accept

Inside the study.

After Yan Qing entered, the door was closed from the outside, and silence fell again inside.

Rong Xuan looked up as soon as he opened the door, his gaze fixed on her.

After she sat down, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Have you figured it out yet?"

The question is about Rong Xiao's death.

She nodded and said slowly, "It was Vice General Jiang who led the troops in rebellion, using the lives of the people of the city as leverage. Rong Xiao committed suicide."

Before he could finish speaking, the man's eyes reddened, as if he was unwilling to accept it. He said, "My men were clearly watching them the whole time, how could this happen?"

“Rong Xiao was already highly skilled in martial arts. If someone else had tried to kill him, they would not have succeeded. But they were using tens of thousands of civilians to coerce him. Before Rong Xiao died, they killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in front of him. They spared no one, including the elderly, women, children, and strong men. What do you think he would choose? If he didn’t choose the civilians, then he wouldn’t be Rong Xiao.”

Her explanation trailed off, her tone turning somber. "This is my fault. I underestimated the Crown Prince's ambitions..."

"No, it's not your fault, it's Rong Zhang's fault."

Hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Rong Xuan was no longer immersed in self-blame.

But what follows will only be a bigger blow; hopefully, he can pull through.

Therefore, Yan Qing presented the current situation to him.

“Rong Zhang and the Jiang family, since they dare to do this, they are openly opposing the emperor. Their intention is very clear: they want to force the emperor to abdicate. What you do now is crucial. We can't let him drag the whole country into this swamp.”

He nodded. "We won't let them have their way."

It's time to tell that story.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Are you aware that there are rumors circulating about you in the capital right now?"

The other person nodded again, and then tried to reassure her.

"This is just to generate buzz for what they're about to do; ignore it, I've already made arrangements..."

"It's true."

The man, who was about to explain his arrangements in detail, froze for a moment before realizing what Yan Qing had said. "What did you say?"

“Consort Cheng, Cheng Yue is your birth mother. You and the Fourth Prince were switched at birth.”

In just a few dozen words, she encapsulated Rong Xuan's resentment and inner turmoil over the past decade since she became conscious.

After a long pause, he asked, "Is it true?"

Yan Qing felt a lump in her throat and couldn't speak. She nodded as she looked into his shining eyes.

A tear fell the moment she lowered her head, leaving a glistening mark on her face. It was hard to imagine that someone like her could shed tears.

She became somewhat flustered, gripping the table tightly with her hands.

She gave him some time to calm down, but there was no improvement whatsoever, and she couldn't help but start to doubt whether she could still mend him.

But she had already made this decision, and there was no reason for her to back down now.

She spoke softly, but her voice overlapped with Rong Xuan's.

"You should go back first."

What do you think of the identity of the male owner of the Cat Tea House?

After those two sentences, no one spoke again.

The cold wind howled outside, causing the lights in the courtyard to flicker, and rustling sounds drifted into the house.

So long that Yan Qing thought he hadn't heard her clearly and wanted to repeat herself, she heard him mumble, "You pity me."

Yes, after learning everything, she did feel a similar sense of pity.

But what made her waver was definitely not because he was pitiful enough. There are many pitiful people in the world, and he, a prince who was pampered since childhood, is nowhere near that level.

Yan Qing was very dissatisfied with his conclusion, which was a rejection of her opinion.

She reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him straight up. With her other hand, she pinched his chin and gritted her teeth, saying, "I would never give up my feelings just because I pity someone."

She gripped him tightly, leaving red finger marks on both sides of his cheeks, the red blending with the crimson at the corners of his eyes. She loosened her grip and wiped his eye with her thumb.

The warm touch faded, and then a low voice amplified infinitely in the still night, filling his hearing.

"Yes, I pity you. Then do you dare to use everything you have to exchange your pity for your one true love?"

Rong Xuan's pupils slowly dilated before her eyes, his palms trembling slightly as he said, "I want it. I want it. I have nothing left. I want you to pity me, I want you to love me, pity only me, love only me."

Yan Qing pulled him into her arms, and the warmth made her feel as if something had returned to its rightful place.

She can control him, and she wants to control him.

She loved him and was willing to accept his love.

"It's fake! It's all fake! Get out!"

When Cheng Yue entered Chenhua Palace, Deng Anhua's hair and headdress were disheveled, sweeping everything in sight to the ground. A vase was broken at her feet, but she didn't even frown. She avoided the shards on the ground, walked to her side, and used some strength to help her to a chair.

Upon seeing the person beside her, she could no longer suppress her emotions and burst into tears like a child, crying out, "This is fake, isn't it?"

Cheng Yue didn't speak, but gently patted the person in her arms, accepting all of her emotions.

When Deng Anhua could no longer cry and was gasping for breath, she patted him gently and said, "I understand you, I understand you. Xiao'er went for the people of his northern border; that was his lifelong ideal. We should put our minds at ease so that his lingering soul is not bound by filial piety. The court has been in chaos lately, and Xuan'er couldn't come to be with you. Just tell me what's on your mind."

She seemed to have lost all her strength, only finding warmth in Cheng Yue's arms.

