Chapter 109: Intriguing Identity
Li Wei Yang nodded and said nothing. She wanted to comfort him, but he would not simply accept anything she said.
He smiled softly, revealing a dimple like a sweet, gentle spring. He said: “After I was born, the Princess went insane. I don’t know if she actually became crazy or if someone else drove her insane. She didn’t remember who she was or that the child was her own son and never looked at it once. The Emperor was worried that she would hurt herself and had her under close watch day and night, but no matter how well-protected she was, there was oversight. One day, they found her in the lotus pond, floating on the water surface. She died very strangely… The Emperor could not hold back. He killed many people in succession. He suspected everyone around him, thinking they killed the Princess, but no matter how many people he killed, the Princess could not come back to life. He became paranoid and felt nowhere was safe anymore. Moreover, he wanted to give the child a righteous identity, so he ordered the child to be handed over to a loyal subject. He ordered them to take the child to a remote village and sent many guards to wait until the child grew up and could be brought back. They went to the countryside to a village by the name of Dou Yi. The subject with the child stayed there and lived in that place for four years. In the end, that subject was killed, and only a single person out of all the original guards escaped. Everyone else was killed. Not only that, but in one night, all four year old children in the village were killed. Everyone, including the Emperor, thought the child was dead.”
Li Wei Yang said: “But you’re not dead, and you even reached Da Li. The moment I saw that man in gray uniform, I began to suspect your identity. This certainly wasn’t the first time they came looking for you. They already looked for you before, isn’t that right? They wanted you to come with them and return to Yue Xi, but you didn't want to. Why?”
Li Min De said: “If I said it was because I didn’t want to leave you, would you believe it?”
Li Wei Yang chuckled and said: “I believe… At first, I thought you deliberately kept this from me, but now I see it differently—you’re just foolish! You think saying this will make me soft-hearted?”
Li Min De said: “I never thought about wanting to make you soft-hearted.”
Indeed. He had always hidden his identity away, not because he wanted to evoke sympathy, but because he could not face it himself.
Li Wei Yang said: “You care very much about it? You’re concerned about your identity?”
Li Min De’s eyes immediately darkened, losing their cheerfulness: “No one in this world has such an unusual identity. I know it wasn’t their fault, but they weren’t normal, that kind of feeling wasn’t normal! I resent them, why did they have to give birth to someone abnormal like them…”
Li Wei Yang said: “Anyone can say that, but you can’t, because they are your parents.”
Li Min De lifted his head and looked up at Li Wei Yang. She smiled: “I used to hate my mother. I felt that she was incompetent and weak. If she couldn’t protect her daughter, then why would she let me be born to suffer? But later on, I realized that we cannot choose our parents, and although she could not even protect herself, she put in the last of her strength to protect me. How could I resent her? You’re no different.”
Li Min De looked to her, taken aback: “You aren’t disgusted by me? You know what I am—” A monster…
Li Wei Yang smiled: “No one reveals their scars to others, and no one wants their reputations tainted. I also have many secrets. Everyone in this world does. They have made a habit of hiding them, so no one else knows. You are just like me, a normal person. Why would I be disgusted by you? Aren’t you doing well right now? So let’s just leave the pitiful past behind us.”
Li Min De was dumbfounded at first, then he felt overjoyed. She wasn’t disgusted by him. It made him feel as if he was suddenly revived by a cooling spring amidst the dry desert. He gently put his head down in Li Wei Yang’s lap and whispered: “Thank you..” Not despising me for this, belittling me…
However, very quickly, his happiness and rejoicing mood was completely shattered by Li Wei Yang’s words: “But when the Third Furen adopted you, you were about a year old. Yet you said the child in the village was four years old… So, how old are you exactly? I remember once a traveling merchant said the Emperor of Yue Xi had a younger sister, but she died fifteen years ago, so you are sure you’re really her son…?” Li Wei Yang had a strange look on her face. If this rumor was true, then Li Min De’s actual age was not what she originally thought? She was a bit confused.
