Chapter 186 Self-Deception Is No Good

Chapter 186: Self-Deception Is Not the Way

"He probably doesn't know, does he?" guessed Huang Wu.

"He definitely doesn't know. A Chan would never tell him that secret." Bai Zhanhuang's tone was resolute. Only he knew A Chan's secret, and only he could accept her true identity without reservation.

Huang Wu caught the implication in Bai Zhanhuang's words and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"

Bai Zhanhuang toyed with a white chess piece in his hand, his unbound hair falling over his shoulders as he lowered his head, obscuring the candlelight that flickered across his face.

His handsome features, shrouded in shadow, bore an icy sternness utterly unlike his usual demeanor, yet his voice held a hint of amusement: "Naturally, I'll find the right moment for him to discover the truth."

"Bai Xiuming must have investigated Miss A Chan's identity initially. It seems her disguise was flawless." Even she was curious how A Chan had managed to take over someone's body in the capital without being detected.

"Flawless? Not necessarily. With her temperament, how could she willingly pretend to be someone else for long? If there were any suspicions, surely..."

He trailed off abruptly.

If things were truly as he said, why hadn't Bai Xiuming delved deeper?

The Bai Xiuming he knew was not easily fooled, unless he simply didn't want to investigate further.

The corner of Bai Zhanhuang's lips twitched, then quickly returned to normal.

No matter. This wasn't something Bai Xiuming could decide based on his willingness. Self-deception was no good. Many things needed to be black and white.

When everything was laid bare before him, could he still pretend nothing had happened?

"Does Ji Chan have any close relatives?" Bai Zhanhuang asked.

Huang Wu pondered for a moment before replying, "Whether she has a blood relation to the Marquis of Jinyang is still unknown. Other than that, she has no family in the capital. However, I've heard her maternal grandparents, who were exiled, have been pardoned by His Majesty and will soon return to the capital."

"Her maternal grandparents... I imagine she must be very close to them."

"Does Your Highness intend to use that family?"

Bai Zhanhuang didn't deny it. "Some truths are more convincing when spoken by a loved one. Find that family, cause them some trouble, then send them back to the capital."

After giving the order, Bai Zhanhuang seemed to feel it wasn't enough and asked, "Are Princess Xue Yao's people still trying to contact me?"

"Yes. With the Prince of Xiling dead and the Prince of Dongping too timid to get involved with the demon race, the Northern Wilderness is now her best option. For the past six months, they have persistently sought an audience with Your Highness."

"Tell them I wish to make a deal with Princess Xue Yao concerning the selection of Great Xia's next King Ming. Have her send someone clever to the capital."

Huang Wu immediately understood Bai Zhanhuang's intention. "Your Highness plans to use the demon race to eliminate Bai Xiuming? Will Princess Xue Yao agree? For them, the capital is a place of no return."

"She will," Bai Zhanhuang replied softly. "She suffered heavy losses in Xiling and will surely want to turn the tables. One King Ming has already suppressed the demon race, making them dare not raise their heads. If King Ming's adopted son also advances to the Fifth Realm, that would be disastrous for the demon race."

Bai Zhanhuang narrowed his eyes slightly, like a hunter lurking in the shadows, seeking every opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to his prey.

No matter why A Chan had chosen Bai Xiuming, he would prove that her choice this time was wrong.

"But didn't you say before that the demon princess was merely a figurehead, with no advantages other than her noble bloodline? Why ally with her and leave yourself vulnerable? The three of us working together would be enough to handle Bai Xiuming, even if he had three heads and six arms," Huang Wu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Aside from Huang Lin, the Northern Wilderness Prince's Estate still had three Fourth Realm experts, including herself—more than enough to achieve the Prince's goal.

"It's not yet your time to act. I've heard someone by her side has advanced to the Fifth Realm. She now holds some sway among the demon race. If this deal satisfies me, it won't be too late to deepen our ties later."

Huang Wu understood. The Prince wanted to test the other party's capabilities.

