bullyxtreme Chapter 236 Jiang Qingxue didn't understand why she was renamed Jiang Qingxue.
Chapter 236 Jiang Qingxue didn't understand why she was renamed Jiang Qingxue.
Sunlight still filters through the branches of the old plum tree, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
A gentle breeze still swept through the courtyard, carrying a few withered leaves that swirled and drifted down.
But Jiang Qingxue couldn't hear anything.
I can't see anything.
In her mind, only those three words echoed wildly—
Jiang Zhaoyue.
Jiang Zhaoyue.
Jiang Zhaoyue.
Moonlit Kingdom.
King.
queen.
princess.
These words were as distant to her as myths from another world.
She grew up in the North and had never heard of the Moonlit Kingdom.
I don't know where it is, I don't know when it came into existence, and I don't know anything else—
She was actually its princess.
Jiang Qingxue's body trembled violently.
The trembling started in her legs, spread to her waist and abdomen, to her shoulders, and to her hands.
She was like a leaf in the wind, swaying precariously.
Seeing her like this, Cao Wei felt even more heartbroken.
He stepped forward, reached out his hand, and tried to help her.
But Jiang Qingxue subconsciously took a step back.
Those once clear and cold eyes were now filled with confusion, fear, and disbelief.
"No……"
She murmured, her voice as soft as a dream.
"impossible……"
"This is impossible..."
"I grew up in the North... I'm an orphan adopted by the Xu family... I'm not a princess... I'm not..."
She spoke incoherently, tears streaming down her face.
Looking at her like this, Cao Wei felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
He knew the news was too sudden for her.
It was so sudden that she simply couldn't accept it.
Suddenly, she preferred to believe she was an orphan without parents rather than a princess of a fallen kingdom.
But he had to say it.
She must know the truth.
Even if the truth would cause her unbearable pain.
"Child," he said, his voice hoarse but firm, "I know it's hard for you to accept right now."
"But it's true."
"Twenty-one years ago, Xu Xiao, the King of the North, led his troops to attack the Moonflower Kingdom."
"In that battle, all three cities of Yuehua Kingdom fell, and the entire nation of 100,000 people were either killed or captured."
"Your father, King Jiang Huaijin, held your mother in the palace hall and lit a torch."
He paused, a deep pain flashing in his eyes:
"He would rather self-immolate than be captured by Xu Xiao."
"But your mother—"
His voice finally choked with emotion.
"At the last moment, your mother sent you, who was just three months old, out of the secret passage."
"The person she entrusted—"
He held up his hand, pointing to himself:
"It's me."
Jiang Qingxue's body trembled violently once again.
She looked at Cao Wei, at his aged face streaked with tears.
An image uncontrollably surfaced in my mind—
In a palace engulfed in flames, a beautiful woman holds an infant in her arms, her eyes filled with reluctance and determination.
She placed the baby in a young man's arms and whispered something.
Then, she turned and walked towards the sea of fire.
The young man, carrying the baby, escaped through the secret passage.
Behind them, flames soared into the sky and shouts of battle shook the heavens.
That baby was her.
The young man was Cao Wei.
The woman who rushed into the sea of fire—
She was her mother.
Jiang Qingxue's legs finally gave way.
She knelt down softly on the ground.
His knee slammed into the cobblestones with a dull thud.
But she seemed not to feel any pain.
She just knelt there, letting the tears flow freely.
Looking at her like this, Cao Wei felt the sorrow that had been suppressed for twenty-one years finally burst forth.
He knelt before Jiang Qingxue, reached out, and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
Those wrinkled hands were trembling slightly.
"child……"
His voice was so choked that it was almost inaudible:
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"The reason I haven't told you the truth all these years is because I didn't want you to bear that pain, that hatred, that hurt, that despair... none of it should belong to you..."
He couldn't continue.
He could only kneel there, keeping Jiang Qingxue company, letting his tears flow freely.
The sun was still shining brightly in the courtyard.
The withered leaves on the old plum branches were blown down by the breeze, swirling and landing on the two of them.
A few birdsongs drifted from afar, clear and melodious.
But all of this is irrelevant to them.
They just knelt there, one weeping and the other sobbing.
