Chapter 686.3: Her Son
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Galetron]
O R A N G E S T A R
[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [Fazzienaz] [K.Rom]
[Onepiece] [Suong D.] [Tori D.] [Ziana K.-P.]
Y E L L O W S T A R
[Passerby] [Xena]
G O L D S T A R
[Nevy] [Roxanne C.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
[Allie] [Debra W] [Kiiayame]
T H E S U N
[kuroneko_chan] [Michelle K.] [Smurfinbatik] [Sophia W.]
CELESTIAL CONQUEROR
[Ava C.] [BritnaeM] [Caroline] [Leticia P.] [Lily J.] [Malinkat] [Manon] [Val Nes]
Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)
In the southwest corner of the Great Yan’s imperial palace, a small, secluded, and disordered path led to a dilapidated and decaying palace chamber. A young palace maid, carrying a basket of wild fruits, walked toward the palace chamber in the waning light of the sunset, panting heavily.
This place was once the most bustling area of the imperial palace, but now it was so desolate that even the phrase "as empty as a deserted market" hardly applied.
The young palace maid arrived at the entrance and began to speak, "Crown..."
She had only said one word before realizing the title was incorrect. She quickly corrected herself, “Your Highness the Third Princess.”
That still wasn’t right.
In the imperial palace, even a small mistake could lead to severe consequences.
After thinking for a moment, the young palace maid had no choice but to call out, “My Lady, I’ve brought the evening meal!”
However, no one responded to her.
Summoning her courage, the young palace maid stepped over the threshold and walked into the overgrown front courtyard. The weeds, which hadn’t been trimmed for who knew how long, had grown to half a person’s height. In the thick grass, something darted quickly from time to time——whether it was a wild cat or a mouse, she couldn’t tell.
The young palace maid turned pale with fright.
She was a new palace maid this year, and because she hadn’t offered any tribute to the Chief Palace Maid, she ended up being assigned to such a place, serving a deposed Crown Princess.
People outside the palace were saying that the Crown Princess was summoned back by the Emperor, which was true in a sense, but the reason for her recall wasn't that the Emperor finally remembered her.
It was because the Crown Princess had been attacked at the imperial mausoleum a few days ago.
Rumor had it that the assassins even cut down the bridge to prevent the Crown Princess from escaping.
The Crown Princess only narrowly escaped by falling into the lake, but no one expected that after being rescued, she would lose her memory.
Not only that, but the assailants were so vicious that they even damaged the imperial mausoleum.
If it had only been an assassination attempt on a deposed Crown Princess, the Emperor might not have gone to such lengths, but damaging the imperial mausoleum was like shaking the dragon veins of the Great Yan, causing the Emperor to be furious. To uncover the truth, the Emperor summoned the Crown Princess back to Shengdu.
All the servants who had been with the Crown Princess were taken away for questioning, leaving no one to attend to her, which was why a new palace maid was assigned to this place.
This palace chamber was where the third princess lived before she was made Crown Princess. After the Crown Princess was found guilty of conspiring with the Xuanyuan Family to rebel, everyone around her was executed.
Ever since the young palace maid moved in, she was so scared that she didn’t dare to get up in the middle of the night, fearing she might accidentally encounter a restless spirit.
“My Lady… My Lady, where have you gone? My Lady…”
The young palace maid, unable to find the Crown Princess, was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat.
“Could something have happened? Although she’s a deposed Crown Princess, if something really did happen, I’d have to accompany her in death…”
At this moment, the Crown Princess, whom the young palace maid was frantically searching for, was sitting in a nearby pavilion.
The pavilion was built on a low hill, surrounded by railings on the east, west, and south sides, with a staircase of more than ten steps on the north side.
The pavilion was slightly elevated, offering a broad view and a pleasant breeze.
Inside the pavilion sat a man and a woman. The woman was dressed in simple and old-fashioned civilian clothes, her long black hair loosely pinned up at the back with a wooden hairpin.
From her attire, she looked no different from a commoner woman, yet she was the former Crown Princess of the Great Yan’s imperial family.
"I heard that imperial elder sister has returned. I should have come earlier to visit, but I've been overwhelmed with official duties these past few days. I ask for imperial elder sister’s understanding."
The speaker was the man sitting opposite her, who appeared to be in his late thirties, and although he addressed her as ‘imperial elder sister,’ he did not appear as youthful as she did.
“I heard you’ve become the Crown Prince.” She said.
