Nangong Yue spoke animatedly at first, but her voice trailed off into melancholy at the end, sighing softly, "Will you go back to the palace with him?"
"I haven't thought about it," Liu Liu shook her head.
She was speaking the truth. Though Emperor Feng Xie had been trying hard to mend their relationship these days, she hadn't given him a chance. She hadn't forgotten that this was Xiaoyao Island, and he was a ruler of a kingdom; he would eventually return.
There was also Zhang Xiuyi and Lou Defei in the palace. Was she supposed to let her own son contend for the position of crown prince with Lou Defei's child?
Lou Defei's child was likely the universally recognized candidate for crown prince, but now there was a sudden arrival in Mu Xing. How would the ministers react?
It was probable that the Lou family had already established a certain influence in the court over these five years, and the Liu family, due to her death, had already seen Daddy resign his position as Prime Minister.
She heard that the Emperor had originally intended for her brother, Liu Ting, to become Prime Minister, but her brother had also resigned his court post because of her death. For the past five years, the Emperor had been in mourning, and it was likely that half of the court's power had shifted towards the Lou family.
"What if he insists on you returning to the capital?"
Nangong Yue looked at Liu Liu cautiously, awaiting her answer.
Even though she had repeatedly told herself that as long as he was happy, it was enough, human nature harbored greed. She still wished that if she didn't accompany him back to the palace, then he would rather stay on this small island with her.
"No one can force me now," Liu Liu smiled coldly, her eyes dark, her face etched with a peerlessly beautiful determination.
Nangong Yue breathed a sigh of relief, naturally assuming that Liu Liu was now the renowned master of Qixing Tower, Qiye.
If she didn't want to do something, no one could force her, not even the Emperor, because this was Xiaoyao Island, her territory. Who could do anything to her here?
However, Nangong Yue would soon discover how wrong this assumption was.
The two walked along the willow embankment by the lake. Liu Liu recalled something: her aunt, Su Xinhe, had suddenly come to see her last night, asking her to inquire if Nangong Yue was an orphan.
This was because she felt Nangong Yue bore a slight resemblance to her brother, Su Jin. Liu Liu gazed at Nangong Yue's slender back, so handsome. Could this man truly be her twin brother, Su Liufeng?
Thinking of this, she felt a surge of excitement and quickened her pace, standing beside Nangong Yue.
"Nangong, I want to ask you something. This is very important to me. If I ask something I shouldn't, please don't blame me?"
Nangong Yue, seeing Liu Liu so solemn for once, stopped and turned to smile at her, "Alright, tell me. I won't blame you."
"I want to ask you, do you have any family? Or are you an orphan?"
As soon as Liu Liu finished speaking, Nangong Yue froze. His gaze turned somewhat icy, and his lips curved into a cold, sharp arc. His eyes slowly shifted from Liu Liu's face to the surface of Mirror Lake, and he stood still for a long time.
Liu Liu was anxious, but seeing his pain, she didn't want to provoke him further. She simply stood beside him, waiting. When he seemed to regain some composure, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Is this important to you?"
"Yes," Liu Liu nodded. If Nangong Yue was not their father's biological son, or if he was an orphan, then he could possibly be her brother, Su Liufeng. If he had parents, how could he be from the Su family?
Hearing Liu Liu's words, Nangong Yue nodded and slowly walked forward. His back seemed immensely heavy. He found a clean patch of grass and sat down. Liu Liu walked over and sat beside him.
Nangong Yue gazed into the distance, where wild mandarin ducks flew across the lake, their wings rippling the shimmering water, making his ink-black eyes flicker.
"My father called me Nangong Yu. I am the eldest son in my family. I have several younger siblings, but as I left home at seven, my memories of them are a bit hazy."
Nangong Yue spoke only a few simple sentences, as there were things he couldn't tell Liu Liu. Moreover, they hadn't contacted him for so many years; perhaps they had long forgotten the events of that time. Why should he trouble himself?
Hearing Nangong Yue's words, Liu Liu felt a pang of disappointment. She gave a soft "Oh." She had thought she might have found her brother, Su Liufeng. It seemed not. But was it possible that Nangong Yue had been adopted by the Nangong family?
With this thought, Liu Liu immediately took out the jade pendant from her chest and showed it to Nangong Yue.
"What do you think of this jade? Is it beautiful?"
Nangong Yue looked at it intently. Although somewhat surprised, he showed no other emotion, nodding, "It is quite precious. It's a very rare piece of jade. I've never seen such jade before."
Hearing this, Liu Liu felt her last hope fade. However, she remembered her aunt mentioning a plum blossom mark left by her mother on her brother's arm. She softly asked, "Nangong, do you have any marks on your arm, or any kind of brand?"
Nangong Yue looked at Liu Liu strangely. What was wrong with her today? He reached out and touched Liu Liu's forehead, asking with concern, "Liu Liu, are you alright? Why are you acting so strangely, asking me such peculiar questions? I don't have anything on my arm. Where would those things come from? What are you thinking?"
The last shred of hope extinguished, Liu Liu smiled bitterly and shook her head. It seemed she had gone mad searching for her brother. Then who was the real Su Liufeng?
She had spent so much effort without finding Su Liufeng. Had her brother already died? The thought of this possibility made Liu Liu feel a suffocating tightness in her chest. She stood up and looked at Nangong Yue.
"I'm a little tired. I'm going back to rest."
Without waiting for Nangong Yue to reply, she turned and left. Nangong Yue watched Liu Liu in bewilderment, feeling that she was acting very strange today. Why was she asking him a bunch of nonsensical questions, and why did she seem so tired? Wasn't she full of energy earlier?
Liu Liu went back to her room to rest. To her surprise, her aunt was waiting for her there. She shook her head. Both of them felt a little dispirited. Su Xinhe sadly urged Liu Liu to rest for a while and then left herself.
All afternoon, Feng Xie played with his son. Mu Xing was very happy and had affirmed one thing in his heart: it felt good to have a father. However, as evening approached, something happened.
Yueying, whom they hadn't seen for a while, brought some bad news: Princess Jielan of Yuehua Kingdom was missing. Somehow, this news had reached Yuehua Kingdom.
The Emperor of Yuehua Kingdom, who had doted on his youngest princess, was shocked to learn that the princess had not married Prince Tuchin but had disappeared. How could this not anger the Emperor of Yuehua Kingdom? It was no wonder that every time he sent letters asking the princess to return home for a visit, the Prince Tuchin's mansion would find excuses to block the requests.
It turned out the princess was not at Prince Tuchin's mansion at all. The old Emperor of Yuehua Kingdom, in his fury, sent an army of two hundred thousand troops to the border, causing hardship for the people and dire warnings from the frontier. Prince Tuchin was extremely anxious and immediately sent a letter, hoping the Emperor would return to the capital promptly.
Upon seeing this situation, Feng Xie's face turned green. A cold aura emanated from him, making Mu Xing beside him tremble slightly. He realized that his father also had a bad side, but towards him, he was particularly special. Thinking of this, he pursed his lips and smiled lightly.
Feng Xie knitted his slender brows. Liu Liu still refused to return to the capital with him. What could be done?