"...Later, my mother suppressed the matter. She saw that Rong Cheng was clever and chose him to be my study companion. Qin Juanrou, seeing that she hadn't caused any trouble, naturally refused to enter the palace. Later, Consort Li's actions saved her. Otherwise, given my father's personality, Qin Juanrou probably wouldn't have survived. In that case, there wouldn't have been Nangong Ling."
"What, judging from your tone, you're blaming your mother?"
His brows furrowed again. "That's not what I meant."
"I had no idea about this whole thing, big brother. It must have been so hard for you all these years..."
His face grew increasingly dark, and I stopped, knowing he was close to the bottom.
"What about me? I'm not just doing this for fun, am I?"
"The birthmark on your collarbone."
My brow twitched. Could this be really so sinister? Could there really be some secret behind this thing?
"Do you know about the Zisha Dan of my Xiling Kingdom?"
"I know," Nangong Lingcai told me.
“That thing…” he pointed at me, “has been on you for almost twenty years, hasn’t it?”
My mouth is wide open right now, big enough to fit a duck egg, and maybe even leave a gap.
Chapter 137
The birthmark on the collarbone is shaped like a phoenix rising from the ashes after a bloody rebirth, its beak slightly open as if holding something. If you look closely, you can see a small protrusion, and if you press down on it, you will feel a bump.
"Sir, there's a limit to jokes!"
He stared at me with a very serious and solemn expression.
"I have no need to use Xiling's national treasure to intimidate you."
No wonder he has tolerated me until now. Although I vaguely knew there was a major reason, I never expected it to be so astonishing.
"You speak so frankly, aren't you afraid I'll use this to threaten you?"
"That's a poor question. If I felt it was inappropriate to say it, would I have told you?"
That's true, after all, he's not one to suffer losses.
"Now that I've cleared up your doubts, will things finally be peaceful?"
"No, I need to process this first..."
"Alright, then you'll accept it gradually."
After he finished speaking, he got up and left the camp. I took the opportunity to look outside. Sigh, the security was tight. How could I see my second brother?
Fortunately, I had some free time a couple of days ago, so I asked He Xiuqi to make some Mo Wenxiang (a type of incense), and I also coaxed his son He Mengyan to plant a few Lantana camara plants for me. I packed them all up and carried them with me, and now they've come in handy.
Just as I was pondering how to administer the medicine, I heard the thunderous sound of war drums outside. I froze for a moment, then rushed over and lifted the curtain to see Xiao Lianjue sitting on his horse, fully prepared to go. Damn it, he's playing the game of feigning indifference!
He saw me rushing angrily to the tent, as if he had expected it, and simply waved for someone to carry me back to the camp.
"Go easy on her, or your master will punish you when he gets back."
Someone spoke softly, dressed in a plain yellow silk robe, looking very spirited, dignified and majestic.
I let go of the tent flap and turned to walk into the camp. She followed me in.
Actually, I just wanted to buy some time to see the layout of the camps. I wasn't too surprised by Xiao Lianjue's actions, nor was I worried about Nangong Ling and unwilling to leave.
"It's actually you who came along. I thought it would be Baojue."
She waved her hand, sat down, and took a sip of tea.
"That child has recently caught a cold and should not be overworked. Besides, it would be a death sentence to bring another burden on him at this crucial moment of victory or defeat."
These words made me laugh. "Even if you take her hostage, Xiao Lianjue won't even flinch. It would be a painless thing for you too. Xiao Lianjue always likes to push people into the limelight, that's one reason. His doting on Baojue is also because of the Heart-Shattering Palm technique, which is probably the most important point. Otherwise, given his character, he doesn't seem like the type to fall for someone like Baojue."
"No wonder he was so reluctant to kill you; your cleverness is exactly what he likes."
"...I used to think that people should live more clearly so that they wouldn't be deceived or cheated. Later, I found that seeing things too clearly only made me more confused. Many things often went against my goals. So, it's better to live a simpler life, to know what is most important to you and what is not. Life is short, like grass and trees in autumn. There are already too many helpless things in the world. If you make things difficult for yourself, wouldn't that be like weaving a cocoon around yourself?"
"That's true, but now that things have come to this, how easy is it to back out? Who would agree to that?"
“I didn’t expect to be able to completely extricate myself. There are many things I just don’t care about, but many people take it as arrogance. I know in my heart how many people are ready to laugh at me.”
"That's a rather simplistic statement. At least you still have Nangong Ling."
I was taken aback. "Why aren't you helping Xiao Lianjue by giving him a verbal blow? Instead, you're boosting the enemy's morale and diminishing your own?"
“If Nangong Ling didn’t have this ability, you would probably be the Crown Princess long ago. But it’s a good thing you didn’t enter the palace, otherwise, how would the other women in the Eastern Palace cope? I would rather he be like this, ruthless and unable to accept anything. Without exceptions, everyone would feel better. At least there would still be some hope, and that’s how life goes on, isn’t it?”
"Don't you think you've done enough? Although I've only met you, Little Consort Tang, once, I can see that only you can fight alongside him. No one else could do that. And don't worry about me. His attitude towards me is not what you think. To him, I'm just something that has a lot of use."
She was somewhat surprised and a little disbelieving. "Really... I can never seem to figure out what he's thinking. Rong Lian, I don't actually dislike you. The time I said I was going to slap you wasn't just because your tone was too offensive, but also because I wanted to test his attitude. I said he was protecting you, but then he took you to the dungeon. The first time I went in there, I felt nauseous for seven whole days and didn't eat a proper meal."
