34: Chapter 34 Beautiful women have always had tragic fates (5)

Early the next morning, while Wei Qingli was still having his meal, he was informed that Miss Bai and her servant, who were staying in the neighboring inn, had already departed and their whereabouts were unknown.

They just left? Without even saying goodbye.

The strategist Xu Yan looked at his Heir with an expression that had turned sour. Could it be that he wasn't good enough? That shouldn't be! As the Heir of East Lake, he was skilled in both literary and martial arts, brimming with talent, and his appearance was top-notch. Why would she avoid him like the plague?

Wei Qingli didn't notice Xu Yan's complicated expression; his heart was filled with a sense of loss.

She truly hadn't taken him to heart at all, leaving so decisively.

Soon after, he found his previous thought laughable. Indeed, it was merely a chance encounter; what right did he have to hope she would remember him?

She was indeed gentle and her smile was warm, but not just toward him. In her eyes, he was no different from those refugees.

Only when facing her own people, such as that female guard by her side, would she allow herself to be unrestrained, indulging her words and actions. She showed many other emotions—doting, chiding—and her whole being was vibrant. She was no longer like the ethereal and distant celestial maiden she appeared to be when facing people like them.

The Heir's expression doesn't look very good.

Xu Yan thought for a moment and then said, "Heir, since the Bai Clan has come out of seclusion to seek a wise lord to serve, they will likely evaluate the vassal kings and heirs of the five states, selecting the one who meets their criteria. Although Miss Bai left without saying goodbye, at least we were the first to establish a good rapport with her, giving us an advantage over the other four states. We should return to our country as soon as possible and then send people to inquire about Miss Bai's whereabouts, lest other countries take advantage of the situation."

Still not looking very good...

"Heir, don't think too much into it... Miss Bai carries the mission of the Bai Clan; she might be acting out of necessity and didn't intentionally leave without saying goodbye, you..." Damn it, I can't go on. I don't even believe this myself. Her legs are her own; where she wants to go is up to her. She simply doesn't care about you at all, Heir.

Wei Qingli looked at him.

Xu Yan felt guilty...

Such pressure! If I had known, I wouldn't have mentioned anything about a match made in heaven in front of the Heir last night. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Wei Qingli finally lowered his eyes and stopped speaking.

...

Wuzhong Capital

After Zhao Yan and Hong Yun left the inn early, they headed straight for the Wuzhong Capital.

They first visited several branch locations to check on the business operations of the shops over the past year. There were no large profits, but no major losses either; overall, there was a small surplus.

"Tell Old Zheng and the others to carefully verify the identities of those refugees. If they aren't criminals, train them a bit, and then they can start working. For those who don't want to go, give them some food and let them find their own way," Zhao Yan instructed Hong Yun.

They were all country folk; washing, scrubbing, moving things, and doing some odd jobs and manual labor were things they could always do.

"When the time comes, distribute them according to their household registration to supplement the staff in each shop."

People from Wuzhong would be sent to work in the Wuzhong shops, and those from Chuanbei would be sent to the Chuanbei shops. Since there were shops in all five states, these people wouldn't have to leave their hometowns.

That night.

Zhao Yan took off her white dress, skillfully changed into black clothes, put on a mask, and with a few leaps, vanished into the darkness.

Wuzhong Palace

The King of Wuzhong, Xiao Chengyuan, was hosting a banquet in the Brightness Hall for the delegation going to Yandu in the Liang State to negotiate, while a group of young masters were amusing themselves in the rear hall.

“Hahaha, this waste! Last time he even crawled between my legs, looking just like a little dog.”

“I don't really believe a person can look like a dog. Why don't you, Third Young Master, make the Fourth Young Master crawl on the ground again! Let everyone see.” The person who spoke had a face full of malicious playfulness.

“I don't believe it either. He is the King's son after all. Even if he's the son of a disgraced official, how can he be so spineless?”

“Hmph... this little bastard, how could he have any backbone? Who knows who that lowly mother of his slept with to produce this bastard and taint Father King's bloodline.”

“Shut up! Shut up! You are not allowed to speak of my mother!” The small body that had been lying motionless on the ground suddenly erupted. With eyes as fierce as a wild beast and fists clenched, he charged at the person called the Second Young Master.

