Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 442: Zhongzhou Princess Portrait

Mu Yan brought a portrait and slowly unfolded it in front of Zhan Lan, who finally saw the Zhongzhou Princess in the painting.

The portrait was lifelike, the Princess’s face as pure as white jade, lips like cherry blossoms, eyebrows drawn like ink paintings, eyes like autumn waters, a pair of star-embedded eyes gazing over. She sat gracefully by the lake, radiant and holy, her demeanor unmatched. Her white dress reflected in the water, petals fell one by one onto her head, her dress, her shadow.

Zhan Lan was momentarily entranced, no wonder Mu Yan looked so good, his eyes resembled his mother’s.

In his previous life as Empress, Zhan Lan saw a portrait of Emperor Xuanwu’s father, Si Xuanyi, in the palace. He died young, and his appearance in the portrait did not resemble Mu Yan much.

"Mu Yan, have you seen Si Xuanyi’s portrait?" Zhan Lan tentatively asked.

Mu Yan shook his head, closing the Princess’s portrait, "I hate him, I don’t want to see it."

Regarding the man who forced himself on his mother, Mu Yan feared seeing a face exactly like his, even a slight resemblance in features would nauseate him.

"Mu Yan, have you ever suspected that you might not belong to the Si Family?" Zhan Lan donned a gauze garment and walked to his side.

Mu Yan was stunned, Zhan Lan observing his surprised eyes, "I’ve seen Si Xuanyi’s portrait, you don’t look like him. I initially thought you looked more like your mother, but after seeing the portrait just now, you don’t fully resemble her either."

Mu Yan was extremely astonished, "Lan’er, you’ve actually seen Si Xuanyi’s portrait?"

Zhan Lan feigned ease, "I just happened to see it by chance."

Mu Yan frowned, "My mother despised me from childhood, the truth of my origins I’ve painstakingly sought, could it be false? If not for Si Xuanyi’s coercion, why did she hate me so much?"

Zhan Lan held Mu Yan’s hand, reassuring, "Perhaps I’m overthinking, maybe it’s nothing..."

Mu Yan placed his hands on Zhan Lan’s shoulders, "No, Lan’er, you’re right to remind me, some matters may not be so simple, I will investigate thoroughly."

Regarding his lineage, especially his father, Mu Yan had always avoided discussing it, finding it shameful. Now, with Zhan Lan’s reminder, perhaps he should examine this matter carefully. freewebnσvel.cøm

Zhan Lan nodded, the Princess’s life or death unknown, could there be other hidden aspects to Mu Yan’s background?

...

The next morning, Zhan Lan and Mu Yan returned to Tianlong Temple.

The ancient temple, shrouded in the misty morning fog, appeared as a silhouette floating on clouds, remarkably silent and solemn.

Strolling within the temple, listening to the deep and distant sound of bells, Zhan Lan’s heart felt extraordinarily calm.

Zhan Lan saw the incense altar inside the temple, reminding, "Mu Yan, you better stay outside, there’s incense ash inside, I’ll come out once I’ve made my wish."

"Alright, I’ll wait for you outside." Mu Yan disliked temples, feeling uncomfortable as soon as he entered.

Outside the temple door, Zhan Lan gave incense money in front of two monks, kneeling on a soft cushion, she devoutly kowtowed before the Buddha, closing her eyes to make a wish in her heart.

Incense smoke curled quietly in the burner, disconcertingly tranquil.

Suddenly, the temple door was shut from inside, Mu Yan quickly rushed forward and opened it, but Zhan Lan had already vanished inside the temple.

"Lan’er!" Mu Yan shouted urgently.

The Hidden Guards immediately surrounded the temple.

Zhan Lan was blindfolded and stuffed into a sack, taken through a secret passage by someone, traveling for an unknown duration, finally reaching the destination.

Zhan Lan’s hands and feet were bound, the blindfold on her eyes was removed, revealing an abandoned, dilapidated house and Zhan Xuerou’s fierce face.

She grit her teeth as she glared at Zhan Lan, her visage twisted, "Zhan Lan, do you feel powerless all over now? You ended up in my hands after all!"

Zhan Lan looked at Zhan Xuerou, she had lost considerable weight, the malice in her eyes intense, as if tormented, filled with hatred towards her.

"What do you want to do?" Zhan Lan asked, looking at Zhan Xuerou and the man behind her dressed as a martial world wanderer.

Zhan Xuerou laughed, "What do you think? It’s because you, the wretch, stole my legitimate daughter identity of the General Mansion, that I am in this plight!"

Zhan Lan sneered, "You were always a fake, who exactly snatched whose identity, you won’t admit even now."

Zhan Xuerou looked at the man behind her and said, "Qing, bind her to the pillar, I want to cut off her tongue!"

Wu Qing walked to Zhan Lan’s side, leaned down, and tied her to the pillar.

Zhan Xuerou laughed loudly, "Zhan Lan, I will kill you here in this desolate wild, no one will know, but I don’t want you to die easily. Starting now, I will thoroughly torture you..."

Zhan Lan shook her head, lamenting, "What a vicious woman, back then you hired Black Shark Gang to kill me, do you hate me that much?"

Zhan Xuerou screamed, "Yes, I hate you! When you were just the foster daughter of the General Mansion, grandfather favored you, why should you share grandfather and father’s love with me? You even took away my chance to become the Qingfeng Scholar’s closed-door disciple, you’ve barely read a few books, why you!"

Zhan Xuerou stepped closer to Zhan Lan, fists clenched, neck veins bulging, "I regret not finding more people on the mountain to completely eradicate you!"

Zhan Lan stared into her eyes, "You can’t kill me!"

Zhan Xuerou angrily shouted, "Back then, I was reluctant to spend silver, had I known, I would’ve spent all silver, at any cost, to take your life!"

As Zhan Xuerou spoke, her sadness grew, tearfully accusing, "If not for you snatching my legitimate daughter identity, my parents wouldn’t have abandoned me, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be reduced to this, if it weren’t for you, I could have married Si Jun, that demon, if it weren’t for you, I could’ve..."

Zhan Xuerou suddenly stopped, as if realizing something, Zhan Lan’s eyes sharpened, raising her voice, "If not, you wouldn’t have been defiled by beggars, is that right?"

"You, you, you..." Zhan Xuerou gazed at Zhan Lan as if seeing a ghost.

Zhan Lan smirked, "You want to ask how I know?"

Zhan Xuerou trembled, picking up a dagger already placed on the old table, she fiercely said, "Wretch, I’ll scar your face, let’s see if the Regent King will still love you!"

Zhan Xuerou laughed madly, "Those vile men only use women, foolish! Mu Yan is using you!"

Zhan Lan mockingly watched Zhan Xuerou, retorting, "Isn’t Si Jun just using you? So he threw you to those beggars and wanderers, making you serve different men?" Zhan Lan’s words cut like a knife, stabbing deep into Zhan Xuerou’s heart.

Her greatest fear was others knowing what happened in the ruined temple, it was her deepest shame!

Zhan Xuerou roared, charging with the dagger, "Shut up! Zhan Lan, I’ll slice you piece by piece!"