Fengguang looked up at Xia Fengxue. He gave her a small nod, and only then did she step out of the imperial study. Afterward, Emperor Xia dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs as well, leaving only the two of them alone in the vast, empty chamber.
One sat atop the dragon throne, the other stood below the steps. Neither spoke. A heavy silence settled over the room.
After a long while, Emperor Xia finally spoke, sounding casual:
“Fengguang wants to marry that man named Si Jia. What do you think?”
“This concerns Fengguang’s future—naturally, it should be considered carefully,” Xia Fengxue replied politely, though he offered no real opinion.
“That Si Jia… to be able to win Fengguang’s heart—hah, he must be quite capable, don’t you think, Fengxue?”
“You’re right, Father.”
“If I ordered that man Si Jia to be executed, would you support it?”
“Whether I support it or not doesn’t really matter, Father. What matters is—how would Fengguang take it?”
Emperor Xia let out a cold laugh.
“You’re right. If Si Jia were to die, Fengguang might very well sever ties with me. And I believe, in her heart, he truly holds that level of importance. After all, among all those I’ve met who can manipulate hearts and minds, you, Fengxue, are the most skilled.”
“That’s too much praise, Father,” Xia Fengxue replied calmly, unshaken by either insult or flattery. Even with Emperor Xia now openly acknowledging his dual identity, he remained unbothered.
“You’ve finally made your move,” Emperor Xia said coldly. “The assassin who tried to kill Ah Ci half a month ago… and now you’re deliberately approaching Fengguang under another identity. And let’s not forget her strange coma a while back. Are you trying to get revenge on me by harming those around me?”
“Yes,” Xia Fengxue admitted bluntly. “From the day I learned who I really was, I thought perhaps you were a man without emotion. But I might’ve been wrong. Whether it’s how you treat the Empress or how you treat Fengguang, your actions don’t match those of a cold-blooded man.”
“When did you find out about your identity?”
“Fourteen years ago.”
“When you met the former master of the Wuji Tower.”
“That’s right. It was also the day my mother died.”
Emperor Xia said flatly, “That was because Consort Jie never knew her place.”
“Exactly. She died not even knowing I wasn’t your son.”
“You’re not like your parents. At the very least… you’re not as foolish as they were.”
Xia Fengxue remained silent.
To the outside world, it was common knowledge that the Emperor of Gengliu showed no affection for the Empress. That his harem was small. That he had only two sons and one daughter. But aside from the part about his small harem, all the rest was false.
The truth was, Emperor Xia loved his Empress deeply. How deeply? So much so that aside from the required visits to her bedchamber, he left all other “duties” to his body doubles. On the matter of using stand-ins, Xia Fengxue had clearly learned from the best.
Consort Jie thought she had given birth to a prince, and her ambitions swelled, especially after seeing that the Empress only had a daughter. She thought she had a shot.
As Emperor, Xia Chao had to deal with women pushed on him by influential officials, and he tolerated them with a smile, knowing they wouldn’t affect him. But trying to harm Wang Ci—that was different. So in the end, the one who killed Consort Jie’s lover was none other than Xia Fengxue’s biological father: Sikong Qi, the previous master of Wuji Tower.
No one knew that the man behind Wuji Tower was actually the emperor himself. Nor did they know that Sikong Qi, after impersonating the emperor for too long, began to harbor thoughts he shouldn’t have. He knew Xia Chao had no sons and would eventually need an heir. So why, even knowing that Xia Fengxue wasn’t his real son, had he kept him around?
Because Xia Chao believed bloodline didn’t matter—he only needed a capable successor.
Unfortunately, Sikong Qi failed in his attempt to control Xia Fengxue.
Because in the end, he died at Xia Fengxue’s hand.
As for the young Prince Xia Fengyu…
Well, who could say which of the emperor’s many stand-ins had fathered him?
GhostCloudd On WBICDPH Chapter 93