Chapter 222 He knew

Zhang Xiangyun also believed that Yu Sui was just lucky and was trying to trick them.

Nian Qiuyan was certain that Yu Sui knew of Qingkui's existence.

Zhang Xiangyun awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to brush it off. He said, "Princess, have you misunderstood? I just felt that you and the Prince..."

“We know your older sister, Qingkui.” Nian Qiuyan interrupted Zhang Xiangyun, who gasped and instinctively clenched his fists, turning to look at Nian Qiuyan in disbelief.

Are you out of your mind, kid?!

Zhang Xiangyun froze, his mind blank for a moment, not daring to look at Yu Sui's face.

Yu Sui's eyes flickered slightly as she quickly calculated in her mind.

She had always known of Qingkui's existence, but she couldn't let others notice. Someone like Nangong Ming cared about every detail, and Yu Sui couldn't let him discover that she could remember things from her early childhood.

The existence and secrets of the Green Sunflower are best revealed by Nian Qiuyan and Zhang Xiangyun.

"I have an older sister?" Yu Sui frowned, her gaze sweeping coldly over the two people in front of her. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

Zhang Xiangyun couldn't help but glare at Nian Qiuyan. He had said that Nangong Sui was bluffing them, but he never expected that Nian Qiuyan, that spineless coward, would actually bring it up directly!

Nian Qiuyan's thoughts differed from Zhang Xiangyun's. He always believed that Yu Sui knew about Qingkui's existence to some extent, and besides, she would find out about it sooner or later.

If he doesn't speak up now, he might end up like Zhang Xiangyun.

Nangong Sui is the apparent heir to the royal family, while Qing Kui may become the secret power holder of the Nangong clan.

Qingkui and Nangong Sui are full sisters, sharing the same parents. Their blood relationship is very strong, even closer than that of the children of the other ladies of the royal family.

Even though the two sisters haven't seen each other for eighteen years, their remaining lives are much longer. There will be a second, a third eighteen-year period, and in the long future, no one can say for sure what will happen or how their relationship will change.

Although Nian Qiuyan was not as afraid of Qingkui as the others in Xuan Kui, she still acknowledged that Qingkui was very strong and talented, and was one of the best among the younger generation.

Nian Qiuyan knew Qingkui's limits and had a general idea of ​​them, but he couldn't see through Yu Sui's limits. Because of the unknown, he was afraid.

The only thing Nian Qiuyan was certain of was that after the two sisters recognized each other, they would either get along harmoniously or become enemies.

There will be no third outcome.

In Nian Qiuyan's view, perhaps blood ties would have an advantage. Qingkui's feelings towards this princess sister were one of disdain for her incompetence, but she did not show any other opinions or thoughts.

If Qingkui knew that Nangong Sui wasn't as incompetent and weak as she appeared, perhaps she would change her mind and begin to accept her.

Although Nian Qiuyan had mentioned Qingkui during his previous argument with Zhang Xiangyun, he himself did not harbor much hostility towards Qingkui.

But what Nian Qiuyan didn't know was that Yu Sui would never become close sisters with Qing Kui.

Between them was Madam Su, and the thousands of days and nights that Yu Sui had spent walking on thin ice over the past eighteen years.

It's impossible to let go, impossible to find peace.

Zhang Xiangyun tried to stop Nian Qiuyan from continuing, but Nian Qiuyan stepped on his hand that was trying to grab his ankle. Zhang Xiangyun's face contorted in pain, and he groaned. Then he heard Nian Qiuyan say slowly, "Perhaps no one in the Qingyang Prince's Mansion has mentioned to you that your mother was from the Yan Kingdom. After she left the Yan Kingdom, she stayed briefly at the top of Luoshan Mountain in Qingyang."

“You were born on the summit of Mount Luo. Before that, your mother and the prince already had a daughter, your elder sister, Qingkui.”

Zhang Xiangyun was furious and glared at Nian Qiuyan.

Yu Sui's eyes flickered slightly as she listened to Nian Qiuyan's voice, countless fragments of memories flashing through her mind.

