It was in Duke's Mansion, Guiping, Da Yi.

The moon shined clear and bright, with silence all around.

Duchess Min had finished washing, being ready to get back to her room and settle down.

When she walked on the porch, she found Duke Min sitting beside an oleander tree in the yard. With hands held on his back, he raised his head and stared at the crescent moon in the sky. His figure seemed so thin.

Duchess Min knew her husband Min Rui had been extremely worried for the last few days. Therefore, she couldn't help slightly frowning. Then she came up and made a soft call,

"Your Highness."

Slightly moving his eyes and brows, Min Rui came to sense and looked at her,

"Oh, you have not gone to bed..."

Duchess Min softly smiled, in which a trace of bitterness was shown,

"Your Highness, I know you are worried about something. Of course, I am also uneasy. How could I fall asleep at ease?"

"I upset you..."

Min Rui held her hands and patted them, remaining worried on his face,

"Have you finished all tasks conveyed by Eunuch Liu?"

"Your Highness, you can rest assured. I have led someone to look them over and made everything properly arranged. Eunuch Liu is the imperial envoy dispatched from the Palace, and how can we neglect him? Moreover, the boot is on the other foot now..."

Looking at Min Rui's expression, Duchess Min stopped and didn't dare to continue her words.

Min Rui sighed heavily, taking a few steps in the breeze,

"In fact, there are many questionable points about the matter. It is theoretically possible that the Palace should be jealously guarded. If so, how could the thousands of rebels and thugs lurk into the Palace overnight? The camps of Capital Army are not near the Palace. So when the incident happened, how did those soldiers manage to arrive in time to rescue Emperor? Besides, one-half year ago when we got into the capital and visited the deceased emperor, he also referred that Prince Chen was dim-witted and incurable. Therefore, how could the deceased emperor make the imperial decree, delivering the throne to Prince Chen..."

"Your Highness!"

Essentially, Duchess Min was only a woman. And Min Rui's intensive questions had already made her face pale with fear. With a frightened look, she trundled and threw herself to Min Rui's chest, piteously imploring,

"Your Highness, please watch out for your words! Now the decree officer from the Palace is resting in our mansion! Beware of the eavesdroppers!"

Min Rui frowned in a gloomy look, heavily closing his eyes and sighing,

"I just feel pity for the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, Leng Qingtang. You don't know, I once worked with him in Southern Jiang and we jointly confronted with a few battles. Being both brave and astute, the man is so outstanding. Undoubtedly, he is a rare talent with generalship."

"Just when Leng Qingtang won a great victory in Southern Jiang, people in the imperial court could not wait to remove him. I am both distressed and disappointed. The same as Leng Qingtang, I was also the officer of the deceased emperor. Presumably, when Prince Chen is formally on the throne and takes over the whole dynasty, he is also going to take actions against Dongqing Fleet."

"No, no."

Duchess Min shed tears and shook her head. Then she plucked her wide sleeves and first helped Min Rui to wipe the cold sweat covered on his forehead. In a quivering voice, she comforted,

"Our daughter, Gu Yunyao is also in the Palace. I heard Eunuch Liu said that she had been honored as Imperial Mother Yu. Thus, it can be seen that Prince Chen still remembers your contribution, and he will not take action against you."

Min Rui caressed his thin beard and thought for a while, being still frowning,

"I hope the word is just 'remember' rather than 'dread'. Otherwise, I will never come to a better end than Leng Qingtang... Curiously enough, in fleet camp, when we heard that Leng Qingtang's fleet was shipwrecked, how could Chiliarch Cheng and his members show no sadness? They all looked the same as the day in Guiping, being silent and numb. Anyway, it is so unreasonable..."

Duchess Min casually asked,

"Why is it unreasonable? Could it be that members in the Eastern Depot are the same as ordinary people, always smiling around?"

Min Rui shook his head, being more and more serious on his look,

"After all, the eunuch brought the bad news that their Master, Leng Qingtang died in a shipwreck. They had been junior members of Leng Qingtang for many years. But at present, they even shed no tears. It... it is much too unreasonable!"

"Your Highness, you always say that our women are long hair creatures with short sight. But now, how do you get confused?"

