Chapter 234: I’m Not Her
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After Imperial Noble Consort Imperial Concubine Roujia was taken away, the inner palace became chaotic, and no one had the time to attend to Xia Mingxuan. The guards who were escorting him had no choice but to wait outside for Xia Mingyuan and the others to make a decision. Unexpectedly, instead of Xia Mingyuan, they met Xia Yuqing and Feng Tingye.
It was unfortunate that Feng Tingye had been entirely focused on Xia Yuqing just now, and had not noticed that there were others nearby. He would not have made such a mistake under normal circumstances.
“What were you talking about just now? What do you mean by saying that you are not the original Xia Yuqing, and that if it weren’t for you, Qing Er would not have survived until now? Speak!” Xia Mingxuan shouted, struggling to break free and rush forward.
Since being caught earlier, Xia Mingxuan had been quiet, even during the shocking actions of Imperial Concubine Roujia. However, he suddenly became so stimulated that his impact was extraordinarily strong.
Xia Yuqing was startled by Xia Mingxuan’s slightly ferocious appearance and took a step back in fear. She had already imagined how Xia Mingxuan would react once he found out the truth, but she never thought that she would expose her identity in this unprepared situation.
Feng Tingye narrowed his eyes and glanced at Xia Mingxuan and the two guards holding him down. Seeing that the guards were full of doubt in their eyes, he flashed a knowing look, realizing that only Xia Mingxuan with a high level of internal power would have heard what they said earlier. The other two probably only heard some sounds and did not understand the content. He felt relieved and reached out to pat Xia Yuqing’s back, silently comforting her.
Xia Mingyuan, who was inside the palace, suddenly heard Xia Mingxuan’s shout, thinking that something had happened. He rushed out of the hall and saw Xia Mingxuan extremely agitated, trying to pounce on Xia Yuqing. Frowning, he thought Xia Mingxuan was still not giving up on Xia Yuqing.
His already extremely frustrated mood became even more unpleasant. “What are you waiting for? Take him away!”
The guards were startled awake upon hearing Xia Mingyuan’s words, realizing that the person in charge of the palace after Xia Haotian’s passing was probably the person in front of them. They didn’t dare to be careless and immediately pulled Xia Mingxuan out.
At this moment, Xia Mingxuan didn’t want to leave and struggled fiercely, protesting with all his might, “I won’t go, I won’t go! Tell me what those words meant, tell me!”
But Xia Mingxuan was injured and tied up, completely powerless to resist. He could only be dragged away helplessly.
Xia Yuqing listened to his almost desperate cries and tightly held onto Feng Tingye’s clothes, saying nothing.
Seeing Xia Mingxuan’s figure gradually disappear, Xia Mingyuan withdrew his gaze and asked suspiciously, “What did you just say?”
“Nothing, just talking about the late emperor’s decree for the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne immediately. We didn’t expect him to suddenly go crazy and rush out like that, we were all startled.”
“Is that so?” Xia Mingyuan looked at the two of them strangely but didn’t delve further. He looked around and seemed to have noticed something, asking in confusion, “Where is that… Ye…Young Master Ye?”
As soon as Xia Mingyuan mentioned it, the two of them realized that Ye Shuyan had disappeared since the chaos began in the inner palace and they didn’t know where he went.
Feng Tingye and Xia Mingyuan exchanged a glance, their eyes involuntarily flashing a hint of cold light.
At the same time, in a certain place within the palace, Ye Shuyan stood in front of a beautiful mandarin duck Phoenix crown, with Little Black sitting at his feet, staring at him with mismatched eyes and emitting a small meow.
In the hand of Ye Shuyan was a gorgeous phoenix hairpin. If Xia Yuqing and the others were here, they would have discovered that this hairpin was the murder weapon that had pierced Xia Haotian’s chest.
The tail of the hairpin was still congealed with black blood, and the sharp tip scraped past the vibrant precious tea flowers in front of it. In just a moment, the extraordinarily beautiful Mandarin Duck Phoenix Crown wilted and turned yellow, no longer as stunning as it was at first.
