Meanwhile, Si Lang stepped onto the land of the capital, his heart pounding. The day had finally arrived, and his excitement was evident. Everything was ready. At dawn, he would lead his army into the palace and seize the emperor’s throne.
This was not just about restoring a kingdom; it was about inheriting the empire that the late Emperor of the Chen Kingdom had built with his life’s work. To become a ruler remembered in history as a great emperor—how could his heart not surge with excitement?
He looked up at the sky. Dawn was approaching, and the darkest hour before the dawn was brewing a bright day.
“Congratulations in advance, Crown Prince Brother,” Si Que approached from a distance.
Si Lang looked at Si Que, feeling a mixture of emotions. Initially, he had fabricated the phoenix prophecy to have You Yuji kidnapped by the deposed Crown Prince of the Chen Kingdom, to incite his brother’s hatred towards the Chen family and secure his help. He hadn’t expected his brother to help him for so long. Not only had he provided cartloads of poison, but also skilled assassins and critical military strategies that had brought him this far so quickly.
“Brother, it’s good that you’re here. Tomorrow, join me as we storm the palace! Come, let’s talk inside,” Si Lang’s face softened as he recalled his brother’s contributions.
Si Lang knew his brother had given up drinking, so he ordered tea for Si Que while he drank wine. They reminisced about their life in the palace and dreamed of the vast and magnificent future.
Although they were set to depart at dawn, and Si Lang was extremely excited, he eventually fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already mid-afternoon.
Si Lang was momentarily bewildered.
He stood up, confused, and looked around. He was still in the place where he had been drinking with his brother at dawn, but his brother was nowhere to be seen.
Had something gone wrong?
He was about to turn when he realized his clothes were not what he had been wearing. He looked down slowly, shocked to see the outfit.
It was the same attire Si Que had worn when he came to find him—women’s clothes.
Si Lang’s heart sank, and he stumbled out of the room, the door unbarred. The blinding sunlight made it hard for him to see.
There was no one around. Where was his grand army?
Finally, he saw an old servant sweeping the courtyard. Rushing over, he grabbed the servant’s collar and demanded, “Where are the people? Where did everyone go?”
The old servant, half-blind, croaked, “Oh, the princess is awake. Everyone went with the Crown Prince to storm the palace!”
Si Lang stood there, stunned.
A terrifying realization dawned on him, chilling him to the bone.
He began running, hindered by the women’s dress, crashing through the chaos of the city. The capital was in an uproar, people shouting about the change of power. Soldiers quickly moved to restore order and calm the populace. Recognizing some familiar soldiers, Si Lang tried to shout that he was the Crown Prince.
But the crowd was too dense. By the time he pushed through, he faced unfamiliar soldiers who dismissed him, annoyed, and drove him away with their spears.
The sun was setting.
Si Lang, disoriented, ran towards the palace, tripping several times on the cumbersome dress. Finally reaching the palace gates, he found many citizens gathered to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension.
Chen Che did not possess the abilities of the late Emperor of the Chen Kingdom. Realizing the situation was hopeless and seeing the army surrounding the city, he surrendered voluntarily. Therefore, despite the sudden change in regime, the people of the Chen Kingdom, having experienced repeated defeats, were already prepared for this outcome. The new emperor’s entry into the palace did not harm the citizens of the capital. Although the city was chaotic today, many still gathered here to celebrate the new emperor.
Si Lang, exhausted and disheveled, watched the celebrations in despair. His dreams of glory and power were shattered, replaced by the harsh reality that his brother, Si Que, had outmaneuvered him.
Si Lang picked up a bow and arrow discarded by someone on the ground, wishing he could shoot it towards the palace, letting the arrow carry his anger thousands of miles to pierce Si Que’s black heart.
Si Lang was filled with hatred.
The entire capital was in chaos, and You Yuji listened to Zhuo Wen’s report, instructing him to keep monitoring the situation outside. She then turned and walked quickly inside, her steps light and filled with joy.
Just this afternoon, her mother had woken up. This time was different from before; You Yuji knew her mother’s health was truly improving.
