Chapter 188 Shangguan Luoluo

Chapter 188 Shangguan Luoluo

"Just because it's not your will, does that mean it is mine? Has anyone asked me that?"

“You were sick, and I took your place as the governor of Mo Lanxing for five years. But when you recovered, they felt that you were their child.”

“You’ve abandoned me again!” Ye Shuyin’s beautiful eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm fifteen years old, and the girl I love has become my fiancée."

"Just because you say you're cured, I'm going to be sent away again. Mo Lanxing, do you know what that feels like?"

Tears welled up in his eyes and could no longer be held back, sliding down his long eyelashes and dripping onto the table.

"I tried to be like you for five years: obedient, diligent, pleasing my parents, and doing everything to the best of my ability."

"No matter how hard I try, I will still be abandoned in the end."

"Mo Lanxing, I hate you, I hate that you didn't die of illness."

"I also hate my father and mother for choosing you so firmly. In their eyes, I am just a living substitute."

"I returned to Yunhan in pain and confusion, and spent a few years in a daze. Gradually, I let go of my inner turmoil and treated those five years as a dream."

"I just heard that you are going to marry my fiancée, so I wanted to come back here to see her one last time."

"But just because I appeared, you ordered me to be killed!"

"I only glanced at her and left, why are you trying to kill me!"

Ye Shuyin questioned him.

With a ferocious glare, Mo Lanxing clutched his throat and managed to utter a hoarse voice, "The Fate Master also said that if you don't die, you will one day destroy me!"

He smiled bitterly, and with his last breath, said, "I want to live too!"

Finally, holding his finger, she said, "I'm sorry, little brother!"

Upon hearing his apology, Ye Shuyin's tears flowed like a burst dam, streaming down his face.

His Adam's apple bobbed, as if years of pent-up resentment were finally being released.

But why is he still crying?

This is clearly not the ending he wanted!

The only sound in Xuanzheng Hall was the sound of tears falling onto the table.

There was also Mo Lanxing's dying gasps.

"Your Majesty, have you finished your chicken soup?" came the Queen's urgent voice from outside.

"Once you've finished drinking, I'll have a guard go into the palace to get more."

Shen Nanzi looked at Mo Lanxing, who was slumped over the table, and pulled Ye Shuyin along.

"Quickly drag Mo Lanxing to the back hall!"

"Your Majesty, why don't you answer me?"

Ye Shuyin snapped out of his daze.

With a creak, the palace door was pushed open, and light instantly flooded into the Xuanzheng Hall, carrying with it a chill of winter.

"Your Majesty?" The Queen stood outside the palace, observing the situation inside.

The hall was empty except for two pots of chicken soup on the table.

The queen frowned, lifted her skirt, and tried to enter the palace, but was stopped by the guards.

"Your Majesty, this is a place of great importance for the court. You may not enter without the King's verbal order."

"How dare you! Didn't you see anything amiss? Where is the King?" the Queen shouted.

The guards' expressions changed drastically when they didn't see Mo Lanxing. It was broad daylight, and the king had just been inside!

How could they disappear in such a short time!

"Lady Xue and the King had a private conversation; something must have happened. If you try to stop them, and something happens to the King, you'll be the first one to lose your head."

The queen's words sent a chill down the spines of the guards, who immediately allowed them to pass.

The Queen immediately stepped into the Xuanzheng Hall. She walked to the table and looked at the two pots of chicken soup, but the red dates in Mo Lanxing's bowl were missing.

In the other bowl, red dates were clearly visible.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she addressed the guards behind her, "All of you, come here! Something must have happened to the King!"

The guards dared not disobey the Queen's order and rushed into the hall with their swords drawn.

The Queen pointed to the rear palace of Moran Star, "Go find him, find the King."

The guards rushed to the back hall, and at that moment, a sound came from inside.

"I am here."

The guards all took several steps back, while only the queen looked on in astonishment.

That voice was undoubtedly that of the king.

He clearly ate the red dates! Could it be that Lady Xue ate them?

Just then, Mo Lanxing came out from the back hall.

He looked at the crowd with a cold expression and said, "Get out! Who let you in?"

The guards with swords turned around and left the Xuanzheng Hall, leaving only the Queen gazing at him.

"Who are you?" The Queen looked at Ye Shuyin with some fear.

"Don't you recognize me?" Ye Shuyin approached the Queen, a nonchalant smile in his alluring eyes.

The queen's eyes were full of doubt as she took a step back. "You're not Mo Lanxing, who are you?"

"You are not Luo Luo either!" Ye Shuyin's eyes were bloodshot, like a devil staring at the queen before him.

"You poisoned my Luo Luo and married Mo Lanxing in her place, you poisonous woman!"

The queen's face was pale, and a hint of panic appeared in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I am Luo Luo, the Prime Minister's daughter, Shangguan Luo Luo."

