"Why did you-"
"Did something happen at the border?" Pan Zhiqiang suddenly asked, not giving any chance for Jin Qiu to finish his question. "People at Jin Troop were talking about someone that seemed to be wanting to get His Majesty's attention and trying to harm you in some way."
"You came all the way here just to ask for something like that?"
"Yes."
Jin Qiu can't believe with what he just heard. The Imperial Commander came all the way to his room just to ask him about Zhang Ai. "Look here…" Jin Qiu started. "You do realize that I just came back from the battlefield, right? It's not like Zhengsheng got hurt or something like that, so why would you disturb my rest just to ask about some random girl who wants to get Zhengsheng's attention? Why don't you ask him about this?"
"I'm asking you because I knew that His Majesty won't tell me anything about this."
Things have greatly changed from the novel that he read. Ren Zhengsheng supposed to fall in love with Zhang Ai, but now, they become enemy instead. He doesn't know where Zhang Ai got thrown away, but he knew that she will definitely come back. The more he knew about this girl, the more he realized just how troublesome she is.
"Jin Qiu, what exactly happen?"
Jin Qiu looked at Pan Zhiqiang for a moment before he let out a sigh.
"She's a fallen princess that being captured and almost get sold as a slave." Jin Qiu started. "Once she got rescued, she insisted that she need to thanks Zhengsheng personally, but Zhengsheng keep refusing her and well..things happen."
"Fallen princess?" Pan Zhiqiang looked confused. "Are you sure that she is a princess? With the many war that keep going, anyone can pretend to be someone else as long as they have the confidence to do so. I feel like that this princess that you're talking about is not actually a princess."
The novel clearly said that Zhang Ai is a princess and she fell in love with the Emperor at first sight.
But it's not like he can just tell the other man about it, there's also no way to prove that Zhang Ai is really princess. "Then what if she really is a princess? She could become a good source of power, so I don't really understand why Zhengsheng giving her a cold shoulder."
"Are you really saying something like that now?"
"Am I wrong?" Jin Qiu leaned back and crossed his arms. During a warring state like this, tying one kingdom to another through marriage is quite profiting. They will definitely make strong allies.
Pan Zhiqiang just let out a sigh and shaking his head. He looked at the man in front of him, who doesn't look like he pretend to not knowing.
"Your Highness, are you inside?"
Jin Qiu and Pan Zhiqiang looked to each other when they heard the voice of a servant right outside the door.
It's amazing that in a short time, everyone's treatment towards him changed just because Ren Zhengsheng giving him a little bit more attention. Especially the servants. They started to do their job properly.
Pan Zhiqiang stood up from his seat and walked to the door. "What's wrong? The First Concubine just came back from the border, if it's not important, you can leave."
"P-please forgive me, Commander Pan, but I came here under the order from His Majesty. He said that he want the First Concubine to come to his room and asked me to help him get prepared."
"His Majesty asked for the First Concubine?"
"Yes."
Pan Zhiqiang turn to look at Jin Qiu again. A frown formed on his face while Jin Qiu just raised one of his eyebrow.
"Since your time is quite precious now, I should take my leave." Pan Zhiqiang said. "About the girl you told me about, I will investigate about her, so you don't have to worry. I don't think you will get replaced now."
Hearing what the Imperial Commander said, Jin Qiu almost spilled some foul words and some curse, but managed to stop himself in the last moment. He doesn't care about Zhang Ai. And he don't care whether he will get replaced or not.
What he care is his own safety and a way to go home. He need the Emperor's autorithy to get more information about the last one. Yes. He convinced himself that he shouldn't get too involved with the people in this world.
Jin Qiu stood up and walked deeper inside the room.
He looked at the male servant who followed behind him. "Get started. Just give me some plain and neat clothes, it's not like I'm going to the party or something."
"But, Your Highness..this is a rare chance, so you need to look beautiful."
"A man doesn't need to look beautiful. Beside, I already have a beautiful face, so there's no need to make myself look like a clown with all those ridiculuous clothes."
The servant didn't dare to disobey the man now, so he just do what Jin Qiu told him to do. He choose a plain but elegant looking clothes. Without much accecories, Jin Qiu's hair were let loose behind his back. Dignity is what one could see from Jin Qiu once he's done getting dressed.
Everything is good except the annoyed expression on Jin Qiu's face that disliked the fact that he need to wear the layered clothing.
❖
Accompanied by the servant from before, Jin Qiu walked to the main palace, where the Emperor is resting. There's not much guards there, but considering just how good Ren Zhengsheng in martial arts, Jin Qiu doesn't think that the man would need any guards at all. The man can just kill whoever trying to harm him.
Jin Qiu raised his hand towards the servant who was about to knock, sending the servant away before he walked into the room.
Empty.
"Zhengsheng?" He called. But there's no answer even when he waited for a minute. He continued to walk deeper into the room and saw a large door lead outside again. The Emperor's personal yard.
The novel explained the main place as a very beautiful place with rich spiritual energy.
