9 Identity

"Is it you? How did you get in?" Shi Nian asked, startled.

She turned her head, only to realize the guards who had been watching the door were gone. Furthermore, the courtyard was completely empty; it seemed everyone had left.

Liu Che replied, "I saw there was no one inside, so I just walked in."

As he spoke, he jumped down from the window. Shi Nian asked, "What are you doing here? No, wait—how did you know I was here?"

How did he know? If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he never would have imagined that the person he had been searching for so long was actually the beauty he had personally brought into the palace.

Liu Che recalled his feelings when the shadow guards reported back. Yang Deyi had said that he had seen Lady Lian, Lady Yue, and a Lady Shi whom he had not met before.

So, she was that Lady Shi.

"I have my ways. But I must say, I never expected that you would be the Emperor's... Lady."

He lowered his voice as he said the last word, carrying a hint of elusive tenderness.

Shi Nian's heart skipped a beat. He knew who she was now, and yet he had come to find her. What did he want? Was he here to cause trouble?

The girl stepped back half a pace, her face showing defensiveness. He saw it and said, "Don't worry. You saved me once, and I saved you once; we can call ourselves friends who have shared life-and-death experiences. I won't ask about things you don't want to talk about, nor will I tell anyone else."

She remained skeptical. "Really?"

Liu Che sighed. "Then what must I do for you to believe me?"

Shi Nian thought for a moment and said, "You know who I am, but I still don't know who you are. That’s not fair. Since we are friends of life-and-death, it wouldn't be right to hide your identity, would it?"

She had actually managed to turn the tables on him.

The girl's almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, filled with caution and a hidden trace of curiosity, but entirely devoid of the usual awe and sycophancy he was accustomed to. He liked this look and wanted her to keep looking at him that way.

He smiled and said, "As for me, I am the current Emperor's brother, the Prince of Guangchuan."

Prince of Guangchuan—Shi Nian had an impression of this title. She had heard the palace servants mention him before; he was apparently the son of Lady Wang, the younger sister of the Empress Dowager. Both sisters had been concubines of Emperor Jing. Lady Wang had passed away before Emperor Wu ascended the throne, and her sons were raised by the Empress Dowager. The Prince of Guangchuan and Emperor Wu were quite close, and he had indeed been staying in the palace recently.

So, was it really him?

As Shi Nian thought this, her gaze fell upon his clothes. Dark black embroidered with gold, they looked solemn and aristocratic. A scene flashed before her eyes like a movie.

It was a magnificent bedchamber. The floor was covered in rich brocade, the beams were carved and painted, and the man before her was wearing this very same black deep-robe, looking at himself in a bronze mirror from all angles. "Tell me, if I dress like this, will she recognize me?"

A eunuch-like figure beside him bowed and laughed, "Lady Shi has only been in the palace for a short time; she has not seen Your Majesty, let alone the Prince of Guangchuan. She should not be able to recognize you."

The man raised an eyebrow, half-joking, half-serious, "You said it. If she recognizes me, I will have you killed."

...

Shi Nian snapped back to reality, as if pulled from a basin of cold water, feeling chilled to the bone.

Her legs went weak, and she stumbled back, falling to the ground, but her eyes remained fixed on Liu Che, her expression dazed.

Liu Che hurried forward and crouched down beside her. "What's wrong?"

She knew what had just happened. She was all too familiar with this. That vision wouldn't lie to her. Therefore, the man in front of her was not the Prince of Guangchuan, but one of her targets—that legendary, ambitious monarch etched into the history books...

*Where is my phone? I need to take a picture and post it on Weibo! Post it to my feed!*

I just met Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che!!!

A flicker of confusion appeared in Liu Che's eyes. Shi Nian jolted, realizing the situation.

He was clearly the Emperor, yet he was lying to her, claiming to be the Prince of Guangchuan. Although she didn't know the reason, she instinctively felt she could not expose him.

Shi Nian took a deep breath, and without needing to pretend, a look of fright appeared on her face. "So you are the Prince of Guangchuan... This concubine greets Your Highness. I have been very rude previously; I hope Your Highness will not take offense!"

Seeing that she believed him, Liu Che breathed a sigh of relief. It was worth it to have changed his clothes specifically, choosing the style his eleventh brother favored.

He waved his hand. "Enough, no need for such formalities."

Shi Nian stood up, but kept her head lowered, appearing very nervous. Liu Che studied her for a moment, then tilted his head and smiled. "What? Are you scared now that you know my identity? You don't seem like the timid type."

Shi Nian managed a forced smile. *Nonsense. If you were really just the Prince of Guangchuan, of course I wouldn't be scared, but you are... Liu Che! Even someone as poor at history as I am has heard of your grandiosity and your bloodthirsty nature. If I accidentally annoy you and you decide to chop me off, what then!*

Liu Che's eyes rolled. "Hey, are you really not going to eat? This is a wooden peach offered as tribute from Lingnan. I brought it especially for you."

Shi Nian was stunned, then suddenly realized—wait, what? He brought her food?!

Liu Che only felt a blur before his eyes as the girl pounced like a hungry tiger, snatched the peach, finished it in a few bites, and then asked with green-eyed intensity, "Are there any more?!"

Liu Che: "...Not for the moment."

He was torn between laughter and tears. "Why are you this hungry? Haven't you eaten?"

Shi Nian swallowed the last bite of the peach and said, "Well, I made a mistake, and I have to weave cloth here. I'm not allowed to eat until I finish."

Liu Che's eyes narrowed, his tone becoming somewhat dangerous. "Is that so? Who punished you?"

Shi Nian wanted to complain, but hesitated. Lianqiao was his woman, after all, and seemed to be quite to his taste. If she rashly went to badmouth her, and he decided to protect his pet and punish her to please the little beauty, wouldn't she be screwed!

