With Nie Guang’s rebellion, all of Daqing began falling into a certain panic. Though the capital appeared orderly on the surface, undercurrents were already surging as various factions quietly awaited developments, ready to make plans for their next moves at any moment.

In just three short months, the rebel army had seized Yizhou, Lizhou, and Hengzhou in swift succession. At the same time, Prince Jingxi of Shaanxi and Prince Runing of Henan also raised their banners of rebellion one after another, responding to the call. For a time, the situation was extremely favorable to Nie Guang.

Of course, the mighty lions dispatched by the court were also strong and valiant. When both sides fought at Tongguan, our three armies held the front with righteous determination, attacked from the center, and struck from both front and rear, resulting in a great defeat for the rebels. Two of their main generals died in battle, and we finally recaptured this strategic stronghold that faced three rivers and was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The key to victory in that battle lay in the ingenious tactical warfare employed during combat. General-in-Chief Huo Chuan reported that in this battle, General Song had shown remarkable wisdom and strategy, contributing indispensably to the victory. After father emperor received this victory report, his stern expression of recent days also eased somewhat.

Song Langsheng’s military talent shocked the entire court. Who could have imagined that the usually gentle and refined Minister of the Court of Judicial Review could be so brave on the battlefield? Though I was also quite astonished by this, my prince consort had once mentioned that when Song Langsheng was very young, Jun Jinzhi liked to force him to read military treatises from various schools. In his leisure time, he would spread out maps at home and set up sand formations to teach him battlefield tactics. Over time, through constant exposure, he had gained considerable understanding of such matters.

The late Prince Rui of the previous dynasty was a divine general rarely seen in a century. He must have taught Song Langsheng these skills hoping that someday he could help restore the realm on his behalf. How could he have anticipated that years later, Song Langsheng would use these skills against the old supporters of the former dynasty?

Sometimes I also found it strange. Back then, when Song Langsheng agreed to father emperor’s request to feign surrender to Nie Guang, he was already extremely reluctant. This time, when troops were raised for the expedition, why did he compromise so easily? No matter how you looked at it, if I were in his position, I definitely wouldn’t be willing.

My confusion could only continue as confusion. Perhaps fundamentally speaking, in Song Langsheng’s eyes, the greater good of national peace and stability was more important than other personal considerations. However, there was another person who also distinguished himself brilliantly in the war—Lu Lingjun.

Originally, Lu Lingjun had been exiled to the western frontier. Later, when war suddenly erupted and the border city was about to be captured, their group of troops was temporarily transferred to the battlefield to serve as human shields and advance in formation. Unexpectedly, this force of merely five thousand conscripted soldiers actually fought their way through, not only avoiding defeat by the enemy army but reversing the situation and holding the border city. Even more surprising was that in several consecutive siege battles, their bravery played an extremely significant role.

This situation drew the court’s attention. Upon careful investigation, they discovered that this military unit looked to Lu Lingjun as their leader. In daily life, Lu Lingjun taught them martial arts and weapon usage. On the battlefield, Lu Lingjun charged at the front, seizing opportunities to capture enemy commanders, thereby boosting morale and turning dangerous situations into safety.

When I learned this news, Jingyan and I happened to be discussing affairs in the study. He sighed deeply: “Imperial sister, these two men of yours are really full of hidden depths…”

I choked slightly. “What do you mean ‘my men’? Brother Lu is my good friend…”

Jingyan spread his hands with a smile. “You don’t need to explain—I understand, I understand…”

I glared at him: “With Lu Lingjun achieving such military merit, surely his crimes can be pardoned now?”

“Naturally,” Jingyan nodded slightly. “I’ve already ordered arrangements for him to first serve as a Thousand-Household Commander. If he continues to achieve merit, his future prospects will be limitless…”

I said, “I have great confidence in Brother Lu.”