Once Deng Anhua lay down on the couch and her breathing became long and even, Cheng Yue gently stroked her cheek before getting up and leaving.

The moment she stepped out of Chenhua Palace, Deng Anhua opened her eyes, changed into her magnificent robes without expression, and walked towards the emperor's bedroom.

The previous dynasty was indeed in complete chaos, yet the one who started it all still believed that others were threatening his empire. He heard Deng Anhua waiting outside the palace, and his brow furrowed even more, but he still summoned her in and dismissed the servants.

"What trouble are you causing now?"

"Xiao'er is dead."

The man in the chair showed no grief, only worry. "I know! I'm cleaning up this mess right now. Look at you, what a fine son you've raised! He hastily ended his own life because of a few threats from others, leaving me with a mess!"

She closed her eyes slightly and repeated, "Rong Xiao is dead."

Seeing her unusual mood, he calmed down and said, "I know, I know. Isn't there Rong Xuan? Just go back to your Chenhua Palace and wait. Once this matter is settled, your position will naturally be safe."

"I thought you valued me and Xiao'er, but after all these years I've realized that all you valued was yourself."

These words touched a nerve. He lowered his brows and eyes. After all, he was an emperor, and even a glance from him made people tremble with fear.

But if she doesn't look, who will she bet on?

"I was terribly wrong about what happened back then, and there's no way to make up for it now."

"If you know what's good for you, shut your mouth. If you insist on going against me, then you don't need to open your mouth anymore."

Knowing what she was talking about, his expression turned completely cold.

“Ah—” she said softly, “I was too good at understanding your heart, which is why I betrayed your true feelings.”

He could no longer tolerate her disobedience and ordered her to be taken back to Chenhua Palace to be well cared for.

To put it bluntly, "taking good care of" means being under house arrest and surveillance.

For two consecutive days, Cheng Yue was turned away at Chenhua Palace. The servants reported that either Consort Shu was unwell or was sleeping and unable to receive guests.

She could hardly miss what was unusual, and that's why she was determined to see Deng Anhua today, no matter what.

The servants, assigned by the emperor, couldn't dissuade her and had no choice but to bring up the emperor himself.

"His Majesty said that Consort Shu has been unwell recently and needs to rest well. She is unable to receive guests. He hopes that Consort Shu will forgive him."

"Whether she can see people or not is up to her. What crime has she committed that warrants her imprisonment? Why don't we go together to the Emperor and have a word with him?"

Seeing this, the servant had no choice but to step aside.

After all, the emperor's order was to keep her away from people as much as possible.

This space was reserved specifically for Cheng Yue.

As soon as the palace doors opened, she skipped the maid's help and hurried inside, sitting down next to Deng Anhua.

In just two days, the woman who used to be as light and graceful as a young girl aged decades and now looks extremely haggard.

Cheng Yue's eyes were filled with heartache, and her hand trembled as she reached out to touch the person, but she did not feel any warmth.

Deng Anhua avoided it.

She turned her face away from her, and Cheng Yue felt that an awkwardness had arisen between them again. After dismissing the servants, she said, "What is it that we can't resolve by talking? Why do you have to be angry and sad by yourself?"

Deng Anhua didn't say anything. She pulled away from Cheng Yue's arm, stood barefoot on the ground in plain clothes, which made Cheng Yue frown and was about to go forward to help her.

"Sister, please sit down."

Deng Anhua spoke, his tone so calm that Cheng Yue felt something was beyond her expectations.

She didn't go any further and sat down on the tatami mat.

The person in front of her knelt down and kowtowed to her.

Every time she tried to get up to help him, Deng Anhua stopped her.

When her forehead was bruised and blood splattered on the floor, Cheng Yue could no longer bear it. She straightened Deng Anhua's body, looked into her eyes, and said...

"Whatever you did, I forgive you. Get up first."

But Deng Anhua still shook her head and began to state her guilt.

After she finished speaking, Cheng Yue stopped moving, and Deng Anhua continued to kowtow again and again.

All I could hear was the sound of banging.

She didn't know when Cheng Yue left the main hall; she only knew that the hem of her skirt was getting further and further away from her, never to return.

Of course, she could keep this a secret forever; it was the emperor's job, and she could erase all traces of it. Even if someone was determined to investigate, they wouldn't find anything.

She can continue to be her Consort Shu, continue to have a deep sisterly bond with Cheng Yue, and continue to have a deep mother-son bond with Rong Xuan.

But we can look back on the first half of her life.

After their parents passed away, they lived with their older brother under the care of others.

He thought they would depend on each other for survival, but after entering the palace, he realized that she was just a stepping stone for his career, and he accepted it.

But it didn't earn them any brotherly or sisterly affection in return.

Once she had the benevolent and filial Rong Xiao by her side, he became her everything.

By the time Cheng Yue opened up to her, it was far too late.

She has gone astray.

In this life, what we desire is unattainable, and what we gain is all lost.

She made a mistake, a complete and utter mistake.

She had no way to refute it, nor did she want to.

She was the one who caused this, and she had to admit it.