Bai Xiuming seemed like an excellent target to start with.

She stopped overthinking and respectfully replied, "This subordinate will contact them at once."

Huang Wu cared little whether Bai Zhanhuang's actions betrayed Great Xia. The prince had guarded the Northern Wilderness for the empire, only to earn the emperor's suspicion in return. The dowager consort had died, yet their estate was forced to surrender half its wealth. What a joke. The current situation was entirely the emperor's fault for pushing them too far.

By May, the capital's weather improved daily. After returning home, A Chan rested for quite some time before finally recovering.

To others, she appeared no different from when she left. When asked about her absence, she and Chen Hui simply claimed she had been visiting relatives.

Only Chen Hui noticed something amiss. Since returning to the capital, A Chan seemed to have something on her mind, often lost in thought, as if pondering a very important matter.

Seeing that she hadn't harmed herself or overexerted herself this time, Chen Hui chose not to pry.

That afternoon, A Chan and Chen Hui went to Yongning Ward. According to Boss Xu next door, a troupe of acrobats from Qingzhou had recently arrived and were performing there. Boss Xu had taken his family to watch a couple of days prior and praised the spectacle.

With few customers that day, A Chan suggested closing shop early to see the show.

They had taken a carriage but were stopped by patrolling officers two streets away, who warned that the crowd ahead was too dense for vehicles. They left their carriage at a nearby inn instead.

Seeing the bustling street ahead, Chen Hui didn't argue with the officers. After paying a few coins to temporarily park the carriage, she and A Chan continued on foot.

Though it was only mid-afternoon, the streets were already crowded with pedestrians and vendors pushing carts toward the main street.

Compared to the lively scene ahead, their current street was relatively quiet. Before long, A Chan noticed a somewhat familiar figure outside an academy.

The capital had dozens of academies, large and small—nothing unusual there.

What stood out was the man at the gate.

Back when she had urged Bai Xiuming to imprison Xue Shi in the Prison of Suppressed Evil, the Marquis of Jinyang had tried a foolish plan, believing that taking her back would secure Xue Shi’s release. He had even sent a go-between, though A Chan had frightened him away.

She still remembered—the man had introduced himself as Ji Zhuang.

Though they had met only once, as someone sent by the Ji family to persuade her, A Chan recalled him clearly.

Spotting Ji Zhuang outside the academy now surprised her.

He looked in bad shape. Once plump, his cheeks were now sunken, his face gaunt, as if he had suffered some misfortune.

Noticing A Chan had stopped, Chen Hui turned to her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

A Chan pointed discreetly at Ji Zhuang. "That's a relative of the Marquis of Jinyang. Let's see what's happening."

Chen Hui chuckled but stayed with her to observe.

Ji Zhuang seemed to be arguing with someone from the academy. With armed guards at his back, his hostile intent was clear. Many passersby, like A Chan and Chen Hui, paused to watch instead of moving on.

Ignoring the onlookers, Ji Zhuang pointed accusingly at a slender man who appeared to be the academy’s headmaster. "My son was perfectly fine before coming here! Two days ago, he suddenly died in your academy, and you dare claim it was an accident? Clearly, someone murdered him!"

He lunged at the headmaster. "Give me back my son!"

The headmaster, though frail, darted back nimbly, evading the attack before academy staff intervened.

Ji Zhuang’s guards were not to be trifled with, but outnumbered, the two sides reached a stalemate at the gate.

Taking the opportunity, the headmaster retorted loudly, "Master Ji, on the day of the incident, we immediately reported it to the authorities. The Capital Prefecture investigated and concluded that your son drowned in the academy’s pond after drinking too much. I admit the academy bears some responsibility for lax supervision. But accusing us of murder is a grave slander we cannot accept!"

"My son could hold his liquor! Even drunk, he'd only sleep—he'd never go near the pond! Someone must have lured him there!" Ji Zhuang clearly didn't believe him.