“Finally, even he has died. Adoptive father, it seems that you have once again turned a blind eye to someone’s death.”
A familiar voice came from behind Ye Shuyan. Little Black, who was squatting beside Ye Shuyan, trembled all over when he heard the voice, and all the hair on his body stood up. He turned around and looked at the handsome young man who had just arrived behind him.
Ye Shuyan did not turn around, only faintly replied, “This is his fate. Destiny cannot be changed.”
But Ying Yue, who was standing next to Ye Shuyan, laughed and said, “Adoptive father, the Third Princess of Xia Country has always said that the Xia Country Emperor is cold and aloof, but compared to you, I really don’t know who the truly cold-hearted person is.”
Ye Shuyan did not respond, but Ying Yue continued to laugh and said, “Adoptive father, have you told that girl about her destiny?”
Ye Shuyan finally reacted and turned around to look at Ying Yue, “Yue Er, you talk too much.”
But Ying Yue didn’t take Ye Shuyan’s warning seriously, and lightly laughed, “Yes, yes, I talk too much. But I still want to remind adoptive father that you said destiny cannot be changed, so don’t suddenly have a change of heart and make things harder for yourself.”
After speaking, without waiting for Ye Shuyan to react, Ying Yue leaped onto the flowers beside him and left Ye Shuyan’s sight with his pet.
Ye Shuyan watched Ying Yue’s departing figure and secretly sighed. He threw the hairpin aside, picked up Little Black, and swept a glance at the flourishing flowers in the courtyard, sighing again.
Little Black seemed to sense his owner’s disappointment and obediently nestled in Ye Shuyan’s arms without making a fuss.
As the morning sun slowly illuminated the entire earth, the unforgettable night finally came to an end with the arrival of dawn.
However, the matter did not end there. The next day, those veteran officials who had been preparing to enter the palace and offer their advice to the emperor received shocking news: their emperor had been assassinated in a rebellion the night before they all left, and had already passed away before daybreak, leaving only the edict of succession and the imperial seal.
The news shocked the entire country. Although the veteran officials were reluctant, they reluctantly accepted the fact before the edict and the imperial seal personally issued by Xia Haotian.
The death of the former emperor was mourned throughout the country for the next few days, with the entire city wearing mourning clothes.
Before the former emperor’s funeral, Xia Muyun had never shed a tear, but her whole person seemed somewhat listless, causing great concern.
Xia Mingyuan and Leng Ruofeng were anxious but powerless, knowing that this was a matter of the heart and could only be healed with medicine for the heart.
Fortunately, during Xia Haotian’s funeral, Ruihai, who had been with the former emperor for nearly a lifetime, said a few words to Xia Muyun, which successfully made her vent her emotions.
He said to Xia Muyun, “Third Princess, the emperor did not insist on marrying you off to the eldest son of the Grand Tutor. He was just worried that the Empress Dowager would harm you if she found out that you were unmarried and pregnant. The eldest son of the Grand Tutor couldn’t even perform sexual intercourse, so the emperor’s suggestion was only a stopgap measure. Even if you did marry him, the emperor had already prepared an edict allowing you to divorce him if necessary. Your Highness, perhaps the emperor was wrong to the Empress, but he has been trying his best to be a qualified father all these years!”
After receiving the edict that Xia Haotian had intentionally left for her, Xia Muyun held back her tears for a long time, but finally broke down and burst into tears in front of Xia Haotian’s coffin.
Xia Mingyuan and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her finally cry, and their hearts finally settled.
The day after learning of the former emperor’s death, Imperial Concubine Roujia committed suicide in the prison cell.
Xia Yuqing and the others were surprised to hear about this, but later they sighed. Did Imperial Concubine Roujia really love Xia Haotian? Or was she really as Xia Haotian said, that she loved herself the most? Now that the parties involved were all dead, these things had lost their significance for investigation.
