Xia Zixi realized something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do at this point. He had no choice but to obediently throw his long sword towards the silhouette of the young girl.
With a "ding" sound, the door to the meditation room was shoved open by an extremely powerful inner energy from outside in a split second!
A cold and sharp dagger came flying in from the outside, striking his long sword into two pieces with great speed!
Xia Zixi clenched his fists and turned around to see Zhao Changdu in his black robes and dark hair that reached his temples. His deep eyes were piercing as he walked in from outside.
And behind him... stood a middle-aged man in a black cloak.
Although the man said nothing and his face was hidden under the hood, his aura was deep and dignified.
It was the air of supreme authority that belonged only to the ruler, an overwhelmingly powerful presence that ordinary people did not dare look straight at.
Weren't they supposed to have gone back to the palace? How did they manage to teleport to Qingyun Temple in such a short time!
Seeing the man walking in, Xia Zixi looked as if he had seen a ghost. He suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if something had frozen him in place, unable to move.
The sound of rain grew louder and the cold wind gushed in.
Concubine Wan's foggy mind finally cleared up a little. Braving the strong wind, she squinted towards the familiar silhouette in the rain.
The man walked towards her slowly.
Stopping at the door of the meditation room, he stepped inside, took off his hood unhurriedly to reveal a dignified yet sickly face.
Concubine Wan's eyes shot wide open and her brows furrowed deeply. "You... you are His Majesty?"
This was the arrogance she had developed after years of imperial favor. Even when facing the most powerful man in the empire, she showed not an ounce of panic.
She simply looked straight at the emperor, with a cryptic smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Weren't You Majesty still in the palace? What brings you here?"
The Tianqi Emperor walked up to her and crouched down halfway. His eyes swept over the mottled bruises and semi-exposed torso peeking through her half-torn lingerie.
He reached out and touched her shoulder mockingly, forcefully grabbing it.
Concubine Wan let out a painful moan, her body trembling as cold sweat appeared on her forehead layer after layer.
After a long while, the man finally dropped his head heavily. His voice was weary as he said, "You told me that you come here every year to commemorate your deceased family - your sister who treated you well. You couldn't bear to have them buried in Changzhou and wanted to enshrine their spirit tablets here. I was moved by your filial piety and ordered people to restore Qingyun Temple and build you a meditation room so you can properly pay respects to your loved ones."
"But my dear Xing'er, what have you done?"
The Tianqi Emperor's fingers tightened around her neck as he leaned in close, looking at the face he had loved all his life. His eyes gradually reddened. "How dare you secretly fool around with Xia Zixi behind my back?!"
Concubine Wan moved her bloodless lips. "Your Majesty, I..."
"You've been seeing him for a long time now, haven't you?"
"All these years you come to Qingyun Temple every year!"
"I was worried about your safety so I ordered him to be personally responsible for protecting you. But instead of being grateful for my favor, you and my garrison commander have been carrying on behind my back!"
Concubine Wan bit her lips as tears swiftly welled up in her eyes. "Your Majesty... it's not what you think..."
"Then tell me what I just saw! Or should I bring out that large bed from your secret chamber at the monastery for the whole world to see that you've cuckolded me?!"
Concubine Wan grabbed the emperor's big hand with both of hers, lifting her chin as tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty, I... Xia Zixi and I... we're really not what you imagined..."
The Tianqi Emperor let out a cold laugh, interrupting her. He painfully closed his eyes for a moment. "What I imagined is probably me being the one fooled by you two! My dear Nalan Xing, Xia Zixi is also from Changzhou. I sent him there to escort you back to the capital. With such a long journey, you and him must have already been intimate!"
"What Nalan Xing?"
Someone crisp voice abruptly cut into the emperor's words.
From the shadows in the corner, a young girl's figure emerged.
The bright lantern illuminated her delicate and clean features - those brows and eyes, lips and proud nose - struck a strangely familiar chord.
Concubine Wan was stunned, suddenly gripped by an inexplicable sense of horror. "Your Majesty—"
"Get lost!"
The Tianqi Emperor shook Concubine Wan off and stared blankly at the girl, somehow seeing the youthful Nalan Xing standing on a sea of blooming lotuses in Southern Jiangnan, holding a long pole in her hands. Her voice was clear and lively. "Young master, would you like to buy some lotus seeds? I just picked them fresh, they're so tasty!"
He didn't expect there to be such a strange girl here, yet he somehow also felt a strange familiarity with her. "Who are you?"
