Su Mingfeng followed the bearded guard inside. Along the way, the servants of Prince Rui’s mansion all cast scrutinizing glances at him, making Su Mingfeng feel quite uncomfortable.

But thinking again, things had come to this point, and there was no turning back. Since he had already offended Prince Rui, if his suspicions weren’t true, he could simply apologize. At worst, in Ming Qi’s territory, Prince Rui would surely give some face to the imperial family.

Su Mingfeng started to feel anxious again. Prince Rui didn’t even respect Emperor Wenhui, so why would he care about a mere young master of the Su family? Besides, the Su family was no longer in government service. For Emperor Wenhui, the Marquis of Pingnan’s household had no value worth using. If something truly happened, Emperor Wenhui wouldn’t offend Prince Rui for his sake.

Fortunately, the Marquis of Pingnan’s household still had a second young master, Su Minglang. If something happened to him, the Su family wouldn’t be without an heir.

But what if Prince Rui’s anger extended to the Su family, implicating the entire household?

Lost in his wild thoughts along the way, cold sweat gradually seeped from Su Mingfeng’s back. He didn’t even realize when the bearded guard had brought him to their destination. It wasn’t until the guard reminded him, “Young Master Su, we’re here,” that Su Mingfeng suddenly snapped back to reality.

This was in the back courtyard of Prince Rui’s mansion. There was a pond in the courtyard, and in the winter night, the wind from the pond was truly freezing. Faintly visible through the lanterns hanging on tree branches, he could see a stone table in the garden. Two people, seemingly a man and a woman, were sitting at the table, though their figures were not very clear.

Su Mingfeng instinctively looked toward the bearded guard, who said, “His Highness is waiting ahead. I’ll take my leave now.” With that, he left without waiting for Su Mingfeng’s response.

Su Mingfeng watched the guard’s retreating figure, thinking that even the guards in Prince Rui’s mansion were so arrogant—no wonder Prince Rui behaved that way. Like master, like servant. Prince Rui wasn’t very respectful to Emperor Wenhui, and his guards weren’t very respectful to guests either.

Come to think of it, the only person in the capital who acted so recklessly seemed to be the former young master of the Marquis of Lin’an’s household, Xie Jingxing.

Thinking of Xie Jingxing, Su Mingfeng’s heart skipped a beat. He looked toward the two people at the stone table, paused, and finally stepped forward toward them.

As he got closer, he discovered a fluffy white animal lying under the table. At first, Su Mingfeng looked at its shape and thought it was a cat. When that cat-like creature heard his movement, it turned its head and let out a “woowoo” roar, revealing sharp white teeth.

It was a tiger.

Su Mingfeng thought, keeping a tiger in Prince Rui’s mansion, even if it was a small tiger, this Prince Rui was truly unique.

Thinking this way, he felt that Prince Rui and Xie Jingxing weren’t very similar after all.

Su Mingfeng walked to the stone table. Prince Rui had his back to him, so the first person Su Mingfeng saw was the seated woman.

The woman had clear features and a dignified appearance. As her familiar gaze fell upon him, Su Mingfeng exclaimed, “Miss Shen?”

It was Shen Miao!

“Miss Shen, what are you doing here?” Su Mingfeng couldn’t help but ask.

“Young Master Su is meddling too much,” a casual voice responded, with a hint of displeasure. “What’s wrong with this prince’s princess consort being in her residence?”

The words “her residence” almost made Shen Miao choke on her tea. She smiled at Su Mingfeng and nodded, “Young Master Su.”

Su Mingfeng’s gaze fell on Prince Rui, who was sitting with his back toward him.

Though he sat casually, his posture was surprisingly straight and tall. By the dim light of the lanterns, one could see the smooth, intricate gold thread patterns on his collar.

“Your Highness Prince Rui,” Su Mingfeng said.

