“That’s impossible.”

Aunt Jiao shook her head, her feet stumbling back two steps in panic. “You couldn’t possibly know. They’re all dead—everyone who knew is already dead.”

“Originally, I wouldn’t have remembered, if you hadn’t come seeking me out.” Yuan Cheng’s face remained expressionless. “I’m a suspicious person by nature. After all these years, no clan members ever sought me out, yet you only appear when I’m employed by the Great Zhou Emperor. Based solely on some relics and dead objects, collecting a pile of bones—did you really expect me to be grateful and weep tears of gratitude? If so, you’ve badly underestimated my intelligence.”

Aunt Jiao’s eyes flickered. “I’ve already told you, I had no idea you were still alive.”

“Didn’t know, or knew I had become a high official in Nande with prospects for revenge, thus didn’t need your trouble?” He remained impassive as he let her approach, let her elevate him as young master. Over the past half year, she didn’t realize he had already grasped quite a bit through this. “You sent people to Nande to inquire about my news, and knew when I was imprisoned and exiled. But when I escaped, you thought I had died and began preparing to use your accumulated remaining forces to carry out a plan to assassinate the Emperor. Just when you were worrying about how to approach the Emperor, you discovered I was not only alive but had become a Great Zhou official, so you came to find me, claiming to be from a branch family.”

Aunt Jiao’s face revealed a vicious expression. “Even if what you say is correct, so what? You are the last legitimate son of the Yuan clan. Since you’re alive, revenge naturally falls to you.”

“You probably don’t know this, do you?” Yuan Cheng smiled faintly. “How much my older brothers detested you.

When I was five years old, they said in front of me that you were shameless and repaid kindness with enmity. If not for Mother saving you, you would have died long ago. But not only did you fail to repay the favor, you even tried to steal her husband.”

“I never felt I did anything wrong. Your father was the only man in this world I admired. Offering myself to him—wasn’t that repaying the favor? It was that woman with her petty mind who couldn’t tolerate others and caused me to—” Aunt Jiao said this much, then sealed her lips tight.

“Be careful what you say—that woman you speak of is my mother.” The wind in the room repeatedly lifted the corners of papers, flapping before Yuan Cheng’s eyes.

“Mother?!” Aunt Jiao laughed coldly. “I’m the one who carried you for ten months and gave birth to you.

What is she? Nothing but a fraud who deceived everyone’s eyes, claiming you were her late-life child. How ridiculous! If not for your father personally begging me, I would never have agreed to let her take this advantage, even unto death.”

“Shut your mouth.” Yuan Cheng showed no courtesy in his words despite her revealing their true relationship. “Apart from giving birth to me, did you ever raise me for a single day, nurse me with a single mouthful of milk? If not for my mother begging you, you would have aborted me long ago.”

“These… these matters…” He shouldn’t know about them. Aunt Jiao bit her lip and glared.

“I’ve always known I wasn’t true Yuan clan blood, but merely your malicious revenge against Father and Mother—wanting to use such slander to drive a wedge between their feelings.” His gaze was full of pity for Aunt Jiao. “Unfortunately, in the end you only debased yourself.”

Aunt Jiao had come today with the mindset of acknowledging her son, elevating her own status, naturally expecting Yuan Cheng to bow to her. But unexpectedly, each of his sentences grew colder and more cutting, without a trace of familial feeling. This also ignited her fury, and she rushed forward raising her hand to slap him. But the moment she moved, a person suddenly flew down from the beam, using palm wind to push her away before returning above. She didn’t even see the person’s face clearly.

“Stop treating my words as mere wind past your ears. Once you leave this door, act as if nothing happened. You’re still my aunt, I’m still your nephew. You’re from the branch family, I’m legitimate—know your place. If you’re willing, then guard the Yuan family burial grounds. If unwilling, then leave. Where you go, you needn’t tell me, and I won’t care either.” Moral propriety, the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues—these couldn’t constrain him.

“When did you find out?” She still wanted to continue deceiving him about being Yuan family.

“Eight years ago.” The old man who risked his life to save him revealed everything, then passed away. At that moment, he felt no joy at still having a birth mother—he only knew he had lost all his relatives. “They clearly could have taken Elder Brother out, but Father and Mother gave him up and chose me, chose me who had no blood relation to them. If you wonder why I still want to clear their names, this is one reason.

The other reason is that I am Yuan family, the youngest son of the Yuan family. This point will never change in this lifetime.” In his childhood’s few happy memories were the unreserved loving care his parents showed him, the deep brotherly affection of his older brothers who cherished him beyond measure.

Aunt Jiao snorted coldly. “Fine words. If you truly considered yourself Yuan family, why has revenge dragged on with no progress? Clear their names? I don’t need you to restore the Yuan clan’s reputation—I only want you to kill that dog Emperor. You’ve always had opportunities. Taking his life would be easy as turning your palm. Why won’t you act?

I fear high office and generous salary have clouded your mind, and you only think of yourself now.”

This woman was his birth mother. Yuan Cheng looked at her with pity. “Though you have no feelings for your own son, your feelings for my father are obsessive and unwavering. This so-called revenge is all just for him alone.”

“So what?” Falling in love with a man of her father’s generation—many thought her impulsive, but her heart was true. Even without receiving his response, she was willing to be shattered to pieces for him.

“Nothing. Just pitiful, that’s all.” Yuan Cheng pointed at the door. “Leave, Aunt.”

“I did think about not having you, but in the end I still gave birth. I gave you this life—you can’t think you can dismiss me so easily.” Aunt Jiao’s expression turned somewhat sinister. “No matter how unwilling you are, I am still your birth mother. If word got out, everyone would condemn you for being unfilial.”

