Chapter 107 Selection
Just as Liu Yue was about to leave with the letter, the woman tending the stove suddenly turned slowly to look at his back. She reached out, picked up a burning wooden stick from the stove, and threw it at Liu Yue's feet, stopping him from taking another step.
"Read immediately and then burn."
The woman's words were brief. She seemed to have not spoken in a long time; her voice had a hoarse quality, like the turning of a decaying gate.
"..."
Liu Yue opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing, and obediently opened the letter.
His time in the palace had made it impossible for him to ask "why" without restraint; sometimes, asking too many questions was just courting death.
Receiving Lin Chengye's letter was already the greatest fortune for him, and he didn't ask for anything more.
Even if it's just a sentence or a few words, something that lets him know how she is, what she's doing, how she barely survived, and why she returned to Lai... even if this letter can give him just one answer, it would be good enough.
What fell out of the letter first was a slender silver flower, already withered and odorless. Liu Yue thought for a moment; he realized he had never seen this flower before.
Beneath the silver flowers' shadows were Lin Chengye's vigorous and powerful handwriting.
At first glance, Liu Yue seemed not to have fully grasped the meaning. He felt as if the words had suddenly floated up from the paper, rushing towards him as if to drown him. But he refused to believe it and insisted on struggling to read it from the beginning.
I watched it again.
When he tried to look at it a third time, water droplets appeared on the paper, one after another, until they pierced a hole in the paper.
The letter contained only a few words:
"The honeysuckle enclosed in this envelope is the most poisonous substance in the world. It is colorless and odorless, and the poison will take effect after fifteen days of ingestion."
This is the only chance for the Lin family, your mother, and even the entire Litao Prefecture to avenge their humiliation.
Liu Yue's hand trembled, and the letter slipped from her grasp, drifting aimlessly before finally falling into the flames on the wooden stick, where it was slowly consumed and reduced to ash.
How could he not understand Lin Chengye's meaning?
Every word and phrase was concise and to the point.
If he ingests this flower, the poison will seep into his blood. And whoever drinks his blood will also be poisoned, and as long as he remains silent, the poison will silently take effect after fifteen days.
The one who died was their common enemy.
And him.
"But what does it mean? What does it mean..." Liu Yue choked up, muttering to herself.
He was sent to the Tanshan Sect by his mother in a daze, and then brought to the palace to have his blood taken. He lived a muddled life day by day.
He knew nothing about what grudges he wanted to avenge or what hatred he wanted to resolve.
Lin Chengye continued walking ahead of him, leaving him further and further behind. This time, he really couldn't even grab the hem of the man's clothes.
She had been planning this revenge for a long time, but he didn't even know why he wanted revenge or who the enemy was.
Through these cold words, he could not read Lin Chengye's emotions, nor could he guess the expression on the man's face as he wrote.
He wanted to know what the man's feelings were when he wrote those words, every single one of which was meant to send him to his death.
Will she be heartbroken? Was her sacrifice of him out of necessity? If there were other options, would Lin Chengye... have protected him?
He had no time to think, and if he didn't hurry back to give the medicine to His Majesty on time, he would be suspected.
The silver flower lay quietly in his palm, yet it appeared twisted and hideous in his eyes. For it was something that would take his life.
Logically and emotionally, this was the only path he could take. If he continued to serve as a pawn for His Majesty, he would bleed to death. Lin Chengye granted him another way to die: to die for the wronged souls of Litao Prefecture—so noble, so glorious.
This honor was something he could never have achieved while he was alive, yet his death can still be considered a great one.
But, but… Liu Yue, with tears streaming down his face, chewed the flower petals bit by bit, his teeth clasped together, desperately stuffing them down his throat, not letting himself have a chance to spit them out.
Actually, it wasn't painful at all. The flower and the poison were truly colorless and odorless, truly without sensation, so when the flower was crushed in his mouth, he couldn't taste anything.
But why was he so grief-stricken, so... unwilling to accept it?
...
Inside the royal city of Lai, there was another person, resting his forehead on his hand, looking at the letter in his hand with a solemn expression.
