Chapter 151: Invisible Entanglement

At noon the next day, the eight court maids and Huangfu Xi woke up sluggishly inside the Changming Palace...

Huangfu Xi was utterly drained of strength, looking neither human nor ghost, a sight that scared the attendants within the bedchamber half to death...

As his mind cleared, he immediately remembered that he had been plotted against by Weishao Qianyu and Huangfu Chen.

Bracing himself with all his might, Huangfu Xi dressed and stumbled toward the Changci Palace where Xuanxuan Ran resided. He could not swallow this insult; he had to fight back tooth and nail and teach Huangfu Chen and Weishao Qianyu a lesson!

In the annex of the Changming Palace, Dongnuan watched from afar as Huangfu Xi headed toward the Changci Palace, her heart turning half cold. She prayed that Huangfu Xi wouldn't report every single detail of this utterly humiliating affair to his aging mother...

If Huangfu Xi were to recount everything that happened in the Changming Palace last night to Xuanyuan Ran, their flaws would be laid bare, and Xuanyuan Ran would inevitably grow suspicious!

On the other side, when Huangfu Xi arrived at the Changci Palace, Xuanyuan Ran lifted her gaze to look at her good-for-nothing son with inner wrath. The son she had given birth to couldn't even match Feng Jinye in his dreams, nor could he compare to Huangfu Chen. If she had the choice, Xuanyuan Ran wouldn't want to lay eyes on the exasperating Huangfu Xi at all.

Before Huangfu Xi could even speak, an expedited letter was flung straight into his face. Xuanyuan Ran’s expression was terrifyingly stern...

Before he could lodge his complaint, Huangfu Xi trembling opened the battle report.

According to the report, a few days earlier, Huangfu Chen and Weishao Qianyu had left Guanlin City, and closely behind them, Feng Jinye had readied his troops...

The next day, the army of Guanlin City set out, and in just a single day, they captured the very first city guarding the passage from Guanlin City to Yue Capital...

Xuanyuan Ran’s brows furrowed deeply. The scouts of the Twilight Pavilion had reported that before setting out for Yue Capital, Huangfu Chen had held a secret meeting with Feng Jinye...

Why make the redundant gesture of meeting right before departure? Xuanyuan Ran vaguely felt that something was amiss, but before she could pinpoint what was wrong, her train of thought was interrupted as yet another battle report was presented...

Xuanyuan Ran swiftly tore open the envelope, just as a killer-scout from the Twilight Pavilion arrived to report. Xuanyuan Ran barked coldly, "Speak!"

"The army from Guanlin City is cutting through our defenses like a hot knife through butter. They are expected to reach the gates of Yue Capital within three days..." The scout reported, kneeling and trembling.

Xuanyuan Ran sneered. Did Feng Jinye intend to catch her off guard?

It seemed that before leaving Guanlin City, Huangfu Chen and Feng Jinye had discussed the route back to Yue Capital. Feng Jinye had sent his secret guards ahead to clear the path, and once the main army arrived, they would strike from within and without—that was why they were able to march so close to Yue Capital in a mere matter of days.

Very well. She was precisely waiting for Feng Jinye to arrive.

Xuanyuan Ran’s icy gaze swept over Huangfu Xi. Seeing his haggard, ashen complexion, a nameless fire surged within her heart.

"Abdicate the throne to Huangfu Chen! In three days, let Huangfu Chen ascend the imperial throne, and install Weishao Qianyu as empress!"

Xuanyuan Ran instructed Huangfu Xi coldly. Since Feng Jinye was throwing himself into the trap, she would use her plan ahead of schedule to entertain this brazen descendant of sin!

Huangfu Xi looked at Xuanyuan Ran in shock, but he had no choice to obey her commands. The thought of teaching Huangfu Chen and Weishao Qianyu a lesson now seemed entirely out of the question.

Noticing the chilling aura radiating from Xuanyuan Ran, Huangfu Xi silently retreated and immediately returned to the Changming Palace to draft the imperial edict...

The skies of Yue Capital were about to change once more.

