Chapter 27

After a long silence, Xi Yimin said worriedly, "I will write back to my godfather immediately and tell him that the person impersonating me is the Third Prince."

In Fengcheng, at the Third Prince's residence, Leng Xue Ran and Leng Ying sat on chairs by the pond in the garden pavilion. Leng Xue Ran gazed absently at the fish in the water, lost in thought. Leng Ying, noticing her sister's reverie, called out, "Sister." Leng Xue Ran didn't answer. Leng Ying raised her voice, "Sister!" Leng Xue Ran snapped out of her reverie and turned to look at Leng Ying, asking, "What is it?" Seeing her sister's troubled expression, Leng Ying softened her tone, "Sister, do you know what the Third Prince's intentions are in holding us hostage here?" Leng Xue Ran shook her head, saying, "I don't know either. Too many things have happened in Fengcheng lately. That imposter Guan Haoshan might actually be the Third Prince." Just then, the Third Prince approached from a distance, smiling, "Xue Ran is truly..." "You're so clever, you immediately guessed I was impersonating Guan Haoshan." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran said coldly, "I don't care why the Third Prince impersonated Guan Haoshan and did this anti-court thing, nor do I want to know the reason, but why have you imprisoned my sister and me here?" The Third Prince laughed, "Xue Ran, do you know how important you are? As for the Crown Princess, she's also very important. The Crown Prince cares about you so much, he'd probably be willing to die for you." Hearing this, the two women turned pale and angrily said, "What exactly do you intend to do?" The Third Prince laughed loudly, "For the imperial power!" Upon hearing such treasonous words, the two women retreated and angrily said, "The Emperor is your father, and the Crown Prince is your brother. Blood is thicker than water, but that can't overcome..." "What about imperial power?" The Third Prince's face suddenly turned cold, and he angrily said, "I can't resist! I'm ultimately no match for Father's favor. Otherwise, why would he have chosen my sixth brother, who is inferior to me in every way, as Crown Prince? It's all because of that woman." Hearing this man's inexplicable words, Leng Xue Ran didn't want to say anything more and started walking towards the pavilion's exit. However, the Third Prince stopped Leng Xue Ran, who was about to leave, and smiled, "Xue Ran, there are still many things you don't know. Why don't I tell you? Otherwise, being my pawn is too unfair." Leng Xue Ran looked at the man in front of her and sneered, "Isn't it just that you want to use me to threaten my father? Forget about it. Father won't be threatened by you." The Third Prince smiled at the woman in front of him. The prince said leisurely, "That's one thing. There's something else Xue Ran would never even imagine." Seeing the man's mysterious tone, Leng Xue Ran said coldly, "Since that's the case, I don't want to know. I hope the Third Prince will realize his mistake and not ruin his future for things he can't have." Upon hearing this, the Third Prince laughed loudly, "Xue Ran is really boring. Now that I've come to this point, how could I possibly realize my mistake? Since Xue Ran isn't interested in what I'm about to say, then I won't say anything. You and the Crown Princess should just stay here in the mansion. There are many experts in the courtyard. Escaping will be difficult. Moreover, this mansion has belonged to this mansion for more than ten years. I doubt your sweetheart would ever imagine that she would be in this mansion. No matter how good your martial arts are, it will be of no use."

