Chapter 124 Fragments of Life: Long and Obscure, Like Water Flowing Eastward Forever.
"Did the Yue people return all the congratulatory gifts that my older brother sent?"
Jin Xuan came to report what happened at the Frost Spraying Courtyard. After listening, Xie Yunying clicked her tongue in amazement: "Ah... what was my older brother's reaction?"
"The eldest son didn't say anything, but he did instruct that no more congratulatory gifts need to be sent."
Xie Yunying: "...I see."
Jin Xuan curtsied and withdrew.
Xie Yunying leaned back on the sandalwood couch, munching on fruit while chatting with the system: "System, do you think I should go find Yue Yining and put in a good word for Xie Qingyu?"
System: "Host, my advice is not to meddle in other people's business."
"It's not that I'm meddling, but Xie Qingyu is already an unstable factor in this plane. If he really goes crazy, who knows how much it will affect our mission..."
The system ruthlessly exposed Xie Yunying's sophistry: "Stop talking nonsense, you're just curious why they're arguing."
Xie Yunying: "Hmm, well, that counts too..."
System: "And you even bought several live-streaming props to secretly observe Yue Yining, but you didn't find out anything and wasted a lot of money. You're even more unwilling to accept this—you have to find out exactly what happened between them and what secrets they're hiding."
Xie Yunying: "......."
She felt a pang of guilt, but immediately retorted confidently, "So what if it is?"
"I rarely ship couples, and I hadn't even gotten any sweet moments before it ended so quickly. I just want to know why!"
system:"......?"
So, is your real purpose to enjoy the sweet moments?
“Besides, don’t you think the whole thing is strange?” Xie Yunying said. “My initial guess was that Yue Yining knew Xie Qingyu liked her, so she planned to deliberately distance herself from him. But after thinking about it, I felt that it didn’t quite make sense.”
“That time in the cave, I caught Xie Qingyu secretly kissing Yue Yining. Before I left, I clearly saw that Yue Yining had her eyes open. She wasn’t asleep at all! She already knew that Xie Qingyu liked her, so it definitely wasn’t because of that that she argued with him.”
System: "We'll discuss that later. Host, you reminded me of something I almost forgot to ask."
“You previously said that the original novel you received contained published side stories, but I have confirmed that the electronic version does not.”
"I've checked with the main system. The original author of this novel is Wei Zi, a woman in her twenties. She only signed a publishing contract last year. The published version of the novel doesn't include any new side stories and is consistent with the online version. Are you sure the host saw the information about He Chan in the book?"
Xie Yunying: "Of course I'm sure. Besides the book you gave me, where else could I have learned this?"
System: "That's strange... why can't we find any records on our end?"
Xie Yunying was speechless: "Why did you go through all this trouble? Why didn't you just let me bring that book to you so you could take a look?"
Xie Yunying simply got off the bed, ran to the bedside, pulled out the novel with an antique cover from under the pillow, sat on the bed, and flipped the book over with a rustling sound: "Look, there's an extra chapter at the end of this book, about the Seventh Prince Wei Xueyu. The reason I know the name He Chan is because I saw it mentioned in this book."
The system stared at the few pages of paper, then fell silent for a moment: "..."
Xie Yunying asked, puzzled, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Host," the system said, "there are no page numbers at the bottom of this side story."
Xie Yunying was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked down and flipped through the pages, somewhat surprised: "It really is!"
"But every page in the main text has a page number at the bottom, so why aren't these extra pages numbered...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Yunying suddenly fell silent.
Seeing Xie Yunying's expression, the system knew that she understood as well.
System: "Because this side story is extra; it didn't exist before."
"This book is only 660 pages long, which is exactly the length of the main text. The Transmigration Bureau has checked it many times, and the data on record is correct," the system said. "Moreover, I also remember that when I gave this book to the host, there were no epilogues, and the last page was the novel's ending."