Jingyan turned his writing brush noncommittally, then paused again. “By the way, imperial sister, did you ever find that divine physician from your mansion? Father emperor’s condition has left even the imperial physicians helpless… perhaps…”

Father emperor’s condition had been deteriorating day by day recently. The vigor he had when he first awakened was long gone. Though he hadn’t fallen unconscious again, his complexion and pulse were weaker than when he was in a coma. The Imperial Medical Academy had exhausted their efforts in treatment, all with minimal effect, saying only that it was a chronic illness and his time was limited.

I shook my head gently, my heart once again clouded with worry. “Zhou Wenyu was someone Nie Ran placed by my side. Before the truth came to light, he had already fled without a trace. Where could we find him now? Besides, with such a person whose loyalty is uncertain, even if we found him, I wouldn’t dare let him treat father emperor…”

However, mentioning Zhou Wenyu reminded me of another person.

Zhou Wenyu’s junior fellow disciple, the final disciple of Medicine King Valley, Kang Lin, the proprietor of Tong’an Hall.

Because of the Soul-Forgetting Powder incident, I had visited him twice. He had told me that two Soul-Forgetting Pills had been sold from his hands—one lethal, one non-lethal. His words that day had also misled me, making me think there were only two poison pills, but in fact, the number of Soul-Forgetting Pills circulating in the world far exceeded this amount.

Kang Lin knew nothing about the affairs between Zhou Wenyu and Nie Ran. He had indeed only created two Soul-Forgetting Pills, nothing more.

I ultimately chose to believe his words. After such a great disturbance occurred, he continued conducting his business and never left the capital. If he were an accomplice, he would have fled at the first sign of trouble.

“Besides you, who else could create Soul-Forgetting Powder? Could it be Zhou Wenyu?”

Kang Lin was stunned. “That’s a possibility… However, if he was the one creating the poison, why did he bring the princess to this humble person that day to investigate the truth?”

This did make some sense. I pondered briefly and asked, “When I asked you both whether there was medicine that could make someone forget partial memories overnight, you all insisted there was no such possibility. But Boss Kang, why didn’t you truthfully tell me that if someone took the antidote, it was very possible they could forget everything that happened during their period of memory loss in a single night?”

Kang Lin dropped to his knees in terror. “That day when my junior fellow disciple came to find me, he told me the princess had been poisoned with Soul-Forgetting Powder, and it was very likely the lethal type. If the princess learned this poison had an antidote, you would certainly have this humble person prepare it…”

“And so?”

He said with trepidation, “The antidote is created by refining the same proportions in reverse order when preparing the poison—not a fraction more, not a fraction less. That day’s buyer demanded this humble person create a unique Soul-Forgetting Powder that absolutely could not be decoded by others… Therefore, this humble person destroyed the prescription and created a unique antidote to sell together… Fearing that if the princess learned of this and this humble person couldn’t prepare the antidote, it would bring fatal disaster, so I… Please forgive this humble person’s mortal sin…”

It seemed that the two pills Kang Lin created were likely bought separately by father emperor and my younger brother the prince. As for the Soul-Forgetting Powder that Nie Guang gave to Song Langsheng and Feng Li, it didn’t come from Kang Lin.

Although to this day I still couldn’t guess where Feng Li obtained another non-lethal Soul-Forgetting Pill to give me, just as I still couldn’t understand why Feng Li chose to spare my life.

Since the matter had passed, there was no point dwelling on it.

Thinking of father emperor’s condition, I ordered Kang Lin to enter the palace to treat father emperor. His medical skills were comparable to Zhou Wenyu’s—perhaps there could still be a turning point.

But Kang Lin’s assessment was no different from the Imperial Medical Academy’s. I asked him, “Isn’t Medicine King Valley famous far and wide? Is it really beyond help?”

He shook his head and sighed, “Medicine King Valley is renowned for rare medicines and unconventional remedies. What the emperor suffers from is neither an acute illness nor strange poison, but the accumulation of chronic ailments over many years. The root of the disease has long been deeply entrenched—medicine is powerless.”

