Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I was fine now.

Yet, seeing him still made me so happy.

In that dream, even when I was loathed by my Imperial Father, my Crown Prince Brother still protected me at every turn.

In the end, he was deposed, and I was killed.

The one who successfully ascended the throne was Prince Duan.

The first thing Prince Duan did upon his succession was to reward Wei He, elevating the Marquis Manor to a Ducal Manor.

Wei He married Xue Ling, creating a beautiful tale of childhood sweethearts.

It was only then that I found out.

Before Xue Ling entered the palace, she lived right next door to Wei He’s biological mother and grew up with him.

Later, Wei He went to the Marquis Manor.

She entered the palace.

The bond they shared since childhood was something even a lightning strike couldn’t sever.

Yet I, overestimating myself, thought that years of companionship could outweigh the ties of their youth.

I never once suspected Xue Ling.

I truly deserved to die!

I took my brother’s arm and smiled.

“I’m fine, really. I’m okay.”

“But I’m still very confused. How could a mere young master quietly bypass the Shadow Guards and walk into my courtyard?”

“Could it be that he knows martial arts?”

My Crown Prince Brother’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Shu’an, this was my oversight. I will give you an explanation for this.”

The fact that the princess’s manor guards had been infiltrated was a serious matter.

Prince Duan’s influence was far more terrifying than we had realized.

I went to pay my respects to my Imperial Father.

He had just finished dealing with the Guangping Marquis.

Seeing me poking my head around the corner, he said crossly, “Get out here already.”

“Coming!”

I ran over and threw myself into my Imperial Father’s arms.

At this time, he still doted on me.

He wasn’t the cold, heartless emperor from my dream.

He had deeply loved my mother, the Empress, and since her passing, he had cherished me and my Crown Prince Brother just the same.

I could hardly imagine what my life would become without his protection.

It would surely be as if the sky had fallen.

I couldn’t help but feel my eyes redden.

Imperial Father looked a bit panicked.

“What on earth happened? Did that Wei boy truly offend you?”

I shook my head.

“Not exactly. I just find it strange.”

“It was clearly Wei He who offended me, so why did the Guangping Marquis Manor punish Wei Xiao by making him kneel in the ancestral hall?”

“Does the Guangping Marquis look down on me? Does he not trust my judgment?”

“Or is he favoring a concubine over his wife? Doting on his second son while blaming the eldest?”

My Imperial Father’s eyes turned cold instantly.

Favoring a concubine over a wife.

This was something he could not tolerate.

The Empress held a supreme position in his heart.

Anyone who dared to favor a concubine over a wife was trampling upon the ancestral laws and traditions.

That very night, a decree of reprimand was delivered to the Marquis Manor.

The Guangping Marquis immediately and tremblingly brought Wei Xiao out of the ancestral hall and sent Wei He in his place.

I chatted and laughed about the matter with Shuangwei.

Shuangwei clapped her hands in celebration.

“How satisfying! That brat relied on his looks to barge around wherever he pleased.”

“Who knows if he was trying to use such methods to seduce the Princess?”

“If everyone used the excuse of ‘taking a wrong turn’ like him, wouldn’t the world be in chaos?”

“Those who follow the rules properly would be the ones suffering the most.”

I praised her, “Well said! You deserve a reward!”

I took a golden hairpin from my hair and tucked it into Shuangwei’s. Her face lit up with joy, and she immediately ran to the mirror.

Such a good girl, so lively and pretty-how wonderful it was.

In that dream, how could anyone have the heart to strangle her to death?

How could Xue Ling bring herself to do it!

I sneered. “Heh! That boy won’t survive the night.”

Shuangwei turned back abruptly. “Princess…”

I nodded and whispered softly in her ear:

“Little beauty, you really are quite lovely.”

Shuangwei blushed crimson.

“Princess, you really are…”

We laughed and played.

In the mirror, Xue Ling’s face appeared, frozen.

She forced herself to remain calm as she packed some things, making an excuse to go to the storehouse to fetch items before heading out.

Before long, a Shadow Guard came to report that Xue Ling had met with someone.

The dust had finally settled.

She had cut off her only path to survival.

And I could finally toll the funeral bell.