The Emperor remained unmoved and said in a deep voice, "You rushed back from the sacrificial golden tent just for this matter?"
Lianji lowered her head and shook the silver goblet in her hand. "Lianji has not seen her sister for many years and has been longing to see her. When Zixia presented her portrait last time, I kept thinking that perhaps she had not died from the poison at that time. Today, upon receiving this good news, I could not contain myself and secretly returned to the main hall. I have been negligent in the sacrificial ceremony and beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Her words seemed to lower her stance, but her expression remained unchanged, as if she was certain that the Emperor would not blame her.
This version of Lianji is just like a noble princess in a sacrificial ceremony, with slightly upturned eyes, exuding a touch of majesty and charm.
If she didn't look exactly like Qi Xiao, I definitely wouldn't have considered her my sister.
The Emperor placed the scroll in his hand on the table. The candlelight was dim, making it impossible to see his expression. "Now that you've come, give me some advice."
Lianji smiled slightly, "What troubles Your Majesty? Lianji is willing to relieve Your Majesty's worries."
The Emperor rose, took the crouching lion incense burner in his hand, and stroked it carefully. "Now that your sister has returned, according to the law, I should bestow the title upon her. However, you sisters have been separated for so many years, and she knows nothing about state affairs. Is Consort Lian willing to assist her?"
Lianji froze, remained silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Does the Emperor intend to pass the throne to her?"
The Emperor nodded and said, "I have no sons of my own, but you two sisters are descendants of Yue Ji. The eldest son must succeed to the throne and must not disobey the law."
Lianji dropped the silver cup in her hand, spilling the fine wine all over the ground. She sneered twice and said mockingly, "What a treacherous act! I killed Lou Zhao for the Emperor, and this is all I get in return?"
The Emperor seemed to be filled with anger. "Kill Lou Zhao for me? What makes you say that, Consort Lian? If Lou Zhao hadn't harbored selfish feelings for Yue Ji and refused to send troops to help, your father wouldn't have died so tragically, and Yue Ji wouldn't have committed suicide for love. He was your enemy, isn't it a good thing to kill your enemy with your own hands?"
Lianji frowned and said coldly, "Yes. Lou Zhao is my enemy, but he is probably not the only one who killed my parents and caused me to wander in a foreign land. If the Emperor had spared my father back in Yanmen County, what would have become of the matter?"
She chuckled softly twice. "Your Majesty is probably the most heartless person in the world. You say Lou Zhao killed Yue Ji, but didn't you stab her in the heart as well?"
The room fell silent instantly.
The rain outside was pouring down, and Zhuo Shang held up the umbrella perfectly, covering me completely; but I still felt cold, as if I was soaked to the bone, with the chill seeping into my bones inch by inch.
A laugh echoed in the darkness. She said slowly, "Your Majesty is right. It is a good thing to kill your enemies. I will collect all the debts that my parents and I owed. If Your Majesty wants to bestow the throne upon my sister, you should ask me if I am willing."
She paused, then whispered, "The Emperor probably doesn't know that inside this incense burner..."
The Emperor grabbed her by the neck and said in a deep voice, "You think I don't know you poisoned this, huh?"
Lianji froze. "You knew all along?"
"I have raised you all these years, only to have you brought a wolf into my house."
Lianji curled her lips into a smile. "Is that so? If the Emperor didn't hate me to the bone, he wouldn't have taught me all those tricks of the assassins. I'm just a knife for the Emperor to kill. With the title of princess, others think I'm living a very comfortable life."
She closed her eyes and laughed, "Oh, I forgot to mention that the incense burner contains 'migufan,' which has no antidote."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor seemed to be furious. He exerted force on her wrist, and in a short while, one could see that Lianji looked somewhat pained.
I said, "Zhuoshang, I want to go in."
Zhuo Shang was so focused on holding the umbrella that he was unaware of the dire situation inside that he asked, "Your Highness, was it because I didn't hold the umbrella properly and Your Highness got wet in the rain?"
I pushed him aside and went around to the front hall. I knocked on the door urgently and called out, "Your Majesty, it is I, Qi Xiang. I have something to ask of you."
After a while, no one answered the door.
A palace attendant stood by and sternly stopped him, saying, "Who are you? The Emperor and the Princess are having a meeting."
I said urgently, "Discuss what you're talking about, or someone will die!"
Inside the room, the Emperor said in a deep voice, "Let her in."
When I entered the room, I saw Rei sitting dejectedly at the table, her eyes slightly red.
She looked up and saw me, then said softly, "Sister."
The Emperor gave her a cold look, turned and left, saying before he left, "My mind is made up. After the Spring Festival, the Princess will bestow her gifts."
I tried my best to calm myself down and walked closer to her, asking, "Did you kill Lou Zhao?"
She turned her head, a strand of black hair falling from her temple, and said calmly, "Yes."
I asked her, "So, the prescription was fake?"
Lianji raised her head, her gaze fixed on me, and said with a hint of amusement, "Of course. Do you still think I was trying to help you back then?"
She paused, then continued, "However, without my sister's help, things wouldn't have progressed so smoothly." A beautiful, cold smile gradually crept onto her lips and brows. "If Lou Xiyue knew, what would he think?"
I steadied myself on the corner of the table and asked again, "Is that prescription poisonous?"
Lianji rested her hand on her forehead and laughed, "Whether it's poisonous or not, you've tested the medicine, don't you know? You call yourself a doctor, how come you can't even pass the test of medicine?"
I nodded, moved a little closer to her, raised my hand and slapped her across the face, furious, "Qi Xiao, how dare you call me sister?"
[52] The Shifting Sands (Part 3)
A sharp "crack" sounded from inside the hall, accompanied by spring thunder rolling across the clouds.
The carved palace lanterns cast intricate, shimmering shadows.
Lian Ji's fair cheeks flushed slightly, and a half-serious, half-fake smile appeared in her eyes. "Qi Xiang, having taken this blow from you, from now on, I no longer need to address you as my sister."
I looked at her and laughed, "That's ridiculous. Have you ever thought of sisterly affection? You say others have no heart, but let me ask you, has your heart been eaten by wolves?"
She leaned against the corner of the table, turned her face away to look out the window, and reached up to tidy her hair. "Yes, I can't stand to see you doing well. If I can't have the person I like, I'll make sure you can't have him either. You keep saying you're my sister, so why are you trying to take things from me? You took Lou Xiyue five years ago, and now you're trying to take my throne. Heh, when you're being intimate with Lou Xiyue, do you ever think of your sister?"
I stared at her intently and asked coldly, "When did I ever steal Lou Xiyue from me?"
Lianji scoffed, "Stop pretending to be confused. I clearly met him first; I met him at the lantern festival long ago. You just had to interfere. We look so alike, why has he never really looked at me properly? You say I don't care about sisterly affection, but think about it: since childhood, I've given you everything good. Have I ever taken anything from you? We're twins, so why are you so favored by heaven and can live such a comfortable life, while I have to scheme and cheat here every day?"