Though I had been prepared, hearing him say this, I still couldn’t help but shed tears of sorrow.

Father emperor might have had a premonition about this. From the day he awakened, he had been making plans for Jingyan’s succession, consolidating Jingyan’s power and winning people’s hearts. Today he finally lacked the strength to get out of bed, but instead breathed a long sigh of relief and told us, “Daqing’s future depends on you now.”

Jingyan seemed to mature overnight into a true heir apparent. He no longer handled government affairs with the indecision of the past, and everyone in the court was convinced by him. I had always felt that my regency’s significance was to wait for the day when Jingyan could stand on his own. Now that things had reached this point, I only wanted to accompany father emperor through his final journey, quietly wait at home for my prince consort’s return, and when that time came, never again involve myself in those troublesome schemes and power struggles.

However, there are many times in this world when you cannot smoothly exit the stage just because you wish to. Entering the world is easy; leaving it is difficult.

Actually, that day I had originally only brought medicinal incense prepared from Kang Lin’s herbs, intending to place it in father emperor’s sleeping chamber to help him rest peacefully with a calm mind. So when I saw that the palace maids outside the chamber door had all withdrawn ten steps away, and they said the empress was speaking with the emperor and had therefore dismissed everyone, I didn’t think much of it. I only intended to knock, leave the incense burner, and depart.

But when I approached the door and freed one hand to knock, I heard mother empress’s anxious voice from inside: “Your Majesty cherishes Tang’er and is unwilling to let her suffer grievances—how could this subject not understand? But she is ultimately not Your Majesty’s biological daughter. How can such an important responsibility be entrusted to her?”

I thought I was hallucinating.

With a thunderous roar in my mind, mother empress’s words came through clearly, though they entered my ears but couldn’t penetrate my thoughts. My mind went blank for a moment, then I heard her continue: “Does Your Majesty still remember what you said when you banished Jinglan years ago? Your Majesty said, ‘Those not of Xiao family blood must have different hearts,’ which is why you could bear to exile him… Your Majesty treated Lan’er so, yet why toward Tang’er…”

I heard father emperor sigh. He said slowly, “Men are ultimately different from women. Jinglan had reputation and ambition. As long as he remained in the imperial family for even one day, Jingyan would find it difficult to ascend to the throne… Tang’er is different. She considers Jingyan in everything, and though she is merely a woman, she can command the respect of all court officials—not merely because of the authority I’ve granted her. With her assisting Yan’er, I can be much more at ease…”

“Your Majesty…”

Mother empress was about to speak more when I pushed open the door.

My mind was completely blank. I understood rationally that no matter what shocking news I might have heard, I shouldn’t barge in at this moment—there were countless gradual ways to investigate the truth. But while my reason warned me thus, my hand had already involuntarily reached forward—the chamber door opened with a sound, revealing father emperor and mother empress with faces full of shock.

I stood before them in a daze, placed the incense burner from my arms on the table, knelt down, and said tremblingly, “Your daughter… originally only came to bring father emperor an incense burner, but inadvertently… overheard father emperor and mother empress’s conversation…” I struggled to keep my body from shaking too violently. “I heard mother empress say that Tang’er and eldest imperial brother… are both not father emperor’s biological children. Please don’t tell Tang’er—did Tang’er… mishear?”

How I hoped father emperor and mother empress would smile and tell me “you misheard.”

Then perhaps I could pretend I had never heard it, act as if I knew nothing, and continue being this princess.

However, the expressions on father emperor and mother empress’s faces gave me the answer. No matter how absurdly impossible the truth might be, it was still the truth.

Undeniable and unquestionable.

Father emperor said the origins traced back to when Daqing’s realm was first established.

