Returning (Part Two)
The candlelight in the hall flickered suddenly, and Wu Goulang cautiously made a few small "cooing" sounds.
Xiao Jiangsheng subconsciously turned to the side, subtly avoiding Zhou Yanzhi's bow. Looking at the person in front of him, he twitched the corner of his mouth and said sarcastically, "What does the Minister of Justice mean by this? I, Xiao, cannot bear the title of 'elder brother'."
Upon hearing this, Su Feng, who was standing to the side, widened his eyes in disbelief, his gaze darting back and forth between Xiao Jiangsheng and Zhou Yanzhi. Ce'an was actually calling this…love rival “brother”? Had he misheard?
After holding back for a long time, Su Feng finally couldn't help but ask, "Ce'an, are you alright?"
Zhou Yanzhi ignored him, instead bowing even lower, his voice deep and slow, yet carrying an undeniable certainty: "Ce'an already knows the true origins of Cousin Xiangsi. Ce'an thinks General Xiao must also know."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiangsheng froze, a surge of emotion welling up within him threatening to overwhelm his composure. He paused for a moment, the panic in his eyes vanishing instantly. Even if Zhou Yanzhi knew that Xie Xiangsi was Xiao Yan, so what? He still had to keep it a secret.
Thinking this, Xiao Jiangsheng's cold gaze slowly swept over Zhou Yanzhi, finally settling into an almost indifferent calm as he said lightly, "Since you know this, you should understand what kind of impact it would have on her if this matter were to be publicized. So, watch your mouth."
“Ce’an understands,” Zhou Yanzhi replied solemnly.
Xiao Jiangsheng felt a slight sense of relief, then turned his gaze to the other side, where Su Feng stood dumbfounded, without uttering a word.
Zhou Yanzhi immediately understood and quickly whispered, "Yunyun... doesn't know, but he's someone I trust. Could you... tell him now?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiangsheng lowered his eyes slightly, his mind racing. Su Yunyun was a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the guards in the capital. If Yan Yan was really imprisoned in that place... he would inevitably need to borrow his help. After weighing the options for a moment, Xiao Jiangsheng made his decision and nodded, saying, "It's acceptable."
Su Feng opened his mouth, looking at the two people in front of him who were speaking in riddles, completely bewildered.
Su Feng: "...?" What's going on?!
Zhou Yanzhi breathed a sigh of relief, nodded slightly to Xiao Jiangsheng, and then pulled Su Feng, who was still in a daze, aside.
Seeing the two walk to the side, Xiao Jiangsheng sat down at the round table by himself.
The tension that had gripped him since receiving Zhou Yanzhi's letter eased slightly, and the exhaustion from his intense travels instantly washed over him. He couldn't help but press his temples hard, forcing himself to stay awake.
...
A moment later, a low, suppressed cry suddenly came from not far away.
"What?!"
Looking at Zhou Yanzhi's clear eyes, Su Feng tried his best to suppress his shock. He glanced almost imperceptibly in the direction of Xiao Jiangsheng's voice, then quickly looked away before Zhou Yanzhi noticed. He lowered his voice and said quickly, "You mean... Cousin Jie is... Xiao Yan?!"
Zhou Yanzhi pursed his lips and nodded solemnly: "Yunyun, I know you may have a hard time processing this for a while, but my cousin is indeed... Xiao Yan."
Su Feng swallowed hard, and for some reason, a strange feeling of "I knew it" arose spontaneously.
Deliberately teasing him, constantly setting traps for him, that sharp-tongued manner... isn't that just the true nature of Miss Xiao, who barely manages to maintain her gentle facade but still can't suppress it?
No matter how much she pretends, deep down she's still the same Xiao Yan who thrives on chaos.
After a long silence, Su Feng raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Yanzhi in disbelief: "Ce'an, you and her were notorious rivals in the capital back then, you haven't forgotten that, have you?"
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, his expression more serious than ever before: "I haven't forgotten, but I still admire her."
"You still remember me...?!"
Looking at Zhou Yanzhi's serious face, Su Feng swallowed back the rebuke that was already on the tip of his tongue, and instead let out a long sigh of disappointment: "What kind of mortal enemies are you?!"
If all the world's mortal enemies were like them, there probably wouldn't be enough red silk in the entire Great Zhao Kingdom, would there? They would have to wear red every day and celebrate every year.
Thinking of something, he lowered his voice and asked urgently, "Does Your Highness know about this?"
Zhou Yanzhi didn't speak, but his expression had already given him the answer.
Of course, I don't know.
Su Feng felt a sudden heart attack, his back teeth grinding together for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out, "Zhou Ce'an, are you out of your mind..."
Not to mention that Xie Xiangsi is the daughter of a disgraced official, whose status is not commensurate with Zhou Yanzhi's, the fact that she is actually Xiao Yan inside her body is enough to send Zhou Yanzhi back and forth to the imperial prison.
Zhou Yanzhi smirked, raised his hand and patted Su Feng's shoulder heavily, one pat after another, the force carrying an undeniable authority, yet his eyes were full of pleading: "Yunyun..."
Su Feng closed his eyes resignedly. "...I understand, I won't tell anyone. I'll keep it to myself, okay?"
What terrible things did he do in his past life, murder and arson, to end up with such a wicked friend as Zhou Ce'an in this life? Oh well, if he hadn't met him, this life would have been incredibly boring.
