Love and hatred intertwined

Xu Qi'an handed the mare over to the Imperial Guards and went straight into the palace, brazenly heading to the forbidden area of the palace—the inner palace.

The inner palace used to be a forbidden area for men; even the imperial guards were not allowed to approach it. Only women and eunuchs were allowed to move around in the inner palace.

But now, for Xu Qi'an, the harem is a place he can enter and leave as he pleases, without having to worry about angering the next emperor.

Even if the next emperor is angry, it will be for a different reason.

"On the other hand, with such frequent changes of emperors, the harem would most likely become chaotic. Fortunately, Emperor Yongxing only reigned for less than three months, and Huaiqing was a woman."

Thinking of the beautiful women in the imperial harem, Xu Qi'an inexplicably thought of this question.

It can be said with certainty that if the world is at peace after Emperor Yongxing ascends the throne, then it will not be long before all the concubines left behind by Emperor Yuanjing become Yongxing's playthings.

It has even become that way.

The initial cause of the Fufei case was that Yongxing had a few drinks and was then invited to "visit" by a maid in Fufei's palace, which led to the subsequent Fufei case.

Xu Qi'an didn't believe that Yongxing had no feelings for his father's concubine.

In the imperial harem, only the Empress Dowager and Consort Chen, two figures of extraordinary status, were able to escape such a fate.

If it were not Huaiqing who ascended the throne this time, but the fourth prince, then the young and beautiful concubines in Yongxing's harem would certainly not escape the same fate and become the new emperor's playthings.

Similar examples are not uncommon in historical records. It was commonplace for emperors to seize their daughters-in-law, brothers' wives, sisters-in-law, and even their fathers' women.

They soon arrived at Jingxiu Palace. The old eunuch guarding the gate, trembling with fear, said in a trembling voice:

"Please, Xu Yinluo, come to the inner hall for a moment. This servant will go and inform the Dowager Consort."

After the extraordinary warrior nodded, the eunuch lowered his head and led the way, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Xu Qi'an entered the inner hall and had just sat down when the eunuch returned, bowing and scraping.

The Dowager Princess invites Xu Yinluo inside to speak.

Xu Qi'an immediately got up, without letting the eunuch lead the way, and skillfully bypassed the front yard to arrive at the elegant courtyard where Consort Chen lived.

The courtyard wasn't large. To the south, there were a few bare trees with flower beds next to them. To the west was a small pond with turtles and koi. To the north was a two-story building painted entirely red.

The courtyard was empty; there were no palace maids or eunuchs bustling about.

Xu Qi'an walked through the courtyard, stepped over the threshold, and saw the mother and daughter sitting on the soft couch in the reception room.

Apart from one of Lin'an's personal maids, there was no one else in the room.

Consort Chen was as beautiful as ever, with gorgeous headdresses adorning her elaborate hairstyle. She wore a well-tailored and exquisitely crafted brocade dress. Although she was over forty years old, there were faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, but they did not detract from her beauty.

On the contrary, it possesses a special, indescribable charm.

It is precisely because of such good looks that Lin'an, with its inner charm and deep affection, was born; Yongxing's appearance is also quite good.

Lin'an wore a red dress embroidered with gold thread, looking magnificent and noble. Her oval face was dignified, but her peach blossom eyes were charming and affectionate. Her exquisite and luxurious attire made the whole room shine.

Both mother and daughter had red eyes, as if they had just had a good cry.

Upon seeing Xu Qi'an enter, Consort Chen's eyes flashed with hatred, while Lin'an looked at him with aggrieved pain, her eyes moist as she turned her head away.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Xu Qi'an bowed in greeting.

"I dare not accept such praise!" Consort Chen took a deep breath, her face cold, and said indifferently:

"Xu Yinluo is a powerful figure in the Central Plains, and her words can determine the succession of imperial power. I am but a woman, and I am unworthy of such a grand gesture from Xu Yinluo."

"What does the Dowager Consort want with me?" Xu Qi'an asked directly.

Consort Chen remained silent, glancing at Lin'an.

Lin'an pursed her lips, remaining silent.

Consort Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened, glaring fiercely at her. Lin'an's tears welled up instantly, and she sobbed:

"Ningyan, why did you treat my brother, the Emperor, like this?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was like a little girl betrayed and abandoned by her beloved, powerless to do anything but cry, weak and pitiful.

