Chapter 34
Two days later, the group finally arrived in the capital.
Upon hearing about the assassination attempt, Leng Shouqing was also worried. Who could it be? The group tried to figure it out, but couldn't come up with a solution and could only investigate slowly. Xi Yimin and Leng Xueran learned from Leng Shouqing that the Third Prince and his mother hadn't told the Emperor Leng Xueran's true identity. Whether they didn't want the Emperor and Leng Xueran to recognize each other and reunite, or had other motives, whatever the reason, it was beneficial to Leng Shouqing and Leng Xueran.
Inside the Xi residence in the capital, Xiu'er was overjoyed to know that Xi Yimin was returning. However, when she saw the man she longed for enter, she paused, surprised, as he was accompanied by a woman. She asked, puzzled, "Brother, who is this young lady?" Xi Yimin, hearing this, happily introduced her, "She is your wife, brother. You can call her Xue Ran from now on." Xiu'er was incredulous and exclaimed in surprise, "But brother is…" She didn't finish the sentence about the woman, fearing it would cause trouble. Xi Yimin smiled and said, "Xiu'er, don't be afraid, Xue Ran knows everything." Xiu'er was displeased but didn't show it, politely saying, "Xue Ran, please come in." Leng Xue Ran also politely said, "Thank you, Xiu'er."
The next day, the three of them went to the palace to meet the emperor. The person sitting on the dragon throne suddenly became hostile and said unhappily, "General Leng, do you know your crime?" Leng Shouqing's heart sank. He had not been questioned about his crime when he met the emperor a few days ago. He didn't know why he was suddenly being questioned today. He hurriedly knelt down, bowed his head, and said in fear, "Your humble servant knows his crime!"
"Do you know what crime you have committed?"
"It was wrong to feign surrender to the Third Prince."
"Anything else?"
"I do not know, Your Majesty. Please enlighten me," Leng Shouqing said in a panic.
"Then let me tell you, the second crime is about Consort Xiu."
Leng Shouqing suddenly realized that he thought the matter would be forgotten after the troops were dispatched and no one would pursue it further. Who knew that he would be questioned now? He hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I have investigated this matter in every place and found it. It is my incompetence. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy."
Leng Xueran and Xi Yimin listened in fear and trembling, wanting to plead for mercy, but dared not. Then the Emperor said displeasedly, "But I also heard the Third Prince say that Xi Yimin is a woman. Is this true?" Hearing this, the three were startled. Leng Shouqing was about to speak when Xi Yimin interrupted, "This humble subject is indeed a woman." Hearing this, the Emperor was furious: "This is outrageous! A woman dares to marry the daughter of the Leng family!" Xi Yimin retorted, "Why not? Xue Ran and I are in love. Who have we offended?" Hearing her disrespect, the Emperor roared, "How dare you!" Xi Yimin wanted to argue further, but Leng Xue Ran pulled her back, and she quickly begged for forgiveness, "If Your Majesty wants to blame someone, blame Xue Ran. I was the one who provoked her." Hearing this, Xi Yimin hurriedly said, "It's this humble subject's fault, it has nothing to do with Xue Ran..." Before Xi Yimin could finish speaking, the Emperor ordered, "Guards, imprison General Leng, send Leng Xue Ran back to the Leng residence, and expel Xi Yimin from the palace." Things happened too quickly; there was no way to deal with it.
Upon returning to the Xi residence, Xi Yimin immediately summoned his secret guards to discuss countermeasures. Seeing Xi Yimin's anxiety, Qi Ziyue comforted him, "At least there's still time; the crime hasn't been decided yet." Xi Yimin angrily retorted, "What does the Emperor intend? He doesn't distinguish between merit and demerit, but directly punishes us! My adoptive father, under orders from me to be a general, feigned rebellion and conspired with me to eliminate the rebels and rescue the Crown Princess—all meritorious deeds. Why isn't he rewarded, but instead punished for some trivial matter? He's utterly a foolish ruler!" Qi Ziyue agreed, "Indeed a foolish ruler. Young Master, I'll find out who sent people to kill us on our way back to the capital." Xi Yimin urgently asked, "Who?"
