Chapter Fifty-Four: Who Could She Be

Yaoshao Qianyu paused abruptly, realizing she was only making things worse with every word. Feng Jinye understood the deeper meaning behind her words: he had embraced others in the past, and she cared about it, cared deeply—so much so that she still remembered it after all this time. The more Feng Jinye considered this, the more pleased he felt in his heart. Yet, his mind quickly turned to the embrace between Yaoshao Qianyu and Huangfu Chen...

Feng Jinye could not remember his own past; no matter how he struggled with it, ultimately, he could only let Yaoshao Qianyu say whatever she wanted. The frustration weighed on him, and in the next instant, he pulled her into his arms...

She was his, and only he could hold her; no one else was allowed to touch her!

With Yaoshao Qianyu in his embrace, Feng Jinye’s heart was full of tangled thoughts. He could no longer let her go. His memories could be forsaken, so long as she remained by his side, so long as he could protect her...

Feng Jinye did not want Yaoshao Qianyu to return to the Yaoshao household, nor did he want her to investigate Xingyuan. He had a strong premonition that disaster awaited, and though he was not afraid of calamity or hardship, he dreaded above all that she would suffer...

Yet he fully understood the agony of losing one’s parents to murder. The pain resonated with him—how could he stop her?

Gently stroking her hair, Feng Jinye said, “The Empress Dowager asked me to let you return to the Yaoshao residence. I cannot fathom her intentions.”

For the first time in a century, Feng Jinye’s voice was calm, but it quickly gained a trace of possessive dominance: “We agreed today—you must stay by my side and are not permitted to return!”

He had no memory of the past and did not know how much the Empress Dowager knew about Yaoshao Qianyu, nor how much she knew about the prophecy that ‘once in a hundred years, a celestial maiden is born to the Yaoshao family.’ Nor did he know what ties bound himself and the Empress Dowager...

Feng Jinye focused his thoughts on that prophecy. The first line, he believed, should be ‘Every hundred years, a celestial maiden is born to the Yaoshao family.’ The notion of a celestial maiden seemed far too fantastical to him, yet there were always those who believed in it...

Yaoshao Qianyu knew that Feng Jinye spoke the truth, and she understood that he was hiding things from her only to protect her. She sensed that she was drawing ever closer to the truth. Now, as Feng Jinye refused to speak, it seemed he was only stalling her investigation...

She couldn’t help but wonder what Feng Jinye feared. Recalling what he had just said about Meiji’s wariness of Cangyuan, she wondered: was Feng Jinye also wary of Xingyuan?

In this world, aside from herself, was there truly anything that could make Feng Jinye wary?

The Qinglan Courtyard was especially deserted. Chujou led people to clear away the corpses, Yejiu oversaw the wounded, Yeshiyi led a search through the entire Prince of War’s residence, and Yeshi came to report that Mianyin was unharmed. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion...

Yaoshao Qianyu glanced at the door behind which Mianyin was imprisoned, feeling that the Qinglan Courtyard was more desolate than ever...

Feng Jinye also looked at the door where Mianyin was held, a tug in his heart—there likely lay clues to rescuing Feng Qingxuan...

Yaoshao Qianyu held Feng Jinye’s hand and smiled gently, “I’ll go take a look.”

Mianyin was confined in a side hall of the Qinglan Courtyard, her eyes vacant, staring at the ceiling...

A sudden wave of compassion swept over Yaoshao Qianyu. She asked Yeshi for the key and unlocked all the shackles binding Mianyin...

Without another word, she left. Feng Jinye waited for her outside the courtyard. Walking up, Yaoshao Qianyu took his arm, leading him away...

“Have someone keep a covert watch over the Qinglan Courtyard—do not let her escape,” she instructed Yeshi.

Still uneasy, she muttered to Feng Jinye along the way, “I’ll go back and pick a maid to care for her—give her a comfortable, relaxing environment and a sense of security. It will have to be done step by step...”

Unable to help herself, she tried to comfort Feng Jinye, “Don’t worry. Even if all else fails, someone will find information. We will bring Qingxuan back!”

Feng Jinye nodded slightly, holding Yaoshao Qianyu’s hand tightly as they headed to the Zhi Yu Tower...

