memory
Spring sunlight streamed into the room, casting a soft, warm glow on Xiao Jiangsheng's face.
Under the sunlight, the scars on his face seemed to fade, and from a distance, his profile was so handsome and flawless that he truly deserved the title of "Jade-Faced Major General".
As the sun's shadows shifted, the warm light faded.
Xiao Jiangsheng's scars reappeared. His face was very white, but covered with deep and shallow scars, like a piece of warm white jade that had been shattered.
It's a pity to see it, and a pity to sigh over it.
Staring intently at the scars on his face, Jie Xiangsi felt a dull ache in her heart. After a moment's thought, she softly called out, "Brother."
"What's wrong?" Xiao Jiangsheng looked up, his face still bearing a gentle smile.
"Your face..." Xie Xiangsi's voice was cautious, as if she was afraid of touching his wound.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiangsheng fell silent for a moment.
His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes, but it was only for a moment. He quickly raised his eyelids and forced a smile at the corner of his lips. "I was accidentally injured during the ambush on the way back to the capital."
His tone was indifferent, as if he didn't care about the scar on his face at all.
But siblings are connected at heart. No matter how indifferent he pretends to be, Jie Xiangsi still knows that he cares a lot, cares about it intensely.
What's more, he's always been a proud and narcissistic person since he was a child. He cherishes his hands, his voice, and his face.
When they were young, the brother and sister loved to play with themselves every day, and they even secretly vowed to become the most handsome and beautiful boys in the capital.
Therefore, how could he not care about losing the appearance and voice that he had always been so proud of?
Before Xie Xiangsi could say anything, her gaze swept over the prominent scars on Xiao Jiangsheng's face, but Xiao Jiangsheng spoke first, his tone tinged with mockery, "What, Yan Yan, do you think your brother has become ugly now? Don't you want him anymore?"
"How could that be?!" Xie Xiangsi shook her head violently and said urgently, "No matter what my brother becomes, he will always be Yan Yan's brother and my family."
Seeing her like this, Xiao Jiangsheng smiled gently, a slight curve to his lips.
He couldn't help but gently rub Jie Xiangsi's fluffy head and said softly, "Alright, alright, I know. You are my only family in the world."
He paused, then, as if remembering something, suddenly asked, "Our previous meetings were all rushed, and I haven't yet asked you how you got into Miss Jie's body."
Upon hearing him bring this up, Xie Xiangsi suddenly sighed and began to recount everything in detail.
Finally, she took a deep breath, met Xiao Jiangsheng's gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Brother, Governor Xie is guilty, but Miss Xie is innocent. Also, the person behind the massacre of the Xiao family should not be the Fourth Prince, but someone else."
Xiao Jiangsheng: "..."
After a long pause, he asked with difficulty, "What do you mean?"
Sensing the doubt in his tone, Jie Xiangsi unconsciously tugged at the brocade quilt beneath her. After a moment of silence, she looked up and said earnestly, "Brother, what I'm about to say may seem unbelievable to you, but please believe me, it's all true."
Xiao Jiangsheng nodded.
If he can accept something like soul transfer, what else can't he accept?
Seeing his calm expression, Xie Xiangsi breathed a sigh of relief, leaned close to his ear, and slowly recounted what had happened in her dream, "During the time I was unconscious, I met Miss Xie in my dream."
Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed in Xiao Jiangsheng's eyes.
His gaze couldn't help but fall on his younger sister.
If that's the case, wouldn't they be one body with two souls?
Before he could process this, Xie Xiangsi added, "She came to say goodbye to me. In addition, she told me some things. She killed Governor Xie because he wanted her to be his scapegoat."
Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed across Xiao Jiangsheng's eyes again, and a sense of admiration for Xie Xiangsi rose in his heart.
She patted his hand to bring his attention back and continued, "I won't go into the rest for now. The most important thing is that Miss Jie gave me a memory, and through this memory, I discovered some unusual things."
She paused, trying her best to keep her tone calm, and met Xiao Jiangsheng's deep gaze, saying softly, "The person behind it all seems to be a woman."
Xiao Jiangsheng: "...?!"
Xiao Jiangsheng: "A woman?!"
Xie Xiangsi nodded and said seriously, "In her memory, the person who talked with Governor Xie was a woman. Judging from her accent, I think she might be from the capital."
...
In my dreams, I am reminded of the memories of longing.
The bare branches, long since stripped of their leaves, stood silently in the autumn wind, casting jagged shadows on the ground. From a distance, they looked like monsters that had come to life in the mountains.
A dark and windy night is a perfect opportunity for murder and robbery.
Unable to sleep, Jie Xiangsi got up from the bed, put on a cloak, and took a walk alone in the mansion.
The moonlight was hazy, and I didn't know where I had wandered off to. With the autumn wind came the sounds of conversations that were deliberately kept in hushed tones.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Jie Xiangsi followed the sound and was somewhat surprised to find herself in her father's study. While the other courtyards of the governor's mansion had long since turned off their lights, Governor Jie's study remained brightly lit.
