Chapter 180: The Eve of the Storm

Chai Mengqing was startled by her own words. If this was considered falling in love, then how could her behavior over the past few days be explained?

Lianyue, watching the unfolding events below through the bee-hole, could not hear any sound. She only saw the two figures moving back and forth before coming to a halt.

She could not help muttering to herself, wondering if Sister Chai had asked the question, and what the final outcome might be. How wonderful it would be if she could hear what they were saying.

In truth, when it came to gathering intelligence, sound was naturally an element that could not be ignored. However, this matter involved too much, and the Yanyu Pavilion had strict regulations: internal personnel who stepped out of the Pavilion were strictly forbidden from leaking any information.

Inside the Quiet Fragrance Chamber, Chai Mengqing finally managed to pull her thoughts back. Thinking about it, she felt a trace of sympathy for Murong Lingxi sitting before her. His fiancée had fallen for someone else and constantly thought of breaking off their engagement, yet he, regardless of whether his heart held affection or not, still had to uphold this matrimonial pact. Such was the helplessness of scions from noble clans.

Murong Lingxi (Xiao) had never expected that his biggest flaw would turn out to be his gaze. Yet, no matter what, his eyes could never reflect the kind of look she claimed to have seen.

"No matter what, my engagement with Miss Yue will not be cancelled. I also ask for your help in conveying this to Miss Yue. Nothing should be done with undue haste; perhaps waiting a while will bring a different turn of events."

Perhaps due to the cold sweat on his body, Murong Lingxi (Xiao) gradually felt the numbness fading away. He tentatively tried to move, and finding that he indeed had control of his limbs again, he stiffly said to the still-pensive Chai Mengqing, "Since Miss Yue is not here, this humble visitor will take his leave."

Chai Mengqing watched Murong Lingxi's stiff back as he exited the room, sat dazed in place for a short while longer, and then brushed away the distracting thoughts in her mind. She walked directly into the secret door of the Quiet Fragrance Chamber, and shortly after, appeared at the entrance of the fifth-floor private space, meeting Lianyue's anxious gaze.

"How did it go? What did he say?"

Thinking of the words the young man had just uttered, Chai Mengqing could only shrug at Lianyue and say with sympathy, "It looks like your fiancé doesn't care who you fancy. I'm afraid it won't be so easy for you to shake him off."

Lianyue's face, which had been full of anticipation, instantly fell.

Following close behind was a surge of annoyance. "It's bad enough that this person is as cold as ice, but why is he so utterly lacking in self-awareness?"

"Perhaps your charm is simply too great, and he was captivated by it?" Although spoken in a joking tone, Chai Mengqing felt a strange ripple in her heart as she said those words, feeling a faint sense of repulsion toward her own conclusion.

At the thought of Murong Lingxi's (Xiao) clueless demeanor just moments ago, Lianyue began to ponder whether she should send a letter to her father in advance, and perhaps return that jade pendant as well.

Glancing at the sky outside, another day had passed, and half of the half-month period had already slipped away.

In the bedchamber of the Grand Emperor within the imperial palace, Qiao Zhi knelt upon the cold bluestone floor, gazing with resolute eyes at the Grand Emperor on the bed, who already bore the signs of mortal illness.

Presently, only the father and son remained within the bedchamber, yet the atmosphere felt somewhat bizarre.

At last, the Grand Emperor closed his eyes and raised a hand toward the kneeling Qiao Zhi. "Starting from today, you shall reside in the western courtyard of my palace. When you have nothing to do, go pay your respects to the Empress Dowager more often, and cultivate your relationship with Liu Yan. Before you are married, there is still time to regret. You may withdraw."

Qiao Zhi lingered for a moment longer. Looking at the increasingly aged Grand Emperor, the words of rebuttal stuck in his throat, and he could not force them out. In the end, he rose and left the grand hall.

Gazing at the dim and lightless stars beside the bright full moon hanging overhead, Qiao Zhi's eyes were filled with envy. He merely wished to be a single star, so why was it always so difficult?

The mottled shadows of the trees made the palace appear exceptionally desolate and empty, leaving the hearts of those who followed mirroring that emptiness.

The towering walls severed the inside from the outside, turning them into two separate worlds. Before confirming one's own feelings, not seeing each other merely meant a simple longing. But once those feelings were certain, peace of mind could only be found in the place where she resided.

His true intentions had ultimately failed to escape his father's discerning eyes. Thinking of the assurances his Grand Emperor father had just given him, Qiao Zhi felt a stinging sensation in the corners of his eyes.