He had ascended the throne not long before, had not unified military power, and various forces all watched like tigers—at such a time, it was extremely necessary to produce a prince to stabilize the regime. But though the harem was filled with beautiful women, not a single belly showed signs of movement. Mother empress became pregnant at that time.

Father emperor was overjoyed and treasured mother empress like a precious jewel. However, he did not know the hidden story behind this.

Mother empress had been extremely weak since childhood. Due to a hereditary family ailment, she was not suitable for childbearing—even if she conceived, it would be difficult to deliver a healthy baby. She was merely a minor consort then who had received imperial favor and carried the dragon’s bloodline—how could she bear to give it up?

She concealed her condition and persisted day by day. Finally, under father emperor’s watchful care and the ministers’ expectations, she gave birth to a dragon son.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that the baby was sallow and emaciated from birth, even his crying voice extremely weak. The attending physicians all said fearfully that this baby would not live past three days.

Father emperor was greatly shocked.

If the dragon son that had captured everyone’s attention quickly died, wouldn’t that give malicious people cause to say that this realm’s ruler was not a true Son of Heaven?

Father emperor was anxious as fire. He suddenly remembered that his blood sister, Princess Yong’an, was due to give birth soon. With this thought in mind, he summoned Princess Yong’an into the palace that very night and secretly ordered his sister to take labor-inducing medicine. The following night, Princess Yong’an gave birth to a male infant amid heart-rending screams.

“That male infant… was eldest imperial brother?”

Father emperor slowly nodded, his face showing remorse and guilt. “That was a healthy baby, but because my imperial sister had taken the medicine, she bled continuously and… left this world that very night…”

That year, Princess Yong’an’s prince consort was fighting enemies in the distant northern frontier. Upon receiving the devastating news that his beloved wife had died in childbirth, he was overcome with grief. Not long after, news came from the northern frontier that the prince consort had died in battle.

From then on, the world only knew that the princess had died in difficult labor, not knowing how many unspeakable secrets lay hidden behind it.

Father emperor said he felt extremely guilty about Princess Yong’an’s death and told himself he must treat that child well. Thus, eldest imperial brother grew up amid universal admiration, the predetermined choice for crown prince in everyone’s eyes.

However, what isn’t one’s biological child ultimately isn’t one’s biological child. As other princes were born later, father emperor’s love for eldest imperial brother gradually diminished. No matter how outstanding eldest imperial brother was, that past remained a thorn in his heart. He tried to find reasons to depose the crown prince position, but eldest imperial brother was loyal, filial, talented, and won people over with his virtue—there was simply no reason to be found.

Until eldest imperial brother fell in love with a commoner woman. He deliberately obstructed them in every way and provoked him with words, thus smoothly removing this thorn from his heart.

When the story reached this point, the charcoal brazier in the room made a crackling sound, burning fragments scattered like stars.

The room was filled with warmth, but it couldn’t drive away the cold that gripped my entire body.

I knelt on the ground, feeling that what I heard was too absurd. I wanted to laugh but couldn’t. “…Then what about me? Where did I come from?”

Father emperor looked toward mother empress and sighed deeply. “…Tang’er… until seven years ago, I… still believed you were my biological daughter…”

This meant that mother empress had deceived father emperor for thirteen years.

This naturally occurred after Princess Yong’an’s death.

Father emperor’s consorts began competing to carry dragon seed, while the “eldest prince” that mother empress had borne was completely fake. She could almost see her own bleak future—if she couldn’t bear a child that truly belonged to her and father emperor, someday she would be abandoned when father emperor grew tired of her.

However, her body had become even more fragile after one childbirth. Let alone bearing children, even conceiving would be difficult.

She heard that there was a famous physician among the common people, the daughter of the Medicine King Valley’s master, named Lin Danqing, who was quite accomplished in treating women’s difficulties with pregnancy and childbirth. So she sent people to bring her into the palace for treatment. In just over three months, her health indeed improved considerably.

