novelraw Chapter 439
Chapter 439
A tremendously powerful force suddenly struck. Yan Zheng channeled his energy to resist, but was still knocked back three steps.
The other party gave a light chuckle. Good martial arts.
In the next moment, moving like a phantom, the person swept to his front. A slender, pale palm struck his chest, and Yan Zheng immediately felt as if his internal organs were burning.
A metallic taste rose in his throat, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, yet his feet did not move an inch.
He actually withstood this strike head-on!
A hint of astonishment flashed through the man's eyes. Quite the tough bone, what a pity.
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his palm to strike again. Chu Ruoyan watched with her heart shattering in terror; she broke free from the servant's grasp and lunged forward.
No!
She threw herself between Yan Zheng and the man. The Emperor's gaze instantly hardened; grabbing her shoulder, he switched their positions.
Seeing that he was about to take the blow with his back and be killed in an instant, Chu Ruoyan had a flash of inspiration and screamed, Father, show mercy!!!
The man's movements stalled slightly, his palm stopping barely an inch from Yan Zheng's back. What did you call me?
As he spoke, he looked toward Chu Ruoyan.
The moment he clearly saw her face, his entire body jolted violently. The face that had always been devoid of joy or sorrow seemed to tear open. Qing'er... you're awake?!
Qing'er?
Chu Ruoyan suddenly remembered her older brother mentioning that their mother's maiden name contained the character Qing.
Sure enough, this terrifying, demon-like man standing before her, who struck to kill, was her biological father—the Regent.
Father, it's me, I am Miaomiao! Chu Ruoyan quickly said.
A trace of doubt surfaced in the Regent's eyes. Miao... miao?
Then, as if remembering something, his previous emotion vanished abruptly, and he reverted to his former indifferent demeanor. What are you doing here?
Chu Ruoyan was stunned again.
A father and daughter reuniting after years of separation—even if there wasn't the heart-wrenching, tearful embrace found in storybooks, it shouldn't be this cold, right? It was as if she weren't his own flesh and blood...
The young lady took a deep breath to calm her emotions. Catching sight of the blood at the corner of Yan Zheng's mouth, she hurriedly pulled him forward. Father, this is Yan Zheng, my husband! We came... we came to Mount Mei to visit Mother!
At the mention of her mother, the man's gaze softened slightly, but upon hearing the word husband, a look of disgust appeared. The Yan family cannot be your husband!
Chu Ruoyan was slightly startled, while a glint of hostility flashed in Yan Zheng's eyes. Dare I ask the Regent, do you say this because my father destroyed your Yun family's empire?
The Regent suddenly turned his head to look at him, his gaze like ice.
Yan Zheng met his eyes without backing down in the slightest, causing Chu Ruoyan to groan inwardly.
Her husband was perfect in every way, so why was he so ill-fated with his fathers-in-law?
In the past, he was treated as a great enemy by her adoptive father, watched like a thief.
Now, upon meeting her biological father, they were immediately at each other's throats. It was too hard on her poor brain; she truly couldn't think of a way to mediate!
Just then, a lazy, wicked voice interjected. Is that so? Then are you fit to be her father?
Without even turning his head, the Regent threw out a palm strike.
Behind him, plum blossoms fell like rain, and a figure in red drifted down with them.
However, his movements were far less smooth than before. He even stumbled upon landing, swaying twice as if he were injured.
Second Brother! Chu Ruoyan called out in pleasant surprise.
Yun Lang smiled and tilted his head at her, then turned to look at his biological father with a face full of mockery. What? Did I hit a sore spot and make you fly into a rage out of humiliation? But what did I say wrong? Where were you when her cold illness acted up and her life was hanging by a thread? Where were you when she had to personally burn our eldest brother to death after he was turned into a medicine puppet? You haven't fulfilled a single day of your duty as a father, yet now you actually want her husband's life? Yun, do you deserve it?
The man turned a deaf ear, as if he hadn't heard a word.
