Fall In Love With A Substitute – The Princess’s Beloved Wife, Chapter 52
Amidst the tension and bloodshed, Feng Yuexian wouldn’t miss a single whisper from Song Pianxian.
In front of her, Feng Yuexian, dressed in a sea-rose red dress, was surrounded by a white glow. Behind her was the cool Waterside Pavilion, where light and shadow intertwined, casting a golden hue on her dress. The silver sword in her hand shimmered in the daylight.
Feng Yuexian tilted slightly, allowing the light and shadow to flow over her, her voice softening amidst the coldness:
“Hmm?”
Feng Yuexian responded naturally.
Qinglu…
Song Pianxian tightened her grip on the dagger handle, her gaze fixed on the two small characters.
One breath, two breaths.
She gently took a breath and turned the dagger over, no longer looking at the characters.
Now was not the time to think about this.
However, Song Pianxian still held the dagger in her hand, not returning it to Feng Yuexian.
Precious Landing Pavilion.
The Empress supported the Emperor, leading the Third Prince, and under the escort of civil officials, arrived in front of the Precious Landing Pavilion.
She remembered the message conveyed by Xuancao, saying that the Royal Family must come to the Precious Landing Pavilion to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, as there might be hidden strategies here.
The Empress held her breath, raised her eyes, and swept them around, only to see that the Precious Landing Pavilion was tightly surrounded by the Imperial Guards and the Jing Army, making it impregnable.
The Empress ‘s heart skipped a beat.
However, among the Jing Army, the Southern Army belonged to King Chu. It was uncertain whether it was the Southern Army—
The leading officer bowed and said:
“Long live the Emperor. I am Xie You, commander of the Northern Army, and I am here to guard the Precious Landing Pavilion on behalf of the Crown Prince.”
Xie You of the Northern Army? As a member of the Feng Family, the Empress immediately gave up hope. With such a tight defense around the Precious Landing Pavilion, it was impossible for any assassins to infiltrate.
The old Emperor hurried a few steps, panting, and with his people, entered the Precious Landing Pavilion before he could praise:
“The Crown Prince has thought everything through.”
The courtiers echoed in agreement. At this moment, no one would dare to voice dissent.
For an instant, the hall was filled with praise for the Crown Prince, accompanied by the faint sound of blades and spears from outside, creating a somewhat ironic atmosphere.
The Empress held the Third Prince in her arms, her gaze falling on the teacup on the table.
The first seat was always reserved for the most respected, and the teacup in the first seat should have been carefully prepared for the royal father and son.
The Empress’s hand trembled under her sleeve, lacking the confidence to act maliciously in front of dozens of pairs of eyes. Instead, she said:
“I felt a bit thirsty after the recent scare. Your Majesty, are you feeling well? Would you like some tea?”
The old Emperor nodded, “A little.”
“I’m to blame for frightening Your Majesty and having the Empress remind me of my duties.” The chief eunuch, terrified, immediately slapped himself lightly and picked up the water pitcher to pour tea for the Emperor.
“It’s nothing.”
The Empress tried to maintain a smiling expression, clenching her fists in her sleeves, her whole body tense, suppressing the anticipation in her eyes.
Under her gaze, the Emperor raised his cup to drink.
“Your Majesty, I heard that the Linshui Temple is short of manpower. I intend to send thirty percent of my men to assist the Crown Prince.” Xie You, with a courteous bow, interrupted the Emperor’s action.
The Emperor paused, as if just remembering that his sickly son was still facing danger.
“Yes, yes, go quickly.”
Xie You’s gaze paused on the teacup in the Emperor’s hand.
The Emperor seemed to feel guilty. While the Crown Prince was still in danger, he was sitting here enjoying tea.
The Emperor cleared his throat and set down the teacup.
Only then did Xie You say, “I shall obey Your Majesty’s command.”
The Empress tightened her handkerchief. Xie You truly lived up to being a lackey of the Feng family, causing trouble!
She cursed inwardly, but couldn’t help feeling panicked and lost. Had today’s plan failed? Were the father and son just dragging on their miserable existence? Why didn’t they make room for her?
