The dungeon was very damp, with bloodstains and dirt on the ground. He Xinying sat in a corner with her knees hugged, looking at the black bugs crawling under the dry grass, and couldn't help shivering.

It was too cold here, and no one paid any attention to her. She had been raised as a spoiled child, and had never suffered such injustice. But the jailers here ignored her, and He Rufei and Xu Zhiheng were not locked up with her. She didn't know where they were, and at first, she didn't know what had happened.

It was not until the jailers here started chatting and mentioned what happened today on the Tianxing Tower that He Xinying recalled what Liu'er had said to her before she was arrested, and slowly she came to her senses.

Her deceased elder sister was the real Feihong General. Over the years, He Rufei and He Yan had been using each other's identities. After He Yan came to Beijing, He Rufei took credit for the merits and drowned He Yan in the Xu family's pond to eliminate future troubles.

No wonder, no wonder she always felt cold every time she passed by the pond in the yard. No wonder Xu Zhiheng searched everywhere in the yard where He Yan used to live for He Yan's belongings.

Xu Zhiheng...did he also know about this? Or was he also one of the executioners in this matter? He Xinying felt a chill all over her body.

The one who uncovered the truth was General Fengyun Xiao Huaijin. Earlier in Yuhua Temple, when her mother saw Xiao Huaijin, she took the initiative to speak to him. Thinking of Madam He Er, He Xinying felt heartbroken again.

Did He Er Madam also know about this matter from beginning to end? When my father made this request, didn't he speak out to stop it? When He Rufei ordered He Yan to be drowned, did my father know about it but didn't say anything, or was he completely unaware of it? He Xinying hoped it was the latter, but in her heart, she felt that it was most likely the former.

She leaned against the wall helplessly, and felt that her life was a joke. She thought her father loved her, but it turned out that he was a man who could ignore the affection of his flesh and blood for the sake of profit. She thought she married a perfect husband, but it turned out that he harbored evil intentions. She thought her eldest brother, who was so majestic and could bring protection to the family, was a fake who would steal other people's credit and act like a bully. In the end, the family broke up, her mother passed away, and her eldest sister was long gone. She was alone here, feeling sad.

The crime of deceiving the emperor is a capital crime, and the head will be chopped off. He Xinying sobbed softly, forget it, she will die, there is nothing left for her to miss in this world. After death, she can be reunited with her family in the underworld, which is not a bad thing.

Just as she was thinking, she heard footsteps all of a sudden. She looked up and saw a prison guard walking behind a strange man.

The two walked to He Xinying's cell door. The jailer opened the door and said to He Xinying, "Miss He, please come in."

He Xinying was startled: "Where are you going?"

"Your Majesty is kind and grateful for General Feihong's meritorious service in pacifying the Western Qiang, who died unjustly. Miss He is General Feihong's biological sister, so Your Majesty will show mercy. However, you will demote her to a commoner in the future and spare Miss He's life. From today on, Miss He does not have to stay here."

It took He Xinying a while to understand what the jailer meant. She slowly stood up, walked out the door, and followed the two men out of the prison.

It was dark outside, she was standing alone in thin clothes, suddenly she was free, but she didn't know where to go next. The He family and the Xu family were gone, and there was no place for her to stay in this big world.

He Xinying lowered her head and smiled bitterly, muttering to herself, "Where else can I go?"

"Miss He." Someone spoke from behind.

He Xinying turned around and saw that it was the man who had just come with the jailer. He seemed to be a guard of some family. He just said to He Xinying: "Miss He, if you have nowhere to go, you can temporarily hide somewhere."

"Where?" He Xinying asked.

"When your sister was young, she studied at Xianchang Hall. The head of Xianchang Hall, Wei Xuanzhang, and your sister had a teacher-student relationship. After learning the truth, I felt very sympathetic towards your sister's experience. If Miss He has nowhere to go for the time being, she can go to Mr. Wei's home first. Mr. Wei has lived in the school for many years, and only his wife is at home."

He Xinying was stunned.

After a while, she laughed at herself and said, "It turns out that even after my elder sister died, she is still protecting me..."

"Please lead the way, young master." She said. Now that the He and Xu families were in trouble, she knew that in the past, all the relatives and friends were afraid of getting into trouble and avoided them like snakes and scorpions. No one would dare to take them in at this time. She had not yet figured out what to do next, but first she had to find a place to sit down and thoroughly understand all the things she didn't understand.

She really had nowhere else to go.

…

Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei in prison were unaware that He Xinying was taken away.

The two were detained separately to prevent collusion between the two. He Rufei could not see Xu Zhiheng, and Xu Zhiheng could not see He Rufei, but this was actually a good thing for the two of them. If they were really detained together, they would probably fight right away.

