Chapter 130 He has such good taste
"You like it?" Achan blinked slowly, a rare look of confusion on her face.
Of course, she knows about love and affection in the world. She also knows what kind of person she is that can make a human man bow down to her. Some people say that someone who treats her so well must like her.
But Achan had never liked anyone before and had no idea what that feeling was like.
At that time, she was puzzled as to why humans could fall in love so easily.
"How can I be sure that I've fallen for him?" When faced with the unknown, Achan was always eager to learn.
Chen Hui thought about it. Although her life experience was quite rich, she wasn't very experienced in matters of the heart. Therefore, the help she could offer A Chan was only the most basic.
"When you like someone, you will unconsciously favor them."
“He’s so useful, of course I’m going to favor him,” Achan said confidently. She had even considered keeping him at home.
"When I see him, I feel happy."
Ah Chan thought about it seriously: "But I don't seem to be that happy. Every time he comes over, he just causes me trouble."
Before Chen Hui could speak again, A Chan quickly contradicted herself: "Okay, there is a little bit."
Seeing Chen Hui looking at her silently, A Chan gestured again: "A little more."
After saying that, Achan felt that this way of judging seemed unreliable, and she tried to refute it: "But isn't this normal? I feel that he is happy every time he sees me."
"This only proves that he likes you too," Chen Hui said incisively.
There's no need to specifically look for evidence of this; anyone with eyes could see it.
Chen Hui thought back and realized that it seemed that Bai Xiuming's attitude towards A Chan had become increasingly different after they went to Xiling.
Achan was not shocked by Chen Hui's words at all. Instead, she was overjoyed: "So he likes me too? He has such good taste."
Since that's the case, she might as well reluctantly like him too.
Ah Chan has unilaterally decided that the two of them are already in a relationship where they like each other.
Chen Hui remained silent, feeling that she was worrying unnecessarily about A Chan's love life and should be more concerned about her picky eating habits.
When Bai Xiuming returned from Changpingfang, the Mingjing Division had already lit up lanterns.
He walked in from outside the yamen, his boots crunching on the snow. The guards at the gate bowed respectfully to him, and he casually asked, "Has Feng Yang returned?"
"Commander Feng returned with his men just half an hour ago."
Bai Xiuming nodded slightly and stepped into the yamen.
At this moment, Feng Yang, his face ashen, pointed at his subordinates and said, "No matter what method you use, you must find out all the recent whereabouts of that so-called 'Master Yu,' where she has been, who she has met, and where she might go. Find out everything for me."
"Your subordinates obey," several centurions replied in unison.
Just then, the door was pushed open. Feng Yang looked up, about to curse, but when he saw it was Bai Xiuming, his heart sank. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Sir, I have checked the entire ghost opera troupe. Everyone except Yu An has been checked, and there is nothing abnormal about them."
"Where is Yu Anren?" Bai Xiuming asked.
Feng Yang lowered his head deeply: "Your subordinate is incompetent. After the curfew was lifted, Yu An left his residence and his whereabouts are still unknown."
However, he quickly added, "I have brought back all the people in the ghost opera troupe who are familiar with Yu An. They have known Yu An for several years and will surely be able to provide some useful clues."
"Well done."
I expected to be scolded by my superiors for not doing things well, but I was surprised to receive a compliment.
Feng Yang glanced up at Bai Xiuming and sensed that his master seemed to be in a good mood today, which finally put his mind at ease.
Then Bai Xiuming said, "Get a confession out tonight, and I'll be going to the palace tomorrow morning."
"So anxious?" Feng Yang blurted out, then hesitated, "But we haven't caught anyone. How will you explain this to His Majesty?"
"Just tell the truth." After Bai Xiuming finished speaking, he instructed, "I need to know Yu An's life trajectory over the years, so be careful when questioning him."
"Yes, I will go and ask myself."
Since the adults weren't in a hurry to find Yu An's whereabouts, Feng Yang's pressure immediately eased considerably.
That night, the Mingjing Division was brightly lit all night long. Two commanders were sent out of the city to search for people, while Jiang Kai and Feng Yang were in the town prison, where confessions were delivered to Bai Xiuming's desk one after another.
In the palace, the emperor had a less than pleasant birthday celebration, but his mood improved somewhat after eating longevity noodles made by the crown prince himself that night.
Only the Prince Ying'an's family remained after their evening meal, sitting silently in the main hall.
Bai Yue did not go to the palace during the day. She only found out what had happened after her mother returned home. At this moment, she was sitting next to her mother, not daring to say a word.
