The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 153 Mirror in the Dust (Two Chapters Combined)

Gu Fangchen looked at herself in the mirror, and that familiar appearance instantly gave her goosebumps.

The moment his eyes met those of his reflection in the mirror, many thoughts flashed through his mind, yet it also felt like a complete blank. But in the end, they all coalesced into two large words—

Holy crap!

Gu Fangchen's eyes widened, and her first thought came to mind:
"Holy crap, wait a minute! I've seen this body before, it looks completely different from my own, otherwise why would I have bothered disguising myself?!"

He himself had the kind of appearance in his previous life: fair-skinned and handsome, harmless to everyone, and a good person at first glance.

Therefore, he later used it as a cover for the pseudonym "Not a Taoist".

However, the original owner of this body had an extremely aggressive and handsome appearance, a good-looking face that even Gu Youren had to admit.

As the saying goes, "an embroidered pillow is a straw bag"... At least it has to look like an embroidered pillow. If it's just a rotten pillow, it doesn't deserve that title.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute... Let me think about it, think it over carefully."

Gu Fangchen muttered to herself, trying to calm herself down.

First, you need to make sure that what you are seeing is not a hallucination.

Then, looking at his face in the mirror, he made a few expressions, and... they were smooth and natural, without any delay, confirming that this was indeed his reflection in the mirror.

He then ordered a maid to replace the mirror, confirming that the problem wasn't with just one particular mirror.

The result was that no matter which mirror she looked in, the image reflected was that of Gu Fangchen from her previous life.

After that, he thought for a moment, then went to the pond outside the courtyard and saw his reflection in the water.

At this moment, the reflection in the water reverted to its original form.

"Yes, I saw the reflection in the water back in the backyard of Baima Temple, and there was no such deviation."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have only realized something was wrong now..."

Gu Fangchen's expression was solemn. She reached out and ran her hand across the water's surface, creating ripples that shattered his image and then pieced it back together.

He has never looked in a mirror since he transmigrated.

All of these are seen from the reflection on the water's surface.

—Now that I think about it, not only was there no mirror in the Xiefang Courtyard, but there was also no mirror in the room that had been reserved for him in the Sword Pavilion.

This is fucking awful!

This was already commonplace for the original owner of this body, and with servants attending to her daily needs, the absence of a mirror wouldn't have any impact on her life at all.

That's why he never doubted his own appearance!
Gu Fangchen felt a throbbing pain in her temples and tried hard to clear her thoughts.

He is always meticulous, which is why he was able to see through the six endings of "The Mirror in the Dust". After a little thought, he quickly noticed the problem.

A question that was both strange and not strange popped into my mind.

Why a mirror?

"Yes...why a mirror?"

In a daze, Gu Fangchen seemed to have returned to the day she traveled through time.

At that time, he was full of pride, having just solved countless intricate subplots and arrived at what he believed to be the only true ending.

But after the ending, he subconsciously felt a little "hesitant".

That wasn't the relief of truly getting an answer; instead, the interwoven plot in his mind was about to breed an even greater confusion.

But just as that confusion was about to emerge, it was dispelled by that suddenly appearing semi-trailer.

For nearly a month afterward, he was constantly in perilous situations and had no time to think.

Until now.

Gu Fangchen finally remembered the enormous confusion that she had never been able to escape.

Why is it called "Mirror in the Dust"?

This question may seem obvious, but as we all know, no matter how enigmatic a game's name is, it should ultimately serve to highlight the main theme or act as a clue to guide the plot.

When the game was first released, players generally had two opinions.

The first theory is that the so-called "Mirror in the Dust" refers to an extremely important and powerful magical artifact, so powerful that possessing it would grant one the power to rule the world.

Just like "Xuan-Yuan Sword".

The second interpretation is that it expresses a sentiment of "the world is like a tide, and people are like water," without any particular specific meaning.

However, as the game progresses and more guides and gameplay options accumulate, players' attention is diverted, and they stop worrying about this issue.

More people tend to think that the producer just randomly came up with the name, and it just sounds a bit sophisticated.

After all, I searched the entire game and couldn't find a single thing about this so-called "Mirror in the Dust"!
But for Gu Fangchen, this question suddenly became of paramount importance...

"'Mirror in the Dust,' 'Mirror in the Dust'... Inside and outside the mirror, past and present, and the suddenly vanished heart's blood and soul..."