The girl glanced at Zhao Changdu, who was standing coolly with his arms crossed. She tilted her head coquettishly, "I'm Na Yuan."
The Tianqi Emperor released Concubine Wan and got to his feet, still confused. "Na Yuan?"
Na Yuan smiled. "Yes, I'm called Na Yuan. The one who named me is called Nalan Xing."
At that, it felt like something stabbed the emperor's heart.
In the pitch dark night, as the cold rain and wind howled over the mountain, an inexplicable bitterness rose in him.
"Nalan Xing..." He murmured the name he had kept in his heart for a lifetime. "She named you? My dear, who is she to you then?"
Na Yuan replied serenely. "Is His Majesty confused? The one who named me must be my mother of course."
The emperor was stunned. It felt like something exploded in his mind and his thoughts became muddled.
"Your Majesty, don't listen to her nonsense!" Concubine Wan finally lost her composure. She scrambled up in panic and grabbed the emperor's sleeve, screaming. "She's a fraud!"
The Tianqi Emperor shook Concubine Wan off again and said to the girl, "What... what did you say?"
Na Yuan sighed. "My mother is the real Nalan Xing. Your Majesty, even if I say this, would you call me a liar just like that woman over there?"
The emperor's mind went blank, his heart aching badly. He turned to look at Concubine Wan, then back at Na Yuan. His body swayed unsteadily.
Zhao Changdu reached out his long arm calmly and supported the shaken man.
The Tianqi Emperor looked up, still unable to believe it. "Changdu, did you hear that?"
Zhao Changdu responded coldly. "Yes, I heard it Your Majesty."
It felt like a knife had stabbed into the emperor's heart, the pain making it impossible to breathe. He looked at Na Yuan again, staggering over to her. He reached out, wanting to touch the girl's face, but recoiled as if shocked. "You are Xing'er's daughter? Then who... who is she?"
Na Yuan gazed calmly at Concubine Wan. "Her name is Guo Mengxue."
The Tianqi Emperor narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Who is Guo Mengxue?"
The beloved Nalan Xing he had pampered and doted on for a lifetime, how could she have turned into this completely unfamiliar Guo Mengxue?
Xia Zixi realized something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do at this point. He had no choice but to obediently throw his long sword towards the silhouette of the young girl.
With a "ding" sound, the door to the meditation room was shoved open by an extremely powerful inner energy from outside in a split second!
A cold and sharp dagger came flying in from the outside, striking his long sword into two pieces with great speed!
Xia Zixi clenched his fists and turned around to see Zhao Changdu in his black robes and dark hair that reached his temples. His deep eyes were piercing as he walked in from outside.
And behind him... stood a middle-aged man in a black cloak.
Although the man said nothing and his face was hidden under the hood, his aura was deep and dignified.
It was the air of supreme authority that belonged only to the ruler, an overwhelmingly powerful presence that ordinary people did not dare look straight at.
Weren't they supposed to have gone back to the palace? How did they manage to teleport to Qingyun Temple in such a short time!
Seeing the man walking in, Xia Zixi looked as if he had seen a ghost. He suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if something had frozen him in place, unable to move.
The sound of rain grew louder and the cold wind gushed in.
Concubine Wan's foggy mind finally cleared up a little. Braving the strong wind, she squinted towards the familiar silhouette in the rain.
The man walked towards her slowly.
Stopping at the door of the meditation room, he stepped inside, took off his hood unhurriedly to reveal a dignified yet sickly face.
Concubine Wan's eyes shot wide open and her brows furrowed deeply. "You... you are His Majesty?"
This was the arrogance she had developed after years of imperial favor. Even when facing the most powerful man in the empire, she showed not an ounce of panic.
She simply looked straight at the emperor, with a cryptic smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Weren't You Majesty still in the palace? What brings you here?"
The Tianqi Emperor walked up to her and crouched down halfway. His eyes swept over the mottled bruises and semi-exposed torso peeking through her half-torn lingerie.
He reached out and touched her shoulder mockingly, forcefully grabbing it.
Concubine Wan let out a painful moan, her body trembling as cold sweat appeared on her forehead layer after layer.
After a long while, the man finally dropped his head heavily. His voice was weary as he said, "You told me that you come here every year to commemorate your deceased family - your sister who treated you well. You couldn't bear to have them buried in Changzhou and wanted to enshrine their spirit tablets here. I was moved by your filial piety and ordered people to restore Qingyun Temple and build you a meditation room so you can properly pay respects to your loved ones."
