Xu Qi An handed his mare to the Imperial Guard and strode directly into the palace, heading brazenly toward the forbidden area—the inner palace.

The inner palace had previously been forbidden to men; even the palace guards couldn’t approach it. Only women and eunuchs were allowed to move about there.

But now, for Xu Qi An, it was a place he could enter and leave at will, without fear of angering the next emperor.

Even if the next emperor became angry, it would be for an entirely different reason.

“Speaking of which, with such frequent changes of emperors, the inner palace would usually fall into chaos. Fortunately, Yong Xing was emperor for less than three months, and Huai Qing is a woman,” Xu Qi An thought inexplicably of this issue as he considered the beautiful women of the inner palace.

He could say with certainty that if Yong Xing had ascended the throne and the realm had been peaceful, it wouldn’t have been long before Yuan Jing’s consorts would have become Yong Xing’s playthings.

Perhaps they already had.

Wasn’t the origin of Noble Consort Fu’s case that Yong Xing had some wine and was then invited by a palace maid from Noble Consort Fu’s palace to “visit”?

Xu Qi An didn’t believe Yong Xing had no designs on his father’s consorts.

Within the inner palace, probably only the Empress Dowager and Noble Consort Chen, with their transcendent status, could escape such a fate.

If it hadn’t been for Huai Qing ascending the throne but the Fourth Prince instead, the young and beautiful consorts in Yong Xing’s harem would surely have met the same fate, becoming toys for the new ruler.

Such examples weren’t rare in historical records. Emperors taking their sons’ wives, brothers’ wives, sisters-in-law, or their fathers ‘ wives were all commonplace.

Soon he arrived at Jing Xiu Palace. The elderly eunuch guarding the door trembled as he said with a quavering voice:

“Off-Officer Xu, please wait in the inner hall… this humble servant will… will notify the Noble Consort…”

After the transcendent warrior nodded, the eunuch led the way with a bowed head, hardly daring to breathe.

Xu Qi An entered the inner hall, and just as he sat down, the eunuch returned, bowing deeply:

“Noble Consort invites Officer Xu to speak in her chambers.”

Xu Qi An rose immediately. Without letting the eunuch lead, he made his way familiarly past the front courtyard to Noble Consort Chen’s elegant small courtyard.

The courtyard wasn’t large. To the south stood several bare trees beside flower beds, to the west was a small pond housing turtles and koi, and to the north stood a two-story building painted entirely in red.

The courtyard was empty, without busy palace maids or eunuchs.

Xu Qi An crossed the courtyard, stepped over the threshold, and saw the mother and daughter sitting on a soft couch in the reception hall.

Apart from Lin An’s maid, there was no one else in the room.

Noble Consort Chen was as beautiful as ever, with elaborate ornaments in her complex hairstyle, wearing finely tailored brocade clothes. In her forties, she had slight crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, but these didn’t diminish her beauty.

Instead, they gave her a special, indescribable charm.

It was thanks to such beauty that she had given birth to the alluring Lin An, and even Yong Xing had good looks.

Lin An wore a red dress embroidered with gold thread, magnificent and noble. Her oval face was dignified, but her peach blossom eyes were seductive and passionate. Her elaborate and luxurious appearance lit up the whole room.

Both mother and daughter had red-rimmed eyes as if they had been crying heavily.

Seeing Xu Qi An enter, hatred flashed in Noble Consort Chen’s eyes, while Lin An showed grievance and pain, giving him a soft glance before turning away with moist eyes.

“Greetings, Noble Consort.”

Xu Qi An bowed.

“I dare not accept!” Noble Consort Chen took a deep breath, her face cold as she said flatly:

“Officer Xu looks down upon the Central Plains, able to dictate imperial succession with a word. This official is but a mere woman, unworthy of such ceremony from Officer Xu.”

“Why did Noble Consort summon me?” Xu Qi An asked directly.

Noble Consort Chen said nothing, looking at Lin An.

Lin An pressed her lips together, silent.

Noble Consort Chen’s gaze suddenly turned sharp, glaring fiercely at her. Lin An’s tears burst forth as she sobbed:

“Ning Yan, why… why did you do this to my royal brother?”

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She was like a little girl betrayed and abandoned by her beloved, helpless except to cry weakly, fragile, and pitiful.

