the truth

Under Shangguan Zeyu's management, the capital city had become relatively stable by the time of the Lunar New Year.

If Shangguan Zeyu is considered magnanimous, he killed all those who tormented and harmed him; but if he is considered magnanimous, he spared the lives of those people.

Prince Su did not survive, and Xiao Yiqing's father naturally did not survive either, nor did the ministers who conspired with Xiao Yiqing's father. Logically, Chen Run should also have died, but he survived, as should Liu Xiangyi; he should have died too, but he survived.

Chen Run remained the same, elegant and composed. Shangguan Zeyu continued to confine him to the Chen residence, no longer tormenting him. However, Shangguan Zeyu turned his attention to Liu Xiangyi.

Liu Xiangyi originally wanted to curry favor with Prince Su to benefit the continued growth of the Liu family, but unexpectedly, she chose the wrong side and brought such a big trouble upon herself.

Shangguan Zeyu didn't waste any words with Liu Xiangyi. He told them directly that they must find out Jiang Yan's whereabouts within a month, or he would begin to settle accounts with the Liu family for their crimes.

Liu Xiangyi was terrified, fearing that this would come true, but he really didn't know where Jiang Yan was.

In desperation, he spent a large sum of money to spread the word that he was seriously ill and wanted to see his eldest daughter one last time, saying that he would die without regrets if he could see his eldest daughter before he died.

The news indeed spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the entire Great Zhou Kingdom, and even reaching the borders and enemy states.

Even so, Jiang Yan, who was staying deep in the mountains, still didn't know.

This is indeed not hard to understand. The mountain is so high and so deep, and there are so few people there. It is almost isolated from the world, and as winter deepens, how can any news get in?

Liu Xiangyi was indeed unable to ascertain Jiang Yan's whereabouts. As time passed day by day, she decided to tell Shangguan Zeyu the secret she had kept in her heart, hoping that he would show leniency and give the Liu family a way out.

Madam Liu was unwilling for him to do this and insisted that he not go to Shangguan Zeyu, but he said that compared with his reputation and face, the future of the Liu family and the lives of the Liu family members were the most important.

On that day, Liu Xiangyi arrived at the "Prince Duan's Mansion" dressed in her finest attire.

Shangguan Zeyu thought he had found Jiang Yan's whereabouts, so he rushed to the gate without stopping.

"Where is Ruyi?" Upon seeing Liu Xiangyi, Shangguan Zeyu couldn't hide his excitement and asked.

Liu Xiangyi was taken aback by Shangguan Zeyu's high regard for Liu Ruyi and said, "Your Highness, I have not been able to find Ruyi's whereabouts."

Shangguan Zeyu's face instantly darkened, and his voice became cold and low: "Then what are you doing here?"

Liu Xiangyi was terrified. With her head down, she said fearlessly, "Your Highness, I have something I want to tell you."

"I have no interest in your affairs!" Shangguan Zeyu said, turning to walk back.

Liu Xiangyi looked up at his resolute back and hurriedly said, "It's about Ruyi."

Shangguan Zeyu suddenly stopped: "What is it?"

Liu Xiangyi dared not look directly at Shangguan Zeyu, but only glanced at him briefly before lowering her eyes and saying, "Your Highness, this matter is not convenient to discuss on the spot."

A look of doubt appeared in Shangguan Zeyu's eyes: "Come with me."

Liu Xiangyi followed Shangguan Zeyu closely to Yunxiao Pavilion.

"Speak."

Liu Xiangyi stood before Shangguan Zeyu's desk, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, I dare not conceal the truth... Ruyi... she is not... not my daughter!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Zeyu was indeed puzzled and suspicious: "Liu Xiangyi, are you really going to go this far?"

Liu Xiangyi was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe, and she lowered her head even further.

Shangguan Zeyu couldn't help but sneer: "I can understand your favoritism, but now that you're like this, even abandoning your own flesh and blood, I truly despise you!"

"Your Highness!" Liu Xiangyi suddenly knelt down on both knees and said with utmost sincerity, "This humble one would not dare to deceive Your Highness! If this humble one has uttered even half a lie, may this humble one die a horrible death!"

Shangguan Zeyu's expression grew increasingly grim: "Do you know what you're saying?"

"I understand. I hope Your Highness will show mercy and spare the Liu family."

Shangguan Zeyu remained silent for a moment before saying, "I will listen first."

