"Wh-Wh-What do you mean?" Lin Wanrong stammered. His heart was thumping non-stop, and his face was flushed red. He felt as if he didn't belong to himself anymore. Crazy, the old Emperor has gone crazy!
"Whatever you think in your heart is what it means." The old Emperor coughed lightly, and his pale face was flushed. "Gao Ping, bring me the portrait!"
Eunuch Gao pushed the door open and entered the room. He handed a scroll of painting to Lin Wanrong respectfully, and then hurriedly left. Lin Wanrong held the scroll of painting in his hands, but his heart was full of doubts. The old man hadn't explained the matter clearly, and now he was talking about the portrait again.
"Open it and take a look." The old Emperor covered his mouth and nose, coughing with great effort. He looked at him and said.
"What is this?" Lin Wanrong asked carefully. The old Emperor was acting strange today, and it was better to get to the bottom of things before opening it.
"I told you to open it, so open it. What's the point of being so long-winded?" The old Emperor snorted heavily, and his eyes glinted impatiently.
Since you're a sick person, I won't argue with you. Official Lin comforted himself and slowly opened the scroll. A pretty lady appeared on the paper. He was shocked. "Xian 'er?!"
The old Emperor closed his eyes. "Take a closer look. Who is she?!" Lin Wanrong looked carefully at the lady in the painting. She looked very similar to Xian 'er, and even their mannerisms were similar. The only difference was that she seemed to be older. He thought of the painting he saw in Xian' er's house in Hangzhou's Longquan Village. "That's not Xian 'er. That's Xian' er's mother, Concubine Qin!"
The old Emperor nodded and sighed. "You're right. She is Concubine Qin. Although I've been an honorable person in this life, the heavens have treated me harshly. I've had two sons and three daughters. The two princes were plotted against at a young age. Out of the three princesses, Nichang was separated from me when she was young and suffered the most … "
"Princess Ni Shang is Xian 'er." Lin Wanrong thought of how the old emperor had pulled Qin Fei in front of him to fend off the assassins when he was in danger in the past. His heart was filled with disdain. However, from the perspective of the Emperor of China, he was responsible for the safety of the world. Everyone else could die, but he had to live. Lin Wanrong did not know what to say and could only sigh.
"It's not what you think." The Emperor seemed to have seen through his thoughts, and a hint of anger rose on his face. "Someone deliberately splashed dirty water on me, wanting to vilify me into a cruel and ruthless ruler who doesn't recognize his own family. I am the Emperor of China who rules over the world. I will not even frown in front of an army of tens of thousands. Consort Qin gave birth to Princess Ni Shang for me. She is my closest relative. Why would I use her to block my sword? "
Lin Wanrong looked at the old emperor, who was so angry that his beard was trembling. Lin Wanrong was confused. He looked at the old emperor and did not seem to be lying. Could it be that Xian 'er had made a mistake? That couldn't be right. Xian 'er said she saw it with her own eyes. It was such an honor to have such an emperor as a father. If it wasn't for something she deeply hated, Xian 'er would never have left with Jiejie An.
"Old Master, the more you speak, the more confused I am." Lin Wanrong laughed bitterly. "What you and Xian 'er said seems to be the truth. I really can't tell. Did Consort Qin not die for you?"
"It is true that Consort Qin died for me, but she did it willingly." The Emperor violently coughed a few times, his face flushed but his eyes were clear: "In the past, when the previous Emperor died, it was also when Cheng Wang rebelled. On that day, zhen was attacked by an assassin and his body was heavily injured. After ascending the throne for many years, I gradually grew cold towards the concubines in the harem. Ni Shang was my youngest daughter. At the time, she was only a few years old. She was as beautiful as a porcelain doll. I did not love the beautiful concubines, but I loved the two youngest daughters very much. "
Of the two youngest daughters, one was Xian 'er, and who was the other? Lin Wanrong was puzzled. Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask, the old master glared at him. "Don't interrupt. Wait for zhen to finish." He paused, calmed his breathing, and continued, "Because of Ni Shang, I often meet with Consort Qin. At first, Consort Qin was very happy and thought that zhen favored her. But as time passed, she found that zhen didn't favor her anymore. She felt resentful. Adding on the conflict and strife between the concubines in the harem, she was a weak girl born in Jiangnan. Naturally, she wasn't a match for others when it came to scheming and scheming. Sometimes, her mind would wander. "
Lin Wanrong nodded. This wasn't impossible. Xian 'er's mother was born in Jiangnan and grew up by the lake. Her personality should be as gentle as water. Naturally, she couldn't adapt to the scheming and deceit of the palace. It wasn't impossible for her to suffer from depression after a long period of suppressed life.
"That day, zhen, mother and daughter were admiring the flowers in the garden when an assassin suddenly barged in. In a panic, Consort Qin used her body to block in front of zhen. When Ni Shang turned her head, she only saw the assassin's sharp sword pierce through her mother's body." The old Emperor's eyes became misty. His expression was silent as though he was once again immersed in the situation of that day.
"What a pitiful girl." Imagine an ignorant little girl seeing her mother bleeding in her father's arms. What a heartbreaking and despairing scene. No wonder Xian 'er and her mother's personalities were completely opposite. Who could maintain their original innocence and innocence after suffering such a shock? Thinking of this, he had a deeper desire to tolerate and love Xian 'er's unruly and willfulness.
