Chapter 126 Our Xin’an Is the Most Filial and Sensible…

Chapter 126: "Our Xin'an Has Always Been the Most Filial and Sensible..."

Upon hearing his demand for a bloodline test, Princess Xinan stiffened, a chill racing up her spine. Her heart pounded, yet she dared not utter a sound.

Beside her, Xu Zecheng’s face darkened as he challenged, "What is the meaning of this, Lord Bai?"

"Was I not clear enough?"

"The Prince and Princess are right here. Would you dare repeat such words in their presence? You are not only humiliating Princess Xinan but also insulting them!"

"Since when is a bloodline test considered humiliation?"

"Is it not? Or does Lord Bai believe the Prince and Princess would mistake their own daughter?"

"Lord Xu is quite skilled at sophistry," Bai Xiuming remarked, observing Xu Zecheng’s vehement protests. "Guards, gag him."

"How dare a mere fourth-rank official—?"

Before Xu Zecheng could finish, the imperial guards swiftly gagged him. A frail scholar with no martial prowess, he was no match for these trained guards. After a brief struggle, he was forced to kneel.

Kneeling there, his pristine official robes were soon stained by spilled wine, soaking through the fabric.

At this sight, Princess Xinan’s sobs ceased entirely.

She sat frozen, trembling violently, her mind consumed by a single thought: *It’s over!*

Bai Xiuming barely glanced at her, instead issuing orders to the guards: "Fetch the Director of the Astronomical Bureau. Also, fetch Feng Yang from the Bright Mirror Bureau and have him bring Jiang Yan to the palace."

He paused briefly before adding, "I’ve heard Lord Xu and Princess Xinan have a daughter. Send someone to Lord Xu’s residence to bring her here. Seal the estate—no one enters or leaves until I say so."

"Yes, sir!"

Three guards sprinted out without delay, turning to leave Yongshou Hall.

"No!" Princess Xinan, realizing Bai Xiuming intended to target her daughter as well, abandoned all pretense of covering her face. She lunged forward, grasping for his robes, but he sidestepped her.

She collapsed heavily to the floor, pleading desperately, "Please, spare Bao’er! She’s just a child! She’s innocent!"

By now, nearly all unrelated attendees had left the hall, and the fading clamor made her cries all the more piercing.

Prince Ying'an, restrained by the guards, heard the name "Bao’er" and knew it was his daughter speaking. He fought against the guards, while Princess Ying'an slapped one blocking her path, snarling, "Get out of my way!"

The guards, unwilling to harm them, endured the blows as they struggled to restrain the couple.

Prince Ying'an’s heir moved to assist his parents but was yanked back by his wife, averting further escalation.

The heir’s wife’s eyes darted to the source of the voice—she recognized it as her sister-in-law’s. Or rather, the voice her sister-in-law had after injuring her throat. When she first married into the family, Xin'an’s voice had been different. It changed after her return from Jiaozhou, where she said she had been wounded.

Earlier, whispers of a "monster" and a "peeling face" had stirred a horrifying suspicion in her mind.

Long ago, the heir had confided that Xin'an seemed like a different person after returning from Jiaozhou—her tastes had shifted, her temperament altered. She’d grown filial, sensible, and respectful toward her elder brother, prompting him to encourage closer ties between the two women.

At the time, the heir’s wife had found the changes too drastic, but with no one else in the household raising concerns—and given her own lack of familiarity with Xin'an before—she hadn’t dwelled on it.

Now, the realization sent a chill down her spine.

Princess Xinan’s pleas left Bai Xiuming unmoved. Soon, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau, who hadn’t yet left the palace, was escorted back.

The Director, unfazed by extraordinary scenes, showed only mild surprise upon seeing Princess Xinan’s face up close. He turned to Bai Xiuming. "Why summon me?"

"I need you to verify her bloodline."

The Director raised an eyebrow, reaching into his sleeve to produce a black jade disk.

Similar to the white one he’d used before, this disk bore a single groove. He stepped forward, drew blood from Princess Xinan’s hand, and let a drop fall into the groove.

As the disk absorbed the blood, the innermost ring glowed red briefly before fading.

The Director’s expression turned grave. "This person has no imperial blood."

