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Chapter 429: Husbands and Wives Meet but Do Not Recognize Each Other

When a king is angry, a hundred thousand corpses may lie in his wake. When an emperor is angry, millions may die. When the emperor is enraged, how many lives will be lost?

Within Li Huo Sacred Capital, Nie Fancheng gently caressed the bamboo flute, his eyes reflecting both anger and nostalgia. After a long while, he suppressed his rage and slowly sat back down.

Reaching out, he took the jade slip from Zhong Shan\'s hand.

"You may leave. I will summon you again," Nie Fancheng said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the grand doors of the hall swung open.

"Escort him back," Nie Fancheng ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the old eunuch replied immediately.

With a lingering sense of puzzlement, Zhong Shan followed the eunuch out.

As Zhong Shan exited, the grand doors of the hall shut once more.

From outside, Zhong Shan could see the skies over Li Huo Sacred Capital filled with rolling thunderclouds, a clear sign that Nie Fancheng\'s anger had not yet subsided, and the emperor\'s wrath was spilling over into the heavens.

The skies roared with thunder as patrols within the city intensified. Every official hoped to avoid the emperor\'s ire falling upon them, thus quickly restraining their subordinates and ensuring peace, praying that no trouble would arise at this moment.

Zhong Shan returned to the Nanming Tribute Palace, pondering the significance of the bamboo flute. An ordinary bamboo flute had deeply affected the emperors of two great heavenly dynasties. Both Gu Shentong and Nie Fancheng displayed tenderness, followed by fury upon seeing it.

Zhong Shan\'s initial guess was that it involved a woman, someone so significant that even the mere thought of her could overshadow Nie Fancheng\'s concern about the "Elixir of Immortality."

Shaking his head, Zhong Shan decided to stop thinking about it for now.

The next day, at Princess Qingqing\'s residence:

"Who are you?" a guard at the entrance asked.

"Please inform the princess that an old acquaintance, Zhong Shan, has come to visit," Zhong Shan replied.

"Zhong Shan?" The guard\'s voice rose in surprise.

Zhong Shan gently removed his hood.

"Please come in, Duke of the East. The princess instructed us to notify her immediately if you arrived," the guard said, hurrying inside.

Zhong Shan was led to a grand hall within the princess\'s residence, where he waited patiently.

In an inner courtyard of Princess Qingqing\'s residence...

Nie Qingqing and Tian Ling\'er were watching a small red sparrow.

"Sister, what\'s wrong with Little Red lately? It always seems so listless, barely eating half of what it used to. Is it sick?" Tian Ling\'er asked, stroking the sparrow with concern.

"It should be fine," Nie Qingqing replied, trying to reassure Tian Ling\'er, though she herself was unsure.

"Your Highness, Duke Zhong Shan requests an audience," a servant announced.

"Duke Zhong Shan?" Tian Ling\'er said, surprised.

"Ling\'er, wait here for me," Nie Qingqing instructed.

"But I want to meet Zhong Shan too. Let me go with you," Tian Ling\'er insisted.

"No, you stay here and take care of Little Red. I\'ll introduce you to him when I return," Nie Qingqing said, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Uh, alright!" Tian Ling\'er noticed Nie Qingqing\'s odd behavior and quickly agreed.

Nie Qingqing promptly left.

Seeing Nie Qingqing walk away, Tian Ling\'er\'s eyes twinkled mischievously, a playful smile forming on her lips.

"Hmph, sneaking off to meet a lover? I want to see what this Zhong Shan is like," Tian Ling\'er murmured to herself mischievously.

Ignoring the red sparrow\'s protests, she grabbed it while it was eating and began to stealthily follow Nie Qingqing.

Zhong Shan waited in the hall, and after a stick of incense, Nie Qingqing took a deep breath and walked in.

"Princess Qingqing, where is Ling\'er?" Zhong Shan asked immediately upon seeing Nie Qingqing.

Seeing Zhong Shan\'s eagerness, Nie Qingqing\'s expression became complicated.

"My people saw Ling\'er enter your residence. I know she\'s here. Where is she? Are you still trying to keep us apart? Are you going back on your word?" Zhong Shan demanded impatiently.

"Enough!" Nie Qingqing\'s expression tightened.

"What do you mean \'enough\'? Ling\'er is clearly in your residence. Why won\'t you let us see each other?" Zhong Shan\'s eyes flashed with determination.

Seeing Zhong Shan\'s intense gaze, Nie Qingqing felt a mix of emotions. "Husband and wife? Ling\'er is not your wife."

"With heaven and earth as witnesses, Ling\'er is my wife. Why can\'t I see her?" Zhong Shan insisted, his face growing darker.

Nie Qingqing sighed slightly. "Today\'s Ling\'er is not the Ling\'er of the past."

"All I know is that she is still my wife, Ling\'er," Zhong Shan\'s face grew even more stern.

"But, Ling\'er has forgotten you," Nie Qingqing said, shaking her head.

"What happened?" Zhong Shan asked again, clearly aware from the information his subordinates had gathered that something was wrong with Ling\'er.

"She has lost all memories of you," Nie Qingqing explained.

Zhong Shan stared at Nie Qingqing, his expression becoming more intense.