Noble Consort Chen began crying too, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief:

“When you were just a bronze badge constable, Lin An gave you her whole heart, pleaded with the late emperor for you, and never hesitated to give you gold, silver, and medicines. I still remember when she begged the late emperor for medicine to heal your wounds.

“Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, this is how you’d treat her? Your Xu family once knew hardship too, but now that you’ve risen high, you cast aside those who treated you with true sincerity like worn-out shoes. Is your heart made of stone?”

Hearing this, Lin An’s heart twisted with even more pain.

Noble Consort Chen wept:

“I know Yong Xing’s fate is sealed, and I don’t dare hope for much. I only ask that for Lin An’s sake, you let us mother and son leave. I know you’ll say you can protect Yong Xing and spare his life.

“But Huai Qing has hidden her true nature for years—she’s ruthless. She absolutely won’t spare Yong Xing, and you won’t always be in the capital. If she secretly kills Yong Xing, what can you do?”

As she spoke, she cried out:

“I have only this one son—if he dies, I won’t live either!”

She wasn’t crying for Xu Qi An’s benefit but for Lin An’s.

This tactic wouldn’t work for Xu Qi An, but for Lin An, it was like an arrow through the heart. After all, blood ties couldn’t be severed. Seeing her usually dignified mother lower herself so, Lin An looked at Xu Qi An through tear-filled eyes:

“I… I know I’m useless, not as good as Huai Qing, but Xu Ning Yan, for the sake of our past relationship, can you spare my royal brother?”

Xu Qi An looked at Lin An’s face, at those eyes brimming with tears, and asked:

“What if I refuse?”

The light in Lin An’s eyes died, but she didn’t speak, didn’t react violently—she just lowered her head.

Her maid, never having seen the princess so humble, glared at Xu Qi An before wiping away her heartbroken tears.

The princess’s sincere heart had been completely wasted.

Xu Qi An continued:

“If Great Fan remains in Yong Xing’s hands, it will inevitably perish. If I tell you that when Great Fan falls, I will die with it—would you still ask me to release Yong Xing?”

Lin An raised her head in shock.

She hadn’t known that Xu Qi An would die with Great Fan’s fall.

Noble Consort Chen seized the opportunity, sobbing:

“He’s no longer emperor now, why won’t you show mercy?”

Xu Qi An smiled coldly:

“Take Yong Xing from the capital, then rally troops from various regions to rebel under the banner of eliminating traitors—is that Noble Consort Chen’s plan?”

Noble Consort Chen’s beautiful face drained of color, though she quickly recovered, crying:

“Lin An, he’s determined to see your brother dead!”

“Enough!” Xu Qi An frowned and rebuked:

“Noble Consort Chen, do you think having Lin An here means I won’t kill you? I could even kill Zhen De, let alone you. I originally wanted to save face for you in front of Lin An, but since you refuse to appreciate the courtesy.

“I won’t hold back anymore.”

He then turned to Lin An, speaking gently:

“Do you want to know your mother’s true face?”

Lin An was stunned.

“Noble Consort Chen, you orchestrated Noble Consort Fu’s case, using the Crown Prince as bait to expose the Grand Secretary’s past folly. The apparent goal was to bring down the Empress Dowager, but the true objective was to drive a wedge between Wei Yuan and Yuan Jing.

“Once Yuan Jing moved against the Empress Dowager, Wei Yuan would never stand idle. When two tigers fight, one must be injured—whoever wins or loses, would benefit certain people.

“This isn’t a strategy you could have devised. What is your relationship with Li Ping Feng?”

Hearing “Li Ping Feng” from his mouth, Noble Consort Chen’s face changed dramatically.

She quickly composed herself, assuming a pitiful pose:

“What Li Ping Feng? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Li Ping Feng is one of the leaders of the Yun Province rebels. Noble Consort Chen colluding with rebels—that’s worthy of death by a thousand cuts,” Xu Qi An said softly.

Noble Consort Chen shrieked:

“Nonsense! Officer Xu forced my son to abdicate, and now you want to destroy me completely?”

Xu Qi An ignored her, looking at Lin An to explain:

“When investigating the case back then, a mere palace maid from Jing Xiu Palace could evade my Qi-observing technique because she had a device that concealed her fate.

