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"What kind of nonsense are you spouting!? Who is your aunt!?" Eunuch Su scolded under his breath, "Don't think that just because you look a bit like Little Marquis, you can come here and falsely claim relatives!"
What would happen if the palace people heard such words?
Xiao Liulang gazed at Empress Xiao, who had stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around. His throat swallowed and he said with difficulty, "Has the little tree that Ah Heng planted in Aunt's chambers grown tall?"
"Ah Heng, what are you doing?"
"I'm planting a tree. I want to plant a really big tree for Aunt! In the spring, the tree will bloom with lots of flowers—tree peonies, common peonies, and trumpet flowers... In the autumn, the tree will bear many fruits—dates, peaches, pears, and chestnuts!"
"Chestnuts? Who taught you this word? Also, can all those flowers and fruits come from just this one tree?"
"Yeah!"
"No, they can't."
"Other little trees can't, but the one Ah Heng is planting can!"
The little bean patted his chest with great confidence, sweating profusely as he continued planting a tree in Kunning Palace.
Xiao Liulang choked up and said, "Has Ah Heng's tree borne dates, peaches, pears, and chestnuts?"
Ah Heng!
It was her Ah Heng!
Empress Xiao turned around abruptly, her eyes reddened, looking at Xiao Liulang in disbelief.
How could it be...
Wasn't Ah Heng already dead?
She had seen his corpse...
If he was Ah Heng, why hadn't her older brother ever mentioned it?
Why had he entered the palace so many times without ever coming to acknowledge her?
What on earth was going on?
Empress Xiao walked towards Xiao Liulang blankly.
Eunuch Su looked at his master with a complicated expression, tactfully retreated to the side, and dispersed unrelated palace people to a distance of three zhang (approximately equal to 10 feet).
When Empress Xiao reached Xiao Liulang, the rim of Xiao Liulang’s eyes were red, but he restrained himself from shedding tears.
Empress Xiao raised her hand and gently touched his cheek, tears welling up in her eyes, "Are you really Ah Heng? You..."
Her fingertip landed beneath his right eye, "What about your teardrop mole?"
"It’s gone." Xiao Liulang replied.
Empress Xiao choked with tears and said, "How could it be gone? What exactly happened back then? You must tell Aunt!"
Xiao Liulang didn't know where to begin.
He didn't know how that mole had disappeared. He only remembered waking up in a run-down inn with Xiao Liulang's older brother, Xiao Su, by his side.
"Aunt, spare Long Yi, okay?" He said.
"Don't be angry with Long Yi."
"Ah Heng will make amends to Aunt on Long Yi’s behalf."
Empress Xiao was so angry that she tried to hit Xiao Liulang with her fists as she burst into tears, "You rascal! You won’t come to recognize me unless you plead for mercy on his behalf!"
The people at the other end had no idea what was happening. They just saw Xiao Liulang saying something to Empress Xiao, causing her to cry hysterically and even hit him.
However, it was clear to anyone with sharp eyes that there was little force behind her blows.
Before the others could figure out what had transpired between Empress Xiao and Xiao Liulang, Empress Xiao's trusted confidant, Eunuch Su, approached while holding a horsetail whisk.
He told the imperial guards, "Empress has given orders, there’s nothing for you to do here. You may leave."
The imperial guards: What?!
The Crown Princess was in a panic.
Others might not know what was going on, but how could she be oblivious to it?
Xiao Heng had clearly acknowledged Empress Xiao as his relative. Ever since returning to the capital for such a long time, he had never acknowledged anyone from his past, but now he recognized Empress Xiao.
Why?
Was it for the sake of this woman and this dark guard?
Just moments ago, she had accused Gu Jiao of orchestrating Long Yi's actions. Now, Gu Jiao had transformed into Empress Xiao's most beloved nephew's wife. She didn’t dare imagine what Empress Xiao would do to her next.
The Crown Princess fainted on the spot. It was unknown whether it was due to weakness from her pregnancy or fear of the consequences she would have to face.
Empress Xiao brought Xiao Liulang back to Kunning Palace. Originally, she planned to take Gu Jiao with them too, but Gu Jiao had been taken away by Long Yi.
Empress Xiao dismissed the servants and sat down with Xiao Liulang to talk. The window was wide open, and from their perspective, they could clearly see the small tree that Xiao Heng had planted during his childhood.
It was an orange tree that couldn't bear dates, peaches, pears, or chestnuts. The oranges it produced weren't particularly tasty either.
Empress Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "The oranges you planted are terrible!"
Empress Xiao was eager to know what had happened back then, but Xiao Heng couldn't speak of it.
Her gaze fell on the cane beside the chair, "What about your leg? Is it from an injury four years ago?"
"No." Xiao Liulang shook his head.
It was an injury from saving Feng Lin.
In one big fire, someone had died because of him, and in another, someone had been saved because of him.
His leg was crippled, but it seemed like a tiny bit of his guilt had been redeemed.
Although he couldn't fully wash away all his sins, he could spend the rest of his life slowly atoning for them in pain.
Xiao Liulang said, "Aunt, about this matter..."
Empress Xiao replied, "I understand. Although I don't know why you did this, Aunt believes that you must have your reasons. Whenever you're ready to tell Aunt, come find me."
Neither of them mentioned anything about Wen Linlang.
Let the past stay in the past. Empress Xiao had agreed to this marriage because she genuinely believed that Xiao Heng had passed away. Otherwise, she would never have allowed her son to snatch his own cousin’s fiancee, even if it meant breaking the Crown Prince's leg.
Empress Xiao patted his hand, "Aunt won't tell a single human soul about your situation, you can rest assured."
"Thank you, Aunt."
Xiao Liulang got up and left.
As soon as he left Kunning Palace, Empress Xiao summoned one of her trusted dark guards and said, "Quickly inform my brother. Tell him that Ah Heng is still alive!"
The dark guard paused before saying, "Your Majesty, didn't you promise not to tell a single human soul?"
Empress Xiao responded sternly, "When has my brother ever been a human?"
The dark guard was speechless.
This was the worst Marquis Xuanping had been slandered.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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