Twenty-one years of longing, twenty-one years of guilt, twenty-one years of waiting—
At that moment, it all turned into tears and poured out.
Qin Mu stood not far away, with his hands behind his back.
As he watched this scene, a complex emotion flashed in his deep eyes.
But he didn't say anything.
He simply stood there quietly, like a silent statue.
I don't know how much time passed.
It might be just a quarter of an hour, or it might be an hour.
Jiang Qingxue's crying finally subsided.
She knelt on the pebbles, her eyes red and swollen, her face streaked with tears.
But the blank emptiness in those clear, cold eyes was finally replaced by another emotion.
That is--
firm.
A resolute and determined determination, like burning one's boats.
She raised her head and looked at Cao Wei.
Those eyes were shining incredibly brightly at that moment.
"Uncle Cao," she began, her voice hoarse yet unusually clear, "I want to know."
"Everything."
How was the Moonflower Kingdom destroyed?
"How did my father and mother die?"
"Xu Xiao—why did he do that?"
"besides--"
She paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
Why am I at the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion?
Cao Wei looked at her, at those eyes burning with flames.
A deep sense of relief welled up in my heart.
She truly is her daughter.
She truly lives up to her title as the princess of Yuehua Kingdom.
Even after suffering such a huge blow, they did not collapse, did not run away, and did not complain about fate.
But -
Choose to face it.
Cao Wei took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and began to speak.
The voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear:
"Twenty-one years ago..."
His gaze was fixed on the distance, as if piercing through the mists of time to see that long-forgotten past.
"The Moonflower Kingdom, established for 123 years, is located in the gap between the northern border and the Northern Wilderness."
"The territory consists of no more than three cities and has a population of less than 100,000, but it is rich in jade and iron ore."
"Because of these two things, the Moonflower Kingdom became a piece of fat meat in the eyes of Xu Xiao, the King of the Northern Border."
"If he wants to open up a trade route to Northern Mang, he must control the Yuehua Kingdom."
"Although Yuehua Kingdom is small, its kings throughout history have been fierce and unyielding, never yielding to any powerful authority."
"Your father, King Jiang Huaijin, was the worst of them all."
When Cao Wei said this, a complex look flashed in his eyes.
The destruction of the Moonflower Kingdom was certainly not just the idea of Xu Xiao, the King of the Northern Border; it must have also been the idea of the First Emperor of Qin.
Otherwise, Xu Xiao would never have dared to take action himself.
But with the current emperor of Qin, Qin Mu, standing not far away, how could he possibly reveal the most profound truth?
After all, they are now all under the control of the Great Qin, and the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin.
These are things that Jiang Qingxue can only figure out for herself.
He stopped there.
A glimmer of reminiscence flashed in Cao Wei's eyes:
"When I was young, I traveled to the Kingdom of Yuehua and became fast friends with your father at first sight."
"Although he was a king, he was very approachable and treated me like a brother."
"I lived in Yuehua Kingdom for three years, watching him marry your mother, watching him ascend the throne, and watching him govern Yuehua Kingdom in an orderly manner."
"Those three years were the happiest time of my life."
His voice gradually lowered:
"Until that day—"
"Xu Xiao's army of 100,000 is at the city gates."
Cao Wei closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes again, they were filled with a cold, calm expression.
That battle lasted for seven days and seven nights.
"Although Yuehua Kingdom is small, everyone in the country is a soldier."
"The old, the weak, women and children all went up to the city wall."
"Your father personally donned his armor and went into battle, confronting Xu Xiao atop the city walls."
"He stood on the city wall and shouted to the 100,000-strong army below—"
Cao Wei paused, as if recalling that unforgettable past.
Then he spoke, his voice hoarse yet powerful:
"Xu Xiao!"
"Though my Moonflower Kingdom is small, it has never been bullied!"
"If you want war, then I will fight!"
"I, Jiang Huaijin, would rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life!"
Hearing these words, Jiang Qingxue felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
She had never seen that man.
I've never heard his voice before.
I have never felt his embrace.
But at this moment, listening to Cao Wei's retelling of those words, she seemed to see that figure standing on the city wall, shouting to the 100,000-strong army.
