When Meng Tinghui arrived at the Zhaowen Pavilion at the northern corner outside the imperial city, she was not at all surprised to see candles still lit in the inner chamber.

The door was unlocked, so she pushed it open and walked in directly.

When Yin Qing saw her at his desk, his face showed no surprise, as if her coming here at such a late hour was the most natural thing.

Meng Tinghui found a place to sit and then surveyed the chamber.

Previously, she had visited the History Bureau and knew that staying overnight in the pavilion while compiling historical records was quite common, which was why she had made her way here.

Yin Qing put down his brush and raised his eyes to look at her face, which was silhouetted against the light. “What matter brings Grand Secretary Meng to seek this humble official?”

She asked directly, “Who are you?”

He lowered his gaze and picked up his brush again, not answering her question.

Her expression remained calm as she asked, “You know about my background, don’t you?”

He meticulously annotated tiny characters on the scroll, as if he couldn’t hear her voice.

She watched him for a while, then suddenly said, “Do I have any connection to the Meng family of Zhongwan from the previous dynasty?”

Only then did Yin Qing raise his head again, his eyes finally showing a ripple of emotion. The corner of his mouth curved slightly, “Grand Secretary Meng is indeed no ordinary woman.”

Meng Tinghui’s expression changed instantly.

His gaze was like light flowing through fine sand, bright and profound. He reached out to pick a volume from the historical records nearby and handed it to her.

She took it, opened it, and scanned it, the light in her eyes freezing.

These were naturally things she had seen before, but how could she have ever imagined that the people and events recorded in these historical volumes would be connected to her?

After a long while, she looked up, her voice slightly hoarse: “Who are you?”

Yin Qing lowered his eyes and said slowly, “My late father was once a guest scholar in the household of Meng Hao, the late Duke of Zheng, who was a prince of the previous Zhongwan dynasty.”

So that was it.

Meng Tinghui threw down the historical volume in her hand and said, “Everyone is long dead. Why should I believe you?”

He smiled faintly, “I have no way to prove it, but if that’s the case, why did Grand Secretary Meng come to find me?”

His smile was like a blade carving into flesh, making even the corners of her mouth begin to tremble.

He gradually let his smile fade, “I had thought that Grand Secretary would never discover this matter on her own, yet unexpectedly, you have come to find me so quickly.”

Meng Tinghui’s face was cold, “I had never thought about it before, but you’ve made me suspicious for some time. Previously, I didn’t understand why you would help me without seeking anything in return, but since Left Autumn容 told me you were not raised in the Northern Route of Chao’an, I realized you had come because of me.” She gave a slight smile and looked at him, “If you wanted to hide your identity, it wouldn’t have been difficult, yet you deliberately made me notice that your attitude toward me was different from others, thus attracting my attention at every turn. Looking back at your actions, it’s as if you already knew me inside and out. You wanted to help me rise to power, yet sought nothing in return—how could anyone with ordinary intentions behave this way? You claimed to be from Chao’an merely to give yourself a fallback position—if you couldn’t remain at court, you could have me transfer you to the Northern Route of Chao’an.”

He listened attentively, his gaze fixed on her face.

“At the time, though I vaguely sensed you had come because of me, I truly didn’t know what you wanted from me,” she continued softly. “Until northern Jian’s defeat and their request for peace.”

Yin Qing suddenly raised his eyebrows, his eyes darkening.

Meng Tinghui’s face showed slight weariness, “If northern Jian truly wanted to invade and plunder cities, why not directly attack the Jiankang Route? The bandit troubles in the Jiankang Route are severe; if it were attacked by northern Jian’s army, it couldn’t be as well-defended as the Northern Route of Chao’an. Unless northern Jian had other plans, they would not abandon Jiankang to attack Chao’an.” Her gaze probed his, “Even if northern Jian had not been defeated this time, they would still have halted their troops at Chao’an and requested peace negotiations, am I correct?”

He nodded, “Correct.”

She suddenly smiled, “The request for a civil official to go north to Chao’an was meant to manipulate me, not to negotiate peace, am I correct?”

He nodded again, “Also correct.”

When she was oppressed by Xu Ting and couldn’t raise her head, he happened to come to her aid. As soon as she rose to power and entered the Central Command to participate in military affairs, northern Jian sent envoys to court, then bandits caused trouble on the Jiankang Route, and Northern Jian raised troops to invade the border. After being defeated at Chao’an, they sought peace, specifically requesting the court to send a civil official for peace negotiations.

And she, coincidentally, had the surname Meng.

It was too coincidental—so coincidental that she couldn’t help but speculate.

