Chapter 97: Mistakes

This was a token of her daughter's love for her, so Princess Gao always carried it with her.

But how could a mother let her daughter's heart be melted by water? So before she went into the water, she remembered that she still had the amulet with her, so she naturally handed it to Yan Penglai and asked him to keep it for her.

"If this item were discarded near where Princess Gao fell into the water, it would surely lead to trouble and an investigation, leading to the discovery of the truth that Princess Gao did not commit suicide. However, for Lord Yan, this item still has a use—you need it to tell Princess Changyi that you are the person the princess trusted most before she committed suicide, so that you can carry out your subsequent plan to kill Zheng Raoan, expose Princess Changyi, and destroy the princess's mansion. Therefore, you must take it with you.

"But carrying this amulet is extremely unsafe, especially after Princess Gao's death. Her body could be discovered at any time, and everyone present would surely search it. If discovered, all would be lost. Fortunately, there's a stone platform outside the pavilion. You can quietly lean over the edge and slip this thin amulet into the crevice.

"Normally, no one would deliberately bend down from the stone foundation to examine the cracks. Once the princess dies, the Princess of Changyi will certainly seal off that section of the river to offer a memorial and summon her spirit. All you have to do is find her, take the amulet from the cracks, and give it to her, and you'll gain her trust.

"Sure enough, after learning of her mother's suicide, Princess Changyi began to conspire with you. You even helped her devise a plan for the princess to die with her eyes wide open, successfully forcing a marriage on the crown prince and earning Princess Changyi's complete trust. Then, you quietly murdered Zheng Raoan, used the cinnabar pendant to create the illusion that Shangluo's disappearance was connected to the princess's residence, and then orchestrated a plot to have Princess Changyi cause trouble in my residence, seizing the opportunity to transfer Shangluo to the princess's residence.

"Everything was originally flawless. Princess Gao had a suicide note and a body, and you calmly unfolded your plan, allowing us to follow your steps step by step in the investigation, ultimately completely destroying the Princess's Mansion and the Princess of Changyi. The only unexpected thing was that Princess Gao's body floated down the river to our waterside pavilion early on, frightening Shangluo so much that he almost fell off the stone platform. This is how he discovered the amulet you had tucked into the crevice of the stone. As a result, you needed to make him disappear before you could proceed with your plan."

When Qiandeng said this, everyone's eyes were fixed on Yan Penglai.

"Lord Yan, do you admit your guilt for what you have done?"

Unable to refute, his lips trembled bluely, and even his voice seemed broken: "County Princess, you are really too serious. In fact, it doesn't matter whether there is truth in the world. Sometimes, when you reveal the truth, it will cause trouble. What's the point?"

"Do you think I don't need to expose you?"

"I've told you, Lady County, I have never and will never hurt you."

The water ripples in the breeze, the pear blossoms are dotted, and Yan Penglai's face looks hazy in this spring day.

His words were low, like a sigh. "At least, I have a clear conscience. I eliminated your enemies for you, exposed the Crown Princess's ulterior motives for the Queen and the Crown Prince, and even helped the court resolve a disaster. I only wanted to return to my hometown clean. Why did the County Lady stop me and expose everything I did to the world?"

Qian Deng stared at him with a sharp gaze. She asked word by word, "Do you really have a clear conscience? Do you think you are clean?"

"Those I eliminated were those who deserved to die."

"So, what did Shangluo do wrong? Why should he suffer a lifetime of pain because of your mistakes?"

Yan Penglai slowly turned his head to look at Shang Luo. Seeing him being supported by Ji Linyou, his body limp and leaning against him, he was stunned for a moment before he said vaguely, "Yes, I'm sorry, Xiao Luo. I detained him because I was afraid he would ruin my subsequent plans. But... I didn't harm him. I also changed my plan for him and sent him back safely..."

"Although you didn't kill Shangluo, thanks to you, Doctor Liao diagnosed that his limbs were completely damaged. For the rest of his life... he might be unable to walk, his limbs worn out."

When everyone heard this, they looked at the fourteen-year-old boy in front of them in shock and sadness.

Born into a wealthy family, he grew up under the protection of his father and still has some childish habits. But before his future life even began, he had already been struck by such a cruel illness that he might never again be able to run and jump like other children.

"Brother Penglai..." Shangluo looked at Yan Penglai, opened his lips, and wanted to say something but the choked breath got stuck in his throat.

After a long moment, he gently asked, "Why did you kill? Why did you want to hurt me... Why did you have to go this far?"

A look of grief finally appeared on Yan Penglai's usually cold face.

As if his legs couldn't support his body, he staggered back two steps and muttered, "Because... because I have a younger brother. If he were still alive, he would be about the same age as you are now... I also have a younger sister, even younger than you. I carried her all the way up. When she couldn't even call mom and dad, she called me 'brother' first..."

Big tears welled up in his eyes, and everyone around him didn't know why.

"I'm sorry, Princess, I lied to you... I killed Princess Gao and Zheng Raoan not just because I wanted to help you, nor for the sake of the court. I... really hated them, and I had to kill them!"

The immortal young man's elegance and refinement had completely vanished. His body and voice were trembling, and he could barely form a complete sentence. Each word seemed to be squeezed out of his chest with difficulty.

"Because they wronged me, just like... I wronged you back then. To gain Princess Gao's trust, I condemned you to a tragic fate of marrying a misfortune. I traded your suffering for my present situation. And Zheng Raoan, back then, used me to secure his path to success...

"If it weren't for him and Princess Gao, my parents and siblings would all have lived a good life in this world. Even if our family lived in poverty, even if I never got to where I am today and spent my whole life in the countryside, frustrated and unhappy, I really want them to be alive. I want to return to the mud-walled hut by the Mianchi Lake, back to the time when I was not called Yan Penglai..."

At that time, he had loving parents and younger siblings.

His family has dozens of acres of fertile land. His father is a good farmer and also skilled in masonry. His mother is an excellent embroiderer. Although the family is not rich, they have enough food and clothing.

He started to learn at the clan school at the age of six. Soon his clan discovered that he had a talent for reading and sent him to a formal school.

He was very good at studying and could memorize everything he read, making him a favorite of his teacher. In addition, he was very handsome, and became a prodigy praised by everyone in the county. Even the county magistrate Zheng Raoan noticed him and often asked him to come to his banquets to compose poems.

When Shang Nanliu, the top scholar in the imperial examination, came to Mianchi to visit ancient sites, Zheng Raoan specially brought the thirteen-year-old boy with him to let him experience the literary style.

He grew into a fairy tree in Yaochi, enjoying a smooth and happy life, until the late spring of his sixteenth year, when pear blossoms bloomed like snow. His father was away doing corvée labor, his mother went to work as an embroidery worker for a neighbor, and he studied under the pear tree, caring for his younger siblings.

That day, he heard the sound of horse hooves outside the low wall. He looked up and saw a group of horseback riders coming up the path. They were all dressed in luxurious clothes and had extraordinary demeanor.

Surrounded by a group of people was a noble lady wearing a flowery brocade dress, adorned with gold and jade, looking graceful and elegant.

The spring breeze was rustling, and she looked up to see a young man leaning against a pear tree in the yard reading a book. He was wearing an ordinary cloth shirt, but among the scattered falling pear blossoms, he looked ethereal, unlike any other ordinary person.

She reined in her horse and looked him over.

Yan Penglai closed his book, walked to the courtyard wall and asked her, "What can I do for you, my guest?"

This distant question made her laugh happily. She glanced around the courtyard and raised her chin to point to the well. "The sun is high and people are thirsty. Can you give me a bowl of water, young master?"