“Do you regret it?” Cheng Lei asked him, “About Zhuang Han Yan?” To keep everything to himself and let her misunderstand, even if he couldn’t speak of it – it was too cruel, wasn’t it? Fu Yun Xi hadn’t done anything wrong, had she?
“I owe her,” Fu Yun Xi said.
As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell over the room. Just then, a familiar cold voice drifted in: “I never knew what you owed me. Was it love, reputation, or… the throne?”
With a “whoosh,” the door was pushed completely open from the outside. The red lanterns cast a bloody tinge on Han Yan’s clothes as she stood outside the main door, quietly watching Fu Yun Xi. Her expression was calm and unruffled, but something indefinable had entered her usually cool eyes – perhaps melancholy, perhaps understanding.
Everyone in the room was startled, seemingly unprepared for Han Yan’s arrival. Fu Yun Xi’s brows furrowed slightly as his gaze shifted toward the guards at the door. The guards immediately knelt in unison: “We willingly accept punishment.”
These men were Fu Yun Xi’s trusted subordinates. Though they didn’t fully understand what trouble Fu Yun Xi was in, years of master-servant rapport had taught them that their lord was facing difficulties. That Western Rong Princess had never held any place in the Lord’s heart, but Han Yan – if Han Yan’s presence could help their Lord, they were willing to accept punishment for dereliction of duty.
Fu Yun Xi waved his hand: “You may leave.” The guards withdrew.
Fortunately, Irina wasn’t present to witness this scene. Had she been there, she would surely have flown into a rage. The stark difference in how these people treated Han Yan versus herself was evident, yet she was supposed to be the mistress of the manor. Han Yan’s words had reached everyone in the room, and Cheng Lei asked puzzledly: “The throne?”
While everything else might be understandable, Cheng Lei couldn’t comprehend what Fu Yun Xi owing Han Yan the throne meant. He looked at Fu Yun Xi: “What does that mean?”
Fu Yun Xi naturally didn’t answer him, instead turning to Master Wu: “You told her?”
Master Wu coughed lightly and said: “Your Highness, you know how clever the Young Madam is. This old one was no match for her under severe questioning…”
“Won’t you answer his question?” Han Yan looked at Fu Yun Xi. “Shall I answer for you? Your Imperial brother ordered my execution precisely because I am the Eastern Marquis’s daughter. Even though he knew it was the Empress Dowager who destroyed the Eastern Marquis’s entire household, he would still kill me to eliminate future trouble and protect his throne.”
The extermination of the Eastern Marquis’s household wasn’t the result of some martial arts vendetta as rumored, but a premeditated act. The old Eastern Marquis and the previous Emperor had built the empire together, sharing equal merit. Initially, they had agreed that the old Eastern Marquis would become Emperor, but when the previous Emperor entered the capital first, he naturally assumed the throne. The previous Emperor had always felt guilty about taking his friend’s rightful position and treated the old Eastern Marquis’s family with exceptional generosity. That’s why even when the Eastern Marquis displayed arrogance and was frequently reported to the Emperor, nothing ever came of it. It was the previous Emperor’s way of compensating the Eastern Marquis’s family.
In his later years, the previous Emperor’s guilt toward the old Eastern Marquis grew stronger. He wrote an early edict to pass the throne to the Eastern Marquis, intending to return what rightfully belonged to them. However, the Empress Dowager discovered this plan.
The Empress Dowager naturally wouldn’t allow this. If the Eastern Marquis’s family became the imperial family, everything she possessed would vanish. So she took decisive action, hiring martial arts outlaws to eliminate the Eastern Marquis’s entire household. The people she hired were unscrupulous martial artists who used extremely cruel methods, leaving no survivors in the Eastern Marquis’s household. After the incident, the previous Emperor suspected the Empress Dowager’s involvement but lacked evidence. Meanwhile, rumors spread through the city that the Emperor had secretly ordered the Eastern Marquis’s death due to his overwhelming power. Though baseless, many people believed these rumors. This wasn’t good for the nation and could cause instability. The Emperor thus decreed that anyone discussing the Eastern Marquis’s matter within the empire would be executed without question. This harsh policy proved effective, but the Emperor could never find peace thinking about his friend’s family’s tragic end, and soon passed away. The current Emperor then ascended to the throne.
This was the first time Master Wu and Cheng Lei had heard this version of events. They were stunned for a moment. As former palace residents, though they didn’t know the exact details, they could guess some of it. However, according to Han Yan’s words, she was the true royal descendant, not Fu Yun Xi.
Fu Yun Xi looked at Han Yan: “How did you learn of this?”
Han Yan said: “You need only say if it’s true or not.”
Her attitude was forceful, almost demanding. Yet contrary to her stern manner, her expression remained perfectly natural, as if discussing mere trifles like what to eat or where to go, things not worth dwelling on.
Fu Yun Xi fell silent for a moment: “It’s true.”
Han Yan walked over and sat beside him on the soft bed. Fu Yun Xi’s expression remained cold, his gaze falling on Han Yan, seemingly becoming more detached. But the next moment, Han Yan’s hand lifted a strand of his black hair, examining it carefully. He turned his head away uncomfortably, but Han Yan tugged at his clothes, pulling him closer. As their breaths mingled, Han Yan took a deep breath.
Those originally jet-black strands now showed traces of white, like a layer of fine frost coating the dark hair, painfully obvious to the eye. This was Fu Yun Xi’s hair – had the cold poison progressed to this stage? Even in such proximity, she couldn’t feel any warmth from Fu Yun Xi’s body. That embrace that once held a gentle warmth was gone; sitting beside him now was like sitting next to an ice sculpture.
“Sister-in-law,” Cheng Lei spoke up, “Have you found some solution?”
In Cheng Lei’s mind, Han Yan was capable of anything. Many in the capital knew of her exploits, and as Fu Yun Xi’s friend, Cheng Lei had heard numerous stories about her at the Xuan Qing Prince’s manor. He knew Han Yan was clever and resourceful, most skilled at turning unfavorable situations to her advantage. Since Fu Yun Xi had let Irina move into the Xuan Qing Prince’s manor, Cheng Lei hadn’t heard much news of Han Yan. But now she suddenly appeared and seemed to know many things. Did this mean Han Yan had found some other solution?
Han Yan shook her head, wanting to say something but remaining silent.
“Clever,” Fu Yun Xi suddenly spoke from beside her. Seeing Han Yan looking at him, a faint smile touched his lips. He still appeared as casual as ever, as if no urgent matters existed at all. Han Yan felt a pang in her heart, her hand gripping his sleeve tighter. She opened her mouth, but only managed to utter the word “You.”