Chapter 89: The Identity of That Man Please subscribe and support with monthly votes.

Chapter 89: The Man’s Identity

Cold Yiyun could never have imagined that the daughter she had meticulously nurtured for years—the pride of her life—was nothing but a wanton, fallen woman. Even before marriage, she was already secretly with child. If this news were to leak out, not only would Cold Yiyun be publicly humiliated and scorned, but she and Lu Anrong would forever lose face. The entire Prime Minister’s mansion would become the subject of whispered gossip and pointed fingers, forced to live under the weight of shame.

A blazing fury raged within Cold Yiyun’s heart. How could Qing’er be so foolish? Even if she was unwilling to enter the palace to participate in the selection, why choose such a reckless, desperate escape? Moreover, this was an issue that could not be avoided. To refuse the imperial summons was to show disrespect to the emperor’s decree—a crime punishable by death, or worse, implicating the entire family.

For days, Cold Yiyun had pondered countless schemes in her chamber, each capable of bringing Anran to ruin. She had even devised a seemingly perfect plan, deliberately hinting at it to Lu Xueqing to discuss a countermeasure. But what did she hear? What did she see?

Her most cherished daughter was not only involved in an illicit affair and pregnant but was also colluding with the very enemy she had longed to eliminate. Cold Yiyun would rather have this secret told to all the enemies of the Prime Minister’s mansion than confess it to her own daughter.

Though she was nominally still the lady of the Prime Minister’s household, in truth, she no longer held the reins. Her daughter now controlled the mansion; her affairs no longer required consultation.

“Mother, please don’t be angry. Close the door and come inside first,” Lu Xueqing urged, gliding forward with delicate steps. She feared Cold Yiyun would suddenly burst into tears and cause a commotion that might awaken the servants and maids. If everyone discovered her pregnancy, she would truly be in deep trouble.

“Don’t touch me!” Cold Yiyun snapped.

“Do you want to see me die to make yourself happy?” Lu Xueqing’s mood was already bleak, and Cold Yiyun’s coldness pushed her further away. She could not help but shout.

When her grandmother hated her and her father punished her, had she ever despised them? Even though she had grown numb to their words and felt restless inside, she had never spoken harshly in return. Now, her mother did not help but despised and rejected her. Such a “good mother” was a bitter lesson for Lu Xueqing. Her mother despised her body as unclean, yet her hands were hardly clean themselves—perhaps even dirtier.

Cold Yiyun was stunned by Lu Xueqing’s harsh words. How dare her daughter scold her? Was this how she had taught her over the years? Fine… very well.

Anran sat nearby, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched the once tender mother-daughter bond now fray into hostility. Her heart swelled with delight. She loved seeing them turn against each other, tearing each other apart like dogs. At the critical moment, she would deal the final blow. In the end, they would thank her.

In her previous life, Cold Yiyun had cruelly killed her child. This time, she was determined to make Cold Yiyun’s beloved daughter betray her, forcing her to taste the bitter pain of betrayal—especially by the daughter she treasured most. The thought of Cold Yiyun’s future anguished expression filled her with joy.

“No… I don’t want you to die… how could I ever wish for your death…” Cold Yiyun’s voice trembled suddenly, her expression dazed, eyes hollow and empty. She raised a trembling hand toward Anran. “It’s her who harmed you, isn’t it? Qing’er, tell your mother—it’s this wicked woman who hurt you, isn’t it?”

“Mother…”

Lu Xueqing knew Anran was no one to be trifled with. The forced assault was not Anran’s doing; it was a warning to Lu Anrong—a political trap. Qing’er had fallen into it and refused to save herself, sinking deeper.

Anran sneered coldly at Cold Yiyun’s enraged face. This fire had now scorched her. She knew that once Cold Yiyun hated someone, no matter the truth or possibility, she would blame everything on that person.

“Madam of the Prime Minister’s household, since you claim to have a way to make Miss Lu terminate the pregnancy and avoid entering the palace, I suppose I’m no longer a bother here. You don’t need those medicinal herbs either—throw them in the cesspit. Such things are unfit to see the light of day! Farewell!” Anran stood, glancing sideways at the mother and daughter before opening the door without hesitation and leaving.

Cold Yiyun was shocked, and Lu Xueqing’s dislike for her grew. What could a woman who lived in the mansion possibly do? Even if there were a way to remove the child from her womb, it would not stop her from entering the palace selection. Besides, would they dare defy the imperial decree just to save themselves?

Lu Xueqing pushed Cold Yiyun aside and hurried after Anran. “Miss An, please wait!”

At this moment, Lu Xueqing had no other recourse but to plead with Anran.

Anran turned with a faint smile, stopping in her tracks. “Miss Lu, do you need anything else?”

“You say there’s a way to keep me from entering the palace. Is it true?” Lu Xueqing’s eyes brimmed with hope. She did not want to enter the palace. Besides losing her virginity, if the palace maids discovered her condition, she would be ruined. How could she marry some old man she despised? No, absolutely not. A thousand voices clamored inside her mind, insisting she must never enter the palace.

