Nangong Yue walked ahead, leading her to an open space deep in the woods. He stood on a large tree, looking as lonely as ever, his fingers unconsciously caressing his jade flute.
Liu Liu, recognizing his habit, knew that he would exhibit certain subconscious fidgets when he was angry or uneasy – touching his jade flute.
She walked over and stood on the large tree opposite him. In the distance, sunlight cast shadows, and her two subordinates stood guard, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
"I want to ask you, why didn't the former emperor have a crown prince?" His voice was clear and cold in the dark, his throat hoarse.
Liu Liu's expression flickered, and then she began to speak of the Su family, the Feng family, and the events of the former dynasty. She didn't know where to begin.
Even if Nangong Yue wasn't the crown prince, if they were children of the Su family, he and Feng Xie would likely harbor deep hatred, as the Feng family had indeed killed over a hundred members of their family.
She had easily forgiven Feng Xie because she wasn't truly a member of the Su family.
Her own relatives were the Liu family. She felt only deep sympathy for the Su family, who had become stepping stones for royalty. Whenever an old dynasty gave way to a new one, there was always a river of blood and bodies strewn across the battlefield.
"Let me tell you a story."
Liu Liu withdrew her gaze from the dense forest and fixed it on Nangong Yue's face. She adjusted her breathing and began to speak slowly.
Nangong Yue on the opposite side remained motionless, but his entire body was tense. His hands were clenched beneath his robes, his fingernails digging into his flesh, his heart filled with extreme tension.
"Once upon a time, there was a young master surnamed Su, who was sworn brothers with a young master surnamed Feng. The young master surnamed Feng served in the court and, to gain the emperor's trust, offered a terrible suggestion to the emperor.
He proposed sending the child of the Su family who was about to be born into the palace to be the crown prince. Since the former emperor was childless, and the imperial concubines in the harem had no offspring, he was overjoyed. He found a pretext of sedition against the Su family, sentencing the entire family to execution. They had a son and a daughter, the son named Su Liufeng, and the daughter named Su Liuli.
Just as the children were a hundred days old, the young master surnamed Feng broke into the imperial palace by night, killed the tyrannical emperor, and became emperor himself."
After Liu Liu finished, she said no more. She knew that with Nangong Yue's intelligence, he would understand the story. Nangong Yue's face was a mixture of emotions, his eyes flashed with thunderous rage, and a cold smile played on his lips.
"You say I am a child of the Su family, then who are you?"
Nangong Yue's voice was suppressed with panic. He didn't care who his family was, as everything felt so distant to him.
But who was Liu'er? Why did she know he was a child of the Su family? Could it be… no, the thought of this possibility made his chest tighten so much he felt he could barely breathe. He leaned against the old tree behind him, his fingernails digging deeply into the bark, feeling no pain whatsoever.
"I am the daughter of the Su family, Su Liuli. If nothing unexpected happened, you should be my twin brother, Su Liufeng."
As soon as Liu Liu finished speaking, Nangong Yue's body swayed as if unable to bear the shock. Fortunately, the tree behind him supported him, preventing him from collapsing. However, he slowly slid down to the base of the tree and crouched down, shaking his head repeatedly.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it. You are my sister? How is this possible? I don't want it. I'd rather you be nothing to me than my sister."
The thought that the woman he loved with all his heart might be his own sister pierced his heart like an arrow, causing him excruciating pain. He curled up, this blow almost crushing him.
"Why, why?"
Turning back, he struck the trunk of the tree. Liu Liu felt immense pity. He might be her brother. Although she knew he had developed romantic feelings for her before, if he was her brother…
This indeed confirmed her long-held feeling that he was as dear as a brother to her. Sometimes she felt sad for him, grieved for him, but she never felt that heart-wrenching pain.
"Nangong, don't be like this."
Liu Liu reached out a hand to comfort him. Nangong Yue suddenly stood up and flung her arm away, speaking coldly, "I don't believe this. It's too absurd. How could I possibly be Su Liufeng? And what evidence do you have to say I am Su Liufeng?"
