Chapter 16: They Were Very Similar
“F… Father…” Xie Siyin hadn’t expected for Xie Zhong to ask this and was a loss for a few moments.
“Call him out. There’s no way I’ll agree to him taking away my precious daughter without a word!” Xie Zhong sighed. He had been a general for half his life and had devised countless strategies. There was no way he wouldn’t know that his daughter had come to say goodbye.
Even as Xie Siyin hesitated, Jian Chen already walked out.
“This commoner, Jian Chen, kowtows in salute to the Benevolent Prince.” Jian Chen cupped his fist respectfully as he saluted.
“What did you call this old man?” Xie Zhong’s eyes were once again filled with spirit and sharp as that of a hawk’s. Upon hearing this, Jian Chen looked towards Xie Siyin in confusion. Xie Siyin was also taken aback and flustered.
After a brief moment, Jian Chen dropped to his knees and knocked his forehead against the ground before calling out respectfully, “This son-in-law, Jian Chen, kowtows in salute to Father-in-law!”
Jian Chen’s lips trembled slightly in irrepressible excitement and happiness.
“Alright, get up! This call of Father-in-law has been an entire seven years late in coming. It’s this old man that has been wrong. Yinyin, hurry up and help this old man’s dear son-in-law up!” Xie Zhong nudged Xie Siyin dotingly. Xie Siyin was stunned, then her eyes filled with tears again as she walked over to help Jian Chen up.
“Father, thank you!” Xie Siyin wiped at the tears of joy that were spilling down out of her control.
“What need is there to mention thanks when we’re family? It’s enough that you’re willing to forgive this old man’s past stubbornness.” Xie Zhong gazed at the couple in front of him with gladness and remorse in his eyes.
“No matter what Father does, this daughter knows that it had been for this daughter’s sake. This daughter has always known!” Their parting was soon. Xie Siyin couldn’t help but throw herself into Xie Zhong’s arms and cry.
“Silly girl, what are you crying about? The fact that you can be with the person you like should be something happy. Jian Chen ah!” As Xie Zhong comforted his daughter, his eyes also gleamed with tears.
“This son-in-law is here!” Jian Chen walked quickly to Xie Zhong’s side. Xie Zhong reached out and pulled Jian Chen over, then pressed his daughter’s hand onto Jian Chen’s palm.
“This old man has never begged anyone before, but now, this old man begs you, please treat Yinyin well.” It was a simple sentence, but it contained all of the fatherly affection Xie Zhong harbored towards Xie Siyin.
“Don’t worry, Father-in-law, Jian Chen swears that he will never hurt Yinyin in this lifetime. If Jian Chen ever breaks this promise, let the Heavens punish my transgression with fatal lightning!” Jian Chen understood what Xie Zhong was worried about, so he immediately lifted his hand and made this vow.
“Father…” Xie Siyin could not stop crying. Nothing was more painful than a goodbye. In the end, Xie Siyin still bid her farewells and left the Benevolent Prince Residence with Jian Chen.
However, to Yao Mowan’s surprise, Xie Siyin had sent a request to see Jing Xin to Guan Osprey Palace. That night, as the moon and stars lit up the sky and the gentle wind caressed the earth, Yao Mowan headed to the old temple in the east. When she saw Xie Siyin dressed in a simple white garment with a simple hairstyle, she found the sight quite unfamiliar. Xie Siyin did not look as graceful as before, but she looked a lot more natural.
“Is there still a need to wear a mask?” Xie Siyin glanced at Yao Mowan as she asked this lightly.
“When did you figure out that it was me?” Yao Mowan slowly pulled off her veil.
“I made the poisoned pastries that were sent to Guan Osprey Palace with my own hands. The matter was kept extremely secret, Yue Chan was the only other person involved. There was no way anyone other than someone of Guan Osprey Palace would know that it’s poisoned, so I had my suspicions right after you asked me why I tried to harm Yao Mowan. If it weren’t for the fact that I had been too stirred up, I would’ve realized at that time that it was you.” Xie Siyin had grown up in a prince’s residence, so she was very familiar with the struggle for power that took place in the shadows. Yao Mowan had reason to believe that if Xie Siyin had interest in the Inner Palace, Xie Siyin would be her most troublesome opponent.
“That simply?” Yao Mowan lifted her brow skeptically.
