After leaving Zhou Zhao's residence, Xiao Cheng followed behind Zhou Yun'an, and the two walked silently through the dark alley.
The night wind was biting, chilling to the bone. The blood at the corner of Zhou Yun'an's mouth had long since dried, but it still ached faintly.
Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment before finally speaking in a low voice: "My lord, I have just discovered some things."
Zhou Yun'an didn't stop walking, and simply said, "Speak."
Xiao Cheng lowered his voice: "The Zhou family has a presence in all the states of Daqian. Zhou Zhao has many children, most of whom are now sent to various places to secretly build up their influence. However, he only keeps one person by his side—the youngest son born to Cheng Shi."
Zhou Yun'an gave a cold smile, but his eyes remained completely calm.
Cheng was the granddaughter of Cheng Boyan, Zhou Zhao's savior. The two had been childhood sweethearts. In order to win over the remaining forces of Dayong, Zhou Zhao had no choice but to marry his own mother as his principal wife.
Cheng was willing to follow him as a concubine, and even voluntarily gave up her position as his principal wife in exchange for Zhou Zhao's prestige among his old subordinates in Dayong.
His mother came from a prestigious family... Although she was Zhou Zhao's legal wife, she never won his true love.
Zhou Zhao resented her for taking the position of Cheng's principal wife. On the surface, he doted on her, but in reality, he tormented her in secret.
Even more ruthless, he entrusted the most dangerous tasks to his maternal grandfather's family, making them, who were loyal to their former master, risk their lives for him, and then completely abandoning them after they had exhausted their usefulness.
The mother...unable to bear the humiliation, ultimately committed suicide in despair.
A sudden gust of night wind whipped up Zhou Yun'an's robes, but his expression remained calm, only his knuckles turned slightly white.
At first, Cheng made things difficult for him in every way, but when she saw that Zhou Zhao didn't care, she stopped bothering to do it.
Zhou Yun'an struggled to survive in the backyard, intending to hide his talents and protect himself, but an accident left him with no other choice.
Zhou Zhao was poisoned by the "Bone-Corroding" poison and his life hung by a thread.
Chen Yuan suggested using his own family members as test subjects for the medicine...
It was only then that Zhou Yun'an realized that Zhou Zhao had always remembered him as his legitimate son.
That drug trial almost cost Zhou Yun'an his life, but even after the trial, he still had to abandon his pawn.
Zhou Zhao didn't even glance at him.
Zhou Yun'an finally understood—in the Zhou family, for those without value, even living is a luxury.
Later, he joined Chen Yuan's forces and became his test subject for poisoning drugs. He climbed the ranks step by step, eventually gaining Zhou Zhao's approval.
Zhou Zhao remained indifferent to Zhou Yun'an, but began to "rely on" him, allowing him to act as the young master of the Zhou family.
Xiao Cheng said in a low voice, "Over the years, Zhou Zhao has had you act as the 'young master,' seemingly giving you important responsibilities, but in reality, it's making you the target of everyone's attacks, shielding his true successor from all the open and hidden attacks."
Zhou Yun'an chuckled softly, his eyes filled with a chilling glint: "I know."
He had long seen through Zhou Zhao's scheme.
The so-called "young master" is nothing more than a pawn used to draw fire.
The true heir of Zhou Zhao after the restoration of the kingdom was always the son of the Cheng family.
As for Zhou Yun'an, he was nothing more than a knife in the Zhou family, which could be discarded at any time once it became dull.
The night wind howled, and Zhou Yun'an suddenly chuckled, his laughter tinged with sarcasm: "I used to think that only by climbing to the top could I decide my own life or death, but now it seems that's not the case."
Zhou Yun'an looked up at the dark night sky, his eyes filled with cold light: "Since he wants an obedient 'good son,' then I'll show him what a true 'filial son' is."
Xiao Cheng was startled, but before he could answer, Zhou Yun'an had already withdrawn his gaze and said calmly, "Let's go, it's time for us to do our own things."
His figure receded into the night, lonely and cold.
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