Li Min De’s face reddened right away. He hesitated for a while before saying: “I asked them about this. They said it was because of this reason that it took a long time to find me. That year, the assassins missed me because they were only looking to kill children about four years old.”
Li Wei Yang frowned: “Then, what kind of magical pills did you eat to stop growing for a while?”
Li Min De was startled: “How could there be such a thing in this world? This is how I was born… I don’t know why, maybe it’s because those two’s bloodlines are too close, so I am not normal at all, is that it?” He had a tense look on his face. Was it because of his biological parents caused him to be abnormal? His growth and maturity was notably much slower than normal people. The assassins killed all the children around four years old in the village, but at the time, he had the appearance of a one year old… So he escaped, perhaps even before he came to Da Li, he had never once called out “mother.”
Li Wei Yang felt this was rather strange. Perhaps the Heavens had decided Min De’s fate, letting him survive. Otherwise, he would have already died at the hands of those assassins…
“So, you aren’t really a child?” Li Wei Yang’s face slowly fell.
Li Min De did not expect to end up discussing this issue. He quietly said: “Around your age then…”
“Around how much?” Li Wei Yang unexpectedly insisted.
“More than...a month? Two months…at most!” Li Min De did not know his precise birthdate either. His old birthday was the day Third Furen adopted him.
In the blink of an eye, Li Wei Yang wanted to go crazy and demand how he could be that old but pretend to be innocent, weak and naive—pretending to be a kid, running over to see her every few days like no one was there. There were even several times when she was changing her outer robe, he also did not bother… He… He… How could he be so shameless! Unfortunately, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Li Min De quickly leapt down from the carriage and said: “We’ve arrived!”
At the Palace gates, Li Wei Yang silently glared at Li Min De. He did not look over as if he had not seen anything. Li Wei Yang sighed to herself in relief. As long as he wasn’t obsessing with his identity, it was good enough. As for other things, there was no need to overthink them. So what if his parents were brother and sister? He was not missing any arms or legs or was born with any deformities. Well, although he developed more slowly than the average person in his childhood, even not being able to speak until he was four years old… In any case, he was still born better looking than anyone else. That is something to be proud of. Well, Li Wei Yang thought so. She quickly went over and greeted Sun Yan Jun with a face full of smiles: “I brought books you might like in the carriage. Have your servant come over and pick it up later.”
Sun Yan Jun smiled and said: “Good, good. Right, didn’t your Eldest Sister have some allergic reaction on her face? How did she recover so quickly?”
Li Wei Yang looked in the direction she was pointing in. Li Chang Le stood beside Jiang Yue Lan and with her makeup done, she seemed even more gentle and pitiful. Her clothes audibly rustled when the wind picked up, and the jade ornaments hanging from her waist occasionally touched. Every sound that was made added to her charm in a way that was difficult to describe. Everyone could not help but hold their breath, fearing the slightest breath will make this delicate jade beauty fly away.
Sun Yan Jun frowned and quietly said: “I don’t know why, but I keep feeling that there’s a strange smell on her.”
Li Min De, who just came over, lightly said: “It’s a rotting smell.”
“Right right! It smells like rotten meat! What’s wrong with her? What are all the powders made of? That smell is sickening, I’m even afraid to be near her!” Sun Yan Jun said with exaggerated gestures.
“An unpleasant smell?” Li Wei Yang was confused, then took two steps forward when the wind blew past, and she caught the dizzying smell of the cosmetic powders on Li Chang Le. Beneath the smell of powder and rouge was an undeniable rotting smell. That smell was hard to describe, simply unimaginable. Although not as exaggerated as Sun Yan Jun made it out to be, it was not enough to make others avoid her, but the smell was there if they came close to her.
How could this be?