The flowers would always blooming. The breeze would always blowing softly. It won't feel hot or cold inside since the temperature are controlled by the spiritual energy. The place that Ren Zhengsheng only showed to Zhang Ai.
Now Jin Qiu doesn't know what will happen in the future, but he got a strong feeling that he should leave this world as soon as possible.
At the yard, he could see Ren Zhengsheng leaned to the large tree with his eyes closed. Beside him rest a tray of liquor and two small glasses.
Jin Qiu turn around and was about to walk to the door when Ren Zhengsheng opened his eyes. "Where are you going?" The man asked. "I called you here and you plan to leave as soon as you saw me?"
"You were sleeping, so rather than disturbing your sleep, it's better if I leave and come back again later, right?"
Ren Zhengsheng started to chuckle. Everything that Jin Qiu said now has become very interested for him, that's why even though he felt tired, he choose to call the man here to accompany him. To begin with, Jin Qiu is his concubine, so it should be normal for the other to accompany him.
"Come here and accompany me to drink."
"You still want to drink even when you look that exhausted?" Jin Qiu asked, but eventually, he walked closer to Ren Zhengsheng and sat beside the man. He grabbed the empty glass and poured himself some of the liquor. The smell is as good as the Horny Toad that he drank before. No, it smelled even better.
While Jin Qiu enjoyed the liquor, Ren Zhengsheng moved closer, but of course, before he could do anything, the man has already stopped him by pointing a knife to his neck. "Don't you know that if I get harmed here, you will be the culprit since you're the only one here?"
"And what makes you think that I care about something like that? I simply don't like the fact that you think you can do anything to me. I love you or not doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want."
"So you really don't love me anymore?"
He never love this man, but not with the original Jin Qiu. The original Jin Qiu loved this man with everything he have that even when he disappeared, the body still remembered his feeling and it made Jin Qiu felt uncomfortable.
"What is love for you?" Jin Qiu finally asked while pulling the knife back.
Ren Zhengsheng remained silent for a moment. He let out a sigh and went back to his seat. He poured some liquor for himself and playing the glass for a bit before drinking it. "Love?" He laughs for a bit. "I don't believe in something like love. But again…perhaps it's because I'm born as a prince so my childhood is not as good as most people. Every night, I can't sleep peacefully because I never know when an assassin will come to kill me. And every day, I will need to stay strong and compete for the throne."
A mother that became victim to the war for the throne. A father who think of him as a monster because of his massive spiritual energy. And a brother who constantly wanting to take his life.
How can Ren Zhengsheng learn something about love when everything that happened to him is a miserable thing? To him, love is something that will destroy him so he doesn't want to fall in love, and he hates someone who falls in love with him. "How about you? What do you think about love?" He asked back.
"Love is like a sword with two sides. It can become power, but it can also become a weakness. But I think…as long as you fall in love with the right person, the only thing that would happen to you is a good thing." Jin Qiu replied.
Because the only thing that happen to Ren Zhengsheng after the man fell in love with Zhang Ai is a good thing.
"That's right. I almost forgot about one thing." Ren Zhengsheng started a new conversation. Talking about love is not a really comfortable thing for him even though he was the one who started it. "Are you not going to explain to me about the affair?"
"What affair?"
"Are you pretending to forget about it now?"
Jin Qiu stared to his cup and takes a deep breath. He didn't forget what happened at the village, but he really doesn't know anything about it, so how will he explain it to the man? Getting branded as traitor is the last thing he wants to happen.
"I doubt you can believe me." Jin Qiu started.
"Rather than thinking I will doubt you or not, why don't you just tell me about it first?"
Never in his life that he felt this helpless. Even when he was still a normal mafia, still at the very bottom, he doesn't think that anything will make him worried, but he's feeling it now. He's afraid because he knew what Ren Zhengsheng capable of doing.
With ease, Ren Zhengsheng grabbed Jin Qiu's chin and forced the man to look at him. "It doesn't matter whether you choose to tell me or not because in the end, I will still know about it. So its better I know from your own mouth, right?"
Jin Qiu slapped the Emperor's hand away from him. He knew that the Emperor will find out what happen with or without his consent. What he does won't really matter because in the end, everything will be revealed.
"Will you believe me if I said that I'm not Jin Qiu? True that the person sitting here now is Jin Qiu, but the soul inside is different. I'm not the Jin Qiu who fell in love with you and tried to get your attention and your love."
"So you're saying that at the moment, the soul inside your body is not actually yours, and the real soul got held somewhere that no one knows? Ha… Qiu er, you really should think of a better lies about this."
Talking about something like that did sounds like a lies, but that's what really happened. If it comes to this, then it would be alright to reveal the existence of the novel that he read and what exactly happened inside the novel. Maybe like that, the Emperor will trust him more.
But what should he reveal?
He's thinking hard. Every part of the novel is being arranged inside his head. The things that will happen in the future and the things that happen at past. Everything. He wants to find something that will convince the Emperor.
Nothing came to his mind. Everything inside the novel is something that happened with Zhang Ai as the Empress, but now that things have changed, surely, the plot would also change as well.