"Yes, it was definitely unpleasant." I touched my nose; the pungent, fishy smell was still fresh in my mind.
She covered her mouth and chuckled, "You look so adorable. Just rest well today, and I'll come talk to you again another day."
"Oh, wait a minute, do you know Rong Qi?"
"I know, you want to see him?"
"It's been almost three years since I last saw him, and I always miss him."
Consort Tang's face immediately darkened. "How did you know he was here?"
I neither feigned surprise nor pretended not to know; I simply smiled and said, "So he is here after all. No wonder I couldn't find him no matter what I said, even though I heard he was back."
Her expression changed again. "That Rong Lian! She actually tricked me into revealing information!"
"Not only do I need to get information out of you, but there's something else I need your help with... Um, isn't the water in my tent particularly delicious?"
Chapter 138
All that nonsense I said to her was just to stall for time until the medicine took effect. Speaking of which, this five-colored plum medicine is really slow to work. I'll try a different one next time.
"What is your purpose in meeting him?" She was still lucid when she asked this question. "Besides, even if I am poisoned and about to die, I would never do anything to harm him."
Of course I know, otherwise I wouldn't be so glad that I was carrying Mo Wenxiang instead of ordinary poison this time.
"It's okay. Wait until I count to ten. Even if you're unwilling, you'll probably be out of options by then."
The advantage of this medicine is that it has many uses. As long as the dosage and the intensity of the fragrance are controlled well, it can be used as a sedative. He Xiuqi told me about it once, and I hope I haven't misremembered the dosage.
Her delicate brows furrowed, and before she could utter a word, her eyes became unfocused. It seems the groundwork laid earlier had worked quite well; I didn't even need to count to ten.
I thought my second brother would be staying in a place that was hard to find or surrounded by heavy troops, but who knew it was just a tent away!
Although Consort Tang's prestige and status were undeniable, my second brother's tent wasn't easily accessible to outsiders. The gatekeepers weren't fools, and they were all Xiao Lianjue's confidants. They certainly wouldn't let me in if they saw me with Consort Tang. Fortunately, these guards had served Xiao Lianjue for years, and even though they were familiar with Consort Tang, they might not recognize all the eunuchs around her. So, it wasn't difficult to calm myself down and go in.
My second brother is usually fine when he's busy, but when he's free he loves to sleep. So, unsurprisingly, when I entered the tent, I saw him lying on the couch, fast asleep and seemingly oblivious to the day ahead.
"Second Brother."
He rolled over and brushed away my hand that was slapping him.
"If you don't get up soon, your seventh senior sister is going to elope with your third senior brother."
As soon as he finished speaking, he sprang to his feet, as if someone had come back from the dead.
"What? Elope? Who agreed to that?!"
"It's no use refusing. They eloped a long time ago, and you're still thinking about it?"
"...You brat?"
I twitched my brow and almost slapped him. It was supposed to be four, but the pronunciation always changed when it came to my second brother's mouth.
This guy is really retaliating against me for provoking him by bringing up Seventh Senior Sister's matter.
Then he smiled, still happy to see me, but then he glanced at Little Tang Fei standing next to him and was a little surprised. In a short moment, the expression on his face disappeared.
"It's alright, I fed her some Mo Wenxiang, she's currently delirious."
He then looked away, sat on the tatami mat, and took my hand. "How have you been these past two years?"
I glanced at him sideways, and he got a little creeped out of his skin, his eyes darting away slightly.
"Didn't you lose your hands? Don't tell me these two things that appeared out of nowhere are your feet."
This time he really didn't dare look me in the eye, let go of my hand, and turned his head away.
"If I'm not mistaken, you started flirting with Nangong Ling when Father asked you to break off the engagement, didn't you?"
"Well, I can explain that."
"It made me feel like I had let the Rong family down. Do you know how heartbroken I was when Mother passed away? Anyway, you all have your reasons, your positions, and your helplessness. I can't say anything. Who told me to be someone who was used from birth!"
“Girl…”
I let out a breath. "I'll settle accounts with you when we get back. Someone asked me to tell you that everything is ready."
"Hmm, Xiao Lianjue fought back again, didn't he?"
"Yes, and he even brought his older brother along."
“Lian’er, you must understand that this is simply due to different choices, which led to opposing positions. You can’t blame your eldest brother entirely… To be honest, I also bear some responsibility. Qin Juanrou originally wanted me to enter the palace, but I was too young, so I pushed my eldest brother out instead. Empress Zhou not only saved him but also took good care of him. After that, my eldest brother frequently went to the palace and became estranged from the family. After you were born, I doted on you. Before your one-month celebration, my eldest brother took you to the palace once. I don’t know if you remember. After that, the dark red crescent-shaped birthmark on your body turned into a phoenix. I resented my eldest brother for a long time because of this, saying how could he bear to operate on a child who was not even a year old… Sometimes I wonder, is my eldest brother taking revenge?”
This wasn't just revenge; it also planted a seed. At that time, Xiao Lianjue was likely still deeply trusted by the old emperor. What was frightening was that, despite his extreme arrogance, he wasn't blinded by greed. He clearly saw the impending crisis and knew how to secure a way out for himself. Therefore, he seized the opportunity to hide the Purple Clay Pill in a place that would be extremely difficult for others to imagine. This scheming revealed his profound cunning.