The herald whispered, "There are 'them' among the scouts. They secretly left marks and hid the troops' marching information in a crevice in the rocks, allowing General Hu Yan to find an opportunity to ambush and shoot the scouts' warhorses..."
The Left Worthy King laughed heartily, "Excellent! Order Hu Yan Xiu Luo to behead them all and display their heads publicly, so that the defenders of Yun Prefecture can see the consequences of resisting the barbarians!"
Christi, following Liang Xiao to the annex of the Court of State Receptions, felt uneasy and could only hold onto Liang Xiao's arm tightly.
The captain of the Shadow Guards, Liang Mingyu, and the elder from the Western Regions, Buti, followed closely behind.
Upon hearing that someone looked remarkably like her, Christi was startled at first, but then she quickly recalled the children her mother had given birth to, and her mood turned somber.
The chief official of the Court of State Receptions, the Grand Minister of State Receptions, personally came to pay his respects to Liang Xiao and reported in a low voice, "The female officials dispatched by His Majesty, while attending to Sophia and bathing her, have confirmed: Sophia carries no sharp weapons and does not appear to be a martial artist. Her physique is similar to that of ordinary women, and she has obvious burn marks on her back and right arm..."
"Furthermore, a female imperial physician from the palace, under the guise of diagnosis, examined Sophia's mouth. No objects were found hidden in her teeth, and she does not resemble certain followers of the Spring Revival Sect..."
Hearing this, Christi's heart tightened, and her eyes reddened.
Could it be her sister, lost for many years?
Only then did Liang Xiao feel relieved and took Christi to the annex.
"Don't burn me!!"
Before they even approached the annex, everyone heard a shrill plea from within.
Guards and maids stood at the door, looking at Sophia, who was kneeling on the ground and weeping with her head buried in her hands, with sympathy.
Liang Xiao clenched Christi's hand and, following the Grand Minister of State Receptions, came to the entrance to observe Sophia.
The Grand Minister of State Receptions immediately led the others away, leaving only three guards and three maids to stay at a distance, ready to obey Liang Xiao's orders at any time.
Christi looked at Sophia's tear-streaked profile, unable to help herself. She bit her lower lip, wanting to speak but refraining.
She had already promised her Heavenly General husband to be careful and not to approach Sophia rashly!
Buti and Liang Mingyu, who were responsible for protecting Christi, dared not even breathe.
After a long while, Sophia finally calmed down, sat on the ground, buried her head in her knees, and sobbed softly.
"Sophia," Liang Xiao called out softly.
"I'm sorry, Sophia has caused you trouble again..." Sophia muttered to herself.
"You don't need to be afraid, no one here can harm you," Liang Xiao said.
Only then did Sophia look up and see Liang Xiao and Christi. Her pupils contracted, "You, are you really the 'Princess Christi' they spoke of?"
Christi looked at Liang Xiao. Seeing him nod, she also nodded and said gently, "It is I."
So Liang Xiao and Buti sat to the side, while Liang Mingyu was responsible for protecting Christi closely.
"Don't worry, this place is safer than anywhere you've ever been," Christi immediately invited the shocked Sophia to sit down and asked about her situation.
From beginning to end, Sophia just stared at Christi in shock, nodding blankly.
Only when Christi asked softly did Sophia truthfully recount her experiences.
"Those people with golden hair and blue eyes said I was a descendant of the witch Lise, inheriting her evil power, bringing them endless disaster, and they wanted to burn me to death as a sacrifice! My brother sacrificed himself to save me, charging into the fire with his troops to send me away, but my brother perished..."
"Why, when I also have golden hair and blue eyes, do they curse me and burn me? My back also has..."
As Sophia spoke, she tearfully exposed her right arm.
Everyone looked closely and indeed saw a burn mark on her arm, which was shocking!
After careful observation, Liang Mingyu nodded at Liang Xiao.
This was something he and Liang Xiao had discussed beforehand, signifying "the situation is true," meaning the burn was real and not a disguise made with some object.
Liang Xiao scrutinized Sophia, saying nothing.
Christi was now his wife, and he would not allow her to face any danger, even a one-in-ten-thousand chance!
He would be the villain.
Seeing the scar, Christi finally couldn't hold back. She gently stroked Sophia's scar, tears streaming down her face, "No one here wants to burn you, nor will they treat you as a witch or a demoness. Don't be afraid..."
"Thank you..." Sophia was also moved to tears.
Buti, shocked throughout, looked at Sophia and then, after a long while, looked at Liang Xiao.
Seeing Liang Xiao nod at him, Buti then told Sophia about Lise's affairs.
Sophia cried even harder.
Liang Xiao watched, feeling perplexed.
Her crying didn't seem fake, but after Zuo Qing's incident, Liang Xiao remained extremely wary, fearing another "Lin'er" who would hold Christi hostage.
After all, even the Great Gan Kingdom did not know what had happened thousands of miles away, let alone the exact location of the capital of the Tianri tribe. Liang Xiao could only listen to Sophia's side of the story.
Since Hong Jie surrendered, he had recounted everything that happened during the period he was plotting against Liang Xiao, leaving Liang Xiao speechless.
The Spring Revival Sect, Gongyang Clan, and the Southern King had been sending assassins to kill Liang Xiao, but to no avail. This caused great suffering to the former inhabitants of the Great Heng Kingdom, who were forced to take risks to infiltrate Liang Xiao's ranks, which inadvertently accelerated their surrender.
What if Sophia was also a feigned act of self-sacrifice? Wouldn't that mean he had been deceived by the precedent of Zuo Qing impersonating "Lin'er"?
The Spring Revival Sect had been hindering Hong Jie. Perhaps Zuo Qing had inadvertently hindered someone else this time?
Liang Xiao had already become cautious.
However, based on the current situation, being overly suspicious was also inappropriate. He had to give Christi and her late mother, Lise, an explanation, lest he wrongly accuse an innocent person.
With this thought, Liang Xiao finally stood up and said, "Sophia, judging by your appearance, my wife is indeed your sister. This much is certain..."
If Lise had confessed everything to the King of Guizi, and had siblings, she would not have concealed it. Therefore, Liang Xiao could be reasonably sure that Christi and Sophia were unlikely to be both cousins through paternal and maternal lines, like Zhuo Xun and Zuo Qing.
"He is..." Sophia pointed at Liang Xiao, her voice filled with confusion.
Christi's pretty face blushed, and she murmured, "He is my husband~"
Realizing Sophia might not understand the meaning of "husband," Christi blushed again and added, her voice filled with sweetness and pride, "He is my man~ He is my husband~ I am his wife~"
Sophia suddenly understood. She looked up at the tall Liang Xiao, then nervously lowered her head, wanting to speak but stopping.
"He and His Majesty will protect you well, so you don't have to be afraid!" Christi said softly.
Her mother Lise's affairs were known only to the King of Guizi, Buti, and herself. And Sophia, from the start, had claimed she was being falsely accused as a descendant of a witch.
Accepting Sophia as her sister, Christi was overcome with grief.
Her mother had been persecuted, her sister had followed in her footsteps, and her brother, whom she had never met, had likely died saving her sister...