That figure was tall, upright, and unyielding.
That is--
Her father.
Cao Wei continued:
"In that battle, although the Yuehua Kingdom was brave, it was ultimately outnumbered."
"On the day all three cities fell and the city gates were breached, the entire royal city was awash in blood."
"When Xu Xiao's army stormed into the palace, your father was holding your mother, standing in the center of the hall."
"He lit the torch."
He said to the soldiers who rushed in—
Cao Wei's voice choked up again:
Tell Xu Xiao—
"I, Jiang Huaijin, would rather die than be his prisoner."
"Our Moonflower Kingdom would rather perish than surrender."
The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Qingxue's tears welled up again.
The scene seemed to appear before her eyes—
The raging fire engulfed the magnificent palace.
The man, whom I had never met before, stood in the middle of the sea of fire, holding the woman he loved.
There was no fear or despair on their faces.
Only pride.
Only by remaining unyielding.
only--
A resolute determination to die rather than surrender.
"And what about you?" Jiang Qingxue asked, her voice hoarse. "How did you escape?"
Cao Wei looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
"It's your mother—"
He paused, then took a deep breath:
"At the last moment, she shoved you into my arms."
She said—
His voice trembled so much it was almost inaudible:
"Brother Cao, please... take Zhaoyue with you."
"Let her live."
"Let her—"
He closed his eyes, letting the tears flow freely:
"Live on for us."
Jiang Qingxue's body trembled violently once again.
She seemed to hear that voice—
The voice of a mother I had never met.
Gentle, trembling, yet with a mother's resolute determination.
Live on for us.
These five words were like a knife, piercing the softest part of her heart.
She knelt down, covered her face with her hands, and wept silently.
His shoulders trembled violently, but he couldn't make a sound.
Cao Wei sighed.
"Child," his voice was hoarse, "your mother told me to take you away and let you live."
"For the past twenty-one years, I have been watching you silently."
"Watching you grow up, watching you practice swordsmanship, watching you..."
He paused, his voice choked with emotion:
"Watching you grow up, little by little, to resemble your mother."
Jiang Qingxue raised her head and looked at him.
His aged face was streaked with tears.
Those cloudy eyes were filled with guilt and heartache.
She suddenly understood.
She understood why Cao Wei had always watched her silently all these years, never saying a word.
He understood why he would secretly send her medicine whenever she was injured, never leaving his name.
She understood why the way he looked at her was always so complicated.
Because he knew who she was.
Because he had promised her mother that he would let her live.
Because of him—
We've waited 21 years for this moment.
In the courtyard, sunlight dappled through the trees.
Jiang Qingxue knelt on the pebbles, her face streaked with tears.
Cao Wei's words were like boulders crashing into the once calm lake in her heart, stirring up a stormy sea.
She learned about her origins.
He learned of the deaths of his father and mother.
I learned about that devastating war that destroyed the country.
But there was another problem, like a thorn stuck in her heart, preventing her from finding peace.
She raised her head and looked at Cao Wei.
Those once clear and cool eyes were now red and swollen, yet unusually bright.
"Uncle Cao," she began, her voice hoarse, "I don't understand."
Cao Wei looked at her without saying a word.
Jiang Qingxue continued, each word seeming to be dug out from the deepest part of her heart:
"Since you escaped with me, why would you—"
She paused, then took a deep breath:
Why would they appear at the Prince of Zhenbei's residence?
"Xu Xiao is our enemy. He destroyed my country and killed my father and mother."
"But why were you at his residence?"
"And I—"
Her voice trembled slightly:
Why was her name changed to Jiang Qingxue?
Why did you grow up in the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion?
"Why—"
She couldn't continue.
Those questions, like a tangled mess, swirled wildly in her mind.
She couldn't figure it out.
He couldn't understand why the enemy who destroyed his country would adopt him.
I can't understand why that old man, who was loyal to his father, would stay in the enemy's mansion.
I can't figure it out—
What exactly happened?
Cao Wei looked at her, at her burning eyes, at her pale face streaked with tears.
A deep sense of guilt welled up in my heart.
He knew that what was meant to happen would eventually happen.