Xie Yunying was startled: "Then, what exactly is this side story about?"
"Was the extra chapter newly written by the author? Or, as you said before, was it just the world program automatically completing it?"
System: "Master, I don't know either. To be honest, I've guided so many transmigrators, and this is the first time I've encountered all the unexpected situations that have happened to you. The original plot of this book is a complete mess."
Xie Yunying: "......."
Xie Yunying said hesitantly, "Then, how about we drink it while it's hot?"
System: "...Host, stop interrupting. Seriously, the more the plot deviates from the original world line, the more unpredictable the world in the book becomes. Looking at your strategy missions alone, the plot is actually not too bad, but if you observe the main plot line that revolves around the female lead, you will find that the plot has completely changed."
"In the original novel, the female protagonist Yue Yining never left the capital. The Green Ghost case in Suyang was covered up and not reported to the capital. The disaster relief in Qinghuai was handled entirely by officials from the Xie and Wang families, without letting the people of the Third and Fourth Princes get involved."
"The main plot is intricately linked, with every move affecting the whole situation. In the original book, Yue Yining was the only pillar capable of shouldering great responsibility in the Third Prince's camp. In the early stages, he maintained control of the situation in the capital, teaching the still-naive Wei Ye strategies and tactics. Later, however, he was constrained by the fierce struggle for the throne and could no longer leave the capital for personal safety reasons," the system said. "But this time, for some reason, Princess Wei Yihua did not choose the Fourth Prince but joined the Third Prince's camp. Wei Yihua is exceptionally intelligent, and she can share a lot of the work with Yue Yining. With her in charge in the capital, Yue Yining was able to leave the capital to investigate the case."
"Secondly, because the Wang family completely collapsed in March of this year, it led to a major reshuffle of important officials in the capital. The report on the Suyang Green Ghost case, which could have been blocked, was able to reach the capital without any obstruction and was not covered up. In April, Prime Minister Xie Zhi suddenly died, which weakened the power of the aristocratic families and reduced their control over the Dongxi government. In addition, the Seventh Prince participated in the struggle for the throne this time, and the combined power of the three princes was also quite significant. Therefore, the Qinghuai disaster relief was assigned to their people by the emperor as a test."
Xie Yunying suddenly realized: "Now that you mention it, it's true... every change in the plot has a traceable origin."
"Of course, the butterfly effect is very powerful," the system said. "The current plot development is completely different from the original book. The greater the change, the more difficult it is to predict the plot development based on experience, and the difficulty of the mission will also increase significantly. In the past, when we carried out missions in the Transmigration Bureau, we always ensured that the original world line developed normally. We have almost never encountered a situation where the plot of the other world is in complete chaos, and we have no idea what will happen."
Xie Yunying: "So this suddenly appearing side story is also one of the 'unpredictable changes' that occurred after the plot became chaotic?"
"You could say that."
Xie Yunying: "Could there be any special meaning in its contents? I'll study it further and see."
After she finished reading the novel, she put it under her pillow and hasn't opened it for almost half a year.
She had almost forgotten what this side story was about, only remembering that it supplemented some content not mentioned in the main text from the perspective of the Seventh Prince, Wei Xueyu.
She turned the page forward, back to the beginning of the first side story.
"My name is Wei Xueyu, the seventh son of the Eastern Xi Emperor."
"My mother said that I have never liked to talk to people since I was a baby. Other children would giggle and laugh, but I would not react even if you tried to amuse me. I was always indifferent, like a silent person reincarnated."
"I find interacting with people extremely boring. I don't care what others say or do, and I have no intention of taking anything from them. Living alone is very easy for me. As a result, I am overjoyed and content with my life of poverty."
"My memories before I was six years old are very vague. I only vaguely remember that in the days leading up to my time to go to Chonghua Palace for classes, my mother seemed much more anxious than usual."
