When one incense stick of time had pa.s.sed, Xiao Fang cleared her throat and tried to wake Han Xiang up by calling her name softly, "Han Xiang... Han Xiang..."

"Hmmm..." Han Xiang answered in a mumble.

Xiao Fang's eyes lit up, knowing that the powders that Yao Ling gave her started to work on Han Xiang. "Do you know me?" Xiao Fang asked just for testing the water.

"Hmmm... Xiao Fang ah~ Silly! Why do you still need to ask me?" Han Xiang answered with a soft laugh. Her eyes were still closed, but it seemed like Han Xiang subconsciously recognized her voice.

"Han Xiang... do you think of me as a sister or... best friend?" Xiao Fang asked a warming-up question, just to test Han Xiang whether she was in a delirious state or not --- just to be safe.

Han Xiang's eyes were still closed but she was still able to answer Xiao Fang's question. "I used to think of you as one... but now? I don't think of you that way anymore..."

Xiao Fang was quite dumbfounded and she couldn't mask her bitterness, so... it was true after all. Was she that gullible all this time for not realizing this? Even, Han Yi suspected this a long time ago. Han Xiang indeed had changed... Yao Ling gave her a truth powder and it was combined with another powder that could make Han Xiang think that she was actually dreaming. If she woke up later, she would only think of this conversation as a dream. Not only that, she could only speak the truth under the powder's effect.

"But why...?" Xiao Fang asked in trembling voice.

"Because 'that man' came to find me and tell me the whole truth..." Han Xiang answered softly.When Xiao Fang heard Han Xiang's answer, she realized that someone tried to drive a wedge between the two of them and it was already planned for a long time ago. She believed that the current Han Xiang was incapable of telling a lie...

"What truth?" Xiao Fang asked.

Xiao Fang bit her lower lips, feeling distressed. It seemed like Han Xiang had known this a long time ago... What was the man's aim? Her family? The downfall of Left Prime Minister? If not for that purpose, then what else? She had nothing but her powerful family...

It made her feel so curious to know the mastermind behind Han Xiang... Who was that man?

"What... what truth?" Xiao Fang asked once again while furrowing her eyebrows, because Han Xiang hadn't given her an answer yet. She had a bad feeling about this... Did she really know about it?

True enough, Han Xiang's next words became a confirmation of Xiao Fang's guess all along. "I'm not Han Xiang. I mean I am Han Xiang, but not the real one... Xiao Fang is supposed to be the real Han Xiang!" Han Xiang blurted out everything honestly with a voice full of hatred. A few years back, a man came to find her and told her everything from the beginning to the end --- all about the Ce Fei's life story.

Han Xiang imagined how all this time the bad treatment and the abuse that she had received, all because she was actually a subst.i.tute! She wasn't even a princess to begin with and she was shoved into a role that she scorned. She always endured the beating but it was actually a big lie. Her whole life was a big lie!

She always yearned for her Father Emperor's love, but it became a big joke all of a sudden. There would be no way she would feel a warm family.

Human nature was always like this... If she was a beloved princess, when Xiao Fang -- the real one appeared, she probably wouldn't want to give the position back to Xiao Fang.

However, Han Xiang led a horrible life and naturally, she hated the princess t.i.tle that she had received. Of course, she would blame the real daughter for this --- in this case, Xiao Fang. If Xiao Fang just stayed in the palace, wouldn't she have another life? Maybe a peaceful one?

"Why do you blame me... your best friend? Aren't I always treating you like her real sister? Have you ever thought that I also don't know about my real ident.i.ty?" Xiao Fang asked. This was what she wanted to ask all along. In this switching matter, both of them were innocent. How... how could she blame her?

Han Xiang made an unladylike laugh with a hint of tears in it. It seemed like... it was painful for Han Xiang too. "I know... you are actually the light of my life especially in my darkest hours. Without you, I probably would have died a long time ago. I know that you probably don't know about your real ident.i.ty, but... I am selfish... I can only make myself hate you in order to survive! The more I hate you, the better!"

"What do you mean?" Xiao Fang asked in confusion. "If you thought of me that way, then why did you betray me and change your feelings into hatred?"

"At first... I didn't have a plan to betray you. When he came to me, I just scoffed at him arrogantly," Han Xiang said bitterly. "I really really thought of you as my sister..."

"But... you finally chose to betray me. Why? Did he offer something better to you? Did he help you solve a lot of problems for you? What? Tell me!" Xiao Fang's voice became louder and it alarmed the people outside. When they took a peek, nothing was wrong with Xiao Fang --- she had her back on then and it seemed like she was still talking with Han Xiang.

Yao Ling didn't know whether she should come in to give a support or not. She decided against it because Xiao Fang didn't ask for her help, besides, they could hear clearly their conversation due to the thin paper door.

Xiao Fang knew that Yao Ling was worried, but she needed to face this alone. Han Xiang didn't give her a straight answer, so she asked once again, "What did he offer you that made you finally betraying me?"

A tear flew out of Han Xiang's red rimmed eyes... "It wasn't because of his offer, to be exact..."

Xiao Fang frowned. It seemed like even though she was in deep sleep, her subconscious mind didn't want to reveal her deepest secret. Xiao Fang pushed a little bit harder, "Then... why? You weren't interested in his offer, so what made you change your mind?"

"I... I can't say... It's too embarra.s.sing!" Han Xiang said and she cried even harder than before.

Xiao Fang sighed and felt helpless all of a sudden. She wondered whether she should keep pus.h.i.+ng for an answer or not. She still had a weakness toward Han Xiang and she felt hurt when she cried --- just like the first time she saw Han Xiang back then. She shook her head and steeled herself, 'No... I have to ask the truth!'

Xiao Fang quickly said, "What's so embarra.s.sing about it? We are best friend, right? Hmmm...?" Xiao Fang twisted her words and she went with the soft approach.

"That man... that man... made me drink a poison," Han Xiang admitted. "Not only that... he forced himself on me, so I could only have him as my man..." He did something to make her need him all the time --- emotionally and physically. She also didn't understand how. Han Xiang didn't know how to put their relations.h.i.+p into words, so her explanation was a bit hard for Xiao Fang to understand. In order to maintain her sanity, she decided to abandon Xiao Fang and made herself fall in love to the man.

They were still in a conservative era and once she was tainted by a man, she became his. At least, by loving him, she could justify their s.e.xual life or else she would go crazy and somehow... this made her understand the Ce Fei's feeling. However, instead of depression, she chose hatred to stay alive!

Xiao Fang was dumbfounded, she would never thought that there was such a reason. "Why don't you seek my help?" Xiao Fang asked. If she asked for help since the first time that man appeared, she would be able to help her!