68 Recognition
◎Won't you kiss me?◎
In the evening, Li Youxu returned to his house from the palace. He heard that not only Wei Tingshuang but also her brother came today. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: Seeing a foreign man in his house?
The feeling was not so strong before, but now he is very clear about it. His possessiveness towards her is getting stronger and stronger. He has never longed for a woman so much.
Li Youxi was about to go to the warm room to ask what was going on when Military Advisor He reported that Lord Fang came from the secret passage and had something to discuss, so Li Youxi went to the study first.
Since he came to power, some court officials have flattered the emperor and petitioned him to be crowned Crown Prince. Well, he didn't want the crown prince position. However, with the crown prince status, he would be able to ascend the throne naturally after the emperor's "death."
Emperor Jingren had no objection to this, only concerned about the follow-up to his selection of a concubine. Fang Jikai had wanted to discuss the selection of the Crown Princess with him today, but he had dismissed him with a few words. His visit through the secret passage must have something to do with this matter.
As Li Youxu had predicted, Fang Jikai had come to remind the prince of the stakes involved. The position of Crown Princess was a matter of great importance; would it not be laughable for a divorced woman to hold it? Furthermore, now was a crucial time to win over the court officials, and the position of Crown Princess was an ideal tool.
"I understand that the prince has a lover in his heart, but everyone knows that the daughter of the Wei family has been married before. Her status does not allow her to be a princess."
"Then give her the status she deserves."
"Your Highness," Fang Jikai bowed and advised seriously.
"The current Crown Princess will inevitably become the future Empress. Chosen as the daughter of a powerful minister, she will help the Prince consolidate his rule. The Wei family's daughter has no power and was once married. Not only will she be of no benefit to the Prince's great cause, she will also attract endless gossip."
"She is no longer the daughter of the Wei family, so why are she gossiping?"
Seeing that Li Youxu didn't care at all, Fang Jikai learned his lesson and decided to retreat in order to advance.
"If the prince really likes her, he can make her the Crown Prince's concubine, and later make her a noble concubine! Otherwise, even if she becomes the Crown Princess, she will be criticized by the ministers if she is crowned as the Queen in the future."
"Heh." Li Youxi sneered, his hands on his hips. "As the emperor, do you really want to let others interfere in matters as minor as the harem? If I allow them to get their hands on me, won't my future actions be even more restricted?"
"Don't forget," Li Youxu said in a sharp voice, reminding Fang Jikai, "Why did you let Qi Lique stuff his daughter into the Crown Prince's Mansion to serve as a military instructor?"
Fang Jikai was speechless after hearing this, but he still insisted that the Wei girl would bring a lot of trouble. However, the King of Liao was stubborn and self-willed, and parted ways with his first counselor on bad terms.
Li Youxu was holding his breath, and his expression naturally wasn't looking good. As soon as Wei Ziyan entered the warm room, she immediately noticed the anger in his expression, and her heart sank.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why are you unhappy right after returning?" Wei Ziyan forced a gentle smile and offered warm tea. "If Your Highness is tired, I will give you a massage."
After saying that, seeing him bring the teacup over and not object, Wei Ziyan moved behind him, stretched out her left and right fingers and pressed on his temples, following the massage technique that Leng Xiang had given her in the past.
The technique was a bit clumsy, and the strength was not satisfactory, but it touched Li Youxu's heart. After drinking a sip of tea and closing his eyes to enjoy the moment, Li Youxu grabbed one of the hands, pulled the person in front of him, and pulled him into his arms.
"Aren't you asking me for a title? Is the position of Crown Princess what you want?"
"Your Highness..." Wei Ziyan was surprised, and pretended to be extremely frightened. "I am not worthy of this."
"Can't bear it, or don't want to bear it?"
She didn't know why he suddenly brought up this topic, but it coincided with what she was asking for. Wei Ziyan replied carefully.
"I am fortunate to have been favored by the prince, but I dare not aspire to be his wife. With my current status, even if the prince does not mind, others will still make irresponsible remarks. The prince has just established himself in the court and is in need of more people. There is no need to lose his popularity because of me."
"Don't worry about that. I'll make the arrangements. Wei Ziyan might not be suitable, but why not Xu Ziyan or Song Ziyan?"
