Xuanyuan Han stretched out a hand to interrupt the rest of the conversation: "You don't need to explain to me. When I decided to come to Dongning, I had already anticipated this day, so I simply brought him along as well."
"Him?" Yi Shangyun asked with a puzzled look.
No sooner had the words left her lips than a familiar voice rang out from outside the door: "Eldest sister!"
Following the sound, Yi Shangyun looked in the direction indicated and, through the screen inside the room, vaguely saw a tall, upright man in black walking in.
As she walked around the screen and entered, she was truly stunned by the person who came before her. The person had his black hair tied up, two handsome, sword-like eyebrows, and a pair of sharp black eyes, like an eagle in the night.
Yi Shangyun could hardly believe her eyes. After carefully examining him from head to toe, she blinked her dark eyes and asked, "You, you are... Jun'er?"
For the first time in his life, Yi Shangjun bowed to Yi Shangyun with utmost seriousness: "Thanks to my elder sister and Your Highness's kindness, I am now a general under His Highness Prince Qin. I owe everything I have today to my elder sister. I thank you for giving me a second chance."
Seeing the changes in Yi Shangjun, Yi Shangyun felt immensely gratified. She looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face, filled with gratitude, and for a moment, she didn't know how to begin: "Your Highness..."
However, Xuan Yuanhan only smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth, staring into her eyes with a look of doting affection.
Looking at Yi Shangjun, who was no longer the same as before, Yi Shangyun was overjoyed. After regaining her senses, she hurriedly asked him, "By the way, Jun'er... Father, Mother, Aunt, and Xue'er, how are they?"
Yi Shangjun said, "Don't worry, elder sister, everything is fine at home."
"Oh..." Upon hearing the news that her family was safe, Yi Shangyun suddenly became depressed and lowered her head.
She knew she should be happy, but at the same time she felt that after going through so much, she was actually so overlooked in the entire Yi family.
Seeing that the smile on her face suddenly disappeared, Xuan Yuanhan instantly understood, and then glared angrily at Yi Shangjun.
Yi Shangjun suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly explained awkwardly, "Elder sister, you don't know this, but when the family learned that you were missing, Father was frantic. That very night, he sent Yan'er and me to brave the heavy rain to search for you in the south of the city. Unfortunately, we missed you. Later, we finally saw Yan'er return, but you were nowhere to be seen. And then, during the battle with Bei Lie, His Highness the Prince of Qin even thought that you had been..."
As he listened, suddenly, Xuan Yuanhan put a fist to his lips and coughed heavily: "Cough cough cough..."
Seeing that Yi Shangyun was looking at him with obvious confusion, Xuan Yuanhan quickly changed his mind and said to Yi Shangjun, "General Yi, why are you talking so much nonsense today?"
"Elder sister, we are all worried about your safety all the time." Yi Shangjun said this hastily, then exhaled a breath and quickly stopped talking.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun felt a surge of warmth in her heart and smiled again.
Xuan Yuanhan reached out and gently took her slender hand, saying, "Don't you want to know who you are?"
"I..." Yi Shangyun hesitated before speaking.
As Xuan Yuanhan spoke, he glanced at Yi Shangjun out of the corner of his eye. Yi Shangjun spoke again, saying, "Elder sister, you may not know this, but the reason why I came to Dongning with Your Highness this time is because I was entrusted by my father to tell you about your background."
The smile on Yi Shangyun's face vanished, and he asked in confusion, "My background?"
Yi Shangjun frowned and began to explain slowly, "Yes, my elder sister's background!"
...
After hearing Yi Shangjun's words, Yi Shangyun had unconsciously clenched his fists.
Xuan Yuanhan felt extremely distressed upon seeing this. He quietly reached out and took her hand firmly in his palm with his large, strong hands. With a gentle look in his eyes, he asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Yi Shangyun couldn't believe it, much less accept it, and suddenly resisted, saying, "But all of this is just your speculation. There's no evidence to prove whether I am or not, is that right?"
Seeing the questioning look in Yi Shangyun's eyes, Xuan Yuanhan said, "A few days ago, my spy who was planted by the side of the King of Dongning sent word that the late Empress of Dongning had a seven-colored gold and jade bracelet, which was passed down through generations of the Empress's lineage."
Before she could finish speaking, Yi Shangyun's thoughts became chaotic again, and she muttered to herself, "A seven-colored gold-threaded jade bracelet, a bracelet..."
At this moment, Yi Shangjun, who was standing to the side, seemed to remember something and hurriedly spoke up again: "Yes, that bracelet, does elder sister still remember? She once had an argument with mother and almost smashed that bracelet, nearly destroying it."
In an instant, Yi Shangyun's chaotic memories, coupled with what Yi Shangjun had just said, softened her already complicated feelings because of the gentle gaze in the eyes of the man in front of her.
She frowned and stared at him for a moment, then smiled faintly, suppressing her inner struggle, and slowly shook her head to reassure him.
