Chapter 1252

When the room was empty and only Tian Yulan remained, she finally broke down.

She clutched her head and screamed in tears.

She kept muttering that it was impossible.

She was Tian Yulan; Tian Yulan was Tian Yulan, and she did not bear the Qin surname. Tian Yulan had no memories of Qin Yulan—her memories were all illusions.

She was Qin Yulan.

Tian Yulan wept for a long time, gradually falling silent, yet her face remained streaked with tears, clearly deeply shaken.

She wiped away her tears.

"Tian Tian is insane; she's pretending. She's not Qin Yulan," Tian Yulan murmured.

She had come to understand; her inner turmoil eased slightly.

But thinking of Tian Tian's words, Tian Yulan could not suppress her fear—she remembered Tian Tian saying: "Sister Ayu, you need not fear. I will help you."

Tian Yulan recalled Tian Tian's gaze and felt an inexplicable shiver.

Tian Tian's gaze was complex.

Tian Yulan could not help but think: "She has mistaken me for someone else. She wants to avenge her father but dares not confront the Qin family. She needs my help, so she invented this lie."

Tian Yulan let out a breath of relief.

If that were true, then she was still Tian Yulan.

Tian Yulan regained her composure.

Tian Tian said she was Qin Yulan, but she had no recollection whatsoever.

She had never met Qin Yulan.

"She says she's my cousin. What is her birth date and hour?" Tian Yulan asked her personal maid.

The personal maid replied, "Yes."

Tian Yulan wrote a note to her personal maid and instructed: "Tomorrow, take this letter to the Jingzhao yamen and say this woman's birth date and hour resemble mine somewhat.

If the yamen confirms she is my cousin, request the officers to bring her into the household so I may clear her name."

The maid took the note and nodded in agreement.

Tian Yulan added: "This matter, besides the two of us, must not be revealed to a soul. Otherwise, we will all be sold into slavery."

The maid repeatedly affirmed, "Yes."

The maid went off to carry out the task, and Tian Yulan lay alone in bed.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep at all.

She recalled the scene in the palace that day—

The Empress said her son did not merely like her, but loved her.

At the time, Qin Yulan was also a little girl.

A little girl's jealousy is often stronger than a man's.

Tian Yulan knew Tian Qiyu was no good husband, but she never imagined he had committed such a beastly act.

He slaughtered his wife's entire clan, ruined his own future, and destroyed the Tian family.

Thinking of this, Tian Yulan's tears fell steadily.

She hated Tian Qiyu.

She hated him for destroying the Tian family.

She also feared Tian Tian, afraid she was not the true Qin and would kill her and her child.

She tossed and turned until deep into the night, finally falling into a heavy sleep.

The next morning, Tian Yulan awoke with dark circles under her eyes, forcing herself to appear spirited.

The maid entered to help her dress.

After dressing and grooming, Tian Yulan hurriedly left the Tian household.

She arrived at the yamen entrance and waited for the officers.

Tian Yulan had wept all night; her eyes were swollen badly.

Early that morning, the maids saw her red, puffy eyes and guessed she had cried.

This matter must not be spread.

Tian Yulan did not want others to see her crying.

"... Her birth mother was Qin. Tian Yulan, you do not resemble her, but you are indeed very similar—especially your eyebrows." Tian Yulan recalled Tian Tian's appearance and secretly hated her, yet forced a smile.

"Oh, so you are Lady Tian," the maid said.

"Yes," Tian Yulan replied coldly. "I am my mother's adopted daughter."

The maid dared not speak further.

Tian Yulan sat in the carriage, her mind distracted.

She did not know whether she could escape Tian Tian's investigation this time.

"Young Master, Tian Yulan has arrived at the Jingzhao yamen and is waiting at the gate for the officers," Gu Jinzhi's agent reported to Tian Qiyu.

Gu Jinzhi's intelligence network was extensive; she had people watching every move of the Tian household.

As soon as trouble arose in the Tian household, Gu Jinzhi learned of it immediately.

She ordered her subordinate: "Tell her she cannot meet her cousin today."

The Tian household was now on edge; no one knew when Tian Tian might appear to accuse Tian Yulan.

If Tian Yulan were exposed too soon, Tian Qiyu could not guarantee he would not change his mind.

Gu Jinzhi must prevent such a scenario.

Although Tian Qiyu was Tian Yulan's biological elder brother, he never held Tian Yulan in his heart; he was more inclined toward the Tian family's future prospects, and he had never felt the slightest bit of affection for Qin Yulan.

The script set by 1074.

Therefore, which side he would stand on was still unknown.

Tian Yulan's cousin—as long as she was the real Qin Yulan, Tian Yulan's fate would be different.

Gu Jinzhi could not risk letting mother and daughter recognize each other.

If Tian Yulan's cousin were a fake Qin Yulan, Gu Jinzhi would have to deal with Qin Yulan, lest she ruin Tian Yulan's plan.

She could not let Tian Yulan wreck her marriage.

Tian Yulan was to marry Qin Shikai's son.

On Tian Qiyu's side, they had to follow the script Tian Yulan had set.

She wanted to use Tian Tian to deal with Qin Shikai, to make Qin Shikai's son marry Tian Tian; once Tian Tian successfully escaped, Tian Yulan could continue to marry Qin Shikai.

"No." Gu Jinzhi shook her head. "I cannot let Tian Yulan's evil scheme succeed!"

Gu Jinzhi fished out a copper coin from her sleeve.

She tossed the coin to the ground, silently praying in her heart: "Old Heaven, bless that Tian Yulan die without a burial place."

The copper coin hit the ground.

It rolled a long way, finally coming to rest beside a pomegranate tree.

The copper coin was in the shape of a yin-yang fish.

Gu Jinzhi's heart instantly chilled.

Tian Yulan had not died.

"That vicious woman!" Gu Jinzhi cursed angrily.

The copper coin landed on the trunk of the pomegranate tree; Gu Jinzhi took out another copper coin and tossed it.

Likewise, she felt another chill in her heart.

She changed four more copper coins and tossed them around the pomegranate tree.

Five copper coins, distributed around the pomegranate tree, formed a ring, enclosing the pomegranate tree within.

Then, Gu Jinzhi took out a gold ingot, stuffed it into the center of the five copper coins, and struck it hard three times.

The copper coin fell to the ground.

It still rolled on the ground, unmoving.