Ye Shuyin grabbed her collar, his jawline taut: "You're not Shangguan Luoluo, you're Shangguan Yiyi, her twin sister."

"Because she was chosen as my fiancée and was to become queen, you were jealous of her and poisoned her!"

Ye Shuyin pointed to the chicken soup, "That's right, the red dates are wrapped with poison."

Shangguan Yiyi laughed heartily, "You're the man Luo Luo likes?"

"Are you a twin like us?"

She looked at him with a pitiful expression, "Since we are both twins, why do we have to kill each other? We are the same kind of people!"

"If she's to be queen, I have to marry far away and never return to Fangshuo. Why should I?"

“If I disagree, they say I’m being immature, and everyone criticizes and belittles me.”

"I'm a human being too, and I also want things!"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Shangguan Yiyi said, "Only then did I realize that only by becoming queen could I prevent my fate from being controlled by them."

"I changed my appearance and became Shangguan Luoluo, my own sister. Do you know how much pain I feel every time I say her name?"

"Haha," she laughed pitifully and confusedly, turning to look at the red dates that had disappeared from the cauldron, "Where's Mo Lanxing? Is he dead?"

"That day in the bamboo forest, it wasn't Mo Lanxing, it was you, wasn't it?"

Ye Shuyin sneered, "You two deserve to die. It's only because God is blind that you've lived this long."

He pointed to another bowl of chicken soup, "If you drink it, I will grant you dignity, and the two children will not be implicated."

Shangguan Yiyi stepped back in shock, shaking her head, "I don't want to die!"

Ye Shuyin: "Does Luo Luo want to die? She's already willing to give you the throne of queen, and you still want to kill her?"

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, there was a deathly silence.

“You also keep your word and don’t take your anger out on my daughter.”

Ye Shuyin chuckled, "Do you think I'm like you?"

Knowing she had no other choice, the queen grabbed the red date and swallowed it.

Then he collapsed to the ground, muttering regretfully, "Mo Lanxing didn't want to kill me!"

"He even ate the chicken soup I made. Haha, I ruined him, and I ruined myself too."

After saying that, she spat out a mouthful of black blood, "Please bury me with him!"

The Xuanzheng Hall fell silent once again.

Ye Shuyin stared at everything before him as if in a different world.

Shen Nanzi walked out, blood dripping from her fingers, and rubbed them as she walked behind Ye Shuyin, looking at the Queen who had already died.

In the now quiet Xuanzheng Hall, Shen Nanzi suddenly didn't know what to say!

She roughly understood why Ye Shuyin had lied to her!

"I'm sorry, I lied to you because I was afraid you wouldn't help me!" Ye Shuyin turned around, his eyes bloodshot.

Shen Nanzi didn't know what to say. He had deceived her, but after hearing the whole story, she couldn't get angry.

In order to avenge himself and the girl he loved, he coaxed and pestered her all the way.

Just like his childhood experience, he was afraid of being disappointed, so he desperately tried to please her and clung to her.

During the difficult days following her brother's passing, she was also fortunate to have his companionship.

He was always by my side, like a piece of honey, sweet and comforting.

"We're just getting what we need, there's no need to apologize."

Ye Shuyin looked at her apologetically, "Without you, there would be no me!"

It's all a transaction; there's no need to leave behind too much emotion. Shen Nanzi looked at the dead Shangguan Yiyi.

"What to do about these problems?"

"You don't need to worry about it, I have my own solutions." He smiled slightly. "If a monarch doesn't even have this much ability to handle things, how can he take over Fang Shuo?"

Shen Nanzi looked at him with concern, "You and Mo Lanxing are still different. You must be extremely careful on the road ahead."

Ye Shuyin: "I'll be a bit busy during this time. Wait for me for two days, and I'll fulfill all my promises to you."

“Um…” Shen Nanzi pointed to the back hall, “There are two of us when I come in, and there are two of us when I leave.”

"Mo Lanxing has changed into your clothes and put on your beard. I'll take the body with me!"

Ye Shuyin's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "I'll have the guards send it to your carriage. As for what to do with it, that's up to you."

Shen Nanzi nodded.

…

In Lady Snow's mansion, in the spacious courtyard, the thin layer of snow had already melted into meltwater.

Under the eaves, raindrops fell like a curtain, pattering on the ground and splashing water.

Xie Chengze stood in an open space, his eyes fixed on the arrow he had just shot, which had hit the bullseye.

He drew another arrow from the quiver, nocked it on the string, and aimed his clear black and white eyes at the bullseye.

With a swift release of the bowstring, the arrow hurtled toward the bullseye.

At the same time, on the eaves opposite the courtyard, a crossbow was aimed at Cheng'er's head, and the arrow flew straight towards him with a whistling sound.

Just as he was about to die, several hidden guards appeared at the same time. Among them, Yunxiao, like a cheetah, swung his broken sword, which collided precisely with the crossbow bolt.