Yuan Cheng laughed loudly. “Unfilial? I, Yuan Cheng, am already notorious for being disloyal, unrighteous, dishonest, and lacking in fraternal duty—a corrupt official, treacherous minister, traitorous subject, rebel. Adding one more charge of being unfilial, I can still bear it. Someone come!”

Aunt Jiao stood speechless. “You…”

Ming Nian entered from outside the door. Following him were two men, dressed in tight black clothes, iron-faced and cold-eyed.

“Please escort Aunt Jiao back to her own courtyard, prepare carriages and horses, and send her and Miss Qiu Shuang out of the mansion.”

The original deadline was tomorrow morning—now it was changed to tonight.

“Don’t let yourself regret this.”

Aunt Jiao gritted her teeth. “And don’t do things so absolutely.”

“Many thanks for Aunt’s golden counsel. Your nephew will remember it well.” Yuan Cheng flicked his sleeve, and the men in tight clothes stepped forward from left and right.

Aunt Jiao shouted loudly, “No need for you—I’ll go myself.” With that, she finally left.

“Ming Nian, bring up the madam from Xiliu Garden. I have questions to ask.” Yuan Cheng’s emotions remained completely unmoved, still proceeding methodically.

Ming Nian hurriedly went down to bring the person.

Aunt Jiao returned to her courtyard, huffing angrily as she discussed with Qiu Shuang. “That brat has made up his iron mind and insists on driving us out of the mansion. Shuang’er, I’m afraid I must trouble you to leave with me first. But don’t worry—the humiliation he’s heaping on us, I’ll definitely make him taste bitterness too.”

Qiu Shuang knew she had suffered another setback at Yuan Cheng’s hands and instead counseled, “Master Uncle, matters of marriage cannot be forced. If he’s unwilling, I don’t want to insist either—it’s not as if no one wants me. Rather, Master Uncle should be more open-minded. After all, you’re family—don’t let this harm your harmony. I’ll go pack my luggage now.”

After Qiu Shuang left, Aunt Jiao took out a bronze mirror and viciously threw it on the ground, her tone savage. “You’re truly capable—not only do you control him, you even control my son. But just you wait and see. The one you begged me to give birth to, this child you truly care for, even sacrificed everything to save—I’ll make him be your scapegoat for life, lose everything, never have a comfortable day.”

Then she took out a white jade pendant, caressing it obsessively. “Wait for me. Wait for me to avenge you and clear your grievances. No one will ever separate the two of us again.”

Her face was mad with obsession.

Mo Zi heard a knock at the door. “Who is it?” At this hour?

“It’s me.” Xiao Wei’s voice.

She opened the door and saw his anxious expression. “You arrived so quickly? I thought you’d need another two days to get here.”

Xiao Wei saw she was truly unharmed, and the heart he’d held suspended throughout the journey finally settled. “After receiving the news, I quickened the pace.” Had he known, he shouldn’t have agreed to Elder Wang’s request.

“Actually, there was no need to rush. Your ship is carrying the Crown Princess—don’t damage her precious health.”

Mo Zi lit a lamp and walked outside the door, seeing Wei Jia already having his subordinates move luggage. “Are we boarding the ship now?”

“I want to ask you one question.” Xiao Wei’s feelings toward her were complex enough to give him a headache.

Upon hearing the ship had burned, his first reaction was worry that something had happened to her, his second reaction was that she had set the fire.

“Please speak.” Mo Zi thought, at least she wasn’t being woken in the dead of night, otherwise she wouldn’t have such a good attitude.

“Did you set the fire?” Xiao Wei certainly remembered that their previous conflicts mostly stemmed from her unwillingness to contribute her shipbuilding techniques, and she had a history of dismantling her own ships, fearing they’d fall into others’ hands. This ship had traveled from Yuling to Daqiu without a single bump or scratch, yet upon returning to Great Zhou it burned—with her as the ship’s owner, this was absolutely suspicious.

Mo Zi raised her head, the lamp wick flickering in her eyes. “What does General Xiao mean by this? When the ship caught fire, I wasn’t even on board—many people can testify to that. I thought you personally knocked on my door out of concern for me, but it turns out you came to interrogate me.”

“…” Under the lamplight, her beautiful face and those night-dark eyes made his expression soften, and he said gently, “Of course I’m concerned about you.”

Mo Zi was startled by such a tender tone, very unaccustomed to it, somewhat awkward. “General Xiao needn’t take it seriously—I was just joking.” An illusion, surely—this sudden notion that he seemed interested in her.

“Mo Zi, you say you didn’t set the fire, and I believe you.” Xiao Wei gazed at her intently. Her skin was like golden snow, her eyes like autumn water, and that momentary slight discomfort was utterly adorable. “From now on, can we stop fighting and arguing, and have more trust in each other?”

Mo Zi broke out in a cold sweat. Was this man ill? She pulled at the corner of her mouth, and when Wei Jia came to speak, she laughed foolishly to deflect.

After boarding the ship and hearing the Crown Princess had already retired, everyone settled in first. Zhong An also made a special visit to see Mo Zi. Sitting there drinking tea, he discovered she was staring directly at him.

“Is Mo-gege looking at me this way because you find me extraordinarily handsome?” This was a debonair and romantic fellow.

No, I’m trying to see if you look like a spy. Of course, such words wouldn’t be spoken aloud.

“No. Please forgive my presumption, sir, but I must ask—is Xiao Wei ill? He actually said that from now on we should stop fighting and arguing and get along well.” Mo Zi responded offhandedly.

After a long moment, Zhong An answered, “Xiao Erlang has fallen for Mo-gege. It’s that simple—how could someone as clever as you not know?”

Mo Zi was stunned speechless.