Chapter 363 Finally Revealed

Chapter 363 Finally Revealed

Xu Yinfei had been dead for a long time.

She perished in the bone-chilling cold of the icy winter lake.

She died among the Chen family, with whom she had no blood ties.

She even died before He Ainiang, who loved her.

If not for her lingering spirit from another life, how could the perpetrator have the chance to confront and confess?

Xianjin's questioning grew louder with each word, leaving Lord Xiaowang stunned and speechless.

"I can protect you now..."

Lord Xiaowang, like a child eagerly flaunting his family’s wealth, said, "Feifei, don’t worry; I can really protect you now! When you returned from Fujian, Doctor Zheng came to check on your health and mentioned a girl who looked six or seven parts similar to Shuisu. I suspected it was you and sent the shadow guards to follow up..."

"Now, Emperor Zhaode is no longer capable. He, along with his empress, ten or so concubines, and seven or eight children, have all moved to the Chengde Imperial Palace. Now, your own aunt is in power. The southeast won’t see any turmoil for the next twenty years, and the northwestern barbarians are in internal chaos. Great Wei has no immediate or long-term worries. You can be the sole Grand Princess. Do you like Huizhou? I’ll ask my sister to give you both Huizhou and Suzhou as your personal domains! You love business, so we’ll buy out a whole street in Jiqing Fang just for you. You can do whatever you want!"

Halfway through, Lord Xiaowang seemed to remember something, "And what about that Qiao boy? If you like him, I’ll have my sister promote him right away. He can be the Commander of the Imperial Guards, granted a first-class honorary title. If he wants to serve as a local official, he can; if he wants to stay in the Capital City, he can choose to be one of the Three Dukes or even a Grand Councilor..."

Lord Xiaowang urgently touched Grand Princess's shoulder, "Sister! Sister! Can we do this? Please tell me it’s possible!"

Grand Princess looked at her younger brother with a complex expression in her eyes.

She wanted to laugh but couldn't muster a helpless, sighing, mocking, and regretful smile.

Human emotions are too complicated for facial expressions to fully match.

Born to the Empress, he enjoyed a smooth path, showered with countless favors, kindness, affability, and stability... but ultimately lacked edge and excellence.

She thought her younger brother, though not innovative or adventurous, could at least maintain and consolidate what they had.

Who knew...

— As a ruler, it’s better to be cunning and ruthless than to be ordinary and mediocre: the former still has the strength to fight, while the latter can only collapse.

Grand Princess's gaze shifted from her younger brother to Xianjin, her only blood-related descendant.

The little girl's eyes sparkled with uncontainable anger.

"I only have one father, and I only have one surname, He, and my name is Xianjin. I'm not Feifei, and I don’t have the surname Xu."

Xianjin turned to leave.

Grand Princess slowly exhaled a long breath from her chest; she wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing, finally lifting her chin slightly, accompanied by a heavy sigh, and slowly closed her eyes.

Lord Xiaowang covered his chest and cried out in agony, "I... I... I've done my best... I've always been kind to others! I've never done anything heinous or taken lives recklessly... Why... why has this world, this damned heaven, wronged and humiliated me so much!"

Xianjin was pulled by his words, standing with her head lowered on the blue brick floor of the lake-center pavilion, where black cloth covered the four red lacquered columns in the exact north, south, east, and west positions—symbols of identity when the dragon was still in hiding.

Xianjin slightly turned her head, "In a high position, incompetence is a grave sin."

With that said, Xianjin never looked back and walked out the door.

It was late, and even the cicadas’ song had softened to a whisper.

Xianjin, with her back straight, walked out of the lake-center pavilion. As soon as she reached the shore, her legs gave way, almost causing her to fall.

A large, veiny hand, as if rescuing a drowning fish, gently pulled her up.

Xianjin lifted her gaze.

It was Qiao Hui.

The windblown young man was still wearing a cloth armor coat covered in yellow sand and dust, his hair tied high, with only a few sweat-soaked strands clinging to his neck and cheeks.

His eyes shone brightly, almost blindingly.

"Weren't you at West Mountain?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Qiao Hui answered briefly, glancing at the brightly lit pavilion on the lake: "Three hours ago, Father sent someone to tell me that the Grand Princess and the former emperor had arrived, and I was to return immediately—"

Qiao Hui smiled: "Maybe they were worried you'd get into a fight with the former emperor, and that an old, crippled man wouldn't be able to stop you?"

Xianjin gave a forced, half-hearted laugh.