"Your Highness means..."
"Being the adopted daughter of Wei Taizhong may not be appropriate. I can ask another court official to recognize you as the legitimate daughter, completely changing your status."
Wei Ziyan was secretly delighted when she heard this; the pillow was handed to her at just the right time. However, she didn't dare show her joy, pursing her lips and not saying anything in time.
"Not willing?"
"No, Your Majesty always considers me, I..."
"That's what we'll do."
Li Youxu pinched her chin, not wanting to hear any more of her hesitation. He had always been a man of decisive action. Now that he had decided on her, he decided to make it a priority so that he could move forward with other matters and avoid Fang Jikai and his gang constantly nagging him.
"Since I want to change my identity, could Your Highness consider my proposal?" Wei Ziyan felt that the time had come and asked for what she wanted.
"explain."
"Your Highness may not know that I actually had an older brother when I was little, named Wei Ziheng. However, he died young, and I've always regretted not having one. It just so happens that Wei Tingzhou and I are siblings, and since we're going to switch identities, would Your Highness allow me to acknowledge Wei Tingzhou as my brother?"
Wei Tingzhou, isn’t he the foreign man who came today?
"You regard him as a brother?" Li Youxi raised his eyebrows.
"yes."
I see.
Li Youxi's earlier frustration faded considerably, and he shifted his focus. The Wei family officials in the court were powerless, but their status as the Eighth Imperial Concubine had elevated their status. This proposal was a good fit, offering both a prestigious status and the potential for family influence.
"Well, it's up to you."
Seeing that he agreed immediately, Wei Ziyan stood up from him and bowed with a smile: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your help."
After taking the first step successfully, Wei Ziyan felt relieved.
Since they wanted to acknowledge her as a relative, they had to go through certain procedures to have her name included in the Wei family tree. Three days later, Li Youxi personally accompanied Wei Ziyan to the Wei Mansion Ancestral Hall to kneel down and pay homage to their ancestors.
The Wei siblings were born to the eldest lady of the Wei family, and Wei Ziyan also acknowledged her as her mother, naming them Wei Tinglan, a character from her original courtesy name, Yilan.
With the Liao king brazenly present, the Wei family remained respectful throughout, and Master Wei and his wife also wore pleasant expressions. The entire process of recognizing one's ancestry went smoothly, except for Wei Tingshuang, who accidentally dropped the burning incense on Wei Ziyan's skirt.
Several holes were instantly burned on the elegant and luxurious silk dress, but fortunately, no one was burned. Wei's father was about to scold his daughter, but Wei Ziyan spoke up for him: "It's okay, sister was just careless."
"Tingshuang," Wei Tingzhou said at the right time, "Why don't you take Sister Lan to the house to change clothes?"
So, Wei Ziyan left the ancestral hall and followed Wei Tingshuang to her boudoir. Before entering the main room, Wei Tingshuang asked the maid to wait outside, then pushed her in and closed the door.
"Sister Wei, what are you doing..."
On that day in the Prince of Liao's Mansion, Wei Tingshuang was quite supportive of her, but today when she really recognized her relatives, she seemed like a different person. Wei Ziyan was full of doubts and just opened her mouth to ask, only to see a person walking out from behind the screen.
That was the face she thought of countless times day and night, the voice and appearance that brought back pain in her dreams.
Yan Qi was wearing the clothes of a servant in the Wei Mansion and walked forward to Wei Ziyan's surprised look.
"Please keep your conversation short." Wei Tingshuang said this neatly, turned around and went out to close the door.
As soon as she left, Yan Qizheng stretched out his arms, leaned over and hugged Wei Ziyan.
"Listen to me, don't go see His Majesty. The day of the Eighth Prince's wedding will be the day Li Youxu dies."
The Eighth Prince...
Wei Ziyan finally understood. She had been worried that relying solely on the court officials would not be enough to shake the King of Liao. It turned out that the Eighth Prince was also involved.
"Is it Prince Mu who is planning this with you?"
"That's right." Yan Qizhen did not hide it from her.
Wei Tingzhou worked for the Eighth Prince, so her request for help from the Wei brothers and sisters was heard by him through Prince Mu.
She wanted to find a way to meet with Emperor Jingren and tell him the truth about the Palace Incident. If he believed her, it would help weaken the Imperial Guards and benefit them. But if he didn't believe her, she would die.
