Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Sang Ning’s Impromptu Scene Addition
Sang Ning stepped forward and politely asked Wang Qiuhong, "Qiuqiu, my dear sister, can I continue requesting you to act alongside me?"
Wang Qiuhong nodded.
This scene is set at the location of a tall wall leading out of the palace. Jiuqiansui, having failed in his bid for power, takes the Crown Prince hostage with his beloved and prepares to escape the palace.
Just as they are about to climb over the tall wall, the Emperor and the General arrive with troops.
Jiuqiansui’s true lineage holds a hidden truth: he was born from a lowly maid whom the Emperor drunkenly defiled.
The Emperor regarded this as a disgraceful matter, but his indecisive nature prevented him from killing his own flesh and blood. Instead, he gave some silver to the maid, instructing her to leave the palace with Jiuqiansui and live elsewhere.
Life outside the palace was hard for Jiuqiansui and his mother. The maid suffered from severe health issues after childbirth, and to save his mother, Jiuqiansui entered the palace as a eunuch at the age of seven.
But after undergoing castration and obtaining the silver, his mother, who had remained his sole pillar of support, could no longer hold on and passed away.
Jiuqiansui was heartbroken and initially wished to die alongside his mother, but he discovered the letter she left behind and learned the truth about his lineage.
From then on, the seed of hatred took root in his heart, especially every time he saw other Princes and Princesses living extravagantly, enjoying their lofty positions. His grief and indignation only intensified.
He was also a child of the Emperor, but because his mother’s status was lowly, he was doomed to a fate of being banished from the palace and ending his life in misery.
For just a few pieces of broken silver to save his mother, he paid the price of his very identity, living neither as a man nor a woman. He blamed the Emperor for all of this.
Ambition grew amidst his hatred, and he swore to overthrow the imperial power and let the Emperor taste the bitterness of subjugation.
After twenty-five years of painstaking planning, he was just one step away from fulfilling his goals. At the critical moment, however, he was betrayed by his adopted daughter, whom he had treated as his own.
Surrounded by the Emperor and the General’s troops, Jiuqiansui was filled with murderous intent, wanting to take the Crown Prince’s life and let the Emperor experience the agony of losing his closest kin.
But when he looked at his adopted daughter, he hesitated. She shared the same fate as him.
The adopted daughter was Qiuqiu’s biological daughter and also the Crown Prince’s biological daughter.
When Jiuqiansui had yet to gain control over political affairs, the Crown Prince committed the same crime as his Emperor father, drunkenly assaulting Qiuqiu, leading to her pregnancy and the birth of their daughter.
Thinking about how he had never received even the slightest bit of fatherly care in his life, combined with the fact that this was Qiuqiu’s daughter—whom he loved—Jiuqiansui rewrote the girl’s identity and brought her along, treating her as his own.
Even now, betrayed by his adopted daughter, Jiuqiansui still held onto a trace of compassion in his heart.
But at the moment of his hesitation, the Emperor, who had already learned of his true identity, signaled the General with his eyes to release the arrow and kill him.
Sang Ning and Qingyue both chose to begin their performance from the part where the arrow strikes.
Holding her chest, Sang Ning staggered back a few steps. Unlike Qingyue, she didn’t utter a painful groan.
Instead, she bit hard onto her teeth, her slightly furrowed brows betraying her pain.
Raising her head to look at the Emperor, Sang Ning’s eyes were filled with anguish and resentment, followed by a bitter smile of acceptance.
Indeed, "his" birthright had destined "him" to be abandoned by his father, the Emperor. What was "he" even hoping for?
Staggering backward a few steps, Sang Ning embodied Jiuqiansui, the one who held supreme power, someone even the Emperor feared.
"His" dignity and pride wouldn’t allow "him" to fall!
But as the strength in "his" body drained bit by bit, his legs gave way, and "he" ultimately knelt down.
Even in "his" final moment of resistance, "he" maintained a posture of one knee on the ground, one hand leaning for support.
"He" would never let both knees touch the ground. Even in death, "he" would never bow like a dog before the Emperor!
"Xiao Kangzi!" Wang Qiuhong rushed over and embraced Sang Ning.
The instant Sang Ning knelt and raised her head, the shattered yet resolute emotion reflected in her eyes made Wang Qiuhong’s heart clench, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
"Don’t cry. You really look ugly when you cry!" Sang Ning’s trembling hand reached up to Wang Qiuhong’s face. Her tone was harsh, yet her fingers were inexplicably tender as they gently wiped away the tears.
Wang Qiuhong stared intently at Sang Ning, her pitch-black pupils reflecting her image, as though she wanted to etch this sight deep within her soul.
Wang Qiuhong immersed herself in the scene, obeying Sang Ning’s warning. She tilted her head back and swallowed her sobs, burying them deep inside.
But her tear glands couldn’t be controlled, and large droplets of tears fell onto Sang Ning’s cheeks.
"Baobao, come here. Godfather has a few words to say to you alone—" Sang Ning looked at Xi Meina, his eyes filled with a father’s care and affection.
This part was improvised by Sang Ning, including Baobao’s nickname, which was her own spontaneous invention.
Jiuqiansui’s life had been as insignificant as grass, but he didn’t want Qiuqiu’s daughter to experience the same fate.
Since his own life was lived as mere grass, he was determined to ensure that Qiuqiu’s daughter would be cherished as the treasure he held dear from the moment she was born.
The nickname "Baobao" carried Jiuqiansui’s heartfelt wish, and he indeed lived up to it.
Being unexpectedly addressed, Xi Meina looked dumbfounded; it seemed this scene wasn’t in the script.
But when she met Sang Ning’s gaze—filled with care and affection despite being stabbed in the back by his adopted daughter—a strange sense of guilt surged in Xi Meina’s heart, as though she truly were the ungrateful daughter who had betrayed her godfather.
In the script, the adopted daughter hadn’t intended for her godfather’s demise. Instead, after unintentionally discovering her true identity, she chose to take a gamble.
The adopted daughter of a eunuch versus the Crown Prince’s biological daughter—the allure of infinite prestige blinded her. Upon learning that Jiuqiansui planned to seize power and assassinate the Emperor and Crown Prince, she developed ulterior motives and revealed his plot to the Emperor.
However, when she saw her godfather struck by an arrow, she regretted it.
She didn’t want her godfather to die. She just wanted to claim the identity that rightfully belonged to her. What wrong had she committed?
"Godfather—"
Xi Meina was swept into the emotions of the scene, her throat tight, nose sniffing, as she threw herself beside Sang Ning and knelt.
"Godfather, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—"
Xi Meina knew that saying anything at this point was futile; all her words turned into a single apology.
Sang Ning raised his weakened hand and patted Xi Meina: "Baobao, help me sit up with Qiuqiu."
Wang Qiuhong and Xi Meina supported Sang Ning and helped him sit up, letting his head rest on Wang Qiuhong’s lap.
Wang Qiuhong lifted her hand to press it against Sang Ning’s face. While silently weeping, she shook her head slightly, praying internally for heaven to spare her Xiao Kangzi.
Sang Ning’s hand covered Wang Qiuhong’s hand as he looked at her, giving a faint smile: "Qiuqiu, didn’t you say earlier that no matter where—be it heaven or earth—you’d follow me? Does that still count?"
Wang Qiuhong was already choking with sobs and could barely speak, desperately nodding: "It counts! It counts! Anytime, it counts!"