Consort Chen also began to cry, clutching her handkerchief as she sobbed and wiped away her tears.

"Back when you were just a lowly servant, Lin'an treated you with all her heart, pleading with the late emperor on your behalf, giving you gold, silver, and elixirs without hesitation. I still remember the scene when she asked the late emperor for elixirs to heal your wounds."

"Who would have thought that you would treat her like this in the blink of an eye? Your Xu Household also had its share of hardship back then. Now that you've made it big, you've discarded the person who treated you sincerely like trash. Is your heart made of stone?"

Upon hearing this, Lin'an felt even more heartbroken.

Consort Chen wept and said:

"I know that Yongxing's fate is sealed, and I don't ask for anything. I only hope that you will allow my son and me to leave for the sake of Lin'an. I know you will say that you can keep an eye on Yongxing and save his life."

"But Huaiqing has endured for many years and is ruthless; she will definitely not let Yongxing go. And you won't be staying in the capital all the time. Even if she secretly kills Yongxing, what can you do about it?"

As she spoke, she cried out:

"I only have one son. If he dies, I won't live either."

She wasn't crying for Xu Qi'an; she was crying for Lin'an.

This tactic was ineffective against Xu Qi'an, but it was a devastating blow to Lin'an. After all, the bond of blood was unbreakable. Seeing her usually dignified mother so humble, Lin'an looked at Xu Qi'an with teary eyes:

"I... I know I'm useless, no match for Huaiqing, but Xu Ningyan, can you spare my brother the Emperor for the sake of our past relationship?"

Xu Qi'an looked at Lin'an's face, at those tear-filled eyes, and asked:

"What if I don't agree?"

The light in Lin'an's eyes dimmed. She didn't speak, nor did she react emotionally; she simply lowered her head.

The palace maid beside her had never seen the princess so humble. She glared at Xu Qi'an resentfully, then wiped away a tear with a heavy heart.

His Highness's sincere feelings have been wasted.

Xu Qi'an continued:

" With the Great Feng in Yongxing's hands, it will perish sooner or later. If I told you that I would die with the Great Feng once it falls, would you still let me release Yongxing?"

Lin'an looked up in astonishment.

She was unaware of the fall of the Great Feng and Xu Qi'an's martyrdom.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Consort Chen sobbed:

"He is no longer the emperor, why won't you show him mercy?"

Xu Qi'an sneered:

"Taking Yongxing away from the capital, and then rallying troops from all over the country to rebel under the pretext of eliminating the rebels, isn't that what Consort Chen's plan?"

Consort Chen, though pale with fright, quickly recovered and wept:

"Lin'an, he's determined to kill your brother!"

"Enough!" Xu Qi'an frowned and snapped.

"Consort Chen, do you think I won't kill you because Lin'an is here? I can even kill Joan of Arc, let alone you. I originally wanted to save you some face in front of Lin'an, but since you're so shameless..."

"Then I don't need to worry about anything."

He then looked at Lin'an and said softly:

Do you want to know the truth about your mother?

Lin'an was taken aback.

"Consort Chen, you orchestrated the Consort Fu case. You used the Crown Prince as a pawn to bring up the absurd things the Imperial Uncle did back then. On the surface, your goal was to bring down the Empress Dowager. But your real objective was to make Wei Yuan and Yuan Jing break off their relationship."

"Once Yuan Jing makes a move against the Empress Dowager, Wei Yuan will definitely not sit idly by. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. Regardless of who wins or loses, it will be a good thing for someone."

"This isn't a plan you could come up with. What's your relationship with Xu Pingfeng?"

Upon hearing the name "Xu Pingfeng" from his mouth, Consort Chen's expression changed drastically.

She quickly calmed down and adopted a pitiful posture:

"What Xu Pingfeng? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Xu Pingfeng is one of the leaders of the rebels in Yunzhou. Consort Chen colluded with the rebels; this deserves to be executed by slow slicing," Xu Qi'an said quietly.

Consort Chen shrieked:

"Nonsense! Xu Yinluo forced my son to abdicate, and now he wants to wipe me out too?"

Xu Qi'an ignored her and looked at Lin'an, explaining:

"When I first investigated this case, a mere palace maid from Jingxiu Palace was able to fool me with my Qi-Watching Technique technique because she possessed a magical Law Artifact that could shield her from fate."