"I know what she's anxious about. It's because she gave birth to a son who seems to be born deaf and mute. There's a group of princes and princesses in Chonghua Palace whom I've never met. They're healthy and lively, and they'll definitely talk to me. I'm taciturn and aloof, and I might offend them and bring trouble upon myself."
"My mother's status in the palace is not low. She comes from a prestigious family and is favored as one of the three consorts. However, the eldest prince in Chonghua Palace is the emperor's most beloved child, and the fourth prince is the son of a noble consort. My mother cannot afford to offend either of them."
"She repeatedly told me that if any royal heir spoke to me, I must not ignore them or treat them as if they were air. Unless it was the third prince born to that palace maid. She said that if it was him, I could just ignore him; no one would take him seriously."
I nodded, actually already planning to ignore everyone.
"Pfft..." Xie Yunying wanted to laugh, "This guy is really..."
The system was also watching with her: "Wei Xueyu should be a patient with congenital Asperger's syndrome, commonly known as autism."
Xie Yunying: "No wonder."
"After entering Chonghua Palace, I met the Fourth Prince Wei Jing, the Third Prince Wei Ye, and the First Prince Wei Changqiong. As for the Eldest Princess Wei Yihua, she entered Chonghua Palace to study in the second year. Before that, only the four of us princes listened to the teachings of the sages every day in the palace."
"I've discovered that Mother Consort has said some things incorrectly. For example, although the Third Prince is the son of a palace maid and has the lowest social standing, the other two princes both like him, and he hasn't been neglected."
"For example, the fourth prince, who is naturally unruly and arrogant, has never made things difficult for me. The way he gets angry and upset when I ignore him is quite amusing. He's just a child who doesn't like to study and is disobedient; he's not that bad."
"For example, the eldest prince, who is the most favored and valued by the emperor and seems perfect, is actually broken in the eyes of everyone. He is exceptionally talented in both literature and martial arts and is loved and respected by everyone."
"I quietly observed everyone, but I observed the eldest prince the longest, because he was the most complex, the most special, and the most peculiar."
"Finally, one day, I confirmed my feelings and got the chance to sit with him on the veranda, just the two of us."
"In the flower grove not far away, the Fourth Prince climbed a high branch, but still felt it wasn't enough, and excitedly wanted to climb even higher. The Third Prince below was worried sick, constantly reminding him to watch his step. In the late spring of March, the night-blooming cereus in Chonghua Palace was in full bloom, and the refreshing fragrance lingered. The laughter of the two of them came from afar, clear and melodious."
The eldest prince saw me and smiled gently, "Seventh Prince, you've arrived."
"How was your homework today? Did you find it difficult? Your third and fourth brothers are playing over there. If you want to join them, I'll ask them to come and take you."
I replied, "It's not difficult. No need to bother, I don't like climbing trees."
"When the Crown Prince asked the question, he probably didn't expect me to answer, because before that, I almost never talked to anyone. He was surprised and continued to ask me a few more questions, which I answered one by one. Looking at his increasingly bright smile, I wondered for the first time if I might be overthinking things."
"Seeing that the atmosphere had become much more harmonious, I said the question I had originally wanted to ask him when I came over."
"Elder brother, are you very tired?"
"The Crown Prince looked at me, the night-blooming cereus of Chonghua Palace blooming behind him. I could clearly see that the gentle and bright smile on his face was slowly peeling away and melting away, the magnificent appearance losing its radiant color, revealing the ruins and desolation beneath."
"Hmm," the eldest prince responded softly, "I'm very tired."
"I nodded, and in that brief moment of eye contact with him, I knew he understood what I wanted to say, and I understood what he was saying."
"I only responded to the eldest prince's words, and I only wanted to play and study with him. It wasn't because the emperor favored him the most, so I wanted to please him, but because he was truly all alone and had no one to rely on. Perhaps the third prince was in the same situation as him, but at least Wei Ye had him, while he had no one left."