King Mu admired her wisdom and courage, so he informed him and let him decide whether to stop her from getting involved. How could he watch her take such a risk on her life?
"If you fail to convince His Majesty, the King of Liao will not let you go."
"Don't worry, I will act according to the situation." Wei Ziyan raised her head and looked into Yan Qizhen's eyes.
Now she understood why the incense in Wei Tingshuang's hand fell on her skirt, and she also knew their plan.
She had deliberately chosen the day of the Eighth Prince's wedding, taking advantage of the Liao King's carelessness to storm the Imperial City and take it by force. But with tens of thousands of imperial guards present, how easy would it be to kill the Liao King? Yan Qi didn't want her to take any risks, and so did she.
She couldn't bear to see Yan Qizheng suffer a crushing defeat outside the Taiji Palace. If His Majesty believed her, he would definitely take back command of the Liao King's Imperial Guard.
"I am 70% sure that I can convince His Majesty. I will work with you to overthrow the King of Liao."
The eyes that looked at him were crystal clear, with a light of confidence and persistence. Yan Qi stared at Wei Ziyan without blinking, then suddenly lowered his head to touch the edge of her hair and kissed her deeply.
"Okay, let's do it together!" As he said that, he loosened his arms and started to take off her clothes.
"Hurry up and remember what I'm going to say next. This isn't the first time Xu Shidao has poisoned someone. He's already started when the Liao king sent envoys to Beijing to report his victory..."
The burnt dress was slowly taken off, and Yan Qizheng put on the new dress he had prepared earlier. At the same time, the truth of the matter was also explained.
"Remember what I said, be careful. If His Majesty blames you, put the blame on Fang Jikai."
"Yes," Wei Ziyan nodded heavily, "I remember."
Yan Qizheng raised his hand and gently stroked her face, his heart and eyes filled with reluctance. However, every extra bit of reluctance at this moment would put her in more danger. "Go."
He restrained himself and withdrew his hand without any other movement. Wei Ziyan's beautiful eyes moved slowly and she pursed her lips lightly.
"You... won't kiss me?"
We finally met, and you let her go like that?
Hearing this, Yan Qizheng couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. Looking at her delicately made-up face, he smiled helplessly: "I don't have time to touch up your makeup, silly."
If Li Youxu sees this, he will become suspicious.
"Oh..." Wei Ziyan pursed her lips again.
He was afraid of messing up her makeup and not being able to finish it, so no wonder he only kissed the edge of her hair. After changing her clothes, he didn't dare hug her too hard, for fear of pressing down on the wrinkles.
But she was unwilling to give in. She suddenly stood on tiptoe, hooked her arms around his neck and pressed it down, her red lips brushing against his.
A little bit of bright red lip balm stained Yan Qizhen's lips, and Wei Ziyan stepped back contentedly.
"I'll wait for you to take me home."
Yan Qizheng's throat moved slightly, and he responded: "Okay!"
After the Liao King and his entourage left, he also left Miss Wei's boudoir, and Wei Tingzhou came to pick him up. Hearing that Wei Ziyan's plan was still the same, he was a little bit unbelievable.
"Are you really willing to let her take risks?"
Yan Qi was silent, looking down at the crimson on his fingertips.
It was the lip balm she left on his lips, and also the honey mixed with courage, encouragement, and love.
The little girl who would panic when she saw an assassin is no longer the same.
She was both courageous and intelligent, and every step she took was not impulsive. Her desire to join him in overthrowing the King of Liao was not driven by impulse, but rather by her conviction that she could help him. Given this, his only task was to turn her 70% confidence into 100%.
"Brother Wei," Yan Qizheng clasped his fists towards Wei Tingzhou, "why don't we take this opportunity to add fuel to the fire?"
Before going to court the next day, news came out from nowhere that the second daughter of the Wei family was going to marry the King of Liao as his principal wife.
So, just as the bored ministers were waiting, they began to discuss the Wei family, saying that their ancestral tombs were filled with smoke, and they had unexpectedly produced two princesses. Someone asked, knowing only that the Wei family had one legitimate son and one daughter, so how could there be a second daughter? Upon closer questioning, someone first revealed that the Wei family actually had a daughter who was raised in seclusion, had a long-standing friendship with the Liao prince, and had recently returned to the capital because the Liao prince intended to marry her.