"The Bureau of Astronomy certainly wouldn't have given such a Law Artifact to your mother, so where did the Law Artifact on the young palace maid of Jingxiu Palace come from?"

"Considering the true target of the Consort Fu case, think about it, Lin'an: if Wei Yuan and Yuan Jing break off relations, regardless of who wins or loses, who benefits? The rebels in Yunzhou will be happy to see it happen."

Lin'an looked at her mother in astonishment.

Consort Chen angrily said:

"Don't believe him. He didn't just harm your brother, he's now trying to get rid of me too. Lin'an, my daughter, why is your life so miserable?"

Xu Qi'an sneered:

"I haven't finished yet. Ji Yuan has already confessed that during the peace talks, you secretly sent people to contact him, hoping he would be lenient. As a result, he obtained a lot of information from you about the royal family, about me, and about Lin'an."

"You, a concubine confined to the inner palace, what makes you think the Yunzhou delegation will give you any face?"

He was almost certain that Consort Chen was Xu Pingfeng's mole, but since he didn't have 100% proof, he didn't say it.

A seasoned Kuaishou user will not voice their guesses, because if they make a mistake, criminals will understand their capabilities and mislead them.

"The answer is already crystal clear. What's the point of your sophistry? Do I need to spell it out in front of Lin'an?" Xu Qi'an said, looking as if he had the truth in his hands.

As he said this, he silently activated the power of his mind-controlling Gu, influencing Consort Chen's emotions and arousing her desire to confess, vent, and speak.

With his current level of mastery over the Mind Gu, guiding the mind of an ordinary woman would be effortless for him.

"Mother, is what he said true?" Lin'an looked at her mother in disbelief.

Affected by the Heart-Binding Gu, Consort Chen's expression changed erratically, and she suddenly screamed:

"Shut up!

"None of the men in your Xu Household are good people."

"Your father swore to me that Non-Self marry no one but me, but then he turned around and persuaded my father to send me to the palace."

"Over the years, he has treated me as a pawn, draining me of all my value before launching a rebellion in Yunzhou, intending to seize my son's throne."

Xu Qi'an froze for a moment, momentarily unsure how to respond.

He assumed that Consort Chen was Xu Pingfeng's mole, and that guess was correct, but he didn't expect that she had another identity besides being a mole.

Lin'an forgot to cry and stared blankly at her mother.

"And you too!"

Consort Chen gritted her teeth. "You bastard son of Xu Pingfeng! Your father betrayed me, and now you're going to betray my daughter. If His Majesty didn't need you, would I have agreed to marry Lin'an to you?"

"Now that you've forced Yongxing to abdicate, as long as I'm alive, you can forget about marrying Lin'an."

"Mother, Mother, what are you saying?" Lin'an choked out.

"How could this happen? How could this be?"

She never expected that her mother was actually her fiancé's father's former lover.

Xu Pingfeng left the capital twenty-one years ago, determined to kill his master. Lin'an had already been born before that, and at that time, Yuan Jing was also nearing the crucial point in his cultivation journey. Xu Qi'an's heart sank, but he said calmly:

"Lin'an was born to you and Xu Pingfeng?"

Back then, given Xu Pingfeng's cultivation level and abilities, the chances of him succeeding in having an affair with Consort Chen were extremely high. The Imperial Censor might not have bothered with such trivial matters. Of course, if Emperor Yongxing was Xu Pingfeng's son, then the Imperial Censor would never have made him the Crown Prince.

Therefore, Emperor Yongxing was definitely of royal blood, but Lin'an was not necessarily, because she was a princess and had no chance of ascending the throne.

Although Lin'an possesses auspicious purple qi, destiny is something that is both innate and acquired.

If a commoner were to become emperor, he would be blessed with auspicious purple qi. Similarly, Lin'an, having been a princess for over twenty years, would also be blessed with auspicious purple qi even if she wasn't of royal blood.

Therefore, the Qi-Watching Technique can only determine one's fate and cannot be used for paternity testing.

Consort Chen spat out a "Pah!"

"He doesn't even deserve it?"

"Phew, that's good, that's good," Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief. He saw that Lin'an also breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did you contact him?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"He had people he had placed in Jingxiu Palace, but after learning of the rebellion in Yunzhou, I had her drowned," Consort Chen said viciously.

