Palace Intrigue or Household Intrigue?

Su Mei calmed down as well. She knew that in the past, she hadn't felt much aversion or disgust when she saw this face that resembled Ye Sijin's. It was just that Ye Sijin was no longer a threat to her, and the grudges from back then had simply faded away.

Moreover, Qin Yanan is the most beloved little princess of the Qin Family, making it easier for her to maintain close ties with the Qin Family in the mainland. The former Third Mistress had a very good relationship with Qin Yanan.

But now... Su Nanxiu understood. Looking at Qin Yanan's appearance now, the lingering feeling of annoyance in her heart could no longer be suppressed.

After all, the reason why Ye Sijin's eyebrows and nose didn't look right was that the little vixen was outwardly obedient and gentle, but secretly she was full of scheming and tricks, always secretly thinking of ways to make Ye Chenyu and Su Mei's relationship difficult.

Later, thinking that Ye Sijin was already dead, seeing a face that looked so much like Ye Sijin didn't evoke much of a feeling. Ultimately, the reason for that feeling of threat and annoyance had disappeared... Now that feeling of threat and annoyance has reappeared, and seeing this face naturally evokes aversion.

Qin Yanan is just like Ye Sijin back then, with the same scheming and affected manner. Relying on his favor, she acts like he's just a dear younger sister or junior, but aren't they actually thinking the same thing?

If I'm not mistaken, Qin Yanan knows that Liu Chang'an's girlfriend is An Nuan. On the surface, she won't do anything extreme to offend Liu Chang'an, but she'll definitely keep up the small tricks of trying to annoy An Nuan or secretly competing with An Nuan.

Su Nanxiu calmed down, a slight smile playing on her lips. "I'm here to see an old friend, what need do I have for talk of face? As for you, it's none of your business to interfere when I'm here with him. Who do you think you are? As far as I know, his current girlfriend is An Nuan, right? Having her brings peace, being with her brings warmth. Are you by his side hoping he'll have her, or are you simply wanting to be with her?"

This old fox is certainly sharp-tongued! Qin Yanan's expression changed slightly, "Do you want him to embrace her, or do you want him to accompany her?" Isn't this a veiled insult implying that Qin Yanan wants to replace An Nuan?

"Zhu Family, it's not about what I want him to do, but that he's taken me as his sister. As his sister, why can't I say something to those scheming, venomous women? So they don't sting me or my brother." Qin Yanan sneered. Even if Su Mei and Ye Chenyu had a romantic story back then, their relationship was over, and it was against his taboo.

Even Su Nanxiu couldn't stand the word "old." She was clearly only a fourteen-year-old girl. Could the little vixen in front of her be any more delicate? Just as Su Mei was about to fly into a rage, she suddenly became suspicious. The fierceness in her expression subsided, and she raised her eyebrows and carefully examined Qin Yanan.

Qin Yanan in front of him was indeed somewhat different from Ye Sijin in terms of figure, and her temperament was also more flamboyant and arrogant. But the key point was that Liu Chang'an actually recognized her as his younger sister.

Younger sister?

Throughout literature and film, younger sisters have been particularly detestable. Besides demanding dowries from their brothers, being jealous of their brothers' and sisters-in-law's affection, pettyly trying to break them up, and colluding with wicked mothers-in-law, what else can they do?

That's not the point... The point is, Liu Chang'an has gone mad, recognizing a younger relative several generations removed as his sister?

If, as before, the younger sister is unaware of his age, and he embarks on a life as her older brother, it would be quite reasonable... for example, Ye Chenyu and Ye Sijin.

But now, even though Qin Yanan knew his true identity as an old man, he still recognized her Qin Yanan his sister. If there isn't some other reason behind this, it's really hard to explain.

Qin Yanan is Qin Peng's great-granddaughter. When Qin Peng was still alive, Liu Chang'an recognized Ye Sijin and Qin Peng's great-granddaughter as his sisters?

No matter how unrestrained and unconventional he may be, and how much he may disregard human norms and ethics, doing things this way is simply not his style.