The Crown Prince smiled, “Yes, after imperial elder sister was deposed, imperial father appointed me as Crown Prince.”
“Oh.” She slightly turned her head, looking toward a series of palace buildings and a flourishing orchard. "When did that orchard appear? I remember there used to be a lotus pond there—I had it dug."
The Crown Prince, with a kind demeanor, explained, “Imperial father issued an order to fill it in.”
“Oh.” She responded with another “oh,” looking down, “I really liked the lotuses there.”
The Crown Prince said, “Imperial elder sister, you still remember things from the past.”
She shook her head slightly and said softly, “I only remember things from before I was seventeen.”
"Is that so?" The Crown Prince picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip, his tone calm. "What else do you remember, imperial elder sister?"
Her gaze drifted farther into the distance. "I remember my imperial mother, maternal uncle, there’s also my eldest cousin brother, second cousin brother, eldest cousin sister, and my younger cousins."
The Crown Prince looked at her deeply and said, "Imperial mother has passed away."
She nodded lightly, her expression a mix of numbness and resignation, "Yes, the new palace maid told me. And the Xuanyuan Family is gone too. I’m all alone now. Imperial father doesn’t favor me anymore, so I have to be careful in the palace, or I might lose my life at any moment."
The Crown Prince carefully observed her every expression. "Imperial elder sister, don’t say that. You still have imperial father, and you have me."
She softly replied, "Imperial Consort Han has always been kind to me, and you, second imperial brother, have also treated me well."
The Crown Prince smiled, "It's as it should be."
She didn’t respond and continued to take in the palace scenery, as if having been away for so long, she couldn’t get enough of it now that she was back.
The evening breeze brushed across her stunning face, making people envious that time had left no marks on her features.
The Crown Prince dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids who were standing guard on the steps, "You may all leave."
“Yes!”
The palace attendants stepped back respectfully.
The setting sun’s afterglow illuminated her eyes, and her beautiful gaze seemed to contain a lost sea of stars and galaxies.
It was these very eyes—identical to those of the Xuanyuan Family—that, even without showing anger, could still exert a pressure that seemed to come from deep within the soul.
“Imperial elder sister.” The Crown Prince called her.
She didn’t look at the Crown Prince, still admiring the scenery she wished to see, saying, “You’ve spoken quite a lot today; I’d like to enjoy the view.”
The Crown Prince stared at her intently, his smile fading as he asked in a calm voice, "Imperial elder sister, have you really lost your memory?"
She sighed, “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
The Crown Prince suddenly smiled again, "It’s not that I don’t believe you; it’s just that what you’ve been through is too unbelievable. Imperial elder sister, there’s no one else here. You don’t need to hide anything from me."
She replied, “I’m not hiding anything.”
The Crown Prince sneered, "Is that so? When I asked you what you still remembered, you mentioned your mother and your maternal family, but you didn’t say a word about your only child. Imperial elder sister, have you forgotten your own son?"
She shook her head, “I’ve said before, I’ve forgotten everything after I turned seventeen.”
The Crown Prince stood up and leaned over the stone table towards her, “Since imperial elder sister has forgotten, perhaps as your younger brother, I can help you remember. Imperial elder sister, you suddenly disappeared from the State of Yan when you were seventeen, and then you had a child with someone. That child’s name is…”
“I remember now, it’s Huangfu Qing.” She said with a smile.
“No.” The Crown Prince whispered a name in her ear.
She remained still.
"It seems imperial elder sister truly doesn’t remember anything." The Crown Prince smiled as he straightened up. "It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave."
As he turned to leave the pavilion and was about to step down the stairs, he suddenly stopped, seemingly having thought of something. He casually smiled, “I forgot to give you a gift.”
He walked back, pulling out a bag of paper-wrapped jerky from his chest and placing it on the table.
“I bought it on the street you passed today.” He said with a meaningful smile, “Is this gift to your satisfaction, imperial elder sister?”
“Wait.”
Just as the Crown Prince was about to leave the pavilion again, she called out to him.
The Crown Prince turned around, looking at her with a faint smile, "Has imperial elder sister suddenly remembered something? Perhaps which matters should be discussed with imperial father, and which should not?"
She smiled and shook her head, “No, I just remembered that I also brought a gift for you.”
With that, she slowly walked up to the Crown Prince and gave him a charming smile.
The next moment, she reached out and pushed the Crown Prince down the steep steps!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…