However, Lin Danqing was essentially a martial world figure who traveled widely practicing medicine and couldn’t possibly stay in the harem for three to five years just for mother empress. To keep Lin Danqing, mother empress secretly arranged opportunities for the Imperial Medical Academy’s youngest and most promising physician, Xu Liufang, to interact with her and jointly treat mother empress.

These young man and woman, both deeply devoted to medicine, of similar age and compatible interests, quickly fell in love. Unable to bear separation, Lin Danqing was naturally willing to stay for Xu Liufang’s sake. Mother empress went with the flow and did them a favor, having them marry early and settle in the capital.

From then on, Lin Danqing followed her husband’s lead and wholeheartedly helped mother empress recuperate. According to Lin Danqing, mother empress’s chronic illness was congenital and required a very long period of treatment—it couldn’t be rushed. But seeing princes running around everywhere in the palace, how could mother empress remain patient? Ignoring Lin Danqing’s advice, she became pregnant with dragon seed again.

Coincidentally, at the same time, Lin Danqing also became pregnant.

Mother empress spent those long yet short ten months of pregnancy under the care of medicinal broths.

Unfortunately, good times didn’t last. Mother empress’s second child had already stopped breathing the moment it was born.

Seeing the stillborn infant, mother empress nearly went mad. At that time, father emperor was away on a personal military campaign. She thought that if father emperor knew she had given birth to another dead baby, how could he ever look at her favorably again?

In her panic and confusion, she thought of Lin Danqing who was at home awaiting childbirth. In an instant, a thought flashed through her mind—

The same old trick.

“So… mother empress… you… summoned Lin Danqing into the palace and took her child as your own…” I asked slowly, like a parched fish unable to even lift my eyelids. “That child… was me?”

The answer was self-evident.

More fortunate than Princess Yong’an, Lin Danqing did not fall into the underworld during the induced labor—she survived.

But how could mother empress risk father emperor discovering the truth by letting her continue living in this world?

Just as she was about to silence her forever, Xu Liufang rescued Lin Danqing from the tiger’s mouth. They fled the palace that night, trying to find father emperor to tell him the truth, but the assassins mother empress sent were still faster. In the end, they both fell off a cliff during their escape—whereabouts unknown, fate uncertain.

Later, when father emperor returned triumphant, unexpectedly, the moment he held me in swaddling clothes, I smiled brightly. Father emperor doted on me extremely. After court sessions and into the night, his greatest pleasure was coming to mother empress’s chamber to play with me.

My birth was like a lucky fruit for mother empress.

The following year, mother empress ascended to the empress’s throne. In the fourth year, mother empress gave birth to Jingyan, and from then on her position in the harem was unshakeable.

World affairs are so ironic. The reason mother empress could safely give birth to my younger brother was entirely because she continued following Lin Danqing’s prescriptions to recuperate and followed medical advice step by step—only then could such a miracle occur.

Mother empress thought this scar would never be exposed, but unfortunately she miscalculated. Xu Liufang and Lin Danqing had both been caught by a tree on the cliff. That branch could only support one person’s weight. In the end, Xu Liufang jumped into the ten-thousand-foot abyss to save Lin Danqing, preserving his beloved’s life.

When I was thirteen, father emperor encountered Lin Danqing on his way to the mosque.

Father emperor naturally recognized Lin Danqing. Her marriage to Xu Liufang had been arranged by mother empress and bestowed by father emperor. Later hearing from mother empress that the couple had fallen from a mountain was also quite regrettable. Suddenly seeing her appear, he was extremely surprised.

Lin Danqing told father emperor the whole story from beginning to end.

There are no walls that don’t let wind through. When people are kept in the dark, they naturally remain oblivious, but once someone points it out, all clues become traceable.

Father emperor was shocked and furious. What was harder for him to accept than anger was that I was not his biological daughter.

Yet he had lavished too much paternal love and care on me.