Everyone suddenly understood, and then they discussed that after Prince Mu's wedding, Prince Liao would be officially canonized as the Crown Prince, so this second young lady would become the Crown Princess, and even the heir of a country in the future. Isn't this a blessing from the ancestors?
As a result, many people were curious about the young lady of the Wei family. What kind of old friendship did the Liao prince have that made him so obsessed with her? Some even asked about the Liao prince's favorite person, the Minister of Personnel Fang Jikai.
Lord Fang was a close minister to the King of Liao and must have known the inside story. But Lord Fang's sullen face and cold eyes forced all the curious people back.
"Sir Fang, can you please have a word with me?" After the morning court session, the Minister of War Lu Qiyou angrily pulled Fang Jikai aside.
"Didn't Lord Fang say he would strongly recommend my daughter to the Fourth Prince? Why is it that the Fourth Prince wants to marry the Second Miss of the Wei family? Is Lord Fang deliberately deceiving me?"
Being questioned by Lu Qi like this, Fang Jikai was speechless!
I mentioned the matter of taking a concubine to the prince earlier, and he casually said it was up to him. But when he made up his mind, he didn't want anyone else and only recognized the divorced woman.
Being accused of breaking one's promise by Lu Qiyou is a small matter, but if the prince is allowed to allow that woman to enter the house and confuse the master and cause chaos, there is no guarantee that he will not make a mistake.
This act of claiming a relative and exchanging identities is nothing more than a cover-up! The daughter of the Wei family has appeared in the palace before. When the officials see the true appearance of the so-called "Second Miss of the Wei Family", who would not recognize her?
Even if the ministers dared not speak out, how could His Majesty agree? If this matter angered His Majesty, the position of Crown Prince would be in jeopardy.
Thinking of this, Fang Jikai's eyes suddenly showed murderous intent. Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist the temptation of beautiful women. Fang Jikai had been planning for many years, so how could he sit back and watch the prince sink deeper and deeper into disaster?
After the ancestral hall recognition, the Wei family sent an invitation to Wei Ziyan for a family dinner, which was a complete show. Li Youxu agreed and ordered He Junshi to bring his men along.
After the family dinner, Wei Ziyan emerged from the Wei residence and returned to her carriage. The moon was dim and the stars were sparse. A drunken He Yingqing rode ahead, gloating over the fact that he had benefited from the future Crown Princess's favor tonight, when several masked assassins suddenly appeared from the front.
He Yingqing was sobered up by the shock and shouted, "Protect Miss Wei!"
But he never imagined that anyone would dare to block the way and assassinate the prince. He hadn't brought many men with him, and he himself was only half-baked. Seeing these burly men's brutal attacks, He Yingqing's knife-wielding hand trembled violently.
Wei Ziyan in the car did not panic. She held the sleeve arrow given to her by Yan Qizhen in one hand and held a bag of eye-irritating lime powder in the other.
"If Fang Jikai wants to attack you, he will definitely not miss this opportunity. Don't worry, I won't let his men hurt you."
The echoes in her mind, mingling with the sounds of fighting outside, filled her ears. Wei Ziyan held her breath, her eyes fixed on the movement of the curtains. If anyone dared to break in, she would first give him a face full of lime, and then take a hidden arrow from him!
But all they could hear outside was the clanging of bells and a few screams. The sounds of fighting quickly died down, and then they heard the relieved voice of Military Advisor He: "Don't be afraid, Miss Wei. The thief has been apprehended."
Wei Ziyan kept her hands in the same position and kept her eyes open alertly: "What's going on?"
"We encountered more than a dozen bandits, but thanks to the help of Lord Yu, we have wiped them all out."
Mr. Yu?
Wei Ziyan lifted half of the curtain and looked out. Under the moonlight, a silhouette was holding a long sword against the neck of a man in black. It seemed to be Yu Sugong without a doubt.
How could it be him?
Wei Ziyan couldn't help but look around. At this moment, the black-clad man who had been held to a sword by Yu Sugong committed suicide. He Yingqing stamped his feet anxiously, "How am I going to explain this to the prince?"
