Chapter IBMLS Ch.15 Qiyang (2)
No one liked to be imitated, especially if it was to the extent of her every mannerism and appearance. The thing that Jiang Mingwei found to be the most disgusting in both of her lives was this fake of hers.
A small part of her unspeakable disgust for Mu Mingtang was out of trauma. After all, in her previous life, Mu Mingtang married Xie Xuanji instead and became the empress while Jiang Mingwei herself was met with a miserable end.
Fate was something people would rather believe in than reject. When she was journeying back, Jiang Mingwei had already decided that as soon as she returned, she would drive Mu Mingtang out. Mu Mingtang would continue to pose a threat to her for as long as she stayed in the Jiang family, but there would be nothing to worry about if she became a commoner.
When her tears finally dried, Jiang Mingwei took her mother’s hand and said, “No, mother. It’s my fault for worrying you.”
“What are you saying, silly child?” Madam Jiang patted her daughter’s hand. “How could I blame you, my child? I will be happy as long as you live the rest of your life peacefully with the Prince of Jin. He is truly devoted to you. I used to believe that he was just a polite and sensible child, but who knew he actually held such deep feelings for you? With such a loving husband, as well as the position of his princess, the days ahead will not be bad. The future of our family will also depend on you.”
This implied many things. Xie Xuanji was already an imperial prince, so if everything went well, he would eventually become the emperor. Jiang Mingwei lowered her gaze. After a while, she said, “Mother, Xie Xuanchen really… won’t be waking up?”
At the mention of Xie Xuanchen, Madam Jiang’s expression suddenly became severe. She was silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “It is only a matter of time. The emperor is afraid that the people would condemn him for mistreating his nephew if Xie Xuanchen died, so he spared no effort to preserve his life. When Xue Xuanchen woke up a few years ago, he could still win in a fight of one against ten. The soldiers residing in the Qiyang Manor were replaced regularly. However, since the start of this year, the time he is able to stay conscious has been getting shorter and shorter, and he can no longer defeat the soldiers. It is evident that his end is near.”
Nowadays, outsiders saw only the eminence of the Jiang family and the nobility of the Prince of Jin, not knowing that they had both started out as small official families from Lin’an. The real nobles were from the Xie family’s main branch of the current emperor’s brother, Xie Yi.
When war was still raging on, the brothers went about their separate ways. The younger brother, Xie Rui, became a seven-rank civil official in Lin’an while the elder brother, Xie Yi, joined the military. Under the command of General Guo Rong, Xie Yi made numerous military exploits. When the emperor at the time grew distrusting of Guo Rong’s power, Guo Rong decided to take his regime and overthrow the throne, becoming the emperor himself.
After Guo Rong ascended the throne, Xie Yi was naturally appointed to a high-ranking position. He was Guo Rong’s confidant, and when Xie Xuanchen was born, Guo Rong loved him even more than he loved his own son.
The Xie family’s power expanded rapidly from there and required people to help manage it, so Xie Yi ordered for his brother’s family to be transferred from Lin’an. When Xie Rui arrived and mentioned his former neighbors and colleagues to Xie Yi, it took only one wave of Xie Yi’s hand for everyone in the district to be promoted and moved to the capital to enrich his power.
When the Jiang family first arrived in the capital, Xie Yi and Xie Xuanchen were shining so brightly. The latter was a 15-year-old marquis who possessed both outstanding looks and a boundless future. The Jiang family could only stand from afar to witness his glory.
Unfortunately, less than two years later, Guo Rong died, and his son succeeded him. As the two most powerful men in the capital, how could Xie Yi and Xie Xuanchen lower themselves to obey a child?
Xie Xuanchen started a rebellion, but Xie Yi fought to suppress it. It was said that during the rebellion, Xie Yi hesitated. In that moment, Xie Xuanchen took the imperial robe and put it on Xie Yi, then he commanded his regime to kneel and hail his father as the new emperor. With that, Xie Yi was forced to take his own soldiers and attack the capital.