"The real Su Liufeng has a plum blossom mark on his left arm, imprinted by Madam Su with a plum blossom hairpin that day. But you don't have it on you. It should have been sealed by someone with beeswax. If you boil alum in water and slowly wash your arm, you should be able to reveal the plum blossom mark."
Liu Liu spoke calmly and collectedly, her gaze piercing his clothes and landing on his left arm.
This time, she believed her intuition; it wouldn't be wrong. He must have a plum blossom mark on his arm.
As for how the jade pendant, Ri Shi, ended up in Hua Wuyou's hands, that was another matter entirely. Clearly, someone else knew about the events of that year and had taken the jade pendant during the war.
"No, you are too cruel. Your heart must be made of ice, so cold. I don't believe any of this."
Nangong Yue forcefully beat the trunk of the tree. In the dark night, branches and leaves fell from the top, scattering onto both of them.
Nangong Yue turned, his voice filled with immense weariness, "I will not believe these things." With that, he disappeared into the night like a small animal in the woods, filled with despair.
Liu Liu stared blankly in the direction Nangong Yue had gone, her heart aching deeply. Only when something cold and wet touched her face did she realize she was crying. She hadn't expected herself to cry. Had she hurt him?
But she hadn't known they were siblings. If she had known he was her brother, she would have been overjoyed.
But now, everything was ruined. How could this man, who had fallen in love with her, not feel pain when he learned she was his own sister? But this was not something he could control.
Liu Liu sobbed softly, her shoulders shaking. Suddenly, a cloak was draped over her, and strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close. A voice filled with concern said, "Don't be sad. He just can't accept it for now. I believe he will be alright soon. Don't be upset."
"Yes, seeing him so sad makes me truly sad. I believe he must be my brother Su Liufeng, but I've hurt him too deeply." Liu Liu curled up in Feng Xie's embrace, motionless. Fortunately, she had someone to accompany her at this moment, lest she collapse helplessly.
"Alright, let's go back." He held her as they walked back to the military tent.
No one spoke of Nangong Yue's intrusion into the camp, so everyone was unaware of what had happened last night.
They only felt that the Empress seemed somewhat absent-minded, her expression a little grim. After breakfast, the generals and officials gathered in the tent dared not say a word.
Liu Liu glanced at Dai Mei and several other subordinates below and said listlessly, "Have you received the news?"
"Yes, my lord. Someone delivered the message last night. My lord, please see."
Dai Mei stepped closer and handed the slip of paper in her hand to Liu Liu. Liu Liu read it carefully. Yueyang City was now completely under control. Everyone was terrified and confined to their homes, afraid to go out.
All the shops were closed. The vast city of Yueyang was no different from a dead city. There were about twenty thousand villains who had seized the yamen and the city gates, as well as all the checkpoints within the city. No one dared to go out freely or call for help from the outside.
If there was any sign of movement, they would be killed. Among these villains were two individuals. One looked almost like a woman, while the other was covered in scars and had a terrifying appearance. His face alone was enough to scare children to tears.
After Liu Liu finished reading, she handed the slip of paper to Feng Xie. Feng Xie's face turned extremely grim as he read it. He passed the paper to Liu Ting, who then passed it to Bai Han to read. In short, everyone who read it had a very grim expression. What should they do now?
"Your Majesty, what should we do now? We can't get close to Yueyang City. If we force our way through, they will surely kill all the civilians. Are we to just stand by and watch the people suffer?"
Bai Han spoke in a deep voice. Those people were all innocent. Feng Xie's dark eyes were filled with a murderous glint. "How about we attack the city at midnight, catching them completely off guard."
"That's not advisable, Your Majesty. If we attack the city at night, those people might have already made arrangements. King Xiang would not dare to stay in Yueyang so brazenly if he didn't have a plan to easily break through the city gates,"
Liu Liu raised her hand to stop the Emperor's harsh action. Just then, a small soldier entered the large tent, holding an arrow with a letter tied to its tip. Someone had already taken the letter down and handed it to the Emperor. Feng Xie took it and read it, almost spitting blood. It was from Feng Luo, ordering Feng Xie to come to the outskirts of Yueyang City to die, or else, starting today, he would kill ten civilians a day until none were left.