Yu Sugong said: "There are still two survivors."
Just as he finished speaking, two soldiers came back with a man in black. Wei Ziyan stared at their faces and figures to identify them carefully. It was not Yan Qizheng.
The man in black who was chased back was not so tough and immediately knelt down and begged for mercy. Yu Sugong put the knife to his neck again: "Who sent you here? I said I would spare your life."
"Yes...it's Master Fang."
He Yingqing gasped: "Don't bite me!"
The man in black trembled in his voice, "I dare not... I swear on the elders and children of my family that I will not lie!"
Before He Yingqing could ask more, Yu Sugong said to him, "Sir He, we cannot remain here any longer. We must immediately and safely return Miss Wei to the palace. I will temporarily take this man back and interrogate him later."
This sentence reminded He Yingqing that if another wave of thieves came, he might not be as lucky as before. Lord Yu only had five or six officers and soldiers around him. He Yingqing couldn't care less about the men in black now. He quickly ordered the convoy to set off.
Wei Ziyan was about to lower the curtains when she didn't see Yan Qizheng. Yu Sugong took a few steps towards her and said quickly and quietly, "He was guarding the car just now, but he's hiding now."
he?
Wei Ziyan immediately realized that the "he" she was referring to was Yan Qizheng. Glancing at the people outside the carriage, Wei Ziyan was filled with doubt: had Yu Sugong betrayed her again, or had he never betrayed her in the first place?
After returning to the palace, He Yingqing ordered someone to send the "frightened" Miss Wei to the warm room, and he went to report the situation to the prince.
"Fang Jikai?"
"The assassin confessed to Lord Fang, but we don't know whether it's true or not."
He Yingqing didn't dare to say anything decisive, after all, that person was the prince's trusted minister. But he saw the prince slam the table and angrily told him to go and grab Fang Jikai immediately.
There was a secret passage between the Prince's Mansion and the Fang Mansion, and Lord Fang had already used it to meet with the Prince. This was top secret within the mansion, so He Yingqing didn't dare to send anyone else. He personally ran to the secret passage and hurriedly brought Lord Fang over.
He was also clever, not revealing a single word during the conversation, saying only that the prince had urgent matters to discuss. Fang Jikai had a premonition, but was unsure. He had only found assassins, so he shouldn't have betrayed him.
On the other side, two officers and soldiers "escorted" the man in black to a forest and stopped in front of another officer and soldier with handsome features.
"Thank you for your hard work, brothers." The pretty soldier handed the bundle in his hand to the three of them. "Tomorrow morning, you will go to the city to take shelter for a while."
"Mr. Yan, we'll meet again." The officers and soldiers and the men in black clasped their fists at the same time, took the bundle, and quickly disappeared into the dark forest.
"Your tricks of 'changing the truth' and 'forcing a confession' are quite powerful. Fang Jikai will have no way to defend himself now." Yu Sugong appeared from the darkness on the other side with a smile on his face.
Yan Qizhen smiled upon hearing this, his eyes falling on the already dead body on the ground.
You can’t pry open the killer’s mouth, and you can’t take off his clothes?
"Fang Jikai!" In the study, Li Youxu slammed the table and stood up: "You are so brave!"
A few days ago, he instigated several ministers to put pressure on him, but today he simply killed them.
"Don't think that just because you claim to be my loyal minister, I will always tolerate you!"
Fang Jikai stood in the center with a calm expression.
From the moment he decided to take the risk, he had anticipated the wrath he would face if his actions were exposed. He was willing to bear the consequences, but his only regret was that he had not been able to take the woman's life.
"Your Highness!" Fang Jikai said in a stern tone, showing no remorse. "Since ancient times, beautiful women have always been the cause of trouble. I did this because I didn't want your years of planning to be ruined by a woman..."
“That’s enough!”
So stubborn!
Li Youxu angrily waved his sleeves and said, "Go back and reflect on your mistakes!"
Seeing the prince furious and Fang Jikai leaving sadly, He Yingqing, who witnessed the whole process, was secretly delighted.
Fang Jikai was indeed resourceful, but he also had a penchant for ostentation. The prince had successfully seized power in Beijing, and Fang Jikai, arguing that he was the chief contributor, had caused the prince to overlook the contributions of his fellow officials from the northern border.
