Chapter 11 "Jing'er is not my biological son..."
"Jing'er is not my biological child."
Xie Zhuo's words suddenly rang out in the room, and Xie Baoqiong was stunned. According to Xie Zhuo's words, wouldn't all his deductions over the past few days be wrong?
Stories are harmful!!!
Seeing Xie Baoqiong's expression, Xie Zhuo understood everything. Coupled with Xie Baoqiong's attitude these past few days, she probably already thought of him as heartless and ungrateful.
Seeing that the person was still in shock, Xie Zhuo simply picked up the last piece of apricot blossom pastry from the plate and put it in his mouth, quietly waiting for the person to finish processing the news.
The sugar-soaked apricot petals are wrapped in flour and shaped into apricot blossoms. A few sesame seeds are placed where the stamens should be. After tasting, the honey flavor spreads between the lips and teeth, with a faint apricot blossom fragrance.
No wonder Xie Baoqiong ate almost the entire plate of apricot blossom pastries in no time.
Less than half an hour had passed since they finished eating, and Xie Rongjing's worried words came to Xie Zhuo's mind.
He glanced down at the empty plate, realizing that the amount of pastries served in the mansion would have to be reduced in the future.
"Brother, the young master isn't Lord Xie's biological son?!" Xie Baoqiong repeated Xie Zhuo's words slowly, as if this would help him accept the news more quickly.
Xie Zhuo had already swallowed the last bite of pastry, picked up a cup of tea and took a sip to cleanse his palate: "Jing'er is your uncle's child, who was adopted into my family."
At this point, a look of pain flashed across Xie Zhuo's eyes: "The title should have been inherited by your eldest uncle, but your eldest uncle and your grandfather died in battle before your mother disappeared, and Jing'er was still young at that time."
A sense of sorrow enveloped Xie Zhuo, yet his tone remained strangely calm as he recounted the past.
The reason why Xie Zhuo did not go to Huaiyang County as agreed with Princess Huayang was also clearly revealed in his words.
Xie Zhuo looked up at Xie Baoqiong again, his eyes clearly devoid of any extraneous emotion, yet Xie Baoqiong inexplicably sensed Xie Zhuo's intense feelings. He could neither understand these emotions nor offer any words of comfort.
But it seems that his presence is a great comfort to Xie Zhuo.
Xie Zhuo raised his hand and stroked his face: "Xiao Bao".
Upon hearing this title, Xie Baoqiong lowered his eyes, feeling as if he had been burned. He was a "tombstone" and not some kind of treasure. Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, he had no reason to continue using Xie Baoqiong's identity.
How can a stone be considered a precious gem?
“Qiong means the beautiful color of jade.”①
This name doesn't suit him well.
He cautiously raised his eyes to examine Xie Zhuo. Given Xie Zhuo's personality, he shouldn't have found someone to take him in after he confessed. Besides, he had already told Xie Zhuo that he wasn't his son; Xie Zhuo had insisted on bringing him home.
Just as he finished mentally preparing himself, before he could even speak, Xie Zhuo's voice continued to ring in his ears: "Little Bao, did you misunderstand something and blame your father? Or do you resent your father for making your elder brother the heir?"
Xie Zhuo's warm fingertips brushed across Xie Baoqiong's cheek, and Xie Baoqiong's gaze followed that fair skin.
A gentle voice rang out unhurriedly: "These things in the Marquis's mansion should have belonged to your elder brother, but the family fortune that your father accumulated all belongs to Xiaobao."
Xie Baoqiong was unaware of the extent of Xie Zhuo's wealth, nor did he understand how much others would envy his possessions. He only knew that he could no longer allow Xie Zhuo to talk to himself.
"Thank you, sir."
Xie Zhuo's pupils trembled slightly, a hint of hurt appearing on his face.
Xie Baoqiong's voice didn't pause: "Actually, I'm just... just acquainted with Princess Huayang." They've spent more than ten years together, so of course they're acquainted.
