xymnovel Chapter 528 Xu Fenghua was shocked. It turned out that Qin Mu had known all along that she had a chi
Chapter 528 Xu Fenghua was shocked. It turned out that Qin Mu had known all along that she had a chi
Qin Mu turned to look at her, his smile deepening. "You're back earlier than I expected. What's wrong? Did the talks not go well?"
Yin Sutang shook her head, her voice very soft. "The talks went very smoothly. I met with Fan Li and said everything that needed to be said. He said that the Northern Border is willing to talk."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered slightly. "Willing to talk? He said the word 'willing'?"
Yin Sutang nodded. "Yes. He said the Northern Border was willing to talk. As for how to talk, where to talk, and what conditions to negotiate, he would send someone to deliver a message to me. I didn't ask any questions or say anything more, I just replied, 'I'll wait for Mr. Fan's news,' and then I came back."
Qin Mu leaned back on the soft couch, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, making a "tap-tap" sound.
He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the increasingly bright sky outside the window, the smile still playing on his lips. "What else did Fan Li say?"
Yin Sutang bit her lip. "He also asked about my hand. He asked how I got the injury. I told him, as you instructed, that I was being chased on my way to the appointment, but I didn't know who did it. I didn't explain further, I just remained silent. Fan Li didn't press the matter further."
Qin Mu smiled, a very light and faint smile, yet it carried a hint of approval. "Well done. You said what I told you to say. You didn't say a word more than what I didn't tell you to say."
He stood up, his moon-white robe trailing on the ground with a soft rustling sound.
He walked up to Yin Sutang, stopped, and looked down at her, his gaze calm as still water. "Elder Yin, I can heal the wound on your hand."
Yin Sutang suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Her lips trembled violently, her voice hoarse. "Connect...connect? Young master...you mean..."
Qin Mu reached out and took out a small jade bottle from his sleeve. The bottle was warm and smooth, and had a bright white glow.
He uncorked the bottle and poured out a pale golden pill, its delicate fragrance instantly filling the entire room. "This is a Bone-Regenerating Pill; one pill can regenerate broken bones. I have plenty of these; you can have it."
Yin Sutang looked at the pill, watching it lie quietly in Qin Mu's palm, like a solidified golden amber.
Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks.
She didn't reach out to take it; she just knelt there, like a stone statue struck by lightning.
"Young master... why... why are you so kind to me?"
Qin Mu looked at her, the smile still lingering on his lips. "I'm not doing this for your own good. I just think you're still useful. The Xuan Yin Sect elders of Northern Mang are familiar with Northern Mang's intelligence network and know their spies and strongholds. It would be a pity to kill someone like that."
His voice was soft, as if he were stating something utterly ordinary, yet beneath that gentleness lay a chilling edge. "From this day forward, you will serve the Great Qin. Whatever I command, you will do. Your purpose in life is to serve the Great Qin. Understand?"
Yin Sutang's body trembled violently, the trembling starting from her spine, like a frozen iron rod.
She understood. It wasn't about letting her go, nor was it about giving her freedom. It was about changing masters. From the Khan of Northern Mang, to the Emperor of Great Qin.
But what could she say? What choice did she have? Just surviving was the best outcome.
She lowered her head, her forehead touching the ground, her voice hoarse but firm. "I understand. From this day forward, my life belongs to you, my lord."
Qin Mu placed the pill in her left hand, turned and walked back to the soft couch, sat down, leaned back in the chair, propped his chin on one hand, and gazed at the brightly lit sky outside the window. "Take this. Your hand will heal within three days. After that, someone will come to teach you what to do."
Yin Sutang put the pale golden pill into her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.
The medicine entered my throat, its warmth lingering, like a warm current sliding down my throat and spreading to my limbs and bones.
She looked down at her empty sleeve and for the first time felt that maybe everything would be alright.
She bowed deeply, her voice hoarse. "Thank you for sparing my life, young master. I... I will certainly not fail you."
Qin Mu waved his hand. "Go down. Yun Luan will take care of you."
Yin Sutang turned around and walked towards the door.
He took two steps, then stopped without looking back.
Her voice drifted from ahead, soft and faint, as if through a thin veil. "Young master, although I do not know who you are, I... I will remember everything that happened tonight."
She stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the morning light outside.
The door slowly closed behind her.
The room fell silent.
Morning light filtered through the cracks in the window, spreading a pale golden glow across the floor.
Qin Mu leaned back on the soft couch, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window, a smile still playing on his lips.
Xu Fenghua sat in the corner, motionless.
Her face was ashen, her lips were bloodless, and her fingers were clenched tightly in her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms.
She heard every word Yin Sutang said, the words "Fan Li," and the words "The Northern Border is willing to talk."
Her younger brother, Xu Longxiang, was really going to form an alliance with the Northern Barbarians. He was really going down a path of no return.
Tears welled up silently in her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks.
She bit her lip, trying desperately to hold back her tears, but she couldn't stop them.
She wanted to stop him, but she knew she couldn't.
Qin Mu stood up, walked up to her, stopped, and looked down at her.
His gaze fell on her face, on her red, swollen, tear-streaked eyes, and on her hand that was unconsciously resting on her lower abdomen.
He didn't speak, he just watched quietly.
Xu Fenghua suddenly realized something and withdrew her hand from her lower abdomen as if she had been burned.
She looked up and met his gaze, her heart turning ice-cold.
Qin Mu looked at her, the smile still lingering on his lips. "Consort Hua, why are you crying? Is it for your brother, or for the one in your belly?"
Xu Fenghua's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
Her lips trembled violently as she tried to say something, but something seemed to be blocking her throat, and she couldn't squeeze out a single word.