From her days of floral youth until now, she had tried her best to preserve her beauty, but it was still irretrievably fading. If the Emperor didn’t die soon, she would waste away in the deep palace—
Lost in self-pity and near delirium, the Empress’s hand reached out to the table and took the teacup the Emperor hadn’t drunk from.
Song Duan grinned, “Father Emperor isn’t drinking, so I’ll have it since I’m thirsty.”
The old Emperor was still quite indulgent towards his youngest son, waving his hand dismissively.
But this voice woke up the Empress.
She suddenly opened her eyes and saw her lifeline carrying the poisoned water to his mouth—
“Snap!”
The teacup shattered on the ground, spilling its contents.
All eyes turned to the Empress seated in the first seat.
“Mother Empress?”
The Empress’s face turned frighteningly pale. She looked at Song Duan, her eyes filled with fear and relief.
Thank goodness, thank goodness Duan’er didn’t drink it.
She pulled Song Duan into her arms, waiting for this instinctual fear to pass. Only then did she react to the eerie silence around her.
It seemed like everyone had noticed something was amiss.
Her expression froze, and she looked up at the old Emperor.
The Emperor was uncertain, his slightly skewed face hiding thunderous anger.
He pointed a trembling finger at the Empress’s nose:
“You, you tell me, what’s in this tea!”
With the capture of the dwarf, this assassination attempt finally came to an end.
Feng Yuexian personally led the Feng family guards and attendants, escorting Song Pianxian to the Baojin Tower.
People couldn’t help but steal glances at Feng Yuexian, some incredulous, some in awe.
They had only known Feng Yuexian to be skilled in martial arts, but they never expected her martial prowess and keen perception to be so exceptional.
Although she hadn’t directly engaged in combat to protect the Crown Prince, her interventions were remarkable.
Her perceptiveness, martial skills, and swift reactions were beyond ordinary—otherwise, there would have been no need for the Crown Prince’s Consort to personally intervene.
As the courtiers revised their understanding of Feng Yuexian, the group hurriedly arrived at the Baojin Tower.
Outside the tower, Xie You approached and quickly briefed them on the Empress’s situation.
When Song Pianxian saw the old Emperor, indeed, the Empress was no longer in the hall. She smiled faintly and saluted:
“May the heavens bless the Emperor. All the assassins have been captured. When we interrogate them, we will surely uncover the mastermind behind the scenes.”
The old Emperor, looking visibly fatigued, asked in a hollow voice:
“Can they really be caught?”
It was no wonder the Emperor lacked confidence. Over the years, assassins had occasionally attacked, but they were all fanatics, with no marks on them and tight-lipped.
Song Pianxian simply replied:
“I will do my best.”
This Dragon Boat Festival trip to the Jinming Pool was prestigious, yet it left people feeling uneasy.
Compared to the assassins, the revelation of poison in the teacup, and the attempt to lure the emperor into drinking, left everyone speechless.
This was the Empress.
Having been with the Emperor for most of his life, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was the most favored among the six palaces. With only three imperial sons in total, she had two of them to herself. To put it bluntly, if the Crown Prince were to pass away one day, she would become the Empress Dowager.
Why can’t she let it go!
But no one dared to discuss this matter publicly. This was the Emperor’s family affair, extremely embarrassing, and needed to save face for the Emperor.
At that time, the Emperor’s face turned purple with anger. He even ordered someone to “send the Empress to rest” on the spot, showing signs of wanting to handle it personally.
Others could see it clearly, so how could Song Pianxian not know? She didn’t ask about the Empress’s whereabouts, instead instructing others to deal with the assassins and reassure the common people, giving out one instruction after another.
Once the matter was settled, she had more important things to attend to.
Song Pianxian sought tranquility and hid in the Ming Shou Palace.
In fact, no one dared to disturb her even in the East Palace, but…
In the East Palace, her mind was not at peace.
In the more unfamiliar Ming Shou Palace, she wore a light robe and leaned against the corridor, gazing into a cluster of brocade hibiscus.
Song Pianxian went over every detail in her mind and ran her fingertips over the small characters on the dagger.
She hadn’t returned it to Feng Yuexian yet.
She asked 09, “You said before that people from different small worlds cannot communicate, right?”
09 affirmed, “That’s correct.”
Song Pianxian emphasized, “I have a new question now.”
