Chapter 40 Liberation
A look of pain appeared on Liu Yu's face. He closed his eyes and slowly spoke.
"My older sister found out after all."
"I hate being deceived and betrayed the most."
"How could I possibly betray my sister!"
Liu Xi shook off Liu Yu's repeatedly outstretched hand, "You know perfectly well that Huo Lin is someone close to me, so why do you still go to such lengths to kill him?"
"With me by your side, it's enough for you, Sister. Even without Huo Lin, I can help you get everything you want."
"What?"
Liu Yu suddenly grabbed Liu Xi's shoulders tightly, "Sister, you can't go to a political marriage, you can't marry someone else."
"You promised me you would never leave me. Have you forgotten all those promises, sister?"
Liu Xi suddenly realized something, struggled a few times, and shouted angrily.
"Liu Yu, I am your older sister!"
"So what!"
Liu Yu seemed to have suddenly gone mad, repeating blasphemous words over and over again.
"Sister, believe me. Power, status, the position of crown prince, even the throne—I have the ability and confidence to climb to the top. No one in this world will stop me from having you. Sister, you can only belong to me."
This is insane, absolutely insane.
It turns out that this was the idea Liu Yu had been harboring all along.
Is this why he targeted the Huo family? It's absurd and utterly illogical.
"Liu Yu, you've gone mad."
Hearing that Liu Xi no longer even called him A Yu, Liu Yu's mind oscillated between unease and anger.
“I’m not crazy! Have I asked for much? Have I received much? No! I just don’t want to lose the love I finally got. Sister, don’t you understand? You are my everything.”
"But everyone wants to take you away from me, even Father. Why, why?"
Liu Xi finally managed to break free from Liu Yu's grasp and decisively raised her hand to slap him across the face.
"Wake up!"
Xia rushed out of Yihuai Pavilion at this moment and stood in front of Liu Xi.
"Seventh Prince, it's late, you should go back soon."
Liu Yu's gaze did not leave Liu Xi for even a moment. He suppressed the impulse that had been pent up in his heart for a long time, and his tone returned to calm.
"Sister, you'll understand someday."
"I will never let you go to the Northern faction for a political marriage. Sister, please rest well. I'm leaving now."
Liu Xi was somewhat dazed. She had heard this sentence more than once today, but each time she heard it, her mood and state of mind were very different.
She thought that giving herself a year to deal with Consort Xian and Liu Yan would be enough, as her lifelong obsession was nothing more than avenging the grudge from her past life.
But now it seems that this time is not even enough for her to process the obsession that Liu Yu has developed towards her.
Liu Xi suddenly felt a chill of fear, unable to imagine what other shocking things Liu Yu might do.
Zhi Xiang helped Liu Xi back into the inner hall and ordered the gates of Yi Huai Pavilion to be closed tightly. Only then did Liu Xi feel somewhat at ease.
Liu Xi slept poorly that night, having nightmares all night.
In her dream, the scene of her being killed by Liu Yan in her past life kept replaying. She was dying and coming back to life under the sharp blade. Liu Yan's face went from clear to blurry. Suddenly, the person holding the knife became Liu Yu.
Liu Xi sat up with a start, her body covered in cold sweat.
"No, I cannot let him distract me and affect my most important plan."
Liu Xi tried to calm her unease, but she couldn't sleep all night, leaning against the headboard in a daze until dawn.
The news of He Qing's death spread even before the news of the four princesses' impending marriage to the Northern faction.
News from the previous dynasty said that He Qing's attempt to collude with the Northern Faction failed, and he was taken back to the capital as a pledge of loyalty, whereupon the emperor ordered his execution.
Besides He Qing, the Fifth Prince Liu Yan was also sent back to the Celestial Empire along with He Qing.
Liu Yan seemed to have suffered a great shock, and he became completely insane. Even when the imperial physician Wang examined his pulse, it was to no avail. The emperor had no choice but to move him to the Cold Palace and put him in Liu Yu's original residence.
Liu Xi went to Xingyun Pavilion, which was so deserted that it didn't seem like the residence of the imperial concubines at all.
He Miaoling, dressed in plain clothes, with her hair ornaments removed and her long hair flowing freely, sat alone in the courtyard basking in the sun.
"I knew the princess would come back."
Liu Xi sat down opposite her, and He Miaoling, as usual, poured Liu Xi a cup of hot tea.
"Father is dead, the He family is ruined, and the adopted son has gone mad. Does the princess feel any satisfaction in seeing this?"
"It is said that after a great revenge is achieved, people will only feel a sense of loss. I did not expect that when I came to your Xingyun Pavilion today, I would feel particularly melancholy."
He Miaoling revealed a gentle smile, "Princess, you spared my life until now just to let me suffer. Now that those who could torment me have all left, it's time for you to take my life."
Liu Xi picked up her teacup and took a small sip. To be honest, it was indeed a fragrant and delicious tea.
"You want to be free."
He Miaoling said frankly, "Please, Princess, grant me a release."
"Then please, Your Majesty, answer my last question."
Liu Xi put down her teacup, her tone solemn.
"How did you bribe the Imperial Observatory's certificate to help you slander me before the Emperor, claiming that I am afflicted by a demon?"
“The princess already has the answer in her heart, why not believe her own guess?”
He Miaoling stood up and slowly knelt down in front of Liu Xi.
"Princess, there's no need to worry about whether it's a real affair or not. Even if it's fake, does that mean it can't become real?"
He Miaoling may have misunderstood Liu Xi's meaning; she simply didn't want to involve innocent people.
But her next sentence immediately reassured Liu Xi.
"I was definitely not the one who did what Your Highness's mother did back then. If I had known there was a trap behind it, I wouldn't have taken action myself and left myself with evidence."
"Whether it is a celestial calamity or a man-made disaster, the princess has her own judgment, so there is no need for me to say more."
Liu Xi sighed softly, then stood up and left He Miaoling a bottle of pills.
"Although you don't need to worry about your entire family being implicated if you commit suicide now, this poison will only make you look like you are seriously ill and beyond medical help. Of course, you won't suffer too much pain when you die."
As Liu Xi stepped out of the courtyard, He Miaoling's voice drifted from behind her.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
Liu Xi stood on the palace road, looking up at the sky.
Having been given a second chance at life, fate was surprisingly stingy, only granting her the time and opportunity for revenge.
Those who took action have been dealt with, while those who haven't yet are hiding in the shadows, barely surviving.
Once Liu Xi has cleaned up the dark places, the extra life she has now should be returned to God.
Rather than actually marrying into the Northern School, Liu Xi would rather experience a free and unrestrained life.
For thirty to fifty years, in both her past and present lives, she was nothing more than a bird trapped in the palace.
When the day comes that she has avenged her great enemy, even if it means death, Liu Xi will fly out of the palace walls.
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