Chapter Fifteen: The Beloved’s Old Covenant
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Ye Qingyan’s expression changed at once. “What—what do you mean by that?”
As the daughter of the Prince of Northern Pacification, she was bound by a marriage contract to the household of the Prince of Western Conquest.
Sun Feng was the heir of that household. Her future husband could only be the heir of the Prince of Western Conquest—in other words, Sun Feng.
“What could I mean? I merely want the Commandery Princess to put an end to her old feelings for Lin Qian. From this day forward, you will be the woman marrying into my household, my princess consort!”
As he spoke, Sun Feng’s brows drew tightly together. His words grew increasingly frivolous, and his gaze took on a hint of amusement.
“If the Commandery Princess does not completely sever this old attachment, how can I, Sun Feng, accept you wholeheartedly?”
“After all, you were once my ‘sister-in-law’!”
At the words “sister-in-law,” Ye Qingyan’s delicate face instantly flushed crimson.
It was true. Had fate not played such cruel tricks, she might already have married Lin Qian, the heir of the Prince of Western Conquest.
Who could have imagined that, through such a twist of fate, she would actually—actually…
“Whew…”
Ye Qingyan nearly lost her breath. She clenched her teeth, then turned back and gave Sun Feng a long, searching look.
“He has gone to Springpeace City. From now on, we shall never meet again, no matter where in the world we are—is that it?”
Sun Feng’s lips curved faintly, and a gleam of excitement flickered in his eyes.
“Of course! Tomorrow, I will make arrangements at the relay station so that the two of you can meet. Once this matter is settled, there will be nothing left to trouble my heart.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingyan could only nod.
Yes, in the end she was destined to become Sun Feng’s princess consort. As for Lin Qian…
She simply lacked the courage to be with him, and she could not disregard the reputation of the Prince of Northern Pacification’s household.
Seeing that Ye Qingyan had agreed, Sun Feng felt a surge of triumph.
This was all part of a plot.
After everyone from the princely household had dispersed from the main hall, Sun Feng suddenly clapped his hands toward the shadows.
A dark figure appeared before him without a sound. The voice that emerged was laced with mockery.
“You make a truly pathetic heir. If it were me, I would have killed Lin Qian long ago!”
Sun Feng stared deeply at the martial wanderer who had emerged from the darkness as though by magic.
The man was dressed in a black robe that concealed his grim, terrifying face. Yet the hand exposed beneath the sleeve, withered like a dead branch, was tinged with a sinister blue.
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“Gather your men. Tomorrow, at the place where they meet, kill Lin Qian!”
“If he leaves the capital, he will be a dragon returning to the sea and a tiger back in the mountains!”
“I want him dead. I want to extinguish my father’s final hope!”
At the mention of Sun Ye, Sun Feng’s eyes held not the slightest trace of affection. His usual obedience had merely been an act.
“You still think of him as your father? The story that the true heir of the household once wandered among commoners is nothing more than a rumor!”
“According to what we heard, the real heir died long ago. We merely used certain methods from the martial world to have you impersonate him and take his place. And you still call him father?”
Sun Feng’s expression changed violently at those words.
It was true. Lin Qian was not the heir of the Prince of Western Conquest—but neither was Sun Feng.
The so-called dragon-pattern birthmark and the jade pendant of the princely household were nothing more than details taken from an old rumor that had once circulated throughout the martial world.
Someone had seen such signs on the body of the true heir when he died, and had fabricated them for Sun Feng.
“Shut your mouth!” A vicious look surfaced on Sun Feng’s face. “I am the genuine heir of the Prince of Western Conquest—without a doubt!”
“If anyone dares reveal this secret, I will fight him to the death!”
“All right, all right!”
The black-robed martial wanderer suddenly chuckled. He stepped forward and gently stroked Sun Feng’s cheek.
“You think I would ever reveal your secret? Do not forget that you and I are the real father and son. If your secret is exposed, the household of the Prince of Western Conquest will kill me too. Our fortunes are bound together—for one to prosper is for both to prosper, and for one to fall is for both to fall.”
“Once you truly inherit the princely household, we will finally be able to avenge your dead mother…”
Sun Feng glared fiercely at the man before him, then issued his order.
“Tomorrow, killing Lin Qian alone would be best. But if that proves impossible, kill Ye Qingyan as well. Kill them both!”
A trace of reluctance flickered in his eyes, but to sever Sun Ye’s final avenue of hope, Sun Feng had resolved to pay any price.
What did it matter that she was the most beautiful woman in the Great Qian Empire? What did it matter that the Anping Commandery Princess was nearly within his grasp?
Anyone who dared block his path—even the Son of Heaven himself—would be slain by Sun Feng for all to see.
Before long, a letter written in Ye Qingyan’s own hand was delivered to the temporary encampment of the three thousand soldiers outside the capital.
Though the Emperor’s decree had already arrived, the provisions from the Ministry of Revenue had not yet been delivered.
Partly, this was because the matter had arisen so suddenly. More importantly, no one had expected Lin Qian to select his troops and leave the capital the instant he received the decree.
Too much delay invited trouble.
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For Lin Qian, there had been no other choice.
“Young Marshal.”
That night, at the temporary encampment outside the capital, Qin Yong suddenly lifted the flap of the tent and entered.
Lin Qian looked up and immediately recognized the maid following behind him.
It was Lianxiang, once the attendant of the Anping Commandery Princess.
“You?”
During the three years he had spent in the Imperial Horse Office, the Anping Commandery Princess had never visited him even once.
Seeing Lianxiang again, Lin Qian lost himself for a brief moment. He cleared his throat.
“What have you come here for?”
Lianxiang took a letter from her bosom. She did not even dare meet Lin Qian’s eyes, and could only murmur softly, “Heir, I beg you to understand my princess’s difficulties. Three years ago, when you were sent to the Imperial Horse Office, my princess…”
“Do not mention it again!”
Lin Qian waved his hand impatiently. Every time those old matters were brought up, it felt as though a knife were driven into his heart all over again.
The wound would once more be exposed before the eyes of the entire world.
“My princess… she has asked you to meet her tomorrow in Peach Creek Woods, ten miles from the relay station. She… she has something to say to you.”
At that, Lin Qian nearly laughed aloud.
For three whole years, she had never sent anyone to deliver a message. Yet now, the moment he was preparing to leave the capital, she had sent someone to summon him?
This woman was truly something.
Once, she had been the embodiment of tenderness beneath the moon and flowers. Later, when he had been imprisoned in the Imperial Horse Office and reduced to slavery, she had been the very soul of coldness and ruthlessness, severing all contact with him.
And now that he had escaped and was about to begin a new life, what could she possibly want?
Yet none of it mattered anymore. Let Ye Qingyan make her case as eloquently as she pleased; his heart, already sealed against affection, would never stir again.
“Go back and tell your princess that I will meet with her tomorrow. There is nothing else to say. You may leave.”
Lianxiang looked at Lin Qian’s increasingly resolute face. She wanted to say something more, but she no longer had the face to continue. In the end, she could only leave dejectedly.
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