I tiptoed closer and quietly approached; faint voices drifted through the cracks in the doors and windows.
"Lord Xie, let's not beat around the bush. I only have one question for you: will you help or not?"
Upon hearing the sound, Jie Xiangsi's heart trembled and her breath caught in her throat.
Although the voice was deliberately lowered, it was undeniably a woman's voice.
Why would there be a woman in my father's study so late at night?
Furthermore, they seemed to have ill intentions.
Immediately afterward, before Governor Xie could answer, a soft sound of swords being sheathed came from inside the room, followed by a youthful voice.
"Old man, don't be so shameless. You've embezzled so much silver, but you need to be alive to spend it."
After a moment of silence, Governor Xie's voice, sounding somewhat aged, rang out.
"I'll help you."
Night had fallen, and the lanterns under the eaves of the governor's mansion swayed gently in the autumn breeze. The candlelight flickered, casting a slightly distorted shadow on Jie Xiangsi's body on the ground.
Without disturbing the people in the study, Jie Xiangsi quietly returned to her room.
I spent a sleepless night.
As white light shone through the window paper, the memories of relieving longing came to an end.
...
Slowly approaching, Xie Xiangsi met Xiao Jiangsheng's deep gaze and said seriously, "Miss Xie wouldn't tell me these things for no reason. We've shared a body for so long, she knows I'm convinced that the Fourth Prince is the mastermind. But if the mastermind really is the Fourth Prince, she wouldn't need to give me this memory."
She paused, then her tone suddenly turned serious.
"Unless, the real mastermind is not the Fourth Prince."
A dark glint flashed in her eyes, and Xie Xiangsi said in a deep voice, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I have a strong feeling that if the Xiao family is the cicada, the Fourth Prince is only the mantis, and that woman is the oriole, the real mastermind."
“Our investigation is exactly what she wants. What she wants is for us to find out about the Fourth Prince and then get rid of him, so that no one will suspect her.”
"What she wants is not only to get rid of the Xiao family, but also to get rid of the Fourth Prince."
As she finished speaking, Xiao Jiangsheng felt a chill run down his spine.
The Xiao family was a family of generals, and apart from the Xiao family, it could be said that the border defenses of the Great Zhao had been damaged.
Although the Fourth Prince is a blood relative of the Emperor, His Majesty has more than one son. Removing the Fourth Prince poses no threat to the country.
If that's the case, then her goal isn't to destroy the Great Zhao. So what is her purpose in doing this?
...
"Ring—ring—"
The silver bells hanging on the bed curtains jingled softly, but apart from these few soft sounds, the only other sounds in the room were the two people's shallow breathing. For a moment, the room was very quiet.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Jie Xiangsi looked up at Xiao Jiangsheng and said in a serious tone, "Perhaps we can start with Yingge."
"Shadow Pavilion?" Xiao Jiangsheng asked, somewhat puzzled.
The wind picked up outside, causing the gauze curtains inside to flutter in the breeze, accompanied by the chirping of birds outside the window, playfully fluttering against people's faces.
One hand was raised, and the curtain was gently pushed aside.
Her gaze lingered for a moment on Xiao Jiangsheng's solemn expression before quickly shifting away. Jie Xiangsi continued, "Do you remember there were three people in the study?"
Xiao Jiangsheng nodded, "I remember."
After a moment of silence, his eyes widened slightly, and even though he tried to lower his voice, he couldn't hide his surprise. "Are they from the Shadow Pavilion?"
It's no wonder he was so surprised, because everyone knows that the people in the Shadow Pavilion are nameless and faceless, they make a living by killing, they do things for money, and they don't serve anyone.
Jie Xiangsi nodded. "That's right. I heard that voice on New Year's Eve this year. There were three figures there, who came to kill Zhou Yanzhi and also to kill me."
Xiao Jiangsheng was shocked: "Kill you?"
Jie Xiangsi calmly replied, "Yes, to be precise, it's about killing 'Jie Xiangsi'."
Before Xiao Jiangsheng could finish processing the news, Jie Xiangsi continued, "I never expected that there would be people who don't follow the rules in the Shadow Pavilion. I just remembered that I had heard such a voice before."
Xiao Jiangsheng, still processing the previous incident, said, "...It's alright, please continue."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi raised her eyes to meet Xiao Jiangsheng's dark gaze and said in a deep voice, "If I remember correctly, that person seemed to be using a short sword. If I'm not mistaken, he should be the famous 'Shadow Blade' in the martial arts world."
After a long silence, Xiao Jiangsheng nodded, "In that case, I will start by investigating the Shadow Pavilion."
Sensing that something was wrong with him, Jie Xiangsi assumed that Xiao Jiangsheng felt guilty because he hadn't yet found out who was behind it all.
Holding onto the idea that siblings should encourage each other, she gently patted the back of his hand and said softly, "It's okay, brother. We've made great progress, and I believe we'll soon be able to find out who's behind this."
Lowering the darkness in his eyes, Xiao Jiangsheng smiled at Xie Xiangsi, "Yes, we will definitely avenge our people."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
