Le charme d'une femme puissante se répand à travers le monde

Chapitre 102

I stood there, motionless for a long time, my heart felt like it had stopped beating, I was numb. Finally, Wang An couldn't help but step forward and softly call out, "Princess?"

"Wang An, do you think my decision was wrong?" I didn't look at him, remaining standing in place, and asked softly. What I just said wasn't a joke. Ever since I learned that Xi Lan had amnesia, ever since I learned that Xi Lan hated me, ever since Xi Lan said that he wanted to marry me as his concubine because he hated me, I've been thinking, since I caused all of this, since I owe him, then what reason do I have to refuse? What right do I have to know that he lives in pain and hatred, and then turn around to pursue his own happiness?

"This servant does not know."

I don't know? My tears dried in the wind, but my heart gradually grew numb. I composed myself and walked towards the Drunken Moon Palace, with Wang Anjing following quietly beside me.

For the next two weeks, I didn't see Yunfeng, Fox, or Xilan again, or even Wang An and Yan'er. This was because the old empress suddenly decided to go to the Holy Spirit Temple to pray for blessings, and without any warning, she specifically asked me to go with her.

The so-called blessing ceremony involves bathing and fasting in the Holy Spirit Temple, followed by sincere prayer. However, there is no God or Buddha here; the Holy Spirit is enshrined, not Yao Yao, but rather a kind of totem symbol. The painting enshrined there looked strangely familiar, and it took me a while to realize it was exactly the same as the perplexing pattern on my earring—the same pattern as Old Man Yun's thumb ring. I initially thought it was a unified symbol created by Old Man Yun, but it turns out it's Xiu Ruo's Holy Spirit totem. If that's the case, does it mean some things need to be re-examined?

I hadn't left the Holy Spirit Palace for half a month. Apart from two maids serving me, no one came in to disturb me, though many people were guarding outside. The old empress hadn't brought her personal maid, Jinxiang, nor had she let Yan'er accompany me. After all, I didn't like those two maids, so I became the old empress's personal maid, staying by her side twenty-four hours a day. I had something on my mind, but I couldn't go out. I wanted to find out what was happening outside from those two maids, but I hadn't had a chance to speak to them alone, and my unease grew stronger.

After enduring half a month of hardship, I first sent the old empress back to the central palace, and then went straight back to Zuiyue Palace. Wang An was standing outside Zuiyue Palace. When he saw me from afar, he hurried over to greet me.

"They're all gone, aren't they?" This blessing was really sudden, and it lasted for half a month. Brother, Fox and Xilan must have left long ago, right?

"Yes, Princess."

I felt a pang of disappointment and couldn't speak for a moment. It wasn't until we entered the Drunken Moon Palace that Yao Yao pounced on me and licked my face with her tongue. I breathed a sigh of relief, hugged one of her paws, and called out, "Yao Yao."

“Princess, the envoy from Tianqing left something behind, saying it was to return to you.” Only after we entered the room did Wang An reach into his robes and hand me a brocade pouch.

Xi Lan? I quickly reached out and took it, opening the brocade pouch to find the phoenix-orchid jade pendant. Xi Lan, Xi Lan, I called out silently in my heart, you clearly hate me, so why did you ultimately compromise? Those words I spoke that night were my true feelings, not just to get you to return the jade pendant to me!

Wang An withdrew, and Yan'er came in to help me change my clothes. A moment later, Wang An came in carrying a large tray.

"How is the matter concerning Envoy Ye Cang going?" I asked listlessly.

"I heard Ye Cang has issued a challenge," Wang An replied as he placed the congee and several side dishes on the tray in front of me.

A declaration of war? It seems war is truly imminent. But to issue a declaration of war so readily? Does this envoy have some significant background? Does Xiu Ruo's handling of this matter reveal absolutely no sincerity?

I didn't have much of an appetite, and after only a few bites, I put down my chopsticks, intending to take a walk in the garden. Just as I was about to leave with Yaoyao, Wang An walked up to me, reached into his robes, and handed me a letter. I looked at him with slight confusion, then took it. The envelope bore the name "Yue'er," written in a handsome hand that was identical to mine. It was my brother!