Bai Xiuming’s nod was curt, unsurprised.

He addressed Princess Xinan again. "Does Princess Xinan have anything to say now?"

Her teeth chattered. Just as she opened her mouth, Xu Zecheng let out a muffled, strangled cry.

She turned to see him glaring at her, and the words froze in her throat.

Bai Xiuming observed their silent exchange, unbothered by her silence. He motioned for the Director to be escorted aside to rest and continued waiting.

In under half an hour, Feng Yang arrived with Jiang Yan following.

Both bowed respectfully to Bai Xiuming.

Jiang Yan spoke first. "Your orders, Lord Bai?"

Bai Xiuming raised his chin, gesturing toward Princess Xinan on the floor. "Examine her face and determine what’s wrong."

Jiang Yan crouched beside her, unfazed by her grotesque appearance. If anything, he seemed intrigued, leaning in closer with clinical interest.

Princess Xinan, unnerved by his gaze, tried to recoil but was held firm by the guards.

Jiang Yan’s fingers traced her face, now grotesquely split into two layers: an outer flesh-toned mask that should have fit snugly but had inexplicably shrunk, revealing raw red flesh beneath, covered by a thin membrane that stemmed bleeding.

From his waist pouch, Jiang Yan drew a bone knife the size of his palm. Clamping her face to immobilize her, he made a swift cut across the flesh-toned layer.

To his surprise, the blade glanced off.

After switching knives twice, he finally sliced off a small fragment.

Ignoring Princess Xinan’s screams—reminiscent of a stuck pig—Jiang Yan examined the scrap, flipping it repeatedly and applying unknown liquids.

Next, he picked up the detached face, scrutinizing it meticulously with detached fascination before setting it down.

The guards watched, gooseflesh rising as he chuckled eerily while handling the face, their dread for the Bright Mirror Bureau deepening.

After an incense stick’s worth of time, Jiang Yan rose, excited. "My lord, I’ve finished my examination."

"Report."

"I believe the skin on her face is likely the legendary Wei-snake skin."

Neither had seen a Wei-snake before, but records in the Bright Mirror Bureau chronicled its existence.

Seeing Bai Xiuming nod, Jiang Yan continued, "There are traces of bone shaving on this person's face. She must have undergone facial reconstruction. After her entire facial skin was removed, Wei-snake skin was applied, followed by a new layer of skin. The Wei-snake is quite miraculous—it allows the skin to fuse seamlessly with the face. Unless the skin is peeled off, no one could detect the alteration."

Though Jiang Yan had never witnessed a face-swapping operation firsthand, he precisely reconstructed the entire process.

"Is that all?" Bai Xiuming seemed unsatisfied with the answer.

Jiang Yan hurriedly added, "I also discovered something peculiar. According to records, the Wei-snake is an ancient deity whose corpse does not decay for millennia. Logically, even if the skin were removed, it should remain fresh. Yet, I noticed signs of drying out on this skin."

He further explained, "It was precisely because the skin dried out and lost its vitality that the originally adhered face peeled off."

"Drying out?" Bai Xiuming narrowed his eyes. "What could cause Wei-snake skin to dry out?"

"I... I don’t know," Jiang Yan admitted, ashamed.

"Do you think..." Bai Xiuming paused slightly, "black firestone could do it?"

Jiang Yan was taken aback, then pondered before his face gradually brightened with realization. "That’s a remarkable idea, my lord."

He circled animatedly in place. "Black firestone is absorbent and could rapidly desiccate a corpse. The method seems plausible, but I’d need further testing to confirm."

Bai Xiuming lowered his gaze to Princess Xinan’s mutilated visage, but what flashed before his eyes was A Chan’s unyielding childish features.

"Drying clothes—what nerve she had to claim that," he mused.

Standing nearby, Feng Yang noticed his lord suddenly give a mirthless laugh, a smile so dangerous it sent a chill down his spine, prompting him to edge backward warily.

"Feng Yang."

"My lord..." Feng Yang bowed nervously.

"Procure some black firestone samples for him."

"Yes."

Without further thought, Feng Yang swiftly departed on his mission. Scarcely had he exited the hall than the imperial guards escorted in Princess Xinan and Xu Zecheng’s daughter, Bao’er.

