached out and accepted the brocade box.
“However, merely looking at it will not reveal anything. It must be used.”
He Jingling’s throat tightened.
Used?
It appeared these targets had been arranged precisely for this moment.
Aside from serving as an ornament, a thumb ring could assist with archery.
Yan Changjun possessed some skill in mounted archery in the original novel, so He Jingling was not surprised.
She was merely curious as to why Yan Changjun had ordered targets erected in the darkness of night.
But she soon understood.
Yan Changjun turned around.
Wall lamps lit up one after another behind her, their radiance falling diagonally across her snow-white face.
The light was brilliant, and a smile appeared on her crimson lips.
“I have always been rather curious about archery. Why does Lord He not teach me?”
He Jingling: “?”
Her first reaction was naturally that Yan Changjun was trying to trick her again.
Moreover, it was already late.
He Jingling decided to refuse.
“It is already rather late. Although lamps have been lit, I fear—”
Yan Changjun did not allow her to finish.
She narrowed her eyes playfully, appearing faintly disappointed and aggrieved as she interrupted.
“Lord He was willing to teach Lord Xie of the Ministry of Rites, yet you refuse to teach me. Could it be that you dislike me, or are you simply more partial to Lord Xie?”
He Jingling’s brow twitched violently.
Sister, I am genuinely not here to steal a man from you!
“Of course not.”
Without the slightest blush, He Jingling hurriedly repaired the situation.
“This subject was merely worried that my insignificant skills would not be worthy of Your Highness’s attention. Since Your Highness has given the order, this subject will naturally obey.”
Yan Changjun finally smiled.
Then she instructed Lüqi, “Take Lord He to change her clothes.”
He Jingling froze again.
She lowered her head.
Today, she wore the Jinyiwei’s black official uniform, complete with luan-patterned belt and waist badge.
What part of it was unacceptable to Yan Changjun?
Seeming to recognize her confusion, Yan Changjun explained, “Since we are practicing archery, I would prefer that we treat it with proper reverence. Lord He should change into riding attire. My storerooms do not lack suitable clothing.”
He Jingling was confused but did not dare voice it.
She could only agree and follow Lüqi away.
Shooting a few arrows required a sense of ceremony?
Yan Changjun had even called it “reverence”…
This woman truly was strange.
Despite her internal complaints, He Jingling did not delay while changing into the riding attire.
She removed her hat, loosened her belt and waist badge, then placed the clothes she had taken off to one side.
Everything had been prepared.
When He Jingling returned outside, Yan Changjun had already picked up a longbow and was idly playing with it.
Seeing He Jingling emerge, she smiled.
“Lord He changes rather quickly.”
It was only a change of clothes.
He Jingling approached.
Although she had carefully maintained a distance between herself and Yan Changjun, the fragrance of phoenix marrow still curled around the tip of her nose and refused to disperse.
The scent made her dizzy, even though it was not as intense as the musk Yan Changjun had originally used—
Yan Changjun turned her wrist over.
The ring of red marks around it immediately entered both their gazes.
This time, if He Jingling pretended not to see them, it would be far too false.
But seeing something was one matter.
Asking about it was another.
“All right.”
He Jingling released Yan Changjun’s wrist and stepped several paces back.
Yan Changjun’s gaze darkened slightly, but she had already made up her mind.
She raised an eyebrow, looked at her hand, and deliberately waved it before He Jingling.
“What does Lord He think?”
She even intentionally displayed the inner side of her wrist.
“It looks beautiful.”
He Jingling’s response became increasingly formal.
Yan Changjun smiled.
“Even the scar is beautiful?”
She had pointed it out herself.
He Jingling feigned surprise and confusion but offered no answer.
Seeing no reaction from He Jingling, Yan Changjun adopted a regretful, reminiscent tone.
“This ring of scars was left behind years ago, when the palace caught fire and I tried to save the person in my heart… Ah, looking at it now, it remains so ugly.”
One person might refuse to ask, but that did not prevent the other from telling her.
“Lord He, what do you think?”
Yan Changjun asked with a smile.
“Do you find this scar unattractive?”
The scar was faint and lay on the inner side of her wrist, so it was not easily visible at first glance.
He Jingling had to work hard to control the distance between them.
The plot had hardly progressed yet.
Becoming too intimate with Her Highness the Princess would not be a good thing.