"But that's not a lie though." Jin Qiu replied again. "I'm someone who came from another world. I don't know how did I end up in this body, and that's what I'm trying to find out. And this world is a place that I read inside a novel in my world."
If before Ren Zhengsheng just laughing it off and thinking that Jin Qiu only wants to make some kind of joke, now the man looked at Jin Qiu more seriously. He is not someone who believes to ghost or something like that, but if what Jin Qiu said is right, and then it would explain about why Jin Qiu changed so much. The Jin Qiu that he knew before and the current Jin Qiu is like two people with opposite personality.
"Let's just say that you're really not Jin Qiu, you can choose to run away and leave the palace, but instead, you came to me and make a deal with me." Ren Zhengsheng said. He poured himself some more liquor. "If I didn't know that you change, then surely I will never look for you."
"Just as if you will let me does something like that? You don't only hate Jin Family, but also Jin Qiu. That's the reason you took him as a concubine and ignored him despite knowing his deep feeling for you, right?"
Ren Zhengsheng looked to his concubine with doubt.
"Beside, running away is not really a choice for me." Jin Qiu started again. He completely ignored the doubtful gaze given by the Emperor. "I need to get information on how to go back to my world. If I run away, I would have no way to find any information about it."
"Is it something to do with the reward that you're going to ask me before?"
Jin Qiu nodded his head. "That's right. The true autorithy belonged to First Concubine, I want you to give it to me so I can get whatever information I need."
Ren Zhengsheng still looks doubtful, but he didn't say anything and just stared to the glass that he filled with liquor. A random soul that suddenly entered one body. No. To him, it doesn't look random at all. Because the person sitting with him now knew about the palace as good as the real Jin Qiu.
"I know about some things because I read everything in the book, but about the real Jin Qiu's relationship with others... I don't know about it. Jin Qiu is a character that will die for the sake of your happiness."
"You will die for the sake of my happiness?"
"Please don't say it like that. The one who die is the real Jin Qiu and not me. I don't want to die for you."
Such a straight forward answer. But Ren Zhengsheng didn't hate it.
"Fine. I will believe you and have someone investigate about his relationship with the enemies." He finally said with a slight smile on his face. "Now that we take care of that, why don't you tell me about the book that you called novel in your world?"
With a nod, Jin Qiu started to explain everything. Starting from their relationship in the novel, Ren Zhengsheng relationship and feelings towards Zhang Ai, until the war that involved the whole continent. He explained everything that he could remember towards the man. It might become a prediction, but it can also change. There are a lot of things that changed because Jin Qiu choose to do whatever he want after all.
And once he finished everything, he looked to the Emperor who still looked as calm as before.
He drink more of the liquor. "Do you believe it?"
"My mind can't believe you, but everything you said make sense. Someone who was madly in love with me is suddenly giving me a cold shoulder. Someone who always obeying his father suddenly dare to confront that old man. You are definitely a different person. Oh, there's something that I want to show you. Wait here for a moment."
With a smile on his face, Ren Zhengsheng went to take a large box and placed it in front of Jin Qiu. Inside, there's two kind of weapon that he made after breaching into one of the palace in Western Continent during war. He managed to have someone to make it, but aside from him, no one else can use this because the lack of knowledge. Though Jin Qiu looked happy when he saw it.
"How did you have something like this?" He took one of the gun and admiring the crafting on it. "This thing is called a gun in my world, what's it called here?"
"This thing have no name since no one can use it."
"How wasteful. In my world, I always carried this things around and it's more lighter than this."
"I'm guessing this thing is a normal weapon is your world? Here, aside from me, no one else can use it since it's a new weapon. And I never really use it since I feel more comfortable using sword."
With the art of qi and the martial art in this world, it's not really surprising that people would be more comfortable using sword. But there will be a time when qi won't work properly because of poison, and if that happen, using gun would be the best choice to protect oneself.
Jin Qiu unlocked the gun and aimed to the three a bit far from them. With how heavy this gun is, Jin Qiu predicted that the shoot will be able to reach the tree.
He aimed silently before releasing 4 shoot that hit the same spot, making a hole filled with bullet at the tree.
"It's not as good as the gun in my world, but still usable." Jin Qiu commented. "Hey, Zhengsheng, can I have-"
Jin Qiu's eyes widened. The Emperor that stood beside him suddenly pulled out a short sword and slashed it towards him so swiftly; he has no choice but to raise the gun to block the attack. "What do you mean by doing something like this?" He kicked the man away from him and pointed the gun towards the man. "Did you find that my explanation is nothing but lies so you choose to get rid of me now? As expected, I can't really trust you."
"Are you afraid to die? You said you don't love me anymore, so why don't you just pull the trigger and kill me now?"
"Aren't you the one who said that I'm the only one in this palace now? If I kill you, I will become one and the only one who can do that. I said I don't care before, but I'm not stupid enough to do something like that. And I'm sure you're not doing all this troublesome things just to make me kill you."
❖❖❖