Yun Lang's gaze darkened, and the anger in his heart burned brighter. Playing dead again, are we? It was like this in the past, and it's still like this now. Do you think playing deaf and dumb means nothing happened? Take this!
A gold-threaded folding fan snapped out, aiming straight for his biological father's face.
Chu Ruoyan's mouth twitched slightly; she hadn't expected her second brother to attack without warning.
She saw the Regent holding a plum blossom branch in his right hand and meeting the attack with his left. His posture was as graceful as an immortal's. With a simple cross of two fingers, he effortlessly caught the fan's handle. You are no match for me.
Is that so?
Yun Lang gave a secretive smile. The tip of the fan suddenly flicked, shooting out two steel needles.
Chu Ruoyan gasped and widened her eyes, only to see the man dodge at an impossible angle.
Snick!
With a soft sound, the two steel needles missed the man but struck the plum blossom in his hand.
In an instant, the petals shattered and scattered across the ground.
The man, who had been devoid of emotion all this time, instantly had eyes as dark as a desolate abyss. You dare damage her flower?
Yun Lang opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, his throat tightened as he was forcefully choked.
An overwhelming sense of suffocation swept over him, and in just a few breaths, his face turned purple.
Chu Ruoyan shuddered in fright and shouted, Father, stop, that's Second Brother!
But the Regent turned a deaf ear, his hand tightening around Yun Lang's neck.
Seeing that things were going wrong, Yan Zheng shouted in a low voice, Shadow.
The youth thrust his sword forward, but the opponent didn't even raise his eyes, merely waving his sleeve to force him back.
The flowers! Attack the flowers!
Chu Ruoyan cried out. Shadow acted according to her words, and Yan Zheng also drew his sword at the same time.
That cold, isolated figure finally moved, letting go to protect the flowers. Yun Lang slumped down like a puddle of mud.
Second Brother!!
Chu Ruoyan rushed over, seeing her brother's face purple and on the verge of suffocating.
Yan Zheng immediately transferred a burst of internal energy to him. He coughed dryly twice and woke up, saying weakly, Why save me...
The Emperor and Empress were stunned as they listened to the Pavilion Master of Baixiao speak listlessly. Dying by his hands... wouldn't that be nice? It would save me from still having his blood flowing in my veins... disgusting.
The disgust in his words had reached its absolute peak.
Chu Ruoyan's heart trembled, and she scolded gently, What nonsense are you saying? I've already lost Eldest Brother, do you want me to lose my Second Brother too?
Yun Lang fell silent. After a long while, he said very softly, I took Eldest Brother to see Mother, but she... still hasn't woken up...
Chu Ruoyan bit her lip tightly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Actually, since Eldest Brother had been burned to ashes, it was completely normal that Mother wouldn't recognize him.
But whenever she thought of why he had ended up like that, her heart felt as if it were being gnawed by hundreds of ants, aching so much she couldn't breathe.
Seeing this, Yan Zheng grasped her hand tightly. Chu Ruoyan smiled sadly and shook her head at him, signaling that she was fine.
Your Majesty, Your Highness, look quickly!
Yu Lu suddenly called out. Everyone looked over to see the Regent leap up and pick plum blossoms from the surrounding trees.
But after picking a dozen or so without being satisfied, he went back, bent down, and began picking up the fallen petals from earlier, one by one.
His movements were so careful, his expression so gentle, as if he were protecting some peerless treasure.
When the last petal was picked up, his figure flashed and disappeared into the plum grove.
Yun Lang spat heavily. Putting on an act! Does he think bringing Mother's favorite plum blossoms will wake her up? He's been dreaming for over ten years and still refuses to face reality. Coward!!
Only then did Chu Ruoyan understand that he protected the plum blossoms so fiercely because of their mother.
Her brows furrowed slightly. Second Brother, has Father... always been like this? Aside from taking care of Mother, does he care for nothing else, including... his children?