Prince Rui didn’t respond. Su Mingfeng steadied himself, feeling braver with Shen Miao present. He suddenly remembered that Shen Miao was now technically Prince Rui’s consort, and from the looks of it, Shen Miao and Prince Rui seemed to be on good terms. If Prince Rui truly harbored killing intent toward him, Shen Miao wouldn’t stand by idly, considering their past connection with Xie Jingxing.

Though this thought was somewhat strange, Su Mingfeng still gathered his courage and asked, “I’ve come today with a question to ask.”

“Speak,” said Prince Rui.

The simpler Prince Rui’s words, the more nervous Su Mingfeng became. He said, “Your Highness Prince Rui closely resembles a friend of mine, but that friend disappeared many years ago. I boldly…” He summoned his courage and continued, “I boldly beg Your Highness to remove your mask, to resolve my doubts.”

Having said this, Su Mingfeng lowered his head, anxiously waiting for the other’s response.

After a moment of silence, a voice finally spoke, still casual and seemingly unconcerned, low and pleasing to the ear, yet each word weighed like a thousand pounds as it struck Su Mingfeng’s ears.

Prince Rui asked, “This friend you speak of, is his name Xie Jingxing?”

Su Mingfeng’s heart skipped a beat, and a wave of wild joy nearly swept over him, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. Prince Rui had been in Ming Qi for a few months, and Xie Jingxing was quite famous, even a hero of sorts in Ming Qi. Since he and Xie Jingxing were childhood friends, perhaps someone had mentioned this to Prince Rui.

He said, “That’s right.”

“Xie Jingxing is dead,” Prince Rui’s voice revealed no emotion. “You say he disappeared?”

“Everyone says he died in battle on the northern frontier, and I even saw the body with my own eyes,” Su Mingfeng gave a bitter smile. “But I just didn’t want to believe it. Now that Your Highness has appeared, I know my request is abrupt and unreasonable, but there are some things in this world that one must pursue with all their might, no matter how difficult.” Facing Prince Rui, Su Mingfeng didn’t hide anything. Looking at Prince Rui’s demeanor, he didn’t seem like someone who would be unreasonable; he seemed quite reasonable. Perhaps he would be moved by his words and treat him with special kindness.

The white tiger whimpered softly, and Prince Rui stood up from the stone bench.

He turned around, and the half-mask emitted a cold, dark light in the wind. Su Mingfeng now realized that Prince Rui was half a head taller than him when standing.

Xie Jingxing had also been half a head taller than him.

In those youthful days of fine clothes and spirited horses, they were most eager to compare heights. Su Mingfeng had once begged Madam Su to give him an extra half bowl of rice every day because of that half-head difference, hoping to surpass Xie Jingxing. Xie Jingxing had been quite contemptuous then, saying, “Do you want to become a second Su Minglang?”

Time passed in a blur, as if nothing had changed, yet the world had transformed completely.

Shen Miao was about to speak but hesitated. Prince Rui asked, “You want to see this prince’s face?”

Su Mingfeng nodded.

Prince Rui placed his hand over the silver mask and slowly removed it.

Slanting eyebrows, alluring eyes filled with sentiment, a straight nose, and lips curled in a lazy smile—almost the same as before. His appearance had indeed changed slightly, from a mischievous handsome youth to the mature, dashingly handsome young man before him.

But it was still him.

Xie Jingxing gave a dismissive smile and said disdainfully, “Dumbstruck?”

Su Mingfeng suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He stepped forward and landed a punch on Xie Jingxing’s shoulder, just as they used to do. He cursed, “You bastard, always deceiving everyone, even me. No sense of loyalty!”

Shen Miao couldn’t hide her surprise.

She hadn’t expected Xie Jingxing to so easily remove his mask in front of Su Mingfeng and admit his identity, just like he had done with Princess Rongxin.

Even among former family members and close friends, not everyone would be understanding when faced with a sudden change in identity. The more precious the relationship, the more careful one should be about testing it, because if the test results in something you can’t bear, it becomes a profound, indelible torment for yourself.

If it were Shen Miao herself, she might not have been so forthright. After all, she wouldn’t dare, nor would she have the courage to accept an unknown outcome.