In this situation, why did Qin Yanan become the younger sister?

Su Nanxiu's gaze grew increasingly suspicious and gloomy. She circled Qin Yanan halfway before stopping, staring intently into Qin Yanan's eyes, and shouted sharply, "Ye Sijin!"

Qin Yanan's gaze suddenly softened and became calm. She placed her hands on her lower abdomen, relaxed her shoulders, and even her straight waist and hips became supple. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"It really is you!" Su Nanxiu took two steps back, slightly opened her mouth, and a mocking and absurd smile bloomed on her indifferent face, but it was like a gust of wind blowing across a cold winter plain, making the withered grass tremble.

"Do you think that being Ye Sijin will lessen your sense of defeat? After all, it's about competing with an old rival from a hundred years ago, so it's easier to accept, isn't it?" Qin Yanan laughed. "Of course I'm not Ye Sijin, and I don't mean to compete with you. I just ask you to accept reality. Things are different now than they were a hundred years ago. He has other women by his side, and it's not your turn to compete with him."

Su Nanxiu finally came to her senses. She had been so worried that she had been tricked by a little girl.

"You're quite the smooth talker. Don't think that just because you're the Qin Family's little princess, I won't dare slap you across the face." Su Nanxiu quickly composed herself and looked coldly at Qin Yanan.

"I wouldn't presume to think I'm capable of anything."

"Stop talking nonsense. What exactly did you want to say to me today?"

Qin Yanan looked up at the sycamore tree with its increasingly yellow leaves, her gaze falling on Su Nanxiu's face, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the Su Family's eldest daughter in historical records. "I want to know, even now, do you still cling to the belief that he should belong only to you?"

Su Nanxiu scoffed, not answering Qin Yanan's question.

"He's lived so long, and he's never belonged exclusively to any one woman; you should know that. And probably no woman has ever pursued him as relentlessly as you. He's no longer Ye Chenyu; his life now doesn't belong to you, and you shouldn't interfere." Qin Yanan sighed softly. "Since you did something he couldn't accept back then, let's cut ties and live our own lives peacefully. Why disturb his?"

"I only wanted Ye Sijin and Qin Peng to get together sooner, but things went wrong and Ye Chenyu ended up in Ye Sijin's bed, giving your great-grandmother her wish... In the end, didn't Ye Sijin still end up with Qin Peng? If we're talking about promiscuity, I really can't bear the blame, but your great-grandmother was pretty much on the verge." Su Mei sneered, "Women's methods of controlling their husbands have always been ruthless. Do you think all the women in those harems are as close as sisters? It's just that some villains are causing trouble, and the timing isn't right for me."

Her phrase "a villain causing trouble" was obviously not referring to herself. It probably meant that her plans had been thwarted, leading to this "unexpected turn of events." However, this was something Qin Yanan had never heard of from Liu Chang'an.

He probably found it difficult to talk about it, after all, he had always regarded Ye Sijin as a younger sister, and Su Mei's actions back then were a major taboo for him. No wonder he neither wanted to pay attention to Su Mei nor could he face Ye Sijin, and chose to leave temporarily in the later stages of the War of Resistance.

So that's the story behind it all... Qin Yanan recalled the time she touched the coffin and felt Ye Sijin's obsession with Ye Chenyu; it turned out it wasn't just about him being her brother.

"You didn't know? It seems there's a lot he hasn't told you." Su Nanxiu scrutinized Qin Yanan's trembling eyes and dazed face, and scoffed, "I think... he has his reasons for not telling you when he accepted you as his sister."

Although Qin Yanan denied being Ye Sijin, this did not dispel Su Nanxiu's suspicions. In this world, apart from Qin Peng, only Su Nanxiu truly understood how much he valued his "sister." As long as he hadn't forgotten Ye Sijin, he wouldn't casually find someone to replace the identity of his "sister."

Unless Qin Yanan was originally Ye Sijin.

"We're just talking about our own things." Qin Yanan was a little flustered. She hadn't expected him not to tell her about his other relationship with Ye Sijin. Just as Su Nanxiu had said, there might be something else behind it that he was hiding from her.