Qiao Hui supported Xianjin as they headed toward the inner courtyard.

After a couple of steps, Xianjin felt steadier on her feet and let go of Qiao Hui’s support.

The lights in the North Courtyard began to turn on one by one.

Mother Zhang rubbed her eyes and came out sleepily: "Do you still want to eat? The stove has hot chicken soup and sausages."

Xianjin waved her hand.

Mother Zhang murmured, "I’ll go back to sleep then." Her eyes finally swept over Qiao Hui: "Young Master Qiao is here too, come in and sit."

The door of the North Courtyard's main hall slammed shut.

Mother Zhang suddenly realized, stamping her right foot and widening her eyes in shock.

What!

Qiao Hui is here!?

This late!?

Why!?

Mother Zhang wanted to rush in to protect her young lady's virtue but was yanked back by Suo'er, who grabbed the back of her neck.

"...When we were in Xuancheng, Young Master Qiao often climbed through the window at night... You shouldn’t interfere."

Mother Zhang: ?

What had she missed?!

She knew about the twin goats born to Old Wang next door, three hundred miles away—but she was completely in the dark about her own young lady's affairs! This was a case of "fragrance outside the wall," a dereliction of duty by Mother Zhang!

With Mother Zhang’s tacit approval, Qiao Hui swaggered into the ladybug’s room, touched the abacus on the table, and dusted off the orchid leaves on the display shelf, embodying restlessness.

Xianjin couldn't spare a thought for Qiao Hui, her body going limp as she sprawled on the daybed, her eyes hollow as she stared at the beams above, blinking as a sharp-featured face blocked her view.

Qiao Hui smiled and asked, "So, is the Grand Princess really your aunt?"

Xianjin slowly raised her head, then nodded slowly.

Qiao Hui also nodded. "What's the plan now? Should I marry into your family? Or will you carry on the family line?"

"Thwack!" Xianjin threw a pear with such precision that it hit Qiao Hui square in the face.

Qiao Hui didn’t even try to dodge, caught the pear on his forehead, and took a big bite with a grin. "Man, that’s sweet!"

Xianjin narrowed her eyes and laughed.

It must be said, Qiao Hui always knew how to ease her tense nerves.

Xianjin composed herself and spoke briefly, "I haven't acknowledged her."

Qiao Hui wasn’t surprised, quickly finished the pear, and stood up to find water to wash his hands, as he was accustomed to doing. Wiping his hands, he said, "The White Chaos Rebellion—well, the former emperor really messed up."

When the former emperor first approached him, Qiao Hui had been cautious and inquired extensively about the beginning and end of the White Chaos Rebellion.

There was a theory that the refugees were deliberately released by Grand Secretary Li, intending to force the former emperor to implement new reforms at the time—namely, to adjust the tiered tax system, reallocate farmland, and redistribute it evenly. This reform aimed at dividing the pie of vested interests.

The former emperor held out for six months before giving in, so Grand Secretary Li allowed the refugees to enter the capital, hoping to show the former emperor firsthand what life was like under the heavy burden of taxes and labor.

The former emperor couldn’t hold out any longer and agreed.

Once the reforms were implemented, the vested interests rebelled.

The land in regions like Shandong and Shanxi was entirely controlled by local gentry and powerful families. They themselves stayed in the shadows, inciting bandits and the rebel army to act on their behalf.

The rebel army and the refugees converged midway, and these two distinct interest groups formed a powerful momentum.

Isn't that unjust?

Not supporting the reforms led to rebellion; supporting them also led to rebellion.

The most remarkable thing was that the two forces—those who supported and those who didn’t—joined together to rebel.

Who the hell can figure this out?

If Grand Princess Bai'an had been in power, the situation might not have spiraled out of control, but at that time, it was the former emperor who was in power.

The fallout from this mess was even harder for the former emperor to predict.

"Your mother..." Qiao Hui began.

"Consort Gao," Xianjin said. "My mother's name was He Ainiang."

Qiao Hui smoothly corrected himself, "Since entering the palace, Consort Gao had been the sole favorite of the former emperor, quickly rising through the ranks to become Consort within just ten short years, catching the eye of all six palaces. Empress Lu, who came from a prestigious family, had an elder brother who solely controlled the Forbidden Guard, the commandery, and the Western Hills Camp—three major military forces near the capital. Empress Lu and the former emperor were childhood sweethearts and married couples. Before Consort Gao entered the palace, they had always been loving."