Chapter 374 The Resurrected Concubine

Chapter 374: The Resurrected Beloved Concubine

The night was as deep as a pool of spilled thick ink.

In the study of Chancellor Jiang's mansion, a solitary candle flame flickered, casting his graying temples onto the wall in an elongated shadow.

The piled documents on the desk, each word and sentence concerning the political tides of the court, made his eyes ache from reading, and he couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

Just then, a gust of eerie wind swept in through the window without warning. With a "whoosh," it cut through the gaps in the window lattice and dashed straight toward the desk.

The tiny candle flame struggled twice before extinguishing completely.

The study was instantly plunged into deathly silence and darkness.

"Someone," he called out instinctively, only then remembering he had already dismissed the servants.

He sighed, groping his way up from the chair by memory, heading toward the curio cabinet where the tinder stick was stored.

The thick carpet beneath his feet absorbed all sound, leaving only the thumping of his own heartbeat in the silence.

He felt the cold tinder stick, uncapped it, and blew on it.

"Pfft—"

A faint light flickered to life, instantly dispelling the darkness before him.

And in that very moment the light flared, a woman's face appeared before him, without any warning.

That face was less than an arm's length away, quietly staring at him.

"Ah!"

Chancellor Jiang, who had lived half his life weathering the storms of bureaucracy and had long since become as steadfast as a rock, was nonetheless scared out of his wits. He let out a startled cry and stumbled backward.

The tinder stick in his hand nearly slipped.

He steadied himself, brought the tinder stick closer, and the dim yellow light flickered, finally illuminating that face.

Skin as white as snow, brows like distant hills, eyes as clear as autumn pools, gazing at him with mournful affection.

This face...

This face he had seen a thousand times in his dreams, the face he thought had long turned to a handful of yellow earth...

A chill surged from the soles of Chancellor Jiang's feet straight to the crown of his head, making his scalp tingle.

It was none other than his beloved concubine, Lian'er, who had died in childbirth years ago!

"Lian'er, is it you?" His voice was as dry as if scraped by sandpaper. He even raised a hand to rub his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating from staying up too late. "Are you a human or a ghost?"

"Master, it is your concubine."

The woman spoke, her voice as soft and warm as in his memory, carrying a trembling hint of grievance.

She stepped forward, and under the flickering candlelight, her flawless, radiant face appeared even more striking than in her youth—a beauty so unreal it seemed otherworldly.

"There are no ghosts in this world; I am, naturally, a human."

Chancellor Jiang stared fixedly at her, his heart churning with turmoil.

He was no stranger to fearless assassins, nor had he dealt with treacherous political enemies, but this scene utterly surpassed his understanding.

"Years ago, I clearly saw you buried with my own eyes..." His voice was filled with vigilance and confusion, each word spoken with great difficulty.

The image of the coffin being lowered into the ground was still vivid in his mind.

Hua Lian's eyes reddened instantly. She explained in a soft voice, "Master, your concubine faked her death back then. Shortly after the burial, I was secretly taken away by my clan."

As she spoke, her watery eyes observed Chancellor Jiang's expression, her voice growing more affectionate and earnest. "All these years, your concubine has never left the capital. I hid in the shadows. Sometimes... I would come back and secretly visit Zhen."

"After all, she is the only child of your concubine and you, Master. If you don't believe me, ask Zhen—I've never left you and our daughter all these years."

Chancellor Jiang's expression grew more complex.

He wanted to believe it was true, yet dared not.

After the great shock, his chancellor's rationality and suspicion began to take hold.

"Why did you fake your death and leave?" His tone turned cold, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to see through her entirely.

Hua Lian's body trembled slightly, as if stung by his icy tone. Tears streamed down her face.

She dropped to her knees with a thud, the cold brick floor gave off a dull thud.

"Master, back then, Lian'er didn't tell you the truth..." She sobbed, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain. "In fact... I was a tribute maiden sent by Nanyue. When the cat poison was rampant in the palace, I managed to escape... Later, I met you, Master, and gave birth to Zhen."

"All I wanted was to live peacefully with you and our child. But I was scared! Scared that if my identity were revealed, it would bring disaster on the entire Jiang family and bring disaster upon you, Master! So... I had no choice but to fake my death and go."

Chancellor Jiang frowned deeply, his eyes full of scrutiny.

The explanation sounded reasonable, but he wasn't fully convinced.