Back then, I was intoxicated by his embrace, moved by his longing for Ye Sijin, and felt that it didn't matter if I could become his "sister" to comfort his pain of never seeing Ye Sijin again. So I naturally accepted his statement, "Let's each do our own thing."

Thinking about it now, things are probably not that simple... How could someone as proud and reserved as him, who buried his longing for Ye Sijin deep in his heart, casually find someone to replace "Ye Sijin" as his sister?

"Each side has its own version of events." Su Nanxiu repeated the phrase, making no attempt to hide her hostility and heightened emotions. "You are Ye Sijin! Go ask him directly! You arranged to meet me here today, and he agreed to that, right? Because he knows I can tell, and he wants me to tell you directly that you are Ye Sijin!"

"If I were Ye Sijin, why didn't he tell me himself!" Qin Yanan stepped back and leaned against the sycamore tree. The rough trunk pressed against her back, making her feel a slight chill.

"Because you've lost your memories of Ye Sijin, you believe you're only Qin Yanan, and you're rejecting your former identity. He cares about your feelings, so he chose to hide the truth and not tell you... But ultimately, he wanted to tell you, so he asked me to do it... I might see it, or I might not; I might see it and tell you, or I might not... For him, it's all up to fate." Su Nanxiu reached out and hooked Qin Yanan's chin. "Look at this face; he must be heartbroken every moment he looks at it."

"What evidence do you have? This is just one side of the story. I'll find him and get to the bottom of this." Qin Yanan pressed her hand to her chest, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. She couldn't afford to lose her composure in front of Su Nanxiu.

"I'm looking forward to it." Su Nanxiu fully reverted to her usual languid and aloof demeanor. "It's actually very simple; I can help you find the evidence."

"How do we find it?" Qin Yanan hesitated for a moment.

"If you were Ye Sijin, you would inevitably have specific reverse-transcribed DNA due to your relationship with him. Although there is currently no direct evidence that its existence is related to physical mutations, it is more like a marker... but this marker can explain the problem."

"I don't trust you. I should ask him directly." Qin Yanan didn't want to be used by Su Nanxiu. Who knew what Su Nanxiu was up to?

"Whatever," Su Nanxiu replied, seemingly uninterested.

"If I were Ye Sijin, how would you deal with me?" Qin Yanan couldn't calmly think about how she would face Ye Sijin if she were really her, but compared to that, the woman in front of her was a more wary and cautious person.

External threats always require more attention than one's own inner emotions. Qin Yanan is not the kind of woman who, when emotions run high, ignores everything else, only wants to vent, and disregards reality and loses her rationality.

"Why do you think I would target you?" Su Nanxiu asked with interest.

"That's always been your style."

"He has so many vixens around him now, who am I supposed to deal with?" Su Nanxiu said dismissively. "I only need to catch him."

Qin Yanan also sneered, "You're far too confident. I really don't know where you get your nerve. Liu Chang'an is with An Nuan now; there's no chance for anyone else."

"That's my business." Su Nanxiu frowned slightly.

Qin Yanan fell silent. At this moment, she felt Su Nanxiu take several steps back. She turned around and found that the door to the storage room where Liu Chang'an was staying had been opened at some point. A girl in a moon-white long robe was sitting inside, her hands on her thighs, sitting upright and looking at her and Su Nanxiu.

"Who are you?" Qin Yanan noticed Su Nanxiu's retreating movements and took several more steps back until she leaned against the sycamore tree. Only then did she stare at the girl in the moon-white robe with trembling eyes.

Shangguan Dandan? Qin Yanan had seen Shangguan Dandan's true face. That night, in the cave in the Bow Family Realm, the coffin was opened, and Qin Yanan learned that Liu Chang'an and the Empress Dowager of two thousand years ago actually had a connection.

However, Shangguan Dandan wore a crown and gorgeous clothes, looking elegant and noble, which is quite different from her current temperament and appearance.