His father knew he could not hold on much longer, and in his remaining days, he wished to do everything in his power to ensure this son of his would leave no regrets.

Yet, a romance forced upon someone was never what Qiao Zhi desired to see. Through days of observation, Qiao Zhi had also discovered that Murong Lingxi did not seem inclined to give up on Lianyue easily.

And judging by Lianyue's attitude, she had genuinely grown fond of the Rakshasa known as Anming; otherwise, given Lianyue's temperament, even if she disliked the arrangement, she would not have deliberately gone into hiding.

Yet whenever Qiao Zhi recalled the intelligence he had commissioned regarding Anming—the ruthlessness and mercilessness of the Rakshasa Palace Master—a wave of worry for Lianyue washed over him. Could such a person truly be Lianyue's final destination?

Had Qiao Zhi known Anming's true identity, perhaps he would not have harbored so many reservations.

At that very moment, Anming was similarly gazing up at the full moon in the night sky. Beneath his mask, his resolute face held an unprecedented gentleness. Tomorrow would be the day of Uncle Guan's burial; once he paid a visit to his master thereafter, he would be able to return and see Yue'er. This time, he would surely make her accept his present self.

When the opportune moment arrived, he would tell her everything.

Whenever he looked into Lianyues wholesome and unreserved gaze, a sense of guilt would invariably well up in Anming's heart. After all, he had deceived her.

Yet what none of them could have anticipated was that on this very night, Western Capital welcomed a group of uninvited guests who swiftly seized control of the Xiangyun Pavilion, alongside Murong Lingxiao, who was captured simultaneously.

Having just experienced the paralyzing effect in the Quiet Fragrance Chamber moments ago, he was now once again completely stiff in body. Before this group of people, he had no need whatsoever to maintain his icy facade.

Veins bulged on his forehead as he glared dangerously at the figures in black standing before him, rebuking angrily, "Whose courage gave you the gall? Hand over the antidote immediately."

The man in black removed the dark veil from his face. Murong Lingxi's initially furious expression froze for a moment before dissolving into utter despondency and disappointment. "Uncle Qin, is this my father's will?"

The man in black wore no superfluous expression, standing like an unchanging stone sculpture as he rigidly spat out a single word: "Yes."

"What is my father's command this time? Why must even I be subjected to such treatment?" Murong Lingxi continued to voice the incomprehension in his heart. What on earth was his father trying to achieve? First, he had transferred the eldest brother away from Western Capital, and now he was treating him in this manner.

"Announce the death of Palace Master Anming." Uncle Qin's voice still bore not a single ripple, yet it stirred up monstrous waves within Murong Lingxi's heart.

"Why?" Once he asked, Murong Lingxi pieced the puzzle together. He knew that his eldest brother had privately sealed away the eldest sister-in-law's memories, causing a deviation in their father's plan, yet their father had not pursued accountability for the eldest brother's actions.

Previously, Murong Lingxi had assumed his father was tacitly approving of the eldest brother's approach. But judging by the current situation, that was likely far from the truth.

In the reply he had sent to his father, he had already informed him that the eldest sister-in-law had fallen for the eldest brother in his persona as Anming, and had also relayed the eldest brother's intentions.

Yet he had never expected his father to be so impatient, directly declaring Anming dead. Doing so meant stripping away the identity of Anming from the eldest brother, completely uprooting the affection before the eldest sister-in-law's feelings for Anming could grow too deep or take firm root.

Only then would the eldest brother approach her under the identity of Murong Lingxi, making it far easier for the eldest sister-in-law to accept him.

After all, the life of an assassin inherently balanced on the edge of a blade, and perishing by accident was a perfectly normal occurrence. Compared to maintaining the identity of Murong Lingxi, Anming could entirely assume a new name.

Why did his father display such urgency in this matter, and why adopt such a paranoid method?

Murong Lingxi knew all too well how furious the eldest brother would be upon learning this news. Did their father not fear his eldest brother's rebellion? Murong Lingxi could easily imagine the look of wrath upon his eldest brother's face.

If for no other reason, simply because this news was enough to cause the eldest sister-in-law deep sorrow and tears—if she fell ill or came to any harm because of it, Murong Lingxi dared not even imagine what the eldest brother might do.

This time, Murong Lingxi truly could not condone his father's actions, and his disappointment in his father deepened. Regardless of anything else, he and the eldest brother were his biological sons; did he not consider the eldest brother's feelings at all?