Exclusive Possession – CH 061

Chapter 61.

I woke up to a jolt.

Before me was the familiar dark gray cockpit ceiling. Two fully armed Marines were opposite me, while the pilot sat in front of us with his back to us.

The fighter jet suddenly plummeted, and I was thrown upwards, my waist aching from the seatbelt and my stomach churning with nausea. The two Marines were also swaying precariously; one of them muttered, “This damn weather, how many days has it been like this!”

Another replied, “It’s currently in a period of active sunspot activity; it will be fine in a while.”

I looked out the window. Under the deep, inky black sky, a distant star resembled a giant fireball, its surface shrouded in many blurry shadows. Perhaps due to the distance, it seemed considerably larger than before. And Stan Star lay below us, its soft blue-green hue spreading out, still appearing so serene and beautiful.

“Landing in twenty minutes,” the pilot’s voice came through. “Unstable airflow, protect the princess.”

“Yes,” the Marine replied.

Looking at the thin metal handcuffs on my wrists, my mood was as bad as the weather outside the cabin.

I was still taken away by Lin Luo that day.

As I boarded the plane, I only saw Mop and Morin being kept at a distance by the Royal Guard, silently watching me. This scene made me even more distressed. I knew they would definitely try to contact Mu Xian.

But did they also suspect me?

Lin Luo’s words were chilling and utterly perplexing—there must be someone plotting something behind my back to frame me.

Yet, a vague unease lingered within me. That terrifying thought would suddenly pop into my head—what if Lin Luo was telling the truth…

No, it couldn’t possibly be true.

The fighter jets landed at a military base in the western suburbs of the capital. The base was surrounded by a tight iron fence, and squads of soldiers with solemn expressions patrolled densely.

A few minutes later, I was led to a large hall.

This was a simple, cold, and serious room.

The crystal chandelier overhead was unusually bright, making the room feel cold and empty. I sat alone in the center of the room, a wooden railing separating me from a long wooden table that gleamed with a dark, somber light. More than twenty heavily armed soldiers silently guarded every corner of the room, a sight that sent chills down my spine.

This place looked like an interrogation room.

A few minutes later, several people walked in through the door.

Brigadier General Lin Luo walked at the front, followed by a white-haired man in a suit, a middle-aged woman in military uniform with a somewhat aloof appearance, a thin young man with light blue skin, and… His Highness Prince Tarui!

He clearly noticed my gaze, but his expression was very solemn and resolute.

I still remember what he said to Mu Xian on our wedding day: “An excellent man must treat his wife well unconditionally.” Now, even he saw me that way, so…did the Empire really treat me as a serious criminal?

Why was all this happening?

The five people sat down behind the long table. Lin Luo nodded to them and then spoke to me: “Your Highness Princess Hua Yao, today Your Highness will be investigated by His Highness Tarui, Duke Lin Han, the Permanent Judge of the Royal Court, Director Su Yuhua of the Military Law Department, Vice Minister of Justice Yi Rui, and myself, Brigadier General Lin Luo of the Ministry of State Security. This is His Majesty the Emperor’s personal authorization letter.”

As I listened to these unfamiliar names, a headache began to throb—the situation was heading in a more serious direction.

“Where’s Nuo’er?” I asked.

He was taken aback, and the others were also looking at me.

“I demand that he be present,” I said. Now I was facing a quagmire of confusion, and my intuition told me that the situation was very dangerous and I couldn’t act rashly.

“I’m sorry, Prince Nuo’er is probably still in the desolate lands,” Lin Luo replied. “I’m afraid he won’t be able to return in time.”

My heart sank. They were doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to get Mu Xian away.

The female soldier—Su Yuhua, the head of the Military Law Department—said, “Your Highness, please understand our actions. You’re now a suspect, and for safety reasons, we can’t allow Prince Nuo’er to be placed in danger.”

Vice Minister of Justice Yi Rui said, “Your Highness, we are handling your case in accordance with judicial regulations. Please cooperate.”

Prince Tarui also spoke up: “Hua Yao, the Empire hasn’t determined that you’re guilty. But only by cooperating with the investigation can you clear your name.”

They spoke politely enough, but I felt even worse inside. Just then, the elderly Duke Lin Han tapped the table and said coldly, “Please don’t delay any longer. Nuo’er is the Empire’s most outstanding commander, the galactic leader of spiritual power. What’s your purpose in approaching him while concealing your identity?”

