Болезненный юноша, путешествующий во времена династии Сун

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Almost simultaneously, the sound of the hidden weapon piercing the air reached Mo Xibei's ears. She and Mu Feinan both sprang to their feet and rushed out of the house. Not far away, a dark figure retreated in a panic, seemingly not expecting that the person inside would not stop the hidden weapon from rescuing people, but instead rush straight at him.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Mo Xibei had already caught up to him, silently striking the shadowy figure's back with a palm strike. At the same time, Mu Feinan also caught up, flipping his palm to block the shadowy figure's retreat.

These few moves were swift and swift, yet the situation changed unexpectedly each time. The dark figure did not retreat; instead, he took Mo Xibei's palm strike head-on with his back. Then, using the force of the blow, he flew out diagonally like a kite on a string, landing several dozen feet away. He rolled on the ground, and suddenly the sound of hooves came from the street corner. A group of runaway horses galloped past the dark figure. By the time the horses were far away, the dark figure had long since disappeared.

Mo Xibei and Mu Feinan looked at each other. Despite being attacked from both sides, the dark figure still managed to escape. Mo Xibei just smiled, but Mu Feinan sighed and said, "This person seems to know us very well."

“Yes. He knows that if he faces you head-on, there’s no way he can escape. But if he turns his back to me, then when I strike him, the force will inevitably be reduced because of his lack of resistance. And when you see that I hit him with one blow, you will also slow down your attack. In this way, it seems like he’s at a disadvantage taking my blow, but in the end, he saves himself.” Mo Xibei sighed, saying with a touch of self-deprecation, “Everyone talks about being willing to sacrifice, but in the face of battle, on the brink of life and death, how many people can be as clear-headed, make accurate judgments, and dare to make sacrifices at crucial moments as he is?”

"So, you do admire him to some extent," Mu Feinan said, gazing in the direction the dark figure had disappeared. His voice was unreadable.

"He's a clever opponent; I'm afraid there will be more trouble in the future." Mo Xibei sighed, then turned and leaped back into the courtyard.

"Have you caught the person who planted the hidden weapon?" Murong Lianyun had already come out of the house to greet Mo Xibei when he returned. There was an indescribable tension in his expression.

"No. He got away." Mo Xibei's eyes quickly swept across Murong Lianyun's face, his feet moving without stopping. He passed Murong Lianyun. Inside the hall, the masks of the two men in black had been removed, but now their faces were blackened, their features twisted and ferocious, making them completely unrecognizable.

"The hidden weapons were highly poisoned; what a ruthless method." Mu Feinan bent down to examine them. Both men had been stabbed in the neck by hidden weapons; the poison was spreading rapidly, and they were already lifeless. "Who wants to kill me?" Murong Lianyun glanced sideways, not daring to look at the corpses on the ground. "Could it still be Empress Zhang's people? They couldn't take me away, so they just wanted to kill me?"

"What Empress Dowager Zhang? Northwest, is she just too frightened? She's even dragging the Empress Dowager into this." Mu Feinan, who had been squatting on the ground pondering the poisoned hidden weapon, suddenly stretched lazily, snorted, and turned to go back to her room. "Empress Dowager Zhang has remained in power in the harem for decades. She would never do something like being humiliated during the day and then having someone assassinate her at night. It must be someone else." Mo Northwest said calmly after watching Mu Feinan's figure disappear around the bend in the path, "It might not even be aimed at you. Don't overthink it."

What happened that night, of course, did not escape the notice of the palace's eyes and ears. The next afternoon, Mo Xibei was hurriedly summoned to Plum Blossom Manor, where both Rouwanzi and Rouwanzi's mother were surprisingly present. "This humble subject greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Mo Xibei felt a headache coming on, sensing that these two meeting him together could not be a good thing.

"We're all family, so let's skip these formalities. Child, I heard there were assassins at your residence last night. Were you alright?" Empress Dowager Jiang said softly. At the same time, the Emperor quickly came over and helped Mo Xibei up.

"Why did you insist on having me come so urgently? What happened?" Mo Xibei didn't want to get entangled with them about identities or titles anymore, so he simply spoke frankly.

"Let your brother tell you himself," Empress Dowager Jiang sighed, glancing at the emperor with suppressed resentment.

"It's nothing else, just about Murong Lianyun." The Emperor, slightly embarrassed by his mother's glare, stroked his chin before asking, "What kind of person is she usually? I mean..."