After he calmed down a bit, Yi Shangjun continued, "Before Jun'er came, Father repeatedly told him to ask his elder sister to forgive him for not telling you about your background for the past ten years. He originally thought it was for your own good, but he never expected that it would harm you. Father said that he finally understands that, like your birth mother, the dazzling brilliance you both possess cannot be concealed by anyone."
Yi Shangyun pondered for a moment, then murmured to himself, "No, from childhood to adulthood, I have wronged my father."
After a moment of silence, seemingly unable to fully process all the information, she recalled the scenes and details that had occurred in the Western Qin Kingdom and the Yi family, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Xuanyuan Han placed one hand on her shoulder, silently accompanying her and giving her strength. After a while, Yi Shangyun composed herself and said gratefully, "Jun'er, thank you for telling me all this. Tell me who I am."
Yi Shangjun pursed his lips and silently withdrew.
The room was silent.
Xuan Yuanhan slowly turned Yi Shangyun to his side, his large, warm hands sliding down her shoulders until he took her hands in his. Looking into her tear-filled eyes, he said earnestly, "No matter who you are or what you want to do, from now on, you will no longer be alone. I will take care of everything for you. You just need to stay obediently by my side."
Upon hearing Xuan Yuanhan's heartfelt and affectionate words, tears that had been welling up in Yi Shangyun's eyes instantly streamed down her face. Xuan Yuanhan gently wiped them away and pulled her tightly into his broad embrace.
After a long tender moment, Yi Shangyun suddenly whispered in his arms, "Actually, even if I wanted to prove that I am truly the legitimate princess of Dongning Kingdom, now that I have lost my bracelet, I'm afraid I will never be able to prove myself."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan paused for a moment, thinking to himself, "Could it be that the identity of the legitimate princess of Dongning Kingdom is really so important to you? Perhaps I shouldn't be so selfish; this is simply unfair to you."
After thinking it over, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly pushed her away from his body, which was pressed close to him, and said mysteriously, "Close your eyes."
Looking into his deep, gentle eyes, Yi Shangyun asked, puzzled, "Your Highness..."
Xuan Yuanhan said with a doting expression, "Be good, close your eyes..."
As Yi Shangyun gently closed her eyes, Xuan Yuanhan slowly took out something wrapped in a white handkerchief from his sleeve. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly opened it and held it out to Yi Shangyun's eyes: "Open your eyes!"
"This, this isn't... how could this be? How did the bracelet end up in His Highness's hands?" Yi Shangyun stared wide-eyed at the thing he had lost and found again, speechless with astonishment.
Xuanyuan Han said, "At the final moment of the Northern Lie War, I had already captured Tuoba Ze, the mastermind behind this war. But he lied to me, claiming to know your whereabouts, and used this to blackmail me. If I didn't release him, your life would be in danger. Therefore..."
The past events, though now gone, seem as if they happened just yesterday. Even now, Xuan Yuanhan still gasped.
Yi Shangyun examined the bracelet in her hand for a while, then suddenly frowned and gritted her teeth, saying, "So, Your Highness, for Yun'er's sake, really released that heinous criminal who was finally captured with great difficulty."
Xuanyuan Han nodded slightly and said, "Fortunately, he did manage to have the gold-threaded jade bracelet brought back to me by horse. Now that I think about it, perhaps this was fate!"
After a moment of silence, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly raised his hand and took the bracelet from Yi Shangyun's hand, saying, "Come, let me personally put yours on."
Yi Shangyun happily lifted one sleeve high, and instantly, a dazzling and precious red mark appeared on her fair arm.
Xuan Yuanhan stopped what he was doing when he saw the sudden burst of red before him. He stared at it in astonishment, his eyes wide, and for the first time in his life, he stammered, "You, how come you still have the mark of virginity?"
He then realized that all of this was orchestrated by Mei Xiyuan and Lu Tianjiao from beginning to end, and Yi Shangyun seemed completely unaware of it.
So be it. She shouldn't have to endure all this. He wished she would never know about these despicable schemes and tricks.
Just as he was surprised by this, Yun's soft body suddenly fell into his arms, and she said with great heartache, "Your Highness must have suffered a lot in the battle of Beilie. It's all Yun'er's fault. Yun'er shouldn't have believed other people's instigation, and Yun'er shouldn't have doubted Your Highness's heart. All the mistakes are Yun'er's fault. Yun'er is really regretful now."
Xuanyuan Han slowly withdrew his thoughts, then rested his smooth chin on Yi Shangyun's forehead, gently stroking her shoulder with one hand, and said meaningfully, "No matter what I have been through, as long as you have returned, safe and sound, even if I suffer any more hardships, I will be willing to endure it all."
The room was quiet, and the light, air, and atmosphere seemed just right, making one feel warm and sweet.
Outside the window, fireworks soared into the night sky one after another, blooming brilliantly...
Looking out the window at the fireworks filling the sky, Xuanyuan Han thought to himself with silent joy, "So, everything can be even more complete..."
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