“The Imperial Observatory certainly wouldn’t give such a device to your mother, so where did that palace maid get it?

“Think about the true target of Noble Consort Fu’s case, Lin An. When Wei Yuan and Yuan Jing split, regardless of who won or lost, who would benefit? The Yun Province rebels would be delighted.”

Lin An looked at her mother in shock.

Noble Consort Chen raged:

“Don’t believe him! Harming your brother wasn’t enough, now he wants to deal with me too. Lin An, my daughter, why is your fate so bitter?”

Xu Qi An smiled coldly:

“I’m not finished yet. Ji Yuan has confessed that during the peace talks, you secretly sent people to contact him, hoping he would show mercy. Through this, he obtained quite a bit of intelligence from you about the royal family, about me and Lin An.

“You’re just a noble consort confined to the inner palace—why would you think the Yun Province delegation would give you any consideration?”

He was almost certain Noble Consort Chen was Li Ping Feng’s hidden piece, but since he didn’t have absolute proof, he didn’t say it outright.

A mature investigator doesn’t voice mere suspicions, because once wrong, it only lets the criminal gauge their understanding and mislead them.

“The answer is crystal clear—is there any point in denying it? Do I need to spell it out in front of Lin An?” Xu Qi An maintained the appearance of someone holding the truth.

As he spoke these words, he silently activated his Heart Worm power, influencing Noble Consort Chen’s emotions, and stirring her desires to confess, vent, and speak out.

With his current mastery of Heart Worm, guiding an ordinary woman’s mind presented no challenge.

“Mother… is what he’s saying true?” Lin An looked at her mother in disbelief.

Affected by Heart Worm, Noble Consort Chen’s expression fluctuated wildly before she suddenly screamed:

“Shut up!

“You Xu family men—not one of you is any good!

“Your father swore mountains of oaths to me back then, claiming he would marry no one else, then turned around and persuaded my father to send me into the palace.

“All these years, he’s treated me as a chess piece, and after squeezing out all my value, he started the rebellion in Yun Province, wanting to seize my son’s throne!”

…Xu Qi An’s expression froze for a moment, briefly unable to decide how to respond.

He had thought Noble Consort Chen was Li Ping Feng’s hidden piece—that guess wasn’t wrong, but he hadn’t expected there was another layer to her identity.

Lin An too forgot to cry, staring at her mother like a wooden chicken.

“And you!” Noble Consort Chen gritted her teeth: “You, Li Ping Feng’s bastard! Your father betrayed me, and now you’re going to betray my daughter. If His Majesty hadn’t needed to rely on you, would I have agreed to marry Lin An to you?

“Now you’ve forced Yong Xing to abdicate—as long as I’m alive, you’ll never marry Lin An!”

“Mother… what are you saying…” Lin An choked out:

“How can this be, how…”

She never could have imagined that her mother was her fiancé’s father’s former lover.

Li Ping Feng had left the capital twenty-one years ago, deciding to kill his master. Before that, Lin An had already been born, and by then, Yuan Jing was approaching his cultivation breakthrough point… Xu Qi An’s heart sank, but he maintained his composure as he asked:

“Is Lin An your child with Li Ping Feng?”

Back then, with Li Ping Feng’s cultivation and methods, the possibility of successfully having an affair with Noble Consort Chen would have been extremely high. The Supervisor might not have bothered with such matters, though of course, if Emperor Yong Xing had been Li Ping Feng’s offspring, the Supervisor would never have allowed him to become Crown Prince.

So Emperor Yong Xing must be of royal blood, but Lin An wasn’t necessarily—because she was a princess, ineligible for the throne.

And although Lin An carried purple qi, fate was both innate and acquired.

If a commoner became emperor, they would be blessed with purple qi; similarly, Lin An had been a princess for over twenty years—even if she weren’t of royal blood, she would still be blessed with purple qi.

So the Qi-observing technique could only see fate, not determine parentage.

Noble Consort Chen spat: “He’s not worthy!”

What a relief, what a relief… Xu Qi An relaxed, and he saw Lin An let out a breath too.

“How did you communicate with him?” Xu Qi An asked.

“He had someone arranged in Jing Xiu Palace, but after learning about Yun Province’s rebellion, I drowned her,” Noble Consort Chen said viciously.

At this point, the Heart Worm’s effect faded, and Noble Consort Chen showed a trace of confusion.