Gu Fangchen muttered to herself, her lips twitching involuntarily:
"It can't be that you have this name because of me, right?"

It is known that the "Honglu" company is suspected to be the mastermind behind his time travel, and now that the mirror has become key information, it means that the name of this game is definitely not just random keyboard mashing.

So it's quite possible that "Gu Fangchen" came first, and then "Chen Zhongjing" came into being.

His time travel was premeditated.

"If... Gu Fangchen and I were originally one, then the fact that I feel my soul is whole now is not because I possessed the original body."

"Instead, the blood of the heart and the spirit that had disappeared returned to this body and this soul, and thus became whole again."

"But what makes them so sure that I can definitely beat this stupid game?"

"And who exactly is this 'Honglu' company? The Master of Hengchang Dao?"

“It doesn’t seem like it… His path should be constant and unchanging, but I come with all the plot details, which will only overturn everything and bring endless variables.”

"The ending of 'Returning to Truth from the Six Dusts' is the annihilation of Heng Chang, bringing an end to the entire Great Wei Dynasty!"

"Or perhaps, that debate back then damaged Master Hengchang's mind?"

Gu Fangchen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling a terrible headache.

It's not a physiological headache, but the kind of headache I used to get when I was stuck and couldn't find any clues.

Looking at himself in the pool, he got annoyed and simply buried his face directly in the cold water.

"Gululu..."

The cool water flowed over my ears, and the sounds outside seemed to be filtered through a thin film.

Because of the passage of time, even the original owner of the body had some fuzzy memories of why the mirror wasn't placed there.

But when he thought about it carefully, he could still vaguely remember it.

What a tremendous shock it must have been for Gu Fangchen when she saw a face in the mirror that was not her own...

Tragic, truly tragic!

If he were merely being used by Gu Yuye, that would be one thing, but now it seems that from beginning to end, he was simply like a rag, being used and wiped around at will.

You try it, I'll try it too...

and many more!

Gu Fangchen suddenly opened her eyes, and a flash of inspiration struck her.

Some people have made similar judgments about the original owner of this body!

"Chen'er! Chen'er! What are you doing?! Someone come quick! Xuexiang, help me!"

Gu Fangchen suddenly heard a familiar voice and screamed in panic. Before she could finish speaking, her voice broke into a sob. Then someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back forcefully. But the person's strength was pitifully weak. Her delicate, boneless hands could not possibly move the body of a peak sixth-rank martial artist.

Then, another exclamation rang out:

"They've arrived! Ah! Your Highness!"

Another, even smaller hand reached out, grabbed his other arm, and pulled him outwards together.

Hmm... it still can't be shaken at all.

"Wow!"

Gu Fangchen was speechless. She took the initiative to come out of the water, raised her head, shook her half-soaked hair, let out a long breath, and turned to look at the two women, one big and one small.

Ning Caiyong and Xuexiang were both stunned. The three of them stared at each other, feeling extremely awkward.

Outside the courtyard, the voices of servants asking questions could be heard:

"Um...Your Highness, has something happened?"

"No, it's nothing."

Ning Caiyong immediately regained his composure, his face stern as he said:

"You all just continue with your work."

The servant was puzzled, but still withdrew as instructed.

Meanwhile, realizing he had made a blunder, Ning Caiyong forced himself to dismiss the servants, so embarrassed he almost wanted to disappear into the ground.

She was always gentle, but she became strong when she became a mother. She always regarded herself as someone Gu Fangchen could rely on, and therefore never showed her flustered side in front of Gu Fangchen.

In the past, Gu Fangchen had often acted coquettishly, feigned suicidal thoughts, and pretended to be suicidal in order to achieve her goals.

Although Ning Caiyong spoiled him, he was still able to understand these things clearly.

Besides, Chen'er now is no longer the Chen'er who used to act recklessly all the time.

Why would I have acted so impulsively, thinking that Chen'er would do something foolish for no reason...?

Concern can lead to confusion, and perhaps this confusion has gone too far.

Ning Caiyong's mind was in turmoil, as if her anchor had unknowingly shifted from her husband to Chen'er...

The thought of something possibly happening to him makes it impossible for me to think straight.

Xuexiang was taken aback, blinked, and said blankly:

"Ah, the young master isn't trying to commit suicide..."

Gu Fangchen looked at the beautiful woman with flushed cheeks, arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow, saying:
"Why would I want to commit suicide? If I die, wouldn't this newly acquired position of heir apparent just be handed over to that good-for-nothing Gu Yuandao?"

