Standoff (Part Two)

At the four corners of the main hall, a gentle, soothing incense mist flowed slowly, its calm and leisurely appearance seemingly oblivious to the eerie and oppressive atmosphere within. The milky white smoke swirled in the air, fell, and then slowly dispersed.

Inside the solemn and majestic Zichen Palace, a woman in plain clothes knelt in the center of the hall. Her blue robe was spread out smoothly, much like a white lotus growing from a secluded pool.

Isolated from the world, untouched by dust, yet easily broken.

The deliberately suppressed whispers around me reached my ears without missing a single one, relentlessly pounding my eardrums. My brain seemed to be stunned by these whispers, my thoughts became sluggish, and my body and mind gradually separated.

Feeling her thoughts becoming increasingly chaotic, Jie Xiangsi slightly moved her jaw and pressed down with her molars, rubbing her already chafed tongue raw again.

A fishy-sweet taste spread through my mouth.

After a long silence, Jie Xiangsi's lips moved slightly: "No."

"What?" Upon hearing this barely audible voice, Emperor Zhaowen pressed down on his hands, which were resting on either side of him: "Explain yourself clearly."

Another silence fell.

Looking up, one could see Jie Xiangsi with her head down, unconsciously rubbing her left wrist, her long eyelashes fluttering. Although she could no longer see her eyes, when the pale golden light shone on her, it seemed as if a faint glimmer of light could be seen in her empty, wooden eyes.

Nobody knows what she's thinking.

Just as Emperor Zhaowen was about to lose his patience, Xie Xiangsi finally raised her head. It was at this moment that everyone in the hall saw clearly that the glimmer in her eyes was not the light of her eyes, but the light of her tears.

It is tears.

But they were just tears hidden in her eyes.

She didn't cry.

...

The wind from outside rushed in, scattering the silky incense and ruffling the woman's loose black hair.

With a rapid heartbeat, Jie Xiangsi folded her hands together and slowly bowed as the swords were drawn slightly, her forehead touching the back of her hands.

"Your subject is Xiao Yan—"

Her palm touched the black brick, and her smooth black hair fell down, obscuring all her expressions. Only her calm and indifferent voice echoed clearly in the deathly silent hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Like a stone thrown into still water, the moment Jie Xiangsi finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the hall.

After Xie Xiangsi finished her kowtow, she straightened up on her own before Emperor Zhaowen could remove himself from the ceremony. Her empty, lifeless eyes stared straight at Emperor Zhaowen at the head of the table, following her intuition.

Every word was spoken with neither arrogance nor servility.

"Your subject is Xiao Yan."

"Marquis of Jin'an, Xiao Yan, daughter of General Xiao Yunyan."

"Xiao Yan, the one who was resurrected through a body..." At this point, her tone suddenly changed, and before anyone could react, she raised her hand and took off the blue outer robe covering her body, revealing the snow-white plain clothes underneath.

Her black hair swayed in the wind, and her simple white clothes outlined the woman's indomitable spirit.

Seeing her like this, Consort De's heart tightened, feeling that something was about to slip out of her control. She quickly turned to the guards standing on either side and said sternly, "This woman dares to be so disrespectful in front of His Majesty! Seize her at once..."

Let her speak!

Emperor Zhaowen clutched his chest, his brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on Xie Xiangsi's face. He repeated in a deep voice, "Let her speak."

Upon hearing this, Consort De's face stiffened, and deep pinch marks appeared on her palm hidden in her sleeve. She lowered her head and responded softly, "Yes," before giving Zhou Yu'an a subtle wink.

The winds of change are blowing.

...

"Little girl from the Xiao family, what do you want to say?" Emperor Zhaowen's hoarse voice came through.

Sensing the various gazes directed at her, Xie Xiangsi pursed her lips tightly. The next moment, she suddenly bowed down in worship, her throat bobbing as she used almost all her strength to utter the words.

"This humble woman has a grievance to voice!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly stood up, revealing her forehead with bluish-red veins, and crawled forward on her knees.

When he spoke again, every word was piercing and heart-wrenching!

"Consort De, of the Wei clan, and the fourth prince, An, colluded with foreign tribes and persecuted loyal officials. My entire Xiao family has never harbored any intention to betray the country, nor has it ever committed any act of treason! The accusations of colluding with foreign tribes and embezzling disaster relief funds are all slanders! It is a frame-up!"

step.

"My Xiao family would never betray our country!"

Two steps.

"My entire Xiao family has been wronged! My entire Xiao family has been unjustly accused! My entire Xiao family will die with their eyes wide open in disbelief!"

Three steps!

The sound of swords being drawn rang in her ears. A guard's cold longsword was placed against her neck, the sharp blade pressed against her thin skin, as if it would pierce her skin at any moment and behead her.

So Jie Xiangsi stopped moving, but she didn't mean to stop talking either.

She raised her head, ignoring the slight stinging pain in her neck, and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, I am indeed Xiao Yan, the one whose entire family was falsely accused, who was resurrected in another's body, and returned to the world as Xiao Yan."

“My entire Xiao family has indeed been framed by treacherous people.”

“Every word my daughter has said is true.”

Her words came out of nowhere; no one expected her to say such a thing, and no one expected her to so frankly admit her identity.