A sharp pain shot through my heart, and I slowly replied, “I didn’t hide my identity, and I don’t know why I did that. But I’m certain you’ve made a mistake.”

Duke Lin Han’s face darkened, and he was about to speak when Lin Luo spoke first: “His Highness Tarui is right. Only by cooperating with the investigation can you clear your name. This matter involves the safety of the royal family and the empire. If you refuse to be investigated, we can only assume that you have admitted to everything. Therefore, we ask for your cooperation.”

I was out of options. I could only lower my eyes, staring at the glaring handcuffs on my wrists.

Just then, Lin Luo’s voice rang out: “Your Highness Hua Yao, regarding your proposal…”

Suddenly, his voice faltered, and at the same time, I felt a bright light in my field of vision. Looking up, I saw a dazzling silver light flash by in an instant outside the square window of the room.

That meant… someone jumped here?

They all noticed it too and looked up. At that moment, the communicator on Lin Luo’s wrist beeped. He answered it, whispered a few words, and his expression became even more serious.

My heart was pounding.

They whispered a few words to each other and then stood up.

Just then, the door behind me slammed shut with a loud bang. My back stiffened instantly, and I slowly looked up—

Mu Xian.

He was wearing a dark gray spacesuit and carrying a helmet, clearly having just disembarked from a fighter jet he had piloted himself. His pale face seemed shrouded in a chilling aura, and his dark eyes shone with coldness and sharpness.

He paused only slightly at the doorway, his gaze fixed on me, before striding over. My eyes welled up with tears, and I immediately stood up to face him.

The voice of Su Yuhua, the head of the military law department, rang out from behind: “Your Highness, shouldn’t you… be defending the mercenaries in the wasteland?”

At this moment, Mu Xian had already walked up to me, glanced at her, and spoke in a chilling tone.

“I don’t think I need Your Excellency to teach me how to judge the authenticity of military intelligence.”

Su Yuhua paused visibly and fell silent.

I looked at Mu Xian, my voice choked with emotion. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and his cheeks were flushed, clearly from running all the way here. He looked at me with deep, dark eyes, a fleeting look of surprise and pain crossing his face. He then hooked his arm around me and pulled me into his embrace.

How did he get my message? And how did he manage to rush back from the desolate place and find me in such a short time?

With a heart full of bittersweet emotions, I buried my face in his arms, inhaling his familiar scent. My heart, which had been in turmoil and fear for days, seemed to find solace. It’s so good to have him here.

At that moment, his cool, deep voice rang out above them: “That’s enough. I’m taking her to find my father now, to end this foolish farce.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I heard a “snap” sound, and the handcuffs broke and fell to the ground. My hands were freed again, and I immediately hugged him tightly, turning to look at Lin Luo and the others.

They didn’t look too good.

Mu Xian pulled me out, and Prince Tarui’s firm voice rang out: “Nuo’er! Even if you go to Father, this trial will eventually take place because Hua Yao is suspected of endangering the Empire’s security. You know how serious that is; this is no farce.”

My heart clenched at his words. Mu Xian stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Tarui, and a chilling smile appeared on his lips: “Her? A threat to the Empire’s security?”

Tare met his chilling gaze and nodded. “She’s a prime suspect now. If you force her out, regardless of her guilt, she will be branded a criminal for today’s escape. Instead, interrogation will allow us to find out the truth and also to find out whether your wife is truly from Earth or a spy from another planet.”

Mu Xian was visibly startled and glanced at me. Clearly, he hadn’t known why I’d been arrested before he arrived. Seeing his expression and recalling the bizarre “evidence” Lin Luo had found, I suddenly felt tense and afraid.

At this moment, Lin Luo also spoke up: “Your Highness, if you’re concerned, you’re welcome to attend today’s court hearing. However, this case does indeed concern the security of the Empire. As the Empire’s highest military commander, you have always been loyal to the Empire and have regarded its security as paramount. I hope that you will also abide by the constitution and distinguish between public and private matters today.”

Mu Xian remained silent for a moment, his dark eyes gazing intently at me.

I looked at him, but I couldn’t explain it at all.