At that moment, Tian Ling\'er sneaked up to the hall\'s entrance and peeked inside. She saw Nie Qingqing talking to a man whose back was turned towards her. The figure was strikingly similar to the one she often saw in her dreams. Exactly the same.

"Osmanthus Cake!" Tian Ling\'er exclaimed. This was the name she had given the figure in her dreams.

Hearing Tian Ling\'er\'s exclamation, Zhong Shan\'s body stiffened, and he froze in place.

Facing Zhong Shan, Nie Qingqing\'s heart trembled. She saw tears suddenly streaming down Zhong Shan\'s face. It was an overwhelming sight.

Men crying wasn\'t something she hadn\'t seen before, but knowing Zhong Shan\'s background and seeing him shed tears at the mention of "Osmanthus Cake" was profoundly moving. The scene would remain etched in her memory forever.

Zhong Shan slowly turned around and saw Tian Ling\'er sticking out her tongue, looking like she felt guilty for causing trouble and trying to hide.

"Ling\'er!" Zhong Shan called out tenderly.

Tian Ling\'er, thinking she had disrupted Nie Qingqing\'s private moment, prepared to sneak away.

But Zhong Shan\'s call made her stop in her tracks. A wave of inexplicable sadness washed over her, causing her to frown. What was happening?

The man was crying. He seemed familiar, yet she couldn\'t place him.

"Who are you? Why are you calling me \'Ling\'er\'?" Tian Ling\'er asked, confused, looking at Zhong Shan.

"Who am I?" Zhong Shan felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Ling\'er, you don\'t remember me?" Zhong Shan called out again, his voice filled with deep emotion.

"Are you the \'Zhong Shan\' my sister mentioned?" Tian Ling\'er asked, her confusion evident as she looked at Zhong Shan.

Nie Qingqing stepped aside, knowing that since the two had met, there was no point in intervening further. She sighed and stayed silent.

"I am Zhong Shan. Do you really not remember me?" Zhong Shan asked.

"I don\'t know you. How do you know me?" Tian Ling\'er clutched the red sparrow, her face full of confusion.

"I am your husband! I am Zhong Shan!" Zhong Shan repeated.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ling\'er\'s grip tightened, causing the red sparrow to squawk in distress, its eyes bulging in innocent bewilderment.

"You\'re not my husband. I\'m not married yet. Sister, why is your friend so rude?" Tian Ling\'er cried out.

"Nie Qingqing, tell her! Tell her I\'m telling the truth," Zhong Shan implored.

"Ling\'er, he is telling the truth," Nie Qingqing confirmed.

"I don\'t believe you! You\'re lying to me. How is that possible?" Tian Ling\'er was visibly panicking, her hands still gripping the unfortunate red sparrow. Nie Qingqing could only smile wryly.

"Ling\'er, do you remember a wooden carving? I gave it to you. Do you still have it?" Zhong Shan asked.

Tian Ling\'er immediately recalled the beautifully carved wooden figure in her storage bracelet. It was a perfect replica of herself, but she had no memory of who had given it to her.

"And the dice? Do you remember? That day in the casino, we lost a million taels of silver but won it all back because of that small die. Do you remember?" Zhong Shan continued.

Tian Ling\'er thought again. There was indeed a die in her storage bracelet. How could this be? She couldn\'t remember why these items were there, but she was certain it wasn\'t because she was Zhong Shan\'s wife.

Shaking her head, still in disbelief, she looked at Nie Qingqing, hoping for denial. But Nie Qingqing nodded in confirmation.

"No! That\'s impossible. You\'re lying to me!" Tian Ling\'er cried out in fear and ran away.

"Osmanthus Cake!" Zhong Shan called out.

At his shout, Tian Ling\'er paused momentarily. It wasn\'t a conscious action but a reflexive response to hearing him call her by that name, which touched her heart deeply.

However, in her confusion and disbelief, she continued running, escaping in panic.

Zhong Shan moved to pursue her.

"There\'s no need. The emperor has assigned people to protect her. Don\'t worry," Nie Qingqing said quickly.

"What\'s happened to Ling\'er?" Zhong Shan turned back, his eyes red with emotion, glaring at Nie Qingqing.

Nie Qingqing sighed deeply. Zhong Shan\'s earlier impulsiveness slowly subsided as he realized he needed to understand what had happened to Ling\'er.

"What happened to her?" Zhong Shan asked, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Nie Qingqing looked at Zhong Shan intently and said, "Do you remember when I took her to Phoenix Palace for Nirvana rebirth?"

"Yes. I was rude earlier, but regardless of everything, thank you for saving Ling\'er. I owe you for her life," Zhong Shan said, bowing deeply to Nie Qingqing. Zhong Shan was a person who distinguished between gratitude and resentment clearly. This bow was genuine and heartfelt.

"During her Nirvana rebirth, Ling\'er missed you too much. To save her, the Phoenix Clan\'s supreme elder had to seal all her memories related to you. Only then could they save her in the end," Nie Qingqing explained.

"Memories of me? Well, sealing them was the right thing to do. As long as Ling\'er is alive, that\'s what matters. Even if she forgot about me, she couldn\'t forget the feelings, the pain in her heart," Zhong Shan said, his voice filled with a mix of relief and sorrow.