"Does Your Majesty want to ask whether she is innocent and whether she has any entanglements with other men?" Mo Xibei looked up at the emperor, whose face indeed turned red.

"Child, don't blame your brother for asking such a question. After all, the royal bloodline cannot be confused." Empress Dowager Jiang heard the disdain in Mo Xibei's tone and was worried that they would immediately turn against each other, so she quickly interjected.

"Then may I ask Your Majesty, when you first touched her, was she a virgin?" Mo Xibei didn't know what she was angry about, but she was indeed very angry, and her voice inevitably rose two decibels.

"This...of course." The emperor was caught off guard by Mo Xibei's strong reaction and direct question, and found it difficult to speak.

"Therefore, naturally the Emperor himself knows best about such matters. As an outsider, the Northwest dares not speak carelessly about things that concern people's lives and fortunes." With his hand held by Empress Dowager Jiang, the warmth rose from his fingertips to his heart, and Mo Northwest's mood calmed down.

"Child, I know why you're angry. You feel we've looked down on those around you, and you're indignant," Empress Dowager Jiang patted Mo Xibei's hand. "However, it's normal for your brother to ask such a question. After all, she's a girl from humble beginnings. We don't know what kind of person she was in the past, but judging from her current behavior of seducing your brother, she's ultimately frivolous. People must first humiliate themselves before others will humiliate them. Even if we don't question you today, we will question her publicly one day. After all, she wants a title that doesn't belong to her, and that's something we have to face."

“I understand,” Mo Xibei understood this principle perfectly well, but understanding it in one’s heart and accepting it with one’s ears are two different things. She couldn’t help but glance at the emperor, unsure whether to pity Murong Lianyun or the high and mighty emperor.

"Now, there are two paths. You can think about which one to choose." Seeing that Mo Xibei was no longer angry, and that the Emperor was speechless after being choked by Mo Xibei, Empress Dowager Jiang sat back down, picked up her tea, carefully blew away the foam, and took a couple of sips. "I have considered this carefully. That girl's status is too lowly, and she is not worthy of bearing the imperial child. The best way now is to remove that girl's child, give her some silver, and send her far away to save her life and avoid a turmoil in the court."

Empress Dowager Jiang's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Mo Xibei's ears with a chilling coldness that sent shivers down his spine. "First, let her give birth to the child, then perform a blood test to determine paternity. If it truly is the emperor's bloodline, then spare the child, execute the mother, and find a foster mother in the palace to raise the child. That would be fair to her." Empress Dowager Jiang then stated her second option. (Typo, please continue correcting. Calling for February's recommendation votes...)

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Mark, Chapter Nineteen: Identity (Part Four)

"So this counts as two paths?" Mo Xibei sneered repeatedly. "That's right, one might be a path to life, the other is destined to be a path to death. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is indeed wise beyond words. You really went to great lengths to protect the Emperor..." She didn't finish her sentence because she was too lazy to say it. What was there to say? This beautiful and kind-looking woman in front of her had killed her own daughter to protect her son, and not just once. If she treated her own daughter like this, who could expect her to show mercy to a commoner woman who might damage her son's reputation?

"Jia'er?" Empress Dowager Jiang naturally noticed Mo Xibei's rejection and resistance. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked out, "Child, what is your mother doing all this for the sake of your well-being?"

"Thank you. I'm already doing fine without you doing anything. If you came to me just to tell me how you plan to deal with Murong Lianyun, then I'm not interested in that. I'll take my leave." Mo Xibei stood up and walked out of the house without looking back.

"Child, you never listen to your mother. You'll regret it sooner or later." The Empress Dowager's voice came from behind. Although the distance was very close, the voice sounded muffled and ethereal to Mo Xibei, as if it were coming through a thick layer of cotton.

The air outside the flower hall was so fresh. Before she fainted, Mo Xibei realized what she had overlooked today: the fragrance inside the flower hall, and what lay beneath that exceptionally strong floral scent.

She slept for a very long time, her dreams spanning almost the entire past and present. Mo Xibei saw her carefree childhood, the fortune slips at the Temple of the Matchmaker, her desperate struggle for survival within the high walls of the Prince's mansion, and her future carefree life. In the dream, many faces appeared and disappeared before her eyes. She felt as if she knew these people, yet also as if she didn't. Finally, a girl's clear cry reached her ears, and she vaguely felt herself waking up. The girl was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, her beautiful face beneath the phoenix coronet and embroidered robes showing no joy. When Mo Xibei looked over, the girl stood in a cloud of black mist, tears streaming down her face, reaching out her hand as if pleading for something. However, despite the familiar face, she couldn't call out the girl's name, and her hand felt as if it were weighed down by a thousand pounds, unable to move an inch.

