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◎Confession◎
Qu You looked at her again.
Though it was unmistakably the same person, the timid hesitance that once lingered on the Crown Princess’s face had vanished entirely. Li Yuanjun cast a dispassionate glance at her, the corners of her lips curling faintly upward, though her eyes held no trace of warmth. “Lady Qu, these past days must have been difficult for you.”
In an instant, all of Qu You’s lingering confusion found its answer.
The faint medicinal scent on the Prince, his erratic swings between rage and lucidity, his conflicting accounts compared to Song Shixuan, Ye Liuchun’s suspicions… and the seemingly casual request for the chart of incompatible foods made by the Crown Princess when she first visited Bai Ying’s shop.
But what was her goal?
Song Shiyan stared in astonishment as his usually meek and obedient wife stepped forward calmly, grabbed the end of the white-feathered arrow embedded in his hand, and with a slight tug, pulled it out. Blood gushed forth instantly, drenching his entire hand.
Without haste, Li Yuanjun withdrew a handkerchief from her sleeve and began wrapping his wound. Her eyes lifted slightly, carrying a hint of mockery. “Even at this point, Your Highness still has the leisure to exchange words of affection with Lady Qu here. I’m truly impressed.”
From the moment she appeared, she had addressed him as “Your Highness” rather than “Your Majesty.”
A monarch without the imperial seal or legitimate succession could hardly be considered a true emperor.
Song Shiyan seemed still lost in shock, only snapping out of it after hearing her words. Reflexively, he called out, “Guards! Guards!”
“Who exactly does Your Highness wish to summon?” Li Yuanjun quickly interjected. “Every soldier atop these walls serves my family’s army. Below the walls are the forces brought by my father from Xishao. Your Highness is neither a general like the eldest prince who fought valiantly on the western frontiers, nor a leader like the second prince who commanded loyalty even without a military tally. Now, with chaos swirling throughout the city, how many true loyalists do you think remain?”
Song Shiyan glared at her unfamiliar face, his freshly bandaged wound seeping blood anew due to his agitation. “What are you? Where is your father? Uncle? Call him…”
Li Yuanjun countered coolly, “That question should be mine to ask, shouldn’t it? What are you ? You’re not my aunt’s biological son. Uncle? Ha…” She let out a bitter laugh. “Surely, Your Highness didn’t believe this secret could remain buried forever?”
“N—nonsense!” Song Shiyan’s lips quivered as he steadied himself against the wall behind him, towering over Li Yuanjun. “I am the Son of Heaven! Regardless of who you are, you owe allegiance to me! Who taught you those words? How long have you known?”
Qu You sat collapsed in the shadow of the city wall, her voice rough as she muttered, “… Since when?”
Li Yuanjun glanced down at her, smiling. “What did you say, Lady Qu?”
“I asked,” Qu You replied without flinching, her voice growing more alarmed with each word, “when did you and your father begin plotting all of this? Your marriage, the poison, Xishao… You’ve schemed for so long—what do you want? The empire?”
A flicker passed through Li Yuanjun’s eyes. “Naturally.”
“And why bring the Xishao forces into the city? If they come, can you and your father truly hold this land?”
“That was our only option,” Li Yuanjun replied earnestly, crouching before her. “At first, my father and I only sought to borrow one of Xishao’s armies to counter General Chu. After his death, we planned to eliminate them. In fact, we have you to thank for providing us a convenient excuse to drive the Xishao troops out of the city and leave them to perish outside.”
Qu You breathed heavily.
“I knew early on that your husband had sheltered the heir of Prince Jing, but I never considered you a threat.” Li Yuanjun shifted her tone, her voice tinged with regret. “But I underestimated his abilities. Not only did he revive Lingxiao’s old faction, but he also gained the loyalty of Zhou Yan—a name that strikes fear into the hearts of even the Xishao people. My father and I had no choice but to rely on their forces. What else could we use to rival you?”
“Besides—”
She drew out her words, tilting her head with a smirk. “Your Highness is of Xishao lineage. In the annals of history, this debt will surely be recorded under your name. Your Highness… to be honest, you’ve disappointed me greatly. With power in your hands, you hesitated and refused to act decisively, squandering such a promising situation. Our eternal legacy has been destroyed by your incompetence!”
Her voice grew increasingly passionate, her expression taking on a familiar madness—Qu You recognized that look. It was the fervent hunger for power within reach.
Song Shiyan struck her across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground. He seized Li Yuanjun by the collar, grabbing the blood-stained white-feathered arrow in his other hand, gripping it tightly as its silver tip glinted before her eyes. “Yuanjun, after so many years of marriage, I never saw your true face!”
“True face?” Li Yuanjun laughed softly. “Cousin, in public, you played the role of a radiant crown prince, while in private, you beat and abused me, nearly driving me to death. Which of these is your true face? Can you even answer that yourself?”
Song Shiyan stared at her formerly submissive countenance, astonished to see such an expression now adorning it. His memories of meeting his cousin at seventeen were hazy, save for her docility.
