Hua Mancheng followed Feng Jin to the Zhenbei General's Mansion. Pushing open the two heavy vermilion gates, Hua Mancheng paused, glancing at the dust-covered entrance that had been neglected for a long time. Then, she followed Feng Jin inside.
Deep within the courtyard, the dilapidated houses before me no longer emit any smoke from their chimneys. The garden is barren, and a heavy sense of death permeates the air. The General's Mansion is now a desolate and secluded place.
Reaching the center of the courtyard, Feng Jin suddenly stopped, turned to Hua Mancheng with a grave expression, and asked, "Do you know who used to live here?"
Carefully examining the surroundings, Hua Mancheng rested his chin on one hand, his face serious: "Although this courtyard shows signs of being destroyed, it's not hard to tell that it used to be a very grand mansion. In my opinion, the owner of this place must have been at least a general, right?"
"This place was originally called the Zhenbei General's Mansion. The master of the mansion was Yu Changxiao. He was a very important figure. He was once appointed as the Zhenbei General by the late emperor. Later, he was framed and accused of treason. In one night, all 128 people in the general's mansion died unjustly."
When she said these words, her tone was unusually calm, as if she were just telling someone else's story with profound meaning. Perhaps because her heart was dead, she felt nothing when these things were mentioned now.
"So that's how it is? I knew this place was unusual." Looking at Feng Jin's expression, which remained unchanged from beginning to end with cold indifference, Hua Mancheng scratched his head, puzzled by what she had just said. "But... how does the Princess know all this? Do you know them?"
Feng Jin stared at the ruins in front of her for a long time, then turned to Hua Mancheng and said calmly, "Then guess what happened in that place?"
Hua Mancheng did not reply immediately, but looked at her calm yet subtly sorrowful expression, pondering the unspoken meaning of her words.
Feng Jin took a deep breath and slightly lifted her eyes. As she reflected the broken tiles and ruins, her eyes gradually became empty.
"The daughter of that family head, Yu Qianqian, learned here that her family had been wiped out, and that she had been betrayed and murdered by her fiancé and best friend. In the end, to avenge herself, she impersonated the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family and married into the Prince Jing's mansion..."
An imposter, the daughter of a general… her identity is so complicated! No wonder, when I was with her before, I always vaguely felt that she was hiding many secrets.
Hua Mancheng's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes, which pierced through the depths of her soul, held a hint of disbelief.
She stared intently at Hua Mancheng, her tone growing increasingly cold: "And I am Yu Qianqian, the daughter of General Yu Changxiao, who still carries the name of a traitor. Do you also feel regret now, regret saving the daughter of a high-ranking criminal of the court just now?"
Upon hearing Feng Jin's words, Hua Mancheng was immediately shocked. His heart stirred, and he quickly took a step forward towards her, his voice high-pitched and impassioned: "What are you saying? I don't care if you are the daughter of the Prime Minister or the daughter of a general. I only know that you are my only confidante, a friend who has shared life and death with me through thick and thin! But... I never expected that you, a weak woman, would bear so much alone."
With his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes fixed on her face, he said confidently, "Your Highness, rest assured, as long as I, Hua Mancheng, am here, I will not allow anyone to harm you in the slightest."
After a long silence, Feng Jin suddenly smiled and said, "Thank you, Hua Mancheng. You still make me feel that I haven't lost completely. At least now, you're still willing to stay with me."
Behind her, the withered branches and leaves swayed precariously in a gust of wind, and Feng Jin's thin clothes fluttered in the wind. She looked at the boy standing in this desolate place, her eyes bright and her face gentle and jade-like, like the bright moon hanging in the night sky, gentle yet dazzling.
They spent the long night at the general's mansion, and before they knew it, it was broad daylight again. By the time they came out of the mansion, it was almost noon.
Leaving the bustling city streets, we climbed mountains and waded through rivers until we finally arrived at a quiet mountain plain. We heard that this was where Hua Mancheng once lived, a place with spring-like weather all year round and completely isolated from the outside world.
After everything was arranged, Hua Mancheng said he had something to take care of and left her there alone.
She watched Hua Mancheng leave, his snow-white figure slowly merging with the distant blue sea and sky. A touch of melancholy immediately settled into Feng Jin's clear eyes.
A dazzling array of rays of light intertwined under the azure sky. She sat cross-legged against a large tree, and the distant view of the vast expanse of clouds and water, and the green mountains and clear waters, instantly made her feel refreshed. Upon reflection, she realized that she hadn't felt so relaxed and comfortable in a long time.
Gradually, as she looked up at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, she felt a little dazed.
She still vividly remembered that time when she saw Mu Beichen and Su Ruan embracing tightly, looking very affectionate. In front of them, she had fled in a disheveled state, becoming a laughingstock. The handsome young man who had once danced and sung with her in front of everyone had also embraced her, smiling like a gentle breeze.
"Ah Jin, don't be afraid, I'm here for you."
“Ah Jin, from now on I will have you behind me, and you will have me behind you. We will be each other’s swords, protecting each other, and we will never have to be afraid of getting hurt again.”
"I, Mu Beichen, swear to the heavens that I will only love Feng Jin in this life. If I break this oath, may I die at the hands of my own woman and meet a terrible end! I swear this oath, and may heaven and earth bear witness!"
It turns out that all of this was just a dream. All along, she had been immersing herself in the warmth of spending her life with him, unable to extricate herself, while he had long since silently turned his back on her.
Fortunately, she realized her mistake in time and wasn't foolish enough to sacrifice herself for love and willingly become a pawn in his game.
Feng Jin smiled self-deprecatingly. People's hearts always change. Now that we are estranged, why should I cling to the things from the beginning?
She was fed up with living in constant fear and being deceived time and time again. She preferred to stay in this peaceful place and live a quiet life. She never wanted to return to the Prince Jing's mansion, that place of intrigue and deceit.
"Goodbye, Chu Mingxi. May we both be well and never see each other again in this life."
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