Xu Zhiheng hated He Rufei for dragging him down, and He Rufei hated Xu Zhiheng for being on the Tianxing Platform. Once something happened, she couldn't wait to throw all the stigma on him.

After all, the relationship of alliance based on interests is inherently as fragile as paper. Once the wind blows or the rain falls, it will be completely changed without being torn apart.

He Rufei sat in a corner of the prison. Even at this point, he did not give up and was still thinking of a possible escape plan. Xu Xiang's people would definitely not sit idly by. They wanted to save Xu Jingfu and maybe even help him. The worst case scenario was that Xu Jingfu abandoned Che Baoshuai, but he still had evidence of Xu Jingfu's treason. How could Xu Jingfu leave him alone and save himself?

The incident at Tianxing Terrace was beyond his expectation. He didn't expect that the woman named He Yan would be so powerful, and he didn't expect that Xiao Jue already had so much evidence in his hands, pushing him step by step into a path of no return.

He Yan... Thinking of that woman, a glimmer of sinisterness flashed across He Rufei's eyes.

What was the relationship between that woman and his dead cousin? He Rufei didn't know. He had never seen He Yan's heroic appearance on the battlefield, because when he returned to Shuojing, He Yan had quickly disguised herself as a woman. Therefore, he had only heard of all the legends about "General Feihong" and had never seen it with his own eyes. In his opinion, the dead He Yan, his cousin, looked like a woman who was stronger than an ordinary woman.

Others said that General Feihong was extremely skilled, but he didn't believe it. They also said that General Feihong could fight ten men at once on the battlefield, but he didn't believe it either. The reason for his disbelief was actually very simple, because he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it, and it was even more impossible for He Yan, a woman, to do it.

Until the sword fight on the Star Terrace.

He Rufei closed her eyes, feeling a sense of irritation and depression rising in her heart.

If the real He Yan was alive, would she look like this when she used the sword? But how could she still be alive? There was no way she could still be alive!

In the quiet prison, there were sounds of footsteps. He Rufei was imprisoned in the innermost cell. He listened carefully to the footsteps that were getting closer and closer until they stopped in front of him.

The jailer actually opened the cell door.

He Rufei raised his head and looked at the person who came.

The young man in black glanced at him coldly, as if he was reluctant to waste a moment on him. He stood while He Rufei sat, which seemed to indicate that he was inferior to the others.

"I wonder what Governor Xiao is doing here?" He Rufei sneered, "He's not here to kill people, is he?"

Without waiting for Xiao Jue to answer, he continued, "Actually, I don't understand how Commander Xiao knew about this?"

If it was Xu Zhiheng who leaked the news from Nanny Qin, but Xiao Jue guessed the reason immediately and started collecting evidence long ago, He Rufei couldn't figure it out even if he thought about it now. After all, let's not talk about other things. If he told others that "General Feihong is a woman", they would just think he was talking nonsense.

Why did Xiao Jue know it?

The young man looked at him indifferently and said coldly: "How do you think I know this?"

"I don't know," He Rufei stared at the person in front of him and suddenly laughed. He leaned against the wall and spoke slowly: "I heard that you and my dead sister went to the same school. Let me think, maybe you and her had an affair. You treat me like this now, could it be that you are standing up for my sister?" He snorted and laughed, his face became a little distorted, "Is there really someone in the world who likes my rebellious sister? What's so good about her? She doesn't look like a woman at all..."

Before he could finish his words, he felt a pain in his chest and flew out suddenly. His back hit the stone wall, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

Xiao Jue did not hold back his kick, and He Rufei was kicked so hard that he could not catch his breath for a long time. The jailers had already received the news and retreated outside, turning a blind eye to the situation inside.

Yes, if Xu Jingfu fell, no one in the court would be able to stop Xiao Jue. At this juncture, no one dared to offend the governor of the right army.

He Rufei wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at Xiao Jue, and smiled slowly.

General Feng Yun, the Jade-faced Governor of Wei, was so majestic and heroic. Just standing here, he was enough to attract people's attention. No one could steal his limelight. If He Yan hadn't changed the fate of everyone back then, he might never have met Xiao Jue in his life.

But it just happens.

"Why are you all so angry?" He Rufei sneered, "Everyone is standing up for my sister, but what about me?" His voice suddenly rose: "What about me! What about my life! Is it not important? Should I pay for her damn stupid decision for the rest of my life! Why? I also have things I want to do. Do you think I really want to be a general?" His eyes turned red, like a mad beast, wanting to tear everything apart, "Who wants to be a general? Ah, who wants to be!"

He Rufei had not lived in the He Mansion since he could remember. He lived in a remote manor. He knew that he was in poor health and that he had exchanged identities with his cousin. He could not go too far away and could not leave someone by his side. He Yuansheng and his wife would sometimes come to see him secretly, but they would always leave in a hurry.