It was during a spring banquet in the palace. Li Yuanjun wore a pale yellow ruqun, bowing gently to him. “Your Highness.”
Her voice was soft and sweet. Though he hadn’t been captivated by her plain appearance, he hadn’t disliked her either.
Later, as he passed by the garden pond, he watched someone push her into the water. She flailed helplessly, shouting, “Help! Help!”
He stood in a nearby pavilion, finding the scene amusing.
Then Li Yuanjun spotted him, her eyes lighting up. “Your Highness!”
But he remained unmoved.
When a woman fell into the water, it was customary to wait for her personal maids or servants to rescue her. To be saved by an unrelated man would ruin her reputation for life.
He cared nothing for her reputation, but her marriage was a valuable bargaining chip he couldn’t afford to waste.
Song Shiyan yawned, about to leave, when he heard her desperate, fearful cry. “Cousin…”
He suddenly recalled the gaze of the young girl from the spring banquet. Compared to the noblewomen of the capital, she was plain and unremarkable, always seated inconspicuously, ignored by others. Only when she bowed to him did her eyes shine.
For a brief moment, Song Shiyan’s heart softened.
The garden had been deserted. By the time he struggled to pull her from the pond, his uncle had arrived in a panic.
And so, he gained an unsatisfactory bride.
After a long engagement, they finally married.
During that time, she failed to acquire any qualities he admired. Like a timid rabbit, she stumbled through banquets, embarrassed herself, and failed to manage the household staff.
A fragile vine.
The sole advantage was her silence. No matter what he did, others remained unaware. The first time he brought home a woman of unknown identity, she merely asked one question before arranging accommodations.
Thus, he grew bolder. He knew he was exploiting her kindness, but he despised women of noble families like her—soft-spined creatures who willingly locked themselves away in gilded cages, relying on their husbands for survival.
If only she had revealed today’s expression sooner…
Seeing his hesitation, Qu You dragged her heavy shackles and took a few steps away, asking, “Since when?”
Li Yuanjun met his gaze without fear, the arrow nearly touching her nose. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “When Your Highness was seventeen, during the incident in the imperial garden where a servant was brutally killed.”
Song Shiyan instinctively refuted, “That person wasn’t killed by me…”
“Hahahaha,” Li Yuanjun laughed bitterly, biting her lip. “Your Highness still believes to this day that it wasn’t you? Even if the second prince had extraordinary abilities, he couldn’t possibly bribe every palace maid in an instant. Haven’t you ever wondered where things went wrong?”
Only then did Song Shiyan belatedly understand the conversation between Qu You and Li Yuanjun. His hand trembled as he asked incredulously, “You… you poisoned me?”
Li Yuanjun raised an eyebrow. “My poison only made you unpredictable and prone to hallucinations. If you’d been steadfast, you would’ve noticed something amiss long ago. From the first time to now…”
She counted on her fingers. “Ten years? They say Your Highness is brilliant, yet you noticed nothing. Hahahaha.”
“At seventeen… was it I who killed that person?” Song Shiyan repeated blankly, unsure whether he was asking her or himself. “Impossible, it can’t be me! It was the second prince! That man’s blood splattered onto my boots, I…”
He stammered in denial, looking down at his injured palm. The force of his grip caused blood to slowly soak through the white handkerchief, spreading outward.
“Do you really think I’ve been deeply in love with you all these years, unable to resist?” Li Yuanjun sneered, clearly enjoying his rare vulnerability. “If that were true, I would’ve ended my life the first time you laid a hand on me. Our Li family has always produced men of valor. Even as a woman, I must live up to the honor of our ancestral hall! Pretending for so long, finally free of this charade before you—it’s exhilarating!”
A breeze carried the distant sound of approaching arms. Qu You glanced outward. “They’re coming.”
Song Shiyan ignored her, still unable to believe everything he’d just heard. “Why? Why? What do you want?”
“Your Highness probably doesn’t know yet…”
Li Yuanjun sighed softly, then leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Song Shiyan’s face paled dramatically. He released her collar, tossing the white-feathered arrow aside and stumbling back several steps.
Li Yuanjun rose, still smiling. She turned away from Song Shiyan, focusing instead on Qu You. “Lady Qu, do you know why I’ve come?”
From afar, a faint call reached them: “A Lian…”
It was Zhou Tan’s voice!
Qu You’s eyes widened. Just as she turned, she felt a sharp, icy pain at the back of her neck. Before she could make out the distant figure riding toward them, she collapsed unconscious.
Li Yuanjun scooped her up and walked toward the edge of the city wall. Song Shiyan slumped where he stood, calling out weakly, “Yuanjun…”
She paused briefly, her brows softening, her eyes flickering momentarily.
But Song Shiyan only asked, “Where are you taking her? Are you going to kill her?”
And with that, the fleeting flicker in her eyes extinguished forever.
Song Shiyan watched as Li Yuanjun sneered, carrying Qu You swiftly into the shadows of the city wall. A token bearing the Li family insignia hung from her waist, and more than half the soldiers guarding the wall followed her departure.
She never looked back.
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