Returning to the house, she found her mother sitting by the bed, playing with the two children.
“Yuan Yuan,” her mother called softly, looking at her with affection.
You Yuji walked over quickly, full of joy as she nestled beside her mother. Suddenly, her sister started crying again. You Yuji picked her up and tried to soothe her, but she kept crying.
“She’s more troublesome than her brother,” Madam You, having spent only a short time with the children, could already see the difference.
You Yuji guessed her daughter might be hungry and worried her crying would disturb her mother. She decided to take her daughter to the wet nurse, having some instructions for her as well.
Just as You Yuji stepped out with her daughter, she saw Si Que entering through the side door. The evening light fell on his shoulders, adding a touch of brilliance and mystique.
“Why are you suddenly back in women’s clothes?”
Si Lang, staring at You Yuji while holding her daughter, suppressed his overwhelming hatred. Mimicking Si Que’s tone, he said, “Come with me to a place.”
“Where?” You Yuji asked, walking towards him. “Let me hand my sister to the wet nurse first.”
“No need, take her with us. We’re going to choose something for her,” Si Lang said, taking the baby from You Yuji’s arms. He resisted the urge to harm the baby as he turned and walked out, imitating Si Que’s mannerisms perfectly.
As twins with similar habits, it wasn’t difficult for him to mimic Si Que.
You Yuji followed Si Lang for a few steps, her eyes noticing the bow and arrow on his shoulder. Just as they were about to turn past the moon gate, nearing the side exit of the You residence, You Yuji suddenly stopped.
“Ah Que.”
Si Lang halted, calling her “sister” as he turned to ask what was wrong.
You Yuji smiled and, in a commanding tone, said, “Go bring the brother too.”
She pointed and said, “He’s alone in the side room. The wet nurse hasn’t gone over yet. I’m worried. Bring him as well.”
Both of them?
Si Lang hesitated before agreeing.
“Is the bow and arrow for protection? It seems heavy,” You Yuji remarked, taking the bow and arrow off his shoulder and sitting down on a stone bench. She reached out her arms, “Give me the sister, you go get the brother.”
Si Lang glanced at the nearby courtyard gate, then heard the approaching footsteps of the household staff behind him. Smiling warmly, he handed the baby girl back to You Yuji. As he turned, his face turned cold, and he went to find the other baby boy.
Why should it be this way?
He had fought life and death battles to conquer this kingdom, just one step away from supreme power. His brother, meanwhile, was here enjoying love and raising two children. Just because they looked the same, did his brother get to take everything from him?
It wasn’t fair.
Anger quickened his steps, eager to find the baby boy and kill him.
The sound of an arrow cutting through the air made Si Lang instantly alert. But before he could turn, an arrow filled with fury pierced through the air, striking him from behind and shooting through his heart.
Si Lang fell, his ambition and hatred ending with a single, swift shot.
Before he fell, Si Lang managed to turn and saw You Yuji standing against the wind, holding the bow and arrow, her cold eyes like ice. The evening breeze lifted her skirt, the pale fabric stained with the vibrant hues of the sunset.
In the next moment, Si Lang saw Si Que approaching with a stern expression.
Dressed in majestic black robes with a ferocious dragon emblazoned on his chest, Si Que’s appearance struck fear into Si Lang. The pain made him cough up blood, unable to utter a single word, and he fell to the ground, dying with his eyes open in disbelief.
Si Que, fearing he had arrived too late, sighed heavily in relief when he saw You Yuji standing firm with the bow and Si Lang lying lifeless on the ground. He rushed forward and embraced You Yuji from behind.
You Yuji let the bow fall from her hands and said coldly, “That scoundrel pretended to be you to deceive me!”
She then looked anxiously at her daughter, who, contrary to her usual crying, was happily sucking on her fingers and giggling.
Si Que glanced at Si Lang’s lifeless body. Originally intending to replace his life, now Si Lang’s existence had to be completely erased.
The commotion had drawn the household staff, and soon, Madam You also hurried over, worried about her daughter. Seeing that You Yuji was unharmed, she then noticed Si Que standing beside her daughter and frowned.
