CH 59

Irrelevant to Whether One Is of Common Birth or Not

As the first snow fell, the plum blossoms in the Changning Palace courtyard came into bloom, filling the cold wind with their sweet scent.

The season’s transition was a reminder that another tumultuous year was drawing to a close, evoking feelings of nostalgia and melancholy.

In the courtyard stood a fragile figure, wrapped in a snow-white fox fur, gazing up at the pink blooms adorning the branches. Beside her, a one-year-old tiger rubbed against her hand, ever-vigilant of their surroundings.

Murong Yan had been recovering for two weeks, and her muscles had finally loosened enough for her to walk short distances unaided. However, the weight she had lost during her illness could not be regained, leaving her as delicate as a willow branch.

She scratched the furry head of her companion and looked out at the snow accumulating on the ground, a sense of sadness overwhelming her.

Winter has always been a season of bittersweet memories.

Some of the fondest memories include traveling with Ah Qin through the snow, sharing a romantic carriage as snowflakes danced around them, and whispering sweet nothings to each other amidst the snow-covered scenery.

But it was also on a snowy day when Murong Yan lost Ah Qin.

As she stood in the snow, a gust of wind blew her hat off, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she gazed down at the petals scattered on the muddy ground, their beauty fading as they mixed with the snow and gradually decayed.

“Yue’er, Yue’er.”

The woman’s thoughts were interrupted by the sight of her elder brother, who loved her dearly, leaving the court. She quickly rushed over to him.

“Yue’er, how are you feeling?” he asked.

Since becoming the commander-in-chief of the victorious army and entering the capital, Murong Can had steadily established his position in court alongside several young, passionate generals, replacing the aging Prince Yu. Despite his busy schedule, Murong Can still made it a point to visit his sister every day out of deep concern for her well-being.

As he spoke, he carefully observed Murong Yan, his expression betraying his anxiety as he feared the worst.

Murong Yan brushed the flower petals from her brother’s shoulder and answered calmly, “I’m fine, brother. Please don’t worry about me.”

Despite hearing her assurance, Murong Can furrowed his brows and circled his sister as if to confirm that she was indeed unharmed.

After a brief pause, he asked, “Yue’er, the annual festival is coming up in a month. Are you planning to go back to Prince Yu’s Mansion, or will you stay here at Changning Palace?”

Observing her nervous brother, Murong Yan suddenly lifted her head and responded, “Speaking of Prince Yu’s Mansion, I do need to go back for a while.” Her eyes darkened as she spoke.

“Really? You’re coming back?” Murong Can exclaimed in surprise. “Then I’ll have someone take care of your courtyard while we’re gone, and you can return in a few days…”

“We can leave now instead of waiting for a few more days,” Murong Can suggested. However, before he could finish, Murong Yan interrupted him with a raised hand. “There’s no need to tend to the courtyard, we can move quickly.”

Although confused by his sister’s words, Murong Can still obediently supported the still weak Murong Yan into the carriage and headed towards Prince Yu’s Mansion.

Despite her physical discomfort, Murong Yan did not ask the coachman to stop at a closer side door to her or her brother’s courtyard. Instead, she got off the carriage at the main gate of Prince Yu’s Mansion and led the tiger cub towards the main hall.

Inside the house, Murong Wen, his mother Aunt Lui, and his son Murong Fu were drinking tea and chatting. Without sending a message in advance, Murong Yan suddenly entered and silently took a seat at the empty head of the table. The tiger cub obediently lay at her feet.

As the only legitimate daughter of Prince Yu and the County Princess personally appointed by the late Emperor, she was indeed more noble than anyone present.

Additionally, the newly crowned Emperor Murong Wan had personally ordered that everyone treat Murong Yan as his own sister with honor and respect.

“Sister…”

Murong Wen’s voice trailed off as he noticed his sister’s expressionless face and the fierce beast lying beside her. He swallowed nervously, feeling anxious. “Why didn’t you inform us of your arrival?”

Slightly tilting her head, Murong Yan referred to herself in the third person as she spoke with a faint tone, “Does this palace require Brother Ah Wen’s permission to return to her own home?”

“No, no, of course not,” Murong Wen hastily replied, his forehead sweating. “I was just taken aback by the suddenness of your arrival.”

Murong Yan lifted the corner of her mouth slightly, her eyes filled with nothing but ridicule. “I have returned to the mansion after recovering, but why do you seem unhappy, Brother Ah Wen?”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she continued, “The Emperor is pleased with my recovery and has given me full authority to punish the deposed Crown Prince.”

Upon hearing this, Murong Wen frowned and stammered, “So… what does Sister plan to do with the deposed Crown Prince?”

“How should I handle this?” Murong Yan tapped her fingers lightly on the mahogany table, pretending to ponder while observing his reaction. “The deposed Crown Prince has committed the heinous crimes of rebellion and usurpation, so he naturally deserves the death penalty.”

“No, no, no, it can’t be. How can the Crown Prince be executed?” Murong Wen’s eyes widened in panic. “Sister must carefully consider this.”