After a long silence, Prince Ying'an finally spoke: "What are your thoughts on the matter of Xin'an?"
He first looked at the princess, who seemed to be feeling unwell. She was propping her head up with one hand and looked listless.
Upon hearing the prince mention Xin'an, her mind conjured up that terrifying face, and she immediately felt a tightness in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Seeing this, the Crown Prince's wife stepped forward and fed the prepared medicine to the Princess, who then felt much better.
"That child has a long-standing relationship with us..."
The Crown Prince's wife, who was trying to soothe the Princess, paused in her actions and interrupted her somewhat rudely: "Mother, these favors are only because she impersonated the real Xin'an. Otherwise, she would not be qualified to appear before you."
In the past, the princess would have already reprimanded the crown prince's wife for her lack of manners, but today she did not refute her at all.
She sighed, "Never mind, it was my fault for misjudging people back then. I thought Xin'an had finally grown up, but who knew that it wasn't her at all, but a fake."
Prince Ying'an immediately comforted the princess: "It's not your fault. It's Xu Zecheng who has wolfish ambitions and used tricks to deceive our whole family."
At this moment, the crown prince chimed in, "Your son is also at fault for not noticing that something was wrong with your sister."
The family members were all admitting their mistakes. Bai Yue glanced at her mother, who did not say anything more, nor did she comfort her father as usual.
Prince Ying'an continued, "This incident happened at a very inopportune time, disrupting His Majesty's birthday banquet. His Majesty must be displeased. Once the case is solved, His Majesty will likely have to see us again..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the princess and reminded her, "Princess, please don't act impulsively when the time comes."
The princess waved her hand: "Your Highness is overthinking it. I know what's important and I won't say anything again."
"That's good."
At this moment, the prince spoke up: "Father, tell me, who did this?"
The princess glared at her son: "Who else could have done it? Of course..."
Her tone suddenly faltered, and she looked hesitantly at Prince Ying'an: "Could it be that Xin'an has returned seeking revenge?"
Prince Ying'an said in a deep voice, "If Xin'an were still alive, why didn't he come to us privately, instead of making a scene at the Emperor's birthday banquet?"
The princess frowned, seemingly lost in thought: "That child has always been stubborn. Thinking about it this way, it's possible that she really did do this."
The prince sighed, "If it really is her, she probably still harbors resentment towards us."
"But she shouldn't have put the Prince's Mansion in the spotlight; it's truly a tragedy."
Although the crown prince also felt that this style of disregarding the overall situation was very similar to his sister's, he ultimately did not speak up in agreement with his parents.
Bai Yue listened to her grandparents' differing opinions, but she didn't agree with them. Her aunt had been impersonated for over a decade; even if it really was her who had returned for revenge, it was only right.
The grandparents hadn't recognized their daughter as an imposter all these years, but now they were blaming their real daughter for not respecting the Prince's Mansion.
If it were her, she probably wouldn't have the same abilities as her aunt, and wouldn't have been able to lie low for over a decade waiting for a chance to take revenge.
Seeing that Bai Yue seemed eager to say something, the Crown Prince's wife returned to her seat and glared at her.
Bai Yue immediately understood her mother's meaning, pouted, and dared not speak.
Afterwards, the prince and princess made many unfounded guesses. Finally, when they had nothing more to say, the princess nudged the prince, who then said, "Father, Mother, it's getting late. Let's go back and rest. This case has been handed over to the Mingjing Division, and we'll probably see the results soon."
Hearing their son say that, the two finally got up to rest.
After the prince and princess left, the heir said to the heir, "Your Highness, please go back to your room first. I will take Yue'er to her courtyard."
When the prince looked at his daughter, his expression softened slightly: "Alright, the roads are slippery from the snow, have the maid carry a few more lanterns and walk slowly."
"Understood, Your Highness, please be careful as well."
Bai Yue took the hand of the Crown Prince's wife, and the mother and daughter walked out of the main courtyard together.
On the way back to the courtyard, Bai Yue sent her maids ahead while she carried a lantern for light.
The mother and daughter walked slowly. After a while, Bai Yue suddenly spoke up: "Mother, what if I am replaced by someone else one day?"
This sudden event, even just putting herself in the shoes of someone else, made her feel scared.
The Crown Prince's wife held her daughter's slightly cold hand and said firmly, "That day will never come."
"Why? But wasn't Auntie just replaced like that?"
The thought that her aunt, with whom she had lived for over ten years, was a fake still feels unreal to her.
