Chapter 205 -

Chapter 205: Chapter

"The Empress is not someone you can easily defeat," Xiao Chen said, not looking back as he pushed past the tall, dry grass. "I don’t want to drag you into anything. If my plan fails, then I will go down alone."

He stopped near a broken part of the back wall and finally turned to look at her. His dark eyes were dead serious.

"You are enjoying your life, Yueqing," he told her flatly. "You are married to that bastard. Even though he is a jerk to everyone else, he is at least less of a jerk to you. Stay safe where you are."

"Shut up!" Yueqing cut him off fiercely. "I am not just doing this for you. I am doing this for myself too. I hate the Empress just as much as you do!"

She stepped closer, her voice filled with anger. "And I am sick and tired of you and Wenzhe hating each other! You are blaming each other for things you could not control when you were kids. It is stupid!"

Xiao Chen’s eyes went dark with fury.

"Do not even mention his name to me," he snapped, his voice turning ice-cold. "If my plans work, Wenzhe will be the very first person I teach a lesson to."

Hearing that, Yueqing completely lost her temper. She did not even think. She lunged forward and tackled him straight to the ground.

They fell hard into the dirt and dry grass with a heavy thud, dust flying up around them in the dark courtyard.

Yueqing pinned him down in the dirt and grabbed the collar of his dark clothes tightly in her fists. She shook him hard.

"Listen to me, you stubborn idiot!" she hissed right in his face. "Wenzhe had no choice back then! He did not betray you because he wanted to!"

Xiao Chen tried to push her off, his eyes blazing with anger, but her words made his whole body freeze.

"He told me everything tonight," Yueqing said, refusing to let go of his collar. Her voice was fierce. "His family and the Empress set a massive trap. They knew about your rebellion. They ruined it on purpose just to break both of you!"

Xiao Chen stared up at her. His breath caught in his throat.

"They forced him into a corner," she continued, her words hitting him like sharp rocks. "He was just a boy trying to stay alive. The Empress and the Duke made him do it. If he did not kill those spies, she would have killed him too! He told me how much he hates himself for it. He has suffered every single day since it happened!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Chen broke into her words, his voice cracking. He grabbed her wrists, trying to pry her hands off his collar. "You don’t know what you are saying! Stop talking!"

But Yueqing did not stop. She held on tighter, refusing to let him hide from the truth.

"I know exactly what I am saying!" she yelled right back, ignoring his struggle to push her away. "You spent all these years hating the wrong person! Your real enemies are sitting in the main palace right now, laughing at how easily they broke the two of you apart."

He closed his eyes tightly, turning his head away as if the words physically hurt him. "Shut up, Yueqing..."

"No! I will not shut up!" she snapped, shaking him again to make him look at her. "They turned you against your best friend so neither of you would be strong enough to fight them! Wenzhe cried tonight, Xiao Chen. The great, cold General Xi broke down and cried because of you! You are both suffering because of what the adults did, and I am not going to let them get away with it!"

With a sudden, hard shove, Xiao Chen finally managed to push Yueqing off of him. He scrambled backward in the dirt. For a moment, both of them just sat on the cold ground, breathing loudly and panting in the dark courtyard.

He did not say another word. He just pushed himself up, brushed the dust off his dark clothes, and turned around to continue walking toward the back exit.

Yueqing stayed on the ground for a second, rubbing her hands. She rolled her eyes so hard they hurt. He is way more stubborn than Wenzhe, she thought, totally annoyed by his silent treatment. She got up, dusted off her cloak, and hurried to follow him through the dry weeds.

They walked in silence until they reached a broken gap in the back wall. It was a hidden way out of the ruined palace. Xiao Chen stopped. He still refused to look at her or speak. He just stood to the side and pointed at the opening, signaling for her to pass through.

Yueqing stopped right in front of him. She stared up into his stubborn, quiet face.

"You think about what I just said," she told him, her voice strong and clear in the quiet night. "If anyone can help you, it is me. I am the Grand Chancellor’s daughter, and Wenzhe is the great General. If anyone can actually help you win that throne, it is us."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Think about it and get back to me, jerk."

Before he could even react, Yueqing lifted her heavy shoe and stomped down hard on his foot.

Xiao Chen flinched, his eyes going wide as he bit his lip to keep from groaning.

"That is for pushing me away," Yueqing snapped.

Then, with a very dramatic flip of her cloak, she turned her back on him and walked straight through the exit, leaving the shocked prince standing alone in the dark.

The second Yueqing left, the tough look on Xiao Chen’s face broke into pieces. He stood all alone in the dark, ruined palace.

Without her there to yell at, all his angry energy disappeared. He stumbled backward, his boots slipping in the dirt. He reached out and held onto the rough stone wall just to stay standing.

Her loud words played over and over in his head, hitting him hard.

They ruined it on purpose. He had no choice. He never stopped being your friend.

Xiao Chen held his chest, breathing hard and fast. He stared at the empty spot where she just stood. His mind was spinning like crazy. After hating Wenzhe for so many years, realizing he might be wrong was actually scary.

"Is..." he whispered to the quiet night, his voice shaking. "Is Wenzhe really telling the truth?"