In an instant, whispers filled the hall, including words like "nonsense," "monster," "daring," and "deserves to be punished." Even Emperor Zhaowen couldn't help but chuckle a few times. But Xie Xiangsi remained calm and oblivious, kneeling there quietly and upright, as if the person they were talking about wasn't her at all.

At the same time, a sudden gust of wind arose outside the palace. The howling wind rushed into the palace through the cracks in the latticed windows and doors, whipping up her white robes.

From a distance, it was impossible to tell whether the clothes fluttering in the wind were a snow-white inner garment or a snow-white mourning dress, and the shrill sound of the wind squeezing through the air sounded like a mournful funeral song.

"Is every word true?"

The commotion in the hall gradually subsided. Then, as if remembering something, Emperor Zhaowen suddenly raised his voice and said, "Then why didn't you tell the truth before?!"

Jie Xiangsi remained composed, raising her lifeless eyes and saying calmly, "Because Your Majesty is unable to distinguish right from wrong and has protected treacherous people, causing my entire Xiao family to die tragically in the wilderness, I dare not, nor do I wish to, trust Your Majesty again."

"How dare you!"

The sword resting against his neck pressed down slightly, slicing through the thin layer of skin.

Xie Xiangsi did not flinch at all, but simply raised her head slightly, her face expressionless: "Your Majesty, you see, even now, you still refuse to believe me, or perhaps you are afraid of me?"

What are you afraid of?

A mocking smile finally appeared on Jie Xiangsi's usually placid face: "You believe I am Xiao Yan, but you also fear that I really am Xiao Yan, because..."

Her voice suddenly changed, becoming unusually hoarse.

"Your Majesty knows and understands that my Xiao family did indeed die unjustly. You feel guilty, so you dare not let them release me, for fear that I might harm you."

Emperor Zhaowen's face darkened, clearly his secret thoughts had been exposed.

Unfortunately, Jie Xiangsi can no longer see it.

Her lips curved slightly, her voice barely audible: "But Your Majesty, why are you afraid of me?"

"As I have said, the Xiao family has never harbored any intention to betray the country, nor will it ever have any intention to be disloyal."

Of course, all of this is a lie. What do you mean by thunder and rain being the emperor's grace? To hell with it all! As a monarch, failing to govern his subjects strictly is a dereliction of duty. The Xiao family is loyal to the emperor and has never been a foolish or incompetent ruler!

If she is destined to die here today, even if she is hacked to death by a hail of swords, she will not rest in peace. She will surely become a vengeful ghost after death, disturbing my peace every day!

Saying this now is merely a temporary measure, and also a way to gain some sympathy.

Although this move makes her seem overly loyal, it is the best solution at this moment.

With such loyalty, what monarch would not be moved?

As expected, Emperor Zhaowen's expression softened somewhat, and with a slight lift of his hand, the sharp sword that had been pressing heavily on Jie Xiangsi's neck was instantly withdrawn.

It's like prying open a brick.

...

"Okay, okay, that's very well said."

Emperor Zhaowen said "good" three times in a row, staring at Xie Xiangsi with a complex expression in his eyes. After a long while, he said, "You say your Xiao family has been wronged, and I will believe you. But you say my Consort De and the prince are guilty..."

"Can you produce any evidence?"

Upon hearing this, Consort De could no longer stand. She quickly stepped forward and knelt before the palace, pleading in a seductive voice, "Your Majesty! I'm innocent..."

"Shut up!" Emperor Zhaowen rubbed his temples.

Immediately, everyone in the hall knelt down.

Consort De looked unwilling, but after seeing Emperor Zhaowen's cold expression, she reluctantly shut her mouth.

After a long silence, Xie Xiangsi spoke up: "On the pipa in Consort De's palace..." Sensing something, she suddenly quickened her pace: "There is a small mechanism inside, containing the Moon-Gazing Powder and some other medicines."

The moment the words fell, Jie Xiangsi felt the person beside her suddenly breathe heavily, which made the tension in her mind ease slightly.

It seems she was right. The medicine Dao Ying gave her earlier was for blinding and deafness, and the Moon Gazing Powder, which was hidden in her food to worsen her poisoning, was also hidden inside that pipa.

The sound of the pipa I heard when I first entered the palace was not an illusion.

The tool Consort De used to hide the drugs was a pipa. The calluses on her left hand were not formed from her love of playing the pipa, but rather to prevent others from discovering the secret hidden within the pipa.

She guessed right again.

At this moment, Emperor Zhaowen's eyes darkened upon hearing her words. Without his command, palace servants quickly headed towards Yuande Palace.

The truth will soon be revealed once we investigate.

...

The atmosphere inside the Zichen Palace grew increasingly cold, even more so than in winter. Those below kept their eyes downcast, fearing that hearing such secrets would cost them their lives.

In the utter silence, Emperor Zhaowen, as if struck by a thought, suddenly asked, "Little girl of the Xiao family, since your current identity is that of a distant relative of Ce'an's maternal clan, and Ce'an is deeply in love with you, does Ce'an know your true identity?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze instantly returned to the woman kneeling in the center of the hall.

Jie Xiangsi replied calmly, "Your Majesty, he is unaware of this."