The Blood Crown - Chapter 278

Feng Ye stared stiffly at Yan Sikong. “You… used this name.”

Yan Sikong did not answer. When he received the family letter asking him to name the child, he had refused Feng Ye in words, but for some inexplicable reason, he still wrote these two characters. It was because of Feng Ye’s words, “This is our child,” at a time when he still had some hopes and expectations for him. He had thought that time would heal the wounds and clear up misunderstandings. Yet, two years had passed, and the two of them had only grown further apart, until they reached an impasse.

Wanyang looked at Feng Ye in confusion.

Feng Ye gently stroked the little girl in his arms, and in a low voice said, “Jin Yu, it’s the name I gave her.” Whether he was speaking to himself or to others, his chest heaved with effort, and he could not calm down for a long time.

Yan Sikong really did name the daughter that. At the time, he had believed that he…

Wanyang looked at the invisible, yet secretly surging bond between the two and knew that all the rumors were true. A bitter expression appeared on her face, her eyes filled with despair, which eventually turned into a mocking smile.

Yan Sikong spoke softly, “Madam, take the child back. I will come to apologize to you myself.”

“Madam? When did you ever treat me as a madam?” Wanyang said bitterly. “You made me the subject of ridicule, made Jin Yu the subject of ridicule. When she grows up, she will have to carry the stigma of being the daughter of a traitor and rebel!”

“Who dares?” Feng Ye said coldly. “You are the daughter of the Feng family, and so is Jin Yu. If anyone disrespects her, I’ll take their head!”

“Cousin, you can kill one person, but can you stop the mouths of the masses?”

“Then I’ll kill as many as I need to.” Feng Ye said arrogantly. “Listen to me, you will always be the Grand Princess of Da Sheng. He is not a traitor or rebel. This child is not only yours but…” He glanced deeply at Yan Sikong. “She is also connected to my bloodline. I will make her the most esteemed daughter of Da Sheng.”

Wanyang froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, cruel and mournful. “Bloodline? Hahaha, bloodline, it’s a joke!” Pearly tears fell.

Feng Ye frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

“Madam…” Yan Sikong tried to stop Wanyang, but by now, the truth no longer mattered. There was no need to stir up more turmoil.

Wanyang gritted her teeth. “Did you not tell him? Why? Why didn’t you tell him? Are you too afraid, or are you too ashamed? I have kept this secret for so long, but there’s no need to hide it anymore. Everything is meaningless now.”

Feng Ye quickly asked, “Xi’er, what are you talking about? What did you hide?”

Wanyang said sarcastically, “This child is not ours.”

Feng Ye was struck as if by a bolt of lightning.

“She was bought by She Zhun from the countryside.” Wanyang looked at the confused little girl, whose eyes clearly resembled her mother’s, but were also filled with sorrow. “He never touched me. He married me for the title of prince consort. He wanted this child to save his life. He calculated everything. To seek revenge, he would stop at nothing.” She turned to Yan Sikong. “Yan Sikong, aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

Yan Sikong lowered his eyelids, silent.

Retribution… has already come.

Emperor Zhaowu sighed. “Xi’er, you are too foolish.”

Wanyang knelt down and cried, “Father, it’s my fault. I believed his lies and let him leave the capital.”

Emperor Zhaowu’s eyes filled with tears. “No… it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have… arranged the marriage for you.”

Feng Ye stood frozen in place, as if a sharp sword had pierced through his chest, almost making him forget to breathe.

The child… was bought, and the two of them… were never a real couple.

This was what Yan Sikong had told him back then, but he didn’t believe it. He refused to believe even a single word.

Could it be true?

This person, had it been only him all along?

Feng Ye felt his head buzzing, his vision blurring. He stared blankly at Yan Sikong, a whirlwind of emotions rushing through his heart.

Yan Sikong wanted to flee immediately, but he felt so exhausted that he could barely move his feet.

Emperor Zhaowu’s voice trembled. “Feng Ye, make me abdicate… I… I will abdicate. I will hand Xie Zhongren over to you. Please don’t kill me, don’t harm my concubines or my descendants.”

Feng Ye came to his senses and took two steps toward Yan Sikong. His lips parted, as if to say something, but he stopped himself.

Yan Sikong ignored Feng Ye. He helped Wanyang up and said, “Madam, take the child back. I owe you, and I will make up for it.”

“How will you compensate?” Wanyang glared at Yan Sikong with resentment. “If you want revenge, then come at me, leave Father Emperor alone.”

“Go back first, I will try to preserve the dignity of the royal family.”

Feng Ye handed the child back to Wanyang and spoke softly, “Sikong…”

Yan Sikong ignored him and turned to leave.

Feng Ye chased him out of the hall, only to see that Yan Sikong had already put on his mask. Below the steps stood his soldiers, all watching. He wanted to say something but could only stop, his thoughts swirling in confusion.

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The Jingyuan Wangfu had been abandoned for too long. The more than two hundred people who once lived there were all gone, their spirits lost underground. Now, the place was overgrown with weeds, dilapidated, and in need of time to be repaired and cleaned.