Xi Yimin searched Fengcheng for over half a month without finding Leng Xueran and the Crown Princess. Leng Shouqing also arrived in Fengcheng, and the army entered the city. Leng Shouqing was currently residing in the Fengcheng government office. That night, Xi Yimin sneaked into the office. Leng Shouqing seemed to know she was coming, sitting in the courtyard drinking wine. There were no guards. Xi Yimin came out directly and said apologetically, "Father." Leng Shouqing waved his hand, signaling her not to speak, and said with a heavy heart, "Should I call you Haoshan or Yimin?" Xi Yimin sat opposite Leng Shouqing and calmly said, "My name is now Xi Yimin. Guan Haoshan is dead, and from now on..." "There is no such person as Guan Haoshan in this world." "In that case, I will call you Yimin. Let's put aside our past grievances for now. The priority now is to rescue the two children. I'm afraid I'll have to entrust you with another important task." Hearing this, Xi Yimin remained silent for a long while, then drank the wine prepared for him in the cup on the table, looked up at the middle-aged man before him, and said, "Godfather, please give your orders. For Xue Ran's sake, Yimin will do whatever it takes." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing's worries deepened. "Has Yimin truly developed such immoral feelings for Xue Ran?" Xi Yimin said seriously, "Godfather, love in this world is inherently difficult, and..." "He followed his heart, what's wrong with that? Yimin's only mistake is being a woman, but his feelings for Xue Ran are absolutely true. For her, what does it matter if he gives up his life?" Leng Shouqing was moved by her sincere words. "What does Xue Ran think?" Hearing this, Xi Yimin smiled gently and said, "Xue Ran naturally has me in her heart." After a long silence, Leng Shouqing said helplessly, "If she truly loves you too, then your godfather will no longer interfere. But this matter cannot be resolved simply by my not interfering. There are so many constraints and worldly shackles that you must overcome... I only hope that you can..." "Happiness shouldn't end like mine, a lonely journey I've taken alone." Looking at Leng Shouqing's sorrowful words, Xi Yimin was deeply moved and said softly, "To desire and not obtain is inherently painful. Why not let go, Father...? Was it worth making so many mistakes for what you can't have? Father! Don't continue down this path." Leng Shouqing shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Yimin understands. Some people would rather lose their lives than let go. What's the point of questioning whether it's worth it? Even if it's not worth it, you still have to do it because you're willing. Father, you also want to stop making mistakes, but now..." "How could I possibly have a choice?" Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Xi Yimin said helplessly, "Father, is there some plan for Yimin to follow?" Leng Shouqing composed himself and said seriously, "Since I've come, the Third Prince will definitely threaten me with the safety of Xue Ran and Ying'er. I will have no choice but to compromise and surrender to him." Hearing this, Xi Yimin hurriedly retorted, "Father, we have other ways, why bother..." Before he could finish speaking, Leng Shouqing interrupted him, "Yimin, listen to me first." Xi Yimin looked at the serious and stubborn person in front of him, remained silent for a long time, and nodded. Seeing this, Leng Shouqing continued, "This..." "When I came last time, the Emperor sent me 30,000 troops. Only 10,000 entered Fengcheng, leaving 20,000. I ordered them to disguise themselves as bandits and encamp on a desolate mountain ten miles south of Fengcheng." At this point, Leng Shouqing took something from his robes and handed it to Xi Yimin, saying, "Take this. This is the tiger tally for those 20,000 troops. After I surrender to the Third Prince, you will attack him under the pretext of 'purging the court of traitors and eliminating corrupt officials.' You will now be my deputy general, but this identity must not be revealed to anyone." Leng Shouqing then took out another object from his robes and handed it to Xi Yimin. "This is a token. Show this to the soldiers' leader, and he will know you are their new leader. Remember to keep it safe and don't let it fall into the wrong hands." Xi Yimin solemnly accepted the token and said earnestly, "Yimin will certainly keep it safe and obey my godfather's orders." Leng Shouqing nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "In that case, I can rest assured. Rescuing Xue Ran and Ying'er depends on you." Xi Yimin nodded solemnly, "I will do my best. Godfather, please be careful as well." Leng Shouqing said calmly, "Since the Third Prince wants to seize the throne, he won't easily harm them. He will use Xue Ran and Ying'er's power to intimidate..." "There are too many people threatening us, so you still have some time to prepare. However, I'm afraid the Third Prince might act unpredictably and harm the two of them. Therefore, Yimin needs to come up with a solution as soon as possible." Hearing this, Xi Yimin frowned and said worriedly, "Father, I've searched every suspicious place in and around Fengcheng these past few days, but I've found nothing." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing pondered for a while and said, "You should also search places that aren't suspicious. The least suspicious place might be the most likely place. You can't let any place slip by." Hearing this, Xi Yimin suddenly understood and said urgently, "Yes, Yimin will go investigate now."

In Fengcheng, inside the Third Prince's residence, Leng Xue Ran and Leng Ying were reading in the pavilion in the courtyard, as usual. That day, Leng Xue Ran felt unwell in her stomach and kept wanting to vomit, but nothing came out. Leng Ying put down her medical books and came to Leng Xue Ran's side, asking worriedly, "Sister, is your stomach upset?" Leng Xue Ran shook her head, indicating that she was fine. "Perhaps my stomach has caught a chill. I'll drink some warm soup later and I'll feel better." Without thinking further, Leng Ying replied, "I'll have someone make some soup now, so we don't have to wait until later." After saying that, she left the pavilion to find someone to make soup. As soon as she left, Leng Xue Ran started vomiting again, but nothing came out.

A few days later, Leng Xueran's vomiting symptoms still hadn't improved, and Leng Ying couldn't help but worry. "Sister, may I take your pulse? Let me see if you've caught another illness, so I can prescribe the right medicine." Seeing Leng Ying's concern, she put aside the grudge she had held against the relocated people and said softly, "Then I'll trouble you, sister."