In the original novel, every person who died especially quickly had first shared some comparatively ambiguous moment with Yan Changjun.
While He Jingling was still thinking, Yan Changjun had already lifted the longbow.
“Lord He, could you demonstrate first?”
She turned toward He Jingling.
Her phoenix eyes appeared filled with water, as though a bright moon had gathered within their depths.
He Jingling looked away, warning herself not to be deceived by beauty, and accepted the bow a servant brought over.
“This subject will embarrass herself, then.”
She drew the bow and nocked an arrow, her movements smooth and seamless—
It was Xuanji, one of Yan Changjun’s two secret guards and the most powerful martial artist in the novel.
She was watching He Jingling with calm amusement, an indecipherable smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Half her body remained concealed within the shadow beneath the brick wall.
He Jingling: “…”
Suddenly, striking the center of the target no longer felt especially impressive.
He Jingling withdrew her gaze, only to discover that someone had appeared directly before her.
Indeed, Yan Changjun had somehow walked in front of her again.
She looked up at He Jingling with complete sincerity.
“Lord He truly is impressive, as expected of your great reputation. Unlike me, who knows absolutely nothing about archery.”
He Jingling frowned slightly.
Why did those words sound strange?
What sort of feeling did they give her?
Nevertheless, He Jingling’s expression remained calm, and her answer was neither humble nor arrogant.
“If Your Highness wishes to learn, you will certainly surpass this subject.”
“Then why does Lord He not take a look?”
Yan Changjun suddenly smiled again.
She positioned herself in front of He Jingling and slowly drew the bow.
The motion made He Jingling’s brow twitch.
“Is this correct?”
Yan Changjun held the bow in her left hand and tilted her head slightly to gaze up at He Jingling.
She looked perfectly innocent and entirely sincere.
Had He Jingling not known this woman already understood archery, she might have believed her.
But she did not dare say so.
She could only patiently ignore the phoenix-marrow fragrance circling around her nose and explain, “Your Highness should not grip the bow like that. You should push it outward with the web between your thumb and forefinger.”
She merely explained verbally, pointing with her finger without actually touching Yan Changjun.
He Jingling spoke seriously, but her instructions were perfunctory.
After all, this woman was also trying to deceive her.
Although the instructions were perfunctory, He Jingling still explained quite a bit in one breath.
“Your forearm must remain straight… Move your head slightly farther back, or the string may strike you.”
Yan Changjun obediently nodded.
But just as He Jingling suddenly lowered her head, Yan Changjun sharply turned and raised her face.
He Jingling nearly brushed against Yan Changjun’s smooth forehead.
He Jingling: “…”
Did they truly have to keep creating near-misses like this tonight?
They stood extremely close.
Their clothes brushed together, softness pressed against softness, and their warmth surrounded each other.
The heat between them intensified beneath the crisp autumn night.
The fragrance of phoenix marrow passed through He Jingling’s nose and flooded her lungs.
Yan Changjun stood gracefully before her, with black hair and crimson lips.
Against the moonlight, her complexion appeared fairer than frost and snow.
A proud, lofty elegance permeated her entire body, making her seem even brighter than the moon.
But it did not end there.
“I suddenly have a question.”
Yan Changjun continued looking up at her, her cherry-red lips gently parting.
Perhaps because they stood too close, the movement of those lips made them appear exceptionally soft and moist, stirring unwelcome thoughts.
“What question?”
Yan Changjun smiled, her tone ambiguous and intimate.
“Lord He, have you ever taught anyone else archery?”
“Not yet. Your Highness is the first.”
He Jingling answered with complete formality.
Certain things simply had to be said this way.
She heard Yan Changjun laugh softly.
Yan Changjun asked again, “Then, apart from me, would Lord He teach another woman?”
Her eyes were clear and bright.
She appeared so earnest that it did not seem false.
But He Jingling nearly tripped over her own feet.
“?”
She coughed twice.
“Of course not.”
“But during the palace banquet that day, I clearly heard Lord He say that someone already occupies your heart.”
Yan Changjun lowered the bow and spoke earnestly.
The corners of her lips were even curved into the faintest pout.
He Jingling felt the world spin and her mind grow heavy—
The moment the words ended, the arrow flew from the bow.
It vanished so quickly that not even its shadow could be found, and no one knew where it had gone.