So, the group went back to the guesthouse first.

As soon as they arrived at the guesthouse, Feng Ye pulled Yan Sikong into a room and immediately took off his mask.

Yan Sikong reached up to stop him, but Feng Ye dodged him.

“Give it to me,” Yan Sikong said. “I now understand why Que Wang always wore it.” The mask was like armor. When wearing it, he could hide his disarray and unease from others. But once removed, he had to face the harsh world and the people with ulterior motives, which made him feel fearful.

Feng Ye placed the mask on the table and took a deep breath. “Wanyang… and the child…”

Yan Sikong calmly looked at Feng Ye, waiting to hear what he was going to say, though in truth, he no longer cared.

“I… I didn’t expect it to be true.”

“True or not, what does it matter? I’m tired, I want to rest.”

Feng Ye grabbed Yan Sikong’s shoulder, his voice hoarse. “This… it’s my fault for misunderstanding you.” He still remembered the urgency in Yan Sikong’s words when he tried to explain this matter and his subsequent disappointment. He had been blinded by jealousy. The moment he thought Yan Sikong and Wanyang had a child, he wanted to kill someone. At that time, he didn’t listen to anything.

But what Yan Sikong said was true…

Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye without expression. He had once wondered if one day Feng Ye would regret misunderstanding him, but now his heart had gone numb. Two people who had once been so close, no matter how many times they explained, could not regain even a shred of trust. It needed others to validate the truth, so what was the point of the truth between them? He muttered, “Can I rest now?”

“Sikong…” Feng Ye gritted his teeth. “You kept your marriage with Xi’er a secret, only wanting to become the prince consort. And Xi’er… she’s so beautiful. How could I believe…”

Yan Sikong said indifferently, “There’s no need to say more, it’s all in the past.”

Feng Ye stared blankly at Yan Sikong’s cold and indifferent expression, his heart tightening. He had once thought Yan Sikong, who always argued, was so hateful, but now that the person no longer argued, he desperately wanted to see any sign of “care” in his indifferent face.

There was nothing. Not even the eyes, which were as still as stagnant water.

Feng Ye grabbed Yan Sikong’s shoulder and wouldn’t let go. “You… you used the name Jin Yu. All along, it was only me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. And so what?” Yan Sikong mocked. “What are you trying to say? Are these trivial matters still important?”

“Of course they’re important!” Feng Ye growled. “I always thought it was you who married and had a child first, that you… that you betrayed me first…” The more he spoke, the more suffocated he felt. In his heart, it was Yan Sikong who had wronged him first, so he married and had a child to balance things out, even with a sense of revenge. But now Wanyang had directly told him that they had never been a real couple, and the child was adopted, just as Yan Sikong had said. But he hadn’t believed it. Three years, and he hadn’t believed a word of it!

Yan Sikong felt like the air was growing thinner with Feng Ye around, making it hard to breathe. His head throbbed with pain. He just wanted to escape this situation quickly. “Feng Ye, I really can’t listen to this anymore. Are you finished?”

Feng Ye’s nose burned as he stared at Yan Sikong, his eyes filled with panic. “If I had known… if I had known this, I wouldn’t have married.”

“You would have,” Yan Sikong said softly. “There are three great unfilial acts, and not having a son is the greatest. The Feng family is meant to rule the land, the heir must come.”

Feng Ye gritted his teeth. “I really thought about it, or else I wouldn’t have waited until this age.”

Yan Sikong gave a perfunctory nod.

“Don’t you care at all?” Feng Ye was enraged by Yan Sikong’s indifference, his blood boiling. He shouted, “If it weren’t for… if it weren’t for you lying to me over and over again, I wouldn’t have not believed you. Neither this wife nor this concubine is what I wanted. I just…”

“What does that have to do with me?” Yan Sikong finally raised his head and looked at Feng Ye, his gaze fearless. “You have your harem of three thousand, and I wouldn’t even blink. Have you forgotten? ‘When love reaches its limit,’ is that not what you said?”

Feng Ye froze as he looked at Yan Sikong.

“Leave. I need to rest.” Yan Sikong bypassed Feng Ye and headed inside.

Feng Ye grabbed his wrist, his voice hoarse. “If I had known, you only had me… I wouldn’t have treated you that way.”

Yan Sikong pulled his wrist away and walked straight into the room. As he passed through the moon gate, he stopped and, without looking back, coldly said, “Also, don’t call me ‘Sikong.’ I am not Yan Sikong.”

Feng Ye clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, his face pale as paper, standing there like a man who could face a thousand armies, yet now completely defeated.

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Haha, I updated it. Surprised? Actually, it’s because I need to rest today before my book signing tomorrow. No update tomorrow, just today!

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“Wangfu” (王府) refers to the residence or mansion of a prince or noble, often a royal or aristocratic household. It is commonly used in Chinese historical or fictional contexts to describe the official residence of a high-ranking family member, like a prince, marquis, or duke. In your text, “靖远王府” (Jìngyuǎn wángfǔ) refers to the “Jingyuan Prince’s Mansion,” a place associated with the royal family or nobility.