CHAPTER 217 — HER TRUE IDENTITY
The Northern King froze.
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at her — as though the ground had shifted beneath his feet. Then, with visible effort, he forced a faint smile, though sorrow seeped through the cracks like water through stone.
"Xin'er, I know it is difficult for you to accept," he said quietly. "But…"
He faltered.
He didn't know how to continue. He didn't know how to bridge nineteen years of absence with a single sentence.
Tang Kexin felt the shift immediately — the way he had begun calling her Xin'er, the way his tone softened, the way his eyes lingered on her face as though memorising it.
But so what?
Blood ties meant nothing to her. Not when weighed against the years she had lived as the Prime Minister's daughter. Not when weighed against the people who had loved her, raised her, protected her.
She was Tang Kexin.
She belonged to the Prime Minister's household.
She belonged to the Empress's affection. She belonged — increasingly — to Ye Lanjue.
This man before her… He was a stranger.
And a dangerous one.
"The Northern King wishes to say I must accept this?" she replied calmly. "If so, then I fear it is unnecessary."
Her voice was steady, almost indifferent — as though she were discussing the weather, not the revelation of her parentage.
"This humble girl is living well. I do not require the Northern King's concern."
The more she spoke, the calmer she became.
If she truly was his daughter, then she would be a princess of the Northern Kingdom — a position that would bring nothing but trouble. Trouble for her, for the Prime Minister's estate, for the Empress… and even for Ye Lanjue.
She wanted none of it.
At that moment, she realised something startling: She had already rooted herself in this world. She had grown attached — deeply, quietly — to the people around her.
She didn't want to leave them. She didn't want to leave him.
"Xin'er…" Bei Qingtian's voice trembled.
"Your Majesty," Tang Kexin cut in coldly, "please do not address me so intimately. It may cause misunderstandings."
Bei Qingtian flinched.
"I do not know why the Northern King summoned me," she continued. "Is it to drag me back to the Northern Kingdom? Or to force me to call you 'Royal Father' against my will?"
Her tone was polite, but the rejection was unmistakable.
Bei Qingtian's breath caught.
He had expected shock. He had expected tears. He had expected questions.
He had not expected this quiet, unwavering refusal.
"Do you not wish for me to be your father at all?" he asked softly.
Tang Kexin's heart tightened — but she did not waver.
"Isn't hope the root of disappointment?" she replied.
Bei Qingtian's face paled.
Was he wrong? Had he already lost her before he even had the chance to know her?
"Your Majesty," Tang Kexin said, bowing slightly, "if there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave."
She turned to go.
"Your mother is not the Prime Minister's wife."
The words struck her like a blow.
Tang Kexin froze.
Slowly, she turned back. "What did you say?"
Bei Qingtian exhaled shakily. "Your mother… is not the Prime Minister's wife."
Tang Kexin's pupils contracted.
She had suspected — faintly, quietly — but hearing it aloud was something else entirely.
Her mind raced.
If not the Prime Minister's wife… Then who?
Only one possibility made sense.
"The Empress," Tang Kexin whispered. "My mother is the Empress… isn't she?"
Bei Qingtian hesitated — then nodded.
"Yes."
Tang Kexin's breath caught.
Pieces fell into place — painfully, perfectly.
The Empress's tenderness. Her protectiveness. Her strange, quiet sorrow. The Emperor's words that morning. His willingness to marry her to Ye Lanjue despite everything.
Because she was not his daughter.
Because he knew.
Because he loved the Empress enough to accept it.
Tang Kexin's chest tightened painfully.
"And the Jadeblood Heart Grass?" she asked, voice trembling.
"It will arrive in a few days," Bei Qingtian said. "Do not worry."
Tang Kexin clenched her fists.
So the Emperor had gone to him. Begged him. For the Empress's life.
Her throat burned.
"Since the Northern King has already decided," she said stiffly, "this humble girl thanks you."
She hated needing his help. But she had no choice.
"Xin'er," Bei Qingtian said softly, "do you truly not wish to return with me?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "I do not."
Home was where love was. Not where blood was.
"This place is dangerous for you," he warned. "Once your identity is known, some will not tolerate you. You and your mother will both be in danger."
"That is not something the Northern King needs to worry about."
His jaw tightened.