The following day, the ruler of Liyue fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he passed the imperial throne to Huangfu Chen, chanting with his dying breath, "The Heavenly Maiden is the destined sovereign, and the son of Xuanyuan is the destined sovereign."

Huangfu Xi enacted a play, and the emperor died yet again.

During this upheaval in Liyue, the commoners of Yue Capital remained silent. The only difference was that this time, upon the emperor's demise, the entire realm wore mourning attire, and pedestrians walking the streets carried a rather desolate sorrow...

Inside the Qinfeng Courtyard, Weishao Qianyu had been suffocating with frustration all day, yet she also understood Feng Jinye's concerns. Had he made things clear to her from the start, it would not have been easy to persuade her to let Dongnuan take her place.

However, knowing that Dongnuan was sent into danger left Weishao Qianyu with lingering guilt.

"What on earth was your plan?" Weishao Qianyu asked solemnly.

"We originally thought Xuanyuan Ran would have the Heavenly Maiden and Huangfu Xi wed, and during the wedding, Dongnuan would take Huangfu Xi hostage," Feng Jinye explained.

Listening to Feng Jinye's words, she realized he already knew that Huangfu Xi had issued an edict annulling their marriage and bestowing her hand to Huangfu Chen...

Weishao Qianyu furrowed her delicate brows slightly. Both Feng Jinye's and Huangfu Chen's plans had been thrown into disarray.

They had anticipated that Xuanyuan Ran would force the Heavenly Maiden to marry Huangfu Xi, but they never expected Xuanyuan Ran to do the exact opposite—making the Heavenly Maiden marry Huangfu Chen, having Huangfu Chen ascend the throne, and establishing the Heavenly Maiden as empress.

An absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Weishao Qianyu's mind...

If Xuanyuan Ran wanted Huangfu Xi to ascend the throne directly as the twin rulers, she could have simply fabricated a fake Heavenly Maiden. Why did it have to be her specifically?

It seemed that Xuanyuan Ran regarded these prophetic verses as divine decrees, treating them like a religious faith which she dared not violate. Therefore, she orchestrated events to fulfill the prophecy of "When the Heavenly Maiden emerges, the twins rule the world," intending to seize the realm from the twins afterward.

Consequently, shortly after Huangfu Chen's ascension, he would undoubtedly meet his demise, allowing Huangfu Xi to reclaim the throne once more...

What a terrifying scheme Xuanyuan Ran harbored.

Upon sudden reflection, Weishao Qianyu grew even more certain of her previous suspicions.

Recalling the incident on the city wall when she asked Huangfu Chen to serve dishes to Marquis Qinbo, Weishao Qianyu abruptly turned her head and asked Feng Jinye, "Feng Jinye, let me ask you, did Father share your aversion to cilantro?"

Feng Jinye shook his head. It wasn't as though he hadn't shared Weishao Qianyu's suspicions, but...

Weishao Qianyu's expression remained unchanged. Even if Prince Yuan did not dislike cilantro, it did not prove her hypothesis invalid!

As she was pondering other ways to verify this, she heard Feng Jinye's voice drift over: "Father did dislike cilantro..."

Weishao Qianyu paused and glanced at Feng Jinye sideways. "Then why did you shake your head?"

"My blood is not compatible with Ah Chen's," Feng Jinye replied, a hint of lingering disappointment in his tone.

Weishao Qianyu stared intently at Feng Jinye. From her perspective, the fact that both Feng Jinye and Huangfu Chen shared Prince Yuan's aversion to cilantro carried far more persuasive weight than a blood-test of recognition.

Clutching a gamble-like mentality, Weishao Qianyu fetched a bowl of clear water, pricked her finger and Feng Jinye's with a fine needle, and let their blood drip into the water...

"Qianqian, what are you doing?" Feng Jinye asked, utterly perplexed.

Looking at him with feigned seriousness, Weishao Qianyu said, "Let's see if we are half-siblings sharing the same father?"

Feng Jinye naturally knew this was impossible, but as he inadvertently glanced down, he saw the two drops of blood slowly merge together...

"Blood tests of recognition are unreliable; unrelated people's blood might merge, and related ones might not," Weishao Qianyu murmured.