Seeing Min Rui blushed in shame and anxiety, Duchess Min softly smiled and mildly comforted,

"You should also think of Chiliarch Cheng and his partners. After all, Leng Qingtang, leader of the Eastern Depot has been dead. His junior members are all normal men with families so they must think about their future. Though they bear too much grudge in their minds, how could it be good for them? Besides, they are still in your land. Therefore, showing nothing in the face and doing nothing is the smartest behavior!"

With hands held in his back, Min Rui pondered with a deep frown on his face. After a long time, he slightly nodded and muttered,

"Your words certainly make sense. But it is better to not confront the members in the Eastern Depot. Whenever I meet them, I feel that they are so odd and abnormal..."

"Okay. As far as I am concerned, you work too hard. Therefore, since you came back from Southern Jiang, you have been occupied with the construction of Wangxian Rise. It is late at night. Let me hold you to settle down."

"Ah, that's right..."

Considering that he would accompany Eunuch Liu to patrolled Wei Sea the next morning, Min Rui stopped thinking. Then he and his wife held each other, coming back to the room.

...

In Whale Sea.

"How could you compare Leng Qingtang's tolerance and payments with my experiences?"

In the bedroom, the man in black swung his arm, fiercely roaring to Gu Yunxi,

"Could he have a worse childhood than someone who had never been cradled by his biological parents since he was born and had been brought up by others? The same as him, I am also in the blue blood of Imperial Family Huanan. But I can't surname myself 'Huanan'. As long as he is alive, I must hide in one darkest corner of the world, accompanied with a cold mask and a long flute."

"Leng Qingtang and I are twin brothers! But he owns the identity of Ninth Prince while I am nothing! Why? He repeatedly made use of you and hurt you, but he can still own your love! Why?"

It seemed that Gu Yunxi was stiffened by his furious roar. Silently, she raised her eyes and looked at him.

His eyes were the same as Leng Qingtang's, as dark as the night. In the deep recesses of rippling eyes, there was a maelstrom of churning emotions. It seemed that at a sudden moment, there would be violent storms and roaring waves.

But at that time, the glittering eyes had already been long watched, making people sad and capturing their imagination.

In the world, there was absolutely no such thing as love or hatred without any reason or cause.

Biting her lower lip with teeth, Gu Yunxi slowly and quietly lowered her eyes. She purposely avoided looking at his eyes, softly asking,

"You... Don't you have a name? When your Master Hong Zun was alive, how did he call you?"

"Gu Di..."

He looked at Gu Yunxi and answered. It seemed that after completely venting his boiling anger, his dense and misty eyes were finally clear and calm again.

"Gu Di."

While flipping her eyelashes, Gu Yunxi muttered and repeated. Being entranced in something in her mind, she just sighed with emotion,

"What a strange name..."

"Previously, when I was in the herdsmen's house in the western tribes, people called me so. Never mind. I just abhor the fact that I am the imperial son of Emperor Chengxi of Da Yi, but I can't enjoy the honor of being surnamed Huanan."

Gu Yunxi's face clouded, and she sharply rebuked,

"The reason why you think so is that you have been physically and mentally corrupted by hatred. In a bystander's view, it is of course that your parents are partial to you. They hope that one of the twin brothers can smoothly and safely grow up. As a result, they sent you away from them in order that you can abandon the royal identity of Da Yi, and become an ordinary person."

"I had been growing up in the Garden since childhood so that I was also in adversity. I could touch the feeling that in the hardest moment, it is how painful a thing for people to make a choice."

"Think over! When your Father and Mother were held as hostages in the alien land, why did they send you away and keep the other child around? When they eventually suffered the hunt of Emperor Jingxiao, why did they put the burden of revenge on the other child? If you can really feel your Father and Mother's pains, you will never hold a grudge against them, against Leng Qingtang anymore. It has been 26 years. The Master, Leng Qingtang has been swallowing humiliations for 26 years. He has been bearing everything for your Father, your Mother, and you!"

Confronted with Gu Yunxi's persistent sounds, the man was somewhat stunned. Then he softly smiled, which seemed that a tough and cold mountain was slowly melting in the sun,

"But I was eventually evolved into the maelstrom of revenge by them. Essentially, man proposes while god disposes of men."