Li Wei Yang was suddenly startled. It was not just her that was surprised, but Li Min De too. She only heard Li Min De say: “Her face recovered very quickly! Have to wonder what magical pills could have this sort of effect.”
Hearing Li Min De’s voice, Sun Yan Jun shifted her gaze to him and was stunned. She immediately blushed and quietly tugged Li Wei Yang’s sleeve as if to say something.
Li Min De smiled slightly and looked at Li Wei Yang: “I will go first.” Li Xiao Ran had noticed him, so he had to go over and greet him.
Li Wei Yang nodded. The moment he left, Sun Yan Jun immediately smiled: “Seeing your household’s Third Young Master, it’s enough to say he’s inarguably the most handsome man.”
Li Wei Yang was stunned: “Really?” She was with him everyday but did not notice his looks. It seems his looks were quite lethal. It could even make Sun Yan Jun, who had always been righteous and heroic, blush.
Jiang Nan managed to cut off his pursuers after much effort. He naturally rushed straight to the Palace gates. He turned around while on horseback and threw the whip to a servant. He saw Li Wei Yang from afar, standing out among the group of people. Seeing her skin, fair as snow, and delicate, youthful face, coupled with her clear, bright eyes, deep as the water in a well, he felt every other Young Miss here had lost their color and shine. Amazing, why did this viciously cruel girl have such a lovely, captivating pair of eyes?
Earlier, he stopped her in the middle of the road to teach her a lesson in advance. Because after today’s banquet, he felt he would no longer have the chance. Who would have thought he would be suddenly confronted with a group of guards in black. Losing ten of his close confidants was simply unbelievable!
As he thought about this, he subconsciously approached, but before he reached Li Wei Yang, someone stopped in front of him. It was Li Chang Le.
Jiang Fourth was taken aback because he had seen Li Chang Le’s face with his own eyes, but she had recovered her former beauty. Jiang Tian clearly said she absolutely could not go back to the way she used to be, what was going on?! It was truly shocking!
Li Chang Le raised her voice and said: “Cousin Nan, I haven’t seen you in a while.” While no one was paying attention, she lowered her voice, “What about what you promised me?”
Jiang Nan subconsciously glanced at Li Wei Yang and found his calm to say, “Everything has already been arranged.” He was prepared to walk over when he stopped.
At that moment, the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu went to Li Wei Yang’s side with a smile, happily talking to her. That face was one of someone falling in love. Jiang Fourth sneered. Suddenly realizing there was a cold brooding stare on him, he looked down and saw that it was from Li Chang Le. He could not help but frown: “Alright. Rest assured, I won’t disappoint you!” If something really happened to Li Wei Yang, what would he gain? He quickly began to make plans in his head.
“Wei Yang, are you listening to me?” Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu asked gently.
Sun Yan Jun could hardly believe her own eyes. The person gently speaking with Li Wei Yang was really Tuoba Yu? Was it Tuoba Yu? Was it really Tuoba Yu?! She felt she had gravely misheard… Tuoba Yu had always been cold, not wanting to talk to women, but he spoke to Li Wei Yang so warmly. Not just that, he also acknowledged and greeted the people around Li Wei Yang, like Sun Yan Jun herself. People he would have not bothered with previously…
They were not familiar with each other, but he was especially courteous because she and Li Wei Yang were friends… Sun Yan Jun felt like she was losing her mind.
Li Wei Yang looked at Tuoba Yu and said, “I am listening.”
Tuoba Yu looked at her and followed her gaze to the main hall of where the divination dial was being moved. He knew Yin Tian Zhao used his divination dial everyday, combining divination, astrology and various, incredible oracles.
Now that the sky had darkened, only the surreal lights of the hall could be seen from the Palace gates. Li Wei Yang saw it very clearly. The main hall was illuminated, isolated from the darkness with a distinct brilliance. There seemed to be invisible forces engaged in a struggle, clashing. Tonight was destined to be a thrilling night...