"Don't call him father!" Yun Lang interrupted coldly, his brows full of gloom. "You saw it just now. Ever since mother became muddle-headed, this man has changed into a completely different person. All day long, he does nothing but plant and pick flowers. Everyone around him has been driven away. He is an absolute piece of trash... Cough, cough, cough!!"
His agitation aggravated his injuries, causing him to suddenly cough violently.
Qin Yiru only just ran over at this moment. Seeing the situation, he cried out, "My dear ancestor Lang, why have you fought with your father again, again, and again? It's been seven or eight times since you came back, right? With these new injuries piling up on old ones, do you really want to die at your old man's hands?"
Yun Lang snorted and let the old man fuss over him for a bit before asking, "By the way, why are you guys here?"
Hearing this, Qin Yiru felt a bit guilty and hurriedly winked at the Emperor and Empress.
Chu Ruoyan found it amusing and said, "It's because I've never been back to Mount Mei, so I wanted to come and take a look."
Qin Yiru breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Lang looked thoughtful: "It's good that you came back. Sooner or later, you'll have to see mother. Miaomiao, I'll take you up the mountain first to rest well for two days. Once you've regained your energy, we'll go see mother and eldest brother."
Chu Ruoyan nodded in agreement. A guard suddenly stepped forward, holding a bamboo tube in his hands: "Your Majesty, a carrier pigeon letter from the capital. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
Yan Zheng took it and read it, his sword-shaped eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Chu Ruoyan asked, "Did something happen?"
Logically, it shouldn't be. With her uncle holding down the fort, along with Gu Sun, Xie Zhizhou, Mei Hexuan, and many other ministers, things shouldn't go wrong just because they left for a short while, right?
Yan Zheng handed the missive back to the guard: "Rest assured, it's nothing major. The Western Frontier envoy delegation has arrived."
"The Western Frontier envoy delegation?" Chu Ruoyan thought for a moment before remembering that the King of the Western Frontier had passed away, and the envoy delegation wanted to welcome her, the Holy Maiden, back. She couldn't help but smile and ask, "I wonder what Your Majesty has instructed? If the Western Frontier envoys can't see us, they probably won't let it go easily, right?"
Yan Zheng snorted coldly: "It's not up to them to not let it go! I have already ordered Meng Yang to find a woman who looks similar to you to temporarily stay in the central palace to placate them. If they can't wait and leave, that's for the best. If they insist on waiting for us to return, we can deal with them then."
Chu Ruoyan nodded. Yun Lang suddenly said, "People from the Western Frontier are here? Then you must be careful!"
The Emperor and Empress exchanged a glance, just about to ask what he meant by this.
The old man suddenly stuck a needle into Yun Lang's back, making him grimace in pain: "Lighter, lighter! Do you want my life, old man?!"
Qin Yiru grunted: "So you still know pain? If you have something to say, wait until you go back and heal your wounds. Stop trying to be a hero here!"
Thus, the group had no choice but to head up the mountain first.
The Capital, the Imperial Palace.
Meng Yang stared at the Emperor's secret letter, dumbfounded.
"Find a woman similar to the Empress? Where am I supposed to find one? Ever since Pei Ji sent that Xiaoyan and Aruo into the palace last time, the entire palace from top to bottom has been purged. Am I supposed to magically conjure up a living person out of thin air?"
Meng Yang complained endlessly. Beside him, Cao Yang frowned: "Commander Meng, this matter needs to be done as soon as possible. The Western Frontier envoy delegation has already arrived in the capital today. Even if we use the excuse that the Emperor is unwell and it's inconvenient to receive guests, the Empress is still their princess and Holy Maiden after all. If they insist on seeing her, we have no reason to refuse."
Xie Zhizhou also said, "According to the Emperor's wishes, delaying is the best strategy. But no matter how we delay, we still need a person. Commander Meng, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you with this matter..."
Meng Yang gave a fake smile: "I thank you all for thinking so highly of me, but I really can't do anything. Where am I supposed to find someone on such short notice? How about this, do you think I would do?"