Tang Kexin's eyes darkened. "If I were still the foolish girl I once was… would the Northern King have wanted me as his daughter?"
Bei Qingtian stiffened.
She was right.
If she had remained the original Tang Kexin — spoiled, arrogant, disliked — he would never have looked at her twice.
He had not searched for her. He had not protected her. He had not even known she existed.
And now he wanted to claim her?
Tang Kexin bowed again. "This humble girl has matters to attend to. I shall take my leave."
Bei Qingtian closed his eyes.
"Very well."
Lei Ying appeared the moment she left.
"Master, how could you let the Young Mistress leave like that?" he demanded, unable to hide his frustration.
Bei Qingtian didn't answer immediately.
He understood her. He understood her resistance. He understood her fear of losing the life she had built.
He understood… because she was his daughter.
And she was stubborn — just like him.
Lei Ying saw the helplessness in his master's eyes and made a silent vow.
He would help her. He would protect her. He would support her choice — even if it meant defying fate.
On the way back to Prince Rui's Mansion, Tang Kexin's thoughts tangled into knots.
She would not return to the Northern Kingdom. She would not abandon the people who had loved her. She would not leave Ye Lanjue.
But if she was the Empress's daughter… Then what of Ye Lanchen? What of the Emperor? What of the Empress's pain?
Her heart ached.
"Princess, we've arrived," the servant said gently.
Tang Kexin straightened her clothes and stepped down.
Ming Xun hurried over. "Princess Consort, His Highness is waiting for you."
Tang Kexin followed him to the back garden — and the sight before her made her heart tremble.
———————————————
CHAPTER 218 — A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE
From where Tang Kexin stood, she could see Ye Lanjue seated in the pavilion. The stone table before him was laid with dishes still warm from the kitchen, yet he wasn't eating. He sat slightly to the side, a book open in his hands, though he didn't seem to be reading a word of it.
He was waiting for her.
The realisation struck her with unexpected force. After returning from the Northern King — from that conversation — seeing him like this made her chest tighten.
Yes… she truly couldn't bear to part from this man.
Perhaps she hadn't fully fallen in love yet, but the reluctance to let him go was already unmistakable.
"Xin…"
His voice drifted across the garden the moment he spotted her. He lifted a hand, beckoning her over with a quiet, familiar ease.
Ming Xun, who had been standing nearby, pressed his lips together and slipped away. If he didn't leave now, his master would certainly chase him off.
Tang Kexin walked towards the pavilion, her heartbeat unsteady.
It was strange — when one finally allowed themselves to accept someone, even the smallest gestures could stir the heart.
"You must be hungry. Come, eat something."
Ye Lanjue didn't notice the turmoil in her expression. He simply reached for the dishes and placed several into her bowl, the movements natural, unthinking — as though he had always done this.
"Yes," she murmured, trying to steady herself, though her emotions were tangled and restless.
"You didn't run into any danger, did you?" he asked, scanning her from head to toe. Only when he found nothing amiss did the tension in his shoulders ease.
"No," she said softly. "Nothing happened."
He was still her father — even if she didn't acknowledge him. He wouldn't harm her.
But she had feared he might try to take her away. Thankfully, he hadn't.
Ye Lanjue raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. He simply continued serving her food.
Tang Kexin watched him for a moment, then asked quietly, "You're not going to ask what happened?"
His chopsticks paused mid‑air.
"As long as I know you're safe," he said, "that's enough."
Once, Tang Kexin had been impossible to hold onto — elusive, unpredictable, slipping through his fingers no matter how tightly he tried to grasp her. That was why he had pursued her so relentlessly.
But now she was here.
By his side.
Willingly.
His priority was no longer control — it was her safety.
He didn't want to cage her.
She wasn't his possession.
He would give her freedom, space, the whole world if she wanted it — as long as she stayed beside him.
What he wanted was trust.
A bond without suspicion.
A closeness without confinement.
"Thank you," Tang Kexin said quietly. And she meant it.
She liked this kind of love — gentle, steady, respectful.
And knowing him like this… made it even harder to let go.
"If I weren't Tang Kexin," she asked softly, "would you still like me?"
Did he care about her identity?
Ye Lanjue met her gaze. "I only know that the woman I love is the one in front of me. Nothing else matters."
Her throat tightened.
"My father isn't the Prime Minister," she said. "And my mother isn't the Prime Minister's wife."
