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墨書 Inktalez
What if Li Ye couldn't control his emotions and did something outrageous? Recently, the announcement of a reward of five hundred taels of gold was already shocking enough.
How could the Empress Dowager allow such a thing to happen again? Moreover, Night Star was a good brother to him, and there were already growing rifts between them. She would not permit their conflict to deepen any further.
This would be greatly detrimental to his Empire. If she accompanied him, the world would only say that the Empress Dowager favored her Adopted Daughter, and nothing else would be spread.
If the Emperor came himself, rumors of royal scandals and incestuous relationships would likely emerge.
Mo Xier looked awkwardly at the person in the center of the hall, momentarily unsure of what to say.
The Empress Dowager lightly cleared her throat, prompting the Emperor to notice his own lapse in decorum. He then changed his tone, saying, "I heard you were kidnapped. What exactly happened? Tell me, and I will help you seek justice."
"This..." She glanced at Night Star beside her, uncertain whether she should mention Old Madam. The handsome man shook his head at her for the first time, his gaze resolute.
She pressed her lips tightly together, feeling a slight disappointment in her heart, as if he was not protecting her.
"I don't know." Her voice sounded calm like autumn water, as if it might dissolve at any moment. This feeling made it seem like she was reluctant to bring it up.
The Emperor frowned, somewhat displeased. "What is there that you cannot say? Tell me, and I will help you deal with her. Is there anything in this world that I cannot handle?"
The Empress Dowager listened quietly from the side, observing the Emperor's reaction. Seeing his overly excited expression, she understood that her son seemed to be extremely fond of this enchanting woman; however, she could not comprehend what exactly he liked about her.
Old Madam appeared calm and composed nearby, seemingly unaffected by Mo Xier's imprisonment as if it had nothing to do with her at all.
Mo Xier glanced at Old Madam, feeling utterly disgusted, as if she had swallowed a mouthful of dirt. If it weren't for the fact that she was Night Star's temporary mother, she would have gone up and slapped her twice to vent her anger. This scheming woman was truly repulsive!
Although there was still nothing to prove that she was not Night Star's biological mother.
"Fuyuan, if you have suffered any grievances, just tell me. I can take care of it for you," the Empress Dowager said coldly, her voice extremely calm. Despite the still indifferent tone, Mo Xier felt a hint of warmth, a faint flow of heat stirring in her heart.
"Empress Dowager, I..." She hesitated, glancing at Old Madam and then at Night Star.
Night Star held her breath, nervously watching her, slightly shaking her head with a look of pleading in her eyes. Mo Xier had never seen the usually icy Night Star display such an expression; it was filled with sorrow and despair.
"Just say it," the Empress Dowager urged, unaware of the underlying reasons and not understanding why Mo Xier was hiding the truth. Did her own authority not compare to the person threatening her?
Thinking this way made her feel irritated; Mo Xier was truly being ungrateful, almost disrespecting the position of the Empress Dowager.
Before Mo Xier could say anything, Old Madam suddenly let out a cold laugh and spoke in a haughty tone: "It was me; I locked her up." At these words, everyone was taken aback, and the atmosphere became strangely heavy and silent.
Li Ye was furious. "Why?"
"Because she is a Demoness!" Old Madam said softly.
"How could you harm her? You know how much I like her!" The Emperor's anger erupted uncontrollably while the Empress Dowager watched coldly from the side.
Who would have thought that Old Madam would suddenly look at the Emperor and say, "I'm doing this for your own good!"
"Bold!" the Empress Dowager coldly reprimanded, her gaze piercing like a cold sword directed at the Old Madam. She sternly said, "Is there no more decorum? The Emperor is the Sovereign of the Nine-Five; how can there be no rules?"
The Old Madam was not afraid, meeting the Empress Dowager's eyes with equal intensity, her chest puffed out high like a proud rooster.
"What are you?" she retorted indifferently, her voice laced with obvious provocation and even a hint of smugness. "I am speaking to my son!"
"What did you say?" The Empress Dowager was taken aback, standing up and waving her hand outside, calling out, "Someone come!"
As soon as her voice rang out, it became incredibly weak. She then realized that her legs had gone numb; they felt weak and powerless.
Originally, she had dressed incognito for the outing and brought only a few people along; the Emperor had done the same. Who would have thought she would end up in such a predicament?
Caught in the trap set by the Jade Bitch, she couldn't understand what this Old General's wife intended to do. There was no enmity between them; upon reflection, she realized she had never offended the Night Family.
"What do you want?!" she shouted angrily. Li Ye also sensed something was wrong; he scanned the surroundings and immediately understood, exclaiming loudly, "Did you put something in the tea?!"
The Old Madam nodded, looking at Li Ye with an unprecedented gentleness in her voice. "I had no choice! Please don't blame me."
