Chapter 42
Everything was dark before his eyes, and Duanmu Huaixin could only feel his body moving. He held his 'stepmother's' hand tightly, running or walking after her. The unknown did not frighten him. On the contrary, as long as he held his 'stepmother's' hand, he felt at peace in his heart.
"Okay, open your eyes." With Wen Weili's voice with a hint of smile, the blindfold in front of Duanmu Huaixin's eyes was removed. The sudden light made Duanmu Huaixin squint his eyes uncomfortably, and then he slowly opened them.
The colored glaze is dazzling, the crystal walls are brilliant, and everything you see is sparkling and full of gold. The beams are made of rosewood, the bed is made of agarwood, the floor is covered with white jade, and the edges of the tent are hung with hundreds of strings of beads.
Duanmu Huaixin held the small bag on his back with his hand and looked around curiously.
Ever since he agreed to follow his 'stepmother', he was blindfolded by her and brought from a simple wooden house in the city to this palace. Although he had no memory of his previous life, he could still recognize how luxurious this room was.
"Mom, what is this place?" Duanmu Huaixin only knew that his 'stepmother' had found a very wealthy family, but he didn't expect it to be such a vast palace.
Wen Weili caressed Duanmu Huaixin's little head lovingly: "My dear, think about it again. Do you have any impression of this place?"
"Well, it seems very familiar." Duanmu Huaixin answered in confusion. He didn't understand why he felt familiar with this place.
"It's familiar," Wen Weili said, watching Duanmu Huaixin trying to recall the past. "This is the palace of our emperor, Duanmu Qing."
Duanmu Huaixin frowned slightly: "Duanmu Qing? Mother, have I ever seen the emperor before? Why does this place seem so familiar yet disgusting?"
"Xinxin naturally feels familiar," Wen Weili said to Duanmu Huaixin without blushing or beating her heart, "because you lived here a long time ago."
"Live, live here?" Duanmu Huaixin was getting more and more confused. He thought Wen Weili saw his uneasiness and blushed slightly. "Don't tease me. Since I believe you, I won't doubt you anymore."
Wen Weili fell silent. She hadn't even started telling the story yet, and Xinxin believed it. This made her feel a little guilty. Looking into Duanmu Huaixin's pure, trusting eyes, Wen Weili felt a silent questioning.
However, from childhood to adulthood, hasn't she done enough to trick Xinxin? Wen Weili curled her lips and smiled, very maliciously: "Xinxin, your mother also has selfish motives. Do you know why I must bring you into the palace?"
"Why?" Duanmu Huaixin asked stupidly.
"Because you are Duanmu Qing's illegitimate child." Wen Weili calmly said the shocking news.
"Illegitimate child? So I am..." Duanmu Huaixin looked at the magnificent palace in front of him hesitantly, "I am a prince."
"Yes, so Xinxin is right to feel familiar with this room, because a long time ago, Xinxin was the owner of this room," Wen Weili sighed. "My dear Xinxin, I won't hide it from you anymore. I went to the outer realm just to find you."
Duanmu Huaixin:?! He suddenly had an idea.
Duanmu Huaixin asked cheerfully, "Then you're not the so-called 'Sister Wen', the traveling merchant? You have a real name, and I'm not the son of a so-called traveling merchant."
Wen Weili affirmed, "Yes, I'm not the traveling merchant 'Sister Wen,' I'm Wen Weili. And you're the illegitimate son of my emperor, named Duanmu Huaixin. Your mother's identity is unknown. But one day, the emperor brought you into the palace and entrusted you to my care. Unexpectedly, the empress became suspicious of you, cruelly throwing you out of the palace."
"To save your life, the Emperor had to pretend ignorance, but ordered a secret search. I accepted the Emperor's order to atone for my sins and vowed to find you."
Wen Weili was very engaged in her story. She glanced at Duanmu Huaixin inadvertently, and saw that he was sitting upright and listening attentively. She felt very satisfied and continued to tell the story.
"I used the guise of a traveling merchant to secretly search for you. I searched and searched for you for so many years, and finally found you outside the domain. But who would have thought that the person who raised you had a close relationship with the Empress. Knowing your extraordinary status, he tried to kill you before I could take you away."
"Thus, even though I rushed here at all costs, I only saved your life, but unfortunately, you lost your memory. Alas, if the emperor knew that my incompetence caused you to lose your memory, I am afraid I will not live long either."
"No!" Duanmu Huaixin was very sure, "If Duanmu Qing dares to hurt you, I, as the prince, would rather not do it. Since he wants me to come back, he must have something to entrust to me. I will never let you suffer the slightest harm!"
Wen Weili looked at him in surprise.
Under Wen Weili's gaze, Duanmu Huaixin asked shyly, "So, you're not my stepmother either. Can I call you Weili?"
"...No," Wen Weili smiled, "Just call me sister."
Duanmu Huaixin was reluctant to agree. He looked at Wen Weili with his dark, dog-like eyes and said, "I don't want to call you sister. I always feel like something will happen if I do."
You're quite perceptive. Wen Weili looked carefully at Duanmu Huaixin's lost expression and thought to herself that she asked you to call her sister just to reject you.