Xie Baoqiong bit her tongue, and after thinking it over, she still didn't reveal her identity as a demon. Xie Zhuo might not harm her because of the demon, but if her identity as a demon got out, it might be detrimental to her investigation.
"Princess Huayang has actually already..."
Xie Baoqiong observed Xie Zhuo in front of her. His expression and words did not seem fake. After hesitating for a long time, she still released the news. This way, she could both trick Xie Zhuo again and gain an assistant in the investigation.
Xie Zhuo noticed Xie Baoqiong's shifty eyes, and a guess began to form in his mind.
"Princess Huayang is dead."
The thunderclap and the words landed in his mind, and disbelief filled Xie Zhuo's eyes, but the pain that followed overwhelmed all his emotions.
Although I had expected the answer, I still found it hard to believe when I learned the truth.
Xie Zhuo's hand, which had been resting on Xie Baoqiong's face, fell to the ground, and then he grabbed Xie Zhuo's arm tightly in the next moment.
When did she have the accident?
“Thirteen years ago…” Xie Baoqiong gave a rough date.
Xie Zhuo glanced at Xie Baoqiong, and as he gradually calmed down, he grasped the contradiction in Xie Baoqiong's words. Xie Baoqiong looked to be only a teenager, and her registered age was thirteen.
How could someone so young be acquainted with Princess Huayang? The answer, after much back and forth, was that Xie Zhuo assumed Xie Baoqiong had acknowledged his identity, but was too proud to give a direct answer.
He reached out and pulled Xie Baoqiong into his arms, tenderly stroking her hair. If Ajin had passed away earlier, Qiong'er would have suffered so much growing up alone. All the resentment he had felt before was justified.
Forced to bury her face in Xie Zhuo's chest, the warmth of a human being enveloped her body through her clothes, Xie Baoqiong stared blankly.
The frantic yet powerful beating of a heart seemed to resonate without any obstruction, ringing close to Xie Baoqiong's ear.
Xie Baoqiong bowed her head slightly, looked up at Xie Zhuo's profile, her eyelashes drooping, her expression sorrowful yet mixed with Xie Baoqiong's incomprehension.
Xie Baoqiong blinked. So this is how a human's heart beats when they're sad. How noisy!
However, he stopped struggling and let Xie Zhuo hold him in his arms as a thank you for taking him in these past few days.
The sound of his heartbeat gradually subsided, and Xie Baoqiong felt the hands holding him loosen. A voice sounded above her head:
"Qiong'er, do you know where your mother's body is now?"
Although Xie Zhuo loosened his grip on Xie Baoqiong, he was clearly still not at ease, his gaze fixed on her.
Xie Baoqiong, of course, knew the answer to the question, but nodded without answering: "Does Lord Xie know who harmed Princess Huayang?"
He didn't expect Xie Zhuo to know the real culprit, but it would be good if Xie Zhuo could help him narrow down the candidates.
After hearing his words, Xie Zhuo frowned and remained silent for a moment.
Xie Baoqiong's eyes lit up a little; could it be that Xie Zhuo really had a clue?
"The misunderstanding has been cleared up, but Qiong'er still refuses to acknowledge me? Could it be that she still has doubts?"
A single sentence extinguished Xie Baoqiong's expectations. He glanced at Xie Zhuo with a slightly annoyed look, wondering if there was still a barrier between the human language and human communication that the demons had learned.
Looking up, he noticed Xie Zhuo's seemingly nervous expression and his gentlemanly face, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him.
Xie Zhuo must also be looking for the murderer, and Xie Zhuo also knows about Princess Huayang's past. If you can stay by Xie Zhuo's side, it will probably be easier to find the murderer. Moreover, with the appearance of this fake son of Princess Huayang, can the murderer behind him still sit still?
Moreover, he could endure heavenly lightning in order to attain enlightenment, so now he only needs to call me "father," and not even a shard of stone will fall on him.
