Luzhou-Mond - Kapitel 166
"Sister, why did you do this to me? You've left me with this lingering resentment, unable to reincarnate. How can I be at peace if I don't come to you and get an explanation?" Her voice was so sinister that it gave me goosebumps.
"Why did I harm you?" Mu Hanyan smiled sadly, but the resentment in her eyes was so deep. "Why did I harm you?"
"That's all your own doing. Even though we've never met, you still try to take everything that's mine! How can I not hate you?"
Mu Hanyan shook off Xiaoyue's support and stood by the gauze lantern. Her figure was incredibly frail, but her words were icy cold: "If you have any grievances, I'll make it clear to you today. Go and reincarnate quickly, and don't come looking for me again!"
"When I was little, you studied and played with my older brother every day, while I could only learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting under my mother's watchful eye. The strings of the zither wore my fingers raw, and my mother wouldn't let me go out. Occasionally, I would see my father and hope that I could be like you, but he would ignore me. Every day, when I heard your laughter, I could only hide in my room and cry secretly, asking myself, why can you do things that I can't?"
"Father allowed you to go to the study, and my elder brother dotes on you and loves you. We are both daughters and sisters, so how could he treat me like this? Later, when you were kicked out of the house by Father, I finally felt relieved. I thought that after you left, Father and my elder brother would treat me better. But Father was still as cold as ever, and my elder brother fell seriously ill and passed away."
"From then on, I was the only child left in the Marquis's mansion. Everyone thought I was living a glamorous and carefree life in the mansion, but little did they know that my father didn't even remember the day of my birth. My mother said that I was destined to marry into the imperial family, so there was no need to worry about so many things. When I am in a high position one day, I can take back what I have lost."
"As expected, I married the Second Prince. Although his maternal family was of humble origin, my father doted on him, and the Prince was a gentleman of exceptional talent. At that moment, I was very content." Mu Hanyan's expression softened, as if recalling the days of her marriage to Shen Tingxuan. "He was extremely kind and gentle. I thought, finally, I have someone who loves me. But," Mu Hanyan looked at me resentfully, "but why did you have to appear again?"
"The servants in the manor said that His Highness caught a spy who had infiltrated the manor, but then released her. She was a young woman. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but since then, he has become much colder towards me. When he calls out 'Huai'en' in his sleep, even in his dreams, the tenderness and pain in his words make me feel that 'Huai'en' is my nightmare. I don't know how you two met, but I know that no matter where I go, you will destroy everything I have!"
Mu Hanyan glared at me resentfully, almost gritting her teeth: "His Highness has no family fortune, but Father bestowed upon him many jewels and ornaments. I took a fancy to an eight-treasure glass hairpin, but he carefully put it away and gave the rest to me. Later I found out that he treasured it so much, but he gave it to you as a coming-of-age gift. Father and elder brother are one thing, but he is my husband! How could he treat me like this?!"
"Upon hearing of your injury, he was more anxious than anyone else, yet he couldn't visit you at the Prince Qing's residence. He could only send people to inquire about your condition every day, and only when he learned that your injuries were gradually improving did he slowly relax. As his wife, how could I bear it when he was so preoccupied with someone else?"
"So, you found an opportunity to ambush me and send me to a brothel?" I looked at Mu Hanyan calmly, but my heart ached for Shen Tingxuan. Whose fault was all of this?
Mu Hanyan laughed maliciously: "Yes, I don't know why you are so important to him. To remove you from his heart, he can only destroy you. If you are broken, what is there for him to care about?" Mu Hanyan took a breath, extremely unwilling, "But you really have some skills. You actually escaped from Fengyue Tower unscathed."
Does she have the ability? If it weren't for Aunt Yun, and if I didn't look somewhat like my mother, what would have happened that day? Just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted.
