"...It's definitely related to him."
"Um?"
"He had a concubine who used a sleeve dart engraved with the bronze flower of the Hundred Days Cult. At the time, I just thought it was strange, since it was said that the Hundred Days Cult was all gone."
"You've seen her?" He was somewhat surprised. "Although Xiao Lianjue wasn't as philandering as Emperor Gaozu, he still liked to keep mistresses in his golden house. His most favored mistress was always more known than seen."
Favored? Do I feel that way at all?
"It's not that I really like it, it's just that it's useful enough."
"Mmm," I replied, and casually picked up a piece of radish for me.
I frowned and held the bowl far away. Even though you know I've never liked radishes since I was a child, you still put them on my plate.
He placed his hand on the table, tilted his head slightly, and his eyebrows twitched slightly. Seeing that I had no intention of compromising, he sighed softly, shook his head, and put his hand down.
They didn't persist?
"The current Yeting Prefecture is nothing more than the second Hundred Days Sect. It's pitiful that Bai Wuyan is so focused on using the Heart-Shattering Palm to make the sect famous and renowned in the martial arts world. He has devoted all his energy to studying martial arts. How can he have the energy to handle sect affairs?"
"And so, with Xiao Lianjue's sweet talk, the Hundred Days' Teachings became his possession?"
“That’s right. Not only did he gain power, but he also kidnapped Bai Wuyan’s daughter.” He gave a cryptic smile. “Originally, Bai Wuyan shouldn’t have known about this under Xiao Lianjue’s meticulous arrangements. But things in this world can never be kept secret forever, especially with so many eyes watching Xiao Lianjue’s every move. You should be able to guess who the informant was.”
I nodded, eating and listening at the same time. It was rare for him to be so patient and talk to me about these things today.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; after the oriole, there's a hunter... They've all thought too far ahead, completely forgetting the emperor's existence. Emperor Gaozu intended to leave the throne to Xiao Lianjue, but he absolutely wouldn't allow him to have any thoughts of forcing the emperor to abdicate. Once this happened, how could Emperor Gaozu tolerate him? He immediately issued an imperial edict, saying that Xiao Lianjue was inherently violent, autocratic, and forming cliques, and sent him back to the Eastern Palace for confinement to reflect on his thoughts. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the edict did not include a time limit. Perhaps Emperor Gaozu was confident of his long life and thought that he could use this blow to temper Xiao Lianjue's arrogance, and that he would eventually issue another edict to release him in his lifetime after his anger subsided. But in the end, he couldn't overcome the word 'variable'."
"In that case, Consort Li and Xiao Zongjiu will definitely have an opportunity... There must be quite a few factions supporting them. First, force her husband and her own father to their deaths, and then take advantage of that flawed imperial edict. Wouldn't the throne be within their grasp?"
"I survived only by walking through seas of fire and wiping the edge of blades; otherwise, one wrong step would have meant utter destruction."
"Hmm... there's another question. Shouldn't Xiao Lian be the one most wary of Consort Li? How did she get the opportunity to investigate the Hundred Days Cult?"
"This..." He smiled again, his phoenix eyes narrowing into crescent shapes, making my heart skip a beat. "It's all his fault for being so arrogant. Why should women in the deep palace be unable to associate with people in the martial arts world? Don't you think so?"
"This move is too risky. Keeping Xiao Lianjue in the Eastern Palace is just like giving him wings."
"They think that with power in their hands, one day I will be able to completely eliminate you. They are too confident and underestimate the power that Xiao Lianjue has built up since childhood."
I ate a couple of bites of rice, and then I felt depressed.
"What business is it of us fishermen if the clams fight?"
"You'll have to ask your older brother about that. Besides, if I didn't want to take this benefit, I wouldn't be holding Han Xuanmo hostage."
"Yunzhi, tell me the truth, is there something about our family that I don't know about?"
I remember Li Mu saying that the entire Rong family had wronged Nangong Ling. At the time, I thought it was just Li Mu bluffing, but as more and more mysteries surrounding my elder brother emerged, that statement had more than one meaning.
He looked at me with a mysterious gaze, and after a long while, he reached out his slender, delicate hand and picked up a bowl of radish soup from the table, placing it in front of me.
"If you don't want to tell me, then don't. I'll always find out."
"If I could have known, I would have known long ago."
You just love to scheme against me!
I got angry and shoved him, but he just grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap.
"You can't even eat in peace, you should be punished." As she spoke, her cool, smooth hand touched the back of my neck and pinched it. "Now that you have a baby, don't be picky about food. Once you get through these few months, I'll do whatever you want."
Having grown accustomed to his cold and aloof demeanor, this sudden change in attitude was all the more chilling.
"...Then take a sip."
"Finish your drink, and I'll tell you slowly after you've finished."
His tone was light, yet it carried a hint of hidden obscurity.
I took a sip of the soup from the bowl, and my brows immediately furrowed as soon as I tasted it. The taste was really... I forced myself to drink a few more mouthfuls, but I couldn't stand it anymore, so I focused my mind on thinking about what had happened in my family over the years. One reason was to distract myself from the taste in my mouth, and the other was to carefully search for any clues that I might have missed.
Chapter 130
Originally, I hid it too well. I wished the whole world knew how much I hated Nangong Ling. Especially after I found out he wanted to kill me, I felt a lump in my throat. But it's okay, I can go with the flow. The important thing is to deceive my older brother, which is the ultimate goal.
