Chapter 525: Truth (Part I)

Qiqi said: "Power makes people lose themselves; if you think our existence already threatens your throne, you will forget our relationship."

Long Xuan'en looked at Qiqi; he wasn't angry, but a smile touched his lips: "I've reigned for over forty years, and I have never personally killed a brother or sister. Although most of them are gone now, no one bears me a grudge. Your father has been on the throne less than a year, yet already five of his brothers have died at his hands—in that regard I fall short of him."

Qiqi said: "It seems your resentment toward my father the emperor is truly deep."

Long Xuan'en coughed and said: "Forget it, let it be, lest the younger generation laugh… I never expected that only you would come to see me."

Qiqi said: "I came to see you not out of familial affection, but out of curiosity."

Long Xuan'en smiled: "Curious about what? Ask any question; if I know it, I will certainly tell you."

Qiqi slowly stepped closer, lowered her voice, and asked: "Was it you who killed my mother?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Come a little closer."

Qiqi stepped forward a bit more, though still not getting too close.

Long Xuan'en said: "You needn't fear me; it should be I who fears you. Want to hear a secret?"

Qiqi certainly wanted to, but she also worried Long Xuan'en might trick her. She slightly raised her right hand inside her sleeve and whispered: "You'd better not play any tricks, or else the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle in my hand will show no mercy."

Long Xuan'en laughed: "Not to mention the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle—you couldn't even bring an embroidery needle here. I never expected someone so young to have such deep scheming; truly a descendant of the Long Clan."

Qiqi bit her lip; the Retired Emperor was indeed crafty and treacherous. Though his gaze seemed cloudy, it was actually sharp as a torch, observing minutely, and he easily saw through her bluff.

Long Xuan'en said: "My days are numbered; even if your father doesn't kill me, I won't live much longer…" He sighed as he spoke.

Qiqi stepped a few steps closer: "If that's the case, why not help Dakang, help the Long Clan?"

Long Xuan'en said: "How should we help?"

Qiqi said: "How has Dakang's treasury become so empty?"

Long Xuan'en chuckled: "Almost everyone thinks I hid Dakang's wealth. Especially your father—just now he threatened me with his life, trying to make me reveal the location of a secret treasury. I told him, even if there were no secret treasury at all, and even if there were, I wouldn't give it to him given his ability. Even if I gave him a mountain of gold, it would still end up as someone else's dowry."

Qiqi said: "After all this, it's still just your greed for power; you haven't accepted reality."

Long Xuan'en said: "The ones who came to assassinate you were not sent by me. When I originally stripped your father of his crown prince position, it was because he feared someone would threaten his succession, so he plotted to eliminate his two brothers. Even so, I did not kill him; I merely exiled him to the Western Frontier. Since I didn't even kill him, why would I kill you? How could I bear to?"

Qiqi furrowed her brows. She didn't know what he meant by that.

Long Xuan'en said: "Your mother wasn't killed by me either."

"You're lying!" Qiqi exclaimed angrily.

Long Xuan'en gazed at Qiqi, his eyes flashing with complex light, and lowered his voice: "Your right foot's sole has seven red moles, correct?"

Qiqi's beautiful eyes widened. Apart from Quan De'an, no one else knew this. How could Long Xuan'en know this secret? Although he is her grandfather, even her own father doesn't know—how did he find out?

"Step on one star, you can command a thousand soldiers; step on seven stars, you command all the troops under heaven, born with an emperor's destiny. Too bad you're female; if you were male, the Long Clan's realm would surely pass into your hands…" Long Xuan'en's eyes filled with bewilderment.

Qiqi said: "How do you know?"

Long Xuan'en lowered his voice: "Not only do I know this, I also know your birth date and time, and I know exactly who killed your mother…"

Qiqi suddenly stepped forward, killing intent flickering in her beautiful eyes.

Long Xuan'en gazed at Qiqi; his eyes held no fear, only a kind expression, and he whispered: "Like… truly like…"

Qiqi said: "It seems Father Emperor wasn't wrong; your mind really is muddled."

Long Xuan'en said: "Although I'm old, I'm not muddled; in fact, one could say most people in this world are less clear-headed than I. Do you want to know whether I've secretly hoarded a secret treasury?"

Qiqi blinked, but said nothing.

Long Xuan'en beckoned her: "Come… come over, I'll tell you…"

Qiqi's expression was full of doubt.

Long Xuan'en said: "Your mother left you a Night Pearl, didn't she?"

Hearing this, Qiqi's heart jumped in surprise; she didn't know how Long Xuan'en could know so clearly. He lowered his voice: "That thing was actually given to her by me."

