A dagger fell beside the Prince of Ding.
But the Prince of Ding’s attention was entirely on the token.
Long Xiyue’s token.
Princess Xiyue’s token!
For a while, she couldn’t react.
Why had the Princess’s token, missing for so many years, suddenly appeared?
When she finally reacted, she immediately got out of bed and knelt on one knee.
Her body was aching, and the act of kneeling seemed difficult.
Yet, she knelt straight.
To see the token was to see the Princess!
But she didn’t know how this token had fallen into Chu Qianli’s hands.
Nor did she know why Chu Qianli was asking her to prove her loyalty.
“Miss…”
“I can tell you where Long Xiyue is,” Chu Qianli said calmly.
The Prince of Ding’s spine stiffened, and she immediately began to cough violently.
It was due to excessive excitement.
But Chu Qianli ignored her. After she finished coughing, she continued to stare at the dagger and said coldly, “If you want to know, then cut off your hand.”
“Miss…”
“As the Princess’s third imperial uncle, you failed to protect her back then, and you deserve this punishment. Could it be that you are not as loyal to the Princess as you claim?”
“I am loyal to the Princess, as heaven and earth bear witness!”
The Prince of Ding looked back at the dagger and finally picked it up.
“Very well, I failed to protect the Princess back then. It was my fault, and now it is time for me to be punished.”
This Prince of Ding was truly unyielding.
Without any further words, she brought the knife down sharply onto her own arm.
Without any hesitation!
Chu Qianli did not stop her, watching silently as she inflicted self-harm with the knife.
However, what the Prince of Ding never expected was that as the dagger struck her arm, it snapped.
The blade was still somewhat sharp, and it cut a bloody gash on her arm, but because the knife was broken, the wound was very shallow.
For someone who had survived on the battlefield for decades, such a wound was insignificant.
The Prince of Ding suddenly looked up at Chu Qianli, her face filled with shock and confusion.
What was the meaning of this?
To her surprise, Chu Qianli slowly put away the token and then knelt before her.
“Miss…”
“Imperial Uncle-Grandfather, Li’er is unfilial. I have only returned now, please forgive me!”
She lowered her head and bowed. At that moment, tears began to roll down from the corners of her eyes.
Finally, she had personally witnessed a relative who was loyal to her mother!
Long Teng Kingdom, she had truly returned this time.
“You… what did you call me?” The Prince of Ding stared at her tear-streaked face, her fingertips trembling.
She called her Imperial Uncle-Grandfather, could it be… could it be that she was…
Heavens! Heaven truly has eyes!
Princess Xiyue, she actually had a daughter!
The Princess had a successor!
“My mother, Long Qianyue, the eldest daughter of Marquis Long Ye. But in reality, Long Ye’s eldest daughter died more than ten years ago.”
“To protect my mother, Long Ye had my mother live in the Marquis’s mansion under the name Long Qianyue. And because my mother discovered she was pregnant, to avoid suspicion, she had to marry. She chose the legitimate son of the Duke’s mansion.”
“And Old Marquis Long Ye, more than thirty years ago, had another name, Long Jicheng. He was originally the foremost general under the late Emperor, but for the late Emperor, he was willing to go to a foreign land, lurking in Bei Ming for many years under the name Long Ye.”
“General Long!”
General Long Jicheng was still alive!
The Prince of Ding suddenly felt her strength leave her, and she sat down on the ground with a thud.
Back then, everyone thought General Long had died on the battlefield. Who would have thought that he was actually ordered by the late Emperor to infiltrate the Bei Ming Kingdom.
Decades!
For decades, he had not returned to the Long Teng Kingdom, nor had he met with his past relatives and friends.
For decades, how had he endured these days?
The Prince of Ding’s body trembled uncontrollably. “You… you are really the Princess’s daughter? Then… then where is the Princess now?”
…
Chu Qianli, in the fastest possible manner, recounted the key events that had transpired in the Bei Ming Kingdom to the Prince of Ding.
The Prince of Ding, holding Long Xiyue’s token, could no longer hold back her tears.
The Princess was truly gone.
After being missing for many years, she had already stopped holding onto hope.
But now, to have someone tell her concretely that the Princess was truly dead, her heart still ached deeply.
Finally, her gaze fell upon Chu Qianli.
Although she was heartbroken, looking at Chu Qianli at this moment, her eyes held a glimmer of hope.
No wonder, when she first saw her, she felt she looked alike, very much so.
She never expected that she was truly Princess Xiyue’s daughter.
There was a destiny in the darkness. Finally, as she was nearing her end, she had met Princess Xiyue’s successor.
“Your Highness.” Now that Long Xiyue was gone, her daughter was naturally their Princess.
“Who else knows about your identity?”
“Old General Long, and his son, Long Feifan.”
Outside, Long Ziyue was probably becoming impatient and wanted to come and see.
The Prince of Ding knew her daughter too well. She lowered her voice and said, “I am currently in the palace, and I fear the Emperor will not let me leave.”
Chu Qianli immediately understood what she wanted to do. “You want to write a letter?”
“Yes!”
Chu Qianli quickly helped her to the desk.
The Prince of Ding wrote a letter and handed it to her.
“His Majesty might not let you leave, but I believe in your abilities. You will surely find a way to leave the palace.”
“After you leave, never come back. The Emperor let you escape once, he won’t let you escape a second time.”
Chu Qianli remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
The Prince of Ding added, “Take this letter and the token, and go to Langya Peak to find Old General Wei.”
“Is it Old General Wei Xian?”
“Yes! It’s her. If she is willing to help you, she will be your greatest support in Long Teng.”
The Prince of Ding was somewhat agitated, speaking too quickly, and nearly lost her breath several times.
Chu Qianli placed her hand on her back, using her internal energy to help her regulate her breathing.
The Prince of Ding felt a warmth in her heart.
The Princess’s daughter, with profound internal energy and exceptional intelligence.
Their Long Teng Kingdom finally had hope.
“If you have the opportunity, find Wei Qiong first. She has been transferred out of the imperial city by His Majesty, but she should be returning soon.”
“Unite with Wei Qiong, show her my token, and she will surely believe you.”
“My token, is in…”
The Prince of Ding leaned closer and whispered a few words.
Chu Qianli listened carefully and put away Long Xiyue’s token and her letter.
“Be sure not to let anyone see these two items.”
“Don’t worry, the things I hide, no one can get them except myself.”
As soon as Chu Qianli finished speaking, Long Ziyue’s voice suddenly came from outside: “A’li, may I come in?”