Of course, Military Advisor He stepped on it at the right time.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Lord Fang is just relying on his years of planning for Your Highness in the capital. He thinks he is more accomplished than you and is just talking nonsense. My subordinate, Miss Guan Tinglan, is kind and peaceful, without any ambition or ulterior motives. Yet, Lord Fang has compared her to a beauty who brings disaster."
"After this unexpected disaster, I'm afraid Miss Tinglan has also had concerns in her heart. For the sake of Your Highness, she will no longer be the Crown Princess. Your Highness should quickly go and comfort Miss Tinglan!"
These words made Li Youxu even more angry, and he cursed Fang in his heart.
He walked while cursing, and just as he stepped into the warm room, he heard the sound of sobbing. He walked in and saw the pale little face crying even louder at him: "Your Highness, this Crown Princess Ting Lan can no longer be..."
Li Youxu's temples were pounding, and he had to suppress his anger and comfort her, "It's okay. This kind of danger won't happen again."
"If it weren't for Lord Yu's timely rescue tonight, Ting Lan would never have seen the prince again," Wei Ziyan insisted. "This isn't the first time Lord Fang has sent people to hunt me down. It's clear he has a deep hatred for me and won't let it go."
"I will deal with him myself and make him stop." Li Youxu said angrily, "Do you think I can't even protect a woman?"
"Of course Tinglan believes in His Majesty, but I don't want to see His Majesty become alienated from Lord Fang because of me." Wei Ziyan looked hesitant. "Besides Lord Fang, there will also be Lord Li and Lord Zhang. His Majesty may not agree..."
"Others won't dare to say anything, and you don't have to worry about Father. I will definitely find a way to make him agree."
Wei Ziyan stopped crying and raised her head with tears in her eyes.
"Your Majesty's kindness is so great, Ting Lan has no way to repay it."
It sounded like he was no longer angry, and Li Youxu felt relieved.
"It's good that you know. Stop crying."
Wei Ziyan stopped crying obediently, lowered her head and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and asked softly, "When will the prince ask His Majesty about his feelings?"
"I'll go tomorrow."
Li Youxi didn't want to delay any longer and cut the Gordian knot.
Wei Ziyan raised her face again, her expression serious. "Speaking of which, His Majesty has always been very kind to me. If I go to see His Majesty together and beg sincerely, perhaps His Majesty will not make things difficult for Your Highness? As long as His Majesty agrees, there will naturally be fewer voices of opposition in the court."
After hearing this, Li Youxu was silent for a moment.
"Okay, I'll take you to see the Emperor."
【Author’s words】
There are three more chapters to finish [hug]
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Let's take the pre-collection and ask for collection!
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Being a Hostage in the Enemy Country for My Brother
The six kingdoms competed for supremacy, with Song becoming the dominant power. The five kingdoms were forced to send their young princes to Song as hostages.
The ten-year-old Princess Gu Yunwan of the Han Kingdom pretends to be her brother and becomes one of the hostages.
The cunning Crown Prince of Song, the hostage from another country who seemed like a friend but also an enemy, the licentious and immoral minister, and the arrogant and domineering princess, all of them had ill intentions towards her.
For five years, Gu Yunwan was cautious and treading on thin ice every day, but she accidentally fell into a trap set by others and was discovered to be a girl by the Prince of Song.
Hehuan powder seeps into the internal organs, either death or...
"Your Highness..."
Gu Yunwan's black hair was disheveled and tears rolled down her eyes.
At this moment, she would rather die.
-
The hostages from the five kingdoms all knew that although Crown Prince Xiao Jue of Song looked like a gentleman, he was actually a ruthless and scheming character who could only be flattered but not confided in.
Xiao Jue also knew that these five men were insincere, two-faced and had ulterior motives.
Especially the Han hostage Gu Jinan.
He was born with a face that was more sentimental than a woman's, soft and gentle like jade and flowers, and was good at bewitching people.
It turns out that there is a beautiful girl inside.
Tonight, her life and death depend on his decision.
"Your Highness..."
Xiao Jue's face was gloomy. His bony fingers lifted up strands of black hair and covered the tearful eyes beneath him.
"The crime of deceiving the emperor and destroying your clan is so great, how can you just die and get rid of it?"
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