Everyone scrutinized him from head to toe and shook their heads one after another.
How could this big, burly man pretend to be the gentle and dignified Empress?
Gu Sun, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said, "Didn't I hear that the Second Miss of the Chu family is returning today?"
Meng Yang was stunned, and Xie Zhizhou nodded vigorously: "That's right! The Second Miss of the Chu family has a gentle temperament and understands the greater good. Asking her to pretend to be the Empress is the perfect choice!"
Everyone's eyes uniformly turned to Meng Yang, who raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I'll go. I'll go invite her right away!"
The Chu Residence.
Although the plaque of the Duke's estate had been taken down, it looked no different from before.
Chu Ruoyin stood blankly at the main gate for a long time. Thinking back to the past, she felt as if a lifetime had gone by.
Bihe said, "Second Miss, let's hurry into the manor. Madam and the Third Miss must be waiting for you inside. Also, didn't the Empress say she had a surprise for you? Let's go in and see!"
A surprise?
Hearing this, Chu Ruoyin shook her head.
Her heart had long gone with that person. Nothing in this world could stir up ripples in it anymore.
Just as she took a step into the manor, there was a sudden sound of rushing horse hooves, and the Imperial Guard Commander, Meng Yang, hurried over.
The main hall of the manor.
Lady Jiang the Younger and Chu Ruolan sat in the main seats, continuously looking outside: "Why isn't she here yet? Didn't we agree on the Shen hour?" After speaking, she turned to the person sitting in the guest seat with an apologetic smile, "Prince of Qin, please wait a moment. Ruoyin sent a letter home, and we repeatedly confirmed with her that it is indeed today without mistake. Presumably, she was delayed by something on the road and will arrive a bit late."
It turned out that the person was the Prince of Qin, Murong Jin.
He hadn't died in the palace that day, but had taken the old divine doctor's Turtle Breath Pill, feigning death.
Afterward, he was smuggled out of the palace and brought back to life by this old man's miraculous medical skills.
However, his injuries had been too severe. It took him several intermittent months to wake up, and another good while to accept the news of his mother and brother's tragic deaths and the change of the dynasty. By the time he recovered his senses and went to look for her, it had dragged on until now.
Murong Jin wore a green robe and a white jade crown on his head. The belt around his waist was also bought after spending two days of effort, all because he wanted to reappear before her in his best possible appearance.
At this moment, it felt as if millions of ants were crawling in his heart. He could only press his hands tightly against his knees to hold back the urge to rush to the door to catch a glimpse of her: "Madam, please rest assured. I have delayed her for so long in the past; waiting a little bit now is no trouble at all."
Lady Jiang the Younger and Chu Ruolan breathed a sigh of relief.
He was a prince, after all. Being able to wait here with them for an hour or two was already not easy, and it was even rarer that he hadn't lost his temper.
But they waited and waited, and until it got dark, the person still hadn't returned.
Lady Jiang the Younger quickly sent someone to inquire, only to find out that Chu Ruoyin had been intercepted by Meng Yang right at the main gate today.
Murong Jin's heart suddenly sank, and then he heard the servant say tremblingly, "Furthermore, Commander Meng said that the Second Miss won't be able to return for a while. He also... also had the Second Miss bring her belongings and valuables into the palace, saying... saying she is to temporarily reside in the Kunning Palace."
"What? Temporarily reside in the Kunning Palace?" Lady Jiang the Younger gasped, and Murong Jin clenched his fists.
What did this Yan Zheng mean? Was marrying her older sister not enough? Did he now want both sisters to serve the same husband?
Lady Jiang the Younger had obviously thought of this too and hurriedly said, "Prince of Qin, don't be anxious. Perhaps it's just that the Empress missed her sister, so she's letting Ruoyin stay for a while..."
"If that were really the case, there's absolutely no reason for her to sleep in the Kunning Palace! The Emperor and Empress share the same bed; is Ayin supposed to serve them on the side?"