Yunming was waiting for Feng Jinye and Yaoshao Qianyu at the Zhi Yu Tower. Ever since he heard Yejiu mention the ‘Qinglan Courtyard,’ Yunming felt he had forgotten something...

Seeing Feng Jinye and Yaoshao Qianyu return hand in hand, he suddenly recalled: on New Year’s Eve, his little page had been mistaken for a concubine by Feng Jinye and locked away in the Qinglan Courtyard!

“Why are you still here!” Yaoshao Qianyu’s tone was blunt, making it clear she wanted him gone.

“Greetings, Princess of War,” Yunming replied respectfully with a bow...

“Heh...” Yaoshao Qianyu gave a cold snort. Yunming was clearly reminding her to mind her manners and not to drive him away so rudely. Turning aside, she pulled Feng Jinye over. “Your Highness, Prince Yun, your bow was in error!”

Feng Jinye, Yunming, and Huangfu Chen had grown up together since childhood—even when Feng Jinye was ennobled, neither Yunming nor Huangfu Chen had ever bowed to him...

Straightening up as if nothing had happened, Yunming said, “My page is still locked up in the Qinglan Courtyard. May I fetch him back?”

Yaoshao Qianyu suddenly remembered this as well. Yunming was now the adopted son of the Empress Dowager and had become Prince Yun. His poisoning had been confirmed, and with an antidote now in sight, the page could have been released long ago...

She laughed awkwardly, “You’ve gotten so comfortable living in our home that you forgot your own page! And yet you have the nerve to come to me for him!”

See, this is why people say, ‘Better to offend a petty person than to cross Yaoshao Qianyu!’

Yunming tapped his fan against his palm, nodding lightly, “Yunming thanks the Princess for letting Dongnuan take care of him!”

He put special emphasis on ‘letting Dongnuan.’ He had stayed at Tingfeng Tower for almost a month, and Dongnuan had only gone to check on the page for a few days...

Yaoshao Qianyu coughed twice, “Cough, cough—well, it’s cold in winter, and as Princess, I can’t stand the chill. I’ll return to my room. You two chat...”

As the cold wind swept through, only Yunming remained at the stone pavilion outside Zhi Yu Tower...

With a sigh, he decided to go to the Qinglan Courtyard to find his little page...

The Qinglan Courtyard was eerily quiet. The covert guards, following Yaoshao Qianyu’s instructions, concealed themselves so thoroughly that even the rare mechanical birds in the trees had vanished, making the silence almost frightening...

Inside, ‘Meiji’ had been in a daze all day, feeling as if her soul was being constantly torn apart...

Earlier, she had overheard that someone was coming to save her—someone who called themselves Meiji. This had greatly shocked ‘Meiji,’ prompting her to wonder: if Meiji was someone else, then who was she?

Just as Yunming stepped into the Qinglan Courtyard, ‘Meiji’ clutched her head and suddenly screamed, rushing headlong toward the wall. Yunming, alarmed, dashed over and intercepted her just in time...

The surrounding covert guards closed in instantly. ‘Meiji’ screamed in terror, shrinking into Yunming’s embrace...

Yunming was so stunned that he dropped his fan, but he kept gently patting ‘Meiji’s’ back, soothing her in an endlessly gentle voice, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid...”

His eyes reddened, but his tone remained soft as he pulled her close, shooting the guards a fierce look that made them retreat...

The covert guards stared in disbelief—had a female assassin really captured Prince Yun’s heart? Never before had they seen such a terrifying look in his eyes...

Cradling ‘Meiji’ in his arms, Yunming carried her into the side hall and placed her on a rocking chair, softly comforting her until she finally fell into a deep sleep...

All strength drained from Yunming, and he collapsed to the floor, soon lying down and covering his eyes with his hand. Though men are said not to weep easily, he nearly broke down in tears...

Outside the Qinglan Courtyard, the wind howled. Yunming had forgotten that his frail body could not withstand the cold, and he should not have lain on the ground...

After nearly an hour, he slowly got up and summoned a maid, “Go and ask the Princess of War to come—only the Princess!”

