Fierce winds raged, heralding a violent downpour. In Lingyu Hall in Kang Capital, Lin Wan paced uneasily, while Baobao sat by the window with her chin cupped in both hands, quietly watching the Jade Pool, whose waters had suddenly turned turbulent. Her thoughts, however, were with Hu Xiaotian far away. News of the attack on Princess Anping had already reached the palace. She wondered whether Hu Xiaotian was on his way back to Kang Capital. Much had happened in the Imperial Palace during his absence, and she still did not know whether Princess Anping's death would implicate him.
At the thought, Baobao could not help sighing.
Lin Wan stopped pacing and said snidely behind her, "Thinking about that eunuch?" The eunuch she meant was, of course, Hu Xiaotian.
"My affairs are none of your concern," Baobao said. "I owe you no explanation."
Lin Wan gritted her teeth. "If Godfather finds out you betrayed him, you'll die without even a place to bury your bones."
"Living as we do now, what difference is there between life and death?" Baobao turned and looked at Lin Wan with pity. "You're the one afraid of dying."
Lin Wan sneered. "What do I have to fear?"
"Of course you're afraid," Baobao said. "Ji Feihua is purging his opponents in the palace. Everyone fears for their own safety, and the palace servants are reporting one another. He might trace things back to you very soon."
"I'm not afraid," Lin Wan said. "I've never done anything to betray him."
"It isn't easy surviving in the cracks," Baobao said. "If you can't draw water from both sides, one careless move will get you crushed alive between them."
"Bitch! Shut your mouth!" Lin Wan snapped, beside herself with fury.
Baobao shook her head and turned her gaze back outside.