Blood sedge

Chapter 1214 Speaking Too Profoundly with Someone You Don't Know Well (Part Two)
“I think… I understand what you mean.” Xunzhen looked at Xiao Zhirou, whose eyes were full of expectation, with complicated eyes, and said intermittently, “Valley Master Xiao is reminding me that Liu Xunyi is not someone who falls in love easily, but once he does, it’s too late to take it back. If I can’t stay by his side, I shouldn’t get entangled with him, but should draw a line as soon as possible. It’s better to have a short pain than a long one.”

“Xunzhen, you are a smart girl. Even if you are bound by emotions, it cannot completely cloud your reason. Otherwise, you would not have written this letter of apology.” Xiao Zhirou said meaningfully, “Since you wrote this letter, it means that the position of the young Prince of Qin in your heart is still very important. No one can easily shake it, not even Xunyi… can replace him.”

“Valley Master Xiao is right. The grand ambitions of the Young King of Qin are indeed of great importance to me.” Xunzhen made no attempt to hide her awe of the Young King of Qin, but she was unwilling to be defined by Xiao Zhirou. So she changed the subject, “But isn’t Liu Xunyi the same? The sense of national righteousness that he upholds is probably not something that I, a mere person, can easily replace.”

"This is the insurmountable chasm between the two of you," Xiao Zhirou said noncommittally. "You know better than anyone what the young Prince Qin is plotting. As long as his ambition remains, sooner or later he will vie for the Central Plains like the Mongols, and there will inevitably be a bloody battle to the death with the Song Dynasty. At that time... how will you and Xunyi deal with yourselves? Will you betray the Liao Dynasty? Or will Xunyi betray the Song Dynasty?"

"This……"

"If that day truly comes, what will be more important to you: the restoration of the Liao Dynasty or your personal feelings? Won't you face the same predicament as Zhao Xin in the past? Perhaps even more difficult than her situation." Xiao Zhirou continued, "When you are truly caught in a dilemma, if your feelings are still shallow, that's fine, but if your feelings are deep, you might torment yourself and ultimately perish. As for Xunyi... it will probably be the same."

"Master Xiao is worried about Liu Xunyi, but isn't he worried about Miss Yun?" Xunzhen seemed unwilling to be dragged into the vortex of self-justification by Xiao Zhirou, so she changed her mind and asked with some doubt, "Wu Shuang is also one of the young Prince Qin's men. He would not betray the Great Liao for anyone. When things really come to a dilemma, how will Miss Yun handle herself?"

“Ping’er is not looking for clothes, and she is different from you. She doesn’t have such deep thoughts or such complicated ideas, so she will never be in a dilemma.”

"Perhaps she doesn't care about the survival of the Song Dynasty, but does she care about Liu Xunyi's life or death?" Xunzhen persisted, probing further, "If Liu Xunyi insists on getting involved in the Song-Liao conflict, and even one day turns swords against Wu Shuang, what will Miss Yun do? Will she abandon her lover, or betray her brother?"

"This……"

"Valley Master Xiao, please don't be hasty. I haven't finished asking yet." Xun Zhen pressed on, gradually seizing the initiative in the conversation. "What if... I mean, what if Miss Yun chooses to side with Wu Shuang? What will you do then, Valley Master Xiao? Will you side with your daughter against your son? Or will you side with your son against your daughter?"

"Xunzhen, you..." Caught off guard by Xunzhen's sudden change of attitude, Xiao Zhirou was speechless for a moment, and her face gradually darkened.

Seeing this, Xunzhen smiled and apologized, "Valley Master Xiao, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. I just wanted to prove something to you."

"What's the matter?"

"Everyone faces difficulties. No one can escape hardships. This is fate! The calamities of all beings are different. The suffering of all beings is a matter of choice. These are all predestined things. Zhao Xin is like this, Wu Shuang is like this, Miss Yun is like this, even Valley Master Xiao and Holy Master Yun... are like this, not just Liu Xunyi and I." Xunzhen explained calmly, "Valley Master Xiao is right. Heartbreak is hard to heal, and some people may never get over it. Loyalty and righteousness are hard to reconcile, and some people may rather die than make a choice. However, Liu Xunyi is not Yun Zhuiyue, and Xunzhen is not Zhao Xin! No matter what happens, I will not give up on myself, nor will I sit and wait for death."