Liu Xiangyi took a deep breath without making it obvious and said, "Ruyi is the child of my first wife, He, and her childhood sweetheart, Zhang."

"Do you have any evidence?"

Liu Xiangyi couldn't help but laugh at herself: "What evidence do we need? I know all about my family matters."

"To be specific."

"I was unaware that Ruyi's birth mother already had someone else in her heart, and neither of our families ever mentioned it. I only found out after I married Ruyi's birth mother, Madam He, and by then, Ruyi's birth mother was already pregnant with Ruyi."

"Where is Zhang now?"

"Your Highness, I am unaware. After Ruyi's birth mother passed away, Zhang disappeared from home."

Shangguan Zeyu stared intently at Liu Xiangyi, trying to glean clues from her expression, but unfortunately, Liu Xiangyi's expression remained normal, and he couldn't discern anything else.

"Do you know that if you deceive me, I will not let you off the hook!"

Liu Xiangyi hurriedly said, "Your Highness! How dare I say such a thing? I would rather die with this family scandal. Your Highness, I only hope that Your Highness can be lenient and not implicate the rest of the Liu family."

Shangguan Zeyu seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment of silence, he said, "Whether this matter is true or not, I am not sure. Furthermore, your Liu family and the Liu clan have committed crimes, namely treason. How I will punish them is another matter. However, if what you say is true, I will certainly give them a lighter punishment."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiangyi immediately saw a glimmer of hope and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, my life is of no importance. I only hope that Your Highness can spare my daughter Ruyan's life. Ruyan is innocent!"

Shangguan Zeyu: "Your daughter is the Princess Consort of Prince Su. Also, you should know what she did to Ruyi."

"Your Highness! My daughter truly knows nothing and understands nothing! This is all because I, her father, have failed to educate her properly! I am willing to bear all the blame alone."

Shangguan Zeyu: "I am very curious. Everyone says that if you raise a cat or a dog, you will feel heartbroken and sad for a long time when it gets sick or disappears. Ruyi has been by your side since she was a child. How could you do this? This is the coldness of human hearts!"

Liu Xiangyi was about to say something more, but Shangguan Zeyu didn't give him the chance and had him taken away.

Not long after Liu Xiangyi left, Shangguan Zeyu ordered Zhang Qin to find out the whereabouts of Zhang Shi. He wanted to find out everything about Liu Ruyi.

And so, in this anxious and restless state, the New Year arrived.

Chinese New Year is arguably the happiest and most leisurely time of the year.

The bustling and prosperous atmosphere of the capital arrived as expected, and the bustling and prosperous atmosphere outside the capital followed closely behind. The "Prince Duan's Mansion" was busier than ever before.

Perhaps it's related to the fact that Shangguan Zeyu has been handling state affairs on behalf of the emperor.

Shangguan Zeyu did not refuse the officials and guests who came to visit; he drank and made merry with them almost all of them. However, the world is not always the same place; where there is liveliness and prosperity, there is also desolation and loneliness.

Jiang Yan spent his first New Year in the Zhou Kingdom in a cold and desolate atmosphere.

Logically speaking, even though it's in the mountains, it's Chinese New Year, so everyone should set off firecrackers and fireworks, or at the very least, put up Spring Festival couplets to create a festive atmosphere. But what Jiang Yan saw was the same as what she saw when she entered the mountains: cold and deserted.

Jiang Yan had Huang Ying start a fire while she prepared dinner.

This fire, in the dead of winter with its heavy snowfall, was their guarantee of survival. And the potatoes, cabbage, carrots, radishes, and brown rice grains that were hard to tell if they were white or brown rice, which barely filled their stomachs, were the key to their survival until the snow melted the following year.

These dark, unremarkable potatoes, some as small as a five- or six-year-old child's fist, others as thin as a middle finger and as thick as two fingers, and white radishes that looked like steamed buns, were obtained by them begging from house to house. As for the rice that looked like it had been eaten by insects or was not yet ripe, they stole it from a granary in a tightly locked courtyard, a bag as tall as a person.

Jiang Yan washed the rice twice with melted snow water and started cooking it, using the melted snow water that had been heated over a fire. In order to have vegetables to eat, she washed carrots, white radishes, and potatoes with snow, cut them into small pieces with thin stone slabs she had collected, and put them in the rice pot to cook.

When Jiang Yan first ate this kind of mixed stew, she vomited so badly that she felt like her intestines were coming out. But soon, three hours later, she was wolfing it down and found it more and more delicious.