After returning to the palace, he went to confront mother empress. Once exposed, mother empress confessed everything. She said that over these years she had suffered endless torment from her conscience, unable to sleep at night, yet always fearing father emperor would learn the truth. This way was actually better—she asked for nothing else, only that father emperor not take his anger out on Jingyan, as he was father emperor’s only bloodline.

Mother empress was right. Over all these years, whether due to war, power struggles, or disease, father emperor’s several sons had left this world one after another, like a curse punishing father emperor for cruelly causing Princess Yong’an’s death. In the end, the only child remaining was Jingyan alone, while father emperor’s health was far worse than before. Let alone conceiving another dragon son, the mountain of court affairs and the internal and external troubles of the nation were almost too much for him to bear.

Father emperor thought of me.

He believed I was intelligent and decisive in handling matters, quite possessing the royal manner. With just a little assistance, I could certainly become Jingyan’s strong right arm. There was another point, the most important one: I was not truly a daughter of the imperial family, and the evidence of this was held in mother empress’s hands. If someday I harbored treacherous intentions and sought to monopolize power for selfish gain, overthrowing me would require no effort at all.

For Jingyan’s sake, for the greater good, father emperor did not make mother empress’s crimes public, but from then on he grew cold toward her. From that day forward, mother empress no longer involved herself in harem affairs, devoted herself to vegetarian diet and Buddhist worship as penance. As for father emperor, he wholeheartedly taught me government affairs, granted me authority, and finally placed me at the storm’s eye of the court.

Today, Jingyan had finally lived up to their expectations and become a true crown prince. However, my prince consort suddenly held military power, and mother empress ultimately harbored wariness toward me. She worried that after father emperor’s passing, her word alone would be insufficient to contend with me, so she beseeched father emperor to strip away my authority—only then could Daqing’s realm rest easy.

But father emperor disagreed.

Actually, hearing this far, I only felt my entire body entering an ice cellar. The familiar people and familiar objects before my eyes suddenly became extremely strange. Everything in the room transformed into hazy phantoms, instantly collapsing and scattering.

This was the imperial family.

When they quietly revealed those bloody truths scene by scene, they might show remorse, annoyance, or guilt, but after that, what they cared about more was always power, always profit.

Seeing me kneel speechless for so long, father emperor sighed deeply. “Tang’er, I… today could have chosen not to tell you all this, but…”

I interrupted him. “Does father emperor still expect Xiangyi to be grateful for this honesty?”

Father emperor was left speechless by this question.

Speechless—whether from me to them, or from them to me.

I silently rose, wiped the tears from my eyes with my sleeve, no longer bowed, no longer glanced at them again, and departed just like that.

When I was small, I often wondered why mother empress wasn’t very close to me, why I couldn’t be like other princesses who could nestle in their mother’s arms and act spoiled when encountering unpleasant things. I thought I wasn’t likeable and worked hard for it, strived for it, but mother empress always treated me neither warmly nor coldly. I had guessed many possibilities, but when I heard the real answer today, I realized that all those past events were like scenes from a joke—except I couldn’t laugh at all.

It turned out that Qinggu, who had treated my leg injury in the village and later locked me in the plague house on Nie Guang’s orders, was my biological mother.

Back then I had always wondered why she didn’t follow Nie Guang’s command to kill me, why the plague poison she gave me was just ordinary medicine to deceive others. Thinking about it now, she probably learned from Nie Guang that I was Princess Xiangyi, knew I was her daughter, so she used this stratagem to help me escape.

In that case, the person who saved her during her escape should have been Marquis Xia Yang, Nie Guang.

But clearly there had been opportunities—why didn’t she tell me she was my mother?

I returned to the Princess Mansion like a walking corpse.

Looking up at the gleaming gold characters “Princess Xiangyi’s Mansion” on the plaque before the gate, I felt that every character was full of irony.

I smiled sorrowfully. Now, even this mansion I considered home was no longer my place of belonging.