“Of course!” Anran’s answer was firm and without conditions. This trip was already worthwhile. Cold Yiyun’s sudden appearance and overhearing of forbidden words had driven a wedge between mother and daughter. Their minds diverged; not a trace of the blood-ties they should share remained. This rift would prevent any future alliance.

“Miss, please come inside and talk,” Lu Xueqing said with more composure than usual, earning a grudging respect from Anran. Such a person was a worthy enemy—one that must be destroyed painfully.

Anran followed Lu Xueqing inside, while Cold Yiyun remained outside. A sly smile curled on Anran’s lips as she hatched another plan: to deepen the resentments between the two, planting seeds of hatred that would flourish in their hearts.

“Madam of the Prime Minister’s household, isn’t Miss Lu your own daughter? Even as an outsider, I worry for her. Why are you not worried, but eager to strangle her instead?” Anran feigned warmth, gently patting Lu Xueqing’s hand.

Cold Yiyun found this scene unbearable. Suddenly, it dawned on her: no matter what Lu Xueqing did, she was her daughter and a member of the mansion. Their fates were intertwined—if one shone, all shone; if one suffered, all suffered. If Lu Xueqing’s scandal became public, the entire Prime Minister’s mansion would be disgraced, and Cold Yiyun herself mocked in the noble circles. Why did she not think to help resolve this?

Though Lu Xueqing knew Anran was sowing discord, a trace of hatred toward Cold Yiyun still flickered in her heart. If not for Anran’s warning, she would have seen no sign of remorse on her mother’s face.

“Miss Lu, lie down first. I’ll take your pulse and have my servant prepare the medicine,” Anran said.

“Miss An, you said you could keep me from entering the palace. If that’s true, can I keep the child?” Lu Xueqing thought that if she avoided the palace and kept the child, she could threaten the man involved. If he became emperor, her child would be his eldest son. Even if she was never made empress, her son would be the noble heir of the empire.

Anran clearly caught the meaning beneath Lu Xueqing’s words. She wanted to avoid the palace and keep the child—both impossible.

“Yes, you can avoid the palace, but the child must be aborted!” Anran answered decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.

“Qing’er, whose child is this? Why do you want to keep this bastard?” Cold Yiyun’s suspicions deepened. Lu Xueqing’s concern for the child suggested it belonged to some powerful and prestigious figure in Yue City.

Lu Xueqing ignored her mother’s words, coldly staring at Anran. “Why not?”

Anran found Lu Xueqing foolish. Did she truly believe her? They were enemies—foes!

“Because if you don’t enter the palace, imperial physicians will be sent to examine you. The illness I’ve given you is no trivial matter. Even if the physicians fail to detect the pregnancy, the severity of your condition will cause the child to be born either stillborn or die in infancy.” Anran’s sympathy did not extend beyond pity for Zhenfei’s child. Lu Xueqing and the Prime Minister’s household deserved their fate.

Her scare tactic worked. Ten months of pregnancy just to bear a stillborn—what mother could accept that? Lu Xueqing intended to use the child to control the man, but if it were stillborn, it would bring him bad luck. No, the child could not be allowed.

“What method do you have to help me avoid entering the palace?” Since the child could not be saved, what illness prevented her from giving birth?

“Smallpox.”

Both Cold Yiyun and Lu Xueqing were struck with dread. Smallpox claimed the lives of a quarter of those infected. Anran was about to let her break out in the rash? If she truly contracted smallpox, she would not just fail to enter the palace; her entire residence would be quarantined.

“Don’t worry. With me here, even the king of hell won’t dare take your life!” Anran’s arrogant tone eased Lu Xueqing’s fears. If this witch could cure poisons even imperial doctors could not, she must have a cure for smallpox too.

“Qing’er…” Cold Yiyun called softly, anxious. How much of Anran’s words could she trust? Lu Xueqing refused to answer and ignored her.

“Madam, go outside and summon my guard to give you the medicine!” Anran glanced back at Cold Yiyun, a faint smile in her eyes. “Han Shang, don’t disappoint me.”

Cold Yiyun intended to refuse, but Lu Xueqing looked at her silently, moving her lips without a word, then turned and left. Moments later, Cold Yiyun returned, her face pale and trembling, anger flashing in her eyes, but her hands empty.

“Mother, where’s the medicine?” Lu Xueqing asked anxiously, a bad premonition rising.

Cold Yiyun glared fiercely at Anran, filled with fury yet powerless. “Did you order him to throw it away?”

“Throw it away? Madam Lu, I haven’t stepped outside since entering. Besides, how could I have known you’d come? If that were true, I’d have foreseen it,” Anran lied with perfect innocence, a clear sign that Cold Yiyun’s accusations were baseless. Yet behind her eyes danced a mocking smile. “I did it on purpose. What are you going to do about it?”

“Where was it thrown?” Lu Xueqing’s greatest concern was whether the medicine could be recovered. Who gave the order or threw it away was irrelevant now.