In this aspect, she was never as decisive as Xie Jingxing. He truly knew what he wanted and what he didn’t want, pushing himself forward without giving himself even a chance to hesitate.

“You… how did you become Prince Rui?” Su Mingfeng patted his chest. “Just now I was thinking, if Prince Rui harbored ill intentions toward me, I would have no choice but to die here today.” He said, “Now at least I’ll keep my life.”

His tone couldn’t hide his excitement.

Xie Jingxing looked at him and said, “Two years apart, and you’ve grown even more foolish.”

Su Mingfeng waved his hand. “I knew you weren’t dead. A calamity like you would live for thousands of years. People like you should live for ten thousand years!” He sighed again. “If Princess Rongxin hadn’t come to find me that day, and if I hadn’t seen the tiger-head bracelet on Miss Shen’s wrist, I might still be in the dark. Were you never planning to see me again?” He asked angrily, feeling somewhat resentful at not being trusted.

Xie Jingxing shrugged. “Exactly.”

Su Mingfeng was furious, but having been frequently bullied by Xie Jingxing in the past, he wasn’t really angry. Instead, he asked curiously, “It seems Miss Shen knew about your identity early on.” He chuckled and looked at Shen Miao meaningfully. “I had felt something was off back then. Now you’ve gotten what you wanted, hiding it so deeply.”

Shen Miao: “…”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Xie Jingxing asked impatiently. “My wife and I still have things to discuss.”

Both Shen Miao and Su Mingfeng were startled by the word “wife.” Su Mingfeng glanced at Shen Miao and said, “Since you’re still alive, why didn’t you tell me anything these past two years? And it seems Princess Rongxin suspected your identity—why didn’t you tell her directly? And what about your father?”

“Su Mingfeng,” Xie Jingxing interrupted him. “I am Prince Rui of Da Liang.”

The courtyard fell silent.

Shen Miao inwardly sighed. It had to come to this point eventually.

Xie Jingxing’s identity meant that in the capital of the Ming Qi, there would be no one on his side. No matter who learned Xie Jingxing’s true identity, they would think of “treason,” regardless of the truth or hardships behind it. No one cared about that. They only cared about the “result” and the “deception.”

Princess Rongxin had loved Xie Jingxing like her own son, but in the end, she could not escape suspicion and deception. Su Mingfeng was overjoyed at first to see his old friend reborn, but after that brief joy, the moment of truth would inevitably come.

That was when human nature was at its most naked, most cruel, most painful.

Su Mingfeng looked at Xie Jingxing in confusion and asked, “What are you saying? Oh right, now that you’ve become Prince Rui, did something happen on the northern frontier battlefield? Is this some kind of temporary measure you had to take? Prince Rui’s status is indeed noble, but it’s not a solution in the long run. You’ll eventually have to—”

“I am Prince Rui of Da Liang,” Xie Jingxing stated.

The rambling voice stopped abruptly.

The wind swept up fallen leaves in the courtyard. The white tiger had already curled up in its prepared nest. In the starless, moonless night, only the lanterns emitted a faint light.

Su Mingfeng’s gaze was filled with shock and doubt. He hesitantly asked, “What does that mean?”

“My true identity is Prince Rui of Da Liang. I am not the son of Xie Ding of the Marquis of Lin’an’s household,” Xie Jingxing spoke calmly. “It’s not a temporary measure.”

“Impossible!” Su Mingfeng blurted out. “You and I have known each other for over a decade, since childhood. If you’re Da Liang’s Prince Rui, how could I not know?”

“The heir to the Marquis of Lin’an died shortly after birth. The real heir to the Lin’an Marquis household is already dead,” Xie Jingxing said. “It’s not me.”

Su Mingfeng stared at Xie Jingxing in shock. His words were somewhat confused, as if he couldn’t tell some things apart himself. He said, “You mean, from the beginning, you weren’t the son of the Marquis of Lin’an? Someone switched you in, like the story of the wildcat swapping for the crown prince? You lived in the capital all this time, but you’re not from Ming Qi? You’re from Da Liang, you’re the brother of Da Liang’s Emperor Yongle, you’re a prince of Da Liang? How is that possible? It’s completely impossible!”