At this point, Xunzhen slowly raised the letter in her hand and said, "Does Valley Master Xiao think that this letter of apology is a helpless move because I am caught between Liu Xunyi and the Young King of Qin and I am in a dilemma? No! In fact, this letter of apology is my proactive struggle because I am unwilling to accept my fate, refuse to escape, and am determined to face all problems and troubles squarely."

"Take the initiative?" Xiao Zhirou frowned, suddenly finding Xun Zhen's naivety laughable. "Ha! Faced with the overwhelming trend, the chances you can seize are less than one in ten thousand. What's the use?"

"If you don't try, how will Valley Master Xiao know it won't work?" Xun Zhen countered, "Zhao Xin didn't even try in the face of the prevailing trend, destined to be manipulated by others. Either she's cowardly and weak, or Liu Xunyi isn't worth her giving up everything. Forgive me for daring to say something more, but Valley Master Xiao did try to fight for yourself back then, but you gave up halfway through at the first sign of setback, without persevering at all. As a result, Ling Xiaoxiao took advantage of the situation, causing you and Lord Luo to have a misunderstanding and miss out on a good match."

"How dare you!" Xiao Zhirou was furious that Xun Zhen had reopened her wounds and even made sarcastic remarks. She reached out to teach her a lesson.

Am I wrong?

Looking at Xunzhen, who was fearless and righteous, Xiao Zhirou, who was about to unleash a furious rage, subconsciously stopped her raised right hand. First, she glared at her fiercely, then stared at her coldly, then scrutinized her resentfully, and finally silently gazed at her...

After a long silence, Xiao Zhirou slowly lowered her hand and reluctantly admitted, "Perhaps... you're right..."

“Valley Master Xiao, I didn’t mean to reopen your wounds, but rather…”

"Xunzhen, you are truly a clever girl, even more clever than I imagined. Not only clever, but also brave." Xiao Zhirou shook her head nonchalantly, her gaze towards Xunzhen now filled with undisguised admiration and praise. "Xunyi is truly blessed to have met you."

Xiao Zhirou's straightforward praise made Xunzhen, who had been speaking confidently, suddenly become somewhat shy.

“You’re right. There are countless things in the world that are as difficult as climbing to heaven. Everyone has their own tribulations and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But if you don’t even have the courage to fight for it, then you deserve to accept your fate for the rest of your life!” Xiao Zhirou sighed. “It’s true that you should accept your fate, but the premise is that you should do your best.”

"In fact, Valley Master Xiao must know these basic principles. Tonight, he was just distracted by his concern for Liu Xunyi and neglected her for a moment."

"You little rascal, after scolding me, you still know how to give me a way out. You're such a clever little devil." Xiao Zhirou gently tapped Xunzhen's forehead with her finger and laughed. "Actually, when you insisted that Wu Shuang deliver this letter to the young Prince Qin, I could already see that your feelings for Xunyi were no less than his feelings for you. Especially your words 'I firmly believe' really impressed me and made me feel ashamed of myself."

Sensing Xiao Zhirou's unspoken meaning, Xunzhen said calmly, "Perhaps it's because he is Liu Xunyi that I'm willing to believe him." Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhirou's eyes flickered slightly. She gave Xunzhen, who was pretending to be nonchalant, a deep look, and slowly nodded, "You're right. Not every man in the world is as righteous as Xunyi."

Having said that, Xiao Zhirou quickly composed herself and turned her attention back to Xun Zhen, asking curiously, "I now know that Wu Shuang is Yelü Qin's son, and Yelü Qin is the cousin of the Prince of Shao Qin, so Wu Shuang is the Prince of Shao Qin's nephew. You've always called Wu Shuang 'elder brother,' but I don't know... how you define that?"

"Is Valley Master Xiao trying to find out about my background?" Xunzhen raised an eyebrow and asked with a half-smile.

Xiao Zhirou feigned displeasure and retorted, "What? Can't I even ask about my future daughter-in-law's background?"

"Daughter-in-law..." Upon hearing Xiao Zhirou address him in this way, Xunzhen's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and he became bashful, completely losing his previous shrewdness and ease.

"Is there something you're having trouble saying?" Xiao Zhirou asked suspiciously. "If so, you don't have to tell me..."