"Lady Su was pursued on the summit of Mount Luo. Those who took on the task of 'life and death' were collectively known as Rakshasa sorcerers. These Rakshasa sorcerers chased her to the summit of Mount Luo in order to kill Prince Nangong's child."

Nian Qiuyan told Yu Sui what she knew about the past: "Qing Kui fell off a cliff during the chase, and the following year you were taken back to the Qingyang Prince's Mansion by the Prince."

"This was also Madam Su's first time returning to the Qingyang Prince's Mansion, so few people knew about this past event before. Even if they did know, they would not mention it again out of consideration for the prince's painful past."

That was a very tactful way of putting it.

It should be said that Nangong Ming forbade anyone to mention it.

The Rakshasa sorcerers who had hunted down Madam Su back then were all eliminated by the Nangong family.

Nian Qiuyan said, "I don't know how Qingkui died and came back to life, nor do I know why she can't return to the palace. All we know is that she is indeed the daughter of Prince Nangong and the elder sister of the Princess of Nangong Palace."

Because this is something Nangong Ming admitted.

Putting aside his status as the only non-royal Wang in Qingyang, he is still the head of the Nangong clan.

The Nangong family's business spans the six kingdoms and Taiyi, covering a vast area, and some members of the Nangong clan are aware of Qingkui's existence.

As Madam Su had said, Nangong Ming initially raised his daughter carefree, keeping her away from the turmoil in the capital. However, after discovering that Qingkui was very interested in and talented about the family business, he would take her with him when he went out to handle family affairs.

The eldest daughter performed a hundred or a thousand times better than the youngest daughter.

The frustrations I felt with my younger daughter were all comforted by my older daughter.

Yu Sui listened quietly, without asking any questions. She listened to Nian Qiuyan tell her all the details he knew.

Zhang Xiangyun's ferocious expression became subtle as Nian Qiuyan explained, and he even began to steal glances at Yu Sui's face.

At this moment, Yu Sui seemed somewhat pitiful to Zhang Xiangyun.

He and Luo Fu were both chosen by Qing Kui, grew up alongside her, risked their lives for her, and watched her rise through the ranks. Although Qing Kui could not return to the royal palace or become a princess, as a young lady of the Nangong family, her life was not bad.

Qingkui grew up in luxury, never daring to bully or look down on her; she was taught by a renowned physician, could command the Nangong family's sorcerers, and was also loyal to Xuan Kui Lan Shi; she was loved by many elders and supported by her father.

These completely compensated for and replaced Lady Su's existence.

Qingkui herself may not have said it, but those around her who know the truth would occasionally compare the current situations of the two sisters as a topic of conversation.

There were also those loyal to Qingkui who believed that the position of Princess of the Royal Palace should belong to the genius older sister, not the younger sister of Pingshu.

No matter how you look at it, the weak and incompetent princess raised in the royal palace is no match for her master.

Zhang Xiangyun used to think so too.

As he grew older and experienced more, he realized that whether one was a princess of the royal palace or a young lady of the Nangong family, these identities were ultimately determined by the prince's word.

Talent and ability are no match for a single word from the prince.

It was later discovered that because the princess of the royal family was not as talented as the other scions of noble families in the capital, she also suffered a lot of hardship and criticism. People wore humble and respectful smiles on their faces, but there was a lot of ridicule behind their backs.

If one's abilities are insufficient for a position, one must endure the suffering of being in that position.

But now Zhang Xiangyun has discovered that Nangong Sui is not as incompetent as outsiders say. He just doesn't know whether she had her abilities before coming to Taiyi or acquired them after arriving in Taiyi.

Whether before or after Taiyi, Nangong Sui now knows that she has an older sister who lives ten or a hundred times better than herself.

Her mother's beloved eldest daughter was not dead.

Her father would often visit her behind her back and show her great care.

Zhang Xiangyun didn't know what Nangong Sui was thinking, but if it were him, he would be furious.

Having just suffered such a humiliating defeat at Nangong Sui's hands, leaving her covered in injuries, Zhang Xiangyun was still quite pleased to see her unhappy because of Qingkui's existence.

But Yu Sui's face showed little sadness or disappointment. When she caught Zhang Xiangyun's gaze, she leaned down to him again.