She didn't want to hide it from him.
Ye Lanjue froze for a heartbeat — then crossed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist, his breath warm against her ear.
"No matter who you are," he whispered, "you are still my wife."
Tang Kexin smiled faintly and tugged him down to sit beside her.
"My father is the Northern King."
His expression stiffened.
"And your mother?" he asked, though he already had a guess — one he didn't dare believe.
"The Empress."
Ye Lanjue's fingers tightened around hers.
"So he wanted to tell you," he said slowly, "that the Jadeblood Heart Grass must be refined with your blood?"
"Probably," she admitted.
She didn't tell him the rest — that the Northern King wanted to take her back. She didn't know what Ye Lanjue would do if he learned that.
"Is the Jadeblood Heart Grass only found in the Northern Kingdom?" she asked, worry creeping into her voice. "Did the Emperor agree to anything when he went to ask for it? When the Empress wakes… what will she face?"
Ye Lanjue understood her concern.
She hated owing favours.
And he hated that they had to rely on that man.
He had seen the Emperor's devotion to the Empress — and sometimes, he felt it was wasted. But now, they had no choice but to accept the Northern King's medicine.
"Will he use this chance to take the Empress back?" Ye Lanjue asked.
"I don't know," Tang Kexin said honestly. "I only hope she finds happiness."
The Empress had stayed for nineteen years. She must have had her reasons.
And the Emperor… his feelings were unmistakable.
He had gone to beg the one man he least wished to see.
He had swallowed his pride — for her.
Even knowing Tang Kexin was not his daughter, he had still treated her with kindness.
That kind of love was rare.
"Right," Tang Kexin said suddenly. "I need to go home tonight and ask Mother some questions."
"I'll go with you," Ye Lanjue said immediately. "I don't want you going alone."
She nodded. "Alright."
Just then, a voice cut through the air.
"Young Mistress."
Ye Lanjue's killing intent flared instantly — someone had entered King Rui's Mansion without permission.
But when Lei Ying appeared, he relaxed. Few places could stop the shadow guard.
Tang Kexin, however, stiffened. She had no desire to deal with anyone connected to the Northern King.
"Young Mistress," Lei Ying said urgently.
"What is it?" Tang Kexin asked, her tone cool. If it had been anyone else, she would have walked away already.
"Master knows the Young Mistress feels this is sudden," Lei Ying said, choosing his words carefully, "but he has been in Dayuan for many years, protecting the Queen and… Prince Ye Lanchen."
He corrected himself quickly.
Tang Kexin's expression didn't change.
So he wanted to play the emotional card?
"Master is also deeply concerned for you, the Queen, and the Young Lord," Lei Ying continued. "After confirming your identity, Master immediately brought the Prince and me to Dayuan to bring you back."
Tang Kexin's lips tightened.
If the Northern King truly loved the Empress, why had he not taken her away?
Why had he left her to suffer in the palace for nineteen years?
If it had been Ye Lanjue — she knew — he would have dragged her away without hesitation, no matter the cost.
The thought made her smile faintly.
"May I request," Ye Lanjue said coldly, "that you address her as Empress? My imperial mother is not your queen."
His voice was sharp, icy.
He had seen the Empress's loneliness.
He had seen her pain.
And the Northern King — with all his power — had done nothing.
If it were him, he would never allow the woman he loved to remain by another man's side.
Lei Ying faltered.
"Master did not wish to disturb the Empress's life," he said quietly, though even he seemed uncertain.
Tang Kexin let out a soft, humourless laugh.
"You said he has always been in Dayuan. Do you think the Empress didn't know? Do you think the Emperor didn't know?"
Of course the Emperor knew.
How else could he have found the Northern King so quickly?
The Northern King had stayed in Dayuan for years.
The Empress had remained in the palace.
Tang Kexin had grown up as the Prime Minister's daughter.
What exactly had he been waiting for?
"The Empress has been poisoned," Lei Ying said at last, his voice low. "Master cannot stand by and do nothing."
He looked pained — torn between loyalty and helplessness.
He had hoped that finding the Young Master would bring his master comfort.
He had not expected her to reject him so completely.
And yet… he understood.
The Northern King had not been there for her.
Not once.
And now, she would not accept him.
Not easily.
Perhaps not ever.