—What did I just say?

“Lin An, come with me.”

Xu Qi An grabbed the hand of the woman in the red dress, pulling her toward the exit.

The woman in red followed step by step, her emotions complex.

“You can’t take her…”

Noble Consort Chen rose abruptly, trying to stop them, but two subtle bursts of energy struck her knees.

Her knees weakened, then pain shot through them, and Noble Consort Chen collapsed to the ground.

She screamed: “Xu Qi An, don’t think you can marry my daughter—I’ll never approve of your marriage, even in death!”

Lin An instinctively looked back, crying out:

“Mother…”

Xu Qi An forcibly pulled her away.

After leaving Jing Xiu Palace, Lin An wrenched her hand free, maintaining a rather distant space between them as they walked silently through the deep palace grounds.

Xu Qi An pondered briefly before saying softly:

“I told you before that my father is a Second-Rank practitioner who stole Great Fan’s national fortune through the Mountain Sea Pass battle and hid it within me.

“But I didn’t tell you that I’m bound to Great Fan’s fate—if the nation falls, I die. So I must save Great Fan, both for the common people and for self-preservation.

“Yong Xing’s virtue doesn’t match his position. With Great Fan in his hands, destruction is inevitable…”

He glanced at Lin An, seeing her cold as frost, distant and indifferent, and smiled bitterly:

“Never mind, I’ll say no more.

“I have matters to attend to, so I won’t escort Your Highness back to Shao Yin Palace.”

Lin An still showed no reaction.

Xu Qi An stepped back, disappearing into the shadows.

As soon as he left, Lin An’s body went soft. She stumbled, supporting herself against the wall as she slowly sank. She leaned against the red wall, hugging her knees, and broke into loud sobs.

…

Jing Xiu Palace.

Noble Consort Chen sat collapsed on the soft couch, gritting her teeth as she held the tea table, muttering:

“You’ll never marry Lin An, never… you dare not kill me, just as you won’t kill Yong Xing. As long as I live, I won’t let you succeed.”

She would never let Lin An marry the man who forced her son to abdicate.

She couldn’t do anything against Xu Qi An directly, but Lin An was her daughter—she knew her too well and had plenty of ways to use Lin An to exact revenge on Xu Qi An.

At this moment, shouts came from outside the courtyard:

“Who are you people, daring to intrude into Jing Xiu Palace…”

The shouts immediately turned to screams.

Noble Consort Chen supported herself on the tea table to sit up, looking outside just as an elderly eunuch entered.

“You!”

Noble Consort Chen recognized him at once as a eunuch from Phoenix Rest Palace, and said coldly:

“What are you doing here? Coming to flaunt your master’s power?”

The elderly eunuch shook his head, saying respectfully:

“This old servant comes on the Crown Princess’s orders to serve Noble Consort Chen.

“The Crown Princess had this old servant bring some gifts.”

He called out in his high voice:

“Bring them in.”

Two young eunuchs entered the room, each carrying a tray. On the trays were two items:

A white silk rope and a jar of wine.

The elderly eunuch smiled:

“The Crown Princess says she hasn’t decided which of these to bestow yet, so they’ll be kept here in Jing Xiu Palace.

“When the day comes that Noble Consort makes trouble and has no more attachment to this world, you can choose one of these to leave with dignity.”

Noble Consort Chen stared at the silk rope and poisoned wine, her face draining of color.

Xu Qi An wouldn’t kill her, but Huai Qing would.

…

By the palace wall, Lin An had tired herself out crying. She supported herself against the wall to stand, but her foot had gone numb, and she stumbled, nearly falling.

Fortunately, someone quickly steadied her.

She thought it was her maid, but turning her head, she saw Xu Qi An had returned.

He wore fine cyan robes, his handsome face expressionless, but his eyes held helplessness and tenderness.

Lin An turned her head away.

The next moment, he swept her up in his arms, and she heard his soft laugh:

“Where I come from, this is called a ‘princess carry’—quite fitting, isn’t it?”

Lin An buried her face in his chest, choking out:

“I hate you.”

“Hate me then! The more you hate me, the less you’ll leave me.”

A breeze stirred, making their cyan robes and red dress dance in the wind as the pair walked along the quiet, lengthy palace wall, gradually disappearing into the distance.