His words stopped abruptly as he saw Xie Jingxing’s expression. That familiar, handsome face showed only coldness. Su Mingfeng knew Xie Jingxing well—whenever he was discussing serious matters, when he didn’t want to repeat himself, when he was impatient, he often had this expression.

He was telling the truth.

Su Mingfeng couldn’t describe his feelings at this moment. It was as if his throat was stuffed with cotton. The joy he had felt upon seeing his old friend again had completely vanished, replaced by emptiness and inexplicable anger.

He asked, “When did you learn about your identity?”

“Since I can remember,” Xie Jingxing answered.

Su Mingfeng stepped back.

“Since you could remember?” he asked. “You knew you were from Da Liang very early on?”

Xie Jingxing neither confirmed nor denied.

Shen Miao sighed inwardly. Why did Xie Jingxing have to be so honest? The more he spoke this way, the more Su Mingfeng would feel deeply betrayed. Sometimes, telling appropriate lies would be easier for both oneself and others to accept.

But Shen Miao asked herself, if it were her, she would probably be as honest as Xie Jingxing.

There was no need to deceive very close people anymore.

Indeed, as Shen Miao had expected, after hearing Xie Jingxing’s answer, Su Mingfeng’s expression became extremely complex. After shock and doubt, anger at betrayal gradually surged up. He coldly laughed and asked, “Oh, so what are you back for now? Perhaps you think Ming Qi is inferior to your Da Liang, and you want to ambitiously gain a foothold here?”

His words were harsh, causing even Shen Miao to glance at him. In her heart, she understood—an outsider sees the game more clearly. Upon suddenly learning so many secrets, Su Mingfeng naturally couldn’t accept them. People always find it easier to hurt those closest to them.

“So what if that’s true?” But Xie Jingxing wasn’t one to lower himself, not only refusing to smooth things over with Su Mingfeng, but calmly admitting it.

Shen Miao wanted to speak, but on second thought, she gave up. A true gentleman watches a game of chess without commenting—today, she’d just observe.

Su Mingfeng grew even angrier and shouted at Xie Jingxing, “Today I finally understand what they mean by ‘treacherous minister and rebellious subject’, what they mean by ‘an ungrateful white-eyed wolf’! I thought you weren’t close to the Marquis of Lin’an since childhood because of Jade Pure Princess, but now I see it was clearly because you wanted to distance yourself from them early on! You weren’t the Marquis of Lin’an’s son, yet you comfortably enjoyed everything the Lin’an household provided, even better than the two legitimate sons of the Xie household. You claimed Princess Rongxin was your relative, yet you deceived her, making her suffer daily over your supposed death. You called me your brother, yet you concealed your identity for years—I suspect you befriended me for a reason too.

“You didn’t like Ming Qi, didn’t like the capital. But that was the place that raised you. The kindness of nurturing exceeds the kindness of birth. You enjoyed everything Ming Qi gave you, then turned around and pulled the rug out from under them to be your Da Liang’s Prince Rui. Your Da Liang is rich and strong, your Da Liang has well-fed soldiers and horses, and you abandoned everything in Ming Qi for glory and wealth. Xie Jingxing, you’re heartless and unprincipled, you’re a villain! You’re unworthy of being a subject, unworthy of being a son, and even more unworthy of being a brother! Go back to your Da Liang!”

“Enough!” Shen Miao suddenly stood up, interrupting Su Mingfeng.

Su Mingfeng’s words were far too hurtful.

She turned to look at Xie Jingxing. Without the mask on his face, Xie Jingxing’s expression was completely visible. He hadn’t become angry, hadn’t smiled, just looked at Su Mingfeng with a calm expression. It was as if the person Su Mingfeng was talking about wasn’t him, or as if he simply didn’t care about Su Mingfeng’s words.