Cold Yiyun’s mind grew clearer: Lu Xueqing’s situation was beyond saving. She could only do her best to mitigate the damage. Continuing to bicker would only benefit others. The immediate priority was to abort the child. She glanced at Lu Xueqing’s anxious face and whispered, “The servants’ cesspit.”

“What?” Lu Xueqing could hardly believe her ears. The medicine was tossed into the foul, stinking cesspit used by the servants. What was she to do?

“Miss, you must decide quickly whether to let Madam Lu retrieve it and brew the medicine for you. The selection is less than half a month away. The smallpox virus must incubate for two cycles before erupting on the selection day’s dawn. So, besides taking that medicine, you have no choice. Will you take it?” Anran’s sudden question turned Lu Xueqing’s stomach, causing her to retch violently.

“Ugh—”

“Madam Lu, what do you think?” Anran stepped away from the sewage, standing beside Cold Yiyun with a seemingly “troubled” expression.

Cold Yiyun’s eyes blazed with hatred as she stared at Anran, her venomous glare unmistakable. Her chest heaved as she whispered, “You planned all this, didn’t you? From the selection, the abortion, to the smallpox virus—you were involved in every step?”

Anran neither confirmed nor denied, curling her lips into a cold smile. “Cold Yiyun, hurry and retrieve it. Go secretly to the kitchen and brew the medicine. Do you want your precious daughter exposed during the selection as not a virgin? Or do you want her to be accused of illicit relations before marriage? Hmm?”

Cold Yiyun’s eyes widened, disbelief etched across her face. How could a mere fifteen or sixteen-year-old harbor such deep schemes and cruelty? Who was she really?

“Who are you? Tell me—who are you?” Cold Yiyun’s greatest fear was that Cold Yiran’s ghost might return as a vengeful spirit. Yet Anran lived on, hardly resembling a ghost. Still, the hatred in her eyes was the same as Cold Yiran’s before death—looking at everyone as if wishing them to die without a burial.

“Mother… please go quickly…” Lu Xueqing emptied her stomach, feeling somewhat relieved. If she must endure the pain, she would rather live than die.

Cold Yiyun loathed Anran, wishing to tear her apart like Lu Junchen and feed her remains to wolves. Seeing Lu Xueqing in such agony brought tears to her eyes. Though she had once hoped to climb higher through her daughter’s glory, she never wished her humiliation or death. Her heart could not bear it.

“I’m going. I’m going now!” Cold Yiyun turned sharply, but a fleeting illusion whispered in her ear—the curse of Cold Yiran from years ago—causing her legs to tremble and nearly collapse. She was back. She was back…

Anran smirked coldly, watching Cold Yiyun’s panicked retreat. She thought: Cold Yiyun is already unsettled. If she heard the mansion’s mournful cries, would she die of fright?

“Miss Lu, you must endure the medicine tonight without screaming loudly. If anyone comes, even if I plant the smallpox virus tomorrow morning, and it’s exposed, it won’t be my fault!” Anran’s icy words were a warning.

Most would not endure an abortion with such harsh medicine. The process was unbearable. Since Lu Xueqing chose to take the herbs, she must prepare for pain.

“All right!” Lu Xueqing gritted her teeth, resolute. She was already planning how to eliminate Anran. She knew Anran’s schemes and vowed that once she was done using her, she would ensure Anran’s miserable end.

Anran only laughed. To think Lu Xueqing had become a prostitute yet still wanted to appear virtuous—how utterly ridiculous.

Just then, as Anran stepped outside, Han Shang emerged from the shadows, his face expressionless and radiating a chilling aura, devoid of the previous playful demeanor.

“Well done,” Anran praised, genuinely impressed. She had only hinted slightly, yet he had handled matters so satisfactorily—truly clever.

“Thank you, Miss,” Han Shang said softly, then after a pause added, “The man has been identified—it’s Prince Qian! And he has an even more shocking identity.”

“Oh?” Prince Qian’s status was already exalted. What could be more shocking?

“He’s the infamous 'Flower Thief' of the martial world!” Han Shang himself was stunned. That a royal prince was the despised bandit who preyed on women explained why many righteous forces had failed to capture him. Who would have guessed that the noble and revered Prince Qian of Xianyue engaged in such deeds?

Anran chuckled lightly, nodding. She had not expected the son of Jun Dingyue to have such “skills.” Prince Jing, Jun Yihong, was linked to the Dark Star Pavilion, though the extent was unclear. Prince Qian, Jun Ruhan, was even more astonishing. As a powerful nobleman with access to any woman he wished, he still preferred to steal them. Such a secret, if revealed, would be unbelievable.

“Let’s go to Prince Li’s mansion,” Anran said. It had been two days since they last saw Jun Moli—she wondered if something had happened at Prince Li’s residence.

[Author’s Note: Today I can only update 5,000 characters. I owe you 5,000 more, and will make it up slowly. Sob, tears streaming.]