Chapter 325: Siblings

Chapter 325: Siblings

Liu Zhou was stunned by Duan Yunlang's question: "Isn't our boss your cousin, Miss Kou?"

Duan Yunlang didn't respond and turned to walk away.

"How odd," Liu Zhou muttered, shaking his head in bewilderment.

Duan Yunlang stumbled through the crowded streets.

The autumn sun, though not harsh, made his eyes ache.

"Brother Duan?" Meng Fei greeted, his initial delight fading as he noticed Duan Yunlang's red eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

Duan Yunlang replied weakly, "Brother Meng, what a coincidence."

Meng Fei approached, patting his shoulder, "Come on, my treat."

Meng Fei led Duan Yunlang into a tavern, where after a couple of drinks, he broke down.

Meng Fei suddenly understood and looked at Duan Yunlang with sympathy: "So you have feelings for Miss Kou."

Duan Yunlang was stunned: "What are you talking about?"

Meng Fei put his arm around Duan Yunlang's shoulder: "They're saying the Empress Dowager plans to marry Miss Kou to Prince Xiu, is that true?"

"You've heard about it?"

Meng Fei glanced at the door and whispered: "With Prince Xiu injured while saving the Empress Dowager, and your elderly lady suddenly summoned to the palace, rumors have been swirling."

Duan Yunlang silently drank a cup of wine.

Seeing this, Meng Fei sighed: "An arranged marriage is a serious matter, Brother Duan. You'll have to come to terms with it."

"It's not that I like my cousin," Duan Yunlang said, his voice breaking as he sipped his wine, "I don't have a cousin anymore."

"It's not the end of the world, Miss Kou will still be your cousin, even married."

"It was a mistake. The girl my father brought back last year wasn't my cousin—she's a princess—"

"Pfft!" Meng Fei spat out his wine, "Brother Duan, have you had too much to drink?"

After Duan Yunlang finished speaking, Meng Fei held his dropped jaw: "So the arranged marriage this morning was called off by noon?"

Royal matters are always full of drama.

In Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager's expression was a mix of shock and disbelief as she pointed at Xin You, now in women's attire, and asked Emperor Xingyuan, "You're saying this isn't Miss Kou, but your daughter with Empress Xin, Xin You?"

"Yes."

"Do you take me for a fool? I saw Miss Kou myself on New Year's Day. This is her."

Emperor Xingyuan smiled bitterly: "Because Ayou bears such a striking resemblance to Miss Kou, even her own mother's side of the family was mistaken."

"Preposterous!" The Empress Dowager shook her head in disbelief.

"I too find it strange, but the fact remains, Ayou is Xin Mu. Mother, doesn't Ayou resemble me as a child?"

The Empress Dowager glanced from her son to Xin You and conceded the resemblance.

After the initial shock, the Empress Dowager quickly accepted the fact.

She had always been on guard against her son recognizing Xin Mu, which would grant Empress Xin’s son eligibility to vie for the throne. Now that it was a daughter, that concern was moot.

A daughter is wonderful!

The Empress Dowager’s smile slowly emerged: "Indeed, she looks just like you did when you were a child."

Emperor Xingyuan also smiled: "Ayou, why don’t you address her as Grandmother?"

Xin You’s silence drew the Empress Dowager’s attention.

"Ayou?"

Xin You slightly raised her eyes and met Emperor Xingyuan’s gaze.

"Your humble servant dares not address her casually, risking offense to the Empress Dowager."

"What do you mean by 'humble servant'?" The Empress Dowager frowned.

Emperor Xingyuan quickly smoothed things over: "Oh, I previously appointed Ayou as a Dai Zhao in the Hanlin Academy."

"Wasn’t that when she was posing as a man? Now that she has returned to her female identity, does she still need to go to the Hanlin Academy?"

Emperor Xingyuan’s first reaction was naturally no, but when he met the girl’s eyes filled with grievance and sarcasm, the words on his lips took a sudden turn: "It was originally a casual position; she can choose to go or not."

The Empress Dowager looked at Xin You with a critical eye, but the girl in front of her looked too much like her son, and she couldn’t find any dissatisfaction with her appearance.

"Now that she’s back, she must learn proper etiquette and uphold the dignity of a royal princess."

The Empress Dowager’s words were harsh, but from her, it seemed fitting to address any junior in such a manner.

Just as Emperor Xingyuan was about to handle it, Xin You spoke.

"Perhaps it was this commoner who didn’t speak up in time, leading to misunderstandings with the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. My mother worked tirelessly to raise me and never revealed who my father was. Now that my mother has passed away, there’s no way to verify, and I can’t just claim a father. I cannot accept the title of royal princess."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

The Empress Dowager was first surprised, then furious: "What are you saying? You refuse to acknowledge your lineage?"

"Mother, this is all so sudden; everyone needs time to come to terms with it. However, there is one thing that cannot be delayed any longer." Princess Zhaoyang spoke at the right time, breaking the tense atmosphere.

The Empress Dowager and Emperor Xingyuan both looked at her.

"Shouldn’t we clarify the marriage arrangement with Prince Xiu immediately to prevent any embarrassment if it gets out?"

Whether Ayou acknowledges her lineage or not, she and Prince Xiu are still siblings.

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s expression shifted several times, and she promptly ordered the palace attendant, "Summon Prince Xiu to the palace at once."

The palace attendant hurried off. Princess Zhaoyang’s intervention helped the Empress Dowager regain her composure.

Why was she even angry? She had plenty of grandsons and granddaughters. If this girl refused to acknowledge her lineage, it wasn’t her problem.

By losing her temper, she was only encouraging her son to accept this wild girl.

The Empress Dowager’s icy gaze bore into Xin You, her eyes slowly filling with disgust.

No matter how much she resembled her son, at her core, she was as unruly as her mother.

Emperor Xingyuan looked at his daughter, then at his mother, feeling overwhelmed.

"Mother, let's have lunch now."

"Let's wait for Prince Xiu to arrive. I have no appetite," the Empress Dowager said calmly.

Fortunately, Prince Xiu's manor wasn't far from the imperial palace, and he arrived shortly.

"Greetings to Grandmother, Father, and Auntie."

After paying his respects, Prince Xiu looked at Xin You with a mix of surprise and joy.

Emperor Xingyuan coughed, becoming much more serious in front of Prince Xiu: "We summoned you here to discuss something."

"Please speak, Father."

"Miss Kou has passed away, so your engagement to her is hereby nullified."

Prince Xiu's face drained of color as he looked at Xin You in shock: "Father, I don't understand. Miss Kou, isn't she right here—"

"This is Xin You. Xin Mu was her male alter ego."

Prince Xiu listened in a daze, and even after Emperor Xingyuan finished speaking, he was still in shock.

The Empress Dowager was especially fond of Prince Xiu at this moment, particularly with the contrast of a rebellious girl who refused to acknowledge her royal lineage beside him, which only heightened her affection.

Seeing him like this, the Empress Dowager spoke with a tender expression: "Prince Xiu, don't be upset. Later, I'll find you a perfect match."

Only then did Prince Xiu snap out of his trance, staring intently at Xin You.

"So, Miss Kou—Miss Xin is the daughter of Father and the late Empress, making her my sister?"

Xin You pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Whether by design or circumstance, she had no choice but to stand here as Xin You, all because of the man before her.

Emperor Xingyuan had much more to discuss with Xin You in private, so he said, "Now that everything is settled, let's have lunch."