He Jingling: “…?”
Immediately afterward, she met Yan Changjun’s completely innocent gaze.
“Am I simply too foolish? Even with Lord He teaching me personally, I still cannot learn.”
No—
After saying all of that, what exactly was He Jingling supposed to say?
At last, He Jingling’s expression changed.
She smiled.
“Your Highness has never shot an arrow before. Being able to release it at all is already quite impressive.”
“Truly?”
Yan Changjun continued smiling at her with perfect dignity.
The delicate folds above her eyes curved upward, and her clear laughter resembled a feather lightly brushing over one’s heart, creating an unbearable itch.
But He Jingling was trembling.
“Of course. Your Highness is already very impressive. You possess exceptional talent.”
“Is that so?”
The smile on Yan Changjun’s lips deepened.
Her long eyes shone brilliantly, like fine jade with perfect translucence.
He Jingling coughed twice.
“Yes, naturally. Should Your Highness ask the people nearby…”
As she spoke, she turned toward the people who had been standing beside them.
Unexpectedly, beneath the brick wall, there was nothing except burning wall lamps and wavering candle shadows.
Where had everyone gone?
He Jingling felt as though she had seen a ghost.
“Ask whom?”
Yan Changjun became even more curious.
She tilted her head, her gaze filled with even greater sincerity and interest.
He Jingling’s heart pounded like a drum.
“No one.”
“I see.”
Yan Changjun sounded listless.
“Lord He truly was merely humoring me.”
He Jingling could only change the subject.
“How could that be? Since Your Highness requested it, how would this subject dare deceive you? It is merely that the hour is already late, and Your Highness has learned quickly…”
She genuinely wanted to escape.
Yan Changjun merely listened without interrupting.
When He Jingling finally finished, Yan Changjun stepped closer and rose onto her toes.
Her warm breath spilled over the shell of He Jingling’s ear, causing her body to stiffen.
The heat was so intense that the blood in her veins seemed to boil.
A violent burning sensation spread through every limb and bone.
“I understand now. Lord He must dislike me… It does not matter.”
The tips of He Jingling’s ears flushed blood-red.
She choked and silently swore that if she did not escape, she would smash her head into a wall and die here tonight!
She hurriedly stepped away, turned her face aside, and said, “Your Highness, this subject’s elderly mother is still waiting at home. She suffers from a chronic wasting illness, which has worsened recently. My younger sister is still too young to care for her… This subject must return.”
After speaking rapidly in a single breath, He Jingling gave Yan Changjun no opportunity to react.
She strode toward the room where she had changed clothes earlier.
Behind her, she heard Yan Changjun say, “Lord He need not change back.”
He Jingling pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Fine.
She would not change.
That meant she could run even faster!
She hurried into the room, seized her black official robes, and strode away.
The instant she disappeared from the far end of Princess Jialang’s residence, He Jingling’s steps became strangely unsteady.
She could no longer walk calmly.
Thus, she fled in panic.
Her tall, indistinct silhouette gradually merged with the heavy night.
Moonlight shifted, and the frost-colored darkness deepened.
Yan Changjun’s gaze suddenly became profound.
A curve gradually rose at the corners of her lips.
“And here I thought you could not understand what I was saying.”
So He Jingling understood perfectly well.
Yan Changjun had merely imitated her behavior, and she had already been frightened into fleeing.
Coward.
Yan Changjun returned to her bedchamber.
The candlelight swayed and flowed, its fiery glow reflected within her narrow phoenix eyes like scattered stars.
She reached out and brushed her fingers across the waist badge engraved with gold-and-silver dragons and tigers.
Badge Number Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight.
He Jingling.
Chiliarch of the Southern Pacification Office.
Her fingertip pressed into the engraved patterns.
She laughed softly, the faint sound spilling from her throat one breath at a time.
“At last, you left it behind.”
She murmured the words and placed the waist badge beside an embroidered pouch.
“This year’s birthday will finally be different.”
The blue-green pouch had sparse, uneven stitches and several obvious mistakes.
Its appearance had absolutely nothing to do with beauty.
The pattern seemed to depict a lotus, but upon closer inspection, it did not resemble one at all.
It could only be described as ugly.
In the end, Yan Changjun carefully stored it away together with the waist badge.
She truly treasured them.
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