Watching the sleeping figure on the rocking chair, Yunming wrung out a towel and gently wiped ‘Meiji’s’ face...

“Brother Yunming...” came a faint murmur, tightening the knot in Yunming’s heart...

At Zhi Yu Tower, when Yaoshao Qianyu heard the maid say, “Only the Princess is requested,” she knew something serious had happened—and that Feng Jinye must not know...

She arrived promptly, pausing at the side hall’s door to see Yunming carefully tending to the sleeping ‘Meiji’ as though she were a precious treasure...

“Cough, cough...” Yaoshao Qianyu cleared her throat to announce her presence...

Yunming set down the handkerchief and stood up. Yaoshao Qianyu paused, having never seen Yunming in such a disheveled state—the refined, elegant young lord of the past was nowhere to be found...

Glancing at the woman on the rocking chair, Yaoshao Qianyu asked, “You two... know each other?”

Before Yunming could answer, ‘Meiji’ abruptly opened her cold, emotionless eyes and, with a swift motion, attacked Yaoshao Qianyu...

The covert guards surged forward, but Yunming barked, “Stand down!”

The guards had clearly startled her, but when ‘Meiji’ heard Yunming order them away, a faint smile curled her lips...

Ye Shi took in the whole scene and immediately hurried to Tingfeng Tower to inform Feng Jinye...

Remembering Yaoshao Qianyu’s words about providing ‘Meiji’ with a relaxing environment and a sense of security, Yunming dared not make a move or even speak...

‘Meiji’s’ attacks were ruthless, forcing Yaoshao Qianyu to retreat step by step...

Untrained in hand-to-hand combat, Yaoshao Qianyu soon fell at a disadvantage. ‘Meiji’ raised her leg to kick Yaoshao Qianyu in the abdomen but suddenly froze...

Yaoshao Qianyu was stunned—her instincts told her that there was a third personality inside ‘Meiji’ stopping her from inflicting harm...

Suddenly, Meiji’s words echoed in her mind: “It depends on whether you want her to be Mianyin or Meiji.” If she was neither Meiji nor Mianyin, then who was she?

A tremor ran through Yaoshao Qianyu’s heart...

After only a moment’s pause, ‘Meiji’ changed direction, kicking Yaoshao Qianyu hard in the side...

Yaoshao Qianyu was sent flying by the blow...

Just as Feng Jinye arrived, he leapt forward and caught Yaoshao Qianyu...

Clutching his clothes, her face pale with fright, Yaoshao Qianyu had nearly been killed...

Feng Jinye gently set her down, then rose like a demon from hell, casting a shadow of gloom over the Qinglan Courtyard...

Yunming hurried to shield ‘Meiji’...

For the first time in his life, Yunming stood in opposition to Feng Jinye...

Feng Jinye seethed with rage, gritting out, “Very well, very well indeed...”

“Jinye...” Yaoshao Qianyu struggled to her feet, barely steady, and pleaded, “You must not harm her!”

A wild, maniacal laugh rang out. ‘Meiji’ stepped out from behind Yunming and fixed her gaze on Feng Jinye. “It was Feng Qingxuan who sent me to kill Yaoshao Qianyu!”

Turning her glare on Yaoshao Qianyu, she spat, “Don’t pretend to be kind! You’re the one who ordered me shackled, who had me captured, who kept provoking me with the name ‘Mianyin.’ I am Meiji, not Mianyin!”

Feng Jinye could not allow Yaoshao Qianyu to be thus humiliated. He was about to strike at ‘Meiji’...

But Yunming quickly pulled ‘Meiji’ behind him, blocking her once more!

‘Meiji’ stared in astonishment at the figure shielding her, whispering, “Brother Yunming...”

Beneath the suffocating gloom conjured by Feng Jinye, that single cry of “Brother Yunming” was as shocking as thunder...

Over and over, Yaoshao Qianyu whispered to herself, “Qianyu, you can do this, you are brave.”

But she could not help it—her tears began to fall...

It seemed even ‘Meiji’ could not bear the weight of that “Brother Yunming,” for she clutched her head and fainted in Yunming’s arms...

Feng Jinye stared at ‘Meiji,’ a pain like being flayed alive gripping his heart...