The crossbow bolts sparked as they struck the ground in the courtyard.

The next moment, Xie Chengze was picked up and held protectively in his arms.

As the crossbow bolts came flying in one after another, Yunxiao dodged them all with his agile movements.

Having successfully taken cover behind the pillars under the eaves, the other guards quickly drove away the attackers.

Yunxiao was relieved when the courtyard quieted down and only the crossbow bolts littered the ground.

He instructed, "Don't come out to practice these next few days."

Xie Chengze nodded. "Will they come again?"

"Um."

"who are they?"

"The people of Yunhan".

Xie Chengze seemed thoughtful. "They've found us?"

"Yes, so you have to be extremely careful."

As he spoke, he took off his outer robe and removed the gold-threaded soft armor underneath, then put it on him.

"What is this?" Xie Chengze touched the strange material; it felt slightly hard, but it seemed very sturdy.

"Swords and blades cannot pierce it."

Why didn't you wear it last time?

Yunxiao knew he was referring to the abdominal injury he sustained last time.

If I hadn't worn it, I'm afraid it wouldn't have just been a shallow wound, but my life.

That strike was so powerful that it even cleaved a piece into the gold-threaded soft armor.

"Wear it every day, don't think it's too much trouble."

Xie Chengze nodded. "You gave it to me, what about you?"

“Your life is more important.” He looked at Cheng’er and changed the subject. “If your mother asks you, you can’t give me away.”

The little boy nodded, "Yes, I knew I found it in the storeroom!"

Yunxiao gently pinched his little nose, "So clever!"

At this moment, Shen Nanzi returned to the mansion, followed by several servants who were carrying a person.

Judging from their clothes, they must be Ye Shuyin who went out together.

Xie Chengze broke free from Yunxiao with a worried expression. "Mother, what happened to Father?"

Xie Chengze ran over, and Shen Nanzi squatted down and whispered a few words in his ear.

The man was carried into Shen Nanzi's room.

Qinghe told her about Xie Chengze's assassination attempt.

"Cheng'er, are you alright?"

Shen Nanzi pulled Cheng'er along and watched it again and again.

"It's alright, Mother. There are many people in our household, and they will all protect Cheng'er!"

Shen Nanzi hugged him tightly; his small body was their everything.

"We'll stay in Mother's room for the next few days and not go anywhere else. We'll be able to go back to Yunhan in a couple of days!"

"Really?" Xie Chengze's eyes crinkled with joy. "That's wonderful!"

Shen Nanzi felt the slightly stiff texture of his outer garment, pulled open his clothes, and looked at the soft armor inside with a surprised expression, "Where did this come from?"

"Cheng'er found it in this storeroom!"

Shen Nanzi's eyes darkened instantly. "Cheng'er, you're not allowed to lie."

"Mother, is this thing special?"

"Yes, this is for defense against swords, it's quite rare."

Xie Chengze said thoughtfully, "Cheng'er was really found in the storeroom."

Shen Nanzi was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, you have to wear it every day from now on."

…

Two days later, Ye Shuyin summoned her to the palace.

Shen Nanzi returned to Xuanzheng Hall, but the king she faced had changed from Mo Lanxing to Ye Shuyin.

He was wearing Mo Lanxing's clothes, and with his indifferent demeanor, at first glance, one might mistake him for Mo Lanxing himself.

He dismissed all the palace servants, stood up, and walked to her.

His eyebrows and eyes changed slightly, and his cold eyes became moist as he stared at her expectantly.

He pulled her close around the waist. "It's only been two days since we last met, but it feels like two years have passed."

He dejectedly rested his chin on her shoulder and leaned against her, "Shen Nanzi, I can't live without you! What should I do?"

"what to do?"

Shen Nanzi pushed him away, "Be careful, the walls may be listening. You should tone it down."

With an air of fearlessness, he said, "I've taken care of things. From now on, Fang Shuo is mine! Anyone who dares to question me will be replaced with someone who doesn't."

"Mo Lanxing governs the country well; you must be a good ruler for the people and the country."

"I understand, I will cherish it."

"Where are my things?!"

"We're already at the border. Take what I gave you and exchange it!" He handed her a fish-shaped tally, a book of documents, a military seal, and a ceremonial staff.

Shen Nanzi took it and put it away. "We'll contact each other again about the military pay later."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

Ye Shuyin hugged her waist again, "I can't bear to part with you!"

With her back to him, Shen Nanzi pried open his restraints and said, "Alright, the act is over."

He waved goodbye with a flourish.

As Shen Nanzi reached the entrance of Xuanzheng Hall, Ye Shuyin called out from behind, "Is it alright to stay in Fangshuo?"

Shen Nanzi didn't stop walking for a moment. "I want to go back to Yunhan. My enemies are there!"