Bao’er appeared to have just cried, her eyes still red and pitiful.

Seeing her daughter actually escorted in, Princess Xinan renewed her struggles, and even Xu Zecheng turned his gaze toward the girl.

Bai Xiuming addressed the Director, "We must trouble you once more."

The Director repeated the lineage verification on Bao’er. The jade tray flared momentarily as before, then dimmed.

"She is also not of royal blood."

Bao’er sniffled, too young to understand what this meant.

After the lineage verification, Bai Xiuming had the imperial guards isolate the trio for close watch and led the Director to Prince Ying'an’s family.

Upon seeing Bai Xiuming, Prince Ying'an had yet to react when Princess Ying'an abruptly sprang to her feet, pointing at him with hostility. "Bai Xiuming, don’t think His Majesty’s backing allows you to overstep your authority! I—"

Before she could finish, Prince Ying'an pulled her down sharply back into her seat.

Princess Ying'an glared at her husband, only to be met with a cold rebuke: "Silence!"

In all their years of marriage, Prince Ying'an had never addressed her thus. She was momentarily stunned.

Though somewhat docile in domestic matters, Prince Ying'an was no fool—a prince who thrived in the capital surely possessed political acumen.

With the fates of Prince Kang and Prince Shun as object lessons, he knew whom to oppose and whom to avoid. Even if the man before him was younger, he knew when to yield.

Bai Xiuming disregarded their exchange and instructed the Director, "Please first verify the bloodlines of Prince Ying'an and his son, then check if the Princess and Princess Xinan are biologically related."

Following Bai Xiuming’s orders, the Director tested each family member before announcing, "Prince Ying'an and his son’s identities are authentic. Princess Ying'an and Princess Xinan share no blood relation."

"Thank you, Director. Please wait here for now."

Understanding that Bai Xiuming needed to report to the emperor—a matter best handled with minimal interference—the Director gestured his assent. "Go ahead."

Bai Xiuming had the imperial guards escort Prince Ying'an’s family to wait outside Changqing Palace while he entered alone.

The banquet had concluded prematurely, and the empress had already retired to her chambers. Only the emperor and King Ming remained in Changqing Palace, playing chess.

At Bai Xiuming’s entrance, the emperor placed down a chess piece and asked, "What have you uncovered?"

Bai Xiuming stepped forward and bowed. "It is confirmed that Princess Xinan is neither of royal blood nor the Princess’s illegitimate daughter. She used extraordinary means to change her face and replace the true princess. Vice Minister of Personnel Xu Zecheng is likely her accomplice, but both remain uncooperative and refuse to divulge information."

The emperor struck the chessboard violently, scattering the pieces. "To tamper with royal bloodlines and harm the imperial family—how audacious of them!"

Pointing at Bai Xiuming, he commanded, "Use whatever means necessary to extract confessions. I want to know how they effected the substitution and whether someone else is behind this. And as for the real Xin'an—alive or dead—find out her whereabouts."

"Yes," Bai Xiuming acknowledged before adding, "Your Majesty, Prince Ying'an’s family stands in attendance outside. Shall I summon them for questioning?"

The emperor’s expression darkened. "Very well. I’d like to hear how they failed as parents, oblivious to their own daughter being replaced."

Soon, Prince Ying'an’s family was admitted to the chamber.

The family stood in oppressive quiet, still reeling from the blood test’s revelations.

After making their obeisances to the emperor, Prince Ying'an was asked, "Prince Ying'an, are you aware that the current Princess Xinan is not your biological daughter?"

Prince Ying'an lowered his head and murmured, "Only just learned."

"And Princess Ying'an?"

With trembling lips, Princess Ying'an protested, "Your Majesty, could there be some mistake? Our Xin'an is the most dutiful and discerning child. She visits us monthly, brings gifts whenever she finds something precious, and has never acted against us. How could she not be our daughter?"

She prodded Prince Ying'an beside her. "Say something!"

After a long silence, Prince Ying'an nodded in agreement.

To them, Xin'an was the perfect daughter, above criticism.

The emperor responded to Princess Ying'an’s plea with a mirthless chuckle. "Are you doubting the Bright Mirror Bureau’s findings?"

