Chapter 991: Perplexed and Smitten (51)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“So it’s confirmed that you’ll be marrying that princess?”
He did not answer. An Xiaoning looked up and probed, “I’m asking you a question.”
“I went to the Imperial Palace today and I was told that I would be marrying her. But even if I have ten concubines, I’ll never touch any of them,” he said, hugging her even more tightly.
“Could you promise me one thing?”
“Speak.”
“Can you give me a portrait of His Majesty?” Afraid that he would get infuriated, she added, “I need it for something.”
“What do you need his portrait for?” he asked in puzzlement.
“Just draw it for me, I’ll tell you the reason afterward.”
He conceded and said, “We’ll have to return to my place first. There aren’t any ink or paper here.”
“Let’s hurry and go back, then,” she said, sounding rather eager and impatient.
He was appalled by her reaction and filled with curiosity about what she might need the portrait for. However, he decided to curb his impatience, thinking to himself that she would tell him the reason after he was done drawing anyway.
He let go of her and said, “Let’s go back now, then.”
“Okay.”
She did not return to her sedan. Instead, she boarded his carriage together with him while the servant carried her sedan and followed closely behind them.
“Why does His Majesty want to make the princess your concubine?”
“She’s not going to be my concubine, though.”
“What is she going to be, then?”
“My lawful wife. How could you not know why he wanted to do that? You’re asking the obvious,” he said in a soft and hoarse voice.
“I thought she was going to be your concubine… I really don’t know the reason. How could I know what the Emperor is thinking?”
“She’s Chi Dan’s favorite princess who’s the most pampered and doted on. How could she stoop to being my concubine? Although the Princess Consort has a strong and powerful family background, it would be inappropriate to make that princess my concubine, and hence she’s going to be my lawful wife. At times, I really feel like casting everything aside and eloping to a faraway place with you. However, it’s difficult to find a place for us in this world, despite it being so vast. Besides, my mother is now in poor health, I can’t just abandon her,” he said with a look of melancholy.
An Xiaoning was both sympathetic and miserable after hearing his words. At the thought of the destroyed residence, Ling Yu’s words, and the 900 innocent lives that were lost, she held his hand and said, “No matter what, I’m contented to know that I’m the only one in your heart.”
“You’re acting very differently today. You make me feel exceptionally heartened and at ease.”
She smiled and said, “When I heard them calling you ‘Lord Xihou’ just now, I was shocked to find out that your surname is Xihou and your name is Ling. I used to think that your last name was Xi and your name was Houling.”
Bewilderment was written all over his face. He squinted to take a closer look at her and proceeded to caress her face while grazing his fingers gently against her cheek, only to discover that there were no signs of her wearing a mask. He then unbuttoned her collar while An Xiaoning remained still and watched him do so. He went on to untie her undergarment, after which she too noticed a tiny birthmark on her chest.
He tied her undergarment back and buttoned her collar again before heaving a sigh of relief. “I thought you were merely an impostor just now.”
Only then did An Xiaoning realize that he was just testing her just now, and she was at a sudden loss for words.
“I…”
He kept his eyes fixed on her, hoping to hear the rest of her sentence. However, she grew silent.
They stared at each other and kept quiet, all the way until they reached the residence. She then said, “After you’re done sketching the portrait, I’ll tell you some things that you don’t already know.”
He nodded.
They headed to his study and closed the door.
There were two windows behind the desk, which allowed the sunlight to enter and light up the entire room.
He took out some paper, ink, and a brush.
She watched as he swiftly painted the features of a man. It was rather clear, though not as precise as a photo would be. She could tell that he had a flair for drawing, and the portrait of the Emperor was more or less distinct and accurate to his true appearance.
The Emperor looked nothing like Jin Qingyan at all.
Instead, he looked rather aloof and had a pair of icy, cold eyes that seemed like it would be able to bore a hole through someone. An Xiaoning immediately memorized his features.
An Xiaoning scrutinized the drawing carefully. Thinking that she was stunned, Jin Qingyan remarked, “You used to say that he was really handsome. Are you mesmerized by his portrait?”
She chuckled. What a jealous lover, she thought to herself.
“In my opinion, he can’t be compared to you in terms of appearance, regardless of how handsome he may be. However, since you two are brothers, why don’t you look alike at all?”
“He looks like my father while I resemble my mother. Besides, we don’t share the same mother anyway. It’s only normal that we don’t look alike. Tell me, what do you need this portrait for?”
“Can you also draw me the portraits of the Yin family members?”
Puzzled, he asked, “The Yin family? Just what do you need the portraits for?”
“Just draw them first, I’ll tell you once you’re done.”
“You said you would tell me after I sketch the portrait of the Emperor when we were in the carriage just now. You’re going back on your word again. Which member of the Yin family are you interested in?” he asked, picking up his brush.
“The one whom His Majesty trusts the most.”
He immediately proceeded to draw another man.
“Is he a formidable person?” An Xiaoning asked.
“All he does is practice witchcraft and other superstitions. Well, he’s considered to be the Emperor’s most trusted confidante. Can you tell me the reason now?” he answered, putting down the brush.
An Xiaoning took a look at the two portraits, after which she tore them into shreds and dumped them into the dustbin. She leaned against the table and said, “I just wanted to memorize their features.”
“Why? It’s not like you haven’t met them before.”
An Xiaoning turned to face him and asked, “Do you believe in past and present lifetimes?”
“A little, but not quite either. Just because I don’t know about something, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. However, it’s difficult to answer you since I’ve never experienced it myself.”
“What an honest answer. I believe in the existence of past and present lifetimes — because I come from the future. The soul in this body right now belongs to my reincarnation in the lifetime after this one. We’re now talking and meeting each other in my dream. The longest dream I’ve had was when I was bedridden for days after receiving a beating. I stayed in this realm for several days. The previous dream I had was when I arrived at your residence in a sedan. I know you might not believe me, but this is the reason why I wanted you to draw me those portraits. In our next lifetime, we visited the location where your residence used to be. Centuries had passed from now after the residence had been destroyed beyond ruin and the 900 servants in your residence had all been killed by the Emperor. The spirits of the servants were then trapped inside the residence for centuries because of a ritual performed by the Yins. I’m guessing this is the reason why I’m getting recollections of this lifetime in my dreams. Heaven wants me to find out about things that I don’t already know, as well as the reason why we didn’t end up together.”
After hearing her words, he said, “You mean, we’re now in your dream?”
“Yes, this is my dream, and perhaps this is my soul’s way of letting me find out the things I subconsciously want to know. Tell me, what are the names of the men in the portraits I told you to draw?”
“Xihou Jiaping and Yin Cun. Was what you said about your dream true?” he asked in utter shock and bewilderment.