“I’ve also doubted myself before. After all, everyone knows that the third daughter of the Yao Residence has been a fool since youth. However, when you directed me to take revenge on Ye Hongyi and I planned out that act, I became even more certain that it was you,” Xie Siyin answered calmly.
“You were the one that came up with that act, I had no part in it,” refuted Yao Mowan.
“That’s true, but that was because you had predicted what I would do. Since he had married me back then for the sake of getting the older generation of princes on his side, then I’ll destroy that. In addition, I knew that there was no way he could do anything to my father with how strong my father’s current prestige is.” This was one of the reasons why Xie Siyin schemed to make Ye Hongyi and her father have a falling out.
“There should be a reason why I’m doing this, right?” Yao Mowan was very curious as to how much Xie Siyin had been able to figure out.
“The reason is Yao Moxin! Difficult childbirth? I found this news to be suspicious from the first time I heard it in Palcho Monastery. As the Empress, she was naturally carefully taken care of by the imperial physicians from the moment she first conceived. If there was something wrong with the pregnancy, the imperial physicians would immediately work to fix it. It really would be difficult to have a miscarriage. There’s something suspicious about Yao Moxin’s cause of death and you seem to already know what it is, that’s why you want revenge on Ye Hongyi. If my guess isn’t off, Huan Caier and Yu Funing’s circumstances are also your doing. You’re currently shaving away at Ye Hongyi’s power. The person you want to put into power is probably the one who has always been loyal to Yao Moxin—Ye Junqing!” Xie Siyin’s accurate analysis amazed Yao Mowan, but she didn’t let it show on her face.
“You think that Ye Junqing is also involved?” Yao Mowan’s gaze darkened. Suddenly, she was hesitating over whether or not to let Xie Siyin leave.
“No, based on how much he cares for Yao Moxin, if he knew that Yao Moxin had not died from a miscarriage, he would’ve already revolted to avenge her. There was no way he’d be meekly accepting Ye Hongyi’s insults and humiliation.” Xie Siyin became even more confident in her conjectures when she saw Yao Mowan’s expression.
“Why did you come to see me?” Yao Mowan couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. It was fortunate that Ye Junqing wasn’t as cautious and detailed as Xie Siyin, otherwise she’d really have a headache.
“I wanted to tell you that my father has already decided to give Ye Hongyi a fatal blow when the right opportunity comes. In addition, he now knows that there’s a woman called Jing Xin who once saved his daughter’s life. So once the time comes, you can look for my father with the identity of Jing Xin. Wasn’t this precisely what you were aiming for when you advised me to go back to the Benevolent Prince’s Residence?” Xie Siyin drew blood on the first prick.
“Haa, even if I don’t want to let you go, it seems I have no choice. Where do you plan to go?” Yao Mowan smiled as she gave up on her earlier idea. She suddenly felt that Xie Siyin was very similar to her. They were both very shrewd and intelligent, but they had both ended up falling for Ye Hongyi’s schemes. The only difference was that Xie Siyin was much more fortunate than her.
“To the ends of the earth. In any case, we won’t ever come back.” Xie Siyin’s serious expression relaxed as a soft smile appeared on her face.
“May you two find happiness!” Yao Mowan gave her blessings sincerely.
“Farewell forever!” These two words were enough for Yao Mowan to feel relieved.
The day after Xie Siyin left, the Benevolent Prince stopped attending court meetings due to severe illness. However, Ye Hongyi was relieved to see that the other older princes aside from the Benevolent Prince didn’t show much reaction. He thought that this was the result of his usual attempts to pacify the princes. He had no idea that they were already aware of Xie Zhong’s intentions and were acting normal while awaiting an opportunity to strike.
Yao Mowan’s mood got a lot better now that she had finished dealing with Xie Siyin’s matter. Currently, she was in the courtyard of Guan Osprey Palace playing with Jewel. Meanwhile, Fluffy was lying below a pear tree and meowed a bit from time to time to prove that she wasn’t too lazy.
Beneath the rays of the sun, the immortal phoenix tail hairpin dazzled so brightly it pierced the eyes. It made Yao Mowan look even more like a ethereal fairy who was so beautiful and pure that not even the pear blossoms could compare to the beauty of her jade-like skin.
“You’ve found out?” Yao Mowan tossed the ball of yarn she was holding to Jewel as she looked towards Liu Xing who was jogging over.
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Credits: Translated by Chiyomira