"When you went to Pingcheng, he secretly sent people to protect you, even at the cost of defying the Emperor, which enraged him. When you went to the Northwest, he sent people to follow you and report your whereabouts daily. Fearing you wouldn't be used to the food in the Northwest, he searched for famous pastries from the capital and had them brought to you to satisfy your cravings. What's most infuriating is that when I gave birth to Zhengyu, the Emperor asked him what reward he wanted, and he said he wanted the Moon-Piercing Bow. After bringing the bow back, he brought it to you, just because you were practicing archery..."
I only wanted to get the truth of the past from Mu Hanyan, but all I heard was about Shen Tingxuan. Each memory from the past felt like a rope binding me tightly. Brother Ting, why did you do so much?
“You were attacked in the Northwest, and your fate is unknown. If you had died like that, I wouldn’t have gone so far as to put you to death. But you just had to come back. You were imprisoned in the Imperial Prison by the Emperor. He knelt outside the Emperor’s bedchamber for two days and two nights, begging the Emperor to release you. He was even willing to give up his right to inherit the throne if the Emperor would release you.”
"My father scolded him for being too sentimental and unworthy of inheriting the throne, yet he still granted his wish and decreed that you be his concubine, thus fulfilling his wish. Upon hearing the imperial decree, my heart turned to ice, but at this moment, my father summoned me to the palace. He asked me if I was willing to watch his future be ruined by a woman. Of course, I was not. My father gave me a pill of ruthlessness, instructing me to administer it to you when the opportunity arose, and even asked me if I could bring myself to do it to my own sister. For the sake of my own happiness, what is there that I cannot do?"
"But if I let you die so easily, how can I erase you from his heart? If you die, he will be heartbroken, and he might become even more obsessed with you. Therefore, I found a woman from the martial arts world whom I had once saved, and had her disguise herself as you on your wedding day. I had someone take you away from the villa and feed you a Soul-Severing Pill. During the wedding ceremony, that woman attempted to assassinate my father, and then quickly escaped. I then had someone lead the pursuers to where you were hiding..."
At this point, Mu Hanyan became very agitated: "Who would have thought that man proposes, God disposes? You took the Soul-Severing Pill so long ago and you still haven't died. As long as you speak, His Highness will believe you. What's even more despicable is that the woman is also a wolf in sheep's clothing. I only asked her to pretend to assassinate my father, so that His Highness would become suspicious of you. But I didn't expect her to actually kill him. Not only did she actually injure my father, but she also coated the dagger with deadly poison."
I find it strange. If it really was Mu Hanyan's doing, why would she want to kill Emperor Kangxuan? After Emperor Kangxuan died, the throne might not necessarily fall to Shen Tingxuan. It was Emperor Kangxuan's death that threw Youjing into chaos.
After saying that, Mu Hanyan looked at me coldly: "I've told you everything you wanted to know. Leave quickly. You stole my happiness, and I took your life. If you have any grievances, blame His Highness for being so biased!"
Looking at this so-called older sister in front of me, and after hearing these words, do I feel resentment? Do I resent her? Do I resent Shen Tingxuan?
She smiled bitterly and said, "Sister, you hate me for taking away your happiness. Do you think I'm happy while you're not? If I had a choice, I would rather be like you."
"You were driven out of your home by the Marquis, wandered around, your house burned down, and you had no money to treat your sick aunt. You disguised yourself as a man and sold yourself to the Prince of Qing's mansion. Do you think that life was easy? You have been living a life of luxury since you were a child, but you can't tolerate others being kind to you. You are destined to live in jealousy."
Throwing away the blood pack, Mu Hanyan's eyes widened in horror: "You...you...you're not dead?"
"Fortunately, I didn't die. Otherwise, how would I have known that the person who harmed me in the past was the noble and elegant Second Prince's Consort?" After saying that, she opened the door, and Ruosheng handed me a handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains on my clothes.
"How did you end up here?" Mu Hanyan asked.
She turned around and smiled, "I am the Holy Maiden of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. If I'm not here, where would I be? Sister, they specially invited you to the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. Don't you find it strange?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Hanyan's face turned ashen.
Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn. Chapter 144
Chapter word count: 4100 Update time: 09-09-24 16:43
When Ruosheng led me back to the main hall, the hall was quiet.