"Please don't let it be Nangong Ling."
"A marriage contract is one thing, but true feelings are another."
"Don't underestimate yourself; it's not worth it for a mere pawn."
"Anyone is fine, but you are the only one I must not betray."
My older brother's words kept echoing in my mind, and his usually serious face would occasionally smile when he saw me. These things were as clear as if they happened yesterday.
"All you know is only part of what they are willing to tell you. The events surrounding your older brother in the ten years before you were born are a complete blank to you."
"...Since you kept it so well secret, how did you know?"
“The turn of events last March, even without a sword, his every word was enough to break me.” A cool hand stroked my neck, and lingering fear remained in his deep, dark eyes. “Even if we had bowed to heaven and earth and performed the wedding ceremony, you might have turned away and never looked back. These things cannot bind you. After all, that sword strike back then made you escape from me for so long… And hearing your elder brother’s words, my heart trembled, yet I still had to listen with a smile. Taking his sword was not even a fraction of the pain in my heart…”
"Stop talking, do you think I'm feeling any better?"
He smiled and said, "Alright, then I won't say anything more."
What? He's been talking for so long and hasn't even gotten to the point yet. Before I could even catch my breath, he had already put me down and turned to let Xiaoman come in and tidy up.
"Wait a minute!" I grabbed his sleeve.
"I still have some things to do, I'll talk to you when I get back tonight."
I frowned, and though reluctant, I let go of her hand.
After he left, I drank some tea and felt a little sleepy, so I asked Xiaoman to prepare a heater for me and then crawled into bed to dream.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already late. The moon hung in the sky, mostly obscured by thick clouds, casting a faint glow.
A faint candlelight shone through the crack in the door. I rolled up in the blanket, sat up, stared at the light for a while, and then slowly woke up.
"Clouds..."
I called out softly, and the door opened shortly afterward.
"Get up when you wake up and come out for dinner."
I glared at him with displeasure, as if I knew nothing but eating, drinking, and sleeping, even though I was indeed hungry.
He helped me up, and as soon as my foot touched the ground, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach.
"What's wrong?" he asked when he saw me stop what I was doing.
I took a deep breath and looked up at him, but before I could say a word, the waves of pain seemed to trample everything in front of me like a stampede of horses, followed by immense throbbing and overwhelming darkness.
"Lian'er! Lian'er!..."
A familiar voice called out anxiously in my ear, but it seemed to grow farther and farther away until I could hear nothing at all, only the intense pain became clearer and clearer.
I thought the intense pain would have passed by the time I woke up from the darkness, but then a cacophony of sounds rushed in, and before I could even discern them all, the tearing pain returned.
Someone was holding my hand and calling my name over and over again. I couldn't hear clearly, but I felt so sad.
What? I'm not dead yet... I wanted to burst out laughing, but in an instant, an overwhelming pain surged up again, and I couldn't even tell where the pain was coming from...
Just before I completely fainted, I vaguely heard a crying sound. Was it a child?
But he's only eight months old...
It seemed like I had slept for a long time and had a long dream. When I woke up, everything felt unreal.
The person was lying on their side next to me, eyes closed, brows furrowed, lips pale, and didn't look well.
I reached out to smooth the worry from his brow, but his eyes suddenly opened, instantly illuminating the night like pearls.
Where are the children?
"The nanny is taking care of him."
"Boy or girl?"
"It's a son."
I pursed my lips and smiled slightly. In fact, regardless of gender, any child born to me and Yunzhi is the most precious treasure in the world.
"...Now I understand a little better why Father hated me so much. If I had known it would cause you so much pain..."
"What are you doing? You don't even want your own son anymore? Can't you be a little more ambitious? Do you want to live your whole life in your father's shadow?"
No matter how powerful this person becomes, in my eyes he is still just a fledgling bird that will forever hide in the shadows and never be able to fly out.
"Ahem... Never mind you, let me see my son first."
A moment later, he took the tiny child from Granny Zhao's hands. Looking at the child's small face with its features all scrunched up, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
"So ugly."
The person next to me was taken aback, then looked at me with a wry smile, "Who would say their child is ugly?"
"This child was born early and is weaker than a full-term baby, so he needs more care. When you hold him, please be careful not to let any draft get into the swaddling clothes, or he might get sick."
It was only after Zhao Mama mentioned it that I remembered that the child was only eight months old.
"Take him back to the warm room first. You'll have plenty of time to see him once you're feeling better."
I nodded and handed the child over to Granny Zhao without insisting.
"Only eight months pregnant...why would she be born prematurely?"
He tightened his grip on my hand. "It's Guanghan Powder. It's a drug that controls people. I knew that taking too much would have side effects, but I didn't expect it would affect this."
"He says everything he does is for your own good, but who is he kidding? He really wants you to be childless. Luckily, I've taken good care of my health these past two years, so even if I had the baby early, its health shouldn't be too bad. Otherwise, it would have really fulfilled your father's wish."
He gave a bitter smile and sighed, "I wonder where he is now, and how he's doing?"
"Enough, enough. You're so stubborn. Even if you have this filial piety, they might not appreciate it. They might even resent you for leaving when the Nangong family was in its most critical moment, and for not thinking of your father now that you've become the city lord..."