Huo Jin was taken to the same cell, where Zhilao Mi was imprisoned. His heart sank seeing the state of Zhilao Mi. Nianzu looked at Huo Jin, who was displeased upon seeing the sight of Zhilao Mi. She was in a plain white Hanfu dress with no accessories. He saw her hand, which had a blood clot mark. "You two can talk but pretend that I am not here," Nianzu stated. He gestured to the soldiers to go out from there.
"You said you are loyal to me. Is this the way you proved your loyalty?" Zhilao Mi started her question. "How could you tell them about my father and me?" Tears filled her eyes again. "You became a snake hidden in the disguise of a loyalist," Zhilao Mi harshly said to him.
"I told them to save you. I will indeed prove my loyalty-"
"Shut up. How dare you think a servant can save me?" Zhilao Mi inquired from him. She stepped forward, but the shackles in her feet did not let her move ahead.
Huo Jin lowered his eyes. "What did my father did to you that you turned this way to him?" Zhilao questioned him. "Answer," she screamed.
"Because he used you," Huo Jin replied. He lifted his eyes and looked into her misty eyes. "I pleaded with him not to send you to the Imperial Palace, but he did not listen to me," Huo Jin gulped and averted his gaze.
Zhilao Mi chuckled. "Who are you to decide for me? Father never used me. You would have died on the roads after your father's and mother's death if my father had not taken you inside. He gave you everything like me, yet you betrayed him. I despise you the most," Zhilao Mi said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Huo Jin controlled the tears from falling. "I repaid him for that by giving every single piece of information about Luoyang. I stayed true to him until he decided to make you marry the First Prince. I told him that staying in the Palace would be difficult because someday you might get caught," Huo Jin explained to Zhilao Mi. "I still have a chance to prove myself. I will not let anything happen to you," the tears in his eyes fell and he immediately lowered his eyes.
"I do not want to live. I will choose death rather than living such a disgraceful life," Zhilao Mi asserted. "I do not want your fake pity. And, what do you think you are? A mere servant cannot save me!" Zhilao Mi snickered.
Nianzu was bewildered upon hearing those words. 'Sister Mi is indeed underestimating Huo Jin,' he thought.
"If you think I will start loving after you give a sacrifice for me then, you are wrong. Do you remember the day when you were poisoned?" Huo Jin gazed back at her.
"I was the one who fed you the poison because I had a feeling someday you would betray my father. Alas, nothing could happen to you." Huo Jin was shocked to hear that. "I despised when a servant forgot his position and showed his concern towards me. That's why I wanted you to die," Zhilao Mi pronounced.
"I think the conversation is going the wrong way," Nianzu intervened between them. "Take him away," Nianzu ordered the soldiers, who came inside and took Huo Jin away. He turned to go but then stopped. "Xinyue, I will ask you only one question." Nianzu was stunned to hear the real name of Zhilao Mi.
"You were always an illusion and still are!" Zhilao Mi stated.
"Do you want me to live?" He asked and turned to look at her. Zhilao Mi gazed into her eyes, waiting for her answer.
Zhilao Mi did not answer his query. "Xinyue, answer me. This is my last meeting with you." His eyes had turned misty.
"It does not matter to me if you live or die." She averted her gaze from him. Nianzu gestured to the soldiers, who took Huo Jin away. The iron gate of the prison cell was closed. Nianzu peered at Zhilao Mi, whose face had turned blank. Nianzu stayed there for a few minutes before leaving.
Nianzu came to the cell where Huo Jin was kept. He found how devastated he was! He stayed quiet until after a few minutes, Huo Jin said, "I will go with your offer, but there is something I want from you, your highness."
"What do you want?" Nianzu questioned.
"I do not want anyone to remember Zhilao Mi as a traitor. Can you do this, your highness?" Huo Jin lowered his head.
"I can, but I want to know why you asked for this?"
"Because she did all this under her father's influence. She will not accept this, but she had a hard time while doing all that," Huo Jin affirmed.
"She fed you the poison, yet you want to keep her identity alive as a nice woman. May I know why?" Nianzu was curious to know.
"She was asked by my master to feed the poison to me. Tan Gengxin wanted her to train every way so that she would never feel remorse for her bad acts in the future," answered Huo Jin.
"Why did you not say that to her? She should have known the truth. Maybe she would be less bitter to you," Nianzu suggested.
"She would never. I am a sink for her anger, and it never bothered me. She wanted to be the best in her father's eyes. Whenever she made mistakes, she was scolded. Then, she used to use bitter words towards me. She did feed me poison, but then she is the one who saved me by stealing the medicine from her father's chamber. If I choose death here, then we two will be perceived wrongly by people. It doesn't matter if people say wrong things about me, but it will be wrong to her. I would like to keep her kindness alive because for me she is a kind lady," Huo Jin's eyes again turned watery, but this time he smiled.
Nianzu smiled upon hearing all that. Huo Jin was indeed a keen observer and a patient person. Nianzu was assured completely that he did right by saving this man. He was a gem among many. "I promise you that no one will ever remember Sister Xinyue as the wrong woman, Huo Jin," Nianzu, this time, used the real name of Zhilao Mi and passed a warm smile to him.
"I am grateful to you, your highness.. Thank you," Huo Jin bent on his knees and bowed.