Chapter 209 Extra Chapter: Zhang Xiao 2

What kind of place is the Heavenly Crafts Bureau?

Faced with Zhang Xiao's question, Meng Xinyi looked at her helplessly: "Playing me, playing me, right?"

"I didn't act..."

Zhang Xiao tried to explain, but Meng Xinyi interrupted her, "Your sister is a little forgetful, but not this forgetful. Just two days ago you were explaining to me in detail the origin of the name and functions of the Tiangong Division, and now you're pretending not to know?"

"Wasn't that just a dream?"

"You don't know in real life that dreams can be so realistic?"

Meng Xinyi retorted with a serious expression: "Xiao, I'm already 26, not six years old. Even if I were six, your little tricks wouldn't fool me anymore."

"I'm not..."

Zhang Xiao hesitated, looking confused and bewildered: "I really don't know."

Looking at her completely genuine expression, Meng Xinyi seemed to understand something, then suddenly clapped her hands. "I get it! How could you not know the knowledge from your high school history textbook? You must have forgotten it all by graduation, outwardly appearing to have forgotten. But deep in your memory, there's still an impression left, so in your dream, you naturally 'created' a Heavenly Crafts Bureau."

"Is that so?" Zhang Xiao was somewhat hesitant.

"Of course! Isn't it said that dreams are actually a reflection of past memories?"

Meng Xinyi spoke with absolute certainty, and Zhang Xiao gradually began to believe her.

Without giving her a chance to think further, Meng Xinyi pulled her forward: "Come on, stop thinking about it. The Aisin Gioro family finally agreed to a public exhibition. Even if you didn't have this dream, it's worth going to see him. See if Crown Prince Yinreng is as handsome as you dreamed..."

Meng Xinyi kept rambling on and on, and Zhang Xiao followed her in a daze, feeling that something was off. But seeing Meng Xinyi's decisive manner, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Excitedly, Meng Xinyi grabbed Zhang Xiao's hand and weaved through the bustling crowd, finally finding a slightly more spacious corner in the exhibition hall.

The two stopped and looked at the exhibition area that was surrounded by a huge crowd. Meng Xinyi couldn't help but sigh with admiration.

"Wow, Zhang Xiao, look at this crowd! No wonder he's the last crown prince of the feudal dynasty, his popularity is off the charts, he's so well-received!"

"Speaking of which, compared to his appearance, Crown Prince Yinreng's life as the 'favorite' is even more enviable."

Meng Xinyi counted on her fingers as she analyzed with Zhang Xiao: "Look, when he was the crown prince, he was the favorite of Emperor Kangxi and his uncles and brothers. Although he didn't become emperor—of course, many historians have analyzed this—Yinreng simply didn't like being emperor, which might be the source of his confidence as the 'first son.' He was much luckier than Shunzhi's first son..."

Meng Xinyi couldn't help but laugh when this was mentioned.

"Later, he became the retired emperor and was so spoiled by his son that he lived a smooth and comfortable life, which was truly enviable. Emperor Jinghe, Hongxi, even felt that his son was not even one ten-thousandth as good as his father. Therefore, he did not establish a crown prince, and the subsequent emperors followed this rule."

"So even though the Qing dynasty had passed down the throne for several generations before the reform, Yinreng was still the last crown prince and the most mysterious member of the Aisin Gioro clan with the least amount of information leaked. No wonder everyone is so enthusiastic."

Meng Xinyi looked at the crowd in front of her and sighed, while Zhang Xiao beside her was filled with shock and confusion.

"Wait, Xinyi, what did you say? Yinreng...wasn't he deposed and reinstated twice, and his final fate was tragic?"

Zhang Xiao asked anxiously, her voice trembling slightly.

Meng Xinyi was completely bewildered by Zhang Xiao's sudden reaction. She frowned and looked at Zhang Xiao with suspicion, "Zhang Xiao, are you alright? What are you talking about? You didn't actually take the TV series seriously, did you? That show was complained about and taken down. It caused quite a stir back then, don't you remember?"

Zhang Xiao felt a buzzing in her head, as if the noise of the surrounding crowd had been instantly shut out. She stood there, frozen in place, her mind in utter turmoil.

Could it be... could it be that she really misremembered history? Confusing the TV series with real history?

Looking around at everything, Zhang Xiao suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, as if she were looking at flowers through a fog. Had she really woken up? Or was she dreaming?

The exhibition hall was crowded with people, and Meng Xinyi didn't pay much attention to her expression. She pulled her all the way to the popular booth.

"Zhang Xiao, look, look!"

Meng Xinyi pointed to the painting behind the glass case, her voice rising slightly with excitement, "This is the first time a steam train has appeared in a portrait from Emperor Kangxi's 50th birthday celebration. It's the longest scroll currently on display, and also a scroll of great historical significance. Look, isn't it just like the train in your dream?"

Zhang Xiao's gaze slowly fell on the portrait, which leaned towards a realistic style. In an instant, she felt as if the blood in her body had frozen, and her breath stopped. The scene before her was so familiar; every detail struck her heart like a heavy hammer.

Meng Xinyi chimed in, "You know what, looking at this realistic style, the Crown Prince is indeed handsome. Among all the people in the painting, he stands out the most..."

However, Zhang Xiao didn't hear a word Meng Xinyi said after that. Her gaze was fixed on the familiar faces on the screen, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as if it would burst out.

What shocked her even more was that in the corner of the screen, she saw a small figure dressed as herself, who was with the Tiangongsi train crew to welcome Emperor Kangxi.

"This...this isn't a dream..." Zhang Xiao murmured, her voice trembling violently, "I really traveled through time..."

Those dreamlike experiences of the past surged into her mind like a tide, and this portrait was like a key, unlocking a door deep within her heart that she dared not touch, forcing her to confront the shocking truth.

But what about future humans, historical observation, and resurrected organizations?

Is she really Zhang Xiao of the 21st century?

Zhang Xiao looked down at her hands, a sense of uncertainty and self-doubt washing over her. Could she be some kind of 21st-century observer? Was she not an ordinary person, but a future warrior?

...

Completely bewildered, Zhang Xiao followed Meng Xinyi to tour the exhibition hall, further confirming the fact that she had traveled through time. Now, her feelings were extremely complicated.

"Xinyi..."

"What's wrong?"

"I might not be an ordinary person..."

"I know, those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune later, you're the leading lady after all!"

I'm serious.

"I'm serious, I believe in you. You can become a leading lady, reach the pinnacle of life, and then take care of me!"

"That might be a bit difficult."

As the sun set, Meng Xinyi put her arm around Zhang Xiao's shoulder. "It's okay, for now, I'll take care of you, sister! You can take care of me when you're successful!"

Looking at her smiling profile and feeling the peaceful bustle of traffic around her, Zhang Xiao suddenly felt relieved. "Okay, I'll take care of you from now on."

Regardless of her true identity, life goes on. Besides, since she's from the future, she should be able to make money more easily, right?