Looking at the two drops of blood fused as one, Feng Jinye understood without needing her explanation...

Yet even so, their suspicions remained unverified...

And yet, there were already far too many coincidences laid out before them. Cilantro was the first, Feng Ruichen was the second, and there was also...

Feng Jinye recalled the day he returned from Yue Capital to Guanlin City, when he watched Ruier tumble from the second-story wine shop at the city gates. In that exact moment, his heart had been tugged by an invisible string of emotion...

He was actually no stranger to such a feeling. On the battlefield several times over, driven by this very invisible bond, he had saved Huangfu Chen's life on multiple occasions...

As Feng Jinye stared blankly at the blood in the bowl, Weishao Qianyu noticed his distraction, leaned close to his face with a gentle smile, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Habitually pulling her into his arms, Feng Jinye replied, "I was thinking about Ruier. I feel the exact same invisible pull toward him as I do toward Ah Chen."

Weishao Qianyu nodded. Seeing Feng Jinye furrow his brows, she figured he must have tested his blood with Huangfu Chen not long ago, holding onto hope only to be disappointed, while all the coincidences still failed to provide definitive proof.

"I have a way."

Weishao Qianyu was ninety percent certain that Feng Jinye and Huangfu Chen were biological brothers.

Thought of this way, everything finally fell into place.

Recalling how Xuanyuan Ran had once posed as Xuanyuan Yan, impersonating the twin sister of Princess Consort Xuanxuan Yuan, and how Xuanyuan Ran later harbored a bone-deep hatred for Prince Yuan and Xuanxuan Yuan, it was entirely plausible that she had stolen one of the Princess Consort's sons and raised him under the guise of her own child for revenge.

Moreover, Xuanyuan Ran harbored another grand design, treating the prophecy as a divine mandate.

What a truly marvelous scheme.

Weishao Qianyu mused that the truth of this matter was known to Xuanyuan Ran alone. Gathering her thoughts, tomorrow was the day Huangfu Chen would ascend the throne and wed the Heavenly Maiden...

Fortunately, over the past two days, Dongnuan's identity had not been exposed.

However, the plans of Feng Jinye and Huangfu Chen had been shattered. What should they do tomorrow?

Sensing Weishao Qianyu's anxiety, Feng Jinye tightened his embrace around her and said softly, "Qianqian, do not fear. I am here."

Weishao Qianyu nodded. Tomorrow would undoubtedly be a fierce battle, and the depth of Xuanyuan Ran's power remained unknown. Even though Lady Mei had crossed swords with Xuanyuan Ran, that was over twenty years ago, and Xuanyuan Ran was also skilled in sorcery and venomous insects...

Weishao Qianyu buried her head in Feng Jinye's chest and shook it gently. Above her, Feng Jinye's crisp voice resonated again: "Aunt Mei said she went to find something that can counter the venomous insects. There will be a way."

Weishao Qianyu's gaze darkened. Lady Mei had been tortured by insect poison for decades, so she must have spent all that time researching ways to combat Xuanyuan Ran's insects.

She prayed that tomorrow would bring a favorable outcome.

Meanwhile, the Changming Palace was adorned with lanterns and festoons. Huangfu Chen, Yun Ming, Lu Yanran, and Dongnuan sat quietly in the inner hall, each wrapped in their own silence...

Only the faint, rustling footsteps of attendants echoed through the hall as wedding paraphernalia was continuously delivered into the Changming Palace...

Huangfu Chen’s brows were tightly knitted. Thinking it over, Xuanyuan Ran’s only vulnerability was Huangfu Xi, but over the past two days, there hadn't been a single trace of Huangfu Xi to be found. Capturing and holding Huangfu Xi hostage to secure a safe retreat was practically impossible.

Lu Yanran sighed and began, "Tomorrow..."

"Cough, cough..." The moment Lu Yanran spoke, Huangfu Chen was seized by a fit of violent coughs, shooting her a glare.

"Tomorrow, just make sure you protect Yun Ming!" With a chillingly low decree, Huangfu Chen nipped Lu Yanran's thoughts in the bud.