The letter contained only a few words, saying that a battle between Ye Cang and Xiu Ruo was unavoidable. Now that Xiu Ruo wanted to form an alliance with Tian Qing and Long Yao, Han Xing would not be left behind. If that were the case, then no matter how powerful Ye Cang was, he would not be able to defeat the alliance of the four countries. So I don't need to worry about anything.

The moon has just set, and Ye Cang is next? It seems everyone has big ambitions, especially Xiu Ruo. The murder of the envoy is strange and unusual, and Tian Qing and Long Yao went on their missions around the same time. Could it have been a premeditated scheme? But even if a four-nation alliance is formed, after Ye Cang, won't the allies of the previous moment become enemies of the next?

"What else did my brother say?" I put away the letter and looked up at Wang An.

“Prime Minister Yun didn’t say anything else.” Wang An looked up at me hesitantly, and I nodded slightly before he continued, “However, I heard that Prince Hao had asked Prime Minister Yun to consider returning to Xiuruo, but Prime Minister Yun refused.”

Should I send my brother back to Xiu Ruo? There are two possibilities: either he successfully completed what Old Man Yun asked him to do, or there was no longer any need to complete it. If it's the latter, Long Yao is very likely to become the next target of ambitious people. But my brother refused? Thinking about it, it makes sense. How could my brother let Old Man Yun manipulate him forever? Thinking of this, my mood improved a little, didn't it? Although I'm too useless and have no ability to resist Old Man Yun, seeing my brother ignore him makes me feel like I'm ignoring Old Man Yun too.

"So, the marriage alliance with Ye Cang is off the table?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Has anything else happened in the past two weeks?"

"We sent Lord Chu as an envoy to Hanxing earlier, but time was very tight. He may have already finalized the agreement and returned home by now," Wang Anwei replied with a slight bow.

Lord Chu? Could it be Chu Fan, the one the fox mentioned? Since arriving in Xiuruo, I've been living in the palace, my social circle is quite small, and the old empress never mentions court affairs. I'm not familiar with the former court officials of Xiuruo. My last investiture ceremony was also very crowded, so I don't know if this person was even there. But if this Lord Chu is indeed Chu Fan, the one the fox spoke of, then sending him as an envoy to Hanxing at this time must mean he's someone extraordinary.

Clouds Drunk and the Moon Slumbers (Revised Edition) Volume Four: A Hidden Sorrow and Resentment Arise from the Blood Chrysanthemum's Slaughter

Chapter word count: 7816 Update time: 08-12-24 12:57

Saint Blood Chrysanthemum Killer

Recalling the note I received at Zuiyue Palace that only had the four characters "Wang An is trustworthy," I unfolded the letter and looked at it closely while casually asking, "Wang An, when did you start working at Xiuyi Hall?"

"Your Highness, it was in late spring seven years ago."

I simply walked back to the soft couch, lazily half-lying down, playing with Yao Yao's golden retriever while casually asking, "Were you assigned to work in the Xiuyi Hall as soon as you entered the palace?"

"At first, I was a minor official in the Eastern Palace. In the late autumn of the same year, I was transferred there by chance."

A chance encounter? I smiled. It probably wasn't that simple, but anyway, I wasn't interested in any of that: "Wang An, where is your hometown? Do you still have relatives there?"

"I was originally from Hezhou. One year, there was a great flood, and I was separated from my family and lost contact with them." He kept his head slightly lowered.

"Hezhou? You're from Longyao Kingdom?" I was startled, not expecting Wang An to be from Longyao Kingdom.

He hesitated for a moment, then answered frankly, "Yes."

I nodded slightly. He had served in the palace for so many years, and he probably only revealed his identity unintentionally because he wasn't in the palace and his guard was down. But this identity was undoubtedly crucial. Knowing that he was from the Longyao Kingdom, some clues gradually became clear.

“Wang An, don’t be so formal, let’s just chat. You were young back then, weren’t you? How did you manage after you were separated from your family?” Wang An stood not far from me, his head bowed, but I knew that with his past experiences, it wouldn’t be easy to get him to open up. Yao Yao lay on the ground, her large body almost as tall as the soft couch I was on. I stroked her long golden fur casually and said, “You owe him a debt of gratitude, so you should understand that he won’t hurt me, and I will never betray him.”

