Chapter 1204: The Princess Consort Whose Memories Were Altered (79)

Sitting to the side and watching the drama unfold, however, was perfectly acceptable.

Shangguan Jing was certain that the Empress of Northern Yan was Tang Guo.

The woman they had all believed to be dead was alive, standing right before him. She had clearly seen him, yet her eyes held nothing but unfamiliarity, as though she didn't know him at all.

Throughout the entire banquet, Shangguan Jing was absent-minded.

By the time it ended, he left the palace in a daze. As soon as he was outside, he immediately sent people to investigate. Who exactly was the Empress of Northern Yan? Was she really that person?

The information he received confirmed that the Empress was indeed not from Northern Yan, and the timing matched the day of her supposed death.

Piecing together all the details, Shangguan Jing became completely certain that the Empress of Northern Yan was truly Tang Guo.

For a moment, joy overwhelmed him to the point that tears sprang to his eyes. But then he remembered that she was now the Empress of Northern Yan, and the way she had looked at him—with nothing but unfamiliarity—filled him with a deep sense of dread.

He had heard that the Empress was wealthier than any nation, with businesses spread across every corner of Northern Yan.

Since the Empress often left the palace, Shangguan Jing waited patiently. Finally, when Tang Guo ventured outside, he secretly sought her out, hoping to ask how she had been all these years, what had happened back then, and why, since she was alive, she had never returned.

"You are the envoy from Southern Shu, Prince Jing, are you not?"

"The night of the banquet, I saw you there," Tang Guo said.

Her tone was distant and courteous. All the warmth and excitement inside Shangguan Jing were extinguished as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him.

"Prince Jing, is there something important you need?" she continued. "Southern Shu is rich in resources. If it concerns trade, you can discuss it directly with His Majesty."

Subconsciously, Shangguan Jing blurted out, "Don't you remember me?"

"Remember you?" Tang Guo raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "Prince Jing, we have never known each other. How could I remember you?"

Shangguan Jing carefully searched her eyes. There was no flicker of recognition, no trace of familiarity.

She truly did not remember him.

"Your name used to be Tang Guo."

Tang Guo laughed softly. "My name has always been Tang Guo. Prince Jing, I don't need you to tell me my own name."

"You were originally from Southern Shu," Shangguan Jing said unwillingly. "You should be the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue's household. You…"

Countless memories flooded his mind—everything he had done to her in the past—and suddenly, he found himself unable to continue.

"Prince Jing," Tang Guo said calmly, "I am now the Empress of Northern Yan. It is true that many memories from the past are gone. But from the moment I was reborn, the person who stayed by my side was my husband, Beitang Huo, the Emperor of Northern Yan."

"I am living very well now. As for the past, I have no interest in understanding it."

Shangguan Jing couldn't accept it. The words rushed out of him before he could stop them.

"Then you don't care about your family anymore? Lord Tang mourned your death for more than half a month, and his health has never recovered. Haven't you ever thought about returning to see him? And your younger sister…"

"Prince Jing, aside from that, is there anything else?"

"You must have been deceived by Beitang Huo!" Shangguan Jing said anxiously. "He tricked you into becoming Empress. He must not have told you what happened in the past."

Tang Guo smiled lightly. "He has never lied to me. I can tell at a glance when someone is deceiving me. And everything you just mentioned, he already told me. In fact, he told me much more than you did."

"For example, I truly was the eldest daughter of the Minister's household, but because of your selfishness, my memories were altered. I was made to assume my younger sister's identity and sent into the imperial palace. And because the Emperor of Southern Shu saw through the fact that I wasn't the real Tang Jiao, he mocked and ridiculed me with cold words."