Given his current status, what trouble could one escaped tribute maiden really cause?

"If you had only told me the truth, even if you really were a Nanyue tribute maiden, I have plenty of ways to protect you. Why hide it for so many years? And why fake your death!"

His voice carried a hint of anger, both at her deception and at her lack of trust in him.

"Your concubine also wanted to confess this to you, but... but..." Hua Lian wept even harder, prostrate on the ground, her shoulders shaking violently, as if bearing immense grievance and terror.

She suddenly raised her head, her tear-filled eyes looking at Chancellor Jiang, her voice shrill: "It was Prince Jing! Prince Jing Xiao Lingchuan! He found out that your concubine is a Nanyue tribute maiden!"

"He threatened me with Zhen's life and yours, forcing me to work for him, to pass Daye's secrets to the Nanyue palace! He said if I did not do as he demanded, he would... he would kill Zhen! Master, I had no choice!"

"What?!"

Chancellor Jiang was struck as if by lightning, his pupils contracting sharply. "Prince Jing colluding with Nanyue, stealing Daye's secrets? How can that be?!"

"It is absolutely true, Master!" Hua Lian, as if grabbing her last lifeline, crawled a few steps on her knees and clutched the hem of Chancellor Jiang's robe, lifting her beautifully wretched face.

"That Prince Jing is not even the late emperor's flesh and blood! He is the child of Nanyue's Grand Princess and the current Nanyue Chief Grand Secretary! The late emperor was kept in the dark, utterly unaware!"

"The Nanyue Royal Family has long been secretly communicating with him. He is ambitious and has long planned to use Nanyue's influence in the southern border to seize power and usurp the throne!"

Chancellor Jiang stared at her unblinkingly, as if weighing the truth of her words.

After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh, crouched down, and helped the trembling woman to her feet.

"Lian, you have suffered all these years." His voice was somewhat hoarse, mixed with too many complex emotions. "Rest assured, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If this Prince Jing truly colludes with the enemy and poses a threat to Daye, I will not stand idly by!"

He said this with resolute finality; as a minister of Daye, loyalty was almost an instinct etched into his very being.

Only then did Hua Lian steady herself; on her tear-streaked face, those beautiful eyes blazed with the triumphant relief of someone who had narrowly escaped death.

"Master, for the sake of the Daye realm and for our Jiang family, you must not let Prince Jing's treacherous scheme succeed!"

"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing!" Chancellor Jiang patted her hand, soothing her. "Stay in the mansion for now. Don't go out, and don't show yourself, so as not to tip off our enemies and cause unnecessary panic."

"Yes, Master, rest assured that Lian will not cause you any trouble!"

Hua Lian obediently agreed, made a graceful bow to him, and then moved with light steps, turned around, and left the study.

The door clicked softly shut, and the room fell silent again.

Chancellor Jiang watched her disappearing back; the straight line of her back seemed to hold a faint hint of tension.

He walked slowly to the window and stood, hands clasped behind his back; his face, which had just shown a hint of warmth and shock, was now calm as still water, with a dark, calculating look brewing in his eyes that outsiders could not fathom.

Did he believe it?

Perhaps he believed three out of ten parts, but the rest was pure shrewdness and suspicion, honed from decades in the court.

Meanwhile, in the woodshed of the western courtyard of the Chancellor's residence.

In the darkness, a figure leaned against a messy pile of firewood, in a relaxed pose.

Jiang Tianze slowly raised his hand, admiring his slender fingers by the faint moonlight filtering through the crack in the door.

He could sense that just moments ago, the offspring gu inside Hua Lian had done its work and was now going dormant.

The corners of his mouth silently curled upward, forming a cold and mocking arc.

How ridiculous.

The cunning, calculating Chancellor Jiang, in the end, still couldn't resist the charms of a beautiful woman.

He had merely lifted a finger, used Hua Lian's 'old acquaintance' persona, spoken a few prearranged lies, and this pillar of Daye's court was easily swayed.

Next, it would be time to watch a good show.

A splendid drama of a loyal minister turning traitor.

There was no trace of laughter in Jiang Tianze's eyes, only a cold, hollow darkness and the anticipated thrill of revenge.

Xiao Lingchuan, I want to see the look on your face when you are ruthlessly stabbed in the back by your most trusted and loyal supporter. That will definitely be very interesting.