After a few seconds, he tightened his grip on my waist, looked at them, and replied in a deep voice, “Okay.” My heart sank for no reason, but then I heard him whisper to me, “Don’t be afraid.”

Lin Luo and the others visibly breathed a sigh of relief and signaled the guards to close the door again. Vice Minister of Justice Yi Rui stood up and respectfully said to Mu Xian, “Please sit here.”

Mu Xian glanced at them indifferently, released me, and walked over. My heart skipped a beat; the thought of sitting here like a prisoner while Mu Xian and the judges watched me made me feel increasingly bitter and depressed.

To my surprise, he walked over to Yi Rui, picked up the chair with one hand, and put it down next to me. I stared at him blankly as he put his arm around me and sat down with me, watching them expressionlessly.

“Let’s begin,” he said calmly.

His hand rested heavily on my shoulder, as if declaring his unwavering protection, which made my heart ache.

Lin Luo coughed and said, “Your Highness, please sit to the side. The interrogation will be recorded in the entire process, and what you’re doing is against the rules.”

Mu Xian’s voice was as cold as water: “No.”

Their expressions were rather grim, but it was Tarui who broke the awkward silence first: “Brigadier General Lin Luo, let’s begin.” Lin Luo nodded, and at that moment, Deputy Minister Yi Rui stood up and handed a paper document to Mu Xian. I saw that the document was titled “Preliminary Investigation Results Regarding the Hua Yao Case.”

Mu Xian flipped through a few pages, his expression gradually becoming serious. He looked up and gave me a deep look. I had no idea how to explain it to him, so I just shook my head and whispered, “I don’t know…”

At this moment, Lin Luo stood up and turned on the floating video above our heads.

“Your Highness Hua Yao, based on the key contacts and locations of key activities you provided the day before yesterday, we conducted a second investigation. But unfortunately, the results are still blank.”

My heart sank—how could this be!

Then the video started playing, and one by one, familiar faces looked at the camera with puzzled expressions and answered, “Hua Yao? Not my student. I remember all the graduating classes I taught.”

“My junior high deskmate? Impossible, there was no such person in our class. This is the graduation photo, look…”

“Neighbor? You must be mistaken. My neighbor’s a single elderly woman. How could I not remember such a beautiful girl?”

…

A chill suddenly ran down my back, and those familiar faces seemed to abruptly become strange and… terrifying.

“Impossible!” I jumped to my feet. “They are lying!”

Lin Luo and the others were all looking at me. Duke Lin Han said coldly, “These people were all provided to us by you, and now you’re accusing them of lying?”

My palms were sweating, and I couldn’t answer. I glanced down at Mu Xian in a panic; he was looking at me too, his brow slightly furrowed. My heart tightened, and I replied, “I don’t know why, but they are both lying!”

They all remained silent until Director Su Yuhua spoke up: “But we also couldn’t find any trace of your life.”

I replied coldly, “It was erased. Perhaps it was erased by someone. It’s a conspiracy!”

They remained silent. Although I spoke with conviction, a deep despair welled up inside me, and I slumped back into my chair. Mu Xian put his arm around my shoulder, and I turned to look at him. He looked at me with a dark gaze and said nothing.

“But we have other questions,” Lin Luo began, “about your grandmother.”

My heart tightened as he continued, “During those fifteen years, she left traces of her life, but she lived alone. Through identification, many people recognized that she had been living alone in the small town.”

I gasped, and then I heard Lin Luo say in a deep voice, “But you’re in her memory, so we suspect that her brain and memories have been affected by external forces.”

“No, this is impossible!” I gripped the armrest of the chair tightly.

“The most direct evidence—” Lin Luo looked at me and said, word by word, “We’ve done a DNA test—you aren’t related by blood.”

My mind went blank for a moment, and fear washed over me like a tidal wave.

If my maternal grandmother wasn’t my maternal grandmother, then what was I?

Am I really not from Earth?

I stood up, staggered to Lin Luo, and snatched the DNA test report from him. After only a few glances, my breath almost stopped.

They didn’t speak. I stood there blankly for a moment, then suddenly turned around and looked at Mu Xian.

He looked at me quietly, his eyes so deep I couldn’t decipher them. I felt as if a hard lump had been stuffed into my throat, choking me, causing me pain.