I tiptoed to my seat and sat down. Countless eyes were cast my way: some were concerned, some were saddened, some were amused, some were angry, and some were indifferent.
I casually picked up the fruit wine on the table and took a small sip. Yu Jia, who was next to me, turned to look at me, her beautiful eyes holding a half-smile.
I told Zi Nuo that Mu Hanyan was involved in the matter of the Soul-Severing Pill and that I needed to ask her privately. So Zi Nuo invited Mu Hanyan from a great distance.
Halfway through the banquet, Zi Nuo sent someone to take Mu Hanyan to the rest room in the side hall, saying that Princess Luo Li had a question to ask, but it turned out that I was the one who went there, mistaken for a ghost.
Inside the lounge, Zi Nuo had already had several copper pipes installed. As the regent prince, he could handle such a small matter, and they didn't know the purpose of those copper pipes anyway.
With those copper pipes transmitting sound, I believe everyone in the hall heard my conversation with Mu Hanyan. However, my purpose wasn't merely to get Mu Hanyan to admit what she did and clear my name; more importantly, I wanted everyone to know that I was the daughter who had been driven out of the Qi Yun Marquis's home. Back in Youjing, everything can be discussed. This was the solution Shen Haoyu had suggested.
King Jinque could refuse Shen Haoyu's marriage proposal to the Holy Maiden, but he couldn't stop a daughter from returning home. The diligent and benevolent King Jinque couldn't prevent the long-lost father and daughter from reuniting. Zi Nuo was still unaware of this consideration.
Although I didn't really want to do this, it was the simplest and least harmful method in this environment, except for Zinuo.
"So it turns out that the Holy Maiden was kicked out of her home by Marquis Qiyun, not the Holy Maiden. The Imperial Advisor is lucky to have picked up a fallen noblewoman." Luo Chen broke the silence first, and the people's gazes, which had been slowly withdrawing, turned back to me.
In "The Pride of Heaven," I didn't reveal whose daughter I was. Now that I've revealed my identity, it can't be considered deceiving the world. I smiled faintly at Luo Chen's sarcastic remarks, unconcerned. My gaze shifted to the opposite side; Shen Haoyu and Zi Nuo both wore subtle smiles.
Over here, Huangfu Xuan looked concerned, and I returned a grateful smile. Only Shen Tingxuan stared intently at me, as if trying to dissect me and see through me completely. His expression, a mixture of joy, sorrow, and pain, left me unsure how to face him. I looked away from his gaze and looked at the person in the seat of honor.
King Jinque glanced coldly at Luo Chen and said loudly, "Regardless of Qingqiu's previous identity, as the disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, she is the Holy Maiden of my Jinque. Moreover, the Holy Maiden has worked very hard in recent years, and Qiuyang Valley is a sacred place in the hearts of the people. The Holy Maiden has worked hard and made great contributions. She is a meritorious person of my Jinque. Luo Chen, you should be careful with your words."
Luo Chen curled the corner of his mouth and turned his head away with utter disdain.
Despite the ongoing singing and dancing at the banquet, everyone was secretly plotting their own schemes. Raising his wine glass, he said to Yu Jia beside him, "Please convey my apologies to the Third Prince on my behalf. I feel truly ashamed for having wrongly suspected Huai En in the past."
Yu Jia swirled his wine glass, not drinking it, but only smiling and saying, "The Holy Maiden's suspicion really annoyed Aze for a while, but at that time, he thought the Holy Maiden had died from poisoning, so Aze's pain was much greater than his annoyance. Although Aze seems unruly and has a lot of scheming, he never thought of really hurting the Holy Maiden. Now that he has received the Holy Maiden's 'apology,' I wonder if it will help him recover from his illness faster."
"He caught a cold from soaking in the icy lake on a cold day. It's said that's where the Holy Maiden once taught him to swim." Yu Jia glanced at me seemingly casually.
He drank the wine in his cup, gave a dry laugh, and didn't want to talk to him about Shen Zexuan anymore.