After Xia Haotian’s death, in accordance with his wishes and the need for the country to have a ruler, Xia Mingyuan had to inherit the throne as soon as possible. Therefore, Xia Mingyuan’s coronation ceremony was scheduled for the third day after the funeral.
During those few days, everyone in Xia Country was busy preparing for the coronation, except for one person who was preoccupied and absent-minded.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Tingye naturally noticed Xia Yuqing’s strange behavior and asked in surprise.
Xia Yuqing hesitated for a moment, but still pursed her lips and said, “I want to… go see Fourth Royal Brother.”
Feng Tingye was slightly taken aback. He knew that Xia Yuqing had been concerned about what happened that day, and he knew that it was a heart knot for her. If she didn’t personally resolve it, she might carry that burden in her heart for the rest of her life.
“Okay.”
Feng Tingye said simply with one word, which surprised Xia Yuqing and she looked up at him with a pleasantly surprised expression.
Feng Tingye chuckled and touched her head. “I’ll go with you. However, you have to promise me that no matter what Xia Mingxuan says or whatever unreasonable demands he makes, you can’t take it too seriously. After seeing him, you can’t think about him anymore. You just need to think about me in your heart.”
Xia Yuqing was stunned for a moment. Although she wanted to say that you, the Ultra Seme Lord, are too domineering, it’s really childish, she obediently nodded her head in order to be able to see Xia Mingxuan for a moment.
After settling their differences, Feng Tingye and Xia Mingyuan took Xia Yuqing to the prison where Xia Mingxuan was being held. Although Xia Mingyuan was puzzled, there were too many matters related to his ascension to the throne for him to pay much attention. He just followed them to the prison.
The gloomy cell was dripping with water that seemed to have gathered from nowhere, creating a rhythmic sound.
Xia Mingxuan’s cell was quite unique. It was not mixed with other prisoners, so Xia Yuqing and the others hardly saw any other people along the way. They could only hear the sound of dripping water and their footsteps echoing in their ears.
In the dark cell, only a small window could let in a little light.
Xia Yuqing and the others followed the dark cell and saw a black figure sitting in the corner of the cell.
Xia Yuqing pursed her lips and tentatively called out, “Fourth Royal Brother?”
The black figure that had been crouching in the corner trembled at the sound of Xia Yuqing’s voice. His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened like a wolf’s eyes in the dark night. Even in the dimly lit cell, one could see the shimmering light in his eyes in an instant.
Xia Yuqing felt a chill run down her spine as she was stared at by those eyes. She tried her best to maintain her composure and called out again, “Fourth Royal Brother.”
“We don’t have any blood relation, don’t call me that!”
Xia Yuqing hadn’t finished speaking when she heard a hoarse roar coming from inside the cell, causing her words to get stuck in her throat.
Xia Mingxuan suddenly stood up from the corner and walked step by step towards them.
His clothes were still the same as the day he was in the palace, but now the once bright and clean clothes were stained with dirt, coupled with the somewhat messy hair accessory, it was evident that he had not been doing well in this prison these days.
Despite this, Xia Mingxuan stood in such a messy place, still presenting an attractive sight, of course, as long as one could ignore the obvious aggression in his eyes…
Compared to the stimulation he felt when he first heard the news that day, Xia Mingxuan was clearly much calmer today, but the cold light in his eyes was undiminished, making Xia Yuqing instinctively afraid.
“Can I assume that you came today to explain those words to me from that day?” Xia Mingxuan, even though he was standing in a prison cell, still raised his eyebrows and looked at Feng Tingye and the other person, not at all like someone trapped and on the brink of death.
Seeing him like this, a faint smile crossed Feng Tingye’s eyes. “It seems that Fourth Prince understands everything. In that case, Ai Fei, let’s not meddle anymore and go back.”
“You…” When Feng Tingye said this, the indifference on Xia Mingxuan’s face collapsed almost instantly.
His gaze fixed on Feng Tingye, if eye contact could kill, Feng Tingye would have been poked with a thousand holes.