“What is it?” asked 09.
Song Pianxian’s tone grew heavier, “Are Lin Qinglu and Feng Yuexian people from the small worlds?”
“Or… do they have some special identities?”
A breeze swept through, making the bamboo in the courtyard rustle, and the hibiscus sway.
Song Pianxian listened to the sound, holding her breath as she waited for 09’s reply.
In the system space unseen by Song Pianxian, 09 furrowed its brow, holding a large pencil.
Lin Qinglu must be from the small world, otherwise, why would she be an important mission target?
09 was particularly confident and was about to answer the host, telling her not to overthink—
A beam of bright light pierced through the fabric of time and space, penetrating the white walls of the staff dormitory, and directly entered 09’s forehead.
The spherical, translucent light was like a transmission medium, entering 09’s brain along the beam of light.
“Ding—Cognitive reshaping in progress—”
The wind ceased.
Faced with her own question, 09 remained silent for a long time, as if disconnected, which was a first.
Song Pianxian’s eyes flashed with deep thought, her fingers pressing on the dagger as she called out, “09?”
“Host.”
09’s voice sounded normal.
“Can you answer my question? Or do you need to apply to the department for permission to query?”
Song Pianxian’s voice contained a smile, but her attitude was firm.
She wanted to know the answer.
But this time, 09’s response was swift.
09 sounded apologetic, “I just checked the information and found that there is indeed a special situation.”
Song Pianxian’s lips slightly parted, “So…?”
Clearly understanding what the host cared about most, 09 paused before saying, “Lin Qinglu and Feng Yuexian are indeed the same person—or rather, not a person.”
The stone hanging in the air, with only a thread connecting it to the ground, finally fell.
Perhaps Song Pianxian herself didn’t even realize it, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Her attention was caught by the latter half of the sentence:
“What… is she?”
“When functional characters are lacking in the small world, the Interstellar Express Bureau will dispatch employees to perform the roles of important characters.”
“But because this kind of performance is relatively simple, as long as they cooperate with the work of the Interstellar Express Bureau employees, they don’t need much subjectivity or even self-awareness.”
“Therefore, when the Interstellar Express Bureau is short-handed, they recruit new humanoids from advanced civilization worlds to perform these roles.”
“New humanoids.”
Song Pianxian softly repeated this term.
“She’s a new humanoid.”
09 added considerately, “Yes, new humanoids are advanced intelligent beings. In the advanced civilization world, they have sparked revolutions and coined the term ‘new humanoid’ for themselves.”
“The reason why new humanoids are suitable for playing the role of mission targets is that they lack real human emotions and are not bound by feelings.”
“They can experience the first half of the mission target’s life through arrangements made by the Interstellar Express Bureau, and based on their own self-awareness, develop unique personalities. This is the significance of their role-playing.”
Song Pianxian seized the key point, “So after I complete the mission, she stops playing and leaves the small world?”
09 replied, “Yes, the world is successfully archived.”
“Can I see her at the Interstellar Express Bureau?”
In a low voice, 09 said, “No, you can’t see her. New humanoids have their own domain worlds.”
Song Pianxian gently exhaled, lowered her eyes, and looked at “Qinglu.”
“Then our two encounters, were they coincidences?”
09 hesitated, “Um… they should be.”
“But if we cooperate well, we can apply for it. We can apply to the Interstellar Express Bureau for cooperative tasks.” 09 hurriedly added, “Having familiar partners can also improve work efficiency, and the Interstellar Express Bureau generally agrees.”
Song Pianxian paused for a moment, smiled, not sure if she was laughing at the Interstellar Express Bureau or something else: “The Interstellar Express Bureau always prioritizes efficiency.”
Seeing the host smiling like a spring breeze, making her body soft and relaxed, 09’s heart also lightened. She turned her eyes and whispered a reminder, “The Interstellar Express Bureau has a retirement system. As long as the tasks are done well, there won’t be any problem with honeymooning in different worlds hand in hand in the future!”
Song Pianxian blinked, too surprised to react emotionally, but her rationality caught the most surprising part of this information: “Honeymoon?”
“Yep,” 09 giggled.
“New humanoids from advanced civilizations can marry humans, and it’s also possible in the Interstellar Express Bureau—”
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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