The letter was placed in a bamboo tube, submerged in the warm porridge served to her that day, the ink staining the white rice black. The maid who served the porridge turned pale instantly, knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying she knew nothing. Wei Jingchen saw the remaining half of the character "Ye" on the bamboo tube, and his anger vanished. He was too lazy to investigate who the spy was or who sent him, and weakly waved the maid away.
That day they parted, Lin Chengye seemed to have vanished into thin air, his whereabouts unknown. She was left alone, filled with questions, yet with no one to ask. Wei Jingchen's face had been so gloomy these past few days that it could drip water, and the atmosphere throughout the Su Prince's residence was quite tense.
If she didn't know this person's character, she would almost think that Lin Chengye regretted getting involved and ran away.
I just received a message from this person, and this happened... I don't understand why.
Wei Jingchen frowned deeply.
"If you want to know the truth, you should go to the Emperor's presence at dinner tonight and ask him directly. The medicine he drinks every day contains a deadly poison that is colorless, tasteless, and causes no sensation. It will take effect in fifteen days."
"His life or death depends on your single thought."
The 15th? It's March 20th now, so the 15th will be... April 4th? The Spring Festival Ceremony?
Wei Jingchen was somewhat confused, but still cautiously threw the letter into the boiler, muttering to himself.
"Why...of all times, at dinner time?"
And why... is the life and death of a monarch in my hands?
...
"How come you have time to visit me today?"
The figure behind the curtain covered their mouth and coughed twice. Wei Jingchen was smiling faintly, but their eyes were icy cold.
When she returned to this place, her state of mind was completely different.
That day, strange celestial phenomena occurred, and the eldest princess was absent without explanation the following day, causing widespread anxiety among the officials. He clearly knew everything, yet he still asked these trivial questions; he really had the nerve to sit still.
Wei Jingchen suppressed his irritation and was about to speak when he caught sight of the young servant he had seen that day, who was carrying a bowl of something he didn't know, and was about to hand it to his father as he had done before.
Wei Jingchen's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly frowned and scolded.
"What an insolent lackey! Can't you see that my father and I are discussing important matters?"
"Your Highness... I know I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
The servant trembled, placed the red medicine on the table, knelt down to beg for forgiveness and apologize. Wei Jingchen impatiently slammed his hand on the table and said.
"Place the medicine on the table now and get out of here immediately!"
The young waiter quickly kowtowed several times, expressing his gratitude, and then left.
"Oh? Serious business? It seems Jingchen has come to ask me something?"
Wei Yun'e's voice came from behind the gauze curtain, still weak and powerless, yet it sounded quite jarring.
Wei Jingchen remained silent for a long time, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee.
The moment she saw the male servant, she seemed to understand Lin Chengye's plan. A cold glint flashed in Wei Jingchen's eyes as he slowly spoke.
"Father, do you truly not know why I have come here? And what do you wish to ask you? Or... do you intend to continue concealing this from me?"
The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze. The previously relaxed atmosphere became like a taut string, ready to snap at the slightest mishap.
The coughing behind the curtain stopped abruptly, and the slender figure swayed slightly, but still remained silent.
"If you don't understand, then let me explain it more clearly."
Wei Jingchen stood up; the soft rustling of the luxurious fabric, so delicate, now sounded like thunder. She had no intention of letting this nominal emperor, her father, go, and continued speaking.
"Is the one who holds the high position of Princess still your elder sister, my aunt?"
A sound like a snapping string seemed to echo in the air. The figure behind the gauze curtain shuddered violently and suddenly coughed, shaking even the dust. A harsh laugh escaped from that person's throat.
Wei Yun'e continued to speak while laughing and coughing.
“Jingchen, you’ve really grown up… cough cough, who told you that? Bian Yi? No… she shouldn’t know either…”
"You don't need to know."
"After all, you've already been forced into this situation, and even your elder brother is on her side. Does it really matter who told me that?"
Wei Jingchen took a step toward the gauze curtain, seemingly squeezing Wei Yun'e's space even further. But she wasn't satisfied, continuing her aggressive questioning, one sentence at a time.