"I understand your grief and anger over the loss of your son, Lord Ji, and I am willing to cooperate. You already brought people here yesterday, and I had your son's roommates brought out for questioning. All three testified that your son left on his own, with no outside inducement."

"Or perhaps the three of them colluded in their testimony."

"If you don't believe me, Lord Ji, you are free to lodge another complaint with the magistrate. I certainly won't stop officials from investigating."

Both sides held their ground, each with their own reasoning. But after hearing the academy head’s words, public sympathy tilted more toward the academy’s side. After all, the authorities had already investigated, and for Ji Zhuang to persist seemed unreasonable.

Ji Zhuang glared furiously at the academy head. He had gone to the Capital Prefecture the day before, but this was the capital—the Capital Prefect was beyond his reach. The officials merely told him the case would be thoroughly investigated before dismissing him.

The dispute at the academy soon caught the attention of constables on patrol. Four officers hurried over, shouting to disperse the onlookers and intervening to stop Ji Zhuang's disturbance.

Ji Zhuang initially refused to leave, but when the officers drew their swords, his retainers were compelled to lead him away from the academy. Coincidentally, they retreated toward A Chan’s side. Ji Zhuang, still glaring at the academy and struggling, only calmed slightly upon spotting A Chan standing nearby.

Seeing their master finally settle, the guards stopped as well.

"It's you," Ji Zhuang said, freeing himself from his guards and adjusting his robes with dignity as he recognized A Chan.

"Long time no see." A Chan disliked the Ji family, but she harbored no personal enmity against Ji Zhuang. Since he recognized her, she didn't pretend otherwise.

Ji Zhuang nodded at her, in no state for formalities. His expression darkened further as he glanced back at the academy.

Having overheard his argument with the academy head, A Chan was curious. "I heard your exchange just now. If you suspect foul play in your son’s death, why not ask the Marquis of Jinyang for help?"

Even if the Marquis’s household was in decline, a word from him would still carry weight—the capital’s prefect wouldn’t refuse.

Ji Zhuang’s countenance changed. He looked at A Chan and replied stiffly, "The Marquis acquired a concubine the day before yesterday and has been receiving no visitors."

From the moment his son died until now, he'd been denied entry to the Marquis’s residence.

A Chan blinked. Her idle questioning had unexpectedly uncovered such shocking news. She had always thought the Marquis truly loved Xue Shi—he hadn't divorced her even after she was imprisoned in the Zhenyu. So why acquire a concubine now?

In all those years when Xue Shi was maintained outside the household, there had been no concubines. Had his resolve suddenly weakened? And… the day before yesterday?

"Did you and your son visit the Marquis’s residence the day before yesterday?"

"How did you know?" Ji Zhuang countered.

"The Marquis’s household had a celebration. As a member of the Ji family, you would surely have attended, right?" A Chan reasoned. "So, your son drank at the Marquis’s residence?"

Ji Zhuang nodded, reiterating, "Yes, but my son could hold his liquor. Those few cups shouldn't have made him drunk."

"If he shouldn't have been drunk, have you considered the possibility that the wine was doctored?"

Ji Zhuang’s countenance changed. "Impossible!"

"If you want to investigate, you must leave no stone unturned. It makes no sense to only target the academy and not the Marquis’s residence. Or do you truly believe the Marquis is blameless? What if your son saw something he shouldn't have and was disposed of?" A Chan admitted she was needling him, but her speculation wasn't unfounded.

If Ji Zhuang refused to believe it was an accident, he ought to investigate every suspicious angle. Who could guarantee the Marquis’s residence was clean?

A Chan dared to say it, but Ji Zhuang couldn’t bear to consider it. Watching his expression shift, she added, "Lord Ji, don't be biased. If you only hound the academy and they’re truly innocent, your son will know no peace in death."

With that, she offered a cursory "Accept my condolences" and walked away with Chen Hui toward the main thoroughfare.

Ji Zhuang watched her leave, then coldly ordered his guards, "Forget everything you just heard."

The retainers inclined their heads. "Yes."