With Feng Tingye’s interruption, Xia Yuqing was no longer so nervous. She coughed lightly, interrupting the eye contact between the two, and still unable to meet Xia Mingxuan’s gaze, she lowered her head and said, “I’m sorry.”
Xia Mingxuan’s whole body suddenly stiffened, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as if trying to suppress something. “I didn’t want to hear you say that. I just want to know what you meant by those words that day? Why did you say that you’re not the original Xia Yuqing, why did you say that if it wasn’t for you, Xia Yuqing wouldn’t have survived until now? Tell me everything!”
Xia Mingxuan’s hoarse voice was tinged with a despair that was crushing, Xia Yuqing hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to start, and suddenly felt a warmth on her hand. She looked down and realized that Feng Tingye had discreetly taken her hand.
Her restless heart calmed down a little, and Xia Yuqing took a deep breath, deciding to start from the beginning, from the moment she woke up after crossing over, to the entanglement between her and everyone in the Xia country, and then to everything that happened since then.
In the spacious and quiet prison cell, only the voice of Xia Yuqing could be heard. Xia Mingxuan had closed his mouth since Xia Yuqing started talking and listened carefully to her story. His face showed no expression, but his gaze towards Xia Yuqing became increasingly intense.
Xia Yuqing explained everything in one breath and felt relieved when she finished. She looked up and noticed that Xia Mingxuan was staring at her motionless. It suddenly dawned on her that this kind of story was indeed unbelievable for someone from ancient times. She coughed lightly twice and said, “This story may sound incredible and imaginative, but it’s true. I am not the same Xia Yuqing you knew when we were children, the one who made a promise with you and swore to grow old together. Therefore, Fourth Prince, I’m sorry, but I cannot…”
“Sorry? What do you have to apologize to me for? This kind of thing, this kind of thing… Do you really think I’ll believe it?” Xia Mingxuan sneered, staring at Xia Yuqing with a hint of madness in his eyes. “This kind of thing, how could it be, how could it be? You’re all lying to me, lying to me! Clearly, it was you who forgot our promise and betrayed me! Now you’re making up such a ridiculous story with this man just to fool me!”
“I…” Xia Yuqing was frightened by the hatred in Xia Mingxuan’s eyes and took two steps back.
Seeing this, Feng Tingye quickly stepped forward and embraced her waist. His eyes flickered as he squinted at Xia Mingxuan and asked, “Do you think we’re lying?”
Xia Mingxuan stared at the two of them in silence with his eyes sharp.
However, Feng Tingye wasn’t fooled by his act and sneered, “Don’t forget, you’re no longer the Fourth Prince of Xia country, revered and respected. You’re now a condemned prisoner waiting to be punished and could be executed at any time. Even if you really want to snatch the person back from us, what can you use to compete against me now? Since that’s the case, is there any need for me and my consort to lie to you?”
“Your Majesty…” Feng Tingye’s words were too straightforward, even Xia Yuqing felt a bit uncomfortable hearing them and whispered softly, trying to stop him.
But there’s no denying that this kind of blunt talk was the most effective. After hearing Feng Tingye’s words, Xia Mingxuan’s eyes showed a hint of hesitation, though not profound, it was already evident.
Feng Tingye naturally took note of this and tightly held Xia Yuqing’s hand, saying, “If it weren’t for the fact that Ai Fei feels guilty and believes that she should make things clear with you so that you can die with a clear understanding, we wouldn’t bother coming to this chaotic place to talk to you. You keep saying that Ai Fei betrayed you and violated your vows, do you really love Xia Yuqing? If you can’t even distinguish between the one you love and others, what face do you have to say you love her? The one who should really apologize is you. The Xia Yuqing you once loved never betrayed you, but you kept slandering her!”
Hearing this, Xia Yuqing couldn’t help but feel helpless. The ability of the Ultra Seme Lord to reverse black and white is really something. In just a moment, he shifted the blame entirely onto the Fourth Prince. But is it really ethical to do so?