Now, he no longer needs to hide his identity.

He spoke even more recklessly and arrogantly, more exaggerated than before.

If you said this to Gu Yuye's face, it would probably make him so angry he'd vomit blood...

However, he said this to test Ning Caiyong's attitude.

But after witnessing Gu Yuandao attack her, the last bit of good impression Ning Caiyong had of Gu Yuandao, which was due to his original reputation, completely disappeared.

Upon hearing this, she simply told Xuexiang to quickly fetch a towel, saying helplessly:
"You silly child... you asked someone to bring a mirror again, and then suddenly you put your head underwater! You really gave your mother a fright!"

"Ever since you refused to look in the mirror when you were little, we haven't put any mirrors in the places where you live. Why do you suddenly want one again?"

Gu Fangchen grinned:
"It was just a sudden thought; it seems like the problem I had as a child is gone now."

"As for the water, it's just that the weather is getting hotter and I wanted to cool off, but I didn't expect to make my mother worry. It's my fault."

Ning Caiyong took Xuexiang's towel, helped Gu Fangchen sit down, and carefully dried Gu Fangchen's wet hair, showing her utmost care.

Gu Fangchen sat quietly, appearing quite well-behaved.

The courtyard was filled with flowers, and petals drifted down, landing on the two of them, creating a tranquil and warm atmosphere.

Ning Caiyong also sighed:
"Ever since you were sixteen, you've refused to let your mother take care of your daily life."

Gu Fangchen raised her hand, gently pinched her fingertips, and said with a grin:

"If Mother likes it, let Mother do it from now on."

Ning Caiyong said angrily:
"How could such a thing be? Wouldn't that exhaust your mother? In the future, when you have a princess consort and concubines, you should naturally let them do these things."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly lowered her eyes, bit her lower lip, placed her hand on his shoulder, and gently brushed away a few fallen petals.

Gu Fangchen: "..."

So, is it true that being pressured to get married is something that can't be avoided throughout history?

Ning Caiyong raised his eyes again and said quietly:

"Your birthday is next autumn equinox, which is also the day of your coming-of-age ceremony. How can you not have a single close friend by your side?"

"I'll have to find some time to help you find a suitable girl."

Gu Fangchen was stunned.

I never expected... that we even share the same birthday.

Gu Fangchen in the game died too early, and a lot of information about her is missing.

If he had discovered so many coincidences earlier, he certainly wouldn't have waited until now to realize something was wrong.

But hindsight is futile... This information was definitely deliberately concealed by the "Honglu" company.

"I will do whatever Mother decides."

Gu Fangchen raised her hands in surrender, stopping Ning Caiyong from launching his next move.

"However, my reputation was so bad in the past that I probably can't turn it around in a short time. I'm afraid no girl will be interested in me."

With the power of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, how could no one want to marry off their daughter? They were just scared off by Gu Fangchen's reputation as a good-for-nothing playboy.

Ning Caiyong sighed and tapped his forehead, thinking to herself that with Chen'er's current standards, it would be more accurate to say he looks down on others...

……

Gu Fangchen gave Ning Caiyong a series of excuses, and by the time she saw him off, it was already getting dark.

He gazed at the vast starry sky above and murmured:
"Living a muddle, dying a pathetic death, being used as a rag to wipe someone's ass and still feeling smug about it..."

This statement was made by Yang Si, the head of the Eye of Heaven, the largest intelligence agency in the Great Wei, regarding Gu Fangchen.

Actually, if you think about it carefully now, this statement is quite wrong.

The first eight characters are quite fitting, but the last sentence doesn't quite match Gu Fangchen's behavior in the plot.

On the contrary, it is closer to Gu Fangchen at this moment.

"The Eye of Heaven Division... it seems the name was indeed well-chosen. I need to make time to go there and see if they really have connections to the heavens..."

Gu Fangchen narrowed her eyes.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, took out a few drops of the elixir from the "Spirit Nourishing Bottle," and continued to refine it to increase his divine cultivation.

He didn't slack off on the way back, and in no time he felt himself approaching the peak of the seventh rank.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Gu Lianxian's voice trembled as it came:
"You...you open the door..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Just tidying up the plot. That's two parts combined for today. I'll continue updating tomorrow.
The monthly pass lottery results will be tallied until the 7th. Just a reminder, don't miss it!
(End of this chapter)