Murong Yan poured hot water into the teapot beside her, her expression stern as she spoke. “The deposed Crown Prince committed a monstrous crime that almost cost me my life, and yet Brother Ah Wen still chooses to plead for him?”

The room seemed to grow colder.

“The Crown Prince is the Emperor’s son and the rightful heir. Even if his means were extreme, the throne rightfully belongs to him.” The man nervously stood up, hoping for a response from his indifferent younger sister. However, Murong Yan didn’t even look up, only staring at her own fingers.

After a long pause, she chuckled, as if she had thought of something amusing. “So this is why Brother Ah Wen helped the deposed Crown Prince, huh?”

A playful expression crossed her face. “Just because he’s the legitimate heir, he can do anything he wants? How ridiculous. He’s just a bastard himself. My dear brother Ah Wen’s old-fashioned thinking has truly impressed me.”

“Well… I…”

“How did the deposed Crown Prince persuade you to willingly reveal my whereabouts and withdraw the guards from the Hidden Moon Tower that day?”

Murong Yan’s tone was casual, but her gaze bore into the man. “Did the deposed Crown Prince tell you that he wanted to talk to your sister? Or did he tell you directly that he wanted to kill me?”

Murong Wen wanted to protest, but the tiger lying on the ground suddenly lifted its head.

The tiger, which had always harbored animosity towards the Murong father and son, glared at Murong Wen with bared teeth, as if it had found its prey.

The timid man’s hair stood on end, his legs trembling, as he involuntarily blurted out, “I… I had no idea that he wanted to kill you at that time…”

“What!”

Murong Can, who was leaning against the door frame, heard his half-brother’s confession and stared at him in disbelief. “So it was you! How dare you…”

During the days when Murong Yan was unconscious, he had been thinking day and night, repeatedly investigating, but still didn’t know who had successfully allowed the deposed Crown Prince to approach his sister.

After hearing the news today, the culprit turned out to be not a spy in the military nor remnants of rebels, but his younger brother who spent his days talking about decadent literature and idling around at home.

Furious and devoid of his usual gentleness, Murong Can grabbed Murong Wen by the collar, shaking him violently. “Have you gone mad? How dare you? On what grounds? Who gave you the courage… How dare you treat Yue’er like this?”

“Brother, please calm down.”

Murong Yan watched with a cold expression as she slowly poured herself a cup of tea, sneering at Murong Wen’s actions. “Brother Ah Wen has always refused to acknowledge his inferiority in front of us, but who would have thought that he cares the most about the difference between being a legitimate and illegitimate child.”

He had always lived under her brother’s shadow, unwilling to accept his status as an illegitimate child.

As they grew up, her brother, who was named the General of the Ever-Victorious Army for his bravery in battles, surpassed him by more than a head. To protect his fragile self-esteem, he began claiming to be a literary person and referred to those patriotic generals who died in battle as barbaric and crude.

Murong Wen’s loyalty to the deposed Crown Prince, who was born to the Empress, was nothing short of foolishness. He believed that he was on the right path and could achieve great things, but lacked the courage to take decisive action and was stuck in a dilemma.

He was even more unpleasant than the sour Confucian scholars, which was truly laughable.

As Murong Yan took a sip of tea, she found it difficult to swallow and wrinkled her brows before casually spilling it on the ground. She glanced at Aunt Liu and Murong Fu, who were pale and quiet throughout the exchange, then stood up and walked past her half-brother.

“Brother Ah Wen, this palace looks down on you not just because you are a bastard, but because you are incompetent and ignorant,” she said coldly, without even bothering to look at him as he turned blue from being grabbed by the collar.

Without a backwards glance, she left with the huge tiger by her side.

Sounds of fists hitting flesh and Murong Wen’s painful cries echoed in the background, but the woman remained unfazed, calling for the coachman to take her back to Changning Palace.

Slouching back in her seat, Murong Yan tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against the carriage door panel.

She knew her brother wouldn’t tolerate Murong Wen’s actions any longer. The little affection and brotherly love he once had for the half-brother who had crossed the line and nearly caused her death had completely dissipated.

Her protective brother wouldn’t let Murong Wen off easily.

If he couldn’t beat him up at home, he and his hot-tempered colleagues would take to the alleys to deal with him, as they had done countless times before.

Moreover, based on Murong Wen’s foolish behavior this time, he could be expelled from the Royal Family, his name stricken from the ancestral records, and even executed as a co-conspirator in the attempted usurpation of the throne by the deposed Crown Prince.

Even if Prince Yu favored Murong Wen, he wouldn’t be able to save him once the crime of treason was implicated.

However, despite this, Murong Yan felt no joy in catching the traitor within her own family. Her expression remained unchanged, and her heart felt hollow.

As if sensing the woman’s disappointment, the tiger inside the carriage leaned forward and licked Murong Yan’s palm, offering comfort.

The rough tongue, covered in thorns, scraped against her soft skin, causing some pain, but Murong Yan didn’t mind. She simply gently petted the tiger’s head.

“Tell me, where do you think your master is?” The woman asked, looking into the loyal beast’s eyes.

“I really, really miss her.”