Bai Yin remained silent.

Lord San also emphasized again: “In any case, the marquis will handle Lian Que’s matter. We just need to wait here. You shouldn’t worry too much either. After all, the marquis has always handled affairs prudently—he’ll definitely rescue him.”

It wasn’t that Lord San was heartless or cold, but given the current situation, acting impulsively would ruin things.

Waiting quietly was the best method!

Bai Yin wasn’t unreasonable either.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suppressed the impulse in his heart and chosen to leave the city first.

To reassure Lord San, he nodded.

Lord San patted his shoulder, let out a heavy breath, and left.

The room was completely silent!

Bai Yin stood at the doorway, his back to the room.

Ji Yunshu thought deeply for a moment, looking at him with words on the tip of her tongue.

Jingrong glanced at her sideways, seeming to see through her thoughts, and said: “You two should have a good talk.”

From learning the truth until now, these siblings hadn’t properly talked.

There were some things that should be discussed!

Jingrong left the room, avoiding them first!

Only the two remained.

Ji Yunshu called out: “Brother.”

Bai Yin remained unmoved, his gaze on the swaying sapling in the courtyard.

Silent. Ji Yunshu walked to his side, following his line of sight to also look at that sapling. Her voice was low and heavy: “Actually… we can choose to leave Huyi, throw all of this behind us, no longer get involved, and continue living our original lives.”

Leave Huyi?

Bai Yin’s brow furrowed slightly as he turned his head inch by inch to look at her, his eyes full of confusion.

Ji Yunshu also turned to meet his gaze, her eyes helpless: “But… we can’t turn a blind eye!”

But… we can’t turn a blind eye!

Bai Yin: “…”

He didn’t know what to say. Ji Yunshu sighed long and continued: “What you and I carry on our backs… isn’t just family vengeance! There are also many people’s lives, even the future of all Huyi! The King of Huyi acts viciously, secretly slaughtering officials from the previous dynasty in large numbers, causing countless people to be separated from wives and children, families broken and destroyed! And those two princes are even more ruthless and merciless, willing to use any means to achieve their goals. If such people ascend to the throne, how many more will die in the realm! What kind of state will Huyi’s future be in?”

Her meaning was crystal clear.

Bai Yin also understood: “You want me to stay?”

“From the moment we decided to come to Huyi to find our origins, we had no choice left. No matter how heaven arranges things, this is the truth! Moreover, our parents’ vengeance must be avenged!”

However— Bai Yin hesitated and struggled. He said: “The vengeance of killing my father, of course I must avenge! But… you know I’m accustomed to that unrestrained life on the great grasslands, and I’m used to that carefree hunting life in the forests. Now you want me to put all this down, even cast aside everything from before, to do things I fundamentally don’t like! Yunshu, do you know how terrifying it is to cage a wild leopard?”

Ugh!

Ji Yunshu’s chest tightened.

If you imprisoned a leopard that had roamed mountains and forests for years in a cage, it would be equivalent to depriving and restricting all its freedom, turning it into a completely soulless puppet.

This was also precisely the barrier in Bai Yin’s heart that he currently couldn’t break through.

He didn’t want to cast aside his previous life.

He didn’t want to sit in that cold Huyi palace in the future, becoming someone he didn’t like! Ji Yunshu composed her emotions and said: “But the marquis had one thing right—this realm of Huyi originally belongs to you! No matter how you try to escape, you cannot change this fact. If we want revenge, we must participate in this power struggle. Once we participate, there’s no turning back.”

Bai Yin was silent.

His heart was in turmoil, plus worrying about Lian Que—all sorts of things piling up in his heart.

That feeling was like someone stirring his chest with a knife.

After quite a while, he gradually calmed down and earnestly asked Ji Yunshu: “Then do you think I’m like a king?”

Ji Yunshu told him: “No one is born a king!”

…

After sending Bai Yin away, the Marquis of Nanguo sent people to continue waiting outside the Second Prince’s gate.

But several hours passed with still no news.

Where exactly had he gone?

He couldn’t just disappear for no reason!

Just when he was at his wit’s end, someone suddenly came to visit the marquis’s residence.

A very simple sedan chair stopped outside the marquis’s residence.

A man beside the sedan hurried to the gate and said to the servant: “Please announce that my master wishes to see the marquis.”

The servant glanced over there.

He only saw the sedan chair but didn’t see anyone.

So he asked: “Who is your master?”

The visitor leaned close to the servant’s ear and spoke.

Upon hearing this, the servant’s face changed drastically.

He stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then hurried inside to report.

When the Marquis of Nanguo learned who the visitor was, he was also greatly shocked.

Puzzled in his heart: “How is it him?”

The servant asked: “Marquis, should we invite him in or not?”

“Invite him in.”

“Yes.”

The servant hurried out and told the visitor: “The marquis invites your master inside.”

The visitor returned to the sedan and said something to the person inside.

The person in the sedan lifted the curtain and came out.

This person was none other than Left Minister Gong. He wore very plain clothing, with no accessories on his body—extremely simple! After the beheading of Gong Shilin, it was as if he had become a different person. His expression was no longer as stern and severe as before, but rather indifferent for a long while. Compared to before, he was like a completely different person.

This was also his first time coming to the Marquis of Nanguo’s residence.

So the servant at the gate was shocked.

Left Minister Gong (Gong Chi) entered the residence and arrived at the great hall.

The Marquis of Nanguo saw him approaching from afar, his gaze also sizing him up from top to bottom.

Simple casual clothes!

Thin build!

He looked much older too!

It seemed his son Gong Shilin’s death had dealt him a great blow.

He deserved it!

However, when there’s nothing wrong, one doesn’t visit the temple. This person’s sudden visit was probably not good news.

During that palace upheaval years ago, Gong Chi was among those who surrounded the palace.

The Marquis of Nanguo had even wanted countless times to personally behead him and use his head to worship the Late King.

But to find his nephew.

To wait for the day to turn the tables.

He had endured it all!

Even though A’Jin had now been found, right now it still wasn’t the time to show their hand.

So he suppressed the impulse and hatred in his heart, put on a face full of friendliness, and rose to greet him as if nothing was wrong.

Politely saying: “I didn’t know the minister would come. Please forgive my poor welcome.”

Gong Chi cupped his hands toward him and smiled faintly: “The marquis is too kind. It’s I who didn’t inform you and suddenly came to visit. I was afraid of disturbing the marquis.”

“Not at all. The minister coming to the residence is an honor for everyone in my residence.”

For the sake of the great enterprise in the future, only the Marquis of Nanguo could swallow his anger like this.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a bit. The Marquis of Nanguo then invited him to sit and ordered someone to quickly serve good tea.