“Finally, and this is what we are most concerned about,” Lin Luo stared at me, “you first met Prince Nuo’er when you were fifteen. According to the time record of His Highness’s spaceship, it was 2 am Earth time when His Highness went into the mountains, and that’s how you met him. Please explain why a young Earth girl would go out so late, especially to a deserted, deep mountain?”

I found it unbelievable and was about to refute it when I suddenly froze.

Why? Why did I go to the stream on the mountain at two o’clock that night? Why?

Why couldn’t I remember anything about what I was thinking at the time?

A chill ran through me again… No, it must be because it was so long ago; I couldn’t remember what I was thinking back then.

Before I could speak, he asked in a deep voice, “I questioned Colonel Mop and checked Prince Nuo’er’s registration records at the Genetic Reproduction Department. That night, His Highness saw you swimming in the stream, completely naked, and that’s how he became aware of you. Did you exploit His Highness’s beastman loyalty to get him to marry you later?”

I was completely speechless. Lin Luo stared at me with dark eyes, continuing to press on: “What exactly were your motives for infiltrating Earth, getting close to His Highness, and even becoming His Highness’s wife?”

My temples were throbbing, and my head was throbbing. This wasn’t how it was; I knew perfectly well it was not. But I couldn’t find any reason to refute it, any evidence to refute it!

Could it be me…?

I felt a chill run through me as I looked up at the people in the room. Lin Luo’s expression was solemn and calm, Tarui’s gaze was deep and pitying, Duke Lin Han’s eyes showed disgust and mockery, and Su Yuhua and Yi Rui’s faces were grave, and their eyes were sharp.

And Mu Xian…

He looked up at me, his handsome face seemingly bathed in a cold light, a single glance enough to make one’s heart tighten. And his dark, deep eyes were so sharp that it was impossible to look directly at them.

What was he thinking? Was he doubting me?

“Sit down,” his cool, aloof voice rang out.

My heart sank to the bottom, and my legs went numb as I sat down. But the eerie, chilling fear and Mu Xian’s dark eyes pierced me deeply.

I glanced at Mu Xian, then turned to Lin Luo and the others, and said loudly, “That’s not…”

“That’s impossible.” A deep, cold voice rang in my ears, saying what I wanted to say.

My voice faltered, and I slowly turned to look at Mu Xian. He didn’t look at me; his cold, jade-like face was filled with indifference as he looked indifferently at Lin Luo and the others.

“Your Highness, do you mean…?” Iri began.

Mu Xian spoke slowly, softly, yet coldly: “All your investigations stem from that mysterious poem. And that poem was provided to you because she was worried about my safety. She never intended to harm me.”

I was taken aback, and the others also looked somewhat shaken.

My waist tightened as Mu Xian pulled me back into his arms. He stared at me, his dark eyes sharp and intense, like two dark flames burning within them. He said coldly, “Perhaps someone did orchestrate everything. But none of this could be related to her. What you need to do is find the mastermind behind it all, not continue to question my wife.”

[Mini Theater] Face Changing

During their trip to Chengdu, Hua Yao specially took Mu Xian and the other two to see the classic Sichuan Opera face-changing.

It was a sunny afternoon, the teahouse was full, and the sunlight was clear. The master performer took to the stage in a brocade robe, and the performers were dressed in all sorts of roles, from painted faces, red faces, white faces, and black faces to old women and young men… each with their own unique style and beautiful appearance.

A moment later…

Hua Yao: “How about it? Amazing, isn’t it?”

Morin (pale-faced, trembling slightly): “Yi, Yi, Yi, shameless!”

Mop (suddenly standing up): “I will go and inform the Imperial Fleet immediately!”

Hua Yao (speechless): “You’ve misunderstood; he’s not…”

The three of them looked at Mu Xian at the same time. Mu Xian’s eyes were cold, and his handsome face was slightly gloomy: “He isn’t Yi Pucheng.”

Mop and Morin were taken aback. Hua Yao breathed a sigh of relief and was about to praise her husband for his extensive knowledge when she heard Mu Xian say, “But he must be related to Yi Pucheng. Mop, mobilize the troops. I want him alive.”

Hua Yao hugged his waist tightly, on the verge of tears: “He’s just changing faces; it’s just a kind of earth art. Earth art is profound and extensive…”