Unprepared, the person was tackled to the ground. He didn't stop his hands and feet, and his mouth mercilessly bit down on the other's ear. A moment later, heart-wrenching screams rang out.

“Xiao Mu, are you crazy! You lunatic, let go of the Second Young Master quickly!” Everyone was terrified by this scene. With blood at the corners of his mouth and a fierce look in his eyes, Xiao Mu looked exactly like a wolf.

“Quick, save the Second Young Master!”

By the time the crowd hurriedly rescued him, the Second Young Master only had half his life left.

They didn't even bother to settle scores with Xiao Mu. If anything happened to the Second Young Master, none of them would be able to escape the consequences.

The group carried the Second Young Master, Xiao Yi, and rushed to find the imperial physician, with no one paying any attention to Xiao Mu.

After they left, Xiao Mu's curled body moved slightly. He coughed up some blood and tried to get up, but as soon as he moved, it pulled at his ribs, causing his features to contort in pain.

Why couldn't he hold it in?

He had clearly endured for so long.

He was still too impulsive. After tonight, Xiao Yi would likely become even more excessive toward him.

How much longer would these days last?

There seemed to be no end in sight. Unless he died, just like his mother.

As soon as the thought of death appeared, he immediately crushed it.

No, he wouldn't die!

He still had to avenge his mother. Xiao Chengyuan wasn't dead yet, so why should he die first?

He rubbed his eyes fiercely, forcing back the tears that were about to burst out.

Only weak people cry, and crying is useless! His mother cried until she went blind, but did that man ever go to see her? Until the day she hanged herself, she never received a single glance from him.

He hated his weak self, but the injuries on his body made him feel as though he were on the verge of fainting from the pain.

“Can you still get up?” Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind. He looked toward the source and saw a person dressed entirely in black, wrapped tightly, crouching on a thick branch opposite him, looking at him with concern.

He stared blankly at the person before him, forgetting to react for a moment.

Then he remembered that this was the Wuzhong Palace. How did she get in? Was she an assassin? Xiao Mu was initially surprised, which then turned into excitement.

He wasn't afraid at all; it would be better if she really were an assassin.

“Are you Xiao Mu, the son of the Queen of Wuzhong?”

“Yes.” Her eyes were very beautiful, filled with a heartache he didn't understand.

Ever since his mother passed away, there had been no one left to feel sorry for him.

“I am your elder cousin, Princess Anle Li Yuan.”

Xiao Mu looked at her, his eyes brightening for a second before he looked at her warily, saying stubbornly, “It's useless to test me. I don't know any Princess Anle.”

This kid is quite guarded.

Zhao Yan simply flew down from the tree and picked him up in a princess carry.

Now Xiao Mu was truly anxious. He was a male after all; how could he let a woman carry him?

“Let me go!”

“Put you down? In your state, can you still walk? Don't move, let's find a place to talk.” Zhao Yan picked him up without allowing any argument and left the palace.

Entering the back courtyard of a shop, she carefully placed him on a soft couch and removed the mask from her face: “You went to Yandu with your mother before, and we met in the inner palace. Do you still remember?”

Seeing him staring at her with clear eyes, Zhao Yan thought he hadn't remembered and said again, “At that time you were only—”

She gestured toward her waist and chest, a bit uncertain, “That tall. You were playing hide-and-seek with the little eunuchs and ended up hiding in a cabinet in my Fenghua Palace. You fell asleep in a daze, causing everyone to search for you all afternoon. Because of that, my aunt even spanked your bottom...”

“I remember, I remember! Stop talking!” Xiao Mu's cheeks flushed; being spanked on the bottom was far too embarrassing.

“It's good that you remember.” Zhao Yan was afraid the little brat really didn't remember her. After all, he was only seven or eight years old then, and she was only eleven. Four years had passed since then.

Xiao Mu stole another glance at his newly appeared cousin, his cheeks turning even redder. How could this cousin of his be so beautiful?

She was beautiful before, but now she was even more so, just like a fairy from the heavens.

He looked down at his filthy clothes and his blackened fingers, with dirt still under his nails. He felt a bit ashamed and stealthily hid his hands behind his back.