At this moment, the effects of the Heart Gu wore off, and Consort Chen looked bewildered.

What did I say?

"Lin'an, come with me."

Xu Qi'an grabbed the little girl in the red dress's hand and pulled her outside.

The little girl in the red dress followed closely behind, her feelings a mix of emotions.

You can't take her with you.

Consort Chen abruptly stood up, attempting to stop them, but two subtle bursts of energy struck her knees.

Her knees buckled, followed by excruciating pain, and Consort Chen collapsed to the ground.

She screamed, "Xu Qi'an, you can forget about marrying my daughter! I'd rather die than agree to your marriage!"

Lin'an subconsciously turned around and cried out:

"Mother."

Xu Qi'an forcibly pulled her away.

After leaving Jingxiu Palace, Lin'an broke free from his hand, maintaining a relatively distant distance, and walked silently through the inner palace grounds.

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, then said softly:

"I told you before, my father was a second-rank Warlock. He stole the fate of the Great Feng Kingdom through the Battle of Shanhai Pass and hid it on my person."

"But I didn't tell you that my fate is intertwined with that of the Great Feng; if the country falls, I will die. So I must save the Great Feng, both for the sake of the common people and for my own safety."

"Yongxingde is unworthy of his position; the Great Feng is in his hands, and his downfall is inevitable."

He glanced at Lin'an, seeing her icy demeanor and aloof indifference, and smiled bitterly:

Never mind, I won't say anymore.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I will not escort Your Highness back to Shaoyin Palace."

There was still no response from Lin'an.

Xu Qi'an took a step back and vanished into the shadows.

As soon as he left, Lin'an's body went limp. She staggered, leaned against the wall, and slowly collapsed. She hugged her knees and wailed.

Jingxiu Palace.

Consort Chen slumped onto the soft couch, gritting her teeth and gripping the tea table, muttering:

"You can forget about marrying Lin'an, never. You wouldn't dare kill me, just as you wouldn't kill Yongxing. As long as I'm alive, I won't let you succeed."

She would never allow Lin'an to marry the person who forced her son to abdicate.

She couldn't do anything about Xu Qi'an, but Lin'an was her daughter, and she knew her too well. She had plenty of ways to get revenge on Xu Qi'an through Lin'an.

Just then, a shout came from outside the courtyard:

"Who are you people, daring to trespass into Jingxiu Palace?"

The reprimands immediately turned into screams of agony.

Consort Chen sat up, leaning on the tea table, and looked outside. Just then, an old eunuch walked in.

It's you!

Consort Chen recognized him at a glance as a eunuch from Fengqi Palace and said calmly:

What are you doing here, showing off your master's power?

The old eunuch shook his head and said respectfully:

"This old servant was ordered by the Eldest Princess to come and serve Consort Chen."

"Her Highness the Princess sent this old servant with some gifts."

He shrieked:

"Bring it up."

Two young eunuchs entered the room, each carrying a tray with two items on it:

A white silk ribbon and a pot of wine.

The old eunuch laughed:

"Her Highness the Eldest Princess said that she hasn't decided which of these two items to bestow yet, and that they should be kept in Jingxiu Palace for now."

"If the Dowager Consort ever becomes unruly and has no more attachment to this world, she can choose one of these places and leave with dignity."

Consort Chen stared at the white silk and the poisoned wine, her face turning deathly pale.

Xu Qi'an wouldn't kill him, but Huaiqing would.

Lin'an, exhausted from crying by the palace wall, leaned against it to get up, but her legs went numb, and she stumbled, nearly falling.

Fortunately, someone quickly caught him.

She initially thought it was her personal maid, but when she turned around, she saw Xu Qi'an returning.

He was dressed in a sky-blue robe, his handsome face expressionless, but his eyes held helplessness and tenderness.

Lin'an turned away.

The next moment, she was lifted up horizontally in his arms, and she heard his soft laughter in her ear:

"Where we're from, we call this a princess carry, and it truly lives up to the name."

Lin'an buried her face in his chest and choked out:

I hate you.

Hate me! The more you hate me, the less you'll leave me.

A gust of wind blew, and the woman in the green dress and red skirt fluttered in the wind as they walked along the long, quiet palace wall, gradually disappearing into the distance.

PS: 4800 words, consider this compensation for the late update. I'll correct any typos tomorrow.