The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Despite the constant tossing and turning in her sleep, getting out of bed was never an easy task for Li Qinghuai.

Most of the time, she knew she was dreaming. Although leaving the absurd and bizarre dream was the best choice, the fatigue of her body continuously pulled her deeper.

Struggling and succumbing alternated.

A moment later, she sat up without warning. Facing the earnest gazes of the onlookers, she picked up a bowl of medicinal soup and poured it into her mouth.

Then she collapsed into a coma again.

Lu Fengmian was filled with anxiety and restlessness all night. She abandoned all notions of dignity and propriety, following Jiang Nan closely on her injured leg, bombarding her with questions.

If she had known the other woman’s identity earlier, Lu Fengmian would never have left her alone there.

If Zhao Pan’er died unexpectedly, Lu Fengmian would be distressed, but her family wouldn’t be implicated. But if Li Qinghuai died here, the court would likely set the mountains on fire and execute all the people at the foot of the mountain as collateral.

Lu Fengmian’s birth mother died in childbirth with her second child. Her father harbored resentment toward her because of this, sending her to live with her maternal grandmother since childhood. Therefore, she favored the Zhao family, who had raised her for many years, over the Lu family.

The Zhao family, ever since the court moved the capital from the Six Dynasties to Beiping, had been the Crown Prince’s covert force. Even when the Crown Prince was merely a princess named Zhu Lingwei, they had been allied with Empress Zhaojun.

It was only after Empress Zhaojun passed away, and Prince Li was driven mad and deposed, that the Emperor, in a fit of rage, asserted that she was burdened by her mother’s death and had developed a mental illness, rendering her incapable of assisting with state affairs.

Because of this incident, the connection between the Zhao family and her gradually weakened. However, as soon as the trend for her reinstatement began this year, their relationship, as if guided by divine intervention, thawed and became cordial again.

The precedent for a female Crown Prince was extremely rare, but the Crown Prince of Qin was said to be divinely destined.

When the female infant was born, a patch of azure cloud covered the roof, and the room was filled with red light.

Even the midwife, who was released from the palace when the Princess came of age, claimed to have seen the scales of a divine dragon on the young princess.

Initially, few people believed the rumors, but then Li Qinghuai was indeed established as the heir. The six-year-old Crown Prince shattered all the rumors.

Lu Fengmian was silent for a long time, then quietly asked, “Is your Highness well?”

The guard was momentarily choked up, then respectfully replied, “Esteemed Lady, please wait a moment. Her Highness is well, but she is unable to see people right now. We will be dispatched to inform you when Her Highness wakes up.”

Lu Fengmian, having been addressed with the formal honorific for several days, couldn’t quite handle it. She laughed awkwardly and bid farewell to the guard. Her hairs stood on end. She rubbed her right arm, once again losing control and collapsing internally.

She pondered while waiting for the summons from the powerful, deposed Crown Prince.

When she was still in the town, she was shocked to suddenly see Jiang Nan.

Princess Wenchang was initially confined to the Eastern Palace, and people could visit by submitting invitations. Later, she was moved to a Princess’s Residence outside the palace, where only letters and maidservants’ purchases were allowed in and out.

It was more difficult for Lu Fengmian to enter the Princess’s Residence than to ascend to heaven, but she had met Jiang Nan before.

Jiang Nan was the Princess’s person, placed in the Jinyiwei when the Princess was in power, with the Emperor’s permission.

This was an immense gift, an unparalleled trust in the deposed Crown Prince, and a resolve to entrust the country to her.

It was to the extent that when Jiang Nan told her, “I will let you go with her tomorrow, to Tuo Liang Mountain. At that time, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation.”

She immediately rushed to the mountain with Mo Xianghao, staying in a dilapidated temple where a statue of the Mysterious Lady was housed.

Accompanying them were the surviving bodyguards and the exorcists temporarily residing in the Zhang family’s large courtyard.

Lu Fengmian knew her relationship with Li Qinghuai; they were childhood friends, a friendship passed down from their mothers’ generation.

But she didn’t know that Zhao Pan’er was actually Li Qinghuai.

In her memory, ever since Li Qinghuai occupied the position of Crown Prince under constant surveillance, she naturally changed her demeanor without needing to deliberately pretend.

After all, that sense of superiority, of looking down on all beings, was something she had never been deprived of since childhood. She was utterly used to it.

The person’s appearance was vague, and she didn’t remember the voice.

But she subconsciously believed that Li Qinghuai could not be subservient, nor could she act petulant or unreasonable.

If the person had acted even slightly more normally, perhaps she wouldn’t have had to rely on the young woman who carried the letters back and forth to recognize that her identity was unusual.

“Her face…” Lu Fengmian murmured.

Jiang Nan placed the Crown Prince, who had just been given medicine, to the side, leaning close to her and whispering, “Because this is a private inspection, and the Emperor is about to reinstate Her Highness, Her Highness shaved her eyebrows and deliberately drew a different eyebrow shape.”

“She also applied fake skin patches on her nose and chin. It’s normal that you don’t recognize her after such a long time.”

Lu Fengmian had successfully accepted her identity after a few days of shock. She no longer felt awkward or fearful inside, but started with polite greetings, slowly circling the conversation, only touching upon her true purpose after a long while.

“So, why exactly did your Highness want me to come here?”

Jiang Nan was delighted that she had hit the key point. “Her Highness wants you to strike the Dengwen Drum (Drum of Complaint) to seek justice for these common people. At that time, Her Highness will present evidence to bring down the Song family.”

“Don’t worry, Her Highness will ensure your safety. Song Er is still alive, just mad. If you want to see him, you can. We will make sure you can return to report back.”