The doctor said he would not live for more than a few years, but he was not sure if he was just lucky, but he managed to survive year after year. When he was sixteen, he was completely healed, and thought he could leave the manor, return to the He family, and become the eldest son of the He family again. But then he got the news that He Yan had gone to the battlefield, and he could not come back for the time being.

He Rufei was forced to stay on the farm.

He had also secretly prayed in his heart that He Yan would never die on the battlefield. It was not because of the deep brotherly love between them, nor because he was kind-hearted, but because He Yan was holding up his identity. If He Yan died on the battlefield, he, the eldest son of the He family, would never be able to return to the He family.

Fortunately, He Yan came back.

Originally, He Rufei didn't have much feelings for He Yan during those years. He couldn't say he liked her, nor could he say he hated her. Until the day he returned to the He family, He Yan had just returned home and didn't see him. Outside, the soldiers and horses surrounded the young deputy general in the middle. She was wearing a mask and standing in the sun, frank and cheerful. Her sword was beautiful and sharp, and her warhorse was strong and docile. Although her face couldn't be seen, her eyes were as bright as stars.

A trace of resentment suddenly arose in He Rufei's heart.

For so many years, he had been living a shameful life on the farm. He thought He Yan was the same as him, but when he actually saw her, he found that she was completely different. She lived so happily with her own identity, on what basis? She decided the fate of others without authorization, and then returned the fate that had been arranged to her own hands.

Based on what?

He Rufei's heart is very complicated. On the one hand, he hates to accept the fate that has been chosen by He Yan, such as becoming a military general. But on the other hand, when he stands in the Golden Throne Hall, accepting the emperor's rewards and the envious or jealous eyes of the courtiers, he feels satisfied in his heart.

But this kind of satisfaction always humiliated him, because He Rufei knew very well that the praise and reputation belonged to He Yan, not to himself. Whenever he heard those people praising General Fei Hong behind his back about how brave and invincible he was on the battlefield, he felt particularly tormented, and this torment eventually gave rise to anxiety, which made him uneasy. Even after He Yan got married, he did not resolve this worry.

It is like he has stolen a beautiful gem. He is proud of owning the gem and accepts everyone's envious and longing gazes, but he is also worried that one day someone will discover that the gem is not the owner of the gem.

The evil thoughts grew stronger and stronger until one day, he thought, it would be better if He Yan died. As soon as this thought came up, He Rufei found that he actually calmed down.

He found a way to resolve his resolve.

Breaking the wings would only prevent General Feihong from flying into the sky, but Feihong would still be Feihong. It would be better to tear the bird down from the sky, drown it in the water, and bury it in the soil. In this way, no one would ever find any trace of the bird again in the future.

He finally calmed down.

But why, before long, the peaceful days are interrupted by people impatiently?

"You're lying." The young man's voice was calm, his eyes were cold as water, "You really want to be a general, but you don't dare to admit it."

As if the secret deep inside her heart had been seen, He Rufei suddenly raised her head and said, "I didn't!"

"You have."

He Rufei gritted his teeth. The man's gaze was calm, but it revealed his rage. He clenched his fists and tried to stand up: "Tell me, is she He Yan?"

"If I say yes," the young man lowered his eyes, the silver crown emitting a cold light under the dim prison light, "what would you do?"

"I don't believe it." He Rufei couldn't help but tremble, not knowing whether it was out of hatred or fear. He said, "I don't believe every word you say."

But in fact, he did believe it a little.

Those inexplicable coincidences, the familiarity with the He family's terrain, the secret compartment in the study, the secret of the exquisite box... and the voice of "Big Brother" on the Tianxing Terrace.

They were both born at the same time and place on a certain night many years ago, and their fates were forced, coincidental, and entangled together, like two intertwined vines, drawing nutrients from each other. If he wants to survive, he must pull out the vine on his side. The so-called twin births do not bring dependence and trust, but betrayal and enemies.

If He Yan lives in the sun, he has to live in the shadows. If he wants to walk in front of others in an upright manner, he has to uproot the person who was originally in the sun.

He did a good job...He Rufei laughed bitterly.

At this moment, I felt inexplicably relieved.

He didn't know whether he was jealous or resentful of He Yan, but at this moment, he suddenly realized that what he hated was actually the feeling of being a substitute. When others look at you, they are actually looking at someone else. When others think of you, they are also thinking of someone else. How ridiculous, how sad.

The shadow killed its master, but the shadow is still a shadow. In his life with He Yan, was he a substitute for He Yan, or was He Yan a substitute for him? No one could tell. Was he He Rufei, or He Yan? No one could answer him.

What if he and He Yan didn't exchange identities at the beginning?