I heard that her face fell off completely, and the officials of the Mingjing Division have concluded that she replaced her real aunt's face.
"Because if someone else takes your place, your mother will definitely find out."
What kind of person wouldn't even know their daughter had been switched?
The next morning, the court officials seemed to have collectively lost their memory, refusing to mention the incident at the Emperor's birthday banquet the previous day, as if it had never happened, and no one wanted to offend the Emperor.
However, many people know that yesterday the entire staff of the Imperial Observatory was mobilized, going in and out of the residences of various imperial relatives and nobles, and it seems that several people were arrested.
After the court assembly, the officials left in twos and threes. Bai Xiuming had just stepped out of the main hall when he was stopped by a young eunuch waiting outside.
The young eunuch said respectfully, "Lord Bai, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study."
The young eunuch led Bai Xiuming to the imperial study, where the emperor had changed into casual clothes. Upon seeing Bai Xiuming enter, the emperor asked him, "How is the investigation going?"
"I have investigated the cause and effect and found the person behind it, but I only found the last place she appeared and have not been able to find her whereabouts."
The emperor, unconcerned with the background, asked directly, "Who is behind this?"
“She is the real Princess Xin’an,” Bai Xiuming said. “Now she has changed her name to Yu An and makes a living by performing opera. Not long ago, her opera troupe was invited by the Prince Ying’an’s mansion to come to the capital to perform for the prince.”
"So, they've met before?" The emperor sneered. "Why can't they say it in private? Why did they have to make a scene at my birthday banquet?"
"Go on, why can't even you be found?"
"I only found out that she left the city at the end, and I sent people to look for her, but we found that she disappeared after leaving the city."
"Disappeared? Could it be that someone helped her?"
Bai Xiuming shook his head: "It shouldn't be."
"Then how did she disappear?"
"I suspect that she has changed her appearance and identity, and has become a different person."
"Change my appearance?" The emperor raised an eyebrow. "How?"
Bai Xiuming explained: "I learned from the fake county princess Han Xiaotong that she only had two pieces of snake skin used for the face transplant, and they have all been used up. Yu An's face can no longer be restored after it was cut off, nor can it be replaced with someone else's face."
Later, I learned that Yu An's adoptive father was very skilled at making human skin masks. Many of the masks she used in operas were made by her adoptive father. What Yu An was most famous for was that the fake face she used in operas was just like a real face, so lifelike.
I suspect that beneath the human skin mask, her face is exactly the same as Han Xiaotong's at this moment, and Yu An's face is probably just a mask as well. Therefore, changing identities should be very easy for her.”
The emperor nodded, seemingly convinced by Bai Xiuming.
"If that's the case, why is she concealing her whereabouts? Is it because she's afraid of being punished by me?"
Although the emperor was displeased with her behavior, he did not make things difficult for her. On the contrary, her hiding and evading made the emperor very unhappy.
"...This matter is probably unrelated to His Majesty."
Seeing Bai Xiu's evasive words, the emperor became even more interested: "What, do you know the reason?"
"During my investigation of the Xu family, I learned that the son born to the real Princess Xin'an and Xu Zecheng has not disappeared, but is actually dead."
"What?" the emperor asked in surprise. "Could it be that they killed him?"
Bai Xiuming nodded: "The child sensed that something was wrong with his mother and kept making a fuss. Later, the two men used the excuse that Princess Ying'an was unable to take care of her family while praying for blessings to deliberately have him kidnapped and sent away from the capital. However, he broke his neck when he jumped out of the carriage."
The emperor slammed his hand on the table: "Xu Zecheng is truly despicable; he doesn't even spare his own son!"
Bai Xiuming lowered his head slightly, and after the emperor calmed down a bit, he continued: "I have also heard that the boy went to the Prince's mansion to tell the prince about this matter, but he was not taken seriously. Instead, they sent him back, which eventually led to his death."
The servants of the Xu family informed Yu An of this matter. I believe she harbors resentment towards the Prince of Ying'an's family and has no intention of acknowledging them.
After hearing Bai Xiuming's words, the emperor felt a little sorry for his niece, whom he barely remembered.
After a moment of silence, the emperor finally said, "Alright, although his actions were outrageous, there was a reason for them. It's just that he disrupted my birthday banquet, which is not a serious crime. If we can't find him, then let it go."
Bai Xiuming smiled slightly: "Your Majesty is merciful."
"Now that the case has been solved, it's time to let Prince Ying'an and his family know the whole story," the emperor instructed the eunuch beside him. "Send someone to summon Prince Ying'an and his family to the palace."
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