How did he know? She clearly didn't tell anyone.
Her hands were trembling, from her fingertips to her wrists, and from her wrists to her arms.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..."
Qin Mu knelt down in front of her, his gaze level with hers, his voice soft, as if he were stating something utterly ordinary. "You think I wouldn't know? From the very first day your body began to change, I knew. I just didn't say anything."
Xu Fenghua's tears flowed even more fiercely, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Her heart felt like it was churning with boiling oil, making her internal organs tremble.
So he already knew. The secret she thought she was keeping was no secret from him at all.
It turns out he had been waiting all along, waiting for her to bring it up herself.
Qin Mu reached out and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
His fingers were warm, yet held an undeniable strength. "Consort Hua, remember this. This child is mine. And you are mine too. What path your brother takes is none of your concern. You only need to take care of yourself and the child in your womb. Understand?"
Xu Fenghua looked at him, her vision blurred by tears, but his face remained exceptionally clear.
Her lips trembled violently, her voice hoarse. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty understands."
Qin Mu released his grip, stood up, walked back to the soft couch, and sat down.
He leaned back in his chair, propping his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on the increasingly bright sky outside the window. "I know what you're thinking. You want to tell him that the letter is fake. You want to save him. But you dare not. Because you can't afford to gamble."
Xu Fenghua's body trembled violently, as if she had been struck by lightning.
That letter... he even knew about that.
Her heart felt ice-cold, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head, chilling her to the bone.
Qin Mu didn't turn around. His voice drifted from ahead, soft and faint. "You don't need to go. Even if you go, he might not believe you. He's already gone this far; there's no turning back. If you go, you'll just be throwing your life away."
Xu Fenghua lowered her head, tears falling drop by drop onto her clothes, blurring a small dark stain.
She knew he was right. Xu Longxiang had already gone this far; there was no turning back.
What could she change by going? Besides distracting her brother and putting herself in danger, she wouldn't change anything.
Qin Mu stood up, walked to his desk, opened a sandalwood box, and took out an opened letter from it.
The envelope was plain white with slightly yellowed edges. It was unsigned, with only the character "Xu" written on it.
He took the letter, walked back to Xu Fenghua, stopped, and handed the letter to her.
"Consort Hua, take a look at this."
Xu Fenghua raised her head, her gaze falling on the plain white letter, and her heart clenched.
She recognized the character "Xu"; it was her younger brother Xu Longxiang's handwriting.
Each stroke is vigorous and powerful, carrying the coldness and stubbornness unique to the North.
She watched him write since she was a child, for more than ten years, and could recognize his handwriting even with her eyes closed.
She reached out and took the letter; her hand trembled the moment her fingertips touched the paper.
She unfolded the letter, her gaze sweeping over the familiar handwriting. Her pupils suddenly contracted, as if pricked by a needle, or frozen in place, and she stood there motionless.
The letter was short, containing only a few sentences: "To my dear sister: I have heard that you are pregnant with the child of the dragon, a matter of great importance. Qin Mu harbors wolfish ambitions and will surely use this to blackmail you as a hostage in the future. The best course of action now is to make a decision as soon as possible and abort this bastard before the pregnancy becomes apparent. Although I am reluctant, for your safety and the sake of the greater good of the Northern Frontier, I earnestly hope that you will listen to my advice. Sincerely, Longxiang."
Xu Fenghua's lips trembled violently, her face was as pale as paper, and her hands holding the letter trembled more and more violently, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, so fragile that they seemed to break at the slightest touch.
He called her child an illegitimate child. He told her to abort it as soon as possible. He said it was for the greater good of the North.
Through those few lines of text, she seemed to see Xu Longxiang sitting under the lamp, writing this letter.
His brows must have been furrowed, and the "川" character between his brows must have been as deep as if carved by a knife.
His eyes must have been cold, as cold as the snowstorm in the North, devoid of any warmth.
She closed her eyes, and tears silently welled up from her tightly closed eye sockets, streaming down her pale cheeks.
Her heart felt like it was churning with boiling oil, making her internal organs tremble.
She suddenly felt cold. Very cold. The cold seeped into her bones, colder than the snow in the North, colder than the icy bed she had lain on.
She covered her mouth, letting out a suppressed, broken sob.
She wanted to know if the letter was fake. She desperately tried to convince herself that the letter was fake, forged, and a trap set by Qin Mu to sow discord between her and her brother.
But she couldn't fool herself. She recognized that "Xu" character all too clearly.
When he was little, she taught him to write, holding his hand and tracing each stroke carefully, watching him go from crooked and awkward to increasingly neat and tidy.
Later, his calligraphy became increasingly forceful and powerful, carrying an unstoppable sharpness.
Every word in this letter was written by her younger brother. Every stroke, every line, was personally made by Xu Longxiang.
She finally understood. In his heart, her child, the unborn life in her womb, was merely a bargaining chip that Qin Mu could potentially use.
Without even hesitating, he was able to say the word "abort".
When he made this decision, did he ever hesitate for a moment? When he wrote the words "bastard child," did he ever think that this child was her flesh and blood, her last bond in this world?
Her younger brother, the younger brother she watched grow up, the younger brother who followed her around calling her "sister," the younger brother who didn't cry even when he fell off his horse, the younger brother who gritted his teeth and held up the Xu family in the snowstorm of the North—he said her child was an illegitimate child.
She clutched the letter in her hand, her knuckles turning white, the paper crumpled in her grasp, making a soft, rustling sound.
She suddenly tore the letter to shreds, ripping it into pieces, as if tearing apart a dream she couldn't bear to look back on.
The scraps of paper drifted through her fingers and fell to the ground like ashes scattered by the wind.