According to the Fourth Prince’s account, he and the original owner should have agreed to marry each other when they were very young. How could a little kid know what the other person would be like when they grew up? It was fortunate that the Fourth Prince still recognized her when he grew up and firmly believed in the original owner. But to ask him to recognize every aspect of a person’s character, that was obviously asking too much!
Xia Yuqing was already feeling guilty, and listening to Feng Tingye’s almost bullying words made her feel even more sympathetic. She reached out and grabbed Feng Tingye’s sleeve, hoping that he could speak more tactfully.
Helpless, Feng Tingye seemed to have already anticipated that Xia Yuqing would soften up, so he held onto her hand to prevent her from acting rashly, and looked at the prisoner in front of him without any change in expression.
After hearing Feng Tingye’s words, Xia Mingxuan’s face turned extremely ugly. His hand, which was hanging at his side, tightened and loosened, and finally he punched the grille of the cell in front of him, making a loud noise.
Xia Yuqing was startled by Xia Mingxuan’s sudden burst of rage, forgetting how to argue with Feng Tingye. Wah wah wah, Ultra Seme Lord, I told you some people can’t be spoken too bluntly, or it will cause a big problem if you make them angry. Even dogs jump over the wall when they are anxious, and rabbits bite people when they are anxious!
Xia Yuqing stiffened and turned her head, only to see Xia Mingxuan staring at her with his red eyes, like a big grey wolf eagerly wanting to devour a little white rabbit.
Xia Yuqing trembled in fear and said, “Fourth… Fourth Royal Brother…”
“Are you saying that you entered Qing Er’s body through reincarnation?” Xia Mingxuan looked up and down at Xia Yuqing for a while before finally speaking.
Xia Yuqing felt embarrassed and her expression stiffened as she said, “Yes, you could say that.”
Upon confirmation, a cold light flashed in Xia Mingxuan’s eyes. He squinted and asked, “Then where is Qing Er’s soul?”
Xia Yuqing was taken aback. Ever since she crossed over, she had always thought that this body belonged to her and that she was living in this world as Xia Yuqing. But now that Xia Mingxuan had asked her, she suddenly realized that she had entered this body, so where was the original Xia Yuqing? She had always assumed that the original Xia Yuqing was dead and her soul was gone, but was that really the case?
“I think… it should be gone,” Xia Yuqing replied hesitantly.
Xia Mingxuan squinted at Xia Yuqing, unsure of her uncertain expression. Suddenly, as if stimulated by something, he acted like a leopard waking up from a deep sleep. He reached out his hand towards Xia Yuqing’s face with a fierce expression.
Xia Yuqing was already nervous, and when she heard the movement, she looked up and saw Xia Mingxuan’s hand reaching towards her. She couldn’t help but take a cold breath and froze in place for a moment, forgetting to dodge.
At the critical moment, another hand forcefully inserted from the side and quickly and fiercely grabbed Xia Mingxuan’s wrist, stopping his hand from advancing.
“Let go of me, ah…ah…” Xia Mingxuan shouted with a pair of eyes fixed on Xia Yuqing’s direction, stubbornly wanting to grab Xia Yuqing and shouting continuously like a struggling trapped beast, “Give her back to me, give her back to me!”
Xia Yuqing stared at the pair of eyes that were close at hand in a panic and murmured in a low voice, “Wha…what?”
“Imposter, give her back to me, give her back to me!” Xia Mingxuan struggled hard, wanting to break free from Feng Tingye’s restraint. His hoarse voice was filled with heartbreaking despair, which made Xia Yuqing tremble involuntarily.
Imposter! Xia Yuqing listened to Xia Mingxuan’s low shout and her eyes suddenly tightened. Her originally stiff body couldn’t help but take a few steps back.
Feng Tingye also became slightly annoyed when he saw this. He exerted force with his hand and easily pushed Xia Mingxuan’s hand and body back into the cell.
In theory, Feng Tingye’s strength should not be much different from Xia Mingxuan’s. Unfortunately, Xia Mingxuan was already injured and weak, and he had not been treated well during the days he spent in the cell. Moreover, he had been concerned about the conversation between Xia Yuqing and him that day, making him sleepless and weaker. Naturally, he was no match for Feng Tingye at this moment.