“Aunt, she—”

“Mother is already dead.” Xiao Mu's eyes were red. Perhaps because he had seen a relative, the strength he had feigned for so long and all his grievances turned into tears at this moment.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Xiao Mu recalled the past, gritting his teeth, hatred surging within him. "It was probably three years ago. Mother realized Xiao Chengyuan was acting strangely. He frequently summoned strategists into the palace and secretly met with people from the other four states. After Mother discovered this, she worried he might act against Liang State, so she kindly tried to persuade him. I didn't expect..."

"Xiao Chengyuan imprisoned Mother and me directly in the palace, sealed the hall doors, and forbade us from contacting anyone. Food was passed in through a small hole by young eunuchs and palace maids. This life lasted for a year. Finally, one day, he ordered the walls to be torn down and let us out. Only then did we learn that Uncle and Aunt had already been forced to their deaths by them."

"Mother couldn't believe any of this and wanted to reason with him. Uncle had shown him great favor, so how could he repay kindness with enmity? Little did she expect—" Xiao Mu let out a cold snort. "Xiao Chengyuan not only betrayed Liang State, but even his love for Mother was fake! After Uncle died, he successively claimed the First Young Master, Second Young Master, and Third Young Master. I, the original Heir, became the Fourth Young Master! Even my name, which was originally a testament to Mother's love for Father, was given as Xiao Mu, but now it has been replaced by another person. He is also called Xiao Mu, but his name was chosen by Xiao Chengyuan himself, and he is a full five years older than me!"

"Mother didn't believe that all these years, Xiao Chengyuan's love for her had been fake. She cried until she went blind and lost her mind. Sometimes she was lucid, sometimes delirious. Not long after, she hanged herself in the cold palace."

"Later, I don't know how, but rumors spread that Mother had committed adultery and was caught by the Prince of Wuzhong, hanging herself out of shame, and that I, this Fourth Young Master, was not the biological son of the Prince of Wuzhong, Xiao Chengyuan."

If it weren't for his striking resemblance to Xiao Chengyuan, he probably would have been killed in the palace by that ruthless father of his long ago.

Perhaps due to overwhelming grief and indignation, Xiao Mu was overcome with agitation and began to cough, clutching his chest.

Zhao Yan stopped him from getting any angrier and shouted towards the door, "Hurry and call Physician Qin to come and check his pulse."

"Xiao Chengyuan is not human! I want to kill him, kill him, and avenge Mother!"

Seeing his eyes bloodshot and filled with extreme rage, Physician Qin had no choice but to use golden needles to stimulate his acupoints, forcing him to drift into sleep for a while.

A moment later, Physician Qin walked out from behind the screen and sighed, "Young Master, Heir Xiao... the young master's body only has flesh wounds; his internal organs are not injured. However..." He lifted his clothes to look. "This child is truly pitiful. When I was treating his wounds just now, I discovered his body is covered in bruises and scars from previous injuries. Who knows how many beatings he has endured? Even if he is his own biological son, how could he be so heartless?"

Zhao Yan let out a cold, mocking snort. From what Xiao Mu had just said, she learned that Xiao Chengyuan had long been colluding with the four states. He had other women a long time ago and even had three children, yet at the time, he pretended to be extremely devoted, desperate to marry Aunt, promising a lifetime of being the only couple, thus winning Aunt's heart.

Did he know about the bullying Xiao Mu endured from others? He must have known. It wasn't just once or twice; it was countless times. For a man with such deep schemes, how could he not know what was happening right under his nose? He just didn't want to care; this son was dispensable to him.

Zhao Yan regretted it. She should have come to find him sooner, instead of relying on the memories of the original body's first life, knowing he would eventually become the ruler of Wuzhong, and assuming he would be fine.

In the first life, as soon as she exited the secret passage, she was taken before Wei Qingli. Later, she dealt with Chu Yao, Bai Qingxue, and others, was sent into the Beichuan Palace, became a captive, completely abandoned the dignity of a princess of a state to seek revenge, but in the end, she was deceived by her closest brother, the old ministers of Liang State were uprooted, and she lost the courage to live.

At that time, the original body was trapped in a quagmire, unable to save others. Not long after she died, that frail youth finally climbed to the peak of power in Wuzhong. The hardships involved can be imagined.

Then what about this life? Neither she nor he will be lonely.

