Time flew by swiftly.

Soon it was early September.

The Qin manor and the Zhao family had arranged everything properly, only waiting for the auspicious day.

On the first day of September, Liang Zhe had Liang Yanjun deliver a message to Qin Shuying, and the two met at the house that formerly belonged to the Lu family but was now under Ziteng’s name.

Liang Zhe had been extremely busy lately, and because he didn’t dare bring trouble to Qin Shuying, they hadn’t seen each other for quite a long time.

Now having such a place made things much more convenient.

After exchanging pleasantries, Liang Zhe said, “Shuying, regarding your reminder to pay attention to Nanny Luo—I’ve acted on it. Your speculation was correct. Nanny Luo indeed harbors secrets. She’s both cowardly and greedy, so we only needed to frighten her a little before she confessed everything.”

His expression carried an indescribable pain mixed with grief and anger. Qin Shuying was startled and covered his hand with hers.

Autumn—it was autumn now. Princess Fuping’s words still echoed in her ears.

Qin Shuying’s heart rose high with anxiety.

“Shuying, you could never imagine what shocking secret Nanny Luo revealed!”

“What is it?”

“The Marquis of Pingxi is actually not her biological son, but the son of a concubine!”

Qin Shuying’s eyes widened in genuine shock.

“Back then, she and the concubine gave birth around the same time, when Grandfather wasn’t in the capital. Her child died upon birth, so she took the Marquis of Pingxi to raise as her own son and then killed that concubine.”

“At the time, she simply couldn’t bear that the concubine had given birth to a son, which drove her to act that way. Later, when things became irreversible, she continued the charade and raised the Marquis of Pingxi as her own. Afterward, she never bore another child, so it worked out perfectly. Now you can understand why she despises me so much, can’t you?”

Qin Shuying blinked.

The Marquis of Pingxi, the Marquis of Pingxi…

Liang Zhe didn’t even call him father.

“The Marquis of Pingxi went to the frontier with Grandfather when he was four years old, so they didn’t spend much time together. All his impressions of his mother came from Grandfather’s description of his wife, so he always trusted her completely. Later, the Marquis of Pingxi was busy with campaigns and expeditions, rarely staying home together. Since she bore no more children and always put on a good act whenever the Marquis of Pingxi returned, he never discovered her true nature.”

“When Mother entered the household and gave birth to Elder Sister and me, Grandfather passed away. Then she gradually revealed her true face. She despised the Marquis of Pingxi from the bottom of her heart, but she still depended on him, so she tormented Mother instead. Mother died at her hands. If not for Maternal Grandfather’s protection, Elder Sister and I would have died long ago. After Maternal Grandfather’s death, Elder Sister and I suffered endless humiliation… You already know what happened after that.”

“Ziyu…”

Qin Shuying wanted to comfort him but couldn’t find the words.

“Shuying, don’t worry about me. Actually, this is rather good. If she were my biological grandmother, I would have to show her filial piety no matter what, wouldn’t you agree? Now that I know the truth, isn’t it better? No need for scruples or guilt.”

“Ziyu, it’s good that you can think this way. But if the Marquis learns the truth in the future…”

Liang Zhe fell silent.

After a long while, he said, “The Marquis of Pingxi listens to her very much.”

So much so that he would raise a whip against his own son for her words.

Moreover, for the Marquis of Pingxi, even if he learned that Old Madam Liang wasn’t his biological mother, what would it matter? She was still his legitimate mother who had raised him for decades. What difference was there from a biological mother?

Qin Shuying smiled, “Ziyu, creating discord between you father and son is exactly what she’s calculating, isn’t it? Then we must ensure her calculations fail.”

Warmth rose in Liang Zhe’s heart. Fortunately, she was there. Fortunately, she was there.

However, he truly disliked the Marquis of Pingxi and didn’t want to reconcile with him.

“Ziyu, you must obtain the heir’s position. I will help you.”

Joy flashed in Liang Zhe’s eyes as he gripped her small hand tightly, “Shuying, since I returned to the capital, I never intended to yield. The heir’s position will be mine sooner or later. On this path, if we cannot forge ahead courageously and carve out a bloody route, we’ll only face a dead end, dying without intact corpses. Shuying, this path is so difficult, and I’ve drawn you into it. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you completely.”

Qin Shuying sighed silently. Wasn’t it supposed to be just forming an alliance?

How had it become that… emotional thing!

The development was going in the wrong direction…

“Shuying, this secret cannot be made public now, nor is it time to let the Marquis of Pingxi know. If he found out, his first reaction would be to settle accounts with me, thinking I deliberately threatened Nanny Luo into lying. Then even with a mouth on every part of my body, I couldn’t explain clearly. Most of the people from back then are dead, so everything depends on what Nanny Luo says. If she says it’s true, it’s true; if she says it’s false, it’s false.”

In other words, what if Nanny Luo claimed at that time that Liang Yunshan was indeed Old Madam Liang’s biological son?

“Ziyu, I understand. Ziyu, Nanny Luo said everyone from back then is dead, but why don’t we search more thoroughly? Some people, knowing the gravity of the situation and fearing they wouldn’t be left alive, might have prepared contingencies. We shouldn’t give up hope. As long as we find evidence, we don’t need to make it public—being able to suppress people would be enough.”

Liang Zhe agreed wholeheartedly and brought up another matter.

“Shuying, regarding Master Qin’s affairs, I also have some leads. But I cannot leave the capital now. After our marriage, we’ll find a way to make a trip south and definitely get to the bottom of things.”

“What’s the situation?”

“Do you remember me mentioning that when I fought bloodily against the Western Bang people in the northwest, many brothers died due to insufficient provisions, and I myself nearly perished in the snowy region? Afterward, I began investigating the provisions matter. After investigating back and forth, it wasn’t until just before returning to the capital that I discovered their traces and saw that foreign phrase. Do you know when that battle occurred?”

Qin Shuying asked puzzledly, “Could it have been around the same time as my father’s death? Four years ago?”

“Exactly, four years ago.”

Qin Shuying couldn’t help but grip Liang Zhe’s hand tighter. At that time, he was only fifteen or sixteen!

“Four years ago, I was just a small leader, having the will but lacking the power. Later, after achieving some military merit and participating in core decisions around the Fourth Prince, I accidentally obtained this information. However, the translator wasn’t available at the time, and with so many other matters, we couldn’t determine if this information was useful, so it was shelved. It wasn’t until we happened to discuss it that time that I discovered an important clue was buried here.”

Qin Shuying nodded.

“Now I have a bold conjecture. Four years ago, the secrets Master Qin discovered were greatly related to replacing military provisions, embezzling military provisions, and smuggling ore. Perhaps what Master Qin and I encountered was the same incident, possibly even the same group of people. They secretly replaced the military provisions collected by the court with inferior goods, with the good grain shipped away by water routes while only the inferior products were sent to the battlefield. Unfortunately, while I have conjectures now, I lack evidence!”

Qin Shuying nodded slowly, “Ziyu, Father’s notes were written vaguely. This matter cannot be rushed—we’ll investigate slowly.”