Xiao Qingyin was dumbfounded.

She had heard Bai Musheng say before that her father was a heartless and fickle scholar who, in order to curry favor with the powerful, not only abandoned his wife and children but also sent people to hunt them down.

To evade persecution, the mother and son lived a turbulent life for many years, rarely staying in one place for more than a year.

Yizhou was the place where they spent the longest time.

She was filled with righteous indignation and shared his hatred, and even said she would help him get revenge.

Bai Musheng said that his father had climbed the social ladder to be no ordinary powerful figure, and was not so easy to deal with; he did not want to fight a losing battle.

All I want is to study hard, pass the imperial examinations, and rise above others so that I will no longer be bullied and trampled upon.

Her captivating beauty, tragic past, and stubborn gaze instantly evoked her pity.

She always thought Bai Musheng was a tragic hero, so she took extra care of him.

It wasn't until the incident involving the education commissioner and the subsequent discovery that Bai Shi was likely the one who murdered Princess Zhaoyang's sister that she realized there was something wrong with Bai Musheng's script.

Now Bai Musheng actually said that his scumbag father was actually the Marquis of Yong'an?

Based on Xiao Qingyin's understanding of the Marquis of Yong'an, he was definitely not that kind of person.

But Bai Musheng looked so serious that he didn't seem to be joking. Did he really think that Marquis Yong'an was his father?

Bai knew best who his father was.

It must be because Bai Shi said his father was the Marquis of Yong'an that Bai Musheng believed it so firmly.

Xiao Qingyin looked at him with a hint of pity.

Could this person have been tricked by Bai Shi into becoming crippled?

The Marquis of Yong'an's face clearly said, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

He looked at Bai Musheng with utter speechlessness.

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I, Yi, have only one wife and one son in my life. Don't try to claim any father for me."

Bai Musheng sneered.

"Of course you won't admit that from the moment you climbed the social ladder and decided to completely erase me and my mother, we ceased to exist in your heart."

Marquis Yong'an: "..."

Is this person even capable of understanding human language?!

He said irritably, "I don't even know who your mother is, can you stop talking to yourself?"

Bai Musheng took out a scroll from his sleeve, unfolded it, and asked, "You must remember who painted this."

This is a painting of a beautiful woman with crabapple blossoms. The woman in the painting is the cousin of the Qiao family that was painted by the Marquis of Yong'an.

Marquis Yong'an replied, "So what if I painted it?"

This was drawn by Qiao Jingzhou after he had pestered him for several days.

After finishing the painting, he gave it to Qiao Jingzhou and never saw it again.

Bai Musheng sneered: "Since you recognize my mother, don't pretend you don't even know who she is."

Just as Marquis Yong'an was about to speak, Princess Zhaoyang suddenly asked, "Is your mother the same Miss Qiao from back then?"

Bai Musheng glanced at her: "Yes, my mother met him at the Qiao family."

"Did your mother use disguise?" Xiao Qingyin interjected. "She doesn't look like the person in the painting at all."

Bai Musheng remained silent.

That's considered an implicit agreement.

Xiao Qingyin and the other three immediately realized that the person who had murdered Princess Zhaoyang's sister was Bai Shi.

Princess Zhaoyang was furious.

"Where is Bai Shi? Tell her to come here!"

Bai Musheng said calmly, "As everyone knows, my mother is no longer alive."

Marquis Yong'an bluntly exposed his lie: "If she were really dead, you wouldn't call her 'my mother,' but 'my late mother.'"

As a fellow scholar, Marquis Yong'an knew how particular their group was about word choice.

Bai Musheng would never make such a mistake.

There is only one possibility that he would say this: that Bai is still alive.

Bai Musheng did not deny it.

He simply said, "Whether you acknowledge me or not is of no concern to me. In any case, your family of three will be sent to the executioner's block tomorrow. I'm here just to tell you that I had someone place that dragon robe in the Marquis's residence."

Marquis Yong'an laughed.

"You're really ridiculous, taking revenge on a complete stranger."

Haven't you ever considered that your mother has never told you a single truth?

Didn't you ever consider that those people hunting you down—if there really are such people—might have been arranged by your mother?

Bai Musheng scoffed, "Why would I think that? What would my mother be after?"

“You’ll have to ask her,” Marquis Yong’an sneered. “How would I, a normal person, know what a madman is thinking?”

He felt he must have been incredibly unlucky to be targeted by that crazy woman, Bai.

Not only did Bai kill the original princess and sell him poisonous dye, but she also arranged for Linlang to sow discord between the couple and instilled in her son the idea that she was his father for twenty years.

He even gave her the antidote the night she took the Chinese medicine. He had at least helped her, so is this how she repays her benefactor?

They were clearly treating him as an enemy.

That's absolutely outrageous.

Xiao Qingyin said, "Bai Musheng, your mother knows best whether you and the Marquis are father and son. Why don't you call her over and we can talk things out face to face? You don't want to hate the wrong person for twenty years, do you?"

Bai Musheng glanced at her: "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You want my mother dead, how could I possibly let her come here?"

"Since you know we want her dead, you should know what she has done."

Xiao Qingyin said expressionlessly.

"She can command so many assassins, she's definitely not an ordinary person. Do you think you could possibly be chased all over the place?"

Bai Musheng remained silent.

Xiao Qingyin asked again, "You must have only recently realized that she was extraordinary, so why do you still believe her so readily? Or are you afraid to face the truth and dare not investigate?"

Bai Musheng's heart stirred slightly.

She guessed correctly.

He only recently learned that his mother was no ordinary person.

At that time, her heart condition was critical, and she feared that she would not live much longer, so she told him about her background.

He was very shocked.

Because of this background, he did have doubts about his experiences from childhood to adulthood, but she truly loved Yi Sheng.

Yi Sheng drew a painting casually, but she treasured it and always carried it with her.

He has always used Yi Sheng as an inspiration since he was a child.

It is said that his father was the top scholar in the imperial examination, achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the examination. He inherited his father's talent and was sure he could also become the top scholar.

He didn't actually like studying when he was a child. Whenever he had free time, he would sneak out to watch plays and listen to music, hoping that he could become a musician or actor when he grew up.

But when he told his mother that he wanted to learn to play the piano and sing opera, she whipped him severely, leaving him covered in welts.

Then tell him, "If I ever hear you say you want to play the piano or sing opera again, I will strangle you."

As she said this, her face contorted in a grotesque grimace, like a wicked monster.

From then on, he never dared to say such things again.

It was from that time onward that they began to frequently flee.