Xuanyuan Yue seemed to have no recollection of how she returned to her palace.
Upon entering, one sees Mei Zhixuan's long shadow stretched across the floor under the dim light of a candle, mirroring the complex emotions of confusion, sorrow, and loss that fill the room.
At this moment, the person was quietly focusing his bright eyes on a specially made transparent glass bottle on a wooden shelf in front of the west window in a corner of the hall.
Inside the glass bottle, a pair of divine butterflies are gracefully dancing, their wings fluttering incessantly in the lonely night, emitting twinkling lights that shift between deep blue, azure, and light blue, creating an elegant and beautiful scene.
In the candlelight, his gentle and clear eyes were fixed on a handsome face as smooth as jade, and a slight smile would occasionally appear at the corners of his mouth, as if a ray of light had been shining between his brows.
Xuan Yuan Yue leaned against the door, gazing greedily at the peaceful scene before her, a scene she had longed for so long and had finally witnessed. She silently thought to herself, "He was once such a warm person, but now he's like this..."
The scenes unfolding before my eyes are all so familiar, as if they were happening just yesterday, yet everything has changed.
Xuan Yuan Yue felt extremely wronged, realizing that she had never felt so heartbroken and disappointed before.
She stood quietly against the doorframe, looking at the tall, imposing figure that she knew so well all her life. This man, who had somehow become someone she both loved and hated, someone she both knew and hated, someone she felt was both familiar and unfamiliar with, she thought of every little thing they had shared together in the past and present, and she couldn't help but shed tears silently.
She was once young and arrogant, proudly believing that as the only noble eldest princess of the Western Qin Kingdom on the Lingkong Continent, there was nothing in this world that she was not worthy of, including a perfect and ideal husband.
However, she ultimately trampled on her self-respect and condescended to marry a foreign prince who was not only of lowly birth but also not valued by his father, the emperor.
Even so, she always firmly believed that she had finally married for love, so all her choices and sacrifices were worthwhile.
Now, until that woman in the backyard appeared, that woman who, for some reason, refused to acknowledge her identity.
At this point, for the first time in her life, she hesitated: if so, what was she?
Throughout the day, she kept convincing herself and compromising until she could even accept that Mei Zhixuan, like all men in the world, had three wives and four concubines, which was perfectly acceptable and natural.
However, no matter what, she just couldn't convince herself to share this man with Yi Shangyun.
As for the reasons during that period, there are too many to list...
Lost in thought, she suddenly burst into tears and ran towards the tall figure in front of her. She grabbed him tightly from behind and hugged him around the waist, saying with great grievance, "Your Highness, why? Why does it have to be her? Why is this happening?"
Mei Zhixuan had already noticed her presence in the palace. How could he not know? All the worries he had been harboring had finally come to pass.
Yet, this embrace still gave him a jolt.
A moment later, he silently and slowly turned around, opened his arms and embraced her, his eyes filled with love, pity and heartache, mixed with the utmost tenderness.
He rested his smooth chin on her forehead and asked softly with concern, "Yue'er, what's wrong?"
Nestled tenderly in Mei Zhixuan's warm embrace, Xuanyuan Yue frowned and suddenly blurted out, "Your Highness, did you already know Yun'er a long time ago?"
As expected, it was because of her. After a moment of silence, Mei Zhixuan knew that he could no longer hide it, and there was no need to anymore. He hadn't expected things to develop so well and so quickly than he had planned. So he told the truth: "Yes!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue was immediately startled. After a moment's thought, she continued to ask, "Your Highness, did you know Yun'er before you knew Yue'er?"
It was a secret he couldn't bring himself to say. Mei Zhixuan could only silently tell himself, "I've known her since before she was even born! But Yue'er, how can I explain this to you? Everything is at a critical moment right now. Please forgive my selfishness. I'm doing this for the future of our family of three. Yue'er, I'm sorry. One day in the future, you will understand everything."
He took a deep breath, thought it over carefully, and then answered simply and frankly, "Yes, that's right."
For a long while, the two remained silent, neither of them speaking, as if the whole world had frozen in time.
The two of them gazed intently at the pair of butterflies dancing together, seemingly having each made a secret decision in their hearts.
"Smack!"