In this short life, we may meet many people, but it is rare to find a few true friends.
Fine, what harm is there in turning a blind eye?
...
Before half an incense stick had burned, Zhou Yanzhi, with a calm expression, led Su Feng, who looked utterly dejected, back to the round table.
Zhou Yanzhi nodded slightly to Xiao Jiangsheng: "General Xiao."
Xiao raised his eyelids and gave a perfunctory "hmm".
Upon hearing this, Su Feng glanced at Zhou Yanzhi and Xiao Jiangsheng with complicated emotions, letting out a silent sigh. He had previously called them rivals in love, but it turned out they were his brother-in-law…
He knew it; how could Ce'an be so humble in the face of a love rival?
I'm really... incredibly slow-witted.
Just then, Xiao Jiangsheng tapped the short knife at his waist twice with his knuckles, making a "knock" sound, which drew everyone's attention back.
“In your message, you said that the person who kidnapped Miss Jie was Dao Ying from the Shadow Pavilion.” Xiao Jiangsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dark light flashing in them. “In addition, Miss Jie mentioned an old matter to me before… I already have a suspect in mind.”
"Who is it?" Zhou Yanzhi suddenly raised his eyes.
Xiao Jiang slowly uttered a few words, each one carrying immense weight: "Consort De, Wei Shu."
...
As night fell, the soft chirping of insects drifted into the main hall from outside the open door.
As soon as Xiao Jiangsheng finished speaking, Zhou Yanzhi's brow twitched suddenly, and he remembered what Xie Xiangsi had once told him—"Judging from her accent, the woman behind the scenes might be from the capital."
"Consort De?" Su Feng could not hide his surprise.
Xiao Jiangsheng nodded slightly, the candlelight flickering in his unfathomable eyes: "Recently, I've been traveling around the martial world and have discovered some interesting things."
"I heard that two of the three Shadows of Shadow Pavilion have been lost. Sword Shadow was punished and is recuperating in the pavilion, while Xiao Shadow..." He paused, then turned his gaze to Zhou Yanzhi, "...and Xiao Shadow was killed by you in Danzhou."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded.
“Only this Dao Ying…” Xiao Jiangsheng paused, considered for a moment, and continued, “He has not returned to the Shadow Pavilion since the mission failed, and as far as I know, he has long had the idea of leaving the Shadow Pavilion.”
He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two who were listening intently, and slowly uttered the key point: "And all of this is because of Consort De."
"According to people in the martial arts world, Dao Ying was abandoned by her parents when she was young. At that time, there was a famine, and Dao Ying should have died in the wilderness. However, she was rescued by a nobleman who was traveling from Yuezhou to the capital."
Xiao Jiangsheng's tone grew increasingly serious as he said, word by word, "And that noble lady is none other than Consort De."
Upon hearing this, the other two unconsciously became serious, and the chaotic thoughts in their minds gradually became organized.
"Furthermore, as far as I know, Dao Ying hired a skilled disguise expert from Yingge a year ago to enter the palace." At this point, Xiao Jiang paused, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, and continued, "And that year, Consort De in the palace also seemed to have been seriously ill for a period of time, so I wonder, is it possible that the Consort De who was seriously ill in the palace back then was not the real Consort De?"
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi spoke up: "Possibly." He tapped his knuckles lightly on the round table a few times, then continued: "Change the facade, leave the palace, set up the plan, that's enough."
Everything matched what she said.
"Wait a minute." Su Feng raised his eyes, puzzled. "How can you determine it's Consort De based on just these facts?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi and Xiao Jiangsheng exchanged a glance. The former explained, "Back in Danzhou, my cousin told us that she had recalled a memory. Dao Ying was with a woman, and their relationship was quite close. The details are complicated, and I will tell you about them later."
“…I see.” Su Feng nodded, seemingly understanding.
“But there’s one thing I don’t understand.” Xiao Jiangsheng frowned. “Why would she go to such lengths to kidnap Yan Yan? Is it because she’s the daughter of the former governor of Danzhou? If that’s the case, she could have just killed her on the spot. Why take the risk of capturing her?”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi's heart skipped a beat, and a long-held suspicion surfaced in his mind.
Was Emperor Zhaowen so furious that day because... he knew her true identity?
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanzhi suddenly pressed his fingertips on the stone table harder, and his fingertips turned slightly white.
If that's the case, could it be that the Emperor's uncle kidnapped his cousin? No, no, if he wanted to kidnap her, he wouldn't have waited until Xiangguo Temple; he would have done it the day she entered the palace.
But if he knew about this, then... it could only be that Song Baiyu told His Majesty.
Song Baiyu...
The Fourth Prince...
Consort De...
We've come full circle back to Consort De.
After a long silence, Zhou Yanzhi spoke up: "Is it possible that we are not the only ones who know my cousin's true identity, but also our enemies, such as... Song Baiyu?"
"Because according to Ji Feng, Dao Ying referred to her cousin as 'Miss Xiao'."
Upon hearing this, a flash of inspiration struck Su Feng, and he said in a deep voice, "Song Baiyu is the Fourth Prince's strategist, and Consort De is the Fourth Prince's mother. Since Song Baiyu knows about this, the Fourth Prince must know as well. And if the Fourth Prince knows, it's hard to guarantee that Consort De doesn't."
As soon as he finished speaking, you could hear a pin drop in the main hall.
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