Everything she knew now came from others.

This included the love and hate between her and the deposed Crown Prince, and the evidence provided by the merchant’s son regarding her aunt’s plot against her birth mother.

In recent years, Lu Fengmian had been communicating with Princess Wenchang’s Residence, maintaining a good relationship. The occasional memory fragments never made her feel that the other person was anything but good.

“I am untalented and was born with some deficiencies,” Lu Fengmian lowered her head and smiled shyly. “My mind is not very sharp; I can’t remember things well.”

Seeing this stance, Jiang Nan knew she couldn’t handle it and quickly raised her hand to stop the conversation.

“You should wait until she wakes up and ask her yourself.”

No one could understand Lu Fengmian’s frustration. After several attempts to find information, she got no useful details but was repeatedly rebuffed.

The residual moon flickered faintly in the pitch-black night sky. The suffocating smell permeated the stuffy air.

The cold wind relentlessly poured into the ancient temple. The withered grass outside the temple swayed wildly. Everything seemed eerie and terrifying, as if some unspeakable entity was lurking outside, waiting for an opportunity.

Lu Fengmian guarded the Crown Prince from the beginning of the night until midnight, numerous times wanting to reach out and touch Li Qinghuai, but always stopping out of propriety.

The guards brought by the Crown Prince did not take the usual route. When the official army arrived, they led them up a small mountain path, finally arriving here.

Those men exuded gallantry, but they ignored her eagerness.

Thus, on the fifteenth attempt, Lu Fengmian finally mustered the courage to place the other woman’s upper body on her lap.

I’ve heard we had a good relationship, but now I only want to see your true face.

We just haven’t seen each other for a long time.

“I’ve forgotten so much of the past. It’s not so bad getting to know others again; I always have a chance to meet them and chat a few times, filling in my empty memory. It’s just a pity that I can’t fully know what happened in the past, but I am satisfied with this little consolation.”

“My uncle mentioned that I was once acquainted with the Crown Prince,” Lu Fengmian couldn’t detect the previous approachability in her tone. “I had intended to visit Your Highness a while ago, but I was afraid of truly disturbing Your Highness.”

Initially, when the Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace, people from outside could visit.

It seemed the Emperor only intended a mild reprimand at the time, but his beloved daughter was arrogant and spoiled. She refused to admit her mistake for over half a year, which led to her deposition from the Eastern Palace.

“I only remember one fragment, the one where you escorted me home.”

Li Qinghuai, in her arms, fluttered an eyelid but still couldn’t open it.

Compared to the inherent tranquility of the two women, the others were in an uproar. The bodyguards had been tricked into coming, tricked by Lu Fengmian’s abilities.

The remaining people, who came for the bounty, must have negotiated with Jiang Nan earlier and willingly followed her at this critical juncture. As for the excuse used, that was unknown. Judging by their reactions, they probably didn’t know Li Qinghuai’s identity.

The surrounding noise was chaotic. Li Qinghuai frowned deeply, tilting her head uncomfortably to the side. Her arm reacted first, chillingly grasping the wrist of the person above her.

Lu Fengmian knew she wasn’t sleeping soundly; years of vigilance were at play.

Li Qinghuai lazily opened an eye. Startled but lacking the strength to push her away, she could only reluctantly accept her fate.

“Mingyun?”

The person in her arms paused for a long time, seemingly just realizing that the other woman was calling her courtesy name.

If my family hadn’t initially forbidden me from visiting the Eastern Palace, fearing a rift would form then, would I need to be so indirect and circuitous now?

“Chengmei, don’t say that. We’ve been acquainted since childhood, it sounds so distant,” Li Qinghuai, emanating an air of nobility, was well-prepared. Her words caused a huge stir. Facing the earnest gaze above her, she pretended to sigh softly.

Chengmei, was Lu Fengmian’s childhood name.

Lu Fengmian unconsciously held her breath, just to hear her continue.

Li Qinghuai’s expression remained the same, her eyes like a deep pool, unrippled by the changing seasons. She couldn’t discern any unusual emotion. “But we have indeed contacted each other rarely these past few years, and I must admit I have been too busy.”

“When I return to the capital, I will come to the Lu residence to catch up properly.”

The hand resting on the ground quietly clenched, unconsciously kneading the dust on the floor. Her hands could not even be called pale anymore, bearing a strong, grayish-white color, far from being at ease.

Lu Fengmian, of course, didn’t expect her to give a lengthy account of their shared experiences.

It was just that the Zhao family had always been secretive about the Crown Prince in front of her. Her sisters never brought her along when they visited the Eastern Palace. These small details might not have meant anything initially, but accumulated, they felt strange. Subconsciously, everyone seemed to want her to avoid meeting the Crown Prince, but they were determined not to explain why.

Even the people in the palace treated her the same way; her visiting invitations never received a reply.

Once, she went to the pleasure quarter, intending to stake out her route, but she was discovered by her uncle that very day, who furiously scolded her and confined her for half a month.

The vague impression that she was never acknowledged gradually led Lu Fengmian to suspect that she might have offended Prince Li. Then, a few months ago, she unexpectedly recalled some things that made her certain that the other woman truly held a grudge against her.

“Alas, I even thought there was deep resentment between us. There was nothing I could do. A few months ago, I kept dreaming of someone on a bridge saying, ‘She’s only slightly prettier than those in the brothethel.’ I had almost forgotten it, but the recent gu worm reminded me of it.”

“It’s truly difficult.”

After learning some of the inside story, she had planned to no longer recklessly seek trouble. But upon actually meeting the Crown Prince, she realized that the inside story seemed to be far more complicated.