Startled, she sat up, breaking out in a cold sweat. A girl's voice whispered in her ear, "Her Highness the Princess is awake."

This was a bed so large it was almost extravagant, more luxurious than any other bed in the Jade Pavilion. Mo Xibei looked up at the carvings on the large bed where he lay. Centuries-old golden nanmu wood was carved with flying phoenixes and large, blooming peonies. The auspicious patterns were plentiful but did not appear gaudy. Half of the bright yellow curtains hung low, while the other half was being lifted by a young girl in a light-colored palace dress with her hair styled in a double-looped bun.

"This is... the palace?" Mo Xibei began, his voice slightly hoarse, only then realizing how thirsty he was.

Before she could give any instructions, the girl turned around, poured tea at a round table a few feet away, then knelt before the bed, raised the teacup high, and said softly, "Your Highness, please have some tea to soothe your throat."

"What's your name?" Mo Xibei sat up, took the tea, but didn't drink it. Instead, he coughed twice to clear his throat.

"Your Highness, my surname is Fu, and I have no given name. Everyone in the palace calls me Fu'er." The girl did not raise her head, but knelt upright and answered with her head bowed.

"Fu'er, how long have I been asleep? Is this the palace or somewhere else?" Mo Xibei gently smelled the tea; it smelled very good. His body was increasingly clamoring for water, but he couldn't drink it yet.

"Your Highness, you have caught a cold and have been sleeping for three days. This is naturally the palace, and this is your sleeping quarters," Fu'er replied respectfully.

"Are you all alone here?" After sleeping for three days without any food, Mo Xibei took a deep breath. His blood was flowing smoothly and his breathing was even. He felt fine, but his vision was a little blurry, probably from hunger.

"Your Highness, there are four rank-holding ladies-in-waiting here, eight palace maids, eight eunuchs, and several dozen more maids and eunuchs who do cleaning, gardening, and night watch. I just saw Your Highness was about to wake up, so I instructed them to prepare a simple meal for you and also to prepare hot water for your bath, in case Your Highness needs it later and things get chaotic." Fu'er replied, then asked, "Your Highness hasn't eaten much for three days. Now, please bring some sweet soup with white fungus and red dates or rock sugar bird's nest porridge to soothe your stomach." Mo Xibei's stomach rumbled at just the right moment, answering her question. Fu'er quickly got up, pushed open the door, and a moment later, the fragrance of red dates began to fill the air.

Three days is enough for anything to happen. Mo Xibei thought to herself while eating that she was ultimately powerless to change Murong Lianyun's fate. The most important thing right now was not to get herself trapped in the palace and to conserve her strength so she could prepare to walk. That was the real priority. However, the palace had countless rules. Mo Xibei had only drunk a small bowl of soup and eaten half a bowl of bird's nest porridge. Her stomach was still empty when Fu'er brought people to take away her bowls and chopsticks, refusing to make any exceptions for a moment.

Dinner was the same, so bland that it had no flavor other than a hint of rock sugar sweetness. Mo Xibei couldn't help but demand to see the Emperor or Empress Dowager; she wanted to protest their mistreatment, arguing that even prisoners had the right to a full stomach.

“Your Highness, you have been hungry for several days. You cannot eat too much oily food or too much at once. It is not good for your health,” Fu’er said.

"Has something happened in the palace these past few days? Why haven't we seen the Empress Dowager?" Since they couldn't get anything to eat, getting some information out of her was also important.

"The palace? A new Noble Lady has been conferred a title in the palace, but nothing else has happened." Fu'er said innocently.

“This… this servant doesn’t know,” Fu’er shook her head. “This Noble Lady is also strange. It’s not the year of the imperial selection, yet she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was granted a title by the Emperor, but she didn’t go to various parts of the harem to express her gratitude. Now, the ladies in all the palaces are quite unhappy.”

Mo Xibei remained silent. She felt that everything was strange, an indescribable feeling of unease. The best way to unravel this mystery was to go out and see what was going on.

"The Empress Dowager said that you are not fully recovered and should not be exposed to the wind. If you really want to go out, I'm afraid my life will be in danger." After dinner, when he felt that his strength had returned, Mo Xibei was blocked by a room full of palace maids and eunuchs.