"It was that tyrannical emperor who found the token on the bodies of our killers. After bribing the eunuchs around the emperor, we confirmed that it was the waist token of the emperor's secret guards," Qi Ziyue said angrily.
"What a tyrant! We must find a way to rescue our adoptive father. For some reason, the Third Prince didn't tell the tyrant that Xue Ran is a princess. And the tyrant still knows I'm a woman. If he knew Xue Ran was his daughter, he definitely wouldn't let her marry me." She was about to leave when Qi Ziyue stopped her, saying, "Young Master, I have something else to report." Xi Yimin asked urgently, "What is it?" She wanted to hurry and find Leng Xue Ran; she was extremely worried about that woman. Qi Ziyue didn't delay and quickly replied, "Madam's mother has been found. She's in a nunnery on a mountain outside Fengcheng."
"What?" Xi Yimin asked in surprise, then continued, "She's become a nun?"
"Yes," Qi Zi said, reporting the truth.
"Why?" Xi Yimin asked anxiously.
"Because she knew she had misunderstood the Emperor. Once, Consort Yao arranged to meet her outside the palace. They were friends before entering the palace. On the way, she saw Consort Yao go to a place other than the agreed-upon location and witnessed her plotting a rebellion with the Third Prince. Only then did she realize that she had been deceived like a pawn all these years, thinking that the Emperor had betrayed her, when in fact she had been schemed against by her own friend. In fact, the Emperor came to fetch her after ascending the throne, but couldn't find her. Now it's too late, and a terrible mistake has been made. It was she who had Leng Shouqing slander you for wanting to rebel. It was she who wanted to cause bloodshed, to destroy his empire, and to avenge the Emperor's betrayal. She dared not see them again, so she became a nun to atone for her sins." After speaking, she looked at Xi Yimin with worry. So all the hatred was caused by a misunderstanding arising from her friend's scheming. How ridiculous! Qi Ziyue continued, "Actually, it was because of Consort Yao that Madam's mother met the Emperor. Once, Consort Yao invited her to the palace to have a heart-to-heart talk, and the Emperor, who was then the Crown Prince, took a liking to her. He was captivated by her beauty and later inquired about her from various places. He also frequently went out of the palace to find her. In the end, the two fell in love. However, An Ye'er was a woman from the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), and she was not recognized by the Emperor at that time. That's why the story that followed happened. It's true that Consort Yao made them and also ruined them. Love can be so destructive!" Qi Ziyue sighed deeply. Weren't the two of them also trapped in the word "love"?
That night, Xi Yimin sneaked into Leng Xueran's room in the Leng residence. He saw Leng Xueran sitting by the bed with a worried expression and said with heartache, "Xueran, don't worry, I've thought of a way to save my godfather." Startled by his voice, Leng Xueran, who hadn't even noticed when Xi Yimin had arrived, rushed into his arms upon seeing him, her voice weak, "Yimin, what's the plan?"
"Xue Ran, let's go to bed first, and I'll explain to you slowly. Sitting like this is cold and tiring, is that alright?" Xi Yimin gently persuaded.
"Okay!" The two lay down on the bed, and Xi Yimin pulled her into his arms, slowly explaining his plan: "Xue Ran, I've found your mother's whereabouts." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran sat up excitedly, asking, "Where is she?" Xi Yimin smiled and pulled the woman into his arms, tucking her in, and said softly, "Xue Ran, don't be sad, okay? Your mother is alright, she's fine, she just doesn't want to see anyone anymore." Leng Xue Ran asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"Because she has become a nun." Seeing the woman sit up again, he comforted her, "Don't worry, let me finish. Perhaps Xue Ran will also think that your mother's choice is good!" As he spoke, he pulled the woman into his arms again and told her the truth that Qi Ziyue had told her before. Leng Xue Ran was a little confused and murmured, "Doesn't Mother want me anymore?"
“Why would Xue Ran think that way? Your mother definitely loves you! She only feels relieved and at peace by doing that. Isn’t it a form of filial piety for us to grant her wish?” Xi Yimin comforted her, quietly keeping the woman in his arms company in silence. She needed some time to think things through. A quarter of an hour later, Leng Xue Ran said with relief, “Then how can we save my father?”