"Perhaps you already know what happened next. Consort Qin died to save zhen, and Ni Shang also disappeared that night. In one night, zhen lost another two family members. Zhen mobilized all the forces in the world to search for Princess Ni Shang, but to no avail. Until many years later, when the White Lotus Sect committed a crime, I sent people to secretly investigate the leader of the sect's bandits. I discovered that there was a woman under the seat of the White Lotus Goddess named Qin Xian 'er. That was when I knew that she was my Ni Shang. " The Emperor's face was full of determination, but tears were already rolling down his face. At this moment, he looked so lonely and miserable. He was no longer the emperor of China who ruled over the world, but an old man who had entered his twilight years.
Lin Wanrong felt a little sad. No matter how many faults this old man had, his concern for Xian 'er was not something that could be faked. He sighed and said softly, "old man, then how did you determine that Xian' er was your daughter?"
"You don't know this. Xian 'er's mother's surname was Qin. When I met her in Jiangnan, she had a maiden name: Xian Ling! Qin Xian Ling, Qin Xian 'er. Looking at her age and appearance, she was a living reincarnation of Consort Qin. No matter how muddle-headed zhen was, there was no way that I wouldn't recognize my own daughter. "A trace of a smile appeared on the old Emperor's shriveled face, as if recalling the situation at that time.
That was true. Just by looking at the portrait, one could tell how similar mother and daughter were. It was not difficult for the old Emperor to recognize his own daughter at a glance. However, since the old Emperor recognized Xian 'er, why didn't he immediately acknowledge her? Instead, he dragged it out for so long?
The old Emperor's eyes were sharp, and he knew what the Emperor was thinking just by looking at his expression. He couldn't help but sigh. "zhen knows what you're thinking. However, at that time, Xian 'er had a deep misunderstanding of me. If I had rashly acknowledged her, it would have caused her great resentment. I had already lost her once, and I cannot lose her again. Moreover, she was in the White Lotus Sect. If her identity was exposed, adding on her misunderstanding of me, it would have created an opportunity for those with ulterior motives. Thus, zhen did not reveal Xian 'er's identity to anyone, and only sent people to protect her in secret. That day when you attacked Ji Ning City and caused Xian 'er to be hit by ten thousand cannons, when the news came, zhen wanted to chop off your head. "
Lin Wanrong's entire body felt cold. I was still wondering why the Emperor didn't mention a word of my contributions after the great victory. "Laoyezi, this matter cannot be blamed on me. If you want to blame someone, blame that Tong Cheng had ulterior motives, and almost caused Xian 'er and I to die."
"Thus, after your subordinate Xu Zhen shot Tong Cheng to death on the way, zhen did not mention a word when Cheng Wang submitted a memorial to investigate the crime." The Emperor snorted coldly, a thick murderous intent flashing through his eyes. His gaze landed on the painting scroll in Lin Wanrong's hand. Seeing Qin Fei's gentle appearance, his eyes gradually softened. "After Qin Fei died, zhen sealed off her palace, and no one was allowed to take one step in. When I was picking up her belongings, I unexpectedly found a letter. "
"What was written in the letter?" Lin Wanrong hurriedly asked. "Was it for Xian 'er?"
"You are somewhat clever, but that Qin Fei of mine was not bad." The Emperor gave a bitter smile and sighed. "She was born in the Jiangnan waterways, and was originally a woman of great spirit and beauty. It was just that she was trapped in the palace, and the worries in her heart grew. She was also extremely in love with zhen, so she unhesitatingly blocked a sword for zhen. She was worried that her actions would cause Xian 'er and I to turn against each other, and specially left a letter to enlighten her. Who knew that Xian 'er didn't even see the shadow of the letter, and disappeared that night. By the time the letter fell into Xian 'er's hands, it would have been decades later. "
Lin Wanrong was silent for a while. It was better to be late than never. He believed that after reading her mother's letter, Xian 'er's hatred for the old Emperor would lessen, but whether or not she would forgive him was uncertain. "Sir, where is Xian 'er now?!" Lin Wanrong hurriedly asked.
"Promise me one thing first, and zhen will tell you." The old Emperor's expression was solemn.
"Promise me one thing, and zhen will tell you. Sir, quickly tell me." Lin Wanrong was worried about Xian 'er, and his heart was burning with anxiety.
"You have to promise me that you will love and care for Xian 'er for the rest of your life, and take care of Xian' er. Can you do that?" The old Emperor's eyes flashed, and he raised his voice.
"I can do it, I can definitely do it."
The Emperor smiled. "Very well, then you and Xian 'er should bow to each other."
Father-in-law wants me to bow to the heavens and earth with Xian 'er? Really, why are you in such a hurry? It won't be too late to bow to Xian 'er after you find her! Seeing the old Emperor's eyes burning with determination, Lin Wanrong had no choice but to slowly kneel down with Xian 'er's portrait in his hand.
The Emperor opened his mouth and said, "I will say one sentence, and you will say one sentence after zhen. I, Lin Wanrong, am willing to become Princess Nichang's — "
"I, Lin Wanrong, am willing to become Princess Nichang's —" Lin Wanrong followed the Emperor's words obediently.
A fierce glint flashed in the old Emperor's eyes, and he continued softly, "— become brother and sister!"
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