Gu Yunxi frowned seriously and looked sad,

"It is beyond all people's imagination that Emperor Jingxiao should be so frenzied to get the throne, dispatching soldiers all the way to kill his biological father. I think that later Princess Anhe entrusted you to Hong Zun because she tried to protect you. This shows that they have never abandoned you."

All of a sudden, Gu Yunxi felt that the man called "Gu Di" should go through something a little similar to her experiences.

In the Garden, she experienced an unpleasant and troubled life, which made her deeply touch the feeling of loneliness. Without Gu Yunyao's company, how hard her life would be.

As for him, without his Master Hong Zun, presumably, he would be crazier now.

At that time, the man had already shunned and got to the bed. He bowed and made his bandaged face closer to Gu Yunxi,

"Now my twin brother has died. Where should you go? Have you gotten any clear idea?"

Gu Yunxi was amazed and squinted her eyes. But then she bravely raised her head and looked at his cold and sharp eyes, making a stern smile,

"What? Where should I go? I once betrayed you, luring you to rescue people in the execution ground but turning your coat. Now you can certainly kill me."

When they looked at each other, the man suddenly laughed. He teasingly raised his eyes,

"If I want to kill you, I will never risk diving into the sea to rescue you. Yunxi, you are kind and smart. You should also know that I have been always bearing you in my heart. I once confessed my love to you. But at that time, for the sake of Leng Qingtang, you never accepted the love of other people. Now he is a dead person murdered by Prince Chen. Please accept me! Be with me! Let's together revenge for my ninth little brother, Leng Qingtang. I have already made full preparations. When the time is up, I am going to ask for the help of Princess Ahhe. I will make Prince Chen pay the price for the debt of blood!"

He stretched out his pale palm. The voice was more like an order, with a little irresistible force,

"Come on. Hold my hand and show that you are willing to be with me."

Seemingly being astonished by his calmness and determination, Gu Yunxi blankly stared at the pale palm as plain as porcelain, feeling something strange.

Suddenly, she found a smile on his pink and thin lips. It was cold and indifferent combined with some complacency.

"No!"

She shifted her eyes, firmly blurting one word out,

The man's look was instantly frozen. His soft and mild smile completely disappeared from his face. In his eyes, it was cold and pressing.

"Don't forget, your Kungfu has been removed. Without my permission, even if you were with wings, you would still never escape from the ship."

He stared at her eyes, slowly and casually sneering,

"Yunxi, I care for you. And I also admire your adamancy and independence. But now except me, who else can you rely on? All the time, I respect you. I don't want to force you, let alone use 'Puppet Art' and make you also become those nondescript freaks on the outside. It is your last chance! You should clearly think it over!"

Gu Yunxi lowered her eyes and said nothing. She looked sad and helpless. In her eyes, a mist of tears sprung and flooded.

The man refrained his anxiety, ruthlessly squinting,

"Two days later, our fleet will reach Wei Sea. You can only choose to obediently follow me, or to be made into a puppet by me. Anyway, you can't leave me."

"You are a devil!"

Gu Yunxi couldn't tolerant anymore. As she anxiously roared to him, tears repeatedly dropped from her face profusely and disorderly.

"Just now, you said that you hate Leng Qingtang, your twin brother! But now you promise to revenge for him? What do you really want? Don't think that I am ignorant! You say you love me, but in the year you brought me to Mount Yin by force. Without acquiring my own ideas, you arbitrarily made arrangements. You changed my face and then threatened me with Hanfu Powder! Now you speak a lot of seemingly reasonable and genuine words, just to let me be with you. Anyhow, I have lost my Kungfu. You can do anything you want! I will never resist you. I also can't resist you. You needn't make any magic arts to me. As from now on, I will quietly accompany you everywhere. I will see how you kill those people who murdered Leng Qingtang in person. When you achieve your goal, I am going to commit suicide, never living in the world..."

The man stood there in a trance, slightly quivering and shaking. In a long silence, the gleam in his eyes quietly faded.

Quietly turning around and walking to the gate, he pondered and said one word. It was like the last bet, but apparently diffident,

"Okay, so you just keep your eyes on, watching that how I beat Prince Chen, and how I... win your love."