Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Person in the Painting
The person in the painting?
The person in the painting!
Those were her eyebrows and eyes! Her facial contours! The curve of her lips!
Mu Lian held her breath, her trembling fingertips gently caressing the eyebrows and eyes of the person in the painting, so similar to her own. However, the person in the painting seemed to have a more gentle and graceful temperament, like the most delicate peach blossom in springtime in Jiangnan, carefully painted onto the silk by the painter with the most exquisite brushstrokes.
The faint, lingering sorrow between her brows, those bright eyes that seemed to hold shimmering water, unspoken words… Mu Lian had seen them countless times in the mirror; she had searched for them countless times in the faded, blurry memories left by her mother. But never before had she faced this similar trace and the inheritance of her bloodline so clearly, so cruelly, and so heart-wrenchingly.
The person in the painting was clearly her mother—the lady of the Mu family who had perished in the massacre, a beloved relative whom Mu Lian had long ago etched in her heart, for whom she had sworn a blood oath to avenge her family. But below the scroll, there were several lines of calligraphy, powerful and forceful. Mu Lian recognized the handwriting; it was strong and vigorous, imbued with an undeniable domineering and sinister air—the very handwriting of Prince Ruyang, Li Chong.
"A fleeting glimpse, on the banks of the Luo River. My soul is captivated, I yearn for it day and night. To have it, I am fortunate; to lose it..." The last four characters, the ink on the silk suddenly becoming wild and ferocious, as if saturated with an overwhelming, unyielding resentment and destructive urge, slammed fiercely onto the paper, "...my fate!"
"To gain it is my fortune, to lose it is my fate"?
These eight words, like eight red-hot steel needles, pierced Mu Lian's eyes, mind, and heart. A strong, metallic, sweet taste suddenly surged up her throat, only to be swallowed back down by Mu Lian with all her might, burning her esophagus and bringing a sharp pain as she ruminated.
"It's my fate to lose it," "It's my fate to lose it"?
What a perfect "It's my fate if I lose it"! Oh, I see! Oh, I see!
So, the chance encounter her mother had on the banks of the Luo River years ago became the catalyst for a catastrophe? Prince Ruyang Li Chong's morbid covetousness, and his madness to destroy everything he couldn't have, became a death warrant in a sea of love and hatred? The lives of the entire Mu family, her father's integrity, her mother's chastity, the peace of the entire household… in Prince Ruyang's eyes, all of these were merely fates destined to be erased by the word "loss"?
Overwhelming grief and boundless hatred, like icy lava, instantly froze Mu Lian's limbs, only to ignite fiercely in the next moment, threatening to consume her sanity. Mu Lian stared intently at the portrait; her mother's gentle face flickered in the candlelight, and those sorrowful eyes, in Mu Lian's eyes, now seemed to weep silently, accusing that beastly brutality!
Her body seemed to tremble violently, not from fear, but from the overwhelming, destructive killing intent that threatened to burst forth from her. Mu Lian abruptly closed her eyes, clenching her teeth, her tongue tasting the strong metallic flavor of blood—the blood she had bitten herself. When she opened her eyes again, all the intense emotional storms in her phoenix eyes were forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless, bone-chilling pool of icy cold. Deep within that pool burned a raging inferno of vengeance, powerful enough to incinerate the entire world.
Mother, Father, the wronged souls of the Mu family who died unjustly, watch from heaven—your daughter will surely avenge you!
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Mu Lian finally stopped looking at the heartbreaking portrait and instead pierced the newly opened, deeper secret niche with a venomous, icy gaze. Inside the niche lay quietly what she had truly been searching for tonight—several scrolls sealed tightly with sealing wax and a heavy ebony box.
Mu Lian reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, yet with unwavering determination, and retrieved the top scroll of sealed letters. She peeled back the hard sealing wax, unfolding the aged, yellowed letter inside. The familiar, strong handwriting—uniquely her father Mu Zhengqian's—unexpectedly caught her eye.
"...On my way home, I was shocked to witness the Prince of Ruyang secretly meeting with the special envoy from the southern frontier at Yehuling...Their discussion went beyond the smuggling of salt and iron; it also touched upon crucial border defenses. I fear their intentions are worthy of execution. Though I am of low rank, I am loyal to the Emperor and would not dare remain silent even at the cost of my life. This secret report is presented to Your Majesty, hoping Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly and swiftly punish this treacherous villain. Your subject, Mu Zhengqian, bows twice in reverence." The date on the report was clearly the eve of the massacre of the Mu family.
Unconsciously, her slender fingers tightened their grip on the edge of the secret letter. Every word on it felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing into Mu Lian's heart. Her father, her loyal and upright father, had not died from ordinary political infighting, but from uncovering the Prince of Ruyang's shocking conspiracy to collude with foreign enemies and undermine the foundations of the state. He had written this death warrant out of loyalty to the late emperor. He believed the secret report would reach the emperor directly, but little did he know that this letter, along with the lives of his entire family, had already been mercilessly swallowed up by the vast net woven by the Prince of Ruyang!
The letter rustled in Mu Lian's hands, the edges of the pages torn by her fingernails. Mu Lian took a deep breath, a breath that was icy cold and piercing to the bone. She put down her father's blood-written letter and picked up another yellowed, unfamiliar letter beside it. Unfolding it, she found a report from Ruyang Prince's confidant on the "results of the punishment":
"...Mu Zhengqian's secret letter has been intercepted...There is an indication from the court that all 132 members of the Mu family and their servants have been dealt with, and the mansion has been burned to the ground, leaving no trace...The Prince's assassins were mixed in with the execution guards, and only a dozen or so were killed. The rest have been properly taken care of...Your Highness, rest assured, this matter is flawless and His Majesty will not find out anything."
"One hundred and thirty-two people"? "Cleanly disposed of"? "Burn to ashes"?
Every cold word represents a once vibrant life, a home Mu Lian can never return to. There are her grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins, the loyal old housekeeper, and the wet nurse who watched her grow up... All the laughter and joy that once surrounded her, all the warm daily moments, have been transformed into soaring resentment and innocent, wronged souls in this cold, indifferent document of "clean up."
Tears, finally unable to be contained, broke through the icy barrier and gushed forth. Large, scalding teardrops fell onto the cold letter paper, quickly soaking the ink and blurring the blood-stained words. Mu Lian bit her lower lip tightly, trying not to utter a single sob; only her shoulders heaved silently.
Why? Why?!
How unjust is Heaven? How foolish was the late emperor?
How could a loyal minister be unjustly accused and a martyr die tragically, yet this tolerance of evil breeds a national scourge like Li Chong, a wolf in sheep's clothing?!
"Ah Lian, do you know your own identity?" Suddenly, the Empress's cold and meaningful words echoed in Mu Lian's ears.
"Your Majesty, I understand." Mu Lian lowered her head even further. She knew she was a tool in the Empress's hands.
Therefore, since the Empress wants to get rid of the obstacle of the Prince of Ruyang, I must do my best to share the burden of the monarch and eliminate the treacherous officials for the country, so as to show my true colors as a subject and live up to the Empress's great kindness.
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