Her tone carried a hint of grievance as she looked at the Emperor, her eyes reddening slightly as she sorrowfully said, "I just want to reunite with my flesh and blood. I don't want my child to grow up not recognizing their own mother."
The Empress Dowager was filled with suspicion, while Mo Xier knelt on the ground, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Mother, what do you intend to do?" Night Star stood up and walked in front of the Emperor.
"You'll find out soon enough," the Old Madam replied nonchalantly as she glanced at him. Suddenly, she called out toward the screen behind her, "Come out." Her voice carried a mix of excitement and helplessness.
It was a very complex emotion that those who had not experienced it could not understand.
Soon, all eyes were focused behind the screen. A man slowly walked out from behind it. He was middle-aged, yet still handsome, and one could tell how spirited he must have been in his youth.
Although Mo Xier did not know who this man was, she could guess from the astonished expressions of everyone present that he must have an extraordinary identity.
Night Star was the first to speak, astonished, "Father!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Xier was taken aback, nearly stumbling to the ground.
This person—was he really the Old General?
Wasn't the general dead? Otherwise, why would Old Madam hate Night Star so much? What was going on? Suddenly, she recalled the blood-stained white cloth she had seen in the ancestral hall yesterday, with words written on it.
Could it be that this Old General wrote it? Mo Xier's gaze lightly swept across the faces of the crowd and noticed that not only Night Star was surprised, but also the Emperor.
The Emperor's face turned pale in an instant. He suddenly had a bad premonition and hesitantly asked, "Why is the Old General not dead? Why? Why have you gathered us all here today?"
"What do you want to do to my son?" The Empress Dowager's expression was unfriendly; her brows furrowed and her eyes wide with anger, as if she might crush her teeth in fury. She glared at Old Madam like a fierce beast ready to break free from its restraints and devour her.
"This is my son. After all these years, haven't you noticed anything unusual about him? What right do you have to control my son? You can't even tell your own son apart; what right do you have to be a mother?"
Old Madam said coldly, her voice thick with hatred. The grievances of these years had turned her into a resentful woman.
She had many things to say to the Empress Dowager and much bitterness to express. Even though she knew that none of this was the Empress Dowager's fault—she was actually an innocent victim, just as pitiful as herself—she didn’t even know that her son had been swapped.
The Night Star she had always relied on was indeed her biological son, but she hated the Empress Dowager. She hated that the Empress Dowager possessed supreme power and status, hated that she married into the imperial family, and hated that she had the right to claim her own son while she herself had no choice in the matter.
Even the man she loved was someone who would do anything for power.
"What are you saying? What are you talking about? Swapping the prince? That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
The Empress Dowager screamed, her eyes filled with a frenzied rage.
How could the son she had raised all these years belong to someone else? She clearly remembered a black birthmark on her son's back; how could he possibly belong to another?
If there had been a swap, how could she not have noticed? How could she have had no inkling at all?
It was simply impossible. She looked at Li Ye, who resembled the Former Emperor so much—his looks, demeanor, and even his character were all alike. How could there be any mistake?
"Don't believe it?" Old Madam stepped in front of her, speaking coldly.
Smiling, she looked at her and said indifferently, "Today I will show you what blood recognition is!"
With that, she pulled out a dagger that had been prepared in advance and walked up to the emperor. She cut his finger, and in an instant, a wound appeared on his fair fingertip, blood flowing out profusely.
Drops fell into the teacup—one drop, two drops. Then, an elderly man who had stepped forward also cut his hand, letting his blood fall into the cup.
In an instant, two red circles rippled in the tea, their crimson waves intertwining and soon merging together.
This all took only a few seconds, but everyone held their breath and observed as if time had stretched infinitely. Especially for the main characters of this truth, every second felt unbearably torturous.
"How could this happen?" the Empress Dowager exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the scene before her. Everything had come so suddenly; she was completely unprepared for it.
The son she had raised for so many years turned out to be someone else's. All the emotions, energy, and effort she had invested were in vain—completely wasted!
Then where was her own child? Were they still alive? They were her only support in life!
Tears streamed down her face, flowing from the corners of her eyes.
Drop by drop, they ruined her makeup and fell onto her clothes. She coldly turned to look at Li Ye beside her and said in an icy voice, "You knew all along, didn't you?"
Li Ye's body stiffened as he remained silent, lowering his head in guilt. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond and stayed quiet for a long time.
The Empress Dowager pressed him again, "You knew all along, didn't you? Didn't you?"
"No!" Li Ye interrupted her, raising his head. His eyes were slightly red, glistening with tears as he shouted angrily, "I only found out in the past few days."
"In the past few days?" The Empress Dowager scoffed, repeating it softly before suddenly throwing her head back and laughing wildly.
"You knew all along and just didn't want to tell me? No wonder! No wonder!" She recalled the matter of the jade pendant and how he had suddenly asked if she had ever given him a jade pendant to carry with him.
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