She said earnestly, "My superior. The punishment is justified; I accept it willingly."

Liu Che didn't understand, but he didn't continue to ask. Instead, he put on a smile. "Then how about I take you to get something to eat? What would you like?"

Food—this was Shi Nian's favorite topic right now, but she paused. Perhaps it was because she had been through so many shocks, but she felt her mind was exceptionally clear, faster than it had ever been. Nie Cheng said their ultimate goal was to ensure Wei Zifu followed history and ended up with Liu Che. She had originally wanted to gain Wei Zifu's trust first, but she actually had no idea what to do after gaining that trust.

But if she let Liu Che meet Wei Zifu, and let Liu Che fall for her, so that he couldn't bear to marry her off to the Xiongnu, wouldn't that solve the problem?

Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she said as if casually, "Rather than eating, I thought of something else. That girl we saved last night—do you know who she is? I'm very worried about her..."

Liu Che's expression changed imperceptibly. After a moment, he said calmly, "Her? I know."

"Really? You really know? Then can you take me to see her?"

This was a bit too eager. She realized it the moment the words left her lips. Shi Nian stared at Liu Che anxiously, feeling that things might fall apart. He surely wouldn't just take someone to see a princess meant for marriage, right?

The man curled his lips into a smile, his tone casual, as if he had just agreed to a trivial matter. "Of course I can."

Shi Nian: ...That easy???

Where were Nie Cheng and Su Geng? My team, my team! I haven't just met Wei Zifu, I've even latched onto Liu Che. I've over-fulfilled the mission, why haven't you all shown up yet!

"After repeated testing, we can confirm that there are no other major deviations in this era besides Wei Zifu. Therefore, as long as the issue with Wei Zifu is resolved, the string should stabilize."

Nie Cheng listened to Su Geng's report with a calm expression. Although there was always talk of the butterfly effect, where a tiny change could trigger a historical shift, history also had its own inertia. Most of the time, as long as it wasn't a massive deviation, history would return to its proper course after a brief detour and would not lead to catastrophic consequences.

And what they were handling was exactly this kind of massive deviation.

He flipped through a few pages of documents, then suddenly kicked the person next to him. "Are you done writing yet?"

Lu Zhiyao didn't even look up. "Wait, wait, wait! Just one more step, and this problem will be solved!"

Lu Zhiyao was seventeen this year and would be taking the college entrance exam in a few months, so he carried his study materials even while on missions. For example, right now, he was scribbling away in a copy of *Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulation*.

When his teammates first saw this, they gave him enthusiastic applause, praising him for being a diligent young man of the 21st century who didn't forget to study even while time-traveling. However, after a while, everyone lost patience. *You're in the Han Dynasty, what are you doing with trigonometric functions!*

Under immense pressure, Lu Zhiyao finished the last question, let out a long breath, and put down his pen. He said earnestly, "Compared to that, I'm more curious about the situation in the palace. Is she still alive?"

Su Geng: "...According to the reports received, yes, she is still alive."

Nie Cheng clapped twice. "Not bad, not bad. Exceeded expectations."

"Stop joking. If something really happens to her, you'll regret your big mouths," Su Geng said, between laughter and tears. "The Marquis of Wu'an side said Shi Nian has been titled a 'Lady' and is living in the Ye Ting. I don't know how she's progressing, or if she's met Wei Zifu."

"Sister Su, you think too highly of her. Meeting Wei Zifu? I think her just protecting herself and holding on until we go to save her is the limit."

Su Geng wanted to retort, but remembering how Shi Nian knew nothing, she sighed softly. "If there had been any other way at the time, I wouldn't have let her go into the palace alone..."

Nie Cheng watched them. Although their considerations differed, both basically thought Shi Nian was useless. He suddenly stood up. Su Geng and Lu Zhiyao were stunned. "Captain, where are you going?"

Nie Cheng: "Since you two are so worried about her, it's time. I'll go and convey your heartfelt concerns to her."

Shi Nian never expected she would experience something so thrilling as sneaking off with Liu Che to meet Wei Zifu in secret. She was terrified and anxious the whole way, yet also filled with curiosity and excitement. However, when Liu Che brought her to their destination, she fell into a strange silence.

Shi Nian looked up at the white courtyard wall and asked uncertainly, "Climb the wall?"

Liu Che nodded, confirming her statement. "Climb the wall."

Shi Nian broke down. "Aren't you the Prince of Guangchuan? Why can't you just walk in openly?"

"This is a princess for marriage; people aren't allowed to see her easily. How can I walk in openly? Are we climbing or not? If not, I'll take you back."

Having come this far, how could she not climb? Fortunately, the wall wasn't high. After a bit of scrambling, Shi Nian climbed up, and Liu Che followed. As the two sat on top of the wall, Shi Nian felt the scene was a bit ridiculous. She said, "So, you actually knew she was a princess for marriage?"

Liu Che: "Mm, I've seen her from a distance a few times."

"Then don't you think she's exceptionally beautiful?"

Liu Che raised an eyebrow, only to hear the girl say in a tone she had been brewing for a long time, "I've heard this princess can also sing, and she sings very well. Would you like to hear it? Perhaps there will be a surprise..." *The last time, you heard someone sing a song and slept with her on the spot.*

"What are you trying to say?"

Shi Nian blinked her eyes. "I just think that such a wonderful woman shouldn't be married off to the Xiongnu; she should stay in the Han Dynasty. The Xiongnu are uncultured and will only treat a beauty poorly. Only the noblest man of our great Han is worthy of her!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Che suddenly leaned in close, his breath brushing against her cheek. "The noblest man of the great Han—are you talking about your husband, Lady?"