"But my dear Xing'er, what have you done?"
The Tianqi Emperor's fingers tightened around her neck as he leaned in close, looking at the face he had loved all his life. His eyes gradually reddened. "How dare you secretly fool around with Xia Zixi behind my back?!"
Concubine Wan moved her bloodless lips. "Your Majesty, I..."
"You've been seeing him for a long time now, haven't you?"
"All these years you come to Qingyun Temple every year!"
"I was worried about your safety so I ordered him to be personally responsible for protecting you. But instead of being grateful for my favor, you and my garrison commander have been carrying on behind my back!"
Concubine Wan bit her lips as tears swiftly welled up in her eyes. "Your Majesty... it's not what you think..."
"Then tell me what I just saw! Or should I bring out that large bed from your secret chamber at the monastery for the whole world to see that you've cuckolded me?!"
Concubine Wan grabbed the emperor's big hand with both of hers, lifting her chin as tears streamed down her face. "Your Majesty, I... Xia Zixi and I... we're really not what you imagined..."
The Tianqi Emperor let out a cold laugh, interrupting her. He painfully closed his eyes for a moment. "What I imagined is probably me being the one fooled by you two! My dear Nalan Xing, Xia Zixi is also from Changzhou. I sent him there to escort you back to the capital. With such a long journey, you and him must have already been intimate!"
"What Nalan Xing?"
Someone crisp voice abruptly cut into the emperor's words.
From the shadows in the corner, a young girl's figure emerged.
The bright lantern illuminated her delicate and clean features - those brows and eyes, lips and proud nose - struck a strangely familiar chord.
Concubine Wan was stunned, suddenly gripped by an inexplicable sense of horror. "Your Majesty—"
"Get lost!"
The Tianqi Emperor shook Concubine Wan off and stared blankly at the girl, somehow seeing the youthful Nalan Xing standing on a sea of blooming lotuses in Southern Jiangnan, holding a long pole in her hands. Her voice was clear and lively. "Young master, would you like to buy some lotus seeds? I just picked them fresh, they're so tasty!"
He didn't expect there to be such a strange girl here, yet he somehow also felt a strange familiarity with her. "Who are you?"
The girl glanced at Zhao Changdu, who was standing coolly with his arms crossed. She tilted her head coquettishly, "I'm Na Yuan."
The Tianqi Emperor released Concubine Wan and got to his feet, still confused. "Na Yuan?"
Na Yuan smiled. "Yes, I'm called Na Yuan. The one who named me is called Nalan Xing."
At that, it felt like something stabbed the emperor's heart.
In the pitch dark night, as the cold rain and wind howled over the mountain, an inexplicable bitterness rose in him.
"Nalan Xing..." He murmured the name he had kept in his heart for a lifetime. "She named you? My dear, who is she to you then?"
Na Yuan replied serenely. "Is His Majesty confused? The one who named me must be my mother of course."
The emperor was stunned. It felt like something exploded in his mind and his thoughts became muddled.
"Your Majesty, don't listen to her nonsense!" Concubine Wan finally lost her composure. She scrambled up in panic and grabbed the emperor's sleeve, screaming. "She's a fraud!"
The Tianqi Emperor shook Concubine Wan off again and said to the girl, "What... what did you say?"
Na Yuan sighed. "My mother is the real Nalan Xing. Your Majesty, even if I say this, would you call me a liar just like that woman over there?"
The emperor's mind went blank, his heart aching badly. He turned to look at Concubine Wan, then back at Na Yuan. His body swayed unsteadily.
Zhao Changdu reached out his long arm calmly and supported the shaken man.
The Tianqi Emperor looked up, still unable to believe it. "Changdu, did you hear that?"
Zhao Changdu responded coldly. "Yes, I heard it Your Majesty."
It felt like a knife had stabbed into the emperor's heart, the pain making it impossible to breathe. He looked at Na Yuan again, staggering over to her. He reached out, wanting to touch the girl's face, but recoiled as if shocked. "You are Xing'er's daughter? Then who... who is she?"
Na Yuan gazed calmly at Concubine Wan. "Her name is Guo Mengxue."
The Tianqi Emperor narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Who is Guo Mengxue?"
The beloved Nalan Xing he had pampered and doted on for a lifetime, how could she have turned into this completely unfamiliar Guo Mengxue?