In Shen Miao’s heart, a few ripples suddenly arose.

She looked at Su Mingfeng, her face showing a mocking smile, and said, “Oh, Young Master Su seems quite righteous, rushing to uphold justice. But unfortunately, while you call others ‘white-eyed wolves,’ in my view, you’re just the same.”

Xie Jingxing was stunned.

Su Mingfeng became angry at Shen Miao as well, saying, “What did you say?”

“I said you’re a white-eyed wolf.” In her previous life, when Shen Miao battled with Madam Mei in the palace, she naturally engaged in verbal sparring daily. When it came to mocking people, though not outstanding, she had learned quite a bit from Madam Mei.

She smiled slightly, truly dignified and steady. The more she appeared this way, the more it highlighted Su Mingfeng’s rudeness. Her voice was also gentle and mild, like a gentle breeze and fine rain, yet every word was merciless.

“Before criticizing others, you should look at yourself first. Young Master Su thinks Prince Rui is an ungrateful wolf, thinks Prince Rui used you. I also ask Young Master Su, throughout your life, how much has Xie Jingxing helped you?

“From when you entered government service, you didn’t understand social etiquette, and it was Xie Jingxing who paid to help you navigate. When you wanted to learn martial arts, Xie Jingxing helped you hire instructors. When the Emperor wanted to suppress the Marquis of Pingnan’s household, he was there advising you, persuading the Marquis to retire gracefully. If not for that, do you think the Marquis of Pingnan’s household would still exist in Ming Qi’s capital today? The grass on your graves would be ten feet high by now.

“You say Xie Jingxing used you, that he befriended you with ulterior motives. In the entire capital, who doesn’t know that Su Mingfeng is Xie Jingxing’s childhood friend? From childhood, you were physically weak, yet no one dared bully you. Did you think it was because of your family’s status and reputation, or because you had a childhood friend whom no one in the capital dared offend? Things in this world aren’t so simple. Young Master Su, don’t think my words are unpleasant to hear, but how many paths has Xie Jingxing paved for you? How many times has he helped your Su family? If this is what you call ‘using,’ I hope someone would ‘use’ me too. Young Master Su, don’t you agree?”

Her smile was gentle, but her words were like rain on plantain leaves, dripping with coldness. “Taking someone’s kindness, then turning around to attack them, accusing them of wrongdoing—if that’s not being an ungrateful wolf, what is? Young Master Su, couldn’t I also say you are heartless and unprincipled, unworthy of being a brother? Comfortably enjoying everything given to you by the person you criticize—aren’t you ashamed?”

Su Mingfeng wasn’t someone who engaged in verbal sparring with women. Moreover, each of Shen Miao’s words was mocking yet true, causing his face to turn purple-red. In his extreme anger, as Shen Miao spoke, images from the past began to float through his mind.

Xie Jingxing’s treatment of him, to be fair, had indeed been very good. If it hadn’t been good, Su Mingfeng wouldn’t have thought about him all these years. Xie Jingxing was arrogant, rude, willful, and did things as he pleased—there was almost nothing that could restrain him. Though he spoke without sentimentality, when it came to Su Mingfeng’s affairs, he would always help. For instance, when someone bullied Su Mingfeng as a child, Xie Jingxing would immediately gather people to beat them severely, even if they were the children of imperial relatives—no one was spared from his fists. This eventually made others afraid to bully Su Mingfeng.

But although Xie Jingxing did much, he never claimed credit, never even mentioned it, and often maintained a malicious attitude. So, over time, people remembered his bad side, while his good side was gradually forgotten.

After Shen Miao finished speaking, she felt extremely pleased. For some reason, watching Su Mingfeng criticize Xie Jingxing, she had found the scene very jarring. Now that she had spoken, though somewhat embarrassed, she didn’t regret it.