At this moment, Shangguan Dandan, sitting in the storeroom, lacked the imposing presence and elegance of an imperial empress dowager. She resembled more a quiet and leisurely little princess who had shed her finery in the palace.

Qin Yanan was puzzled by Su Nanxiu's appearance. This ruthless and arrogant woman seemed extremely afraid of Shangguan Dandan at this moment.

Although Shangguan Dandan is very mysterious, even living in a coffin and having a terrifying, mystical background, when you actually look at her, her beautiful young girl face, still retaining a childlike innocence, clearly makes her seem harmless.

They appeared to be about the same age, both with beautiful faces that still retained a youthful innocence, but Qin Yanan thought Shangguan Dandan was much more pleasing to the eye than Su Nanxiu.

"You didn't feel anything?" Su Nanxiu looked at Qin Yanan remained calm and showed no signs of alarm, with suspicion and uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" Qin Yanan was baffled. Was Su Nanxiu afraid of ghosts? Perhaps it was because Shangguan Dandan, with her long hair and wearing a moon-white robe, sitting in the dimly lit room, looked a bit like a ghost?

That shouldn't be the case... Since she's sitting in Liu Chang'an's old room, even if she's a female ghost, shouldn't Su Nanxiu rush over and question her about whether she's trying to seduce Liu Chang'an? That's Su Nanxiu's style.

Su Nanxiu leaned against the sycamore tree, seemingly struggling to breathe, and nervously stared at the quietly sitting girl. "I feel... I feel... she wants to eat me."

"Really?" Qin Yanan laughed, feeling a bit absurd. Unlike Su Nanxiu, she now felt a sense of closeness to Shangguan Dandan. She waved to Shangguan Dandan and tentatively called out, "Dan Dan?"

Shangguan Dandan nodded, finally breaking her motionless seated position. She reacted with a hint of confusion, "Why aren't you continuing your palace intrigue?"

"We're not having a palace intrigue, we're just talking." Qin Yanan brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, feeling slightly embarrassed. Being witnessed by a girl with such clear eyes and such an elegant and serene demeanor made her feel quite awkward.

"Oh, he's not emperor anymore. What you're doing is called a power struggle for favor within the household." Shangguan Dandan took out her phone, glanced at it, nodded in confirmation, and looked away without seeking the two people's opinions.

"You... who exactly are you?" Unlike Qin Yanan, who seemed completely unfazed, Su Nanxiu had beads of cold sweat on her forehead.

"I am Liu Chang'an's mother," Shangguan Dandan introduced herself very formally, then, as if remembering something, turned to the coffin inside the room and said, "Coffin, she's not edible, you can't eat her."

Shangguan Dandan finished speaking, Su Nanxiu finally felt relieved, and the feeling of being a lamb to the slaughter disappeared completely. To be precise, her life force was being devoured and torn apart by some kind of power in the void, which terrified her.

"You... you are Liu Chang'an's mother..." Su Nanxiu was still in shock and doubt. In all these years, she had never felt so suppressed, as if birds and beasts had encountered their natural enemy.

Qin Yanan had heard Shangguan Dandan call Liu Chang'an "son" that night, so she knew some of the details that made her smile. However, Su Nanxiu's understanding of "mother" was obviously just the common understanding of ordinary people. Qin Yanan didn't mean to say anything more and let Su Nanxiu show a conflicted look, at a loss as to how to face Shangguan Dandan's attitude.

"I've listened to you all for so long and I've come to understand some things. Jealousy and rivalry should be kept within limits, especially from you..." Shangguan Dandan pointed at Su Nanxiu, her expression authoritative and unyielding, "If you dare to kill your own sisters, I'll devour you."

Seeing Su Nanxiu's expression, Qin Yanan finally understood why Liu Chang'an had arranged their meeting under this sycamore tree.

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Sorry, I just finished writing this. There's another big chapter coming up later today, and the Silver Alliance is releasing a special update.

I'm asking for monthly votes. There's a fan fiction event in the book review section with very generous and easy-to-obtain rewards. I hope everyone will participate actively.