After thinking it through, Xie Baoqiong said without batting an eye, "Father."
As Xie Baoqiong finished speaking, Xie Zhuo stood there stunned, seemingly not expecting to hear this address, which was thirteen years late, so easily.
He was born into a prestigious family, loved by his parents and cherished by his elder brother. His childhood was smooth, and he achieved success in his youth. After passing the imperial examination, he married a noblewoman, and the couple lived in perfect harmony.
But fate is unpredictable. First, his father and brothers died in battle, then his pregnant wife disappeared, and his mother died soon after.
In just a few months, everything has changed dramatically.
...
"Qiong'er, be good." Xie Zhuo's hand stroked Xie Baoqiong's eyebrows and eyes, and the real presence under his hand filled his heart.
Xie Baoqiong's face wrinkled slightly; the Xie family always liked to touch his face.
He grabbed Xie Zhuo's hand and pulled him away, steer the conversation back to the topic: "Father, do you have any leads on the people who harmed Hua and Mother back then?"
Xie Zhuo clenched his palms and held Xie Baoqiong's two hands together: "Tell me in detail what you know first."
Xie Baoqiong, without suspecting anything, relayed part of the content to Xie Zhuo.
After listening to Xie Baoqiong's words, Xie Zhuo lowered his eyes and pondered.
For a moment, only the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops outside the window could be heard inside the room.
Xie Baoqiong did not disturb Xie Zhuo's thoughts, but looked down at the dark pattern on the sleeve above the hand Xie Zhuo was holding.
Xie Baoqiong only came to his senses when Xie Zhuo pulled him to his feet, but what Xie Zhuo said was not the news he wanted to hear.
"Qiong'er, your father will have someone escort you back to your courtyard."
"Does Father have anyone he suspects?" Xie Baoqiong asked, grabbing the sleeve of the man she had been staring at as Xie Zhuo tried to push him out of the house.
Xie Zhuo's face turned serious: "Your father will investigate your mother's matter. You must not interfere in this matter privately."
Xie Baoqiong's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and disbelief was evident in her pupils. Hadn't she and Xie Zhuo just been exchanging information?
Xie Zhuo's serious expression lasted only a moment. He glanced at Xie Baoqiong, who was holding onto him, and finally couldn't bear it. His expression softened, and his tone became coaxing: "Qiong'er, be good."
The hand that Xie Zhuo had just held onto was now gripping her sleeve tightly, Xie Baoqiong acting as if she wouldn't let go until Xie Zhuo said something useful.
Xie Zhuo naturally couldn't bear to pry Xie Baoqiong's hands off, so he personally escorted her to Biyuxuan.
"Lord Xie, I have already told you everything I know. You should also inform me of the people who have doubts. You are known as a gentleman, how could you do something so despicable as to break your promise?"
An indignant accusation rang out on the garden path, and even the way Xie Zhuo addressed her changed back. Xie Zhuo couldn't help but suspect that Xie Baoqiong had only changed her address to trick him with information.
But the most important thing right now is to speak up and salvage the precarious reputation that Xie Baoqiong has described.
"Qiong'er, did your father promise you before asking me, and that he would tell you after he finished speaking?"
The rest of his words were stuck in his throat. Xie Baoqiong recalled his conversation with Xie Zhuo, and it seemed that Xie Zhuo really hadn't agreed to it.
Blinking in confusion, Xie Baoqiong belatedly realized that she had fallen into a trap.
Seeing Xie Baoqiong's adorable appearance, Xie Zhuo's lips curled up in a good mood.
But Xie Zhuo's smile lasted less than a moment before freezing at the corner of his mouth.
Xie Baoqiong, who had been tightly gripping his sleeve, released his grip and said calmly, "Since Lord Xie is unwilling to tell me, please excuse me."
A note from the author:
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Note: ① Quoted from "Zhengzitong - Jade Radical"
Xie Baoqiong: Human hearts are treacherous :(
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