Did Xie Jingxing have any intention of using Su Mingfeng? Shen Miao thought, definitely not. Otherwise, in her previous life, when the Su family was ordered to be executed by Emperor Wenhui, when Su Yu and his father had no one to collect their bodies, when everyone feared Emperor Wenhui’s anger and suspicion, only Xie Jingxing had stepped forward and given them a proper burial.

Even at that time, Xie Jingxing was carrying the burden of Xie Ding’s death in battle, the Lin’an Marquis household was in danger, and he was about to be ordered to the battlefield.

“Loyal, truly heroic, following his heart and doing as he pleases”—that was Fu Ming’s evaluation of Xie Jingxing, and children’s eyes see the truest things. Shen Miao believed this was indeed the case.

If such a person had to be cursed by Su Mingfeng as “unworthy of being a brother,” Shen Miao would feel it was completely undeserved. An identity could change everyone’s perspective—the title of Prince Rui might seem glorious, but in reality, how many people could bear what came with it without changing their expression, accepting it with casual conversation?

Yet she didn’t notice that while she was speaking, after a moment of surprise, Xie Jingxing’s gaze fell on her, filled with pleased amusement.

Su Mingfeng looked at Xie Jingxing, speechless.

His feelings were complex and sad. Learning that his friend was not dead but alive should have been something to rejoice over. But for some reason, he now felt no happiness at all.

Xie Jingxing glanced at him and said, “I don’t owe you anything.”

“Even if I did owe a debt, it’s been repaid long ago,” Xie Jingxing said. “The Lin’an household attracted too much attention. The Emperor wanted to suppress it. The Marquis of Lin’an commanded tens of thousands of Xie family troops. If there had been a loving father-son relationship, with the son following in his father’s footsteps, the Emperor wouldn’t have slept soundly. The closer you get, the quicker you die. I wanted to live a few more years, and first protect the Marquis’s household.”

“Is exchanging the kindness of being raised for the safety of a Marquis’s household worth it?” Xie Jingxing raised his lip and asked.

Su Mingfeng was left speechless.

“If I hadn’t done this, Xie Ding was already a thorn in the Emperor’s side and would have died eventually. The Lin’an Marquis household would have been charged with some made-up crime, would have been smeared, and would have fallen. Now, though the son is dead, without an heir, at least the Lin’an Marquis household still exists, and the Emperor has spared it. When people mention the Lin’an Marquis household, it’s still an honorable family.” Xie Jingxing smiled mockingly. “With Jade Pure Princess, there’s at least a mother-son relationship. For the sake of this relationship, all I could do was preserve the dignity of the Marquis of Lin’an and the dignity of the Lin’an household.”

Shen Miao looked at Xie Jingxing’s handsome profile. He spoke casually, as if none of this mattered. But in the past years, these unspoken words could only be kept in his heart.

Xie Jingxing was an honest person, yet he was also the most dishonest person. He honestly stated the truth, the facts, but was dishonest about his own heart. He didn’t mention the grievances he had suffered, didn’t speak of his worries and frustrations. So in everyone’s eyes, he played through life, was cynical, and nothing in the world seemed to trouble him. Yet when he was arranging everything, when he was forced to endure the names of “rebellious,” “reckless,” “disrespectful to elders,” and “disrespectful to father and brothers,” to preserve the honor of a marquis’s household.

Su Mingfeng listened in a daze.

“In Da Liang, it’s not as simple as the glory and wealth you imagine.” he looked at the icicles on the tree, casually saying, “If it were you, you wouldn’t last a day before crying and running back to find your mother.”

Su Mingfeng choked with anger at these words.

“There are no benefits without reason in this world. What you get, you have to strive for. Su Mingfeng, your days are comfortable—you can’t judge me by your comfort. I’ve experienced more than you can imagine.”

He sighed softly, still smiling. Those almond eyes were slightly curved, his eyelashes cast a beautiful arc. From this angle, his eyebrows and eyes looked gentle, as beautiful as if he had stepped out of a painting, yet there was not a hint of joy in those eyes.

They were as piercing as the winter wind.

“Most importantly, Ming Qi has never nurtured me—it has only tried to destroy me,” he said.