“Actually, I…I am the daughter of the young Prince of Qin.” Before Xiao Zhirou could finish speaking, Xunzhen, who was determined, answered truthfully, “My real name is…Yelü Xunzhen.”

"As expected!" Xiao Zhirou had already anticipated Xunzhen's true identity, so she didn't show much surprise. "At such a young age, you possess unfathomable shrewdness, your guards are all top-notch experts from the Western Regions, you can command Yuan Xiao and others who have lived outside the Great Wall with ease, you easily pushed Xunyi to the position of Vice Sect Master of the Western Martial Sect, and with just a word, you can send the elites of the four prefectures of Shangjing into the Central Plains. Add to that your relationship with Wu Shuang... Such power, such methods, such boldness, I'm afraid only a princess of the Liao royal family is worthy of possessing. Thinking about it this way, my foolish son has indeed climbed too high."

"What princess? She's nothing but a hollow title!" Xun Zhen didn't seem proud of her extraordinary background; instead, she showed some contempt and disdain. "Has Valley Master Xiao ever seen a princess who lives amidst swords and shadows every day like me?"

"This……"

“Although I am the daughter of the Young King of Qin, he never lets me call him Father, but rather I address him as the Young King of Qin like everyone else,” Xunzhen said with a bitter smile. “From childhood to adulthood, I have never experienced the warmth and joy of a loving father and filial daughter in an ordinary family, nor do I know what fatherly love is. Or rather… the Young King of Qin’s fatherly love is too serious and heavy, unbearable. In the Young King of Qin’s eyes, his children and his subjects seem to be no different, all tools and means to help him restore the Liao Dynasty. Therefore, I have undergone extremely rigorous training since childhood. While other people’s daughters learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers and tea, I learned how to calculate people’s hearts, how to use yin and yang strategies… and of course, the most important thing: loyalty, absolute loyalty to the Young King of Qin.”

"Wu Shuang is the same?" Xiao Zhirou asked in astonishment.

“The children of the Yelü family are all pretty much the same,” Xunzhen said. “But Prince Ning cares about family ties far more than the young Prince Qin, so the relationship between my brother and Prince Ning is… much closer than our relationship with the young Prince Qin.”

"We?" Xiao Zhirou was taken aback and asked in surprise, "What do you mean by 'we'? Aren't you the only child of the Young Prince Qin?"

“I also have a half-brother,” Xunzhen said frankly. “Because he is the heir apparent, his life is much more difficult than mine, and the young Prince of Qin is much stricter with him.”

"And what about your mothers?" Xiao Zhirou asked, looking confused. "The young Prince Qin is ambitious for the world and disregards family ties, but your mothers should still love their children."

Xunzhen smiled helplessly and shook her head, saying, "Don't laugh at me, Valley Master Xiao, but my brother and I have never seen our mother. We can't even remember the wet nurse who fed us. The Young Prince of Qin doesn't allow those around him to be burdened by family ties, so we have no idea who our mother is or whether she is alive or dead. From childhood to adulthood, our only close relative has been the Young Prince of Qin."

"This..." Xiao Zhirou listened to Xun Zhen recount the past with such nonchalance, her heart filled with shock and mixed emotions. "I really can't imagine that there is such a heartless father in the world?"

“We are used to this, so Valley Master Xiao doesn’t need to plead for me.”

"No wonder Wu Shuang reacted so strongly to your and Xunyi's matter. It turns out that the Young Prince of Qin acts in such a domineering way." Xiao Zhirou suddenly realized, "You disobeyed the Young Prince of Qin's orders and developed feelings for Xunyi. Didn't you touch his sore spot?"

"That's why I took the initiative to write this letter of apology, because I knew that this matter couldn't be kept from him at all..."

"call!"

Before Xunzhen could finish speaking, Xiao Zhirou, quick-witted, suddenly made a move and snatched the letter from Xunzhen's hand with lightning speed.

Xunzhen was shocked: "Valley Master Xiao, what are you doing...?"

"I've long been curious about the legendary Young Prince Qin, and I've been worried about not having a chance to meet him." Xiao Zhirou gracefully retreated, lightly avoiding Xun Zhen who was trying to snatch the letter, and smiled mysteriously, "I'll deliver this letter to him for you!"

……