Chapter 49

  Ling Feng's hand grasping the hilt of his sword could clearly feel the subtle numbness, and he couldn't help but secretly wonder who it was that made him so attentive. Just a single voice had elicited such a reaction from him.

  Murong Lingyun's originally dull eyes suddenly lit up with hope, but when he saw that Lingfeng's hand was still bleeding, his heart ached to the point of suffocation.

  "Wind, let go quickly." Without hesitation, Murong Lingyun took a swift step forward and pried open the tightly grasped hilt of her sword from Ling's hand. However, her palm was in pain and couldn't fully stretch out for the time being.

  Even if it can't be fully stretched out, the shocking and heartbreaking scene still reflects in the eyes of the two men in front.

  Murong Lingyun's body subconsciously stiffened, the endless sorrow in his eyes hidden in the darkness quickly spread, and the hand holding hers couldn't help but tremble slightly. However, he quickly tore off a long strip from the hem of his clothes and swiftly yet gently bandaged her wound.

  Although his movements were gentle, when he touched the deep wound that seemed to be visible to the bone, it still intensified his pain, a piercing pain, but she endured it with great effort, without making any slight moan, only her stiff back betrayed her pain.

  "It hurts, just cry out loud, don't hold it in." Murong Lingyun said with a tone of distress, his voice was hoarse, as if he was trying to control something. At this moment, all his thoughts were on her, and he didn't even notice the few people who had rushed over to their side.

  But Xuan Yuan Che's sword, after she loosened her grip, remained stretched out straight, never retracting, yet not advancing either. No one knew whether he had stopped because of that sudden shout to halt or because...

  But when he saw the wound on her palm, something flashed quickly in his eyes.

  "Xuan Yuan Zhen, put away your sword quickly." It was still that gentle voice, a pair of jade-like hands naturally pressed onto Xuan Yuan Zhen's hand holding the sword.

  Ling Feng only then raised his eyes to look over, saw her press down Xuan Yuan Chen's sword in his hand, and Xuan Yuan Chen actually didn't have the slightest intention of resisting, couldn't help but become even more bewildered, couldn't bear the curiosity in his heart, a pair of eyes carefully sizing up that woman.

  In the dead of night, her age was indistinguishable, and her face was unclear, but her elegant and noble temperament stood out exceptionally in the darkness. For some reason, Ling Feng suddenly felt a few familiar feelings, as if he had seen her before?

  She? Who is she?

  As her eyes swept lightly, she saw the emperor standing behind her and was shocked. Was she a person from the harem?

  "Empress Dowager, it's so late, why have you come here?" Xuan Yuan Chen's voice was unusually gentle, though the words were questioning. However, upon seeing the Emperor standing behind the Empress Dowager, everything became clear. The Emperor must have invited the Empress Dowager over.

  Empress Dowager? Ling Feng was stunned again, she was actually the Empress Dowager? But in her heart, she became more and more suspicious. Why did the Empress Dowager appear so late here, and why would Xuan Yuan Chen listen to the Empress Dowager's words like that? As far as she knew, Xuan Yuan Chen wasn't the son of the previous emperor, so he shouldn't have any relationship with the Empress Dowager.

  The Empress Dowager was indeed invited by the Emperor, and when the Emperor heard the report from the guard, he wanted to rush out of the palace immediately, but suddenly realized that even if he went, he might not be able to persuade Xuan Yuan Chen.

  But thinking that the only person who could change Xuan Yuan's mind was the Empress Dowager, she hastily went to the rear palace, briefly explained the situation, and then rushed over with the Empress Dowager. Fortunately, everything was still in time, and seeing Ling Feng unharmed, she couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

  "You're telling me to come and do what?" The empress dowager glanced at him slightly, with a hint of reprimand in her tone, "You're getting married to Ling Feng tomorrow, yet tonight you want to kill his brother. Is this a marriage or a feud?"

  "Brother?" Xuan Yuan Chen's lips slightly curled, his voice no longer gentle, but instead replaced with cold sarcasm. Seeing Mu Rong Ling Yun gently bandaging Ling Feng's wound, his eyes suddenly sank, "I'm afraid it may not be true."

  The empress dowager was startled by the gloom in Xuanyuan Zhen's eyes, but she again spoke softly and scolded, "What are you talking about? Are there fake siblings? I can prove that they are indeed brother and sister."

  The Empress Dowager's words left Xuan Yuan Chen stunned, and even the Emperor, Ling Feng, and Murong Lingyun were also taken aback.

  I don't understand why Empress Dowager would say such a thing at this moment.

  "What? You don't even believe me?" The empress dowager didn't pay attention to the crowd's astonishment, but instead stared straight at Xuan Yuan Chen. "I and Wan'er have been good sisters since childhood, what happened in the Mu Rong Fu that I wouldn't know about? Moreover, Ling Feng's mother, I've met her a few times when I went to the Mu Rong Fu before."

  The empress dowager said this, naturally having her own purpose. Although Xuan Yuan Chen had always listened to her words, she absolutely could not force him to do anything against his will. Now, in order to dispel his intention to kill Murong Lingyun, she could only first reveal the sibling relationship between Murong Lingyun and Ling Feng, and then it would be reasonable for Xuan Yuan Chen to back down. As for other things, they could only be done step by step.