If at the beginning, he was the eldest son of the He family, and they each chose their own paths, what would the situation be like now?

He Rufei began to laugh, and his laughter became louder and louder. At the end, he even laughed to tears. He had been pushed forward all his life, and he could not help but move forward. Perhaps he could only be freed at the last moment of his life. However, what was left for "He Rufei" was also a bad reputation for deceiving the world and stealing his reputation.

"Xiao Huaijin," he looked up at the person in front of him, "I'll just treat her as He Yan. You went to such great lengths to find me, isn't it just to stand up for her? You want my life, fine, take it," he opened his hands, looking like he was ready to surrender, "After all, this is just a grudge between her and me, what does it have to do with you?"

Xiao Jue walked up to him, looked at him quietly, and suddenly stretched out his hand to grab his neck. The young man's fingers were slender and white, but it seemed that he could crush his bones alive.

He Rufei was strangled to the point of being unable to breathe. He stared at the other person and tried hard to force out a sneer.

"What does it have to do with me?" Xiao Jue asked slowly.

His dark eyes stared at He Rufei, as if filled with a dark storm, and he spoke word by word: "I, Xiao Jue, coaxed and rescued a girl for the first time in my life, but in the end, you drowned her alive. Tell me, what does it have to do with me?"

He Rufei struggled desperately, but the hand tightened more and more. He rolled his eyes up and kicked his legs. Extreme fear rose in his heart. He knew that he was going to die at the hands of this man.

But the next moment, the hand that was strangling his throat suddenly loosened, and He Rufei hugged his neck and started coughing on the screen.

"I won't kill you." Xiao Jue stood up, turned his back to him, and said coldly: "Because you don't deserve it."

Having said that, he left He Rufei, who was still gasping for breath with her hands covering her throat, and strode away.

…

In the early morning, when He Yan woke up, the snow outside had stopped.

Qingmei called Chiwu in the yard: "Chiwu guard, please stop adding more wood. The fire is too big and the medicine won't boil well."

Chiwu silently picked out a few pieces of firewood with pliers.

After all, Lin Shuanghe was a man, so it was not good for him to stay at the He family all the time. Besides, the He family really didn't have any extra rooms for him to live in. Qingmei prepared the medicine for this morning herself. He Yunsheng and He Sui went out early in the morning. Qingmei fanned the fire with a fan. She was always lively, but now she was a little dull.

It was the same when He Yan and Fan Cheng met. After returning, he fell seriously ill. Although He Sui had invited a doctor and the doctor had prescribed medicine, He Yan drank it bowl after bowl. His health did not improve, but got worse. Qing Mei once thought that He Yan might not survive, but he miraculously got better. She thought that maybe it was because of his wife's spirit in heaven. Now He Yan is sick again.

Although the doctor Lin, the expert in white, said that it was not serious, Qingmei was still a little worried.

Seeing her absent-minded look, Chi Wu thought for a moment and comforted her, "Don't worry, Master Lin said she's fine, so Miss He will definitely be fine."

"Not only that," Qingmei sighed, "When I went to change the water in the room this morning, I saw the girl crying in her sleep. It was the same before... If the girl wasn't heartbroken, how could she be like this? Didn't the girl have a sword fight with that Feihong General at Tianxingtai yesterday? How could this happen? Chiwu Guard, do you know what happened?"

Chi Wu shook his head. There were too many incomprehensible things about He Yan. But since Xiao Jue didn't let them check, they naturally wouldn't deliberately check.

"The old man and the young master were also very worried yesterday. I really hope that the young lady will get better soon." Qingmei said.

They didn't deliberately lower their voices. With her excellent hearing, He Yan heard their conversation clearly. She was stunned for a while. The woman in her dream had completely disappeared from her sight. The heater in the room was burning brightly. Next to the desk, there was a small white porcelain bowl with a bowl full of preserved fruit.

The candied fruit was bright red and sweet. She slowly reached out and picked one up, looking at it for a long time before putting it in her mouth.

The sweetness leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Qingmei pushed the door open with medicine in her hand. Seeing He Yan wake up, she was startled at first, then smiled happily: "Miss, you are awake, are you feeling unwell?"

"It's OK."

"That's good." Qingmei put the medicine bowl on the table and saw the small bowl of preserved fruit next to it. She smiled and said, "Commander Xiao asked me to put this here. He said that the medicine made by Doctor Lin is bitter. After you drink the medicine, remember to hold two pills in your mouth."

He Yan lowered his head and smiled: "Okay."

Qingmei felt that her daughter was a little strange, but she couldn't tell what was strange, so she moved a stool and sat in front of the couch, nagging He Yan not to catch a cold.

The sunlight came in from the window, and the room was inexplicably lively. He Yan looked out the window, then lowered his head to hide the tears in his eyes.

Everything is over.