Chapter 214: Behind the Mask

Night had swallowed the imperial palace. The Crown Prince’s residence was quieter than usual, but it was not peaceful.

Two guards stood outside the main doors, while another pair patrolled the courtyard. The Empress had doubled the security after Zhao Chen’s last attempt to escape.

No one was getting in. No one was getting out. At least, that was what they believed.

A shadow moved silently across the roof. Han Shuying landed behind the eastern wall without making a sound. She wore black from head to toe.

Her boots were wrapped in dark cloth, her long sleeves fitted tightly around her arms, and a black mask covered the lower half of her face. She crouched in the darkness and studied the guards.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Her hand slipped beneath her sleeve.

A small pellet rolled between her fingers. She flicked it toward the nearest lantern. The flame went out. The guards immediately looked up.

"What was that?"

Before either could react, Han Shuying moved. She crossed the courtyard like a ghost.

The first guard felt a sharp strike behind his neck. His eyes rolled back before he collapsed silently. The second turned and Han Shuying caught him before he could shout. A precise strike to the side of his neck.

He fell beside his companion.

The remaining guards barely had time to draw their weapons.

Han Shuying moved between them. A kick accompanied with a twist of the wrist and a palm strike. Within moments, all four guards lay unconscious. She glanced toward the residence. "Too easy."

Then she disappeared through the shadows. Inside, Zhao Chen sat beside the window. He hadn’t slept.

Again.

His hair was disheveled, and the expensive robes he wore were wrinkled from days of restless pacing.

A single candle burned beside him. He only turned when a faint sound came from behind him. Zhao Chen froze.

The room was dark. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then a silhouette emerged from the shadows. It was a woman.

She wore black clothing and a mask covering half of her face. Long hair falling behind her shoulders.

Zhao Chen’s heart stopped. "Ru Yi?" It restarted in a painful burst of undeserved hope.

The masked woman remained silent.

He stood so quickly that the chair behind him nearly fell. "Ru Yi!" He rushed toward her. "I knew you would come back." His eyes shone with desperate hope. "I knew you wouldn’t leave me."

The woman stopped.

Zhao Chen reached for her. But before he could touch her, she stepped into the moonlight and he froze.

The black mask came away and Han Shuying looked back at him with dark piercing eyes.

His expression changed instantly. His hope turned into complete disbelief, then slowed turned into blinding rage. "You!"

Han Shuying said nothing as she watched the empty shell the Crown prince had become over the months.

Zhao Chen’s fists clenched. "You!" He lunged.

Han Shuying stepped aside which made his fist strike the wall instead.

"You helped her leave!" His voice shook with fury. "You knew where she was!"

Han Shuying remained calm, thinking of the best way to deal with the mad man in front of her without attracting any attention from outside.

Zhao Chen turned to her. "You knew she was leaving me, and you helped her!"

"I did," she replied calmly. "Otherwise you would’ve left her rotting in that cold cell.

The admission of his incompetence only made his anger worse. He reached for her again.

Han Shuying caught his wrist. "Listen to me."

"Let go!" He yelled. "I’ll make you regret coming here." He ripped his arm free. "Where is she?"

Han Shuying stared at him.

"Where is Ru Yi?"

Han Shuying tilted her head to the side in a lazy gesture. "She is safe."

His breathing stopped. "Safe?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me where she is."

She shook her head. "I can’t."

Zhao Chen’s face twisted with anger. "Why?"

"Because if you knew, you’d go after her."

"Of course I would!" He stepped closer. "She’s carrying my child."

Han Shuying’s eyes hardened in a mask of irritation. "I didn’t think you’d gotten this delusional." She didn’t think it would be this bad when she heard the rumors from the maids.

Zhao Chen stared at her. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." The Crown prince had truly gone mad, but she was here to take advantage of that very fact.

"She is my woman."

The hard planes of her jaw flexed. "She’s a person, Zhao Chen."

He flinched.

HanShuying continued. "Not your possession. Not something you can simply drag back into the palace because you decided you want her."

His expression darkened. "You know nothing about what happened between us."

"I know enough." She took a step closer. "I know Ru Yi doesn’t want to return to you."

His face went pale. "She told you that?"

Han Shuying didn’t answer immediately. She studied him. The Crown Prince looked nothing like the powerful heir to the throne she had known.

He looked broken.

Exhausted.

Obsessed.

And completely incapable of thinking beyond Ru Yi.

"I went to Ashen Fortress," Han Shuying finally replied, poking the fire.

Zhao Chen’s eyes narrowed. "What? Is that where she is? Then take me to her!"

"No."

A simple answer that shattered his already broken word. His jaw tightened. "Why?"

"Because you’re not in a position to save anyone." Han Shuying continued. "You’re locked inside your own residence. The Empress controls your movements. Half the palace believes you’ve lost your mind over a woman who abandoned you."

"She didn’t abandon me!"

"I know."

The sudden agreement made him pause.

Han Shuying’s voice softened into a tone that made her grimace on the inside. "That’s why I’m here."

Zhao Chen stared at her.

She reached beneath her robes and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "I know what happened."

His eyes dropped to it.

"I know about Ru Yi."

Zhao Chen’s throat tightened.

"And I know what the princesses are up to."

Zhao Chen’s expression shifted. "What do they have to do with her?"

"Everything." She stepped closer. "The triplets didn’t simply take Ru Yi away. They protected her."

He shook his head. "No. They stole her from me!"

Han Shuying held his gaze. "Then why is she still alive?"

He fell silent.

Han Shuying continued. "If they wanted to hurt her, she would already be dead."

Zhao Chen swallowed. "What does that have to do with me?"

"They have an army."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"An army." Han Shuying lowered her voice. "Thousands of soldiers at Ashen Fortress."

Zhao Chen stared at her.

"The triplets have been building their forces in exile. They’re stronger than anyone in the capital realizes."

"And Ru Yi?"

"She’s with them."

His face tightened. "Then I’ll go there."

"No." Han Shuying forced her eyes to take on a sad expression. "The Empress won’t let you leave the palace."

"Then I’ll fight my way out."

"You’ll be killed before you reach the palace gates."

Zhao Chen looked at her helplessly, like a child who had no idea of what to do.

Han Shuying stepped forward. "But I can help you."

He stared at her. "Why?"

"Because I know a way to get you out."

His eyes narrowed. "What do you want in return?"

"Nothing."

He didn’t believe her.

Han Shuying looked toward the sealed windows. "I just want you to survive long enough to make your own choices." She turned back to him. "But first, you need to stop acting like a desperate man chasing after a ghost."