Xia Mingxuan fell to the ground, but his eyes were still stubbornly fixed on the two of them. “Did I say something wrong? She’s just a thief who stole someone else’s body, an imposter. Give her back to me, give her back to me!”
Xia Mingxuan had doubted Xia Yuqing, but… just as Xia Yuqing had said, the last time they saw each other was when they were very young. After that, for various reasons, they never saw each other again. Years of longing had already turned his concern for Xia Yuqing into an indescribable obsession.
So when he met Xia Yuqing again, he was so excited that the joy of regaining what he had lost had blinded his judgment. Or maybe he actually realized it, but he kept telling himself that after so many years, everyone changes, and no matter how she has changed, as long as she is still her, he should try to adapt to the present her with extreme caution.
However, today, these two people in front of him told him that his only persistence over the past decade was no longer there. How could he accept this? How could he accept it?!
“Have you caused enough trouble?” Feng Tingye stared straight into Xia Mingxuan’s eyes, the smile on his face completely gone, and looked at Xia Mingxuan’s eyes expressionlessly, “What right do you have to say such things to Ai Fei? If it weren’t for Ai Fei, Xia Yuqing would have died long ago.”
“Even if she didn’t die, the person standing in front of me now is no longer the same person she used to be. What’s the point? What’s the point of her existence?”
Xia Mingxuan’s words shook Xia Yuqing’s whole body, but Feng Tingye couldn’t help but laugh at Xia Mingxuan’s pitiful appearance, and the words he had not intended to say came out.
“Ai Fei’s existence does not need an outsider like you to judge. Xia Mingxuan, think about why Ai Fei has become like this now. Who caused all of this!” After speaking, Feng Tingye had no intention of continuing to argue with Xia Mingxuan and pulled Xia Yuqing out.
“Um, Your Majesty…” Xia Yuqing took a final look at Xia Mingxuan, lowered her eyes, and followed Feng Tingye out.
Once the two had left, the cell returned to tranquility. Xia Mingxuan maintained the posture of the two before they left and sat on the ground for a long time. Finally, as if waking up from a dream, he covered his mouth and laughed softly.
His laughter slowly grew louder, and his smile deepened, but tears rolled uncontrollably from his eyes.
Feng Tingye’s final words forced him to face an almost cruel fact. According to Xia Yuqing, she borrowed a body and became the person she is now after the incident of falling into the water when she came to the country of Ye as a political bride. The person who caused it was none other than his own mother, the only close relative he had in this world, who killed the most important person in his life with her own hands.
“Hahaha… hahaha…” Xia Mingxuan suddenly burst into laughter. When he was done laughing, it was as if all the strength in his body had been completely drained in an instant, and he could no longer support himself and fell to the ground.
In the dim prison cell, water droplets continued to fall from above, forming a puddle on the ground. Unknown to anyone, a tear rolled down from the eyes of the man lying on the floor, and fell into the puddle with a crisp sound, mixing with the other water droplets and disappearing into nothingness.
Feng Tingye realized he had done something foolish. After Xia Yuqing had gone to see Xia Mingxuan, instead of recovering her former energy, she became even more depressed. As a result, Feng Tingye’s mood wasn’t good in the following days.
However, soon he didn’t have the energy to care about Xia Yuqing’s mood, because a bigger problem had arrived silently and unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.
Three days later, Xia Mingyuan officially ascended the throne. On this day, the whole country of Xia celebrated together, and everywhere was filled with a festive atmosphere, everything was going smoothly.
But just as Xia Mingyuan ascended the throne, the inevitable finally arrived.
“Your Majesty, I have a petition. During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet a few days ago, the late emperor personally admitted that the little princess was born of the previous dynasty’s princess, and is a remnant of the previous dynasty.” Just as Xia Mingyuan sat on the throne, a white-haired old minister strode forward with a powerful voice, “This matter concerns the future of Xia, please handle it with caution. Take down the little princess now!”
“!”
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