Si Que coughed lightly, dispelling the hostility from his face and standing a bit more formally. He hadn’t expected to meet his mother-in-law so suddenly, but fortunately, his dragon robe lent some formality to the occasion.
Madam You sighed softly and said gently, “Come inside and sit.”
“No, I’m here to take you all to the palace,” Si Que replied, flashing the brilliant smile he used to charm You Yuji. He obediently called her “Mother.”
Madam You looked at him in surprise, then turned to her daughter, a smile forming on her lips.
The former royal family of the Chen Kingdom had been reduced to commoners. Si Que did not want to emulate the late emperor of the Chen Kingdom by keeping them in a separate palace and wasting resources.
The frail Chen Anzhi rarely went out. Watching Hongzan place food in his bowl, he felt grateful she had stayed with him.
“I’ll go buy you some pastries,” Hongzan said with a smile as she walked away.
Chen Anzhi coughed lightly, waiting quietly for her return.
“I never thought the emperor wasn’t a twin. It turns out Si Lang was just a cover identity. What a deep strategy!”
Chen Anzhi turned to listen.
“They say Chen Anzhi is a traitor now? His grandfather dug deep to find the runaway crown prince of the Si Kingdom, but it turns out he hid him in his own house.”
Another said, “Yes, not only did he hide the emperor, but he also hid the empress. No wonder he treated her so poorly after marrying her; he was protecting her purity for the emperor!”
What nonsense were they spouting? How had he become a traitor?
He wanted to flip the table and curse them, but he didn’t dare. Now, he was just Chen Anzhi, without his title.
He didn’t want to hear anymore and anxiously awaited Hongzan’s return.
But Hongzan would not return.
In late June, as the weather turned hot, the imperial wedding took place.
You Yuji felt a sense of wonder; she had not expected to wear a wedding gown again. But this time, her feelings were entirely different. Standing on the white jade platform beside Si Que, she looked down at the mass of kneeling people.
It was a moment of both awe and nostalgia.
She turned her gaze and, through the gently swaying bead curtain, looked at Si Que.
He looked exceptionally handsome in red.
You Yuji smiled softly. She hadn’t expected that following her heart would lead her to this point.
After the elaborate wedding ceremony, they finally returned to the palace. Removing her heavy phoenix crown, You Yuji sat at the dressing table, taking off her makeup. She looked at Si Que through the bronze mirror and asked, “Do you really want to be emperor?”
“It’s actually quite boring,” Si Que replied, sitting down lazily and playing with a memorial to the throne on the table. “I was just angry and wanted to take over the world for you, Sister.”
Watching You Yuji remove the hairpins and jewelry from her hair, he got up and walked over. Si Que tossed the memorial aside and stretched out his arms, whining, “Sister, give me a hug.”
No matter how cold or proud he was outside, in front of You Yuji, he always acted spoiled.
You Yuji, with her red wedding dress trailing behind her, walked over gracefully. Instead of hugging him, she leaned lazily against the jade table, glancing at the pile of memorials with a soft smile, “You can’t go to the bridal chamber until you’ve finished reading these memorials.”
Due to her recent childbirth, Si Que had indeed abstained for a long time.
Hearing this, Si Que’s eyes darkened briefly, but he quickly smiled brightly, “If I took over the kingdom for you, Sister, you wouldn’t mind helping me read these, would you? You’re too kind to be so heartless.”
You Yuji hadn’t expected that their long-awaited wedding night would be spent reading memorials.
The night dragged on, and they gradually finished reading the pile of memorials.
You Yuji looked up, meeting Si Que’s deep, dark eyes.
“Sister, I’m hungry,” Si Que said seriously. His tone was so earnest, and the red candlelight cast a warm glow on his pale face.
“Hmm.” You Yuji set aside the memorial she had been holding, stretching lazily before lying down comfortably on the jade table, the scattered memorials crumpling beneath her. She looked over at him with a soft smile.
“Brother,” she said, her lips parting seductively, “enjoy to your heart’s content.”