"I always felt a little sorry for him and envied him. I envied his loneliness and always wished I could switch places with him. But I also know that what a person is born with is what they are, and you can't change it. So when I see him surrounded by loneliness because he can't bear it, I can't help but feel sorry for him and want to help him out."
"Later, before I reached the age of twenty, my eldest brother died. His death was sudden, and I know that many people cried for him, the sound of their weeping almost collapsing the entire palace; I also know why he died, he should have died long ago, and I am not surprised at all."
"At that time, my third and fourth brothers had already become enemies. Less than half a year after my eldest brother died, I heard from my mother that the third and fourth princes intended to compete for the throne. The smoke of the battle for the throne had already filled the court."
"Inside the palace, the golden light was shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing in the haze. The backs of the mother and her retainers as they talked were a dark mass, indistinguishable from the light."
"My mother said that the Third Prince is just throwing an egg against a rock, and with the First Prince dead, the world will be in the Fourth Prince's hands."
"My mother never wanted me to fight for the dragon throne, because she knew me well enough; she knew I couldn't be emperor."
"I possess the ability to govern a country, but I lack the ambition to navigate complex political landscapes. A person who has nothing in their eyes, not even desires, is equally unqualified to enter the game."
"Later, before the struggle for the throne began, I requested to be granted the title of Prince and return to my hometown, far away from the center of the vortex. I left the palace and the capital and went to my fiefdom, finally living the peaceful life I wanted."
"Later, I heard that the third prince, Wei Ye, ascended the throne and inherited the throne, but not long after, he abdicated in favor of the fourth prince, Wei Jing, and then there was no further news."
"Later, the king became incompetent, treacherous officials were in power, and the people suffered greatly. Rumors circulated that a woman named He Chan rose up in rebellion, leading the rebel army northward, winning every battle and displaying unparalleled bravery."
"Later, the flames of war finally reached the capital, and Yanjing fell."
"My life has been dull and uneventful, yet I have witnessed many things."
"Brothers kill each other, dynasties change, and the homeland is no more."
"Wei Yihua has faced death with composure, thus fulfilling her unyielding spirit as the eldest princess."
"But I was too weak to take my own life. I kept thinking that maybe I could survive. In the end, the rebels came. Their knives were sharp, and with a swift stroke, I got my own quick death."
"Before I died, I seemed to smell the fragrance of the night-blooming cereus planted in Chonghua Palace again. It was a fragrance that I didn't like but was also very familiar with."
"I was also surprised. In my short life, I had imagined the moment of death countless times. People say that before a person dies, they look back on their past life, like a lantern that has gone around in a circle, with each frame and scene flashing by. Regrets, sorrows, unforgettable things and people will all surface in their minds at this moment."
"I never imagined that at the last moment of my life, I would miss the days when I was studying in Chonghua Palace."
"I loathe the constraints of court life, I loathe the entanglements of power struggles. But those who were deeply connected to me, those I cared about, those I loved, they are all still alive there. They all live for others. When I see their suffering, I think to myself, I don't want to live like that. I only want to live for myself."
"I selfishly ran away from them, and now I die alone. I have no regrets, but I have also imagined time and time again that if I had not left Yanjing, if I had prevented Wei Changqiong's death, could I have done something instead of just being a bystander from beginning to end?"
"It may be painful, but without pain to compare with, how can happiness penetrate to the bone?"
"What would it be like to spend one's life like this?"
"Alas, life is a long and dark journey, like a river flowing eastward forever."
"The past can only be remembered, not revisited."
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Author's note: Sorry for being late, but as compensation, there will be another update tonight.
The next chapter should show Yunying going to find Ningning.
Yes, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince used to get along very well. As you may have noticed, everyone's perspective is biased and limited. So far, the truth in everyone's eyes is not the real truth; there are narrative tricks involved. We need to piece together the correct parts to find the complete truth.
(This includes royal secrets and true history)
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