If it was indeed my brother who had Wang An deliver the letter to me, then Wang An's background would be crystal clear. The phrase "Wang An is trustworthy" implies that the person behind it wants to help me and is speaking from my perspective. Since Wang An was placed by my side, he should understand what he needs to do. I didn't mention my brother's name because I was afraid that if I guessed wrong, the result would be the opposite of what I intended.

If it really is as I think, if Wang An really is someone arranged by Yun Feng, then Yun Feng arranged such a role in the Xiu Ruo Palace so long ago, when he was only a few years old.

Wang An hesitated for a moment, then finally confessed, and what he told was almost exactly what I had expected. Like the plots of all TV shows and novels, he had been separated from his family years ago, wandering and begging all the way to Longzhou. There, he suffered hunger, cold, and mistreatment, nearly dying, until he was rescued by Yun Feng and her son, who were taking a rare stroll through the streets. He even stayed at Yun's residence for a while. After that, things were simpler. The young but determined Wang An didn't want to stay at Yun's residence for free, so he thanked them, vowing to repay their kindness with his life, and then bid farewell to Yun Feng and her son. Eventually, by chance, he arrived in Xiuruo Kingdom, but unfortunately ended up as a eunuch in the palace. After leaving Yun's residence, Wang An maintained contact with Yun Feng. Yun Feng had sent people to Hezhou to inquire about the whereabouts of Wang An's lost relatives, but to no avail. Years had passed, and many people had died from floods and plagues at the time; presumably, like in the 21st century, they were simply declared dead of natural causes.

Once again, I realized that I'm surrounded by experts—some conspicuous, some inconspicuous, some handsome, some not—none of them are easy to deal with. Old Man Yun is impressive, isn't he? The fox is impressive, isn't he? But my dear Brother Yunfeng is no slouch either. Just by saving a life, he's managed to gain an informant in the Xiuruo Palace. And Yunfeng even managed to arrange for Wang An to move from the Xiuyi Hall to my Zuiyue Palace. There must be another hidden secret behind this.

After hearing all this, I had a sudden urge to bury myself alive in a hole, or smother myself with a pillow. Countless times, I harbored the same hope as in the time-travel novels I used to read: to casually save someone's life, and that person would become my confidant, serving me like a slave—that's secondary, the important thing is loyalty and reliability, with no possibility of betrayal. But the only person I saved who could be considered meddling was Xiaobai. Thinking of Xiaobai, I have mixed feelings. He saved me, helped me, but also took advantage of me and hurt me.

Knowing Wang An's identity brought me some peace of mind. Yun Feng's letter mentioned that before Old Man Yun set off for Longyao, he had already returned to his ancestral home and was residing in the Prince Hao's mansion, serving as a fourth-rank Court Judge. I sighed inwardly, wondering if Yun Feng's actions were voluntary or related to Old Man Yun. But given his status and personality, living in Old Man Yun's Prince Hao's mansion would likely invite much disdain and coldness. After all, our mother still had no official status, so strictly speaking, Yun Yue and Yun Feng weren't even considered illegitimate children. Finally, Yun Feng reminded me that Old Man Yun's hasty return to Longyao might not be a good thing. Although Old Man Yun had received the Longyao state letter but hadn't said he'd immediately take me back, Old Man Yun's arrival at this time might involve me; I should be careful. I sighed inwardly, also finding it strange that Old Man Yun would appear at this time. He must have received Long Yao's letter of alliance when he came. He neither summoned me back to the country, nor did he act in that manner when he saw me. He even secretly met with Xi Lan, and now he is discussing matters with the fox. I always felt that he was the number one scourge in the world, and everything he did had the signs of disaster.

I don't know what the fox and Old Man Yun talked about, because he didn't greet me when he left. After lunch, I lay back on the soft couch, one leg propped up on Yao Yao, waiting for Old Man Yun to come to my door. Sure enough, before I could even fall asleep, he appeared, and at the same time, he chased everyone out of my room. Of course, Yao Yao wasn't human, so she stayed behind to keep me company.

"Father has arrived," I said, skipping the formalities of bowing and greeting.