"Do we look alike?" Yu Sui asked softly.

This was the first thing she said after hearing about Qingkui's existence.

Her extremely dark and beautiful almond-shaped eyes stared at him without blinking.

When Mei Liangyu was being stared at by those eyes, she felt a sense of liveliness and a touch of comfort.

Zhang Xiangyun could only feel a heavy sense of oppression.

He instinctively tensed up and answered without thinking, "No."

Yu Sui seemed pleased by his answer, her eyebrows curving slightly, and for a moment she seemed to have returned to the somewhat spoiled and naive noble lady of the royal palace.

"Then why do you always look at me with such scrutiny?" Yu Sui stretched out a hand, her slender fingers lightly touching Zhang Xiangyun's eyes and tracing them gently. "According to what you've said, my elder sister is extremely powerful. She has been taught and cultivated by a medical sage since childhood, and has been accompanied by many masters of the thirteenth realm. She herself is also exceptionally talented, and at a young age, she has already become a tenth-realm sorcerer."

Zhang Xiangyun felt as if his eyelids were being pulled, and his eyeballs were under heavy pressure, as if they were about to burst. The pain made him gasp.

So when you look at me

Before Yu Sui could finish speaking, Zhang Xiangyun interrupted her urgently: "No! I just think that the two of you are evenly matched in strength, and you actually look a bit alike, after all, you are sisters..."

At that moment, Zhang Xiangyun had no doubt that Yu Sui would crush his eyes.

"Why didn't you say it was three or four parts similar earlier? Why did you have to tell me it wasn't similar?" Yu Sui complained, withdrawing her hand.

Zhang Xiangyun's back was covered in cold sweat again. His body, which had been soaked by the night rain, was now burning with anxiety due to the panic he had just experienced.

This woman is even more unpredictable than Qingkui.

No, I can't think of Qingkui in front of her!

Zhang Xiangyun tightened his jaw again, waiting for Yu Sui to continue.

The night rain intensified, making a sound as it fell on the umbrella.

Yu Sui straightened up, moved the umbrella that was covering Zhang Xiangyun away, and let him go back into the rain.

“Since my elder sister is so outstanding, why doesn’t my father restore her status and bring her back to the palace?” Yu Sui asked.

Nian Qiuyan thought for a moment and was about to speak when Zhang Xiangyun interrupted her as if to claim credit: "She is involved in Xuan Kui's business and is also a member of the Qingyang Hundred Bandits, so her status is special. If she returns to the Prince's Mansion and her public identity is restored, more people will be watching her, which will be detrimental to her actions."

Anyway, since Qingkui's identity was exposed by Nian Qiuyan, if Qingkui wants to hold someone accountable, it will be Nian Qiuyan who will bear the blame.

Nian Qiuyan saw through Zhang Xiangyun's thoughts, but she wasn't surprised. This kid was always pragmatic and knew when to back down.

“She can only return to the palace if she resolves Xuan Kui’s identity,” Nian Qiuyan said. “Xuan Kui and the Nangong family are only partners, and her identity as a member of the Qingyang Hundred Bandits is a secret from many people. Once she abandons her identity as a member of the Hundred Bandits, she can return without any worries.”

It's just a cooperative relationship.

It can also be understood as a relationship of mutual exploitation.

When needed, they will help each other; when not needed, perhaps the Nangong family will lead Yu Lansi to raid Xuan Kui's home.

Yu Sui slowly turned the umbrella handle, her expression unreadable. After a moment, she glanced at the two of them and asked, "My elder brother also studied at Taiyi University and knows you both. I wonder if you have told my elder brother about these things?"

Zhang Xiangyun and Nian Qiuyan's expressions underwent subtle changes.

Although Han Bing resembled his father in appearance, he was nothing like Nangong Ming in any other way.

“He knows,” Zhang Xiangyun interjected before Nian Qiuyan could speak, “Your elder brother Han Bing also knows about Qingkui and Xuan Kui.”

[Author's Note]

Too busy visiting graves during Qingming Festival! I'll only update briefly for now, and finish writing the rest of the story in a couple of days before posting it all together.

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!