“Let’s first plead with the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince. If that doesn’t work, we’ll negotiate with the Emperor. Hasn’t the Emperor been looking for your mother? We can use that as leverage to release your father. Perhaps this is part of the Emperor’s plan.”
"Wouldn't that disturb Mother?"
"Perhaps it's time to clear up the misunderstanding between them, and both of them should find peace."
"Okay, we'll do as Yimin says."
"I'll go see the Crown Prince tomorrow. Xue Ran, let's sleep. Take care of yourself. I'll take care of everything. I'll come to keep you company every day." Hearing her words, Leng Xue Ran felt reassured and softly replied, "Okay." Looking at the woman sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed in his arms, Xi Yimin couldn't bear to tell her that her own father, the Emperor, wanted to kill her. He would definitely find out why. He couldn't let her become a hidden danger on her and Xue Ran's road to happiness.
The next day, Xi Yimin went to visit the Crown Prince. Upon arriving at the Crown Prince's residence and announcing her name, the guards immediately led her inside, seemingly anticipating her arrival. Entering the main hall, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were already waiting. Xi Yimin quickly bowed and said, "This humble subject greets the Crown Prince and Crown Princess." Leng Ying, seeing his formality, felt a pang of sadness but did not show it. She stood aside, waiting for the Crown Prince to speak first. The Crown Prince politely said, "Since you are Ying'er's husband, we are family. No need for formalities. Please sit." Xi Yimin, hearing his words, was equally at ease and smiled, saying, "I witnessed the Crown Prince's benevolence and bravery during the Battle of Fengcheng, as well as his deep affection for the Crown Princess. All of this earns my respect." These words seemed directed at Leng Ying, who had been watching her intently, implying that she should cherish the person who loved her. Leng Ying, upon hearing this, paused slightly and turned away. The Crown Prince, pleased, smiled and said, "Yimin is no less valiant, also incredibly brave." Xi Yimin bowed and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I have come to ask you for a favor." The Crown Prince quickly replied, "It's about my father-in-law. To be honest, after learning that my father-in-law had been imprisoned by the Emperor, my wife and I pleaded for his release, but the Emperor still refused." Hearing this, Xi Yimin frowned and said, "In that case, I have a request. I hope Your Highness can take me to see the Emperor so I can report to him in person." Having no other choice, and hoping Xi Yimin could find a solution, the Crown Prince agreed, "I will first go to the palace to inform the Emperor and see if he agrees." Xi Yimin hurriedly said, "Your Highness, tell the Emperor that I know where the person he is looking for is, and he will agree to see me." Hearing this, the Crown Prince was puzzled, but still agreed, "If the Emperor agrees to see you, where should I inform you?" Xi Yimin gratefully said, "Go to the Leng residence and tell Xue Ran." Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince and his wife were taken aback. Weren't they not allowing Xi Yimin to enter the Leng residence? Then it dawned on her: with such high martial arts skills, how many people could possibly defeat her?
After leaving the Crown Prince's residence, Xi Yimin returned to his own residence. Upon entering, he saw Xiu'er making clothes and teased, "Sister, you're so virtuous! Have you taken a fancy to that young master? You've even started embroidering! And look, you're making men's clothing!" Xiu'er blushed and retorted coquettishly, "Of course I'm making them for you, brother! I rarely leave the house; where would I find a young master?" Xi Yimin awkwardly laughed, realizing he'd dug himself into a hole. "Sister, there's no need for you to trouble yourself. I have plenty of clothes." Xiu'er said displeased, "How can they be the same? Yours may be made of the finest fabric and with the best workmanship, but these are handmade by me. They represent my heart and care." Xi Yimin said helplessly, "Then thank you for your trouble, sister. Rest if you're tired." He then returned to his study. Xiu'er still held onto hope, because Xi Yimin was fond of women. But she didn't know that Xi Yimin only loved Leng Xueran, nothing else. How could she possibly have any hope?
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