Though her heart was suspicious, she wasn’t yet certain. Her night visit to the Zhaowen Pavilion was merely to try asking, yet unexpectedly, he admitted everything without denial.

It was beyond her expectations, yet also within reason.

Since they wanted her to go on a mission to the northern border of Chao’an, sooner or later, someone would have to tell her. Naturally, he did not need to deny it outright.

She frowned and asked, “But what if the court doesn’t send me on the northern border mission? What will you do then?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Naturally, we would continue fighting, then devise another strategy.”

Meng Tinghui’s face was frost-like as she asked after a long while, “You’re in collusion with northern Jian, borrowing their troops to create this chaos. What benefits are you offering northern Jian?”

Yin Qing answered frankly, “If we can restore our country, we’ll cede one-third of the occupied territories to northern Jian.”

She closed her eyes briefly, “If I go on this mission to the northern border, you certainly don’t plan to let me return to the capital, do you?”

Yin Qing was silent for a moment, then suddenly rose and walked before her. He adjusted his robe and knelt on one knee.

“Grand Secretary is originally from the noble family of the previous dynasty. Back then, the Duke of Zheng was innocent, yet King Ping executed the entire Meng clan. This is the Grand Secretary’s revenge for the destruction of your country and family, which cannot go unavenged.” He lowered his head and said each word slowly, “For twenty years, people’s hearts in the northern regions have been unsettled. Once they learn of the existence of a royal descendant of our Zhongwan, how many will respond and support the restoration? When the Grand Secretary goes to the northern border, there will be people specifically assigned to escort you from Jinxia Pass to Shuzhou. At that time, the endeavor to claim the throne and restore the country will be entirely at the Grand Secretary’s discretion.”

She looked at him gently, “By my calculation, you’re a year younger than me. Why are you so dedicated to this cause?”

His brows furrowed, “When King Ping executed the entire Meng clan, everyone in the Duke of Zheng’s household was killed by the Palace Security Bureau’s troops. My father could not escape. The royal family of Great Ping is also responsible for the destruction of my family and the death of my father.”

Meng Tinghui was silent for a while, her gaze gradually becoming stern, “Ultimately, regardless of whether I go on the mission to the northern border or not, there’s no possibility of halting the war in the north, is there?”

He nodded without hesitation.

For twenty years, over thousands of days and nights, how many people had exhausted themselves and endured humiliation, all for this moment? How could they easily give up?

She said, “In that case, I will do my utmost to persuade everyone at court to let me go on the northern border mission.”

Yin Qing slowly stood up but said, “From beginning to end, the Grand Secretary never asked how I knew about your background, nor did you show any hesitation or astonishment. Aren’t you curious about how you were sent to Chao’an back then?”

She relaxed her brows, “What’s there to ask? The Meng family was wronged, the entire clan was executed, and I became the one who slipped through the net, fortunately surviving until today. As for how I went to Chao’an back then, even if I knew, what difference would it make?” She looked at him with a hint of mockery in her eyes, “Moreover, now that things have reached such a tense point, even if you’ve found the wrong person, and I’m not Meng Hao’s biological daughter, I’m afraid you wouldn’t care anymore.”

He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but seeing her calm demeanor, he ultimately said nothing.

He had thought that once she learned of these matters, she would be shocked and discolored, yet she had remained composed from beginning to end.

After a long while, she shifted slightly, her voice dropping lower: “Is there only you at court who knows about my background?”

Yin Qing nodded with furrowed brows.

She pondered briefly, then said, “I know you’ve planned this for a long time, hoping that someday you could create such chaos. Luring me to Shuzhou, you surely intend to widely announce the name of this royal descendant from the previous dynasty to the world, legitimizing the name of restoration and broadly recruiting old clans from the previous dynasty. You want me to claim the throne merely to justify your cause.”

His face stiffened as he listened, “As the daughter of Duke Meng, how could the Grand Secretary not wish to avenge the destruction of your country and family?”

She curved her lips, but there was not a hint of a smile in her eyes: “The revenge for a fallen country and broken family cannot be forgotten, but I am not someone to be manipulated. Though I’ve agreed to go on the northern border mission, I also need you to agree to one thing for me to fulfill this grand endeavor of claiming the throne and restoring the country.”

“What is it?” Yin Qing asked, his tone showing a trace of hesitation.

Meng Tinghui raised her eyes to look at him, “After I leave the capital, without my order, you must not reveal my background to the court or the world.” She paused slightly, lowering her eyelashes, and added, “Especially, you must not let the Emperor know.”