"I dare not, Your Majesty. But... what if there truly was an error?"

Despite sensing the emperor’s displeasure, she persisted doggedly. Xin'an had once prostrated herself through winter snows to pray for her at a temple—how could such a devoted child be an imposter?

"Bai Xiuming, what say you?" the emperor asked.

Bai Xiuming surveyed Princess Ying'an with sardonic amusement. "The devotion between Princess Ying'an and Princess Xinan is most affecting. But have you considered, Princess, the fate that may have befallen your real daughter if there is no mistake?"

Princess Ying'an went rigid.

"Evidently not," Bai Xiuming remarked, his gaze raking across her before coming to rest upon the heir and his wife behind her. "Heir, do you believe your sister was replaced?"

Prince Ying'an’s heir quivered, words failing him for a long moment.

Instead, it was the heir's wife who stepped forward under Bai Xiuming's gaze. She first bowed respectfully to the emperor, then addressed Bai Xiuming, "Lord Bai, I heard that Xin'an's whole face peeled off. Is this true?"

"It is true. What does the heir apparent's wife wish to say?"

The heir’s wife turned pale. She could feel the gazes of her father-in-law and husband behind her, as well as the displeased look from her mother-in-law. But if they remained completely ignorant today, they would surely anger His Majesty.

If the emperor truly became furious, he would show no mercy to imperial relatives like them.

She had no choice but to ignore the stares beside her and said, "I was not particularly close to Xin'an, but I did notice changes in her. After she and Xu Zecheng returned to the capital from their posting in Jiaozhou, she was almost a different person."

"Explain in detail. What changed?"

The heir’s wife took a deep breath and listed, "Her food preferences, her voice—everything changed. Her relationship with Xu Zecheng also improved. Moreover, she became more gentle and sensible. Just now, my father-in-law and mother-in-law were not lying. Xin'an was indeed extremely filial toward them. Even toward the servants in the manor, she was kind and courteous. Almost no one in the manor had anything bad to say about her."

"What was the previous Princess Xinan like?" Bai Xiuming pressed.

The heir’s wife hesitated before answering, "The previous her... was wildly arrogant and domineering, acting recklessly, always causing trouble and angering my mother-in-law. The Princess treated my husband decently, but she looked down on me. Before leaving the capital, she even quarreled with my mother-in-law over keeping Che’er in the capital."

After hearing this, even the emperor exploded. He pointed at Prince Ying'an and his wife and said, "Are you blind? Such glaring red flags—didn’t you find anything strange?"

Princess Ying'an protested weakly, "But... but Xin'an's changes all had reasons."

The emperor no longer wished to listen to her. With a thunderous expression, he ordered Bai Xiuming, "Go and inform the Director. Have the Astronomical Bureau scrutinize every member of the imperial clan. If anyone is found to have tampered with imperial bloodlines or assumed false identities, they are to be charged with treason."

"At once, Your Majesty."

"As for you..." The case was not yet fully resolved, and the emperor had not yet decided how to deal with them. He only said, "Until the matter is clarified, none of you are to take a single step outside the manor."

After Bai Xiuming and Prince Ying'an's family left Changqing Palace, the emperor's mood turned foul.

He turned to King Ming, who had remained silent, and asked, "Do you think they truly didn’t realize their daughter had been replaced?"

King Ming chuckled lightly and waved his hand, causing the chess pieces on the board to reset themselves. "That doesn’t matter. For them, the most important thing is that this Xin'an was the one they wanted."

The emperor snorted coldly. "In their words, the original Xin'an was flawed in every way. But now, it seems at least that Xin'an was genuine—unlike them, complete hypocrites!"

By the time Bai Xiuming stepped out of Changqing Palace, thick snow had accumulated outside.

Prince Ying'an's family had not gone far. He stood at the palace gate, watching their retreating figures for a moment before turning back to Yongshou Hall to bark a few orders.

As Prince Ying'an's family made their way out of the palace, they happened to encounter the imperial guards escorting Princess Xinan and Xu Zecheng.

Seeing them staring eagerly, one of the guards beside Princess Xinan suddenly turned, grabbed her hair, and forcibly lifted her face for them to see clearly.

Then, with a sharp scream, Princess Ying'an collapsed in a dead faint.