"It's up to you. But someone like me who has no name or status will only be treated as a plaything by the prince. I want to be called a sister just to stay with you for a longer time." Wen Weili forced a smile, but it was a forced smile that anyone who was not blind could tell was not from the heart.
Duanmu Huaixin was unsurprisingly fooled. He knew this was a trick to get him to call her sister, but he had to relent. He didn't want others to say anything bad about her. "Since that's the case, I'll call you 'sister'."
"Xinxin is so nice~" Wen Weili laughed immediately. The pride that could not be concealed in her smile made the depressed Duanmu Huaixin happy.
"So, why does the emperor insist that we enter the palace at this moment? Is it related to the throne?" Duanmu Huaixin asked. There was a queen in the palace who tried to kill him. If it weren't for the emperor's order, Sister Wen would definitely not have brought him into the palace in such a hurry. After all, he was a prince. If the queen wanted to kill him, it could only be because he was blocking the way of other princes.
Wen Weili nodded. "Xinxin is indeed intelligent, worthy of being a prince. You guessed correctly, something happened in the palace, causing the Crown Prince to serve as regent, but unable to ascend the throne legitimately. Therefore, the Crown Prince and the Empress's men are hunting you. To protect you, the Emperor asked me to bring you into the palace before he fell into a coma."
"The Emperor is unconscious..." Duanmu Huaixin asked tentatively, "Could it be the Crown Prince?"
"Maybe," Wen Weili shook her head. "Until we find out the truth, we can't be sure."
"But Sister Wen, you also said that the emperor is in a coma and the crown prince is regent. If the emperor dies, then the throne will be..."
"Shh..." Wen Weili covered Duanmu Huaixin's mouth, "Don't say it."
"..." Duanmu Huaixin nodded, and Wen Weili let go of her hand.
"Then what should we do, Sister Wen?" Duanmu Huaixin had no memory after all. After listening to Wen Weili's explanation, he quickly accepted his identity as a prince, but because he had no experience, he just felt confused.
"Don't be afraid, I will help you," Wen Weili touched Duanmu Huaixin's forehead lovingly, "All you have to do now is hide in this palace. I will bring you food and drink."
Duanmu Huaixin asked anxiously, "What about you, sister? What should I do if you are not here?"
"Sister is naturally going to find out information for you." Wen Weili's slender fingers slid from Duanmu Huaixin's forehead downwards, and finally touched Duanmu Huaixin's lips, "Xinxin, be good, you can't refuse."
Duanmu Huaixin blushed inexplicably and muttered softly, "...Sister, sister is so mean..."
Duanmu Huaixin thought silently, how could he possibly refuse? It was just that this familiar, grievance of having to agree must have happened before, right? Perhaps it was when he was a child, or before he lost his memory. All he could say was that Sister Wen was indeed the one who could easily rub him.
Seeing that Duanmu Huaixin was just muttering in a low voice, Wen Weili knew that he had compromised. She patted Duanmu Huaixin on the back, and the atmosphere that had been deliberately lingering just now immediately disappeared without a trace.
"Okay, okay, then I'll get busy. Xinxin, stay in the hall. If you want to wash your hands, you can go to the back of the hall, okay?" Wen Weili was coaxing Duanmu Huaixin like a kind and amiable elder sister.
What could Duanmu Huaixin do? He could only nod obediently and at most tell Wen Weili to be careful. There was nothing else he could do except wait for Sister Wen at the place she had marked out.
But--
Duanmu Huaixin looked at Wen Weili's figure as she slipped out of the hall lightly, but a trace of unwillingness lingered in his chest for a long time.
He wondered, if he were a real prince, could he openly ask Sister Wen to stay by his side and not leave him even for a moment?
In other words, his biological father who was said to be 'in coma' - an emperor who was assassinated and fell into a coma can only mean that he was incapable of controlling those around him. If the emperor was freed from this incompetence, could he also sit in that position and have Sister Wen without any scruples?
Since waking up, Duanmu Huaixin has been searching for his past in a blank and frightening memory, but the unfamiliar memories around him are also empty and there is nothing. Only Wen Weili's company by his side makes him feel fulfilled. The familiar desire that does not want to let go becomes stronger and stronger as they get closer again and again.
Duanmu Huaixin, who lost his memory, was blank, but Wen Weili's every move made him gradually develop his own thoughts.
Wen Huaixin, believing himself to be a sickly young master, was a well-behaved and obedient child. He was suspicious of his stepmother, yet strangely familiar with her. However, his growing trust in her led him to yearn for her presence. At this point, he was naive, believing himself to be a child who longed to be with his mother.
But, no, Duanmu Huaixin would not be 'Wen Huaixin', just as Wen Weili knew that Duanmu Huaixin would eventually piece together the truth - he was not the so-called 'Wen Huaixin' young master, but a man who was about to reach adulthood.
So Wen Weili brought Duanmu Huaixin into the palace. It didn't matter whether her plan required Duanmu Huaixin or her illegitimate son Duanmu Huaixin, as long as he had the status of a prince. Therefore, Wen Weili still treated Duanmu Huaixin the same as Xinxin.
But, it's different.
Duanmu Huaixin, who had lost the memory of his original Xinxin, had the desires and ambitions that started with 'Wen Huaixin'. He could not and was unwilling to be the obedient 'Xinxin' anymore.
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