"Can you tell this empress what is happening?" The Empress looked at the young woman before her, her expression glacial. She had felt this girl looked familiar earlier.
Now she remembered. Wasn't this the girl her son had brought back from Fenzhou? The Miss Feng who had refused to meet her despite her repeated attempts. How had she suddenly transformed into the Empress of Huangze? This was difficult for her to accept.
The young woman before her remained calm, a hint of imperceptible sorrow flowing in her clear eyes. She parted her red lips slightly, "I am sorry about Yan Zhao's matter, but I will definitely save him."
"Save him? How can you save him? My son is already dead." The Empress's anger surged, causing her to stagger back a few steps, collapsing onto the chair.
"No, he will not die. I will definitely bring him back to life."
The Empress trembled with rage, but upon seeing the girl's crystal-clear eyes, a sliver of hope inexplicably arose within her heart.
"This empress does not care if you are Feng Ning or the Empress of Huangze. This empress does not wish to see you now. You may leave!"
Xue Zining curtsied slightly. "I apologize." She turned and left.
As she reached the doorway, she heard the Empress's voice call out again, "You too, leave. This empress does not wish to see an imposter standing here."
Xue Zining turned to see Prince Xuefu standing there with an awkward expression. Prince Xuefu hadn't expected the Empress of Huangze to still be present and refrained from smiling.
"If you don't want to smile, you don't have to," Xue Zining said.
Prince Xuefu froze. He truly couldn't force a smile. For twenty years, he had enjoyed the treatment of a prince, and had even been granted a title and land. Yet, he now realized all of it had not belonged to him. He had merely been enjoying it on behalf of someone else. He never would have imagined that he would be the one to suffer the most in the end. And the young girl he had once looked down upon, the inconspicuous little girl, would be the Empress of Huangze. Fate truly played tricks.
"I never imagined it would all be a mirage," he said, lowering his gaze. Seeing his mother, the Empress, now glaring at him with a stern expression, his heart sank to the bottom.
"You have occupied someone else's identity for twenty years. You have already been quite fortunate."
Xue Jingzhao twitched the corner of his mouth. He truly couldn't expect anyone to comfort him.
"What you say may be true." He had never, in all his thoughts, considered that he was not of royal blood.
"What are your plans for the future?" Xue Zining asked.
Xue Jingzhao was startled. Plans? He truly didn't know. Should he return to his original identity? He didn't know.
Suddenly, Xue Zining heard the sound of many footsteps from not far away, too many to count.
"Your Majesty, someone is here," Feng Wu appeared before her.
Xue Jingzhao was startled by the sudden appearance of the person.
"Feng Yin," Xue Zining explained kindly.
Xue Jingzhao glanced at the person spoken of in legends, his surprise evident. It was rumored that Feng Yin, by the side of the Empress of Huangze, was omnipotent, and there was a saying: once Feng Yin appears, rivers of blood will flow.
Moments later, they were surrounded by many people, appearing to be the Imperial Guards of the Xue Kingdom. "What is the meaning of this?" Feng Wu demanded.
The Imperial Guards lined up in two rows, and a person slowly walked out from behind them. Xue Zining clearly saw the person who emerged: it was Prince Xueshan. A prince could command the Imperial Guards of the imperial city. A strange feeling arose within her, as if something was about to happen.
"Prince Xueshan, what is the meaning of this? Is this how the Xue Kingdom entertains guests?" Xue Zining asked coldly.
Prince Xueshan sneered. "This prince suspects someone is impersonating the Empress of Huangze and Prince Xuefu, and has been ordered to apprehend you both."
"How dare you! Prince Xueshan, open your damn eyes and look! This prince is Prince Xuefu, and beside me is the Empress of Huangze," Prince Xuefu said indignantly.
Prince Xueshan sneered. "Why would the dignified Empress of Huangze come to the Xue Kingdom? It seems a spy intends to steal Xue Kingdom's secrets. The true Prince Xuefu has reported the matter to our father, the Emperor, and this prince has been ordered to arrest the spy. Surrender yourselves obediently, or else..." Prince Xueshan did not finish his words, but his gaze turned menacing.
"How would the true Prince Xuefu recognize me? Prince Xueshan, don't be deceived," Xue Zining said calmly.
"If you don't believe it, you can confront the true Prince Xuefu. He is in the Mingzheng Hall right now," Prince Xueshan said.
"Lead the way," Xue Zining said.
"Be careful, it might be a trap!" Xue Jingzhao whispered as a reminder.
"If we don't go, how will we know what trick they are playing?" Xue Zining raised her eyes. The girl's gaze was clear and bright, exuding a stern and resolute aura.
Prince Xuefu was taken aback. "Very well, I will accompany you. I also wish to know who the true person I have been impersonating for twenty years is."
Prince Xueshan sneered at the two of them. He had intended to have his guards apprehend them immediately, but the guard who accompanied the girl seemed formidable. Thinking that they had already agreed to go with him, he saw no need to offend anyone.
Xue Zining entered the Mingzheng Hall for the first time. Seated on the main throne was a man in imperial robes with a pale complexion, appearing to have been confined to his sickbed for a long time. Beside him sat the Empress. Upon seeing her enter, the Empress looked up, her eyes filled with fury. Xue Zining felt a growing unease; the situation was spiraling beyond her control.
"How dare you! Not kneeling before the Emperor and Empress?" The sharp voice of the eunuch beside the Emperor echoed throughout the hall.
Xue Zining looked up and said calmly, "As the Empress of Huangze, and as an Emperor in my own right, I do not need to kneel."
The Empress sneered upon hearing this. "Miss Feng, you play the Empress of Huangze quite convincingly, but it ends here."
"Empress, what do you mean by that?" Xue Zining asked.
"A letter has arrived from Huangze stating that someone is impersonating the Empress of Huangze." The Empress's gaze burned with rage. When this girl had appeared, she had already harbored some suspicion. How could the dignified Empress appear in Huangze? It was indeed a fake.
"Impersonating? What is the evidence?" Xue Zining asked.
The Empress sneered. "Show her the evidence." The Empress handed the letter in her hand to the eunuch. The eunuch walked down and unfolded the letter. Xue Zining glanced at it, her gaze deepening considerably. It was indeed her handwriting, exactly the same, with her royal seal at the bottom. She touched her waist; her royal seal was still there. Who had impersonated her? What was the meaning of this? Her heart plummeted to the bottom.
"Audacious peasant! How dare you impersonate the Empress of Huangze! Seize her!" the Empress roared.
"Wait a moment..." Xue Zining began.
"Miss Feng, what trick are you playing now?"
"Feng Yin, who is by my side, cannot be impersonated. Feng Wu." Xue Zining said.
Feng Wu nodded, took out a token, on which the characters Feng Yin were inscribed.
The Empress sneered. "If the Empress of Huangze can be impersonated, why can't Feng Yin?"
"Are you not coming out?" the Empress commanded sternly.
Xue Zining saw a person slowly emerge from the darkness behind the Empress. Feng Wu's gaze turned cold. "It's you, Feng Yu..."