"If there is anyone in this palace who can save you, it is only me."
"Or do you really want this Lai Kingdom, this Wei family's empire, to be handed over to an outsider!"
Wei Jingchen flicked his wide sleeves. If his initial emotions were half-true and half-false, then this last question was truly filled with anger, as if he wanted to tear the place apart.
"Now that things have come to this, do you still not intend to tell me the truth?"
This sentence was shouted out. Wei Jingchen always thought she was stoic enough, but when she and Lin Chengye saw the eerie scene at Yongfo Temple and the imminent collapse of the Lai Kingdom...
What have the people done wrong? What have the people done wrong? What have the people done wrong?
Wei Jingchen took a deep breath, gritting her teeth and swallowing her disrespectful words. She picked up the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
“…Jingchen, it’s not that your father doesn’t understand what you mean.”
The person behind the gauze curtain suddenly smiled.
"However, those who truly have no interest in the throne will not care about these things, just like Jingyu. She noticed something was wrong, but she kept quiet."
"You are the only one who has come to question me, simply because you care about this throne, aren't you?"
"So be it, so be it... You need to know, you need to know. How cold-blooded, how heartless that person is! She has no heart, she is a demon among men! She has deceived me!"
Wei Yun'e also raised his voice, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
“Jingchen, actually, you are not my son with the Empress. You and your eldest brother and second sister do not share the same mother.”
"You didn't lose your memory because of a serious illness. You lost your memory because you... witnessed your birth mother's death and were overwhelmed with grief..."
The teacup slipped and shattered into pieces.
Wei Jingchen remained in the same position holding the wine glass, his pupils slightly constricted, and his fingertips visibly trembling.
...
Wei Jingchen felt as if she were in a long dream. Every word Wei Yun'e uttered was eerie, and everyone's face in the room was distorted, their faces black.
Only her biological mothers, Chen Shudong and Bian Yi, whom she had never met, were so clear and so gentle.
"...That's all! That's all!"
Wei Yune screamed hysterically.
"Wu Ma Yi, she's a despicable and shameless villain! She killed Chen Shudong, plotted to destroy Qingluan Medicine Valley, and caused the deaths of countless people!"
“Jingchen, how could I not know that you are my closest child! I am nearing the end of my life, so I have long ago made a will to pass the throne to you…”
He was so earnest, it seemed he truly favored her. The next moment, Wei Yun'e's voice rang out again.
"Since you've come to question me now, you must already have a way to kill Wuma Yi, right?"
Wei Jingchen suddenly felt like laughing.
She didn't know if Wei Yun'e himself realized that all his previous fragmented words were less emotional than that one sentence. The longing in it was almost overflowing.
He wasn't reflecting on his actions; he was genuinely terrified of Wuma Yi. Yet, he still refused to admit defeat and tried to cling to the throne.
Yes, Wei Jingchen wanted the throne; it was an obsession that had been ingrained in her heart since childhood. She couldn't let go, couldn't leave the capital as freely as her sister. But who said she was so despicable as to tolerate a weak and incompetent emperor who, for his own selfish reasons, aided and abetted evil and harmed the people?
Even if this is her father, the emperor.
Even now, he still tries to pin all the blame on Wuma Yi. But clearly, both of them are deeply sinful, and Wei Yun'e is even more shameless.
Wei Jingchen suddenly smiled and picked up the blood-red medicine from the table. She felt she had never been so patient with her father, the emperor. She slowly sat down beside Wei Yun'e's bed and said...
"Of course, I have a plan. Please don't get excited, take care of your health, and I will definitely give Father a good show."
"I will feed you this medicine today."
The author's note: At this point, everyone's fate and future have probably been explained.
There's a lot more to say, I'll wait until the story is finished! [cat paw]
This is a second draft, and it's expected to be finished next week. Are there any character side stories you'd like to see? I won't do a poll, since probably not many people will read this far, haha. Just type the name of the character you'd like to see in the comments!
(Xiaolin and Xiaobian have something in common, and their story is quite complete in the article, so we won't count these two for now [cat paw])
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