TSFLIP Chapter 74

Xu Min had finally accepted the truth. When she first received news of her child’s death, her hatred for Qi Yun was boundless. She used her influence over the Emperor, whispering in his ear to create many obstacles for Qi Yun. Yet, despite her hatred, there was still love lingering in her heart. Each time Qi Yun found himself in a desperate situation, she couldn’t help but let him go. As years passed, she truly came to see him as nothing more than a stranger, but the child remained a deep, unhealing wound in her heart.

She turned to look at the man lying in the bed, and at last, the tears began to fall. She grasped his hand tightly, “Back then… you saved our child… it was our child…”

Qi Yun was looking at her, yet it seemed as though he wasn’t truly seeing her.

“Yes, he saved your child,” Qiao Wan said, tilting her head with a delicate smile. It was as though her earlier outburst had been nothing but an illusion. She slowly walked to the bedside. “My lord, have I ever told you that Mu’er’s eyes resemble yours? But my Mu’er cannot see. Now, you cannot speak. Sometimes, heaven can be very fair, don’t you think?”

Qi Yun’s eyes were like a deep pool, the ripples within capable of drawing a person in. But at that moment, the vitality that once filled them was gone. He looked at Qiao Wan, his lips parted, but no sound came out.

“Qiao Wan!” Xu Min grabbed Qiao Wan’s shoulders. “Where is Qi Duan? Where have you hidden my child?”

“And what if I tell you?” Qiao Wan chuckled softly. “Even if you know, are you planning to reunite with him and take him back to the Emperor to prove his identity?”

“You!… Qiao Wan, if you dare harm Prince Xiao or Qi Duan, I will never forgive you!”

“Oh? Concubine, I’ll be watching with anticipation.”

“You just wait. I won’t let you, this venomous woman, stay by the prince’s side to care for him!” With those words, Xu Min stormed out of the abandoned courtyard.

Qiao Wan shook her head and sighed. “My lord, your beloved just called me a venomous woman. How could my heart be as poisoned as yours?”

She was not afraid of Xu Min returning with reinforcements, for she had already made up her mind to drag them all down with her. Qi Yun closed his eyes in pain.

Outside, Xu Min hurried to find her men. But just as she turned a corner, she saw a young woman in a red dress holding a lantern, waiting patiently.

Feng Guang bowed. “Greetings, Concubine.”

Xu Min had no time to deal with her, but the woman’s next words made her stop in her tracks.

“If the concubine is thinking of fetching reinforcements to save Prince Xiao and Young Master Qi, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Xu Min’s face stiffened. “Who are you?”

“I was once engaged to Young Master Qi Duan, but later, he fell in love with a fox demon and broke off our engagement. Now, I am the betrothed of the heir.”

“A fox demon? Fiancées? Are you trying to put on a play?”

“Let me put it another way—my name is Xia Feng Guang.”

“Xia? Could you be—?”

Feng Guang’s eyes curved with a smile. “My father was once the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, and my mother is the Princess of Ding’an, who guards the frontier. In other words, His Majesty is my uncle.”

A cheat code she’d spent five points to unlock.

Xu Min’s face turned pale. Everyone at court knew that the most eccentric couple had to be Princess Ding’an and her husband. Ding’an was the Emperor’s older sister, a woman who preferred armor to dresses. She had requested to guard the frontier at fifteen and didn’t think of marriage until she was twenty-five. When she finally decided to marry, she chose the person she knew best—Grand Marshal Xia Chao. Both were military figures who got along well. When they didn’t, they would pick up spears and spar, calling it “practice.” Later, they had a child. The Princess of Ding’an remained the same, but Xia Chao decided it was time to focus on himself after so many years of service. The frontier was harsh, so he suggested returning to the capital with their child. But the Princess couldn’t part with the battlefield, so Xia Chao, in a fit of frustration, resigned his post and brought their child to Luo City.