Chapter 115: Nothing But Exploitation

Lu Yanran withdrew her thoughts. She had to find a way to leave the Twilight Pavilion. Both the Killing Tower and the Killing Pavilion were desolate; perhaps she should target Huangfu Chen. He was the Young Pavilion Master of the Twilight Pavilion—if he could bring her into the pavilion, surely he could take her out?

Inside the Prince Yuan Mansion in Guanlin City, Weishao Qianyu mentioned Lu Yanran, causing Lu Linheng to feel a hidden sense of unease. It was hard to imagine how Weishao Qianyu would react if she knew that Lu Yanran was actually her own sister. He also wondered how Lu Yanran was faring in the Twilight Pavilion. Xuan Yu'ran probably never imagined that the Weishao Heavenly Maiden she had been trying to control had been in the hands of the Twilight Pavilion all these years.

"What is the situation outside Guanlin City?" Lu Linheng asked Feng Jinye, trusting that Feng Jinye surely had the situation well in hand.

"Huangfu Xi will not engage in a direct confrontation," Feng Jinye said calmly.

In truth, as Feng Jinye surmised, Huangfu Chen’s purpose in taking Weishao Qianyu was to ensure Feng Jinye was too distracted to look after Guanlin City, eventually forcing him back to the city to corner him.

Feng Jinye looked at Weishao Qianyu. Hadn't Huangfu Chen said he would never let go? To think he had actually let her return.

Hearing Feng Jinye say that Huangfu Xi would not directly confront Guanlin City, Weishao Qianyu wondered why Huangfu Xi would even bother coming to Guanlin City at all. It made no sense. And the greatest change from this trip to Guanlin City was that she had returned to Feng Jinye’s side—so easily. It was highly illogical. If Xuan Yu'ran had always wanted the Weishao Heavenly Maiden, why release her from the Twilight Pavilion so readily?

The more Weishao Qianyu thought about it, the deeper her brow furrowed. Seeing this, Feng Jinye also frowned slightly. "What is wrong?"

"I am pondering what Xuan Yu'ran will do next," Weishao Qianyu said.

All along, Xuan Yu'ran had seemed to control the entire situation, with everyone caught in her traps. Why had she let Weishao Qianyu return so easily this time? Logically, she should have kept a tight grip on the Heavenly Maiden.

"Do you know what people in Liyue are saying about the Prince of War now?" Lu Linheng asked heavily. Having been away from Guanlin City for three days, he had heard many disparaging remarks about the Prince of War along the way.

Once, Feng Jinye was like a god in the Liyue Kingdom, a war hero revered by all, but things had changed. Rumors that the Prince of War was arrogant and had slaughtered his own kin filled the Liyue Kingdom outside of Guanlin City. Some claimed that killing the Crown Prince was an act of inhumanity, as the Prince of Yun had grown up alongside him like a brother; as soon as the Prince of Yun was named heir, the Prince of War had heartlessly taken his life. Others claimed that killing the Emperor was an act of disloyalty, citing the public cruelty of severing the Emperor’s limbs, suggesting the Prince of War sought to terrorize the world into submission. Still others claimed he was ungrateful for the late Emperor's kindness, having turned against the son of the man who had mentored him during the crisis at the Prince Yuan Mansion.

Listening to Lu Linheng, Weishao Qianyu cursed silently. Was this not utter nonsense? Yet, she knew all too well that people were easily swayed; most would not bother to investigate the truth, preferring to believe what they were told or what they were shown.

Weishao Qianyu reflected on every event of the past half-year since her marriage to Feng Jinye. At first, Lu Yanran had tried to steal the position of the Prince of War’s consort; clearly, the Twilight Pavilion had realized she was the Heavenly Maiden and wanted to keep her away from Feng Jinye. Then came the appearance of Luo Yanqing, likely another pawn of the Twilight Pavilion, intended to make her doubt Feng Jinye. If she had believed Luo Yanqing’s dying words, she would have turned against her husband. Afterward, the Empress Dowager had repeatedly tried to force her back to the Weishao General’s Mansion, and when that failed, she used forced marriage as a tool. Even the Empress Dowager’s supposed death now seemed suspicious—perhaps she was merely another agent of the Twilight Pavilion, shifting from the light into the shadows to challenge Feng Jinye.

Weishao Qianyu broke into a cold sweat. Could the Empress Dowager actually be Xuan Yu'ran herself? Had she been hiding in plain sight all these years, even near Feng Jinye’s mother, planning everything from the darkness?

Thinking of Feng Jinye—who had lost his parents at eleven, had to protect his sister, and had been betrayed by those he trusted—Weishao Qianyu felt a sharp pang of heartache. Feng Jinye, noticing her teary eyes, felt flustered and helpless. Lu Linheng, seeing the scene, tactfully withdrew.

Weishao Qianyu continued to ponder the deeper implications, eventually thinking of Feng Qingxuan. She, too, had been a tool. Perhaps Xuan Yu'ran realized she could never truly strip Weishao Qianyu away from Feng Jinye, and with the prophecy of the "Weishao Maiden" spreading, she feared the influence Qianyu might have on Feng Jinye’s rise to the throne. Using Feng Qingxuan to assassinate her was a move to kill two birds with one stone: remove a rival and shatter Feng Jinye’s spirit. If that failed, the backup plan was to force Feng Jinye into rebellion.

Looking up at Feng Jinye, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she felt his warmth as he pulled her into an embrace. "Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

"I’m not," she pouted, "I'm holding it in."

"Cry for a while in my arms, then. You don't have to hold it in," he comforted her, planting kisses on her eyelids. She closed her eyes, soaking in his tenderness. She knew the attempt on her life by Feng Qingxuan had terrified him; though he never spoke of it, she knew he was constantly on guard.

As he kissed her nose, she felt a tremble run through her. When she finally asked him what he would have done if she hadn't returned from the Twilight Pavilion, his voice turned husky. "I would have conquered the world," he replied, before proving his words with a different kind of "conquest."

Later that day, Xuechun brought Ruier to the main courtyard to find Weishao Qianyu, but they were stopped at the door by Ye Shiyi. Hearing a sudden sound of tearing fabric from within, Xuechun turned bright red, grabbed Ruier, and hurried away, lamenting the loss of another expensive gown. Ye Shiyi watched her leave with a helpless sigh, still haunted by the memory of the day he had kissed her, only to be pushed away and scolded as a rogue.