Xiao Mu opened his eyes, looking at the exquisite bed curtains above, and for a moment couldn't tell where he was. Since Mother passed away, he had never slept soundly, but this sleep was exceptionally sweet. Perhaps it was because he knew he was no longer an orphan; he still had a cousin.

Thinking of his cousin, Xiao Mu woke up instantly. He sat up from the bed with a roll, accidentally tugging at his wounds, causing another wave of sharp pain.

"Creak—" The door was pushed open from the outside.

"You're up? Are you hungry?"

Xiao Mu watched her, motionless. In that instant, the sunlight shone on her, as if sprinkling a layer of holy light upon her. She walked slowly from a fairyland, warming his cold heart.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Yan saw his dazed expression and laughed, "Don't tell me that after one night, you've forgotten who I am again?"

"No, no," Xiao Mu replied quickly and urgently, "I remember, you are Cousin Yuan."

"Remember, from today on, my name is Zhao Yan, Bai Zhaoyan. You can call me Sister."

Xiao Mu nodded; he understood the stakes.

He had long heard them say that after Liang State was conquered, Crown Prince Li Hong was supported to ascend the throne, but the real power was controlled by the five states in turns. Princess Anle's whereabouts were unknown; she probably died in the chaos the day the army stormed the palace, just like the late Empress. Also missing was the Imperial Jade Seal. Because of this, the five states ordered people to paint portraits of the Princess and plastered them all over the Central Plains.

He had seen that portrait two years ago; his Heir brother had taken it out to humiliate him. At that time, he held Li Yuan's portrait in one hand and grabbed his hair with the other, forcing him to look up, mocking him, "I thought she was some great beauty that would captivate the world, causing the five states to scramble to marry her. This appearance doesn't even compare to Yuxian from Yanchun Pavilion. Father actually wants me to marry her. Is she worthy?"

That portrait... although it couldn't be called ugly, there was a vast difference from Sister's appearance.

Xiao Mu stole a glance at the person in front of him. Sister Yan's face shape was natural, without sharp angles, soft and beautiful, while the woman in the portrait had a chin that was too sharp. Sister Yan's eyes were extremely beautiful; when she wasn't smiling, it was like a smile, but when she did smile, they curved like crescent moons, charming and coquettish, sweet enough to touch one's heart. The eyes of the woman in the portrait couldn't capture even a fraction of her spirit... and there was much, much more.

How was he to know that the palace painters wanted to paint well, but they had never actually seen Princess Anle. The Emperor of Liang and the Empress regarded the Princess as the apple of their eye, so how could they get to see her? Usually, the Princess was physically frail and never attended any banquets. Many of the people who served Princess Anle died or fled after the palace was conquered that day. This portrait was drawn based on the memories of Su Yu, the Chief Eunuch beside the late Emperor, and approved by the current Emperor of Liang, Li Hong.

"You have two paths to choose from now. One is for me to take you away from Wuzhong; even if I die, I will ensure you are settled. The other path is for me to send you back to the Wuzhong palace. You should know what that means."

"I choose the second," Xiao Mu said without hesitation. "I want to go back."

"I won't hide it from you. I want to rebuild Liang State. When Father was still alive, he couldn't even weaken the vassal states. Now that Liang State has fallen, for me to oppose the five states with my own power is even more difficult. Even if this path is hard to walk and could lead to total destruction at any moment, I still want to walk it, to end this chaotic world as soon as possible and return a peaceful and prosperous world to the people."

"Sister, please don't think of me as a burden. I will grow up, and I want to fight side by side with you."

"Good." Zhao Yan did not try to persuade him further, because she knew that even if she did, it would be of no avail. There was light in his eyes; he would not be resigned, just like her.

"I will arrange for a few people to enter the palace to give you some support, and at the same time, find a martial arts master to secretly teach you martial arts, so you won't struggle as much when fighting alone. But I can only do this much for you; the rest depends on yourself."

"This is already very good." The youth's tender face bore a maturity that did not match his age.

He wanted revenge. Revenge occupied almost everything in his life. How could he not resent? How could he not hate?

Before, there was only hatred in the depths of his heart, but now there was a soft spot. This was his only relative. A sister who, even though her own survival was difficult, still wanted to shield him from the wind and rain.