As the sun rose, a crack appeared in the void above Chaoyang City. The citizens looked up in dismay as the fissure grew wider, until the entire void shattered like glass.
Panic-stricken, they retreated to their homes, anticipating the arrival of Muxing City’s army. Yet even after the city gates swung open, an eerie silence persisted.
The bravest among them peered out their windows. Amidst the carpet of fallen leaves, they saw a figure enter. Her skirt of pale bamboo green whispered against the dry foliage as she walked.
She gazed at the rising sun in the distance, then approached the tightly shut gates of the inner courtyard, her steps echoing in the profound silence.
“Haven’t Muxing City’s forces entered?” someone whispered.
“It’s Mingxian— no, it’s Mingyi who’s come,” another replied.
As they watched her advance, realization dawned: “If Muxing City’s soldiers don’t enter, we won’t be considered conquered.”
Without conquest, their Grand Prefect wouldn’t be compelled to die with the city.
Though Mingyi appeared cold-hearted, she still harbored gratitude for the years of care from the Prefect and his wife. Her earlier departure from Chaoyang must have been involuntary, forced by some deed of the inner court.
Perhaps she had returned seeking justice?
The hastily hidden citizens of Chaoyang began to venture out, their discussions growing louder.
Mingyi entered the inner courtyard, passing by the exhausted guards and heading towards the central court.
But the Prefect wasn’t there. Only Dan Er remained.
“After all these years, just as I was about to grasp what I desired, everything slipped away,” Dan Er sat on the ground, her back ramrod straight, eyes filled with hatred. “You should never have been born. Then the Yan Clan wouldn’t have considered swapping infants, and Ji Bozai would still belong to Chaoyang, not attacking us from outside.”
In the past, such words would have made Mingyi introspect, wondering where she had erred to displease others.
But now, she had gained perspective.
“I am my mother’s child. She chose to give birth to me, so I have every right to exist. The infant swap was Lady Yan’s crime, not mine. The attack on Chaoyang was Ji Bozai’s decision, not mine.”
“You aided Prince Yong’s ascension for your glory, harming both Ji Bozai and me. Your current predicament is just retribution,” she clapped her hands. “Await your punishment.”
“I am a high official of Chaoyang. You wouldn’t dare!”
“If I dared to attack the city, what wouldn’t I dare?” Mingyi shrugged, looking around. Not seeing the Prefect, she turned to leave and continued her search.
A trembling servant approached to report: “The Prefect… the former Prefect is with Lady Yan.”
Stunned, Mingyi followed him.
Lady Yan lay across Ming Li’s lap, seemingly asleep. Ming Li stroked her long hair gently. Upon seeing Mingyi enter, he suddenly smiled at her.
Mingyi paused at the doorway, frowning slightly.
The Prefect rarely smiled at her. Whether during her victories at the Six Cities Convention or after her true identity was revealed, she had never truly caught his eye, merely a tool to be used or discarded.
Yet now, at this moment, he smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he gazed at her.
“You’ve grown up,” he said. “Even without your royal father and mother, you can lead Chaoyang forward now.”
Mingyi glanced around, confirming he was indeed addressing her, and smiled in return: “The Prefect is confused. I have neither a royal father nor a royal mother.”
“You are Ming An’s child, but I raised you,” Ming Li gestured. “When you first came, you were barely the size of two palms. I could wrap you in my robe and carry you inside. I’ve lulled you to sleep, fed you, and spent more time with you than with Prince Yong and Prince Qi’s children combined.”
This was true. Fearing her red meridians might be harmed by ill-intentioned individuals, Ming Li had even carried her to court sessions while she was still in swaddling clothes.
Mingyi sat opposite him, her smile ambiguous: “Raising me in exchange for seven years of Chaoyang’s most bountiful tributes—not a bad deal, was it?”
Ming Li shook his head: “At this point, how could I still be calculating gains and losses with you? I simply wanted to tell you that you are the child I’m most proud of.”
Mingyi paused, then sneered: “Thank you, Grand Prefect.”
“Your resentment towards me is justified. I was never a good father, only a ruler all these years,” Ming Li sighed. “I never praised you, never cared for you. Even when you won the convention, the rewards never reached your hands. I witnessed how your stepmother treated you all these years and did nothing to stop it.”
Her palms slowly clenched as Mingyi laughed coldly: “As expected since I’m not your biological child.”
“But for all these years, I was unaware and always treated you as my own,” Ming Li shook his head. “I was just afraid—afraid you’d become arrogant, afraid you couldn’t shoulder Chaoyang’s burden, afraid the legacy of our ancestors would be ruined in my hands.”
Tears welled in his eyes, but he quickly swallowed them back, meeting her gaze frankly: “Now I’m not afraid anymore. I’ve done everything I could. The fate of this city is now in your hands.”
Mingyi found this amusing: “If it were Ji Bozai who entered today instead of me, what would you say?”
“I would beg him to treat Chaoyang’s citizens kindly,” Ming Li lowered his gaze. “But with you, there’s no need. I know you’ll treat them well. You have a compassionate heart by nature, child.”
“No need for flattery,” she stood up. “You never liked praising me before, no need to force yourself now.”
Ming Li looked up at her: “At three, you could already manipulate Yuan Power, awakening earlier than any other fighter in the Six Cities. When you first used Yuan Power to catch a bird on a branch three zhang away, you did excellently.”
He hadn’t praised her then, fearing she’d become arrogant.
“At five, your Yuan Power could withstand fighters ten years your senior, and it was a stable pure white—a sign of innate talent, truly formidable.”
He hadn’t praised her then either, fearing she’d lose her way.
“At seven, all the renowned masters in the city vied to take you as their disciple. I was immensely proud.”
“At ten, you participated in the Six Cities Convention for the first time and claimed the top spot. I knelt in the ancestral hall, informing each ancestor that our Ming family had produced an extraordinary child.”
“At eleven, you defended your title, and Chaoyang’s fortunes improved due to the tributes—all thanks to you.”
“At twelve, you led the scions of noble houses to the Six Cities Convention. They truly held you back, but you still emerged victorious. From then on, several powerful families willingly served me, greatly aiding my cause.”
“At thirteen—”
“Enough,” Mingyi cut him off, her neck stiff. “I’m grown now. I no longer need such praise.”