Qiqi bit her lip: "You're lying!" Yet her feet moved on their own, drawing her closer to Long Xuan'en.

Long Xuan'en said: "The Numinous Heavens Palace is surrounded by listeners; do you really want my words to be overheard by others?"

Qiqi drew near his side; Long Xuan'en lowered his voice: "The apron is the map, the Night Pearl is the key—only by obtaining both can you find the true secret of our Long Clan, and both are actually in your hands."

Qiqi shook her head firmly—not to deny, but because she couldn't believe this fact.

Long Xuan'en leaned close to her ear, his voice like a mosquito's buzz, barely audible: "I am actually your biological father…"

Shock flashed in Qiqi's beautiful eyes, and she trembled: "You're lying…"

Long Xuan'en said: "Who else besides me would know such secrets? You're a smart child; having sneaked into the secret passages several times shows you've long doubted your origins."

Qiqi clenched her lips; after a brief shock, she quickly regained her composure—a state of mind that should not appear in a girl like her.

Long Xuan'en said: "My days are numbered; there's no need to lie to you. It was your so-called father who killed your mother. You would have died with her had it not been for Ghost Doctor Fuduó, who cut you from her womb and saved your life. He treats you differently from your other siblings because his conscience remains intact; feeling deep remorse over this, he seeks to atone by protecting you. If he were to learn the truth…" Long Xuan'en began to cough.

Qiqi had completely calmed, glanced left and right, and whispered: "Who tried to assassinate me on the road to Harmony Prefecture?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Dakang's realm is already riddled with holes; it's not that I refuse to hand over imperial power, but that I cannot—no one understands Dakang's current state better than I. If I remained on the throne, Dakang, though tottering, could still hold on a while longer; if power passed to others, its downfall would be imminent. Your assassination attempt has nothing to do with me; perhaps Ji Feihua, to strengthen Ye Lin's resolve to usurp the throne, deliberately set this up. As his most beloved daughter, killing you would make him hate me even more, and if we could also get rid of Quan De'an, he'd lose a major threat—truly a two‑for‑one."

Qiqi said: "Why are you telling me all this?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Do you remember when you were five, and you came with a few imperial brothers to wish me a happy new year, and you accidentally knocked over my most cherished jade vase?"

Qiqi said: "I remember, of course I remember—you slapped that five‑year‑old girl hard in front of everyone, then kicked her to the ground, and no matter how sadly she cried, you wouldn't let anyone help her up."

Long Xuan'en nodded: "Is it from that time on that you've come to hate me utterly?"

Qiqi nodded.

Long Xuan'en said: "Actually, the blow landed on your body, but the pain was in my heart; at that moment my heart felt like it would break, yet I had no choice but to do so—whether in public or private, I must show no hint of affection toward you, lest anyone suspect anything. I know how lonely and painful you've been from childhood to adulthood, and all these years I have never ceased to watch over your growth."

Qiqi gazed at Long Xuan'en; for a moment she didn't know what to say, yet she could see genuine feeling shining through his cloudy eyes.

Long Xuan'en lowered his voice: "You are an extraordinarily clever child—you could write at three and compose poetry at five; both your scheming and ability far surpass those of your peers. While I reigned, I often lamented that if you were male, I would have unhesitatingly passed the throne to you; alas, you are a girl. The slap I gave you back then was not only to make people think I disliked you, but also for a more important reason: that day, among your brothers and sisters, you stood out with eloquence and wisdom—'the tree that stands out in the forest will be blown down by the wind.' You were too young to know the wickedness of human hearts, so that slap was also meant to teach you that lesson."

Qiqi said: "That slap left a lasting memory and made me the laughingstock of my brothers and sisters; for a long time I felt unable to lift my head in public." Yet in her heart she understood that the slap had been well‑intentioned.

Long Xuan'en said: "This time I summoned you brothers and sisters together, but in truth I only wanted to see you. I had worried you would refuse to come like your siblings, yet miraculously you came, and even agreed to see me alone—perhaps fate decreed it."

Qiqi said: "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

Long Xuan'en said: "Father Emperor has come to see me twice; in truth he's reached the end of his rope. If I'm not mistaken, he's already considered getting rid of Ji Feihua. If he were content with the status quo, happy to be a puppet, that would be fine—but if he harbors any ambition to seize power, he'll likely die without a grave."

Qiqi bit her cherry lips.

Long Xuan'en said: "His life or death is none of my concern, but I cannot bear to see Dakang's country fall into others' hands."

Qiqi said: "He has recently begun busying himself with establishing an heir; if nothing unexpected happens, he will announce the third imperial elder brother as crown prince within these two days." (To be continued~^~)