In the silent palace, a very loud slap suddenly rang out.
Xuan Yuan Yue pushed Mei Zhi Xuan away from her embrace and suddenly turned around, delivering a heavy slap to his handsome, fair face unexpectedly.
Seemingly gritting his teeth and struggling to suppress his immense anger, he said bitterly, "Mei Zhixuan, I hate you..."
Mei Zhixuan had no time to care about the pain on his face and hurriedly reached out to hug Xuan Yuan Yue again, but Xuan Yuan Yue took two steps back and dodged his outstretched hand.
Helpless, Mei Zhixuan could only hurriedly explain to her, "Yue'er, some things are not as you think. I swear, one day in the future, you will understand that everything I have done today is only for you and our Hai'er."
Looking at the man before her, she had never felt so full of doubt. After a moment, she asked in a trembling voice, "Is that so?"
Mei Zhixuan nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, Yue'er, you can trust me."
It has to be admitted that even now, Xuan Yuan Yue still holds onto a sliver of hope for him, so she said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, then please give me an explanation so that I can believe that everything you've said is true."
Mei Zhixuan stared at her in surprise, but couldn't say anything. In the end, he could only repeat, "Explain?"
Xuanyuan Yue blinked, forcing back her inner pain and mustering what seemed to be her last bit of strength to say, "Yes, for example, His Highness told Yue'er personally that the person living in the backyard, the so-called fallen young master, the one who is constantly guarded by your personal maid and not allowed to let anyone get close, is not actually a woman; her true identity is not the young lady of a pharmacist's mansion in the Western Qin Kingdom; she... her real name is not Yi Shangyun."
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yue staring blankly into his eyes, speaking each word with unprecedented seriousness, Mei Zhixuan remained silent for a moment before exhaling a deep breath and saying, "I went to great lengths to hide her in Dongning Kingdom, but I never expected that you would still find out in the end."
"Hmph..." Xuan Yuan Yue snorted coldly, then continued, "Although Yue'er cannot match Your Highness's extensive experience in judging people, I can still recognize Yi Shang Yun at a glance, even if she were reduced to ashes. Besides, 'dressing as a man' is just a little trick that Yue'er was already tired of playing when she was a child. Your Highness is underestimating Yue'er too much!"
"Yue'er, I..."
In his excitement, Mei Zhixuan seemed to want to say something more, but he swallowed his words as soon as he opened his mouth.
Clearly, he was still very clear-headed. This matter was of utmost importance; success or failure hinged on this one move, on this one person. He dared not gamble on Xuan Yuan Yue, nor could he afford to.
At this moment, in Xuan Yuan Yue's heart and eyes, she so desperately wanted to hear a heartfelt word from Mei Zhi Xuan.
Gradually, she even convinced herself that even if he was just making up some excuse to coax her, she could believe and forgive him, and continue to be friends with him as before, living the muddled life she had always turned a blind eye to.
Even with such a simple request, he couldn't fulfill it.
With this thought in mind, she closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her face.
She took a deep breath, and in the end, without saying another word to him, she turned and left angrily.
"Yue'er, it's late, where are you going?"
Seeing her eyes filled with disappointment as she walked slowly toward the palace gate, looking utterly dejected, Mei Zhixuan suddenly felt anxious and hurriedly asked.
“Starting tonight, I will move in with Hai’er.” Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly stopped and said in a deep voice.
Mei Zhixuan stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Yue'er, what are you doing?"
Xuanyuan Yue countered, "Then does Your Highness know what you are doing?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan was instantly at a loss for words and could only calmly say, "Do you really have to talk to me like this?"
After a moment's thought, Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Heh..."
The laughter seemed to mock her for lingering there, as she should have left without any regrets. It also seemed to reflect regret for all the decisions and actions she had taken. At this moment, in front of this man, everything seemed so self-indulgent and utterly foolish.
Seeing her finally turn away from the palace with a resolute expression and never look back, Mei Zhixuan called out loudly to her retreating figure, "Yue'er, come back here!"
As soon as Xuan Yuan Yue lifted her skirt and stepped out of the palace gate, she heard a series of crisp sounds behind her, like a glass bottle shattering on the ground.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue gently closed her eyes, paused, then opened them again and strode away...
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