  The empress's words made a flicker of hesitation flash through Xuan Yuan Chen's eyes. He could distrust others, but he didn't want to doubt the empress's words. If it wasn't for her efforts to save him back then, he feared that he would have been killed by Murong Lie just like his family.

  Xuanyuan Chen didn't know that the person who saved him back then wasn't just the Empress Dowager, but also another even more important person, someone who risked their own life to secretly inform the Empress Dowager. If it weren't for that person informing the Empress Dowager, she wouldn't have been able to save him in time either.

  At this moment, not only Xuan Yuan Zhen was hesitant, but even the Emperor began to suspect that the news he had received was false. Was Mu Rong Ling Feng really Mu Rong Lie's biological daughter?

  "Has the empress ever heard of a brother eloping with his sister?" Xuan Yuan Chen's eyes coldly swept over Ling Feng, saying this with an implied meaning that clearly did not doubt the empress.

  "Elope?" The empress slightly frowned, "I don't like to hear this kind of talk. I know Lingyun has always been very fond of his sister, and sometimes he can be impulsive, but eloping is just too unreliable."

  "The fact is right in front of us, what else can't be trusted?" Xuan Yuan Chen retorted involuntarily, but his voice didn't have too much resentment, instead still carrying a hint of respect.

  "Goodness gracious." The empress suddenly exclaimed, and immediately walked to Ling Feng's front, "Look at how you scared this girl, how did your hand get hurt like that?" As she spoke, her eyes turned to Xuan Yuan Chen again, with a few more reproachful tones in her voice, "Chen, how could you treat a girl like this? No wonder Ling Yun took her away." Her words paused slightly, and she asked discontentedly, "Was it because you forced someone to marry you?"

  "Did I coerce her?" Xuan Yuan Cheng hesitated for a moment, then retorted, "The Empress Dowager can ask her herself whether or not I coerced her." At most, it could only be considered a transaction, not him coercing her, but rather her asking him.

  "Didn't you force her?" The empress slightly raised an eyebrow, and a hint of smile also flashed in her eyes. Before Xuan Yuan Chen could respond, she continued, "Since you didn't force her, why don't I take charge for her tonight? This girl is really pitiful, having no motherly love since childhood, and now even this marriage is so rushed. Tonight, let's just say I'll show mercy to her and give her an opportunity; everything will be decided by this girl herself."

  Everyone was shocked again, and they looked at the empress dowager in confusion, with doubts and incomprehension.

  "Hehe, then...," the empress smiled softly and took Ling Feng's uninjured hand, saying gently, "Girl, do you want to get married? Who do you want to marry? Tonight, you can choose for yourself."

  As they spoke, her eyes scanned the men present, and seeing their expressions, the smile in her eyes deepened. As for Ling Feng, she had long recognized him, and over the years, she had learned more about him from Yu'er's words. Thinking back to the past, her mother's tragic death still left a few lingering fears in her heart.

  So when the emperor came to find her today, she didn't hesitate at all and followed the emperor over. It's just that I couldn't bear for such a woman to suffer even more harm.

  As a woman herself, she understands the hardships of being a woman and is even more aware of the sorrow of marrying a man she doesn't love.

  She saw too much tragedy in Yuwen's body.

  So she wanted to find a happiness that belonged to this poor girl, and also make up for some regrets from many years ago.

  "Come to think of it, wasn't it said a few days ago that the Grand Preceptor was going to send this girl into the palace? Now the harem is still short of an empress. This girl can also be considered as a matter of course." The Empress Dowager spoke again with astonishing words, she only said this because she saw the unusual behavior of the Emperor today, understood his thoughts, if this girl could become the empress, she would feel at ease.

  However, when she said this, there was another intention behind it, which was to slightly shift Xuan Yuan Chen's anger.

  Everyone's eyes widened involuntarily, and this empress was also taken aback.

  Xuan Yuan Chen's eyebrows also furrowed involuntarily, and his eyes flashed with deep thought, not understanding what the Empress Dowager really wanted to do.

  "Choose, girl." The empress smiled and looked at Ling Feng, "You can choose however you want, I'll be the one to decide for you." She paused slightly, her eyes scanning the people in the room again, "These men are all excellent, with great demeanor, you don't have to worry about anything." One sentence shut down Xuan Yuan Chen's...

  On the day of her grand wedding, she was rejected at the door. The cold and sharp sword lightly lifted the red veil on her head, "The king's consort? It's actually this kind of goods that can't even be a concubine?"

  A cold face, unreserved sarcasm, triggered a loud burst of laughter from the crowd.

  Thick makeup covered her natural beauty, but also concealed all the expressions on her face. Only a pair of slightly lowered eyes flashed with a faint, very faint shallow smile.

  She was originally a substitute bride, but once again she switched places with the maid who was supposed to marry into the Wang family in her place, and she became a carefree maid once more.

  From then on, in front of people, she was an ugly and despicable maid who was ridiculed by everyone. But behind their backs, she was a magnificent and elegant young master with great power and influence.

  At last, he discovered her secret, from then on, everything changed.

  At the remarriage ceremony, he solemnly declared that he wanted a real princess. When the figure in the big red dress slowly approached, a hint of joy flashed across his face, but when the veil was lifted, his face turned completely green.

  "Alright, very well, woman. I'll let you know the consequences of repeatedly teasing me later." The fiery gaze and gnashing teeth sent shivers down everyone's spine.

  But she, who was far away in a distant land, playing happily and carefree, also couldn't help but shiver with a chill.